riverviewlogs | 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

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I would be worried if you weren't, Taako-kun. [He takes the apology simply, not pushing it any further than that. In fact, he's just got the usual smile on, calm as ever, pulling the lantern a little back to himself to spare his friend that much.]

To be honest, I don't feel like I can properly participate in a festival like this. Should we leave this lantern for someone else?

You know what, I have a better idea.

[Because there's nothing like stupid magic tricks when you're feeling weird and shitty about all the mourning going on.

So Taako reaches out to touch the lantern, casting levitate. It's going to float out of Eichi's arms and up into the air.]

[The lantern floats, and Eichi's grip almost chases it before he realizes that it's Taako's doing. Stepping back a step in his surprise, he watches as it floats with bright eyes.]

Ah, you can make it fly? [He's trying to stay cool, but he's impressed...] Amazing!

What kinda wizard would I be if I couldn't cast a levitate spell?

[Which is it's going to stop at 20 feet up and just hovers there, but it's (literally) out of their hands now, which is what he wanted.]

[It's cool. Magic can earn such mixed opinions from him, but this sort of thing is nice to watch, isn't it? After a moment, he takes out his phone to snap an artsy picture of it.]

Ah, that reminds me, Taako-kun. [Slipping his phone back away, he reaches into his jacket pocket to pull out some neatly packaged fudge bites, tied with a cute little ribbon, and passes them over.]

Rather than focusing on the lanterns and circles of sharing, I prefer this side of the festival.

[As soon as Taako realizes what Eichi is doing, he casts prestidigitation to make the lantern sparkle, just for the sake of the picture.]

I'm with you on that one, this is way better. [He's going to inspect the packet of fudge, grinning.] I'm gonna have to start carrying treats around, huh? I don't have anything for you.

[ :( ]

Haven't you given me plenty already, Taako-kun? Fufu, I don't give gifts simply to receive something in return, so please don't worry about it.

[Just accept the fudge bites.] This is something like a promise to have tea with me again some time, isn't it?

[Oh he's accepting the fudge bites, he'll just feel a little guilty about not being able to immediately reciprocate the gift-giving. But rather than showing that, he grins.]

You're not saying this is a bribe to hang out again, are you? There are rules about that, professional conduct and all that shit.

[Professional what, Taako.]

It is not a "bribe," but something I would be doing regardless. [He still chuckles with all that bribe talk, though, winking.] Though I may consider taking suggestions for what types of tea I should bring next.

You are so over-estimating the shit I know about tea. There's like four types I know and that's it, you're better off just shoving it at me and telling me to drink.

[He has faith, and also special salt to make sure shit isn't poisoned.]

Then I can introduce you to many different flavors myself. Even if you don't recall the names or flavors or types, if there is one new one that you can find and enjoy, I'd be happy knowing that.

Aww, that's real sweet of you, pumpkin.

[Or maybe Eichi is just super into tea, both are possibilities.]

If it helps narrow shit down, I'm pretty into citrus and anything kinda unique.

Fufu, that makes it quite easy. Dried fruits teas are lovely, and I happen to know some rarer ones that I can share with you on occasion. It also gives me reason to look into any possible different teas unique to this place.

[He sounds excited just talking about it, moving to rest one hand on his hip.] Are you sure you're fine here, though, Taako-kun? This festival seems a little inescapable, you know.

They do have some real weird fruits here, I'm sure they make tea out of at least some of it.

[Surely?? Since apparently dried fruit tea is a thing, this is all brand new information.]

And yeah, my man, I'm all good. I got no one to be sad about.

I see. I'm the same, so I only hope it can stay that way.

[He's kind of hoping he'll die before anyone else so he doesn't have to worry about it. A weird way of looking at it that he's just grown used to.]

Even so, all of this open discussion about it around here seems more blunt than I'm used to.

They're open about all sorts of stuff.

[He's kind of just running with that chance to move on from talking about death tbh.]

The first festival I was here for was just, like, all about sex, it was wild.

introductory mingle: MEMORIA

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject