riverviewmod: (Default)
Riverview Moderator ([personal profile] riverviewmod) wrote in [community profile] riverviewlogs2018-10-01 04:51 pm

monthly mingle: FEAST OF THE DYING

who: everyone in Riverview!
what: monthly mingle: feast of the dying + agricultural emergency
when: the month of october
where: anywhere around the city
warnings: please put any necessary warnings in the subject lines

monthly mingle: october

During the month of October, a particular natural phenomenon on the moon weakens the boundaries between the worlds of the living and the dead, allowing for the crossover of those dead into the world of the living, with ghosts from the pasts of both the residents and the Quarantine itself to take corporeal form. This has given rise to an array of celebrations and traditions surrounding the transition from life to death, encouraging residents not to fear death, but to embrace it.

Things aren't all spooky celebrations this month, though. There's also a serious emergency happening in the agricultural district, where a herd of vengeful and intelligent hog-like creatures has decided to mount an attack on the city, with a large measure of success. Between September 20th and September 25th, they rammed the fences near the agriculture district where most of the farms providing livestock and produce for the city are located, succeeding in breaking through the fence on the 25th. Drastic action needs to be taken in order to protect the city's ability to feed itself throughout the upcoming months.

feast of the dying: a celebration of the transition between life and death

In the days leading up to October 1st, residents new and old will notice preparations beginning, a flurry of activity getting the city ready for the upcoming celebration: the Feast of the Dying. There is an old, widely-known, and widely-believed superstition or proverb in Riverview Quarantine: 'The greater your fear of death, the easier it is for death to find you.' This is a cornerstone belief of a lot of the residents of the Quarantine, most of whom have survived intensely difficult and violent pasts on their own worlds and who are still willing and eager to throw themselves into exploring and settling new worlds, starting their lives fresh. To honor this spirit, the Feast of the Dying is a celebration of the transition between life and death, an opportunity to face death both figuratively and literally, and come out on top.

The festivities during this time feature tests of courage in highly haunted places, escape rooms both virtual and physical with varying levels of danger, and the week-long Feast of the Dying itself, between October 1st and 8th this year.


i. feast of the dying traditions


Much like any culture, there are a few traditions and events that happen every year in the Quarantine, to celebrate the Feast of the Dying. In-depth information on these traditions and events can be found on last year's Feast of the Dying post, and include:

Ghosts From the Past: Characters will see ghosts of the deceased in various places around the Quarantine, with some areas, where the boundaries between the living and dead are weakest, being heavily infested with these ghosts, while other areas are nearly ghost-free. These ghosts can be from characters' canons (with limitations - see last year's post for OOC guidelines) or from the Quarantine itself.
Escape Rooms: Horror-themed escape rooms pop up all over the city, augmented with tech or magic to make them seem more menacing. The difficulty levels and scares range from easy to incredibly difficult, and they feature themes from Zombie Attack to Prison to Torture Traps to Mad Science Experiments, and just about anything else you can think of.
Tests of Courage: In various places around the city, there are establishments where the boundaries between the living and dead are so fragile as to be barely there - hospitals that treated the ill during the Pandemic, insane asylums or prisons where inmates were mistreated, homes where terrible murders happened, places exposed to dark magic, and other similar places. During October, these places are shut down except to those who wish to stay the night as a test of courage. Characters who stay the night will encounter hordes of ghosts and experience extremely realistic hallucinations that may result in injury (which is up to player discretion) in the name of proving their courage.
Doom Dates: This year, with the amusement park open for business, there is an event called Doom Date, a spooky themed night at the fair featuring haunted houses, costumed actors, and free rides with the price of admission. More information on this prompt can be found on the September Test Drive Meme.
Feast of the Dying: A week-long masquerade-style party that is open from sundown October 1st until sunrise on October 9th. Sort of like a formal ball inside an incredibly realistic haunted house, the Feast of the Dying is the tradition that the holiday is named after, and features dancing, party events, plenty of food and drink for everyone, and private rooms for resting or engaging in...private activities with close friends.


ii. creepy chaos


This year, there's something a little different going around the Quarantine. The influx of refugees, the Frysh, that recently arrived, have brought a few new spooky traditions with them - while their celebration of horror usually happens in the dead of winter, they've shared the custom for the Feast of the Dying. And what is that custom? Dressing up as monsters, ghosts, demons, and other terrifying creatures! Considering how many other worlds and universes have similar traditions, it's caught on quickly, with costumes incredibly varied in subject matter and level of intricacy, from standard run-of-the-mill costumes pieces purchased from the local costume shop to intricately detailed costumes featuring holographic accents - and, of course, the 'sexy' version of everything. The culmination of the Frysh tradition is the tenth day of the month, where everyone dresses as something or someone scary, and brings treats (handmade or purchased) to give to family, lovers, friends, coworkers, classmates, or anyone else. It fits with the Feast of the Dying theme quite smoothly, reminding residents that joy and togetherness can come even from frightening situations.

All well and good, but someone has other ideas - enter Phineas, a rather notorious mage who's just recently gotten out of a year-long stint in prison. Elderly, a bit of a codger, more than a bit eccentric, and extremely powerful, Phineas has decided to put his own spin on this particular spooky tradition by casting a powerful citywide spell. On October 10, anyone who puts on a costume to participate in this particular celebration will find themselves turning into their costume for the evening. Dressed up as a werewolf? Prepare to howl at the moon! Dressed as a vampire? Be prepared to get a serious taste for blood. The possibilities are endless...

OOC Note: Please remember that Riverview does not allow non-consensual sex, and that game mechanics are not put in place to encourage sexual assault, or to 'trick' characters into having sex that they would not normally have. If your character's costume is the 'sexy' version of anything, feel free to play with aphrodisiac effects or lowered inhibitions, but keep this rule in mind.


emergency in the agricultural district!


iii. hog wild

Residents of the city may or may not remember a particular patch of fertile ground that was scouted over a year ago, and the highly-intelligent and territorial alien hogs that were protecting it because the soil's fertility stems from it being a alien hog graveyard. After that revelation, the city had abandoned the project for the foreseeable future, as digging up an intelligent species' graveyard is more than a little beyond the pale.

That would've been all well and good, had the alien hogs stayed in their territory. However, after being disrupted by two teams over the course of a few months, the hogs (who have an excellent memory for this kind of thing) have started to get a little restless. It's not enough to be left alone - they want revenge. And with the summer winding down into harvest season, they've figured out how to get that revenge. As September winds down and October starts to dawn, the powerful and intimidating hogs have started on stage one of enacting that revenge - they've been making concentrated runs at the fences closest to their territory, hitting it in the same spot over and over again, herd mentality at its strongest, trying to make a dent. And they're succeeding.

The big problem here is that, on the inside of that fence, is the bulk of the Quarantine's agriculture sector. Fields full of livestock and crops that are meant to make up the majority of the winter's food supply are in danger of being wiped out if that fence falls, and if that happens, it's going to be a cold, hungry winter, no matter how many supplies the Capital World manages to send up to the moon.

Since September 20th, residents have been being called into service whenever they were willing to, at first to try to repair the damage to the wall and keep the hogs from bursting through, and after September 25th, to help stem the damage being done by the rampaging hogs. As September ends and October begins, the fight is still underway, and residents haven't managed to do much to stop the creatures encroaching on the agricultural district, so more help is always welcome.

A full write-up of this situation can be found on September's Test Drive Meme.


iv. drift compatible

As October continues on, the situation with the invasion of hogs and all the other creatures that are coming through the massive breach in the outer wall of the Inhabited City is starting to get really dire. As a last-ditch effort, the government is pulling what remains of their fleet of three-story-tall mech suits out of storage. Longer-term residents may remember these mechs from last January, when a herd of behemoth monsters was attacking the city. Since then, the five remaining mechs were taken over by a private tech company, improved upon to some extent, and then sold back to the government, where they were reverse engineered into something new and a little different, and more were manufactured.

As of now, the government is holding on to a fleet of around 40 smaller, more maneuverable mechs that are still quite powerful, but most importantly which still need to be piloted by two people. Considering the emergency the city is facing, the government has released the fleet of mechs to the Perimeter Guard, and is calling for anyone with piloting experience, or even people willing to take a quick course in it, to help man the fleet and head out into the battle, backing up fighters on the ground to try to push back the tide of creatures flooding into the vulnerable and very important agricultural district.

Mechs are piloted by two people working together - while it's not exactly drift compatibility, the two characters need to act together, with one directing where the mech goes and keeping an eye on the terrain, and the other one manning the guns and keeping an eye on the mech's defenses and energy and ammunition levels. This takes a lot of concentration and cooperation, and this day is bound to forge a lot of new friendships....and probably a few mortal enemies. On top of the difficulty of working with someone who may be a total stranger, don't forget this new fleet of mechs are in beta-testing and are only being used as a last resort, which means they have a bad tendency to break down in unexpected ways.

Each mech is fitted with one large canon-style gun that can be semi-automatic or automatic with a limited amount of ammunition, one plasma sword, and a force shield that can take four serious hits before it is depleted. They have a finite amount of energy storage and are able to be in continuous use for 3 hours maximum before shutting down. Out of the fleet of 40 mechs, the mod expects only about 5 to still be functional at the end of the month, so feel free to destroy or seriously damage them in threads.


v. roommates or wildcard

Feel free to use this prompt to meet new roommates, for the purpose of getting to know each other, or hit up the mod-posted prompt to create a Communal Housing floor mingle. Or, if you have an idea for a prompt that isn't in this list, set during the Feast of the Dying, feel free to write it up!



visual inspiration


click on thumbnails for larger view; images may contain disturbing themes



Credit: image i: Logan Preshaw; image ii: Alejandro D'Marco; image iii: Jeff Jumper; image iv: Johannes Mücke; image v: Davey Baker; image vi: David Edwards

navigation
like_quicksilver: (at a task)

Hog wild

[personal profile] like_quicksilver 2018-10-12 03:33 pm (UTC)(link)
[Not on the perimeter guard and having no real knowledge of the large robots, Gyda was in her element when it came to herding animals. Having spent nearly all her life on the farm, and taking care of the animals while her father was here, this comes almost as second nature to her.

She spends the hours herding the animals, running this way and that, using a cane to keep the animals in line. For the animals too stubborn to be led that way, she resorts to shoving and pushing them in the way, going only as hard enough to get them moving.

By the time most of the creatures are safe, she's sweaty and covered in mud herself and looking to get something to eat. Some of the other groups have things like sandwiches and soup for the workers, and she gratefully accepts one of the bacon sandwiches.]


Here. [She handed one out to a girl who clearly needed some food for herself.] You look like you need it.
indigobird: (17)

[personal profile] indigobird 2018-10-12 04:15 pm (UTC)(link)
"But you two actually get along relatively well. He and I can't say the same most of the time." They really do butt heads. Of which Hawke bears some blame, and she'll admit it. But she's not sorry for it, either. "I mean, if you're going to be heretics, you might as well do it right. And by that apparently it means not remotely in style."
analienprince: (t ) look over)

[personal profile] analienprince 2018-10-12 06:17 pm (UTC)(link)
[He reaches out to give Billy's shoulder a light push.] You're terrible.

[Rude, Billy!

Although honestly, Teddy scans around their surroundings, giving a little shiver.]


Is it just me or is it getting chilly in here?
wiccant: (story of my life.)

[personal profile] wiccant 2018-10-12 10:15 pm (UTC)(link)
( that has him shoving right up against teddy, pulling an arm around his shoulders. )

It's the ghost.
yakyuuman: (215 homeruns)

[personal profile] yakyuuman 2018-10-13 12:07 am (UTC)(link)
Thought you would pop your enemies like balloons! And ghosts, uhhh... you could pretend you're about to pop them and they get scared and run?

[ Just throwing very valid and genius ideas out there. ]
11calls: (26)

[personal profile] 11calls 2018-10-13 12:21 am (UTC)(link)
“Yes.” Alex’s answer is a simple one because there’s nothing more to say in response to that statement for a moment. Her voice is just quiet and she lets the silence following the word linger for a moment before she added, “unfortunately as much as we’d like them to be, our ghosts aren’t really viewable to just us. I don’t know if it’s a good thing or a bad one honestly. At least if other people see we know we’re not losing it, I guess.”

That’s how Alex had decided to take it anyway, even if it meant that some of her secrets were exposed. She’d rather that then think she was hallucinating the people whose deaths she felt responsible for.
11calls: (7)

[personal profile] 11calls 2018-10-13 12:22 am (UTC)(link)
There’s a little upward twist of her lips about the daughter comment because Alex’s mother is a force of nature and she gets that. Her mother would probably do the same honestly. But then again, Alex electrocuting her mother was outside of her abilities. Of course if they were she would definitely hear about it. There was no way in hell that she wouldn’t.

Besides if there was anyone who got bad jokes, in times of stress, it was Alex Reagan.

Sitting down, she just nodded at the non-answer answer. If there was one thing that alex was good at it was being open to listening to other people when they needed to decide. Of course there was also no way that she couldn’t answer the question Hawke posed to her. “Yeah,” she admitted softly. “It has crossed my mind.”
citharede: (pic#12394248)

[personal profile] citharede 2018-10-13 04:08 am (UTC)(link)
[ She pats his shoulder consolingly, though it's hard to avoid noticing how tense he is. Concern programming overrides fun programming always. ]

You kinda look like you hate this. [ An expansive gesture at their surroundings. ] Not a fan of the whole horror thing?
analienprince: (t ) end of the party)

[personal profile] analienprince 2018-10-13 07:55 am (UTC)(link)
[He gives Billy a squeeze when he presses up against him.]

Probably... Don't worry, B. I won't let the ghost get you.

[He gives an amused look.]

Do you want to try talking to it or something? Like they do on TV...
wiccant: (everything looks perfect from far away.)

[personal profile] wiccant 2018-10-13 07:58 am (UTC)(link)
( he's not actually scared, he's just. totally playing up the whole ghost hotel thing. it's fun. especially when it earns him getting held onto by teddy like this. )

Heeeyyy mister ghost? Or misses, or whatever pronouns you prefer. ( wow way to make this awkward from the getgo. ) Have you. . been haunting this place long?

( #nailedit. )
bestsir: (this is not good)

[personal profile] bestsir 2018-10-13 01:41 pm (UTC)(link)
"It is difficult to count on secrets remaining secret," he said, but turned to smile at Alex. "I suppose that if anyone must see that, I am glad it was you." It's one thing he wouldn't have to explain.
citharede: (bh178)

[personal profile] citharede 2018-10-13 03:29 pm (UTC)(link)
Nah, dude.

[ IT'S REALLY WEIRD. But she's not going to say as much. These are his parents. His parents, who look happy to see him, who look like they love him. Shame jabs at her, on the heels of jealousy.

His kind, loving parents died when he was six. What's there to be jealous of in that? ]


Um. Hi. [ She gives the ghosts a tentative little wave. ] I'm Athena. Friend of Peter's. I mean, he said my name already so you probably already--anyway, hi.
citharede: (bh23)

[personal profile] citharede 2018-10-13 03:34 pm (UTC)(link)
[ She ducks her head, embarrassed. ]

I mean, I wouldn't go that far. [ Quieter, not quite a mumble: ] Besides, we are too. Lucky. I....

[ DEEP BREATH. She's still not looking up at him. ]

You help make this place feel more like home than. I don't know. Whatever it is.
citharede: (bh14)

[personal profile] citharede 2018-10-13 03:42 pm (UTC)(link)
"Milk can be okay in small doses. Sugar in tea is an abomination unless it's chai." Athena almost abandons her tea-based decisions to say hello to the fox, but she pulls down a jar labeled Russian Earl Grey instead.

Then she abandons her tea-based decisions to crouch near the fox. "Can I say hi? Are they a she or a he?"
nobasisinfact: (11)

[personal profile] nobasisinfact 2018-10-13 04:01 pm (UTC)(link)
"Acknowledging them gives them power over you. Ignoring them removes it." There's a complete confidence in his words that comes from years of doing just that to things. A belief in the truth of the words and an understanding that, while it might be had, it's for the best.

Richard's own ghost looks from Simon's plight to Richard, frowning. There's something in all this that the ghost doesn't seem to like, but if that's true, he's clearly not expressing it.
nobasisinfact: (3)

[personal profile] nobasisinfact 2018-10-13 04:59 pm (UTC)(link)
"They're not real." Richard's voice was confident. Alex had done the right thing. She had let logic guide her to the fact of both. There was no mythical, magical music that killed you or opened some hole in reality or door to the apocalypse. There was just music.

"It's just a sound and a piece of music with nefarious myths surrounding them. It's no different from the myths that surround 'Bloody Mary' or the Ouji board. It's your own actions that cause the so-called curse to fulfill itself. The belief that turning to a cult that believes in a demon apocalypse will save you when you don't need saving at all. Blaming others doesn't change that fact. Alex has nothing to feel responsible or guilty for."
analienprince: (t ) what and give you another reason...)

[personal profile] analienprince 2018-10-13 08:40 pm (UTC)(link)
Billy...

[Billy. Why. He shakes his head, giving him a nudge.]

No offense, because you are genuinely amazing at a lot of thing, but... Ghost hunting wouldn't be a good second job for you, B.
analienprince: (h ) head tilt)

[personal profile] analienprince 2018-10-13 08:40 pm (UTC)(link)
I guess it's worth a shot if we see any, right?

[He lets out a laugh.]

Usually I punch my enemies though... popping them like balloons would be kinda gross.
interconnectedness: (Default)

[personal profile] interconnectedness 2018-10-13 09:24 pm (UTC)(link)
Simon is quiet even with the explanation it doesn’t calm what’s raging inside of him. Emotions that had been long tempered with drugs for years, things he’d never dealt with and reasoned away by the explanation of the means justify the ends.

“You never know what you do not know, Alex.”

It’s defensive, a misdirect from any divulgence of how he really is feeling or what he’s really thinking.
tevinteraltus: {<user name="anabiotic">} (042)

[personal profile] tevinteraltus 2018-10-13 09:29 pm (UTC)(link)
Dorian. [He inclines his head and takes her hand.] Charmed, I'm sure.
wiccant: (these goosebumps start to raise.)

[personal profile] wiccant 2018-10-13 10:56 pm (UTC)(link)
Wow.

( with a step forward and out of teddy's arms, actually. how dare. )

I could totally hunt ghosts if I felt like it.
tevinteraltus: {<user name="curled">} (021)

[personal profile] tevinteraltus 2018-10-13 10:57 pm (UTC)(link)
"Yes, well, he is no longer a Templar, and I refuse to be cowed like the southern mages. Cullen and I tend to keep our topics away from such things regardless."

He laughs. "Maker, yes. Have you seen the southern Chantry? They wouldn't know what to do with a well-dressed and intimidating stabilizing force."
wit_and_sword: (laughing with Jane)

Re: Feast of the dying

[personal profile] wit_and_sword 2018-10-13 11:24 pm (UTC)(link)
"Less stigma and more reservation," She admitted. "But I have been here long enough that people will usually mind their own business in that regard."

She could speak with as many men as she'd like, and no one would wonder about her or his intentions. "As does yours," She eyed the mask in his hand, while her own reached to slide hers up on her forehead. "Though, something tells me you are only here because Alex asked you. This does not seem like an event you would attend on your own."

Either because he wasn't all that social or due to the 'theme' of the party, either way, she didn't see this as something he would go just of his own volition.
onlyeverdoubted: (you are all unreasonable)

[personal profile] onlyeverdoubted 2018-10-14 12:48 am (UTC)(link)
Bodhi just blinks at her for a long moment. He still can't quite get the smell of burning beach debris out of his nose. If he'd had a little longer he might have noticed the changes in Jyn, but he knew her so briefly, and being observant about other people isn't a strength of his. "For a--Oh." Yes, people mentioned that reality didn't quite flow smoothly here, but the idea is much less striking than the reality. "I don't... Oh." Still not quite processing yet.
redpumps: (Default)

[personal profile] redpumps 2018-10-14 02:30 am (UTC)(link)
[ Angel looks briefly amused at the response but she pulls him to the area of the floor where others are dancing. ]

You're sure I'm charmed or I should be sure you're charmed?

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