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

[nikolaievich]

[Illya shakes his head.] That's fine. It is not supposed to be reciprocal, I don't think. But I just wanted you to know I appreciate how helpful you have been.

[He pauses for a second, hesitating. Finally:] Are you leaving?

[signifies]

[ Clark looks around him and nods. ]

I'm going to stay with my family. You're welcome to come by anytime.

[ Three people with super-hearing will be given plenty of warning Illya is coming. ]

[nikolaievich]

I will keep that in mind.

[Usually he wouldn't even bother, but he actually likes Clark. He'll miss him as a roommate.]

But it's a good thing your family is here and that you get to see them. They won't mind if I visit?

[signifies]

[ Clark shakes his head. ]

Call ahead and let us know. I can try to cook Russian food for you, although I can't guarantee it'll taste the same.

[nikolaievich]

[Illya smiles, just the slightest twitch of his lips because that definitely sounds like something Clark would offer to do. He’s been nothing but supportive and curious about Illya’s culture since they became roommates. Whoever ends up taking his place will have a tough act to follow.]

I could cook my food for you and your family. I’m not a chef but I’m sure I can manage. And I would like to get to know your family.

[signifies]

I'm sure they'd love to get to know you.

Are you a hug person?

[ Illya will get a friendly one-armed hug and a pat on the shoulder if he says yes. Although he doesn't extend it often, Clark is a very affectionate person. ]

[nikolaievich]

[Clark hesitates because- uh, no. He definitely isn't. But he doesn't want to be rude.]

... Sorry. [He offers as an answer. But he does offer his hand for Clark to shake.]

[signifies]

It's not a problem.

[ He shakes Illya's hand warmly. ]

[nikolaievich]

[Illya gives him a firm handshake. He may not be big on physical contact, but he does like Clark and will make sure to visit him in the future.]

I feel like I should have given you something more than the chocolate, now.

[signifies]

You said you'd cook for me. That's more than enough.

[ He has a feeling it's more than what Illya would offer normally. Clark doesn't see Illya go out much except for work and he hasn't invited anyone over to their floor. ]

[nikolaievich]

[Illya shrugs a shoulder. He was about to say ‘It’s the least I could do’, but he can already tell they may get stuck in a politeness buckle. The most amazing thing about this is that he can tell Clark is being genuine about it, not just out of politeness. Probably one of the reasons he actually offers- it feels like Clark deserves it.]

Is... Jon moving in with you?

[signifies]

Yes... you've met Jon?

[ His favorite future-son. ]

[nikolaievich]

[Illya nods.] He approached me once, we had a talk. He mentioned his father.

[A bit of a shrug.] I still don't quite understand alternate universes like yours, but I do understand it must be hard for him, if no one remembers him.

[signifies]

[ Clark nods. ]

To be honest with you, I'm not sure I understand either. [ He won't reject Jon because of it. Jon is his son in his heart. ] This place can be very strange sometimes.

[ This comment will come back to haunt him when he meets Max. ]

[nikolaievich]

It can be. [He nods. It’s weird for him, and he doesn’t have to deal with a son that he may or may not have in the future because he’s from an alternate universe. He has so many questions- does he know about Jon’s mother? Does he want to know? What about the rest of his future, has he asked or will he want to keep the surprise? But he knows better than to bombard Clark with those.]

But I wouldn’t mind lending you an ear if you ever need to talk about how weird it has gotten.

[signifies]

I might take you up on that.

[ As much as Clark has appreciated openly being Kal, he likes feeling like a normal human being around Illya. They don't have to talk about alien invasions, superhuman abilities, or capes. Clark doesn't know how much normalcy is waiting for him once he goes back and becomes Superman again.

He knows he'd miss being able to sit down and play chess or practice Russian with Illya. ]

I'll send you my address once I finalise the paperwork.

[nikolaievich]

I'd... really appreciate that.

[Which the closest Illya is going to get to saying ‘yes, please’. He doesn’t open up easily, and there’s definitely quite a lot that he hasn’t told Clark about himself. But there’s also some things he has shared- about who he really is, about his preferences and the story behind who he is. In some ways Clark has gotten to know the Illya he would have been if he hadn’t been a Kuryakin.

Clark isn’t the only one who would miss the chess match and the Russian practices. ]

And good luck. Is a good thing, what you’re doing. You deserve to be with family.

[signifies]

[ He smiles warmly as he understands what Illya is really saying. ]

Don't be a stranger, okay?