monthly mingle: THE FESTIVAL OF LIGHT

[riverviewmod]

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

navigation

Comments

[volitaunt]

[ Poe's easy smile turns sharper. He pats that two inches of air between his palm and Ren's shoulder almost reassuringly before letting his hand drop. ]

Okay, Ben.

[killthepast]

[ Well, that makes him go cold, down in the pit of his stomach, the way Poe wields his name like a weapon. He tries to keep his voice measured and even, even as some sharp anger slips in: ]

Who told you that name?

[volitaunt]

It's your name, isn't it?

[ Does Kylo know his mother is here? Can he sense it, has he seen her? Poe doesn't know. He has to think that Leia has made herself known to Ren by now. He doesn't want to risk exposing her if she hasn't.

Besides, there's an undeniable petty thrill in having information that Kylo Ren doesn't.

To wit: he ain't sayin' shit. ]

[killthepast]

[ He knows his mother's here, of course. He's been avoiding her since their first run-in, but he knows. But he also knows that she doesn't talk about him; she's never told anyone that Ben Solo is Kylo Ren. He's her secret shame, after all. Another stain on her pristine image, the way Darth Vader was.

He practically bares his teeth. ]

I can take it from you.

[volitaunt]

Gee, that trick isn't old by now?

[ Still, Poe feels a jolt of fear he can't hide. He doesn't want Kylo to see that exchange in the little cabin by the water. He doesn't want Ren to take one more moment that belongs to him and Leia. He doesn't want Kylo Ren to see him crying. ]

Is that what you do whenever you can't get what you want fair and square? Take it? You're like a baby stealing fizzer-sweets.

[killthepast]

[ It takes considerable effort not to rise to the insult. Fists clenching, he turns to face Poe fully, staring him down. ]

I can feel your fear. You can talk all you want, but you can't hide that. [ Just a casual reminder. ] Tell me.

[volitaunt]

[ TWO CAN PLAY THE CASUAL GAME...??? Poe studies Kylo's scar, sipping his drink without ever looking away from the man's face. ]

It's really too bad that didn't go a little deeper.

[killthepast]

I'm sure you're itching to be the one to try. [ AND HE STILL HASN'T FORGOTTEN ABOUT THE WHODUNNIT RE: HIS NAME. ] Was it Rey who told you?

[volitaunt]

You know me so well.

[ He takes a long, SLURPING DRINK from his glass, a non-verbal fuck you that's about as clear as someone spitting on a boot. ] She's definitely the one who flambéed your face, which I think is the more important thing here.

[killthepast]

[ He's oh, so tempted to just rifle around Poe's brain, but that earlier remark about him being like a baby taking whatever he wants seems to have done the trick in... reining in his impulsiveness. For now, anyway. ]

If you're expecting me to feel ashamed by that, you'll have to keep waiting.

[volitaunt]

You don't have to be ashamed for me to really, really like it.

[ Another moment of contemplation. ]

How many years of training have you had, anyway?

[killthepast]

[ SNAPPISHLY: ] None of your business!

[ Wow. Mature. To his credit, he seems to recognize that, for once, and fumes silently for a moment.

And then, harshly, with a note of accusation: ]

I know she's here. [ His mom, obvi. ] Why aren't you by her side?

[volitaunt]

Maybe you're a little ashamed after all, hm?

[ SSSSSSIP.

Oh look, Ren has managed to find that big ole gap in Poe's armor. ]

I felt like I should keep an eye on the most likely threats. [ U go near his !mom and u'll regret it son. ]

[killthepast]

[ Whyyyyy can't he just kill you right here and now??

AND SHE'S HIS MOM NOT YOURS ]

Even you can't be so stupid as to think you could stop me if I wanted to harm her.

[volitaunt]

I'd die before I'd let you do it.

[ S H R U G. ] And I'd pull the trigger on my way down.

[killthepast]

Ah. Because your blaster's served you so well in the past.

[ BRO. COME ON. He can stop that shit. ]

A lapdog to the end.

[volitaunt]

Served me pretty well that first time, before you broke it.

[ Still a lil salty about that. ]

If you can be distracted enough not to stop a rock, I think the odds might be in my favor when it comes to a gun.

[ SINCE HE HAS A GUN NOW AND NOT A BLASTER. LIL SALTY ABOUT THAT. STILL.

Poe salutes Kylo with his beverage, a crooked smile on his face. ] Woof woof.

[killthepast]

[ UGHHHHHH.

He tilts his head, as if observing Poe with newfound curiosity. ]

Was your own mother... inadequate in some way? Why are you so attached to mine?

[volitaunt]

[ Poe chokes on his drink and cracks the fuck up.

That's it that's the tag.

That was a lie okay let him catch his breath. ]

No. My mother was a hero. As much as Leia is.

[ As for why he's so attached to Leia, well. THAT HE'S GONNA IGNORE. ]

[killthepast]

[ STOP THAT, STOP LAUGHING. HE HATES YOU SO. MUCH. ]

Then what is it? You're just an overgrown child, afraid to let go already?

[ Yes. Kylo Ren. Just called you a child.

ShhHHHHHH DON'T LAUGH! ]

[volitaunt]

[ NOPE HE'S LAUGHING AGAIN, though with less open amusement. Instead it's... incredulity. ]

You got me.

[ Poe shakes his head. ]

You think loving someone means you can't let go?

[ Later, he'll have a moment to be alarmed by his own honesty. Later, he'll wonder what he was thinking. But for now: ]

That's not what it's about at all.

[killthepast]

I think trying to find a mother in somebody else's does.

[ But w h a t e v e r. Poe wouldn't be the first to see his mother as a paragon to be worshipped. It must be nice, to be the son she'd make time for. ]

If not that, then what?

[volitaunt]

I wasn’t trying.

[ Whoops he sure doesn’t notice he just admitted he thinks of Leia that way. ]

Love is a strength. [ He studies Ren, really looks at him, and something clicks into place. ] You really don’t get that.

[killthepast]

[ OH. HE CAUGHT THAT ALL RIGHT. It's clear enough in the way he looks at Poe, before he goes on to respond to that other point, about love. ]

Love is a weakness! [ Spat back emphatically, spoken with all the conviction of someone who's had it drilled into his head for years now. The Supreme Leader says... ] It clouds your judgment and strikes at your commitment.

[volitaunt]

It gives you clarity and something to fight for. [ Poe blinks, a sudden question occurring to him. ] What are you fighting for?

[ Never for a moment before now has it occurred to him to wonder. It didn’t matter. Had no relevance. And now he can’t help asking. ]