riverviewlogs | introductory mingle: HARVEST FESTIVAL

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introductory mingle: HARVEST FESTIVAL

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)

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[Rey sits across from him on her bed, one foot tucked under her. Her hands on her knees and easily accessible if Finn wanted to keep holding her hand. If either of them needed to reach out to hold the other to show they wouldn't lose one another.]

He did. I remember seeing you there in the snow and I had to protect you...[Just as he had done for her. She looked for a moment and took a deep breath. When she looked up at him she began to recount what happened. How the lightsaber flew into her hand. How she and Kylo Ren had fought and his offer to be her teacher. How she was able to channel and use the Force to gain the upper hand. The feelings of rage and power flowing through her, and how tempted--sorely tempted she was at ending him...but she didn't. She backed away from that ledge and instead gave him a nasty wound instead.]

I left him in the snow..I don't know if he made it off the Base but, I went back to you. I wasn't sure if we were going to make it, but Chewie picked us up. We went to D'Qar and you were rushed to the Med Bay. I only stayed for a few days for supplies before I went off to find Luke on Ahch-To. I managed to land on Ahch-To, but then I was placed here...

[Might as well let that sink in first before she continued on.]

[ The pause to let him process everything is very much appreciated. There's a lot of ground to cover, and he hadn't so much as looked like he planned to interrupt during her recounting. Finn is quiet for a few long moments.

Rey has the Force and she used it to beat Kylo Ren on a strict time limit on a planet-destroying weapon that was getting ready to explode, walked away instead of killing him, and then she went back to where he'd cut down Finn, instead of heading for the Falcon. What's not to understand, that's totally not insane at all. The last part doesn't surprise Finn, necessarily. She says I went back to you and he thinks that's Rey, even though in the grand scheme he never did learn much of anything about her.

A hard attitude and a practical mind, and she could have just taken care of herself on Jakku instead of looking out for BB-8, instead of sticking with him when the First Order turned back up. She could have run for the Falcon and gone back to D'Qar and gone on her way to find Luke Skywalker regardless, but instead she ran back through the trees for him. It's a feeling that settles in him. That's Rey, and it's just something that he knows.

Only an idiot would meet Rey and not realize she's special. Force or no Force.

Finn doesn't try to say something about not risking her life going back to him. Everyone makes their own choices. He's made his. Rey's made hers. Kylo Ren made his choices, too. ]

That's... a lot. [ Home world a lot instead of strange moon a lot. Still very much... a lot. He's pretty sure some integral part of Rey's core existence is made of ultrachrome? ] And you're sure you're okay?

[ SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO DOUBLECHECK WHEN CONFRONTED WITH THE END OF THE MOVIE'S MUCHNESS. ]

[It's hard to think what might be going through Finn's mind. If he was overwhelmed with what she was able to now do. Or, if he was more concerned about getting her to Luke. It felt like Poe was leaning towards that, and she couldn't blame him. She was trying to do what she could, but her resources were limited. That wasn't an excuse, but her reality. There wasn't anything she could make or use...

And "listening" to the Force hadn't helped her much. If she had a way to learn more about the Force, or the Jedi, she would at least have something rather than nothing. But that's something to think about another day. Right now she's focused on Finn and trying to give him as much information as possible without overwhelming him.

Through it all though...he still asks if she's okay.]

I'm fine. [It's a phrase she's been using way too often. It's a sign of someone who isn't fine.] I was more concerned about you. The last time I saw you, you were asleep, resting. I told you I would come back.. [And she placed a kiss on his forehead, but there wasn't a need to go into that little detail. or that she sometimes had bad dreams of being back in that interrogation chair with Kylo Ren standing over her, forcing his way into her mind...]

When I got here, I tried to figure a way off this rock. I thought I could find an old ship, patch it up and try to leave, but I couldn't find anything. There was a shuttle that Jim, he's part of the Perimeter Guard, had found, but I wasn't going to steal it.

And then I met a few other interesting people... [One of them was Cisco, she lights up a little then, explaining how he offered her a job and introduced her to the world of candy (oreos and gummy bears). What was most shocking was telling Finn that she met Obi Wan, an old Jedi Master.]

Time isn't an issue with this place. People from the past are here. Obi Wan Kenobi was here...and I wished I had paid more attention to him. I could've learned a lot, but before we could have a proper lesson, he was gone. People come and go in this and it's hard to keep track of who's still here.

[Her voice and demeanor dropped then, feeling upset again. She had the chance to learn and she didn't take. She should've paid more attention to Obi Wan's whereabouts and Poe's.]

There's also Cassian and Jyn. They're from the past too--from the Rebellion days, Finn. [She wasn't going to say what happened to them. That wasn't her story to tell. She promised Cassian she wouldn't bring up Scarif to anyone else. Rey wasn't sure if Finn would know who either of those two were, but they were important enough to Rey for her to mention them.]

Things...are slowly getting back to 'normal' or what passes for normal here. A few weeks ago, something happened and people were able to see someone else's memories. [And to a very lucky few, some people got to see how lonely Rey's world really was.]

[ He builds up his list of mental notes to consider further in the future. That Rey might not necessarily be fine fine, just functioning, which he can't exactly judge anyone for.

That whoever Cisco is, he sounds nice enough, for Rey to light up like that talking about him. Exactly what he's going to do with that mental note, he's not sure yet. Maybe he'll meet him sometime.

That the Perimeter Guard has a shuttle-- if he does decide to join up, that could be something interesting to check out. He probably will join up. He wasn't really raised for a career outside of a certain scope.

And then, of course, there are the more obvious notes.

Stormtrooper cadets get history classes. It's part of any standard First Order education, which doesn't frame any rebels in a positive light and starts to lean specifically towards battle formations and successful strategies, but it's an education nonetheless. Finn knows the name Obi Wan Kenobi because it's theoretically impossible not to hear a name like that, same as it would be impossible not to hear the name Luke Skywalker, and he knows the rough span of years framing the Rebellion days. There's not being able to remember a few days that Rey remembers because of being unconscious, and then there's people supposedly turning up from the actual past.

He doesn't know the other two names. With the bigger or unavoidable ones put aside, there's not much room for learning to think of rebels as people with lives. ]

Were they with the Rebellion?

[ Okay, look, objectively, he thinks that's a very big distinction to make for future posterity. Rebels? Empire? Civilian? Then, when he catches up to the rest of what she says: ]

People were seeing memories?

[ That sounds more than a little intrusive and awful. That sounds like this moon is still a generally awful place. ]

[Rey could always introduce Finn to Cisco and let him see how nice of a guy he was. He was one of the few people who Rey continued to keep in contact with. It was a hard habit to break, being on her own and keeping to herself. This whole socializing thing has taken some time to get used to.

Without Finn around, Rey had come to lean on Cisco a little. She found herself opening up to him more than the rest of the others of this place. Well, not entirely true. There was Alec too, but she could mention him later. Cisco was her employer and she also worked as part of the Perimeter Guard. The girl was in survivor mode, trying to work as much as she could, save as much money as she could, and buy what she needed. There wasn't time to really buy something because it was a want or a desire.

There's a nod of her head at Finn's question.]

Yes, they were. They were part of the Rebellion and fought against the Empire. [But again, she won't tell Finn that they were the reason why the plans for the Death Star were discovered and used against the Empire. Cassian and or Jyn could tell him that. Which brought her to her second point...] And they don't know about the First Order. It...it felt wrong to tell them that the Empire was destroyed only to have something else rise up from the ashes.

[Another nod of her head.] Yeah, people were getting visions of someone else's memories, or dreaming of them...[She paused, taking a deep breath because she was explaining so much and because she didn't really like that lovely event or whatever it was.] Mine included. I was lucky...only a few people saw my memories. It was mostly of my life on Jakku...before you and BB-8.

[ He can't blame her for not telling them. How do you look two people in the eyes and say, "you get what you're fighting for, and then something just as ugly starts it over again after too short a time"? It feels wrong to have to say it, if just as wrong not to-- he isn't sure where he falls on the matter. They all have to get back eventually, right?

But Finn understands Rey's thought process either way. It's from a place of kindness. More than he can say for the lies he's told since defecting. He nods, at the very least willing to show that he understands and will remember it. ]

It's not lucky if anyone saw them. They're yours.

[ He doesn't know much of anything about her life on Jakku. He doubts they were especially good, or happy.

And as someone with very few memories that are only his, not shared with however many cadets or instructors or people happened to be in the immediate area, Finn thinks it's more than fair to call the Quarantine out for being unfair. Whether it was intentional or accidental, it doesn't sound right. ]

[Rey is thankful Finn understands. He doesn't speak up against what she did. Jyn and Cassian gave their lives for the Rebellion, she wasn't about to let that go down the drain.]

I did mention you to Cassian, as someone who saw beyond power. Someone who knew what was right and defected. Seems he had a friend who did the same, part of the Empire but walked away from it.

[See how much you matter to her Finn? She mentions you to other people. Finn and Poe are the only two people she's referenced in a good light.

As for her memories..]

I know. I was infuriated and upset. I'm not shamed of my past, but it wasn't my choice to show them. The only good that came from it was learning more about Jyn and Cassian.

[ She mentioned him, and that much he can consider a good thing even before taking the kindness of how she describes it into account. It means she thought about him, even here, even with so much going on. Logically, it stands to reason that there's no reason she wouldn't think about him once in a while, or mention him to someone she was willing to talk to.

But it's nice to realize.

And if she hasn't told Cassian about the First Order, then it also means she probably didn't go too into detail about what Finn defected from, exactly.

That's good, too.

Finn does reach for her hand again when she admits that she was upset with the whole affair. In an ideal world, there would be someone they could storm up to about it, put an end to being stuck here, get some kind of closure or justice for it, anything like that. He'd do it in a heartbeat. But there's just a moon. A moon, and a lot of things that seem to happen to people who don't deserve it. And not much he can do about any of it. ]

Never heard of anyone walking away from the Empire before. [ Is where he lands, ultimately. In part because learning more about these two rebels is the only bright side she's found, and he doesn't want to make her dwell on the rest. But also because it's true.

Old strategic shortcomings could be highlighted as part of a lesson sometimes, but First Order history has a very biased point of view. ]

[She has thought about him. How he was doing, if he was okay. If he would be able to walk again after the damage done to his back. Rey didn't know how badly Kylo Ren had injured him, only that it was sever enough for him to go to the Medical Bay once they landed on D'Qar. He was a good example of how people could change. By all accounts, he shouldn't have defected from the First Order. He should've remained until he died, but he didn't. He saw past the fighting, past the glory and the possible power he could acquire.

He saw light. He saw a different path...and he took her along that path by grabbing her hand.

Once his hand is holding hers, she finds herself using her thumb to brush over the inside of his palm. A soothing motion for both of them.]

Neither had I.

[That someone could defect and then fight for the Rebellion. Completely unheard of, but also true at the same time. But, everything she's told Finn has been true...and really, that's all shes' been up to for the past two months; trying to figure things out and keep going.]

It's a lot to take in...and there are days where I'm still wondering if I'll just wake up and be on Ahch-To again.

I don't blame you.

[ This place is... all kinds of messed up. Things don't align. They don't make sense. They happen even though they should be impossible, but not in the way impossible things lined up back home.

It almost doesn't seem real. ]

We're in this together, all right? As long as it lasts.

[ Same thing he told Poe, and no less true for being repeated. The First Order can go hang. And he's not thinking about the Resistance yet if he can help it, not in terms of- of staying with them, joining another side of the same war, but there's time for that. Right now, he has Rey and he has Poe. They're on the same team. That matters more than anything else. ]

[There was a nod of her head, silently promising that she wouldn't lose him. She wouldn't lose him or Poe. They were in this together, and if one of them found a way off this rock, then they would leave together.]

We are. The three of us.

[There's a squeeze of his hand, assuring him of her words.]

If you need help settling in, let me know or Poe. I know...the adjustment is hard, and the people here come from similar worlds. Though, not many of them have encountered a droid, or that space travel is the normal mode of transportation...

[Her eyes were searching Finn's, trying to find anyway she could make this easier for him.]

[ There's something inherently comforting about... having a team, basically, in this place. He can count the time he's spent genuinely alone on his hands without running out of fingers, sure, but here especially-- it's the first time he's been part of a team that he can feel like he belongs in. Even a little.

It makes it easier. ]

I'll let you know. [ The corners of his mouth twitch up into a slight smile. ] What's one crazy moon after everything else we've had to deal with, right?

[ooc: apologies, HOW DID I FORGET THIS?!]

[They were a team, something Rey can honestly believe in and know they would be there for each other. There was a strong sense of trust between the three of them, and she wouldn't leave Finn or Poe behind.

The smile though...it suits Finn. The thought just drifts in Rey's head as she lets out a soft chuckle.]

At least this one won't be destroyed. [Or at least she hopes that's not the case.]

And..no one else of the First Order is here. At least we can breathe easy.

((no worries! backtagging is my lifestyle.))

[ Finn's face softens.

He wants to believe that.

He wants to be a person who can hear that the First Order really has no presence here without automatically attaching a yet to the end. Without the unbidden thought that the First Order will eventually be everywhere, a belief he was told to have for as long as he can remember. He wants Rey to say they can breathe easy and for it to get easier to breathe, because he trusts her, because she's smart and she's strong and she's good and she'd know even a little more about what to look for than some random orientation assistant. If she thought they were here, she'd say so, and she has more than enough reason to be keeping a wary eye out. She would know.

In so many ways, this is exactly what he'd wanted, what he'd let himself hope for for a while. Distance. Distance from the First Order, and Rey here with him, on some small moon in some far-off reach of the universe with greenness and life to spare. It's a shame nothing about how it happened turned out to be good.

That there are some things he'll carry with him regardless of the distance he gets. ]

For now, anyway. As long as it lasts. [ The words aren't bitter. If anything, they're determined.

Finn wants to have the hope that rises in his chest on hearing those words without feeling it sink into a bog of long-internalized dread. Even just once, for a few seconds. Even if he has to reach down into himself and pull that hope up before it drowns.

For as long as they all have before something goes wrong, he'd like them to breathe easy. ]

Edited (if my eyes would just see words that go missing id love it) 2017-12-01 04:05 (UTC)

[For now...it's always 'for now' until something happens. Something that neither of them can foresee or tell for sure. Rey was hoping she wouldn't see anyone else from the First Order here. They didn't need to be here, to have a foot hold or to bring the war here. Too many people would get hurt, and she would be damned if she would let that happen.]

As long as it lasts...[She murmurs back, squeezing his hand a little.

And if she can help it...she'd find a way to be notified or detected if someone from the First Order comes through. Something to talk to Cisco about...but for now, she wants to be there for Finn. She wants to be a source of comfort for her friend. Her eyes take him in, noting how his expression has softened.

They were in this together. They wouldn't leave each other behind...and though holding hands was fine, she found herself leaning forward to hug her friend.]

We'll get through this.

[ Everyone can objectively appreciate that both Rey and Finn need more hugs in their lives, and I for one am glad that it's happening.

Which is more to say. Boy, does Finn sure hug back. He doesn't even lend consideration to which of them this hug is supposed to be helping, if not both of them, doesn't give it any thought at all. He just wraps his arms around Rey and knows that he's glad she's with him right now. That he gets to see her again.

Once they get back, she'll have a whole thing to deal with with Luke Skywalker and destiny and the Force, and he'll... he's not sure what he'll have to deal with. He's not sure what he's supposed to actually do. Deal with figuring it out, he guesses. If they really put him back where he left off, injury and all, it'll be more a matter of waking up on some planet without Rey on it.

He wouldn't trade knowing she's okay for anything. ]

We will.

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introductory mingle: HARVEST FESTIVAL

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