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

[spellslots]

[This time he accepts it, but he waves a hand over the glass, turning the contents from water to something a hell of a lot stronger (he doesn't use transmutation magic on food anymore, but he's not thinking about Glamorsprings right now), and takes a generous sip.

Then he finally nods.]

It consumes the planes of existence in whatever reality it's in. There's no... there's no way to fight it. This reality, RIverview, it's safe for now but it won't be forever.

[Nowhere is safe.]

[signifies]

Then we'll handle that when it happens.

[ At least they know it's out there.

Clark squeezes Taako's shoulder gently. ]

I'll be there with you.

[spellslots]

This isn't something you can fight, bubbale.

[He pauses, another memory flitting back in, Lup taunting him as his aunt fusses about a skinned knee, and oh he remembers what that word means.

With a shake of his head, Taako refocuses and traces invisible patterns in the air, casting major illusion to make an image appear. There are twelve floating disks, all of varying colours (the same as the circles on the patch he showed Clark), and looming over them, larger than all of them combined, is a dark inky disk, with shots of colour through it.

The largest disk reaches down with long tendrils, pulling the smaller planes into it one by one, until off of them are consumed.

Taako doesn't take his eyes off it, even when there's only the Hunger left, swirling above his hand.]

This is what the Hunger does.

[signifies]

[ Clark watches the image intently. His eyes flash as the Hunger eats. Taako might see a faint glimmer of the red heat vision glow.

Clark's fists are clenched tightly. Losing one world is bad enough. He can't imagine how Taako feels with this thing out there. ]

I see.

[spellslots]

[The disk melts into Taako's hand, dripping over his fingers before he releases the illusion and it disappears. He feels guilty, for the anger he can see radiating from Clark, but he needs him to understand how serious this is.]

If you ever see a light fall from the sky, I need to know. It might be the only way to save this reality.

[He doesn't know if he's capable of breaking apart the light on his own, but he'd try.]

[signifies]

[ Clark clenches his jaw and nods. ]

I will.

[spellslots]

[He feels like he should say more, give some reassurance or explain more of what's happening, what's happened, but it's been less than half an hour and he's exhausted,. His head still hurts, he feels sick, he misses Lup.

Taako finishes off the rest of the water-turned-vodka and runs his thumb over the rim of the glass, quiet for a moment before he speaks.]

I guess I'm kind of alien too, huh? The world we're from isn't home.

[signifies]

[ It's okay. Clark doesn't need an explanation. Taako can talk to him whenever he feels like it.

If he wants some privacy to process it, Clark will gladly leave him be. ]

Yeah. I'm sorry you lost yours, and your family. I hope you get your sister back.

[spellslots]

[He doesn't know what he wants.

He doesn't know if getting Lup back is even possible, if Lucretia did something to the ship it might be too late, if they spent so long in that world that they've lost their chance. There might not be anywhere left to run to.]

Lup was always the optimist. [She had a lot more hope than the rest of them, that they'd be able to find a solution.] She never should've died alone.

[Every cycle, if they died, it was both of them together, because they wouldn't leave the other.]

[signifies]

[ Clark touches Taako's shoulder gently. ]

It wasn't your fault.

[spellslots]

[Taako sighs, setting the glass back down and scrubbing his hands over his face.

This is stupid as hell, but:]

Hey, uh, any chance I could get a hug?

[signifies]

[ Clark raises an eyebrow ("Really?") but hugs him. ]

[spellslots]

Shut up.

[It's mostly just muttered, a little embarrassed, but he sinks into the hug and isn't planning to let go for a while.]

So— [Something in his voice catches, and he's really hoping Clark is nice enough not to call him out on the fact he's maybe crying a little bit.] What's up with you, pumpkin?

[signifies]

I hadn't said anything.

[ He teases gently. Clark only judges as a friend, Taako. ]

You know. Same old. [ He adjusts so Taako can lean comfortably on him. ] I want to light lanterns for my people. I'd be happy to include yours.

[ His grief has been buried for so long. It doesn't feel right to let it keep going without doing something. ]

[spellslots]

["Cuddly" isn't really a descriptor that fits Taako, most of the time, but he's going for the gold right now.]

I thought this whole thing was fucking stupid. [There's no real heat in it, and Clark probably knows him well enough to know it's a defensive sort of thing, his whole personality chafing against the idea of openly expressing grief.] I don't— I'll make one for Lup.

[It needs to be something just for himself, but:] But if you want help, like, making them or letting them off or whatever. I could do that.

[signifies]

[ Clark's okay with him filling the quota of comfort. He deserves it. ]

I'd appreciate that. Thank you.

[spellslots]

Yeah, well...

[He tries to think of something flippant and dismissive but finds that honestly, he doesn't want to.]

You're welcome. And you know, thanks, for coming. And staying.

[He's been sincere for like an entire minute, which Clark might wanna get used to.

Having his memories of Lup back is going to make him a little less of an asshole.]

[signifies]

[ Clark doesn't need him to change who he is. He knows that Taako cares. Besides, Taako has his own battles to fight without worrying about what people want from him or think of him.

Clark didn't want them to share having lost their world and their family. He's selfishly glad that someone gets it.

He also takes advantage of the sincerity. ]

That's what friends are for.

[spellslots]

Ugh.

[He half laughs-half sniffles, using the sleeve of his shirt to wipe at his eyes.]

You're gonna make me cry, asshole.

[This is clearly all Clark's fault.]

[signifies]

You can blow your nose on my sleeve.

[spellslots]

Annnd we're done.

[But he laughs again, which is nice to do, even as he's (very gently) shoving Clark away, like a cat that's suddenly decided it doesn't want to be petted anymore.

His eyes are red, but he casts prestidigitation to clean himself up, because what's the point of magic if not to stop looking gross.]

Can I show you something?

[signifies]

[ Clark nods as he gives Taako his space. ]

Sure.

[spellslots]

[Without a word, Taako drops the alter self spell he'd had cast; it's not a dramatic change, but he looks... different, a little less bright, a little more tired. He goes from pretty to just plain.]

I gave a lot of shit up in Wonderland. I don't even look like Lup anymore.

[They were identical, even though there were small differences, but this is more than that.

Mostly, though, he's tired of hiding it.]

[signifies]

[ Clark doesn't think of it that way. A change of appearance doesn't alter who Taako really is in his heart.

He's sure saying that out loud will get him rebuffed because they've used up their Moment for the time being and it's important to Taako that he looks like his twin sister. ]

Thank you for telling me.

[spellslots]

We used to swap clothes sometimes to fuck with people, especially Barry.

[He huffs out a breath, sniffles again a little, then casts disguise self to go back to looking the way he's supposed to.]

I cannot believe my stupid brother-in-law is a lich, I'm gonna kick his ass when I get home.

[For being so Dramatic(tm), Lup was a terrible influence.]