riverviewlogs | introductory mingle: HYGGE

Entry tags:

introductory mingle: HYGGE

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

hygge

In the days leading up to December 1st, residents new and old will notice preparations beginning, a flurry of activity getting the city ready for the upcoming celebration: Hygge. This holiday is one of Riverview Quarantine's four yearly celebrations of love, this one focused on familial love and found family. The traditions associated with Hygge involve coziness and warmth with loved ones, as snow begins to blanket the Quarantine. Meals comprised of family favorites are shared together most nights of the month of December, and families both biological and found gather together by outdoor fires to drink hot cocoa and other warm drinks, roast marshmallows, and enjoy the beauty of the short-lived winter season on the moon, especially at night, when both the stars and almost unreal aurora borealis light the night sky.

a celebration of familial love and found family

Winter comes to the moon very quickly every year, as the orbit of the Capitol World crosses between its moon and the sun - the temperature drops to just below freezing in the span of only a couple of days, and the trees often don't even change from green to orange. During this short winter, the celebration of Hygge keeps all the residents warm. The main traditions involve comfort and warmth with those people you think of as family - platonic or romantic, though preferably mixed between the two - groups of people gather together to share meals and exchange gifts. The city sets up a series of cabins, each fronted with a fire pit, along the banks of the river, which has been lined with floating logs to interrupt the rushing water and allow the surface to freeze solid and form a series of skating rinks for the public to enjoy. Throughout the month, anyone can head down to the riverbank to make taffy candy in troughs of cold snow and share the various flavors with other families, or toboggan along winding, circuitous courses that range from easygoing to high-speed for the adrenaline junkies. The Town Square has a large, intricate ice sculpture set up, this year in the theme of a castle, that once entered proves to be a maze with a prize at the center for anyone who happens to make it through.

i. beach treats

The cabins that are set up all along both banks of the river are small and cozy, big enough to provide a comfortable lounging area with piles of pillows in front of a small fireplace where gift exchanges can happen, a kitchen to cook in, and a table for groups of people to share a meal at. Much like hotel rooms but without a fee, they're intended to be claimed at the start of the day and used for a while before being tidied and reset for the next group. Each cabin has a fire pit out front where a fire can be set up so groups of people can cook marshmallows for their hot chocolate and share stories or play music together.

Another major feature on the beach are the candy making areas, each big enough to accommodate a couple groups of people, featuring a bank of burners that keep various flavors of thick sugary syrup hot and ready. Once the syrup is at the right temperature, it can be drizzled into the snow packed in troughs to chill, and then rolled onto popsicle sticks to be eaten as a sweet chewy treat. Many families have their own particular flavor combos that are the go-to every year, and new families gather every year to start their own tradition.

ii. winter activities

After all that sugar, everyone's sure to be pepped up for a little activity! Every year, just before the big freeze, crews set up a grid of floating logs to calm the surface of the river along the banks, and when the temperature drops, those areas freeze into a thick layer of ice. As soon as they're safe to be skated on, booths pop up to fit residents with skates so they can skate around with loved ones, participate in ice dances, and play the ice skating version of almost any sport you can think of.

But skating isn't the only type of activity available! The sloping banks of the river have been set up with a variety of tobogganing courses, where people can share various types of sleds to slide down various set winding paths ranging from slow sloped ones to steeper, higher-speed ones that almost resemble bobsled courses.

Finally, for the more competitive, there is a less-gender-divided variation on a Lumberjack Competition, with various physical events that residents can compete in like sawing massive logs, logrolling, speed climbs, and boom runs.

iii. skygazing

After all that sugar and activity, lots of groups of family will settle down around fires either at the cabin or along the beach to enjoy a cup of spiked hot chocolate, coffee, or tea, and look up at the sky. Throughout the cold snap season in December, the sky is almost unnaturally clear and both the stars and the Capitol World are easy to see. Besides that, large swaths of the sky are bathed in beautiful aurora borealis, or Northern Lights, that paint large swaths of bright, beautiful color across the night sky. Curl up with a lover, a friend, a family member, or all of the above to keep warm and enjoy nature's fireworks show.

iv: ice maze

In the city center, residents can find a large, beautiful, intricately carved castle-themed ice sculpture. From the outside, it looks only about as big as a small house, but once residents enter they will find that the inside doesn't quite match the outside - courtesy of some of Gramarye Magic Research's top magic-users, the inside is massive, at least the size of a stadium. While cheery music plays, residents can traverse the complicated ice maze, each wall intricately carved and decorated with greenery, lights, and translucent watercolor paints. The walls are almost opaque, and the maze generally takes a couple of hours to get through for most residents.

Once they reach the center, they will find wrapped gifts arranged on a series of beautifully decorated tables, along with treats and warm drinks. The gifts are tailored to each individual in the maze, having been magically selected from a stockpile of items that have come through the portal, and consist of one small item from each character's home dimension (or, for CRAUs, from their previous game), similar to the "items from home" bonus reward, but without needing to spend points. The item should be small enough to fit in a shoebox, sentimental, and cannot be something intended for another person's character. Alternately, if there are no special items from home that a particular character would want or be attached to, an item of similar size and value that would make the character happy will be inside the box.

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 Hygge, feel free to write it up!

visual inspiration

click on thumbnails for larger view

Credit: image i: Ryan Woodhouse; image ii: Hjalmar Wåhlin; image iii: David Fortin; image iv: Tzuyu Kao

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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Peter always loved stargazing as a kid. A consequence, he guesses, of loving science-fiction, of wanting nothing more than to jump into a ship and travel through the wide expanse of space, visiting alien planets and righting wrongs. Helping people, because it was the right thing to do, while tossing up double birds at the Prime Directive.

... Things didn't pan out that way, really. But he's getting better at it.

And he never outgrew his love of stars.

So here he is, bundled up in thick jacket (his customary Ravager red, because he has style) and a scarf wound around his throat. His cheeks and the tip of his nose are reddened with the cold, breath forming in white puffs. In his gloved hands, he carries two cups of hot chocolate. Naturally, there's alcohol in them, because Peter is an adult now, with adult tastes, and sometimes, you just want booze.

But also? As an adult, sometimes you just want marshmallows. So naturally, there is a handful of the stuff floating in there, too.

The steam drifts up from the cups as he returns to Gamora's side on the beach, and he carefully takes a seat beside her, holding out one of the cups to her. ]

It's freezing out here.

[ And sometimes as an adult, you just want to bitch about the weather. ]

[ You know, Gamora is great at dealing with the cold – though she also has the benefit of her modifications and advantageous biology. Humans are soft and vulnerable to temperature changes, and that much has become even clearer with how much Peter has to bundle up to stay comfortable.

And even then, he still complains.

(Is she surprised? No, not really.)

She glances up as he approaches with with the hot chocolate, and with one hand, she reaches for her mug. She untucks the blanket from around her shoulders, lifting the edge for him. ]

Just get under here.

[ Since she’s warm, along with the blanket. ]

[ Maybe at another moment, Peter would grin and waggle his eyebrows at her, pointing out how snug the two of them will be. At the moment, though, he heaves out a relieved sigh and muttering a quick, ]

Oh, thank god—

[ before quickly situating himself at her side, mindful of his own cup of hot chocolate. Once he's seated, he curls both of his gloved hands around the mug, letting the steam rise to warm his face. ]

Whoever gave you this blanket is a saint.

[ Once he’s under the blanket, Gamora tucks the other end around him properly, then settles comfortably at his side with her own mug. ]

They seem to be handing them out to people. You could have gotten one of your own.

[ She takes a slow sip from her hot chocolate, then glances down at it. ]

What did you put in this?

[ He huffs out a sigh. ]

No one offered. [ And he says it grumpily, like, how dare they ignore him? Then again, Peter was frequently distracted, not quite staying in one spot long enough for someone to make the offer. So maybe that’s on him.

That’s about the extent of his complaining, though, seeing as how not having a blanket means he gets to get cozy with Gamora, and, which in the grand scheme of things? Makes the snub totally worth it.

He takes a sip of his own hot chocolate, and at her question, he affects an innocent look. She probably means the booze, but Peter blinks at her. ]

You mean the marshmallows?

Those too.

[ She definitely means the alcohol, but also the puffy things floating in her drink.

... She's totally taking her fingertip and poking at one of the bigger ones that hasn't melted yet. ]

[ Peter snorts a little, nudging her lightly. ]

Quit that. You’re supposed to drink it, not poke it.

[ And he takes another drink from his mug, as though in demonstration. ]

They’re like— little sugar sponges. They’re integral to the hot chocolate experience. Trust me.

Isn't the drink sugary enough?

[ But look at her drinking that hot chocolate, swallowing one of the marshmallows.

... Oh. It's squishy. And chewy.

Acceptable.

But Peter is close and wrapped under the blanket with her, and almost unconsciously, she leans into him, tucking herself against his side. ]

[ He smiles a little to himself as she presses against him, trying to hide it against the lip of his mug. With as thick as his jacket is, he only feels a hint of it as she settles in, but it’s enough.

That thing still hangs over them, but maybe they don’t have to actually address it? Maybe they can just... be?

But he dismisses it near immediately. Peter kind of wants the security of knowing – that this is for real, that they’re a them, not just two folks hesitantly orbiting one another. He bites his lower lip for a second, wondering if he should shatter the peaceful mood with something that’d surely draw them into a tense discussion, as it had during that not-date during Dragosta, watching Dirty Dancing with Gamora similarly warm against his hip.

Eventually, he seems to reach a decision, and he adds, ]

It’s whiskey, by the way.

[ ... wait, what? ]

In the hot chocolate, I mean. Just a little.

[ ... ah. Apparently the state of their relationship is a topic for— not now. ]

[ Oh, well, that explains the taste.

She gives an acknowledging hum, sipping again at her drink without complaint. ]

It's good.

[ She likes the bite of the alcohol, even if it caught her by surprise.

Shifting, she tilts her head against his shoulder, resting her mug on her knee. ]

Are you sure you won't freeze to death if we stay out here?

[ She glances at him out of the corner of her eye, an ever so faint smile trying to break free. ]

[ Something clenches in his chest as she leans against him, and he hides another smile by sipping at his drink.

It’s really nice, the way physical contact has become easier between them. Peter is still careful, because the last thing he wants to do is take her by surprise, or do something she doesn’t want him to, but Gamora is a little freer, these days. Falling against his side on the couch. Grasping his hand and not immediately pulling away when Peter draws attention to it. Most of the time in private, of course, because Gamora is a private sort of person, but Peter basks in it, all the same.

Her teasing question is met with a quietly irritated look. ]

I’m not gonna freeze to death.

[ Even if he is shaking a little, despite the layers he’s wearing. Letting the steam from his drink coast up to his stinging, reddened cheeks helps a little, but the hot chocolate will only stay hot for so long – either because it’ll cool off, or because Peter chugs it all down. ]

You are wearing a heavy coat, and you're still shivering.

[ Maybe he won't freeze to death, but he's clearly not the most comfortable.

And maybe that's why she shifts closer, even with her head on his shoulder, winding her arm around him to offer some of her own warmth. She's slowly easing into being more... publicly affectionate, even if it's in such small ways, something others wouldn't so much as blink at, but for her, it's significant. Gamora is not tactile by nature (whether that stems from her upbringing or her personality, it's difficult to tell), but she finds that she likes being close to Peter. She wouldn't initiate it so much if she was put off by it, but that same sweet, gentle thing catches her by surprise every time she touches him.

It... makes her happy. Makes her feel safe. ]

If it's too cold for you, we could view the lights from inside.

[ ... That's a fair point, and he lets out a small, almost annoyed sigh. ]

I'm cold, yeah, but it's not gonna kill me.

[ And she moves against him, arm wrapping around him, and he swallows a little thickly, carefully rearranging the blankets around them with one hand. He can't wrap the ends around them fully just yet, since they both still have mugs in their hands, but this is still better.

(But maybe that's because of the warm, twisty, complicated thing that knots in him, sweet and breathtaking.) ]

I'm good like this.

[ And the words are a little hushed – private, just for them. ]

[ Her smile is softer now, less teasing, though she tries to hide it by sipping from her mug, looking up at the nightsky instead of Peter.

(Not that she doesn't want to look at him; she finds herself doing it more and more often, watching him in quiet moments, when his attention is elsewhere. Always with a hint of a smile that she doesn't quite reel in, something subtle but charmed.) ]

So am I.

[ Hushed and private, her eyes slipping closed for a moment – enjoying all of this, enjoying him. ]

But I am not the one shaking.

[ He huffs out a sigh, something a little more dramatic than the situation warrants. ]

If you keep calling me out like that, I'm gonna keep thinking about how cold it is. And if I keep thinking about it, and I'm never gonna enjoy this.

[ And he punctuates "this" with a nod up to the sky, where those bands of light dance among the stars. ]

Give me, like, two minutes, okay? And then you can make fun of weak Terran constitutions, or whatever.

Fine. Two minutes.

[ She says it with the tone of voice that implies, "That seems fair," though she doubts she'll mention it again – unless the cold seems to be taking a more legitimate toll on him.

She opens her eyes, glancing up at the lights above them.

A beat, another sip of her cocoa, and then she says, in a more quiet offering, ]

There were lights like this on my planet. Once a year, when the moons were in a certain alignment.

[ He falls quiet and still as she speaks, turning his head a little to look at her.

She so rarely shares her memories of her home planet, of her time with Thanos or the handful of years before, but Peter listens whenever she does, tries to etch her words into his memories. They're important, they're rare, and they're the last living memories of a planet destroyed by an evil fucking bastard.

His voice is quiet again when he speaks. ]

Did you come out and watch like this, too?

[ She nods once, though she doesn't look away from the sky when she can feel Peter's eyes on her. ]

Yes. But it was during the warmer season, so nothing like this was necessary.

[ She lifts her mug in demonstration.

There's a moment where she seems to be considering how much more she wants to tell him, how much is too much to offer, but— ]

My father would always wake me to see them.

[ ... Ah.

She's mentioned her father only rarely, but Peter knows well enough that they must have been close, before Thanos murdered her parents.

(God. Fuck that guy, Peter thinks. He knows he doesn't have a snowball's chance in hell against that megalomaniac, but still, what Peter wouldn't give to kick that guy straight in the dick.) ]

Would you guys do anything? [ He asks it a little carefully, unsure of how much he's able to press. ] Like, any little traditions, or...?

[ A soft hum, though she takes her time before she speaks, sipping at her hot chocolate.

She realizes that she's... never told anyone this. And hesitant as she is, she knows that it's not because she doesn't want Peter to have this information, but—

Because this is a new experience.

(And somehow, a daunting one.) ]

There was a flower that only bloomed while the lights were visible. We would go to pick them.

[ And she would sit with her parents among the flowers while her mother wound them into her hair, letting her watch the flickering shimmer overhead. ]

[ He's patient, as she works through it, as she tries to decide whether or not to tell him – or at least, that's what Peter assumes is happening. He and Gamora have been friends for a while, now, but that hardly means he knows what's going on in her head, half the time.

When she answers, he releases the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. ]

Sounds fun. [ And he says it sincerely. ] What'd they look like?

[ As Gamora tries to conjure to mind the memories, the flowers themselves, a soft, barely-there smile slips through. ]

They would bloom along a long stem that sprouted from the ground. The petals were dark at their center, but they faded into pink.

[ Magenta, more accurately.

Not dissimilar from her own hair, if she was willing to make the comparison. ]

[ Peter, meanwhile, makes the same connection, and apparently has no compunctions in pointing out the similarity. ]

So, like...

[ And carefully, gently, he draws one of her curls between his gloved fingers. ]

This?

[ Gamora doesn't pull away as his fingers find her hair, that softer smile still in place. There's that warmth in her chest again, and tentative as the touch may be, she's come to realize she likes when Peter reaches out to her. She appreciates the respect he affords her, always giving her a choice, but there's also something oddly reassuring about the fact that he doesn't treat her like a weapon, like something dangerous that's liable to snap his neck at a moment's notice.

He treats her like a person.

(A skilled warrior, but a person nonetheless.) ]

Yes, like that.

[ She sets aside her nearly-empty mug, readjusting the way she sits against him. ]

Here, you're going to lose the blanket, Peter.

[ Reaching across his chest, she takes the edge of their cover, drawing it more closely around them both to beat out the cold air. ]

[ He hums a little, surprised, as she moves closer to him, as she tugs the blanket in around them, and he lets the lock of hair drop from his hand. He drains what’s left in his cup before setting it aside as well, lightly wrapping his arm around her waist to give her a little more room to settle. ]

What would you do with the flowers?

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