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

[antietam]

You have a point. [ Lighten up, kids. ] Have you ever heard of the The Greywaren? He's sort of like a superhero.

[supersweet]

[ superheroes are srs business. ]

What does he do?

[antietam]

He can take things out of his dreams. Anything he wants, even people.

That sort of power can make people greedy, but he only uses it to make good, beautiful things. And a lot of dream cows for his farm.

[supersweet]

[ Jon makes an awed sound. ]

Wow. I've never heard of anyone with that power before.

[antietam]

He's pretty special. There have been others, but they were... well, one wanted to destroy the world. The Greywaren had to stop him. [ He considers that. ]

So would that make him a real superhero, then?

[supersweet]

[ Jon considers this before nodding. ]

Yeah. A superhero is choosing to do the right thing with what you've been given.

[antietam]

[ That gives him pause. ] Guess I never thought about it that way. Even if you were never given anything at all?

[supersweet]

But you have been given stuff. It just isn't always superpowers.

[ His father had made that clear. Jon isn't only Superman's son, but Lois Lane's too. And that should always be a badge of honour and pride. ]

[antietam]

[ Adam is quiet for a moment. ] No, not everyone is given something. Some people have to work for everything.

Just like you have to work harder to climb up on trees than someone with powers, but with their entire life.

[supersweet]

[ This seems a little too complicated for Jon so it takes him a long time to get his words in order. ]

You got to work with superpowers too. You can't just expect them to work if you don't practice. We all have stuff. We still have to work for it.

[antietam]

[ He's heard that before in a different context. This kid is probably wiser than him. ]

Yeah, I guess that's true. Everyone has something they have to work through no matter how much they've been given. [ And they have gotten far too serious. Good job Adam. ]

—And sometimes it helps when you work through it with someone else. See? We're practically out of lanterns.

[supersweet]

[ Jon waves at a few people as he hangs the last of them. ]

We did a good job. Thanks for all your help!

[antietam]

I didn't do much, but it was fun. Let me know if you ever want help again, okay? It'll give me something to do.

[supersweet]

Sure.

[ Jon pauses, shuffling before he musters up his nerve. ]

Maybe . . . we could hang out sometime? To do fun stuff like video games?

[antietam]

[ He pauses in surprise before he grins, wider than usual. ]

That'd be awesome. I bet the games here are way different than what I'm used to, so you'll have to go easy on me. At least until I can give you a fair fight.

[supersweet]

[ He admits this sheepishly. ]

They'd probably be different for me too. But we can try it out together.

[antietam]

I'd like that. [ His first friend here is a 10 year old and he's fine with this. ] Just don't get mad when I beat you.

[supersweet]

[ Jon makes a pssh sound. ]

You'd have to beat me first!

[antietam]

Okay, you're on. Loser has to clean up the lanterns after the festival.

[supersweet]

Deal!

[ Jon sticks his hand out so they can shake on it. ]

[antietam]

[ Adam shakes his hand confidently even though he's never owned a video game in his life. ]

See you then.

[supersweet]

[ Jon's grip is a little too firm for his age, but it's easy to miss. ]

Yeah. I'll see you soon.