riverviewmod: (Default)
Riverview Moderator ([personal profile] riverviewmod) wrote in [community profile] riverviewlogs2017-05-01 07:22 pm
Entry tags:

introductory mingle: MEMORIA

who: everyone in Riverview!
what: Introductory Log and Memoria Commemoration
when: May 1st - May 8th
where: Anywhere around the city.
warnings: please put any necessary warnings in the subject lines

memoria


In the days leading up to May 1st, residents new and old will notice preparations beginning, a flurry of activity getting the city ready for the upcoming celebration: Memoria. A more solemn celebration than Sampremi or the Flower Festival, Memoria is a week-long time of remembrance for those lost in the Great War and the epidemic that decimated Riverview Quarantine's population 10 years ago. Memoria traditions include lighting lanterns for the dead, telling stories about lost loved ones or lost homes, eating meals with loved ones, and a special gathering to send floating lanterns down the river in honor of those lost.

a solemn commemoration of those lost



While the main city-wide event associated with Memoria is the floating of lanterns down the river on the evening of May 8th, the holiday is generally seen as a time of reflection on and appreciation of things that have been lost - people, homes, cultures, and planets. It is also a celebration of the things that remain. Many locally-owned shops will host displays of culturally-significant food, and will hand out informational flyers sharing the unique customs of their own homeworlds. There is a heavy emphasis on sharing time with family, friends, and lovers, and anyone who is able to will cook meals or treats for loved ones, or at least purchase them something good to eat.


i. hanging lanterns


Throughout the entire week of Memoria, residents will be hanging lanterns around the city. Lanterns are generally placed in greater number in places of passage - streets, bridges, and all alongside the train lines are particularly well-decorated, as are any trees alongside paths, and most homes and businesses have a profusion of lanterns around their doors and windows. This tradition is twofold; some people believe that the lanterns are hung in these places in order to guide the spirits of the dead back to those who still love them, other people believe that the lanterns are to give light for living loved ones to find their doors in times of darkness...many people believe both.

No matter what your character might believe, you can be sure they will find themselves offered a lantern for free from various businesses or friendly citizens passing by, and invited to hang it before the sun sets, or they may be handed a bundle of lanterns and asked to help share them with others.


ii. sharing life


Throughout the city, characters will find groups of people gathering to share hot drinks and talk about their loved ones lost, their homes and planets, or their experiences during the Great War and the epidemic. Anyone who has lost someone, who has fought to survive, who is feeling cut off and homesick, is welcome to sit and share their story. If your character chooses to sit and to share their story, they will find that people will gather to listen, will generally be respectful of the telling, and may share their own similar experiences in return. This is an excellent time to air grief in an environment where most people understand and respect grief, and a good time to deepen the connections to others around you, to understand them better.

There is also a very large focus on cooking or purchasing meals or treats for loved ones during Memoria, with many people taking meals with everyone they care about during the week of the holiday. Some go the extra mile and will hand out baked goods (usually chocolate or cinnamon), packets of candy, or other little treats to acquaintances, especially if they would like to form a closer bond with them. This is a great time for characters to reach out to someone they would like to get to know better with a surprise treat!


iii. floating of the lanterns


On the evening of May 8th, just before sundown, many of the city's residents will head toward the banks of the river, where they will light lanterns in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and colors, in honor of their dead loved ones. The types of lanterns vary wildly, based on personality (either of the person floating it or the person they are honoring), culture, and many other factors. Some lanterns are very simple, others are incredibly complex, but the one common feature they all have is that people write on the shades of them - they write about their feelings for their loved ones, their wishes for their relationships and friendships, a memory from childhood or home, or even just lines of poetry or lyrics from songs that express something they miss, or something that hurts them.

Once those emotions are written on the lanterns, the lanterns are set free, floating down the river in the darkening evening, in a cathartic gesture shared by most residents of the city. Waves of lantern floating will start around 7 pm and continue until the sun rises on the morning of May 9th.


iv. 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 Memoria, feel free to write it up!



visual inspiration


click on thumbnails for larger view


Credit: image i: glowconcepts, image ii: by trenchmaker, image iv: cherryorange; image iii: found uncredited on Pinterest - please let the mod know if you find credit!

navigation
dothelokimotion: (Alligators: can they kill your children?)

[personal profile] dothelokimotion 2017-05-13 02:31 am (UTC)(link)
What are we then?

[ What is Loki, if not a monster? A king? What is he supposed to be? His name is all he has, the only foundation. But he snapped the bonds. He died in Thor's arms. He lived on Odin's shadow. Loki conjures another tiny light bauble, holding it out for Angela. ]
antietam: (pic#10616185)

[personal profile] antietam 2017-05-13 02:32 am (UTC)(link)
Adam was used to Ronan doing weirdly nice things for him. Carrying all of Adam's packed belongings on his own, leaving him hand lotion, paying his rent. Even holding the door open for him made him feel special in some way, and he gave him a quick smile as he entered.

It disappeared quickly when he realized what Ronan's warning meant. If the people outside seemed solemn, the people in here seemed like they were receiving death sentences. Some were crowded at tables, others sat with only one other person, all chatting miserably. He hesitated and glanced at Ronan.

"I thought festivals were supposed to be fun?" He shrugged and nudged Ronan toward a table. "I'm gonna get us two of those things," he said, pointing to whatever alien food was prominently displayed.
supersweet: (Superman is the most vulnerable)

[personal profile] supersweet 2017-05-13 02:33 am (UTC)(link)
But you have been given stuff. It just isn't always superpowers.

[ His father had made that clear. Jon isn't only Superman's son, but Lois Lane's too. And that should always be a badge of honour and pride. ]
carrotkeeper: <user name=livebites> (do not try and swim to europe)

[personal profile] carrotkeeper 2017-05-13 02:33 am (UTC)(link)
We'll meet in the tree. It'll be our special meeting spot.

[She points up to it and then laughs.]

Or maybe the mall is better. I'll text you the details later.
supersweet: (My hearing's very acute)

[personal profile] supersweet 2017-05-13 02:34 am (UTC)(link)
About a month. It's been pretty okay so far.

[ No major incidents or killer robots or aliens or . . . the list goes on. ]
antietam: (pic#9385159)

[personal profile] antietam 2017-05-13 02:35 am (UTC)(link)
Oh, you noticed? [ Apparently Mister Cool is a compliment he will accept. ] Cheesy icebreakers are a two-way street. If you're not participating, then I can't either.

[ More like they both just want to be secretive assholes. ] But you're still showing me the way to the pizza place, yeah?
dust_of_life: (Surprised)

[personal profile] dust_of_life 2017-05-13 02:37 am (UTC)(link)
[Fatima stares at him. Well, she tries not to stare, but she stares anyway. That is...a lot...to process. And a part of her is probably looking for some indication that he's trolling her. A quirk of an eyebrow, a twitch of the corner of his mouth.

But...no.]


You're...serious.
antietam: (pic#9385154)

[personal profile] antietam 2017-05-13 02:40 am (UTC)(link)
[ Adam freezes like he's been caught. Surely he could get away with saying he has no idea what to do with them, but he's not unobservant enough to disregard the many, many lanterns hanging around them.

He turns around, holding the lanterns shamefully. ]
Uh, maybe. Someone just shoved them off onto me. [ A pause. ] Do you want them?
antietam: (pic#10376471)

[personal profile] antietam 2017-05-13 02:51 am (UTC)(link)
[ Adam is quiet for a moment. ] No, not everyone is given something. Some people have to work for everything.

Just like you have to work harder to climb up on trees than someone with powers, but with their entire life.
finethanks: (☆ 90)

[personal profile] finethanks 2017-05-13 03:05 am (UTC)(link)
"That's true, isn't it... As it so happens, I haven't celebrated anything quite like this before. I've been to a funeral, of course, but this is beyond anything like that."

He finally seems to relax a little, getting over his shock at least outwardly as he considers. "I preferred the festival before this. There were flowers no matter where you looked."
finethanks: (☆ 81)

[personal profile] finethanks 2017-05-13 03:22 am (UTC)(link)
Again with that crown? Fufu, you're so benevolent that I can't help but feel it would be more suited for your head. It's certainly not suited for mine, despite what others think.

[He contradicts himself sometimes, don't worry about it. Sometimes he lies, sometimes he doesn't. Right now he's being very honest.] I'll look forward to getting some "burgers" with you, then. Since we live together, it should be easy to "meet up," so all you have to do is let me know when you'd like to.
carrotkeeper: <user name=livebites> (still kinda wish you didn't shoot me)

[personal profile] carrotkeeper 2017-05-13 03:25 am (UTC)(link)
Now you don't miss, okay?

[Because there will be Repercussions. Except not, because Noctis can do no wrong in her eyes. Look at all this faith she has to freefall from a tree into his arms.

Anyway, down she comes.
]
finethanks: (☆ yes let's go beyond)

[personal profile] finethanks 2017-05-13 03:31 am (UTC)(link)
[She's so fun... He laughs, again, lifting one of his arms away from the other folded against his chest to gesture freely.]

The mall works perfectly. You already have my number, so contact me whenever you'd like. Will you be avoiding rooftops from now on, by the way?
supersweet: (Or what powers you have)

[personal profile] supersweet 2017-05-13 03:32 am (UTC)(link)
[ This seems a little too complicated for Jon so it takes him a long time to get his words in order. ]

You got to work with superpowers too. You can't just expect them to work if you don't practice. We all have stuff. We still have to work for it.
dothelokimotion: (When they do beautiful things)

[personal profile] dothelokimotion 2017-05-13 03:35 am (UTC)(link)
[ Smoothly. ]

As an heart attack.
dust_of_life: (Confused)

[personal profile] dust_of_life 2017-05-13 03:47 am (UTC)(link)
You're Loki.

Like, the Loki?
carrotkeeper: <user name=ponponpon> (it's like a clown that's a baby)

[personal profile] carrotkeeper 2017-05-13 03:54 am (UTC)(link)
Thanks. You really saved the day.

[Seeing that ladder go back to its rightful place is a relief. Now she doesn't have to learn to parkour to get back down. At his question, she raises the lantern beside her.]

It's the only place left that doesn't have any.

[There are probably other areas, but she saw this first and thought it would be a good idea. Thought, being the keyword here.]
dothelokimotion: (There are no trees in the library)

[personal profile] dothelokimotion 2017-05-13 03:55 am (UTC)(link)
I would say the one and only, save for the fact we exist in alternate realities.

[ And there's another one of him, but Loki isn't going to acknowledge him any time soon. ]
dust_of_life: (Scared)

[personal profile] dust_of_life 2017-05-13 04:01 am (UTC)(link)
[A line forms between her eyes as she contemplates this. There are a lot of things to consider.

She defaults to humor. It gives her time and the mental breathing room. Even if it's wildly immature.]


So...you can turn into a horse?
franciscoramon: (;; i love suffering)

[personal profile] franciscoramon 2017-05-13 04:04 am (UTC)(link)
[ Cisco doesn't see Eddie in the crowd; the only way he can keep himself going is to keep his eyes averted, to focus as little as he can on the people around him, though there are occasional reminders he can't ignore: a quiet cough, some movement in the corner of his vision as someone crosses their legs, the soft sound of someone sipping their drink.

He talks about that first time, with the accelerator. Promising he'd give Ronnie two minutes and then shut the door. His watch going off, and him doing what he'd promised. Ronnie might not really have died that day, but this festival is all about grief, and he'd carried that grief and guilt for a long time, and in silence. ]


And even though- he didn't die that day... the more I think about it these days, the more it seems like it really is my fault. If I hadn't shut that door, Ronnie wouldn't have gotten his powers. And if he hadn't had powers, he wouldn't have died closing the singularity.

[ Cisco pauses, clearing his throat. He is trying, hard, to keep going. To keep the rising tide of grief contained enough that he can finish his story. He doesn't seem to realize how nakedly the sadness shows on his face; how even if no tears are falling from his eyes they are audible in his voice, that the tip of his nose and around his eyes have gone a bit red. Cisco goes on: ]

A bunch of stuff happened and... there was a black hole opening up above the city. It would've killed all of us, and he knew that. Not just me, and my friends, but everybody in the city. Maybe the whole planet, who knows. So he sacrificed himself. Flew right up to it and did what he had to. And- and before he went I couldn't even make myself say goodbye because I just- I knew. I knew he wasn't gonna make it out.

[ Cisco pauses, drinks a little of his drink. There is a kind of catharsis in it - being able to say all this to these people who had never met Ronnie, who won't be expecting excuses about how he knows it was worse for Caitlin than him and he shouldn't complain. Without worrying about secrecy or anyone else's feelings. Just... the truth. ]

I don't even remember what my last words to him were. Maybe it was... maybe at his wedding? He'd just gotten married. Like... just that morning. I think I might've said congratulations. Pretty ironic last thing to say to someone, if you ask me.

[ He looks up, finally, to see if there are any bitter smiles in the audience to match his own. Which, of course, is when he recognizes Eddie, and he falls completely silent. ]
burntbridges: To the unknown (Smile ☿ I ain't never)

[personal profile] burntbridges 2017-05-13 04:08 am (UTC)(link)
That gets a little giggle out of her; his sense of humor is a little foreign, but she can't help but find it novel. "Perhaps we can set up some sort of training excersize, for fun. You and Ivar against my risen. If you don't mind fighting the undead - I know some people can be touchy about it."
dothelokimotion: (The concept of transitioning)

[personal profile] dothelokimotion 2017-05-13 04:09 am (UTC)(link)
[ The old question. Loki stifles a grimace. ]

If I was properly motivated.
burntbridges: To the unknown (Glance ☿ How long baby)

[personal profile] burntbridges 2017-05-13 04:10 am (UTC)(link)
[She takes that as the beginning of a story, and settles down properly to listen to him, still smiling warmly.]
dust_of_life: (Surprised)

[personal profile] dust_of_life 2017-05-13 04:12 am (UTC)(link)
[She nods. Once. Twice.]

Cool.

[The next question looming is, of course, "If you're a god, how come you're stuck here like the rest of us?" But she's pretty sure asking that won't go over well.]

Um...so are the others real too? Freya? Baldr? Odin?
burntbridges: To the unknown (Glance ☿ How long baby)

[personal profile] burntbridges 2017-05-13 04:12 am (UTC)(link)
That's hardly specific...

[But she guesses that's what she's going to get out of him. If he's not comfortable with sharing more, that's how it is.]

I suppose you're a bit familiar with being displaced, then. Is it... normal, do you think, to feel more at home here than where you came from?