introductory mingle: HARVEST FESTIVAL

[riverviewmod]

who: everyone in Riverview!
what: Introductory Log and Harvest Festival celebration
when: The month of November.
where: Anywhere around the city.
warnings: please put any necessary warnings in the subject lines

harvest festival

In the days leading up to November 1st, residents new and old will notice preparations beginning, a flurry of activity getting the city ready for the upcoming celebration: The Harvest Festival. This holiday is in celebration of the harvest season and autumn, as the moon transitions into its winter period, and is characterized by indulging in the plenty that comes with the harvest season with loved ones, cleaning house figuratively and literally, and making sure that those in need don't suffer during the winter. Celebrations tend to focus around food and charity, with citizens enjoying and sharing cultural meals and sharing stories, or participating in any of the wide range of charity projects and events going on during this season.

a celebration of sharing

The biggest traditions of the Harvest Festival are centered around giving and sharing. Charity is central, and the each year the city sets up a large open tent with warm places to rest for anyone who might be homeless and a table capable of sitting over 50 people at any given time, with a round-the-clock catered feast for anyone who wants to sit and have a meal with anyone else who's dropped by. Besides this, there are a wide variety of events benefiting charities in the city, including a karaoke concert, stray animal round up, and the annual "stuff swap" where residents clean their homes and donate anything they don't need to those who might be lacking. There is also a tradition of writing down repressed or bottled up thoughts, feelings, regrets, sins, and other troubles and tossing them into a bonfire to go into winter with a clean soul.

i. harvest feast & stuff swap

For the first few days of November, anyone dropping by the city center will notice a large tent structure being put into place - by November 3rd, as the last of October's ghosts fade into nonexistence, a veritable banquet hall will have been sent up. For a week following the setup, anyone who drops by the hall and steps inside will see a large table laden with food. Bread, stew, fruits and vegetables, soups, roasted meat, and almost anything else one can think of will be on the table, along with plates, silverware, and cups. Anyone is free to take a plate, settle down at the table, and help themselves to a meal.

The Feast is staffed entirely by volunteers, who do the cooking, cleaning, and tidy up the dishes and area afterwards, keeping the constant stream of food coming. Whether your character is heading in to sit beside a stranger and strike up a conversation, or volunteering their time, energy, or cooking skills to the hall, they're more than welcome.

One corner of the hall is entirely dedicated to the yearly "stuff swap." There's a long-standing tradition of fall cleaning in Riverview Quarantine, where residents will thoroughly clean their homes and rid themselves of excess in preparation for the winter. The extra things that aren't needed can be dropped off at the city center where the Feast is set up, and anyone who is in need of a particular item that has been donated can take it free of charge. This is an honor system, so please be kind to others! (Or don't.)

ii. charity karaoke

On the weekend of November 10th and 11th, while the Feast will be cleared away, the tent is being repurposed for a new event - a Karaoke Concert for the needy! Set up as a makeshift bar and lounge area, the space will be fronted by a large stage where singles or groups of people can choose a song and karaoke their hearts out to a crowd of spectators. There's a by-donation cover fee, and guests are encouraged to reward the best (or most hilariously bad) renditions of beloved songs from across the multiverse with digital "tips" that are transferred to the karaoke performer's charity of choice.

Whether you're a spectator tipping a performer, or a performer who's singing their heart out on the stage to benefit a variety of charities from the homeless to the animal shelter to children in need (and almost anything else you can think of), the Karaoke Concert is both hilarious and heartwarming.

iii. stray animal roundup

One of the main charity events that seems to happen every year is the stray roundup. As the seasons turn and it gets colder and colder at night, many residents who have a soft spot for animals band together to round up as many stray animals as possible and take them to shelters where they can be rehabilitated, given a warm bath, fed, and have a safe place to sleep. Volunteers take to the streets with crates and nets or restraining poles as well as generous bags of treats of food to entice the strays with, and capture them safely to be brought back to the various animal shelters around the Quarantine. Any animal who's caught is put up for adoption, and volunteers are encouraged to take home any strays that they bond particularly well with, or are invited to foster animals in their homes.

Whether your character is a die-hard animal lover, looking for a new pet, or just wants some wacky hijinks trying to chase a wily critter around the streets, they'll be suited up with supplies by other volunteers and released into the fray. The most common animals to be found are cats, dogs, and small domesticated foxes, but feel free to assume that your character is rounding up a reptile, rodent, bird, or a domesticated alien critter. Playing a thread with this prompt is a great opportunity to get a cute alien pet for your character without spending AP.

iv. letting go

On the evening of November 15th, a series of large bonfires will be set up all along the beaches of the river, and as the night falls, people begin migrating to the beaches from all over the city carrying slips of paper in a wide variety of colors with words written on them in a wide variety of languages, and throwing them into the fires. This is a way of psychologically and emotionally cleaning house for the residents of the Quarantine, because the papers they bring contain the stories of their pain, poems written about the feelings they bottle up, a venting of their anger and fear and resentment, all to be eaten up by the flames and washed away by the river with the next rain.

No matter where a person comes from, they carry pain and suffering and hurts that they must hide. This is a welcome opportunity for characters to write out their thoughts and feelings and release them. And if the symbolism of burning them isn't enough, there are always other people around the fires who are willing to listen, to hear all those things that people keep locked up inside. Share a story willingly, listen to someone's story, or just get caught holding your deepest darkest secrets on a really vulnerable piece of paper...it's up to you.

v. roommates or wildcard

Feel free to use this prompt to meet new roommates, for the purpose of getting to know each other, or hit up the mod-posted prompt to create a Communal Housing floor mingle. Or, if you have an idea for a prompt that isn't in this list, set during the Harvest Festival, feel free to write it up!

visual inspiration

click on thumbnails for larger view

Credit: image i & iii: Bastien Grivet; image ii & iv: unknown (stock/hobbiton)

navigation

Comments

Chibita | ota

[odenson]

I.
[If there's one thing Chibita knows, it's cooking. After the initial shock of this whole 'world hopping' business, to have something to focus on rather than the dislocation of suddenly being quite far away from home is definitely a blessing, and something Chibita has latched onto quickly. Besides, what was a good feast without oden? Naturally, someone would have to fill this hole clearly missing in the Quarantine's culinary offerings, and Chibita has been rather happy to do so. Normally he'd bring his cart to the festival, but seeing as he hasn't had time to purchase one yet (it's on his to-do list for the next couple of days,) he's instead set up a small metal stand with oden ingredients boiling inside and some plastic bowls set out next to it. He's humming quietly to himself as he stirs the broth--but if anyone comes near enough, his attention is quickly diverted to that person, grinning widely as he waves them down, motioning them closer to his stand] Oi, hey! Have ya ever tried oden before?! You should give it a shot!

[nothing wrong with drumming up some interest now, right????]

III.
[Chibita is no stranger to strays. Having lived with them (literally) for a good chunk of his childhood, he's naturally drawn to help rounding them up to find them nice homes. At the moment, however, he's chasing after a particularly wily dog, a comically large net grasped in his hands as he makes a solid attempt to bring it down on what looks like might've been assumed a corgi at a distance, but in actuality has a pair of deer-like horns sprouting out of its head. Chibita is currently swearing at it in a rather colorful fashion as the animal darts out from under his net] Dammit, what the hell, ya idjit! Get back here! [...and yeeeeep. Off he goes again, giving another go at getting his hands on the creature, despite the way it seems to be just darting out of his reach again and again, as if this is some sort of game.]

V.
[Chibita's been settling into Floor 9 for the past couple of days, probably spending a good chunk of the first half of the week in the kitchen, preparing ingredients and filling the bottom row of the refrigerator with several containers labeled: "DASHI--DON'T TOUCH!!!" in a cramped chicken scratch. He's also rather keen to explore the festival in general. So feel free to spot him wandering around, testing out various foods or observing the leaves or his surroundings. He'll also be going shopping for a cart, so if you'd like to see him window shopping around town, that's also entirely plausible. Or!!! Something else entirely! I'm over at nikkernoodle if you'd like to chat!]

I

[ragnarsson]

[Ivar's passing by in his wheelchair when he gets waved down by a rather enthusiastic looking bald man. He approaches the stand with curiosity, looking down at the boiling ingredients. Truth be told, they don't look like much after seeing the more colorful foods that have been dotting the feast. But for once, Ivar is tactful enough not to mention that.]

What is oden?

[He sniffs tentatively. It all smells good enough.]

[odenson]

[Chibita's grin widens as his little stand is approached, and at the question he leans forward a bit over the broth, hands on his hips] Only the best food in the world! Here--

[and, without waiting for any sort of commentary or reply, he's plucking a couple of skewers from the broth and putting them into a shallow bowl, before holding it out] --give it a try!

[ragnarsson]

[He's a rather bold one, this strange vendor. Ivar watches in a bemused sort of state as Chibita gives him the bowl with the skewers in it. Ivar gives it another sniff, reassuring him that if the food at least smells this good, it's bound to taste good as well. Ivar takes a bite of the food, chewing it over for a moment before he answers in the positive.]

It's good! What is it made from?

[odenson]

[Ivar will definitely get this strange vendor beaming at him once it's reported that it's good.] Well, that piece was radish! And the one under it is fish cake. And the one on that other skewer is called konjac. They've all got different textures and flavors, but they've all soaked up the flavor of the broth. [he pats the side of the stand fondly, as if to indicate the broth boiling in it.]

[ragnarsson]

I've not seen you before. [He would have remembered if he had. Ivar's fond of trying all sorts of different foods from other worlds. He's grown quite fond of things like pizzas and cheeseburgers. Ivar goes for the fish cake skewer.] Are you new?

[Ivar could become very fond of this food in a short amount of time.]

[odenson]

Yeah, seems so. I just came in a couple 'a days ago. [he shrugs, casually] S'not what I expected t'happen, but could be worse places t'end up.

[ragnarsson]

I've been here over eight months. It took some getting used to, but I have a life here now. [Whether it was better than the one he'd left behind was something he was still trying to figure out. He chomps down on another bite.] This place is a lot easier in a lot of ways then where I came before.

[odenson]

Eh, eight months? [Chibita can't help but stare for a moment because--] That's a long time. [after a moment, though, he shrugs] Must be nice, then, 'f it's better than th' place ya came from.

[ragnarsson]

It is. It's gone by both incredibly fast and incredibly slow. [Ivar chomps down on the food, speaking with a full mouth. Sorry, Chibata, he's got terrible table manners.] There's certain advantages, like hot running water you can get at any time, for starters.

[odenson]

[Listen, the sextuplets who regularly mooch off his stand have equally bad if not worse manners, so it doesn't bother Chibita any. But at that, he blinks a bit.]

No hot running water where you're from? At all, or just where you live? [because lmao hot running water wasn't something one gets when they're living in the dump so he kinda feels u Ivar]

[ragnarsson]

At all. I'm from a long time ago. [Another pause and a chomp before he continues on. He could grow to become very fond of this food.] 816 to be exact.

[Ivar reckons he's about as far back as anyone that's been brought here can get.]

[odenson]

[Chibita

stares

for a hot moment]

E-eh?! The hell? Really?! That's a long time! [HOLD ON HE HAS TO PROCESS THAT]

[ragnarsson]

[Ivar just blithely goes on eating his food, only pausing long enough to comment on the expression on Chibita's face.]

That seems to be the usual reaction. My name is Ivar The Boneless. I'm a Viking.

[He'll let that sink in while he polishes off the oden.]

[odenson]

You're a viking? [W H A T. wait askldfhs probably should like

say his name back]>

Er, um--Chibita. M'name's Chibita. M'not a viking, though. [obviously]

[ragnarsson]

[He looks amused at the qualifying statement.]

Of course. If you were a Viking, you'd have more weapons on you.

[Ivar himself has a rather large knife on his belt.]

When and where do you come from, Chibita?

[odenson]

[THAT....IS A DIFFICULT QUESTION KINDA IVAR. BECAUSE TIME IS WEIRD AND GAG ANIMES ARE WEIRD.]

Japan, mostly. And I'm from 2015. [most recently. He's also from 1966 but that's like...weird meta details and hard to explain so he's just going to Not]

I run an oden stand back home! [he says that last part with no small amount of pride]

[ragnarsson]

Japan. Is that in Asia? [His geography of the world is still a little spotty, especially on that end of the continent.]

I suppose you're going to continue that here? [He hopes so. Ivar's decided he rather likes this food.] If you do, you'll have a regular customer in me.

[odenson]

Ah, yeah, it's a couple really large islands. [but the question about his business definitely takes precedence, and he can't help but grin widely, laughing a bit] Kekeh, 'course I am! I just have t' get a cart n' get it all set up! I should have a stand by th' end of the week, I'm hopin'!

[ragnarsson]

That's the way to do things. Make every bowl as good as this one and you'll soon be rolling in wealth.

[Isn't that everyone's goal? Ivar wants to make sure he has enough money that Winter won't want for anything when she grows up.]

You let me know when that happens and I'll help to spread the word.

[odenson]

Thanks, I'd appreciate that! I'll let ya know as soon as I get it up and runnin'. [he beams, still] I'll also look forward ta havin' y'there!

I

[billyrocks]

[The wonderful smell is what draws Billy's attention before the vendor's enthusiastic voice does. He has no idea what half of the ingredients boiling in the stand are, but they look as good as they smell.]

Can't say that I have, but now's a good time to try it.

[Billy's actually never had any kind of street food. Poor soul.]

[odenson]

You betcha! [Chibita grins up at Billy, widely, before selecting a few choice skewers from the broth and placing them in a bowl and holding it out] Here. See whatcha think a' those!

[billyrocks]

Thanks.

[The bowl feels pleasantly warm against his chilled hands and he blows on the triangular piece before taking a bite. He can't help the way his eyes grow wide at the explosion of flavor on his tongue.]

This is really good! [He holds the bowl up a little higher for emphasis before bringing it back down.]

It's called oden right? What country is it from?

[Was it a place that existed in his world, or did it come from an entirely different one?]

[odenson]

[The praise makes him beam, letting out a small 'keh!' even as he rubs a finger under his nose] 'Course it's good; I made it!

[but as for that question--] S'from Japan. That's the country I'm from.