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

[ Gamora doesn't look entirely convinced, even with the ridiculous display. Her lips press into a thin line, something like consideration and disapproval on her face. ]

You are actually going out there?

[ Because, well... if Peter is... ]

[ He lifts a shoulder to point out the ice skates again. ]

Wouldn't've grabbed these if I wasn't.

[ Duh.

He gestures to a sort of pop-up stand nearby, where someone seems to be loaning out pairs of ice skates. (And thus Peter's secret is revealed: he didn't steal these skates so much as actually borrow, for once.) ]

What about you? Wanna give it a shot?

[ She should say no. She should just stand back and watch and enjoy Peter flailing around like a fool.

... But, apparently, she's going to go and get herself some skates. ]

... Stay here.

[ And without a definitive answer one way or another, she wanders off to the stand to borrow a pair of skates in her size. She returns with them in hand, then goes to plop down on the log to start trading her boots for blades. ]

You could slit someone's throat with these things.

[ Apparently, she's taking a moment to assess the skates themselves. ]

[ Peter grins smugly as she heads off to the stand, taking a seat on the log to switch his boots for the skates. He's ready to go once she returns with her own pair, and as she assesses the blades, he snorts in amusement.

The mental image of Gamora kicking someone's head off out on the ice is a pretty good one, apparently, and he's pretty sure she could do it, if she were inclined to do so. ]

Yeah, probably.

But let's not kill anyone unless they deserve it.

How often do I kill people who don't deserve it?

[ These days.

She starts undoing her boots, carefully doing one foot at a time to avoid setting her socks in the snow. ]

Not often.

[ Though he pauses and adds meaningfully, ]

That I know of.

[ Who knows what Gamora gets up to in their time apart? ]

[ Apparently, she's not even going to indulge that absurdity, because she just continues putting on her skates.

She laces them up entirely, then carefully pushes herself to her feet. On first impression, she's realizing that it's not too difficult to balance in the snow with the blade, but she knows that will be different once she's on the ice. ]

You can go first.

[ Yeah, he figured she was gonna make him go first – and it was only fair, considering he’s the one who actively wanted to do this. So he gets to his feet, too, faring reasonably well on the balance front. He stands at the edge of the frozen lake, glancing around to gauge his timing. He waits until there’s a bit of space, then he steps out onto the space, successfully sliding a few feet.

Then, predictably, he falls on his ass.

Smooth, Quill.

But he doesn’t seem bothered, and he’s laughing at himself as he maneuvers himself to his knees. ]

I’m fine!

[ To preempt the inevitable “what the hell, are you okay, you klutz?” ]

[ Gamora watches with her arms crossed over her chest, expectant, and—

As anticipated, Peter topples fairly quickly.

She doesn't laugh or look too concerned, mostly because she's seen Peter take far worse hits than this, and he's come out of it just fine; landing on his ass on some ice won't kill him.

She takes that as her cue to give it a shot, and she steps carefully from the snow to the ice. She doesn't fall, though there's a moment of wobbling before she rebalances.

Careful, testing, she shifts her feet forward, which sends her gently skirting across the surface. It's tentative, but—

She drifts past Peter, glancing over her shoulder at him still on his knees. ]

—How do I stop?

[ As she drifts past, he answers her question with an uncertain, ] Very carefully?

[ Helpful, Quill.

He manages to get to his feet with a little difficulty, wet splotches on his knees from the fall. Skating far more carefully than his earlier showing, he manages to catch up to her, flashing her a winning smile. ]

See? Easy, right?

[ says the asshole who wiped out within thirty seconds of starting. ]

[ Peter is spared an intensely unamused look because Gamora feels the need to keep looking forward so she doesn't fall. ]

"Easy."

[ She glances over at Peter when he pulls up next to her, equally unimpressed as she takes a few more tentative steps to continue skating forward.

At least she hasn't fallen yet.

"Yet" being the keyword, because when she attempts a stop, she flails, grabbing onto the nearest available handhold – which happens to be Peter's arm. ]

[ Well, considering Peter had only just sort of got the hang of the whole balance thing, the absolutely most predictable thing happens.

Behold: Your Guardians of the Galaxy, collapsing to the ice.

Peter has mind enough to twist as they fall, though, apparently trying to put himself between Gamora and the ice. Gentlemanly of him, at least. ]

[ Graceful.

Plus side: Gamora doesn't hit the ice. Downside: she ends up completely sprawled on top of Peter with her hair tumbling into his face. ]

—Oof!

[ She makes an aggravated noise in the back of her throat, pushing herself up onto her hands and flipping her hair out of Peter's face to look down at him. ]

So much for easy.

[ For a second, he looks totally shocked, eyes wide as both hands instinctively wrapped around Gamora's arms. A few other skaters snicker a little at them, but they move on soon enough – not that Peter seems to notice, because he's still staring up at Gamora.

Her hands are pressed against him, and she's sprawled atop him, and her curls fall over her shoulder in a way that strikes him as familiar, and—

He splutters with laughter. ]

Your face—

[ Sorry, Gamora. ]

[ Is he—

He's definitely laughing at her.

She immediately frowns at him, her nose wrinkling in disapproval as her eyes narrow. ]

What about my face?

[ She's a deadly warrior; her face shouldn't be funny! ]

You're so pissed—

[ Maybe earlier on in their acquaintanceship, seeing that look on her face would have frozen his blood and made his lungs shrivel in his chest.

Now, though, with the benefit of having known her for moths, and given the reason why she's so mad, Peter just—

Well, considering he's still laughing, he apparently finds it hilarious. ]

Sorry, sorry.

[ Panted out between breaths. He doesn't sound super apologetic, but he recognizes it's the thing to say. ]

I am not pissed.

[ Her expression doesn't help her argument, but she's trying to make it anyway. ]

And I have no idea why you find this so entertaining.

[ All they did was fall and make a mess on the ice (which she's pretty sure is Peter's fault, because she might have been able to rebalance herself after a little flailing, if she hadn't grabbed Peter on instinct), and that was somewhat more embarrassing than it was funny.

She rolls off of him, mindful of the blades of her skates, to sit up on her knees; the sooner they get up, the better for Gamora, apparently. ]

[ Luckily, Peter's wearing one of his leather jackets, which means the water from the melted ice isn't soaking through his clothing. When he sits up, he gets back onto his knees, carefully rising to his feet again. ]

You are so pissed.

[ He offers a hand to help her up. ]

Come on. It was a little funny.

[ She gives his hand a skeptical look, like she's not entirely sure he won't lose his balance again if she uses him to get back up, but—

Well, it can't get much worse. ]

I will never understand why you think falling is funny.

[ Maybe he just does it so much he has to find humor in it.

She takes his hand, using it to pull herself onto her feet to balance on her blades. ]

[ Now that he's braced for it, when Gamora takes his hand, she doesn't drag her down with him. He helps to pull her up to her feet, and when he's sure she's balanced again, he smiles at her. ]

So? Now we know not to do that again.

[ Whatever "that" was that led to the two of them eating ice. ]

There was no "that." I did not do a particular thing to cause us to fall.

[ She just... tried to stop... ]

How are you intended to stop?

[ "Very carefully" is not an acceptable answer this time.

(At least she's not actually angry about the fall; if she was, she'd have stormed off of the ice or pulled away from Peter now that she's on her feet, but she might still be holding onto his hand, so she can't be that upset.) ]

[ Peter, being Peter, flashes her a winning smile. ]

I mean, we stopped pretty well just a second ago.

[ You know, on account of the falling. ]

I would prefer if we didn't land on the ice every time we wanted to slow down.

[ Not only is that inefficient, it's also mildly embarrassing. ]

Do you honestly have no idea how to stop on these?

[ He shrugs. ]

I mean, it worked, didn't it?

[ But, okay, that's enough of that joke, and he tries to draw back on that single, distant memory of ice skating with his family. It's dull and faded like an old photograph, of course, but— ]

I think you kind of just—

[ And he demonstrates, one heel scooting outward while his toe points slightly inward; with the blade angled and providing resistance, he slows – and considering they weren't going very fast to begin with, it eventually brings him to a stop.

... Aaaand he looks pretty surprised. Apparently he wasn't expecting that to work as well as it did, but he covers it quickly enough with a confident air. ]

Like that.

[ Gamora is wholly prepared to catch him as he makes his demonstration, anticipating that he'll throw himself off balance again, but—

No, actually, it makes him stop.

Imagine that.

Frowning, Gamora tries to mimic him, careful about the way she tilts her skate, and, just like Peter, it eases her into a slow halt on the ice.

Oh. ]

... That's more useful.

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