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]

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.]

[dothelokimotion]

[ Loki makes a hm sound. ]

Is that so? How convenient.

[dust_of_life]

That's one word for it.

[Another might be "exploitative."

Fatima nibbles absently at her apple, turning to watch the lanterns for a moment or two. When she speaks again, it's with a low urgency.]

I have to get home.

[dothelokimotion]

To do what?

[ Perhaps there is some world-ending catastrophe occurring. Though they happen every year and pass without much incident. The Avengers have created their own problems as well. It gives him quiet joy to know that. ]

[dust_of_life]

There are people depending on me.

[Her people.

She may not be the Wicked Queen, but Fatima is a kind of queen. The last of the Merali girls. Born to the responsibility of fighting Gehenna and keeping the Cainites from fucking up the world for everyone.

There isn't a very good way to say that.]

[dothelokimotion]

Everyone has people depending on them.

[ Except Loki, thank goodness. Who would depend on him? ]

And no doubt, there are plenty in your situation.

[dust_of_life]

Believe me. There's no one else in my situation.

[Okay, maybe it's a little egocentric. But it's also probably true.

With a sigh, she tosses the rest of her apple into the water.]

Ever heard of Thaumaturgy?

[dothelokimotion]

Miracle work. To put it crudely.

[ The definitions easily slide into place. The apple is cool to his touch. ]

[dust_of_life]

That is the literal translation, yeah.

It's the kind of magic that I practice.

[dothelokimotion]

[ Mortal magic. Loki is not well versed in it. Gods have passed on gifts to the mortal plane, certainly. He had, back when he enjoyed mankind for their unending curiosity. ]

How does it work?

[dust_of_life]

It's blood based.

[Not really something she can teach. Not unless he's a dhampir, of course. She already knows he's not Cainite. Thank the fuck.]

[dothelokimotion]

[ How primitive. His expression twists slightly before smoothing it over. The apple remains cool and finally Loki takes a bite. ]

That seems . . . inefficient. And a little unhygienic.

[dust_of_life]

Well, I know that's what I look for in magic. Hygiene.

[She bobs her eyebrows at the apple.]

Satisfied?

[dothelokimotion]

Very.

[ He takes another small bite. ]

Still, blood magic sounds . . . unreliable.

[dust_of_life]

Like any kind of magic, it's as reliable as the user.

[At least, that's what she assumes. Lore on Mages is...scant. And her head can't fully appreciate all of it. Not that she would ever admit that out loud.]

[dothelokimotion]

How does it work?

[ Do you prick your finger and draw circles?? ]

[dust_of_life]

Hard to explain. It's more of a "show, don't tell" kind of thing.

[She shrugs.]

I'll demonstrate, if you promise not to try to shoot me like the hobo.

[dothelokimotion]

I can assure you there will be not shooting involved.

[dust_of_life]

I'll take that.

[Because, of course, Fatima can't resist the chance to show off. No matter how bad her track record with showing off has been today.

It's just written into her blood.

And speaking of blood, she bites down on the inside of her cheek, hard enough to draw blood. It's not hard. She's been doing a lot of spells lately. It's just opening old wounds. The blood pools on her tongue as she considers what she wants to demonstrate. Her abilities are varied, but there's always one guaranteed showstopper in the mix.

She rolls her wrist. And then her hand bursts into flame.]