riverviewlogs | monthly mingle: THE FESTIVAL OF LIGHT

Entry tags:

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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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Loki glances at the lights in amusement. He's dressed fairly casually for once, though he has a lovelock tied in a ribbon in his hair. ]

Are you not sufficiently entertained?

Mmmm, nah.

[Obviously this is the correct response, as he casually tosses the lights at Loki. Kind of pointless when they're totally illusory, but whatever.]

Are you here to amuse me?

[ Loki pretends to think hard as he catches the lights, making them go around in circular patterns before they takes human shapes. ]

I'll do my best.

[ He takes the chair next to Taako. ]

What are you in the mood for?

[Oddly enough he didn't actually expect Loki to take up that request but he can roll with it.]

Fireworks see to be the theme of the week and I bet you can blow these guys outta the water.

Without a doubt.

[ With a flick of his fingers, the fireworks in the sky start to mingle. The sparks of light showers curl around each other like vines before turning into a vivid light tapestry, displaying trees and knights and dragons. They swirl around each other before turning into bright comets, streaking across the sky. ]

[This he definitely expected, and he sits up a little straighter so he can watch the light display. Loki could give Gandalf a run for his money.

He's quiet for a while, just appreciating the lights.]

I'm like, pretty sure it's cheating when you're using magic, but I'm not gonna complain.

[ Loki gives him a look. ]

Since when do you care about cheating?

Since it lets me give you shit about something?

[Like, duh.]

That only works if I take it to heart.

Shit, I knew there was a flaw in this perfect plan.

[It was never a perfect plan. Mostly because it was never a plan, Taako just Does Things]

How's your night been, darling? Did Steve get dressed up for you?

[He's a jerk.]

[ He chuckles. ]

No. Steve doesn't like parties. So I try not to force him to all the ones I go to.

I think everyone's at this party.

[Though despite how much he enjoys parties, he can understand people who don't. Sometimes he'd rather just be alone, or with a handful of friends rather than dozens of people.]

That didn't answer my first question, how about you? Having a nice night?

I think so.

[ Loki feels mellow and it's both uncomfortable and zen. Like trying out a new set of clothes and feeling out the seams. ]

The night is young. And yourself?

You know me, I'm always having fun.

[That's a bit of a bullshit answer, and he tries to be more honest with Loki, so:]

I'm real fucking glad winter is over, kinda ready to throw it all off properly.

[which of course requires a big party]

[Thor has been enjoying the pool, despite the candles and petals. He catches sight of Taako and Loki from afar, and it seems only right that he should kill two birds with one stone and say hello to them both at once.

He's pleasantly buzzed from the evening, not drunk but just tipsy enough to be a little less filtered. He has no cover up and no towel, so he's dripping wet with five or six petals stuck to him that he has yet to notice.

The silver swimming trunks are a choice. He has no regrets.

He pads toward them both, smiling brightly and watching them with two eyes. Something entirely insignificant has been very pleasing for him, so he's in high spirits when he pushes his way into the conversation.]

If you threw any more off you'd be naked. [Says Thor, in his shorts.]

[ Loki gives Thor's new eye a dirty look before putting it aside, reaching for a drink. He has a feeling he's going to need one. ]

You're not allowed to call me dramatic anymore if this is what your entrances amount to.

[With a lascivious grin:]

Is that a request?

[Is he tormenting Thor or Loki with that question? Maybe both of them. Probably both of them.]

Is walking in and talking dramatic now, or have you lowered your standards?

[Thor narrows his eyes, then brushes a petal off his shoulder toward Loki.]

Just an observation. [Thor says, in lieu of something less polite.] Are we enjoying ourselves?

Edited 2018-01-07 13:31 (UTC)

Most people usually have clothes on for that.

[ Loki conjures himself a drink because he has a feeling he's going to be needing one. He also debates the merits of turning Thor's swim trunks invisible just for kicks. ]

And it seems everyone is enjoying themselves.

There's a pool, less clothes are allowed.

[He winks at Thor, because apparently he's just shifted into 'annoy Loki' mode, as if that isn't his default half the time.]

We're having fun. [He nudges Loki with an elbow, eyeing the drink in a silent question of where's mine?] Are you having fun?

The day I put a shirt on for either of you is the day we stop being friends. [Thor says, defiantly, then winks back at Taako.]

I must be having fun, since everyone is having fun. [He eyes that drink too, with the same questioning eyes.] Every time I think I'll never have more fun at a party, there's another one just around the corner to change my mind.

[ Loki elbows Taako even as he conjures a drink for him. He knows exactly what they're doing and he wants no part of it. ]

What a revelation that must be, Thor. How many centuries did that take, twelve?

[Taako accepts that drink with a quiet thanks, because he's not rude even if he is Rude.]

Be nice, darling, are you just jealous that I'm ogling Thor and not you?

[He's gonna get himself murdered and it'll be worth it.]

Ogling? [Thor looks scandalized, brows arching in feigned surprise.

Then he shakes his head.]

No. This. [He points at Loki.] This is him being sweet.

[ Loki closes his mouth before frowning petulantly at Thor. ]

It is not.

[ To Taako: ]

I've spent centuries watching people ogle Thor. It gets tiresome very, very quickly.

[ iii ]

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