riverviewlogs | monthly mingle: PRIJATA

Entry tags:

monthly mingle: PRIJATA

who: everyone in Riverview!
what: monthly mingle: prijata
when: the month of june
where: anywhere around the city
warnings: please put any necessary warnings in the subject lines

prijata

In the days leading up to June 1st, residents new and old will notice preparations beginning, a flurry of activity getting the city ready for the upcoming celebration: Prijata. Riverview Quarantine has a strong culture of love, and they celebrate all types - Prijata is a special celebration of platonic love and building community through friendship. Prijata traditions include gift exchanges between friends, sharing meals cooked together by friend groups, and a variety of events and services aimed at making friends.

a celebration of platonic love

Prijata is a relatively relaxed holiday, focused mainly on friendship and platonic love - dedicated to appreciating the friends already in one's life, and opening oneself up to making new friends. Besides the private giving of gifts between friends, there is also a city-wide government-sponsored gift fountain that is open throughout the entire month. Included in the wide variety of events catered to finding new friends, are 'speed friending' and a large open exhibition where all the specialized clubs in Riverview can recruit for new members - and residents new or old can create a club and recruit.

i. gift fountain

While Prijata gift exchanges between friends are generally a quiet affair, done at friend-group dinners or parties, the element of gift giving does extend outward - community-wide, in fact. Throughout the course of the month, anyone living in Riverview Quarantine can drop by the huge fountain in the City Center, in front of the City Hall. They will find that the fountain is chock full of floating gift boxes in a wide variety of colors, patterns, and different shapes - though none larger than a shoe box. There are signs put up around the fountain stating that the boxes are magic and will only seek and open for their rightful owners. Characters will find that, upon touching the water, a box will float over to them, and when they pick it up, the top will unfurl like flower petals, displaying the gift inside. Sometimes, the box won't appear on the first try, since there's only so much space in the fountain at any given time, but if at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Every person in the city (including new arrivals) will receive one gift by the end of the month.

Gift fountain boxes will contain 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. If you can't think of an item like this that would work for your character, something of similar size and quality to what's described above that would make the character very happy can be substituted.

This prompt can also be used for gift exchanges and for characters to receive the Government-given gifts that were suggested in the Prijata Pregaming post on the meme community. Any newly apped character is welcome to post on the meme entry as soon as they're accepted, and will be linked to it in this month's acceptance notification, so to all you pre-existing players please keep looking at the Prijata Pregame meme throughout app week and afterward to help give new arrivals a warm friendly welcome!

ii. speed-friending

This is pretty much what it says on the tin! Much like speed-dating setups, many bars, coffee shops, and other places that people might gather are holding speed-friending! It's your standard setup - characters enter and fill out a quick questionnaire about themselves, and flit from table to table looking for someone with great friend chemistry. Not all of them are general and open to anyone who walks in, though, with many being specialized to people who are invested in certain hobbies, occupations, or with specific sets of interests. With specialized speed-friending setups ranging from horror movie buffs to members of the Perimeter Guard to fashionistas to sports or martial arts to video games, no matter what your character is into, they're likely to be able to sign up for a special event where they can go looking for a friend who's into the same things they are!

For this prompt, you can put up a list of hobbies or interests your character has, and compatible characters can hit them up for a speed-friending thread, like the IC equivalent of the CR meme!

iii. club exhibition

Speed-friending is all well and good, but not everyone is outgoing or open enough to know if they have friend chemistry in only a few minutes. For anyone looking to find groups of like-minded individuals they can spend more than a few minutes with before committing to something as daunting as a friendship, there is a month-long club exhibition happening in the Town Square in the City Center. Table after table and booth after booth are occupied by existing clubs in the city, with an incredibly broad scope of focus interests and hobbies - enough that any character should be able to find a club with their niche interest represented.

And if it isn't? Characters are welcome to start their own clubs - much like a business, a character-run club can have space set aside in the city for meetings and event mingles that are eligible for Activity Point Bonuses for the organizer.

iv. amusement park & waterfight

Remember the Amusement Park that citizens of the city were working together to clean up and power up a couple of months ago? Well, the endeavor has proven to be a success, and after a lot of hard work and technical expertise, the amusement park is up and running! For the first two weeks of June, admission will be free to honor those who helped make the park usable.

Sporting just about any amusement park ride you can think of, from kiddie rides, merry-go-rounds, and ferris wheels to high-speed roller coasters and more extreme rides for the thrill-seekers, the park takes it a step further by adding in a lot of different high-tech attractions not available at conventional amusement parks. It has banks and banks of VR simulators that allow park-goers to enjoy a variety of adventures and scenarios, or join shared mutual worlds with other users to explore or take out their aggression with a VR first-person shooter. There are also rows and rows of typical carnival games, some heavily rigged and some not, with prizes ranging from dollar store trinkets to stuffed animals to bits of advanced tech.

For the month of grand opening, though, the amusement park is offering a couple interesting events - a naming contest for the park, and a park-wide water fight.

The water fight is opt-in, with participants signing up and being given a purple or orange flag, tank top, or cap to wear marking them as to which team they're part of. There are buckets of water balloons around the park that are constantly being refilled by staff, and water fighters can participate in special target practice games to win the use of a watergun for the duration of the day - how big your watergun is depends on how well you do in the game! Ultimately, there aren't any real winners or losers, because the point is to get wet in the brand new summer heat, but it's always more fun to cool off with a bit of competition involved, right?

The naming contest is another story. Anyone who visits the park is welcome to think up a name for the park, and all entries will be listed on a large LED board. Every customer who enters the park is invited to vote for their favorite name, and the name with the most votes wins! To submit either an in-character suggestion or a suggestion from yourself as a player, hit up the thread below with a new top-level; whether or not you have a neat idea, place a vote for your favorite! Votes are one per player; suggestions are one per character.

v. roommates or wildcard

Feel free to use this prompt to set up headers for a communal floor, or threads open to roommates for the purpose of getting to know each other. Or if you have an idea for a prompt that isn't in this list, set during Prijata, feel free to write it up!

visual inspiration

click on thumbnails for larger view

Credit: image i: Odysseas Stamoglou; image ii: Dave Arredondo; image iii: spainforpleasure.com; image iv: mit19237

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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

i. sentimentality is for chumps!!

[ She's only going to do this once. Yeah, she's heard that sometimes it doesn't work right away, yeah, she knows she can come back later. But if it doesn't work this time around, she's not coming back. She doesn't want to. At least she has Dom to keep her company, the dog sticking close to her side and eyeballing anyone who comes too close.

Chyler touches the surface of the water with a fingertip, just another teenager in a crowd of all ages. She counts to ten, watching the little gifts swirl and move to their respective owners. Watches for anything headed her way. And then, almost relieved, takes her finger from the water.

She's turning to go when a little blue package bumps to a halt against her spot at the fountain. Chyler turns back around. The package keeps bumping against the rim of the fountain, apparently determined to be opened. ]

ii. speed-friending....

[ Chyler can't believe she's doing this. But John keeps getting after her to make more friends, and he's usually right about... well, everything. So here she is. She signed up for exactly three speed-friending events: a military one, and one for weapons enthusiasts. And, grudgingly, one for people ages 13-19. TADA. ]

iv. amusement parking

[ Chyler is at first as hesitant to get involved with anything at the amusement park as she is hesitant to get involved with anything that seems frivolous. And the amusement park is nothing but frivolous. But when your boss orders you to take the day off and go have fun and keeps your dog as collateral, you listen. Or you try anyway.

So here she is, attempting carnival games, slowly getting into the VR games (racing, exploration, fantasy--no shooting. no guns.), and finally contemplating some of the rides. It doesn't feel right to go for the easy ones. No, she's eyeballing things like the slingshot and the highest rollercoasters, because what's the point of doing something if you aren't going to go all the way? ]

Edited 2018-06-03 06:30 (UTC)

[ This whole thing is lame. A bunch of sad sacks who can't figure out how to make friends the old fashioned way (by faking niceness long enough to worm your way into their friend group before trying to kill them), so they have to resort to speed friending to meet anyone.

(Unlike Chase, who's obviously very popular and well loved and definitely not harboring a deep loneliness.)

Anyway, obviously this is the kind of trainwreck he has to take part in. Starting with the teen event, because ew, even to Chase, there's something too sad about the thought of old people making friends this way.

He flops onto an empty seat, across from a girl who seems suuuuuper stoic. As for Chase, he's as smirky as usual, practically radiating "obnoxious teenager." ]

You seem happy to be here.

Edited 2018-06-04 18:22 (UTC)

[ Chyler gives him a slow once-over, disapproval Writ Large Across Her Features. A phrase I've never had the chance to use that is exactly as awkward and pretentious I expected it to be.

Basically she's not impressed. Which has earned her many friends so far.

Chyler hates most of these kids on principle, and she can't help thinking of them that way. Kids. Children. People without discipline, without a cause, and probably without any desire to find one. ]

If I find a reason to be happy, I will be. [ Even more stoic than usual? Even more stoic than usual. ]

[ Oh girl, don't you know that Chase thrives on disapproval? It's like sustenance to him. His smirk remains, as he's totally undeterred. ]

Aw... You're never gonna make any friends with that attitude. So, come on, come on! [ He snaps his fingers a few times in quick succession. ] Let's get this speed friending started! Tell me what does make you happy.

[ The stoic indifference turns into an actual glare as he snaps his fingers at her. He isn't a CO. He isn't a squad leader. He doesn't get to demand shit from her.

Her answer kind of gives away how much time she spends with John. ]

Shooting things.

[ Chase laughs, leaning back in his seat, one arm slung over the back. He's getting comfortable. Settling in. He's in this friending for the long haul. ]

Aren't you the budding little sociopath. [ So cute! ] What's your favorite target? People, animals, or other? By the way, you should be asking me questions, too, that's how this works.

[ Friendship~ ]

Edited 2018-06-13 12:32 (UTC)

[Gyda couldn't see it, but she could hear and smell the people near her as she headed over to the fountain, using the cane to make sure she didn't bump into it. Stepping closer, she could hear one of the packages bumping against the side of the pool; she turned towards the person closer to her, her face tilted so she could pick the sound of their feet.] I think that box is for you.

[...Well now she has to take it. There's probably a special place in whatever hell exists for people who ignore tiny blind girls. ] I think it is.

[ Chyler takes a deep breath and picks it up, wondering what on earth this place could possibly offer her. The box opens up like a flower, just like the ones around it, and there's a soft clink and the sound of shifting chains.

Dog tags. Four pairs of dog tags, strung on a single chain. Chyler lifts them gently from the box, her fingers shaking, making them chime like tiny bells.

She can't speak, and she's suddenly very glad the little girl is blind. ]

[She hears the box being removed from the water, the sound of it opening, then metal clicking; too thin to be made of anything heavy, but not light enough to be made of precious metal. Whatever jewelry it was could only be sentimental in that case.] Do they belong to you?

[Her own hand touched the water, finding a box, and a skim of her fingers saw a name tag, written in braille. She frowned, pulling out the strangest pair of gloves she's never felt; the frown turns to a smile when she feels them in more detail-the name of who they're from no longer surprises her.]

[ Chyler gently drapes the chain around her neck, tucking the dog tags underneath her shirt. She'll decide what to do with them later. When she's had a chance to think. ] My friends.

[ She raises her eyebrows at the sight of the girl's gift. The gloves seem completely at odds with what Chyler would expect. ] What are those?

You have them in their memory. [Even back home, tokens and other items were passed down. Without any writing, it was resort to stories and tokens.]

She took a seat at the fountain, carefully feeling and slipping the gloves on. Gloves, but weapons, from my brother.

[She swiped at the air with them, moving slow so as to make sure nothing was in the way. Only her brother would provide her with weapons she could use with her fingers.]

[ Chyler doesn't quiet flinch. ] What makes you say that?

[ She tries to keep the question casual, to not give this girl any kind of confirmation that she's right. ]

And why is your brother giving you weapons?

You accepted them from the gods of this place, and you said they belonged to your friends. Why else would it be except to hold in their memory. [That would be something they did at home, so it only made sense.]

My brother's a skilled warrior, as are all my family. He insists I be able to defend myself. He felt fine with her not being part of the Shield wall, but even a wife who remained at home had to know how to defend it.]

[ Chyler runs her fingers over the little disks under her shirt. ]

You're right. [ She says it quietly. She looks at the little girl anew. With phrasing like skilled warrior, she seems archaic, but that's not so much of a surprise in this place. ] They were skilled warriors too. They died fighting.

[ Taking a guess: ] Is your brother here?

[She nodded in hearing of her friends; the person sounded young, maybe around the same age as her brother. If her friends died they may have just as died in sickness as much as combat, but the signs she picked up told her it was more the latter.]

He is. He was the first person I met when I arrived here. But he is from the future in my world, so I didn't recognize him. [She also happened to be sick from the flu, so even if she did know who he was, the fever made her too delirious to put the signs together.]

[ Chyler shakes her head, then realizes this girl can't see it. She brushes her fingers over the dog tags. ]

I still haven't seen anyone from my world here. My universe. I can't decide if I'm lucky or not.

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monthly mingle: PRIJATA

Chyler Silva | Halo: Forward Unto Dawn

ii. SPEED FRIENDING

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