riverviewlogs | monthly mingle: THE FESTIVAL OF LIGHT

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monthly mingle: THE FESTIVAL OF LIGHT

who: everyone in Riverview!
what: monthly mingle: the festival of light
when: The month of January.
where: Anywhere around the city.
warnings: please put any necessary warnings in the subject lines

festival of light

In the days leading up to January 1st, residents new and old will notice preparations beginning, a flurry of activity getting the city ready for the upcoming celebration: The Festival of Light. This holiday is in celebration of the end of the Quarantine's short-lived winter and serves to welcome the new year. The traditions associated with The Festival of Light involve fireworks every weekend of the month, a days-long formal ball that with an open invitation to everyone in the city, and lighting magical candles and incense with loved ones and new friends alike.

a celebration of the end of winter and the new year

As the Capitol World stops blocking the path between the sun and its moon, the snow melts and the rains of early spring begin to fall and the residents of the Quarantine gather together to celebrate the new year. New beginnings are honored as the sky is lit with fireworks to banish the cold and dark of winter, and residents share the light and warmth of the new year with each other by sharing candles and incense with fellow residents. These traditions are steeped in magic, like many other things in Riverview, and have certain magical emotional effects on participants. Additionally, over the weekend of January 5th - 8th, the Government will be hosting a formal ball to welcome the New Year, which is open to all residents and offers food, drink, dancing, and other activities, as well as places to stay the night and relax or 'relax' with friends.

i. fireworks

One of the main traditions of the Festival of Light is to brighten the sky to welcome the new year, and as always, the Government of Riverview and various other city entities including businesses and various organizations and clubs, have gone all out to light up the sky. Each Friday, Saturday, and Sunday of the month of January, residents can gather outside on the beaches or park, or indoors at various observation lounges set up on city rooftops for the occasion, to watch elaborate, beautiful fireworks displays.

Outdoor observation is facilitated by use of rented forced-air umbrellas that make viewing the fireworks without having to squint into the rain or peer out from under a traditional umbrellas easy. Curl up with a friend or lover under an umbrella to watch the fireworks displays. Temporary indoor observation lounges have also been set up on most of the rooftops of buildings in the city, if the outdoors isn't your thing. The lounges can range from simple transparent-roofed spaces with rustic benches and hot cocoa to elaborate, fancy bars or restaurants with food service, music, and dancing. Some of the lounges may even have themes, whether they're 18+ adult or just quirky. Let your imagination run wild - if you can think of it, someone in the city's probably set one up.

ii. lighting up

Throughout the city, residents will find booths and special sections in their favorite stores set up with stands displaying magical incense and candles in a wide variety of colors. These are traditional trappings of the Festival of Light, the original and ancient tradition that's built up into the modern celebration as residents know it. Most prolific are the candles - ranging from tiny tea lights to large pillar candles, they are inscribed with the word 'glow' in a variety of different alien languages, including some that residents might recognize. The incense comes in small variety of dusky, earthen colors, each with a different scent and effect, all clearly labeled.

Candles are meant to be lit with one or more other people, and when this tradition is observed properly with a candle inscribed 'glow' - the wick lit by two or more people at the same time, and held together between them for a minimum of 30 seconds - every participant will feel and see certain magical effects. As the candle is held between the participants, they will start to see each other's skin glow, seemingly lit from inside, and as the glow increases, all participants will start to feel an emotional lightness. Stress and despair will slowly dissipate, giving the participants a temporary feeling of absolute contentment, warm and happy. The effects last from 5 minutes to a full 24 hours, depending on the number of people who participate and the length of time the candle is held between participants (more participants or longer timespans will increase the length of the effect), and effects are cumulative - lighting a large number of candles with different people will cause the effect to draw out for longer.

Incense is something usually lit in private, at home or a small gathering at a friend's house, and in recent years as the celebration has become a bit more modernized and commercialized, at the Glow Ball. There are a few varieties of incense with different psychological effects, all of which are pleasant and take strongest effect when the incense is lit with one or more other people, and enjoyed long enough for the whole stick to burn down. Orange and yellow incense will increase feelings of affection and openness, sienna red incense will do the same but also induce arousal; blue-grey incense will make it easier to share and ease grief and sadness, while grey-purple will lull participants into an easy sleep with pleasant dreams.

iii. glow ball

Every year during the Festival of Light, the Government of Riverview hosts a formal ball called the Glow Ball on the first weekend of the month - this year, it spans from nightfall on Friday January 5th until dawn on Monday January 8th. The ball is a relatively new custom, but has quickly skyrocketed to one of the most anticipated events of many residents' year. Similar to the castle-themed maze during Hygge, the Glow Ball is hosted inside a beautiful golden palace erected in the City Center that is much larger on the inside than it appears to be on the outside. While there is no specific theme to the ball, many residents take it as an opportunity to really glow in a wide variety of ways, all up to each person's imagination.

The palace is magically-augmented to be lavish, comfortable, and fully-stocked at all times, and features a banquet hall with ample and frequently-replenished food, a bar and lounge area for attendees to get a drink and sit for a while, a beautiful grand ballroom as well as several smaller ballrooms with different styles of music, a swimming pool with hot tubs, a garden, and smaller private vestibules that feature a pillow lounge, incense selection, and a small bedroom where residents can rest or enjoy each others' company in private.

NOTE: New characters are welcome to join in with the party, even if they haven't had time to prepare. Any new arrivals who come to the party in the clothing they arrived in will be whisked up by a fussy light golem or attendant who will fit them with a nice set of clothing for the evening so they can enjoy the festivities.

dinner and dancing

The banquet hall is ringed with tables that offer a buffet food catered to the time of day - breakfast in the morning, light food in the afternoon, lavish dinners in the evening, and desserts, coffee, tea, or hot chocolate, and snacks available all night. With ample seating at group tables, residents can share a meal with friends new and old. The bar and lounge has several large free bars staffed by glowing, ethereal light golems that never tire and never get an order wrong, and offers seating at tables and in cozy dimly-lit booths. Riverview's drinking age is 14 years old.

The grand ballroom is themed golden this year, with the walls tiled in gold and featuring a dance floor of white marble veined with gold. The grand ballroom has classical, traditional dance music playing for those who want a classy formal dance. There are four wing ballrooms that feature different genres of music for residents who enjoy alternate types of dancing, with the genres consistently rotating - whether you like punk, country, rock, pop, or any other type of music from any planet or country, it's likely to be playing in a wing ballroom at some point. Schedules are posted outside of each door and there are four genres per wing ballroom per day.

swimming and gardens

Another feature of the Glow Ball is the beautiful swimming pool - warm enough to be comfortable but cool enough to be refreshing, the outdoor pool has both flower petals and the season's glow candles floating on it, a champagne service offered by light golems, and tables to sit and enjoy a drink and conversation while drying off. There are also small hot tubs ringing the swimming pool where residents can soak away the aches and pains of the day. The pool offers change rooms where speaking a magical incantation (helpfully posted on the door) will change the occupant's formal clothing into an equivalent swimsuit, and will change it back (and dry the occupant) after the dip has been taken.

The gardens are also available for any attendees who want to get a bit of fresh air. With beautiful flower-lined winding paths under a perpetually starry sky and ample candles hanging from the trees and edging the paths for visibility, the gardens are a scenic and relaxing place to take some time away from the light and get some air.

privacy

For residents who want a little private time or want to spend more than just an evening at the ball, there are small private vestibules scattered throughout the palace. Featuring a lounge area with pillows and lap tables for eating, and a comfortable queen-size bed, each room also has a vanity whose drawers hold both suitable pajamas for sleeping in and (in 18+ rooms only) supplies for intimacy ranging from massage oils to packaged toys. And most importantly, each room is fully stocked with a selection of the season's incenses for use in private.

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 Festival of Light, feel free to write it up!

visual inspiration

click on thumbnails for larger view

Credit: image i: Jakub Grygier; image ii: Shutterstock; image iii & iv: credit unknown

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[Dorian recalls rather vividly how uncomfortable Commander Rutherford, a native of Ferelden (what may as well be a land of barbarians), seemed in the Inquisition's formal attire. It wasn't as though this man who'd just stopped at the entrance to the ballroom was out of place really. It was merely the way he carried himself. Confident? Yes. Out of his element? Just a bit.

Dorian, in an immaculate suit of hunter greens and whites, smiles in his general direction. Unaccustomed to formal balls or not, at least this handsome newcomer was pleasant enough to look upon.]

New, are we? Enjoying the ball?

[He takes a sip from the glass of champagne (such a delightful beverage) he's currently nursing as he awaits Ragnar's response.]

[Dorian would be likely the only person to actually see him still in a jacket and tie. He would also be the only person to watch as Ragnar patiently waited for the golem to wander off before shrugging out of both the jacket and pulling off the tie and ditching both as he unbuttoned the top couple of buttons on the shirt. He felt a little more comfortable already.

He was rolling his shoulders to try to force the shirt to settle a little better when Dorian greeted him. Naturally, he offered a lopsided smile in return, gaze scanning the area for one of the many attendants with trays of champagne. He managed to time approaching Dorian with snagging a passing glass off a tray.]

New? Not so new. It is difficult to say. The skies are very different here. [He thought it had been about a month, but he couldn't say for certain. Looking around at the impressive ballroom and even more impressive clothing, his bright eyes glinted with curiosity. He may have just arrived, but Dorian's question was an easy one to answer.] I will. Are you?

The skies are different, yes, and yet, time passes rather similarly to Thedas. I would assume the same could be said for your own world. [And he watches Ragnar's display of becoming more "comfortable" with no small amount of amusement. Clearly, he'd been correct in his assessment, a fact he didn't find surprising.]

You will? [He smirks, motioning with his free hand toward the glass Ragnar acquired on his way over.] I assume the wine's helping? [He takes a sip from his own glass before responding.] It's certainly aiding me.

This is true, but with no moon in the sky how do you track the months?

[It was a serious question. Ragnar certainly hadn't been keeping track of the number of days that had passed and the only other way he knew how to track the longer passages of time was by the moon and then by the seasons.]

Thedas is the name of the kingdom you are from? [He was immediately curious. The man was not only tan, but he looked different than anyone he'd seen in his travels thus far. Plus, that accent.]

Yes. I will. [He smirked.] I have just arrived, but I am sure the night holds some promise.

[He tilted the champagne in his hand, assuming it likely wouldn't be what he was really after. He downed it and made a face.] People aside. The one thing I miss from my world is the drink. Everything here is either too weak [he lifts the empty champagne glass] or too strong.

With a calendar. Your communications device should have one built in. I could show you, if you'd like.

[A friend of his had shown him, after all, and he was amicable enough to share the wealth. Still, he shook his head at Ragnar's question.]

No. Thedas is my world. I come from no kingdom, but a democracy known as the Tevinter Imperium. [He pauses.] You...are familiar with democratic custom, I trust?

[Oh, Maker's Breath, he's probably not. He'd thought he smelled the swill of barbarism on the man.] Well, then, mix the two together and you're certain to have a fitting compromise.

[Without hesitation, he pulled the phone out. It wasn't anything fancy, looking just like a modern day phone, except anything you touched or hovered your finger over the phone would read out loud and, although you could manually go through the phone like normal, it also took a huge array of verbal commands.

He put it down on the table in front of Dorian, watching keenly.]

Democracy? [He was just starting to ask when Dorian beat him to it. Funnily enough, someone else had actually explained democracy to him, but without ever calling it by its proper name, so he wasn't completely oblivious... not anymore at least.]

You could mix them. I think it would be even more terrible. [He smirked.] Show me this calendar and then tell me about democracy. [His eyes were practically gleaming with curiosity.]

[Well, that little device is clever and not at all like his, though moving over to the table and taking up the phone, it seemed normal enough. He just didn't know they spoke aloud what you were doing...or why. Sadly, it didn't occur to him the man couldn't read, or that his culture possessed no written language.]

Ah, yes. Here. [As he moved his fingers across the screen, the phone announced "Calendar", then "6th, January".]

It is the 6th day of the month of January, and, seeing as we are celebrating the turn of a year, I can only assume January is the first month of the calendar. Give it a try.

[He offers the phone to Ragnar, wincing at the man's question.]

A democracy is led by a leader elected by the people...well, I suppose I should say we're a representative democracy...in theory. There exists a group of men and women who preside over the Magisterium, Magisters, who vote on laws and elect the Archon, our leader in all affairs, foreign and domestic. He can promote or dismiss Magisters as he sees fit according to merit, and those positions are passed down by right of lineage until such time they are revoked. The Archon has the final say on the changes of policy, but typically sides with the vote of the Magisterium, on which also sits the Divine, also an elected official, and the head of the Chantry, our center of religion. Am I going too quickly for you? Our government is rather unique in Thedas.

Edited 2018-01-07 04:28 (UTC)

[He poked at the end of the month, the phone announcing "January 31st" when he did.] This is good. Thank you. [He slid the phone away for now, but he was definitely planning on poking around to learn the months when he had some free time.

The explanation of "democracy", or what the Imperium seemed to like to think was something vaguely resembling democracy was less straight forward.]

I have met a few people whose leaders are voted for, elected, but for them it was by all the people. For them, the leader, it was called a... pres... president. The person who was voted to become president would only be so for a set number of years. Is the Archon as well?

What does it mean to 'promote' a Magister? Who can be one? If he can dismiss them... why would he not dismiss all the Magisters who did not vote for him or who do not agree with the way he will rule? Or make a deal with a group of Magisters who would agree to vote for him if he promised he would then dismiss a rival Magister? [He might surprise Dorian with how quick he was to pick up these things.]

The Divine is also a Magister? [His brow furrowed slightly.] So. The Divine is like a priest? Who votes for them? Other priests? I have seen such a thing in England. Some priests are much more important than others.

[He inclines his head with an amicable smile. Dorian may be painfully boastful at times, but he also actually cared and enjoyed being helpful, and didn't actually require praise for it, contrary to popular belief.

He doesn't do anything to mask the wince at Ragnar's justifiably dubious understanding of Tevinter politics. It was a corrupt system, it had been for centuries, and it was just one of the many things he wanted to try his hand at fixing. He even nodded at his confusion.]

All good questions, and all true. Tevinter is not the jewel she once was, nor is she the jewel many of her upper circles believe her to be.

[He nods.] Yes, the Divine is elected by priests and he is, as well, a priest but also the final authority in the Chantry. To "promote" a Magister is essentially to give a position of law-voting power to someone you like. You're absolutely right. I never claimed it was a fautless, or even efficient, system. It once served well, but the years have tarnished it.

I did not mean to offend you. [He offered him a reserved smile.

Ragnar hadn't meant to sound judgemental. He was genuinely curious as to how these things worked in other places. There just so happened to be a lot of loopholes that encouraged the abuse of power and conspiring in the way that Dorian had explained it. Apparently, Ragnar hadn't misunderstood.]

In everything I have seen where I am from, power is either passed to family or it is taken by killing the previous ruler. It is no more efficient. Or faultless. [Which was largely why he was so interested in hearing how other societies were set up.]

I have not heard of your religion before. The Chantry? Where you are from priests also have a hand in ruling?

[Dorian looked surprised for a moment at Ragnar's apology before laughing. Deeply.] You have, by no means, offended me.

[He nodded appreciatively at Ragnar's assessment. He'd learned not to pass judgment on someone based on their appearance, and this man was at least knowledgeable of politics. A useful skill to possess.]

Too right! If there are rulers at all, there's going to be power abused somewhere along the way. But then, people are people, aren't they?

Ah...yes. The Chantry. Well, no. Not all of them, but...from what I've learned of others, the divine in most worlds tends to stay in the realm of myth, rarely coming to fruition, or even worse, stepping from the pages of belief. Many things, though most likely told in inaccuracy, that the Chantry teaches have, indeed, existed, or do exist. I suppose that is to say the Chantry has a rightful place in leadership because the things our faith tell us are real...are.

[He breaks into a warm, reflective smile, nodding in agreement.]

Yes. People are people. That is very right.

[He tried to follow Dorian's explanation.] But... that is not different than my own beliefs. My gods are also real. They exist. They are living gods who often visit Midgard, though in disguise.

And the Christians, they believe their god is real. Their Jesus existed. Their Saints exist.

It sounds no different to me.

( Dorian returns Ragnar's smile, but shakes his head. )

And that, my new friend, is where our religions differ. The Maker and His Bride do not walk among us. The Blight the follies of men have created? Most certainly. The demons that exist beyond the Veil? Yes, and we have our faith and our own capabilities to protect us. That almost sounds noble.

( But he nods. )

And you've met these living gods of yours?

Blight? [He actually gave Dorian a wary look. Even more so than Dorian, he was from a time and a place where sickness regularly devastated entire populations.] Like a... plague?

[He tilted his head though, a little confused.] Demons? What is a demon? [He thought about it a moment longer and started to figure it out. He guessed that 'veil' or beyond the veil must mean like the spirit world, the realm beyond normal, everyday life.] Like a monster?

[He gave Dorian a sly smirk at the question.]

If they are disguised, how would one know? [His expression shifted, making it obvious that he'd been teasing him a little bit.] I have. I have seen Odin, and his Valkyries, after a battle, choosing the fallen warriors who fought bravely to join him in his halls. He has also given me signs. And given me strength in battle. I believe I am his son. And I have had Thor test a boat I was on, he made a great thunderstorm and then celebrated that not even he could sink such a marvelous vessel.

Something like a plague, yes...well, it's difficult to explain. Darkspawn, hideous malformed beings that walk like men, live beneath the surface. The occasionally raid above ground, and their blood is poison. It is a slow, inevitable and painful death. It is also referred to as a Blight when one of the old Dragon Gods becoming Blighted and unifies the Darkspawn in a systematic raid of the surface and scourge the land with their taint, so...a bit more intense than a plague, really.

[Ah, what is a demon. Dorian has heard more than one explanation since arriving in the Quarantine, but he can explain demons as he knows them, at least.] Something very much like one, yes. They're...attracted to negative human emotions: fear, anger, laziness. They feed on them, but they also have a desire to see this sense of the Veil, the...physical. If they cross over without the aid of a mortal host body, like you or I, they are almost always monstrous in nature.

[His eyebrows raise at Ragnar's description.]

You...believe yourself to be the son of a god? Odin? I also have no idea what a Valkyrie may be, though...if they choose the fallen, then...is it not that all are allowed to join him in death? What of the others?

Can... they be killed as regular men are? [They still sounded like a terrifying enemy.] Where I am from, there are stories of creatures like those that you have described, but the gods killed most of them long ago.

[The descriptions of demons seemed much less familiar, a kind of creature he was wholly unfamiliar with.]

I do.

The Valkyries are the choosers of the slain. They are women who deliver those who have died a glorious or honorable death to Odin's halls. Those who impress the gods are taken to Valhalla where they are reunited with the great warriors who have died before them.

[He shook his head.] Only those who have a glorious and meaningful death and those chosen by the gods will join them. The others will go to the realm of the dead, Helheim, where they will be received by the goddess Hel. It is not a bad place, but it is not where any warrior would wish to end up.

Oh, yes, certainly. [He nods to confirm.] Just don't let them bleed on you. Their blood carries a poison, and there is no cure, only a slow, agonizing death.

[Dorian thoroughly believes he will never understand the desires of warrior-types.]

Shouldn't a warrior who's known nothing but war his entire life want, oh, I don't know, a holiday for eternity?

[He frowned at that. By the end of most battles, it looked like he'd swam across a river of blood and gore.] That does present a problem. Even for the most talented archers...

[He tilted his head a little.] Instead of earning a spot in the army of the gods? ... No. [He smirked.] It is said that until the time comes to fight for the gods, that they will feast and drink in a great hall, reunited with old friends, and fight one another every night to die and rise the next day so they may do it all again. [From the glint in his eyes, it was pretty obvious that Ragnar thought this was a very appealing afterlife.]

Darkspawn are certainly not to be taken lightly. If you ever have the misfortune of facing them, do avoid getting their blood in your mouth or eyes. It's a slow death, months or years of suffering. [He smiles, though.] Happily, I've yet to see mention of the like here. Yay, us.

[At Ragnar's proclamation, he chuckles, shaking his head and making a motion with his hand as if to say, "as you wish".]

You see, my idea of a fine afterlife is endless stretches of sun-drenches beaches, wine and cool drinks, and enough interests to pique my curiosity for an eternity. To each his own, though, I suppose.

No enemy should ever be taken lightly. Even the most terrible opponent can get lucky.

[He nodded thoughtfully.] If there were darkspawn here, I would think they would be found only beyond the fences. But I have come across no such creatures. Nothing out there has looked even remotely human so far.

[Ragnar looked thoughtful for a moment, maybe trying to envision Dorian's idea of an amazing afterlife.] What kind of 'interests'? There would need to be a lot to last for eternity.

they can, it's true.

(Dorian nodded to further show his agreement, but chuckled.)

Made all the more likely by the hubris of their fellow combatants.

(Ragnar's comment on the Darkspawn makes his smile wane somewhat, though.)

One would think they would, yes, but they're very apt to just pop out of the ground as well. They burrow, you see, and are damned good at it, seeing as the underground is their native land.

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monthly mingle: THE FESTIVAL OF LIGHT

iii. glow ball

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