introductory mingle: MEMORIA

[riverviewmod]

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

Comments

[ikols]

On the inside I'm scotch-tape and feathers.

[ Whatever that means. ]

Are you out alone, Jonathan Kent? No friends or family? That's a mite dangerous. Isn't there a saying you're familiar with about the dangers of strangers?

[ For any kid that is super-strong too, sure. ]

[supersweet]

My case worker's nearby. I've got her on speed dial.

[ His dad was probably around too, but Jon doesn't see the need to mention that. ]

I'm allowed to walk around alone so long as I tell her where I am.

[ikols]

At the age of ... seven? Big man.

[ Feeling mildly better that he isn't responsible for the boy by default of proximity, he starts wandering toward an ice cream stand. Trolling him. ]

[supersweet]

I'm ten!

[ He scowls, following Loki on his footsteps. He has his own money. ]

[ikols]

Whoa, babyface. That's a real weapon! Hey, you like chocolate or strawberry?

[ Jon can pay when he's tall enough to reach over the counter instead of Loki. ]

[supersweet]

It's Jon. And I like strawberry.

[ Jon's a fairly decent size for his age, but even he's not that tall. Still, he strains himself, edging over on his toes. ]

[ikols]

[ Too late, Jon, those cones are paid for! And the money will vanish out of the till only to reappear in Loki's pocket in ten minutes, but whatever. Kid doesn't need to know that. ]

Here you go. [ Two sprinkled ice creams, the pink handed to Jon. Loki bites into his own, fearless of possible brainfreeze. ] Two out of three wasn't bad, these are on me. I could tell you were actually trying.

[supersweet]

[ Jon blinks owlishly, surprised before he takes it politely. ]

. . . Thanks. What language were those words in anyway? I've never heard anything like it.

[ And Jon thought Kryptonian was hard. ]

[ikols]

Asgardian, although a long time ago mortals learned of it and called it Norse.

[ He mimes a horned hat. ]

You've never heard of Vikings?

[supersweet]

[ His brow furrows as Jon goes deep in thought. ]

The guys who lived in the north and liked to drink a lot?

[ikols]

That's them. [ Nodding along as he slows down with his ice cream, eating it off a picky finger. ] I used to be one of their gods, back when people were into that sort of pantheon. Do you know what a pantheon is, Jon?

[supersweet]

[ Jon shakes his head. Mythology and gods has never been his purview and his father never discussed it. "God" had different connotations in the Superman household and they were unpleasant ones. ]

[ikols]

Okay, so you have mortals and gods, yeah? Sometimes you get a whole family of gods and they each personify — er, they each represent a thing, like having one hobby you're really, really good at. For example, if you wanted to be extra strong like a storm or have some literal rain, you'd pray to my big brother Thor for help because he's the God of Thunder, or if you needed to win a fight you'd call on Sif, the Goddess of War, or-rrr if you had an extra-difficult problem you might pray to my dad, the All-Father, because he's good at giving advice. Sometimes.

[ Like, 5% of the time, but when Odin does use his wisdom it's pretty profound. Loki hums. ]

And if you're in trouble, you pray to me.

[supersweet]

Does it work?

[ He looks up guilelessly. ]

Would you really help me?

[ikols]

... I'll tell you something you can hold over my head like we talked about before, because it's a secret. [ Tapping a temple, he raises his brows at Jon and goes on to reveal, ] I can hear people praying so if you're ever in trouble, bend your thoughts toward me. Alright?

I'll help.

[supersweet]

[ Jon almost mentions that his dad could do that. He could hear Jon and Lois from miles away, no matter where they were on Earth. But the promise seals his mouth. Jon didn't have permission to share his secrets and his father . . . his real father would not be pleased.

He bites into his ice-cream moodily. ]

Thanks.

Sorry I can't share mine. I promised.

But . . . I can help too, if you need me.

[ikols]

That's okay, I won't ask. Promises are important!

[ He'll just have to find out another way, that's all. ]

We won't need to fight anything much while we're safely in the Quarantine, at least. You should stay here and keep everyone safe whenever squads head out into the jungle, I'm sure you'd be good at it.

[ Far away from real danger. ]

[supersweet]

[ Jon frowns at that. ]

I'm not gonna run into danger just to prove something. But I'm not weak either.

[ikols]

Sounds heroic of you.

[ Putting it that way with a steady stare just to see what effect it has upon impact. That really was a strong handshake. ]

[supersweet]

[ Jon visibly squirms. ]

Not really. Heroics is about doing stuff, not . . . staying back.

[ikols]

Lots of things could be classified as 'doing stuff'.

[ Needling the point a little, seeing how long Jon's relative cool lasts. First comes the squirming, apparently. ]

[supersweet]

[ Jon's look is flat. ]

Yeah. That's my point. It's all about doing the right thing, not just staying behind and doing nothing.

[ikols]

But most people would stay behind, especially little boys who might only get underfoot.

[supersweet]

[ Now he wavers. ]

I wouldn't. Plus, my dad said I could go with him sometime. He wouldn't say that if he didn't believe me. Even Mr. Rogers said I could!

[ikols]

Mister Steve Rogers? Uh oh ...