riverviewlogs | introductory mingle: HARVEST FESTIVAL

Entry tags:

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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[ Give him a week or so. He'll get there. The comment about his jacket takes him aback, because he had sort of lost the thread on why he started looking through all these weird tables.

It probably presents itself pretty well as something that needs work. As far as Finn can figure, at least. ]

I know how to multitask.

[ Is what he opts to say first, raising the defense more for the sake of arguing it than actually like. Caring if someone thinks he can multitask. Cassian's kind of got him on the reasonable suggestions front, so Finn tips his head a little. ]

But it is why I'm here. I thought an open market would be a little more... [ Familiar? ] What I was looking for.

[cassian doesn't quite snort, but it almost looks like he could. multitasking. his entire existence, basically.] Useful, sometimes, but seemingly dividing your focus now.

[it almost looks like a rebel jacket, but something about it is off. it's too similar to be a coincidence, but he's not about to be ridiculously obvious about how curious he is.] What is it you are actually looking for? I have been here - [a brief pause, while he calculates it] - several weeks. About three months. I can probably point you in a better direction.

[so very helpful! not at all a ploy to figure out what's going on with the jacket!]

[ He'll take it either way, beacause he has no idea what the hell he's doing here, both specifically and in general.

FIRST, AND PERHAPS MORE IMPORTANTLY THAN ANYTHING: Finn points at Cassian very accusingly. ]

I appreciate the offer and I could use the help, but we both know it's a pretty big leap from several weeks to three months.

[HE'S DEAD, FINN. the weeks blur a little sometimes.]

You are very into semantics. [is he making a joke or making an observation? both?? it is a mystery because there's no telling based on his expression either. but maybe he should be lighter in this conversation, before any tiny portion of seriousness sends the guy over the edge.]

What parts of your jacket need repair? [genuine question or a way to get a better look at the jacket? so many mysteries with cassian andor today.]

[ time is an illusion, got it

Finn's expression still says something along the lines of 'I've got my eye on you,' and he runs a hand down his face in an attempt to re-center himself. That said, he doesn't argue that he's not into semantics. This is sort of a good step. He's been doing a lot of arguing in the past few days. ]

Just the back. [ -- well, okay, he guesses there's a little work to do on the front, too, but it's almost negligible in comparison. He can patch that up before the day's out.

Congratulations, though, Cassian! Finn unfolds that jacket properly (and carefully) to display the bulk of the whole... problem area. Kylo Ren is dumb and he hates decent humans wearing decent jackets. ]

I haven't been able to get anywhere with this.

[ It's been a weird day. Finn would really like to be able to walk out of this tent with a start on putting his jacket back to rights, because at the moment it's kind of all he's got worth working on. ]

[he doesn't seem to care about being put on finn's radar - mostly because cassian knows it'll be easy to shake off it became any sort of genuine concern. but right now he is more interested in the success of getting to see the whole jacket.]

[he was right about it being familiar. the shape and style is eerily similar to rebellion issue flight jackets, but little bits and pieces differ too much. it does make him think this man may be from the same galaxy in some capacity, because it's almost too close to be a coincidence.]

[the damage catches his attention next. burn marks? a very big burn up the back, which suggests some kind of injury sustained by whoever was wearing it. it almost looks like it could be from a lightsaber, but he doesn't know if that's projecting off the assumption it's a galaxy twinsies situation or not.]

Is that a burn? [cassian is very good at questions that can lead to answers he wants without being obvious about it.]

... yes.

[ It almost sounds like a question when it comes out, if only because he doesn't have a lot of dealing with people who will look at a burn and ask if it's a burn. He can respect the thoroughness. It's just weird.

And after a quick second-thinking, he feels like he needs to establish that this isn't the kind of jacket situation he has to deal with a lot. He feels like he doesn't want to look like he's planning on constantly putting this thing through its paces with lightsaber duels and exploding superweapons. So Finn tacks on: ]

I was having a really bad day before I got here.

[gdi finn you're supposed to say what KIND of burn. it is clearly a burn! or at least more about the circumstances.]

[a bad day explanation is not a very detailed one either. cassian needs to step up his game.]

Evidently. [it somehow manages to be both sympathetic and dry.] Were you the one wearing it? [whatever sometimes being direct is useful too.]

I am not sure you will find what you need at a free stuff exchange, especially for that level of damage, but I know some stores you may have better luck with.

[ what's a normal conversational exchange and how can he learn it. ]

Yeah. Sort of hoping my next fight sticks to blasters. I'm better with those.

[ It wasn't great waking up in the wrong galaxy after that fight, where no one can tell him anything that's going on apart from a local festival. But he guesses there's a lot of merit in living in the first place.

Finn's not sure he strictly likes the idea of turning this jacket over to a store, either. But he also knows that he doesn't know how to even fix the burn situation. Money is a secondary concern. He can do math and he has a month of free board. He'll manage fine there. ]

I might have to take you up on that.

[ What kind of world doesn't have magical jacket-fixing supplies in a free stuff exchange full of people's castoffs? Jeez. ]

[aha. blasters. not many people seem to be familiar with that word in this context, and it cements the idea that he's looking at someone from the same galaxy. not necessarily the same time, but it's a start.]

I prefer a fight before it reaches the point of blasters. Less conspicuous. [same hat? same hat! same galaxy bro.]

[but also yikes, if he was wearing the jacket. there's no way that burn didn't hit him too, and he almost wants to be like SAME BACK SAME BACK with a fleeting phantom sympathy pain.] Though I can't imagine getting hit in the back left your arrival here easy.

There are tailors, but you may be able to buy the supplies to fix it yourself also, if that's your preference.

Edited 2017-11-26 07:02 (UTC)

[ Holy shit. Same hat, maybe. ]

I think the hospital was happy to let go of me when they could. [ A nice way of saying it. Look if they didn't want a difficult patient they should have... honestly, past a certain point, there wasn't much they could do. He tried to get up and walk out probably within the first hour of being awake and it was a nightmare. ]

If you've got addresses for a couple of them, I can check them out. [ Look them in the eyes. Have an internal debate. Bring a witness to verify he took this to them. But perhaps most importantly of all, with the wrinkle in the brow to put bow on it: ] Haven't met a lot of people who know blasters.

[ It's very non-home. You get so used to seeing them. And like... the potential to have one. ]

[cassian doesn't miss the hospital either. his own arrival included a longer than normal stay as they repaired so many of his bones. just. so many. does he say any of this? no, of course not.]

I can pass them along. [giving out his contact information always screams wHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING, thanks long life of secrecy, but he's getting used to it. not being a spy is hard.]

Nor have I. [just like talking about himself is even more discomfort, but they both know blasters! they are definitely from the same universe. now cassian needs to know when. it outweighs his need to live shrouded in mystery. talking about personal injury is out, but the familiarity of blasters is in.] At least as long as I have been here. There are still plenty of people with weapons, but not so much the blaster.

[ At least here in the brackets there's human communication.

The lack of blasters here confirms a universal problem. There's just not enough within arm's reach of Finn at any given time. He spent a whole movie either not finding them or dramatically throwing them to the side while he ran in another direction, and it's not fair. He will fix this if he can. ]

Is there a standard firearm here? Same operating principle?

[ Not that that's much of a question when he remembers that Poe said a TIE gunner operated on the same basic principle as a blaster, which it absolutely did fucking not. ]

[insert brain image meme. final level of consciousness: brackets are required for regular human interaction and sentence structure.]

Most people with weaponry have come with designs from home. Some of the firearms I have encountered here have bullets, metallic shots rather than plasma.

Pull the trigger and shoot seems to be universal in concept. The Perimeter Guard has firearms for members to use.

[he's glad he came with a blaster, even if it was one he snagged off scarif. it's been very useful to have that familiarity here.]

You want one. [not really a question, but.]

[ Orientation tidbits about money and markets and information for a faster recovery and the kind of technology that's common on this moon, the whole kit and caboodle-- immediate backburner. He's not forgetting it. He's just ignoring it in favor of things he cares about more right now.

Cassian has Finn's undivided attention because weapons are kind of a Big Deal, they always have been. This puts another tick in favor of bothering with the Perimeter Guard. Bothering to try with the Perimeter Guard, anyway, with every viable option to leave it as desired. ]

Of course I do. [ Literally zero hesitation in admitting that much. ] Look, I don't trust this setup as far as I could throw a wookie. Whatever's gonna go wrong with it, I plan to be prepared.

[ NO TRUST, ONLY VAGUE UNFOUNDED DREAD. ]

[cassian can see immediately the shift in attention, and it tells him a few things even before he speaks up. this man has seen combat, he wants the comfort of a weapon, and that's a priority. it's relatable.]

Wookies are quite heavy. [UNHELPFUL. except more confirmation of #same hat.] The perimeter guard likes to take people with some sort of relevant experience. There are different branches, from tech to patrol to repairs. [that's not ALL but, you know, basics.]

If there are weapons you are unfamiliar with, there is always some kind of training.

[ Thanks for confirming wookies are heavy, Cassian. Finn doesn't even totally think about it in same hat terms, he's just kind of like. Yeah that's about the hardest actual thing to deal with, ever.

He can do training. Training is arguably the thing he's best at doing.

... they did tell him he could get work there if he wanted. And since the only thing he could really say he had in terms of career experience was combat training, there weren't a lot of other offers on the table. ]

I've heard a little about what they do here. It might be worth looking into.

[ At the time the interview went a little more like "your weird portal kidnapped me and you're telling me I should join your militia that conveniently exists, Not Sure About That." Things like weapons and having money to live did not totally cross his mind, so might merit a revisit. He extends a hand. ]

I'm Finn.

I am on the guard myself, but in a more exploratory fashion. [he feels you bro, in the not-really-interested-in-joining-a-militia sense. being able to just go out beyond the wall and largely make his own maps and routes is better.]

[but! LOOK AT THAT. it's a name. a name that cassian recognizes, and there's a flash of that in his face while he reaches out his own hand for a quick, firm shake. finn, rey's friend and a defector. everything else about the conversation thus far would support that tbh.]

I don't suppose you know a Rey? [wait, he should give his own name. he guesses. if some random person knew who he was, he'd be paranoid.] I am Cassian.

[ Unwarranted recognition would have been shady as hell, especially on the heels of a conversation about how he's confused and has no weapons.

Actually, Finn's leaving the jury out on whether or not it's still shady. A handshake is fine, a name is good, and anyway neither of those things rings in for topmost priority. ]

You know Rey?

[ Could this be part of some long con?? Does he have a bounty now, is someone angling for a bounty? Would they use Finn or just his old designation, out of spite? DON'T CARE, HE WILL FIGURE HIS SHIT OUT IF IT COMES TO IT. ]

Is she here? Is she all right? Where can I find her?

[well, he certainly knows rey. this is definitely her finn.]

[he tries to think about what would reassure him that it wasn't some sort of... trick, if some strange person he'd never met told him they knew jyn.]

I met her here, in the Quarantine. We are from the same galaxy, but not the same time. [because that doesn't sound shady at all.] She is fine. She lives in the communal housing building.

[but that's enough about rey for now, till he super confirms this is the finn. he makes sure his tone of voice sounds like the next bit is something he approves of.] She said you were a defector.

[ On one hand, it really doesn't seem like something you gloss over in a singular sentence, oh yeah, we're from the same place but different times. That seems like it needs a full slideshow presentation by dint of being insane. On the other hand, he mentions where Rey lives without immediately going tell you what let's go find her right now I'll lead the way.

While Finn is balancing confusion and wanting very much to believe Rey is fine so he can be relieved about that much, Cassian brings in a precision strike. Which if nothing else does confirm that Rey mentioned him.

Finn's not sure how he feels about how much she mentioned, if she's really where this guy got his information. The list of things he's wound up not having any say in within the past 24 hours is getting long. At least Cassian sounds more approving than carefully neutral. At least Rey's thought about him. ]

... yeah. I am one.

[ Finn, raising his chin slightly, looks to be about 30% on the "what, you wanna fight about it" tier. It's strictly a formality, on the off-chance that Cassian ShadyMan Lastname secretly plans to PVP him after all.

He doesn't feel like that's something that is actually about to happen, though. Call it gut instinct. ]

[well at least this part is giving cassian some answers. some very skeptical answers, but finn's body language is telling enough to make up for any lack of words. finally.]

[he is very focused on rey, but not to the point where it distracts him from defending himself. not that he needs to, because cassian isn't lying about his approval.]

Good. [yes, good, everyone should defect from the empire or any of it's dumb offshoots!!! it's good to put a face to the man who reminded him of bodhi when rey described it.]

It is not easy to defect. [he pauses, figuring he can give a little about rey again, to maybe calm some of finn's uncertainty.] Rey and I have spoken several times, a lot about our galaxy. It does not surprise me she would bring up your name. She will be glad to see you, I am sure.

[ Combat quick-time event: avoided.

This guy's either sane civilian or Republic, then. Finn puts a firm kibosh on thinking about the time thing. At all. He'll take one impossible to understand thing at a time, thanks. The good is enough to relax him marginally. There's sincerity there. He thinks. ]

Easier than staying, [ is all he offers back. It's a complicated thing. Or maybe not very complicated, and that's what makes it complicated. He hasn't had time to unpack a lot of it. If he has his way, he never will.

Rey matters more, anyway. ] I'll be glad to see her, too. Feels like it's been a while.

[SUCCESS. finn was very ready to just throw down, brawl averted. cassian wouldn't honestly blame him for ignoring the time bit for now, because he still finds it too strange. poe knows him, at least knows his name. thirty years into the future is so long.]

I would disagree. [he knows how hard it was for bodhi to take that step and leave, and he was a pilot, not a stormtrooper.] It is never an easy choice, but it's still the right one.

[rey tho. rey is easy.] You will forgive me if I am still hesitant to tell you her exact location. [finn seems like a fellow paranoid guy.] But do not let me keep you for long either, if you would like to find her.

[ He doesn't know how to take that compliment. It's a nice one, though, and Finn counts it as a compliment even if it is someone basically saying "you made the right choice," which he kinda already knew he did.

Comes down to the approval, maybe. From Rey or Poe or General Organa or this guy-- from whoever, it's a starkly different brand than the kind he earned growing up. ]

Don't worry about it. [ A healthy dose of paranoia keeps the heart strong. ] If she's here, I'll be able to find her.

[ And that's where the real Priorities are now anyway. Swap-meet central turned itself into a pretty big diversion. ]

Thanks for the help. [ He digs his device out of his pocket, holds it up briefly. ] I'm just listed under "Finn". If you come up with those store names. It was good meeting you.

introductory mingle: HARVEST FESTIVAL

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