monthly mingle: FAJRO & LUNAR NEW YEAR

[riverviewmod]

who: everyone in Riverview!
what: monthly mingle: fajro & lunar new year
when: The month of February.
where: Anywhere around the city.
warnings: please put any necessary warnings in the subject lines

fajro & lunar new year

In the days leading up to February 1st, residents new and old will notice preparations beginning, a flurry of activity getting the city ready for the upcoming celebration: Fajro and the Lunar New Year. This is a combination of various traditions from several different universes, all of which involve cleaning house, physically and metaphorically, in preparation for the upcoming spring and summer months. The traditions associated with these celebrations involve getting rid of clutter and unnecessary junk that is then burned in large bonfires along the beaches, clearing the air of lingering resentments and old wounds with magical penalties for those who choose not to share, and a broad sampling of Lunar New Year traditions from a variety of cultures.

an opportunity to shed negative energy

There's nothing that's more detrimental to the forming of a good, solid community than lingering resentment and anger - this is something that most residents of the Quarantine tend to agree on. In recognition of that fact, Fajro is geared toward cleaning out the negativity, getting rid of clutter and trash in the home, body, and mind. Residents do spring cleaning in their homes and businesses and either give away or burn the things that they don't need and that are only serving to add an extra burden. Likewise, residents are encouraged to clear the air with friends, family, coworkers, and anyone else interacted with on a frequent basis. The second half of the month is taken up with the Lunar New Year, which is an almost universal tradition in this reality, and focuses on letting go of negative energy and welcoming positive energy into life going into the new year.

i.cleaning house

The first thing that most residents do during the month of Fajro is cleaning house. This means going through all the junk in the house, all the little things that clutter up a place, and clearing them out. A commonly-heard saying in the Quarantine during Fajro cleanup is "does this bring me joy?", a proverb that encapsulates the meaning of the tradition - to shed the parts of the past that bring pain or add to a person's burden, and keep only what brings joy into each person's life. The rest is either thrown away and burned, or donated to bring joy to someone else's life.

After the cleaning is complete, residents carry what they no longer want or need to the beaches of the river, where bonfires are set up each night for two weeks, in order to burn the excess and let the ash float down the river, a symbolic city-wide purging of bad memories, pain, and burdens.

ii. clearing the air

Another tradition in the Quarantine during Fajro is to clear the air with friends, family, acquaintances, coworkers, teammates, or anyone else that takes up space in a person's life. Every relationship comes with some amount of resentment, and the residents of the Quarantine take pride in being able to shed that resentment every year, to start fresh on relationships, building them into something newer and healthier. However, with every wave of new people that arrive during a year, there's a common pattern - those who haven't yet fully come to accept this particular tradition may avoid airing their grievances. Whether it's because they don't care to understand what they're feeling, don't acknowledge the resentment, want to appear strong and unaffected, or just because they don't like confrontation, there are any number of reasons people might choose to keep their hurts and resentments to themselves.

Of course, that doesn't really lend itself to clearing the air, so several of the higher-ups at Gramarye Magic Research came to a quick and easy solution in the form of a magically-infused mist that falls over the city on the morning of February 1st, which will burn off by the evening of February 3rd. Anyone who inhales the mist or absorbs it through their skin by going outdoors or being close to doors, windows, or air vents, during the first few days of February will find themselves thinking more often of the things that have hurt them, the resentments they've built up, and the desire to talk about them, to excise them. Starting on February 15th, any character who has been exposed to the mist and who has still kept their grievances bottled up will find themselves...afflicted with something very uncomfortable to remind them of how unhealthy it is to keep things to oneself and let them fester.

Afflictions can vary in scope depending on how thoroughly the character was exposed to the mist, how intense their feelings of resentment lie, and most of all, player preference. They are primarily physical effects that can range from mildly embarrassing to extremely uncomfortable. Whether it's the addition of a tail or horns, skin that changes color depending on the character's mood, loss of a sense, or any other physical effect, the sky's the limit. Afflictions should be something the character finds uncomfortable, and will last until February 28th or until the character clears the air, whichever comes first. Talking to a third party about their feelings of resentment will provide a temporary relief from the symptoms of the affliction, but the only way to permanently remove it is to talk directly to the source of the problems. If a character carries feelings of resentment toward someone who is not in the game, having a deep conversation with someone in the Quarantine will permanently clear or preempt the affliction.

iii. lunar new year

Originally, Fajro was celebrated all on its own in the Quarantine, but over the years, the traditions have evolved - the major change that's happened in the past decade or so is the addition of an entire other set of traditions surrounding the Lunar New Year, the celebration of which has proved to be a pretty universal constant across many different planets and in many different universes. Lunar New Year is celebrated with special food, activities, and street markets that pop up across the Quarantine throughout the month of February.

This year, the patron animal of the Lunar New Year is the dog, so residents are encouraged to bring their canines out with them to be spoiled, dressed up, and primped.

Thank you to Mari and Anna for suggesting the celebration and submitting the activities and images for this prompt!

hound town

Anyone wandering the city will find it beautifully decorated with beautiful red lanterns, and paper or cloth dog effigies. There are lots of stalls selling adorable themed dog clothing. At night, the red lanterns light up the streets, bathing them in a warm orange-red glow each night.

The entire city looks festive, and residents can be seen wearing red and gold or dog-themed clothing, strolling through the night markets with their pet dogs, sharing drinks of warm alcohol or other warm beverages. Booths selling a small toy called a jegi can be found very commonly, along with instructions on how to play the traditional Lunar New Year game, jegichagi (video), which involves kicking the jegi to keep it from falling to the ground, with the winner being the one to keep it up for the longest number of kicks.

Other booths are selling a wide variety of dog-themed items, red lanterns for residents to carry around on sticks, and giving away some very special red lanterns that the sellers will advise residents to hang onto for later in the season...

wish lanterns

Toward the end of the festival, the special red lanterns that residents received will start to glow, displaying a set of instructions outlined in magical light on the shade - residents are encouraged to take the lanterns down to the beaches by the Fajro bonfires on the last night of the celebration, and whisper to them a wish. Once the wish has been whispered to the lantern, it will lift into the air, hanging there for a few moments with all the other lanterns. For a few moments, the night sky will be alight with bobbing lanterns.

And then they will all pop into an explosion of colorful confetti, showering the crowd below. Anyone standing in the crowd who gets showered with confetti will feel a glowing wave of positive energy sweep through them.

street food and games

Street food is very popular in Riverview, and special food for the Lunar New Year is no exception, and considering how many different cultures and alternate realities have some version of a celebration for the Lunar New Year, there are a ton of seasonal snacks that are being sold from carts and featured in restaurants throughout the city. While you can find just about anything that's ever been associated with the Lunar New Year, some of the most popular dishes are sliced rice cake soup, savory pancakes, a cooked vegetarian salad, stuffed sticky rice cakes, and beautiful candy boxes that are usually given as gifts or brought to Lunar New Year parties. Besides these treats, tiny citrus fruits ranging from mandarin oranges to tangerines to any alien variety of small citrus.

And for people who bring their dogs along, many stalls are giving away complimentary biscuits for them, with the option to buy boxes or gift packs of the biscuits to take home.

visual inspiration

click on thumbnails for larger view

Credit: image i: Roman Ignatowski; image ii: Jan Vavrusa; image iii: Federico Belingheri; image iv: Yuechi Lee

navigation

Comments

clarice fong ( the gifted | ota. )

[viatorius]

a. cleaning house / communal floor fourteen

( The idea of owning enough stuff that you eventually have to clear things out is almost mystifying to Clarice. For so long she's only had herself and her duffel bag to deal with, and she's fairly certain if she had to get rid of anything in that she'd be a little more distraught than the people around her are right now. Actually, the flurry of activity is making her feel pretty bad, considering she's just been hiding in her bunk for most of the day refusing to think about anything close to spring cleaning and change. Somehow though, she finally manages to spur herself into action via some intense mental lecturing - and if it sounds like a certain leading mutant than who cares, nobody will know, it does the trick.

Throwing her legs out from the bed dramatically, Clarice glances back at the border collie currently resting with her head on said precious backpack. )

You look after that for me, all right?

( Leaving Zingo behind, Clarice makes her way out into the halls, watching with her strangely bright eyes as people carry whatever they can to the floor exits. With a quick inhale and a rounding of her shoulders, she moves to anyone who looks like they're struggling. The best offense is a bright smile, even if she's half terrified that people will see the strangeness of her face and run screaming. ) Hey, let me help you with that? ( Holding her arms out to take the load. ) If you want I can tag along, I'll totally make the trip back so much faster.

( Mutant powers, yo. )

b. hound town / lunar new year

( Okay, she really couldn't keep being a hermit. Not when there's some kind of canine festivity going on. She wouldn't do that to Zingo. The dog trots by her side constantly, Clarice continually sneaking glances because she doesn't have a lead yet. Worst dogsitter ever. But the whole thing is charming, from the little effigies she stops to look at, to the toys that she's almost tempted by. When she stops at the clothing stall, however, Clarice can't help but snort. The noise makes Zingo look up at her. ) No, I already pretty much stole you. I sure as hell won't be forgiven if I end up dressing you up too.

( She didn't steal her. Don't quote her on that. Alternatively, hide your dogs.

Eventually lured back to the effigy stall, Clarice caves and hands over the money for a tiny purple one. It feels like she's caught between being thrilled and being guilty, buying something frivolous, but the whole thing is ridiculous anyway. She's in a city on a moon. Besides, she needs stuff in her bunk. She can't be the weirdo with zero stuff. To whoever's looking over the rest, Clarice offers up a quick flash of a smile. ) Cute, right?

c. street food / lunar new year

( Stuffing a sticky rice cake into her mouth with reckless abandon isn't the most sophisticated of impressions but Clarice clearly does not care. The noise she makes is pretty much indescent and yet she's offering no apologies for it. After living on whatever she could steal and MREs, real, actual food feels almost religious. )

Holy crap, this is good.

( She wants to write an ode to it. She wants to eat like five more. Instead she valiantly tries to encourage other people into it. She's hungry, she doesn't want to come across as a glutton. )

You should try this.

d. wildcard

( Hit me up with anything you'd like. You can find me at athosing or on discord under Sarah#9964 if you want to talk first! )

Street Food

[igotusout]

*At least, this celebration, Lauren got to wear her own clothes. Which was a big plus over last month. She was in that sweet spot of looking good but being perfectly comfortable she liked. Wandering around from one stall to the next, keeping to herself. But the crowd was a bit much for her so she had a hood up to provide some level of comfort outside.*

Huh?

*Why was someone offering she try some food? Of course, her confusion at being offered food turned into surprise. And surprise turned into... a hug? Lauren's just glad to see a familiar face.*

[viatorius]

( Clarice hadn't been looking too closely when she'd tried to rope another person into eating with her. So she has about two seconds to figure things out when Lauren moves to hug her. Luckily, she's gotten kind of used to people being in her personal space in the Underground. )

Lauren?

( Pulling back, Clarice moves her hands to the other girl's shoulders, surprise clearly written on her face. Then she feels a little guilty about being glad to find a familiar face. Emotions are too complicated. )

I didn't know anyone was here.

[igotusout]

*It's one of those complicated things, this place was pretty nice. But it wasn't home. She couldn't help while she was here. And everyone else here also wasn't in the fight. But... it was nice to see someone she knew she could trust too.*

I've been here a month. So... you're alone, nobody else with you?

*She wasn't saying Andy, but Andy was her big concern at the moment.*

[viatorius]

Just me.

( So far. )

But hey, if I appeared after a month who knows. The whole gang could be here soon.

( Except the whole gang had kind of become two gangs and everything was terrible and all up in the air and she didn't know what to do about it. )

But a month? So there's some time stuff going on, right? Because I saw you seconds before I came here.

[igotusout]

Maybe...

*She kinda wants to hope, but she also kinda wants to not get her hopes up.*

I tried reading up on it, it's a portal through dimensions it doesn't really seem to 'care' how time works? There are books on the library but they are way more advanced than what I can handle. I'd need mom or Sage to try and look at them...

And since there's only one thing my powers can do with portals I'm staying far away from that thing.

[viatorius]

( The mention of Sage makes something inside of her wince. She still couldn't wrap her head around what happened, how their group had become so broken and fractured. )

Maybe I should take a look. I mean, I'm not book smart but I know portals?

( Not that she wants to mess with it. She's here for a reason. Fucking up this early wouldn't help her with that. )

Are you staying in the community housing?

hound town!

[spellslots]

[Things Taako does not own: a dog

Things that like 90% of Taako's friends seem to own: a fucking dog.

It means that while this part of the festival obviously isn't aimed at him, he can still idly peruse the stalls to see if there's something he might buy for Bryn or Magnus or Rin or Hana or seriously why do all his friends have dogs? Anyway. He's here, poking around, when he spots Clarice and her little effigy. In all honesty, he's more interested in someone who's obviously Not Human than he is in a cloth dog, but he can play nice.]

Oh, for sure, if you're into that whole thing, which I'm gonna go out on a limb and assume you are, based on like... [he gestures at Zingo.] ...this dude here.

[viatorius]

( It's the ears.

It's the ears, and without thinking Clarice is tucking purple locks behind a pointed one of her own, too bright eyes blinking at Taako. She doesn't look shocked, because she's seen her fair share of obvious mutations, but there's something curious on her face. It's the shade of his skin and the colour of his hair and the ears, the way he carries it beyond what she could ever have hoped for herself. )

Oh.

( Of course, playing it cool is a requisite. )

Zingo, yeah. She's kind of my tagalong for this whole adventure and when I heard there was a dog fair thing it felt like kind of a dick move to deprive her of that. Besides, I heard there'd be food.

[spellslots]

[Same hat!

Taako's gaze flicks briefly to her ears at that gesture and his smile brightens, though he won't comment on it just yet.]

She's cute, good call on letting her come see the festivities. [Honestly he doesn't feel particularly strongly about dogs one way or another, but he knows how to handle them, so he bends down a little to offer Zingo his hand to sniff, just to let her get used to him.] But the food is where you're really talking my language, what kinda foods are ya into? I can hook you up with the good stuff.

[viatorius]

( Her smile inches higher, becomes less guarded second by second. )

Don't judge me, but I'm going to say any. I've been living off military rations for the last god knows how long and I don't even remember what food is good food. ( She says it with a jokey tone, the same way she delivers most of life's difficulties. ) It's not like, astronaut food, right?

( She's kind of stuck on the whole living on a moon thing. It's cool, but also it's weird. )

[spellslots]

[joking about shitty experiences is valid.]

I mean, I dunno what would be wrong with astronaut food - [he is, technically, both an astronaut and a chef, but their spaceship had a fully decked out kitchen and no zero gravity issues.] - but if we're breaking you back into the world of good food, we can start easy yet delicious.

[He offers his arm, as if they're new best friends about to embark on an adventure.]

[viatorius]

( She's usually precious about her personal space, but maybe Clarice is feeling a little bit daring today. She places her hand on his arm, calling for Zingo to follow them. )

Isn't astronaut food like, paste from a silver packet? Because I've been living off MRE's and I'm pretty sure if I see another ready meal I'm going to fling myself off this rock.

( No she won't, she just likes to be dramatic. )

b;

[hasitsthorns]

You're telling me, [ Rose agrees. Though she's been looking at all the dog-themed baubles, she's got no money yet to buy them with. Well. She does. It's also the sentiment she lacks. The blond doesn't really have much love for things nor does she mind being that weirdo with nothing in her space.

It'll be easier, just in case. Rose hasn't quite convinced herself that this is real, that this will last. She probably won't for some time. ]

This one yours, I'm guessing? [ She's referring to the dog, already reaching a hand for the pup to sniff if it so desires. ]

[viatorius]

She's --.

( Not actually Clarice's, but that sound super crazy to say out loud. Like she's honestly some kind of dognapper. But Zingo had become a faithful companion in the way dogs are apparently to do, and leaving her behind when she was leaving everything else had been impossible. So Zingo's here with her now. )

It's a long story. But she's definitely with me.

( Zingo, wary as ever, gives Rosie baleful doggy eyes in response. )

Do you have a dog?

[hasitsthorns]

[ Rose is always glad to listen to a long story but understands there's a time and a place for it. Maybe someday, she thinks. She loves tales of friendship between dog and (wo)man though. It always helped her believe that maybe her affection for people wasn't misplaced; that maybe she wasn't as wrong as she felt for caring about them instead of wanting to devour them. ]

Nah, I wish. I moved way too much back home to have any kind of pets but... I don't know. Maybe I'll adopt one here, if I plan on sticking around.

[viatorius]

Me too. Uh, the moving thing.

( Being nomadic had made sense. She couldn't put roots down, looking like she does, it would have just made it easier for Sentinel Services to smash down her door. )

But then I got in with a group of people and they let me crash and I think Zingo pretty much adopted me so, here we are.

( She drops her hand to ruffle it through Zingo's fur. ) Couldn't go on a vacation to space without her.

[hasitsthorns]

[ It seems like Rose isn't the only one who led a nomadic life back home; in fact, it's becoming more of a common story among the people here. She supposes that makes sense, what with the idea of being displaced and all. ]

Dogs have a way of adopting people, it's true. They're social creatures and all, just like us.

[ 'Us,' as if she's every bit the human as she's pretending to be. ]

I can't blame you. What's an epic space adventure without a canine companion?

c

[stantheman]

[ Sorry but Stan is definitely judging just a little bit as he catches sight of Clarice. It's mostly the way she's eating. He's not really seen anyone devour food like that before. Secondarily her appearance is something that's very different and new to him and he's not so much judging it as confused and a little unsettled by something he doesn't understand yet.

He's much too polite to just stare or ask a direct question, though. So he smiles politely at her ending up telling him he should try the treat. ]

You do sell it very well.

[viatorius]

( Clarice definitely has no shame right now. Maybe another day, when she's stopped worrying about where her next meal is coming from. Then she might try and cling to her dignity. But for now she's happy enough to eat whatever she can afford. )

It's like, really good. I don't remember when I had something this good.

( Zingo, still at Clarice's side, huffs a giant doggy breath out. Pausing, she ducks down to give her a treat. )

You sure you don't want one?

( She will buy children food, she is a good person. )

[shoplifter]

[The hoodied child sitting at the street food stall is hardly deterred by the sounds of hardcore munching — mostly because, y'know, that's pretty much what she already does when faced with any kind of delicious food. She has enough allowance in her pocket to buy some for herself, but she takes a moment to glance over at the girl in the seat nearby (is that what she looks like when she eats, too? no wonder people tell her to slow down, not that she plans to). Laura herself looks a bit rough around the edges, a stray blood stain on her sleeve and the knee of her jeans sloppily torn open.

Despite that, sometimes she forgets she's not always the most invisible person; when Clarice offers the rice cake, Laura sits up straighter, eyes round and curious... and... Well. She is starving after all that walking and climbing. So she takes the offering and starts eating with the same fervency as the other does, no stranger to stuffing food into her mouth until she's expertly replicating a gerbil or squirrel.

The child, she is appeased. Feeding her is always a good way into her circle.]

[viatorius]

( The blood on her sleeve is a little concerning, but Clarice knows there's no point asking about it now. She's seen the look on Laura's face written across countless children's expressions. Hell, she's had it on her own often enough. So she needs to earn her trust first. Food helps. Picking up the booth's little plastic menu,
she makes a show of perusing it, her green eyes scanning the finely printed letters. )

Now the real question is, do I try something different next? Stick with the deliciousness I know? Because I'm totally here until I feel like I might pop. It's too good a chance to miss.

( Angling the menu Laura's way. ) Got a recommendation? Or shall I go old school with Eeny, meeny, miny, moe?

[shoplifter]

[She looks over the menu with keen interest; if there's anything she can appreciate more than food, it's the menu that gateways her to terrible dietary choices.]

I don't know many foods yet... but I like hamburgers. And pancakes.

[A pause, before she can check to see what this place actually offers.]

What is Eeny Meeny Miny Moe?

[viatorius]

It's like a game you can use to help you make a decision.

( Clarice lays the menu down on the table top between them, and taps the first option. ) It goes like this. ( Moving her finger with each of the words. ) Eeny, meeny, miny, moe, catch a tiger by the toe. if he hollers, let him go, eeny, meeny, miny, moe.

( She lands on the savoury pancakes which makes her flash Laura a smile. ) It must have known you liked pancakes. You want one? My treat.

[shoplifter]

[Aahh... This sounds like a prime way to rig the system and get what you want. She watches Clarice's finger, memorizing the wording and the count — doing math in her head, figuring out statistics on how many things she's picking between versus the number of changing fingers... Oh, but that's not the point to focus on right now, is it? Her eye rests on the menu and her lips twitch, nearly into a pleased smile.

A nod of approval; yes, thanks, gracias, give me all the pancakes.

While she's ordering, Laura is busy covertly sniffing the air, trying to see if there are any unique smells about this woman; it's mainly her eyes. Her eyes look... well. Surreal, she supposes. Maybe there's more to her than just eeny, meeny, miny, moe.]

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