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

[dust_of_life]

All right.

[She makes note of that.

A slightly smile expression nearly graces Fatima's features, but she keeps it in check. She's playing one of Arty's games. Figures there's a 50-50 chance it works.

Her voice remains calm and dispassionate.]

And what type of magic do you practice?

[dothelokimotion]

[ His lips twitch. ]

Magic is rarely relegated to types. I can manage a few tricks, nothing more.

[dust_of_life]

[Well, it's kinda a win. She got him to admit he has powers. Arty would give her half credit for that.

Fatima looks up, now genuinely curious.]

They must be some tricks, if our caretakers have you doing the research.

[dothelokimotion]

[ He shrugs loosely. ]

Or they simply liked the cut of my jib.

[dust_of_life]

[That sounds somewhat dirty.]

Exactly what part of the body is the "jib?"

[dothelokimotion]

[ He raises an eyebrow. ]

It isn't. It is an old phrase to designate the appreciation for one's manner of speaking.

[dust_of_life]

[Then why didn't he just say it that way?

He has a way of speaking. Reminds her a little of Cainite. But he's not setting off her radar so he's...not.

Fatima frowns, glancing down at her notebook. She closes it on her thumb, letting it fall to her side.]

I might have come on a little strong.

[dothelokimotion]

[ He hums lightly. It was abundantly clear it wasn't mere curiosity that drove her, though it was a factor. But Loki is adept, even if his manner of speaking is archaic. And in Riverview, he'd fit right in. ]

You were looking for answers.

[dust_of_life]

I wish more people were.

[She sighs.]

It's like I'm the only one who wants to get out of this nut house.

[dothelokimotion]

I doubt that.

[ Though he would have thought the Avengers would have done more. Surely they're not keen on remaining here. ]

Though I suspect not many have voiced it.

[dust_of_life]

[She shakes her head slightly.]

A lot of people just seem...okay with it. With being here.

[dothelokimotion]

A lot does not constitute a whole. And I doubt everyone is . . . ah, open to those discussions.

[dust_of_life]

Well, I haven't conducted a poll.

[She slips off her shoes, running one foot along the grass for a moment, before sitting down. With a gesture, she invites him to join her.]

Do you want out, Luka?

[dothelokimotion]

[ He hesitates before taking a seat next to her. ]

I dislike any cage. Even a comfortable one.

[dust_of_life]

You seem pretty well-placed, when it comes to figuring out a way out of here. I mean, magic research? What's to stop you from researching a flashing, neon exit sign?

[Fatima reaches into her bag, taking out two apples. She offers one to him.]

[dothelokimotion]

It is certainly not a position I would rebel against.

[ If they had put him on guard duty, he might set the barracks on fire. ]

Absolutely nothing, it seems. There are no restrictions in place.

[ A well placed pause. ]

Yet.

[dust_of_life]

Yet.

[Now there's an ominous word. Not that she's above testing the limits. That's the only way you find out what they are, in the end.]

[dothelokimotion]

You might as well take advantage of their lax attitude.

[dust_of_life]

I've been outside the fence a few times.

Nothing worth reporting, except a dragon who thought he was a puppy.

[She takes a bite of her apple.]

[dothelokimotion]

[ Loki hasn't taken a bite of his apple yet, turning it over with his fingers. ]

That might change.

[dust_of_life]

[Fatima, being the lady that she is, swallows before speaking.]

Which part of it?

[dothelokimotion]

Any of it. To not expect change is dangerous.

[dust_of_life]

Well. Yeah.

[She nods toward his apple.]

I'm not the Wicked Queen. It's not poisoned.

[dothelokimotion]

I am well aware. My appetite comes and goes.

[ Loki doesn't eat much. He eats sparingly, when he needs to. Months of scraping by have reduced him to bare necessities. And as an Asgardian, he doesn't need as much sustenance as a mortal would. ]

[dust_of_life]

It's from my greenhouse. They dumped me there because of my expertise with plants.

[Ergo, they must have dumped him in research for some kind of expertise.

She gives him a pointed look to that effect.]