riverviewlogs | introductory mingle: HYGGE

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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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[The Winter Olympics this isn't.]

[...and Chibita is not a great ice skater. Not for a lack of trying, though! He's determined!! So determined, in fact, that despite falling several times, once he finally gets the hang of it, that overabundance of newfound confidence means he just...bites off a little more than he can chew. Though at first, when he started to pick up speed, he was practically cackling with delight and pride in himself.

Unfortunately, this overabundance of confidence also means that he's not exactly watching where he's going...and it's not until a split second before collision that he actually notices that someone's in his way--either on purpose or on accident. Either way, he can't exactly stop, so all he has time for is something like a squawk before he's colliding with whomever happens to have unwittingly wandered into his path.]

[The Evenin' star is shining bright, so make a wish and hold on tight.]

[It's absolutely freezing outside but well worth it by Chibita's estimation. He's managed to wrap himself in warm clothes and a couple blankets and find a nice spot on the beach to spread out a blanket and settle and watch the northern lights. It's not exactly something he's ever seen, and he's certainly endured far worse cold for far less worthy causes. Besides, with the cup of hot chocolate he's got combined with the personal pot of oden on a small single burner, he's pretty cosy. He looks almost small and solitary, sitting there by himself, still and for once rather quiet as he stares upwards...but there still plenty of room on the blanket for any visitors.]

[Elsa? Is that you? - Ice Maze pt 1]

[Chibita....is lost. He is very lost. So lost that he's starting to get rather frustrated, jogging from one dead end to the next, his swearing getting more and more colorful with each wall he runs into. In his agitation, he's stopped in the middle of one of the pathways, stamping his foot angrily] Goddammit, the hell, ya idjit! How do I get out of here?! [he scowls at the ice walls around him, his eyebrow twitching as it offers him no solution] Let me out! [and he's going to...er...try and kick the wall. Unfortunately, as he pulls his leg back and swings it at the wall, he fails to calculate that he's standing on ice. Which predictably happens to be the time that his other foot slips out from under him, and he yelps as he falls onto the hard ice floor.]

Ow! [he sure is clutching his head now, having banged it pretty hard on the ice] This sucks!

[Thanks for the memories - Ice Maze pt 2]

[with great difficulty and with mishaps, Chibita's finally made it to the center. He frowns as he starts to approach the pile...that is, until he spots a familiar piece of equipment poking out of the side.] Eh?! [he immediately runs towards it--nearly slipping and falling on the way there, flailing momentarily to keep his balance--before he skids to a stop, grabbing for a...bazooka.] The hell?! My bazooka! [he grins widely, hefting it happily in his grip as he cackles] Kekeke! I've been wanting this back!

[WILDCARD: There's something to be said for predictability.]

[It's winter. It's cold out. You know what's awesome for winter and cold and all things quite chilly???]

[THAT'S RIGHT NERDS IT'S ODEN CART TIME!!!! Chibita will be out with his cart almost every day/evening near the skating areas, the beach, the castle...wherever you are, you will likely be able to catch a glimpse of his cart with it's 'Hybrid Oden Stand' sign hanging out front, along with a bench and a large turien of bubbling broth with various ingredients inside. Cold weather is a perfect time to drum up business, after all!]

_{[ Count on Karamatsu to take notice of the short, secluded bald guy sitting there all by himself and make his way over without meriting an invitation. There's no reason a good friend like Chibita should be sitting there all by himself! Karamatsu seems dressed appropriately for the weather— a knee length black fur coat covers his entire body, bedazzled blue and purple cowboy boots cover his feet which seemed a bit out of place, but he's also got a scarf around his neck so he looks very bundled up! There's even leather gloves on his hands— it looks like Karamatsu has thought of everything to keep himself warm this time. His sunglasses remain on his face, despite it being night time, and he takes a seat next to Chibita, keeping his coat closed over the front of his body. ]}

Ah! You saved a seat for me— I knew you would.
_{[ this seat?? was for nobody specifically? But Karamatsu is 100% certain it was for him. ]}

[Chibita can't help but start slightly as someone sits down next to him--but he's relaxing immediately once he realizes it's Karamatsu, and huffs out a small laugh, reaching out to pick up a pair of chopsticks sitting near the burner so he can lean forward just a little and move some of the ingredients around]

Who else, eh?

[he grins a bit, cheeky, tilting his chin towards Karamatsu slightly, before setting the chopsticks aside again and leaning back a bit on his hands so he can tilt his head back better]

I saw.. that there was enough room for me.. and my heap of burning passion! _{[ does he mean his extra ego? ]} And I took the opportunity. Here I am-- reflect on it and admire it.

_{[ One thing Karamatsu enjoyed about Chibita was the fact he knew he was always welcome in his presence. After all, they lived together for awhile-- that's what Karamatsu last remembers of his world back home. He gets comfortable in his seat and finally reclines backwards as well. It's now that the coat opens up from him reclining, if Chibita even wants to even dare look over at him, he'll see that there are two perfect circles cut out of his shirt.. right over his nipples.. completely exposing just the nipple part.

Why. ]}

You know, I am thankful that you've also made your way here, Chibita.
_{[ DON'T TRY TO BE SENTIMENTAL WITH YOUR NIPS OUT, MAN. ]}

[He can't help but huff, rolling his eyes a little in amusement as Karamatsu settles back as well. He's about to look over and actually discover the horrible ruin of Karamatsu's outfit but first Karamatsu says that and that's.

That's.

It's really sappy and makes him feel like, well...like when he's eaten a really good stick of oden. That sort of warmth. Which is super embarrassing and it's a good thing he's wearing a beanie pulled down over his ears because he's pretty sure they're burning but he also can't help but smile a bit...except not looking away from the aurora yet because IT'S TOO EMBARRASSING FOR HIM TO LOOK KARAMATSU IN THE EYE WHEN HE SAYS THAT BECAUSE IT'S REALLY SAPPY AND CHIBITA DOESN'T DEAL WITH THOSE ON THE REGULAR but Karamatsu does and so he just...]

Yeah?

[his fingers drum on the blanket, staring upwards even as he feels the smile on his face widen a bit, helplessly. After a moment, he does admit:]

...me too.

Things were gloomy, full of despair! Ah, worry not, I concealed it with the clouds of my exterior. Heh. I concealed this black moon within my heart with sunshine! An eclipse!
_{[ He squirms, an indication he was uncomfortable with the topic of conversation.. that he just now brought up.. all on his own. You know. But his face is smiling and his voice is filled with vigor. ]}

Seeing somebody else from home.. it makes me feel more at home. Though, I do feel sorry for everyone back home. They will surely miss their oden cart and the person who makes the food!

Oi, oi, if th' moon was already black, was it really an eclipse? [there's that cheekiness again, peaking through, as he momentarily tilts his head down to check the oden again. That was definitely overdramatic but...somehow, at the same time, it's at least nice to be appreciated, kinda. He doesn't get that much. Don't get him wrong; Chibita loves oden and he loves his job and it's a good portion of his life, but he's not just an oden dispenser.

He hums a bit, though, in response to the comment about being missed. That, actually, he's a little more doubtful of. For two reasons. The first being the obvious: their crowd isn't always the best of people. And they don't always notice when one of them's gone missing. So the likelihood of any of them being that put out is, well...slim. As for the second reason...]

Eh...I dunno 'bout that. [he flips a couple of the sticks of oden around, moving them in the broth so they cook properly, before leaning backwards to flop onto his back on the blanket, staring up at the sky] I mean...I didn't know ya'd been gone eight months, because I just saw ya that mornin'. [he wrinkles his nose] So I dunno that they'll know I'm gone or anything, because'a that time thing.

[not that time moves normally in their world either, but....details.]

Edited (so many spelling mistakes) 2017-12-07 23:55 (UTC)

It's a mystery, isn't it? Ah, how mysterious.
_{[ Karamatsu exhales slowly, seeming distant for a moment as he falls into a pensive thought. He's been keeping a lot from Chibita lately, hasn't he? He should probably tell him.. everything. ]}

What is even more mysterious is the place I was before this. Ichimatsu and I were in space without explanation.. Osomatsu joined us later, but Osomatsu who is here now.. he doesn't seem to remember.

_{[ A pause. ]}

It's better he doesn't.

[Chibita can't help but roll his eyes a bit at the "mysterious" bit, though the corner of his mouth does quirk. But then Karamatsu goes oddly quiet, and especially after that exhale....but Chibita just waits. The momentary quiet feels like it wants to be filled, but knowing Karamatsu, he'll fill it when he's ready.

Which, as predicted, he does, this time with information about that spaceship. Chibita frowns slightly, watching the colors move overhead.]

Ah, that. Ichimatsu didn' wanna talk about that either.

_{[ Karamatsu folds his hands over his chest, wrinkling his nose. He knows he should tell Chibita— too much happened to him for him not to tell. ]}

I don't blame him. For awhile there, we could have died.
_{[ A beat. ]}

Like actually died.

[That's...not exactly what Chibita expects? So it honestly takes a moment to sink in and he blinks once--] Eh? [--twice...before sitting up with a jolt, actually turning to look at Karamatsu now, eyes wide] Ehhhh?! What? What kinda place was that spaceship?!

Edited 2017-12-13 08:58 (UTC)

We don't know. None of us do. To this day, nobody knows. Here, only Ichimatsu, Reaper and I know about the Eluvio. By the time we were brought here, something as aboard the ship.
Something.. malicious. It's a miracle we were even spared and brought here. There were.. things I had to do that I had never done before.

_{[ A pause. ]}

Things I never want to do again.

[There are a lot of times when Chibita might shrug off some of what Karamatsu says considering his general taste for the overdramatic. This...isn't one of those times. He's staring at Karamatsu, now, what of him he can see in the flickering firelight from the single burner. That's...all of that sounds serious. Really serious. Listen, death and any sort of harm at home is, well...it's strange. And usually doesn't make sense. Things are painful, sure, but for the most part, they aren't permanent. Death is only until the next episode, unless you're a minor character. And, considering that those NEETs (Karamatsu included) had done some pretty dumb or sketchy stuff in the past, the fact that Karamatsu is now addressing it so seriously...it's enough to send a chill down Chibita's spine.]

Like...like what?

_{[ Eluvio provided a lot of first-timers for Karamatsu. He got his first lap dance in space! That was awesome— one of his good friends ran the strip club. There was zero gravity, there were aliens, there was the black market. He went to the shooting range with a girl. There was the space opium, flying in a battle ship, almost getting laid. But one person manipulated him in a way he never thought was him.

He never thought he would be a person to take a life.

Nonchalantly, he speaks, as if it were nothing: ]}

I killed a person. It was for self-defense, so that makes it O.K., right?

[Of all the things that Chibita expected to come out of Karamatsu's mouth, that wasn't it. Granted, he wasn't sure what he was expecting. But it's the nonchalant way he says it that makes something in Chibita's skin prickle and gives him goosebumps and almost makes him wonder if he misheard]

You what? [for someone usually so boisterous, Chibita's voice is unusually quiet]

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glitterpants - 2017-12-22 01:27 (UTC) - Expand

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odenson - 2017-12-27 18:37 (UTC) - Expand

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[ And just as predicted, one such skater, unsteady... wobbling at the ankles as he tries to learn to skate properly... happens to veer right into Chibita's path.

They collide, but just off the mark enough to result in Aoba clinging to this diminutive oden aficionado and allowing the laws of physics to do the rest. The result is the two of them swinging about in a circle as they each counterbalance their own momentum until they pick up so much speed that Aoba loses his grip and goes flying backwards, sliding along the ice on his back. ]

Uwaaaah~~!!

[ And then he lands face first onto the ice. Spread-eagled and motionless. ]

[Okay, so being swung around in a circle was really not how Chibita was expecting this to go. He can't help but squawk, flailing, and as Aoba loses his grip and goes flying backwards, Chibita goes flying...upwards. As in up in the air.]

Ahhhhhh, what the heeeeeeell?!

[And though the physics in his own world can get wonky as hell from time to time, the physics here have no such mercy.

As such, what goes up must therefore come down.]

Whuh--Waaaaaah!

[And come down Chibita does, arms pinwheeling, yelling all the way until he lands....]

--OOF!

[...on Aoba. It's enough of a landing to knock the wind out of him, gasping for breath, not really daring or able to move quite yet because ow]

[ This fantastic failure at ice skating is brought to you by anime slapstick physics. In time, Aoba's lungs learn to fill themselves again and he gasps, his gloved hands pressing on the ground to try and hoist himself up, but he fails. There's a (rather short) grown man still on him, so good luck with that, Aoba. ]

...Owwww~~

[ Aoba makes a piteous, pained sound, groaning under Chibita as he creaks his neck around to turn his face away from the ice. Squinting over his shoulder, he grimaces as he looks at the other man. ]

Are... are you okay?

[short though he may be, unfortunately for Aoba, this short guy's bulk has a lot more muscle than it looks, which unfortunately makes him heavier than he looks. It takes a good moment for Chibita to catch his breath--and he also groans as he struggles to sit up.....on Aoba. He rubs the back of his head, wincing]

Eh, I...I think so...[he trails off a bit, still a little dazed...before he shakes himself out of that, and, realizing that this guy crashed into him, automatically snaps a retort] Oi, hey, why don't you watch where yer goin' next time, huh?!

I was watching! But I couldn't control where I was going... so why didn't you move?

[ What's the big deal, pal?! ]

You think -- ngh! [ Aoba struggles to get up, just managing to get his shoulders up and bearing his weight on his elbows enough so he can shoot a glare over his shoulder. This guy is short but he sure is heavy! ]

Maybe you could get off me, already?!

Why the hell were ya out here if ya couldn't control it?! [snapped--except then he is reminded that he is still sitting on this guy--and scrambles off. Except, y'know...ice. So he doesn't exactly step out onto sure footing. Instead he flails, squawking again, looking like he's performing some sort of bizarre dance and nearly falling right back down before he gets his feet underneath himself, half-squatting, skates trembling a bit under him.]

Edited 2017-12-10 15:46 (UTC)

Seriously?! [ THIS GUY... isn't it obvious?! He's trying to learn, just like most normal people! This is normal!

Aoba rolls over, feeling the ice steal away his warmth through his jeans. He probably should have worn something more insulating, not to mention extra padding -- his back is going to be so sore after today. Frowning at this angry guy, Aoba's eyes track down to his feet where he's... barely staying upright himself.

Pointedly: ]

Aren't you having trouble controlling it too?

[alsdkhfso] N-no! [HE KNOWS WHAT HE'S DOING GDI and so he straightens very quickly, indignant.

...and starts drifting backwards. Which, when he notices, he immediately panics, flailing again. Which, in turn, causes him to fall back onto his butt on the ice] Ow ow ow--! Dammit!

[ Aoba's head tracks him slowly as he first wobbles, then sliiiiiiides back. He lifts his eyes back up to Chibita, his expression unchanging. BRUH.

And then he lands and Aoba scrambles onto hands and knees to try to help. ]

Uwah! Are you okay?

[ He huffs a sigh, his breath misting in the cool air. It's just as he thought, he's just as bad at this ice skating thing as anyone else. ]

Here, you can steady yourself on me first, then I'll try getting up.

[Honestly, the fact that he offers to help is...a surprise to Chibita. He blinks as Aoba scrambles over and stares for a moment as he offers to let Chibita lean on him. It's really not what he expected, and it takes him a moment to respond, at first only able to just stutter out:] Ah, uh--yeah.

[...right okay. Chibita shuffles until he manages to get a hand on Aoba's shoulder, wobbling as he ever-so-slowly gets to his feet again. It takes a moment but he manages it finally, still looking definitely shaky on those skates.] Um...here? [and he just...holds out his hand to Aoba. Though he probably won't be very good to balance against, he can at least offer, right??]

Edited 2017-12-19 13:08 (UTC)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

introductory mingle: HYGGE

Chibita | ota

stargazing EYESZOOM

put that away alksdfs

no... whips it out

....Disgusting......

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Anti-Winter Olympics aka boys are bad on skates

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slams back to rv tags!

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