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

[hellshot]

Don't thank me for something like that. I wasn't trying to do you any favours. [Because that's how you say 'you're welcome' in Reaper's terribly mean language or something like that. A hiss of smoke escapes out from under his mask, and pointed, clawed fingers of his gloves press against the shell of it as he tries to figure out Dodger's fucking weird train of thought.]

So you were trying to force yourself on him, in a place like this, because you're bored.

You do realise how shitty you sound right now.

It's not 'embarrassing and personal', it's downright disgusting. You want to shag someone? Try being indoors, for starters. Not somewhere anyone can pass by and witness your perversions.

[pointing a clawed finger at him now, still standing between the pair. He really does feel like socking dodger in the jaw right now.]

Second of all, if your aim really is to seduce someone, try doing it by not scaring the hell out of them in a way that can end with you getting killed.

[smokedout]

You're really gonna try and police how I sleep around? Are you fucking serious?

[He's all but ignoring Shigeru at this point, and definitely not reading his messages. His focus has shifted entirely to fighting his case, with the added bonus of seeing how long he can keep it up before Reaper gets physical with him.]

Look, yeah, I was bored and wanted to see how far I could get with him before he shoved me off. I was gonna stop there, he's too useful to fuck up permanently. And exposure's good for him, isn't it?

[Somewhere in there Dodger realizes how shitty he is, but... his old boss had let impulses like this run wild, and he's used to doing what he pleases and facing the consequences later.]

[mysophobic]

[ Well everything Reaper says does sink in and yeah it wasn't very nice now that he's finally calm enough to rationally think again. The flustered look is slowly replaced by something more angry and stern. Shigeru is a very protective individual, especially when it comes to his powers. But he's also getting angry because he's being ignored. Do not ignore him Dodger. If there's one thing about being mute that he doesn't like it's being ignored because his voice can't be heard. And being ignored when the matters discussed concern him is even more annoying. He'll give them both this look but Dodger in particular before he basically mimics Reaper in grabbing at the other, but he goes for Dodger's sleeve. It's only a brief tug but it's mostly to get his attention as he shows Dodger the typed message. ]

To add to what Reaper has said, my powers are very dangerous and stress is what causes them to go haywire. I wanted you to help me, but not so suddenly like that! Someone could have gotten extremely hurt.

[ That someone being Dodger mostly. He'll take a second to type out another message, still giving Dodger a stern and slightly angered look. ]

So please don't do that again! Touching and trying to touch my things isn't fine unless I say so.

[ Please acknowledge his boundaries Dodger. ]

[hellshot]

Honestly? I couldn't give less of a damn on the subject of who you're fucking and not.

I don't care. I'm too old and too tired for that kind of childish drama.

[Because it's A: Not any of his business, B: He didn't care about either of them enough to go chasing off possible 'suitors' like he did with Sombra, and C: He's too goddamn tired.]

What I'm policing is your goddamn conduct and the fact that you're out in the open. Have some goddamn decency for yourself, and those who might fucking stumble upon you. Because while I might just walk up to you and tell you you're being a stupid fucking shithead, someone else might see reason to defend this one with more force than you're ready for.

[He's not a Hero, but he knows a hero or two who might take a shot at Dodger for this kind of conduct. Some of which who are here.]

Use the head on your shoulders. Not the one between your legs.

[smokedout]

[This gets an eye-roll out of him; anyone who might claim Dodger has grown up at all since he was 16 is innately wrong, and everything about him right now is showcasing that.]

Good to know, dad.

[He teleports backwards, and sparks of flame move across his arms purely to show off his capabilities.]

I can keep myself out of trouble just fine - and it's my right to do anything I want as long as I can face the consequences. I can handle the hero types around here, so I can fuck around in public with someone I find interesting. Which is none of your fucking business, by the way. [His eyes narrow, with a clear challenge in his expression.] So are you gonna do something about it, or just call me a dumbass and move on?

[And... he's all but forgotten Shigeru is actually there. Shigeru might need to get his attention if he wants to be listened to.]