introductory mingle: SAMPREMI

[riverviewmod]

who: everyone in Riverview!
what: Introductory Log and Sampremi Celebration
when: March 8th - March 15th
where: In several different locations in the downtown area of the Inhabited City.
warnings: please put any necessary warnings in the subject lines

sampremi celebration

In the days leading up to March 8th, new residents may notice advertising around the city, everywhere from digital screens to paper flyers pasted on blank walls, featuring the name of the spring holiday in celebration of new beginnings, new love, and lust: Sampremi. The advertising mentions that there will be street festivals set up at various locations throughout the week and lists where the market will be set up on each day.

street market

The main draw of the holiday is a roaming street market that features special treats and street food that can only be found during Sampremi, a bustling bargain market with any kind of goods you can think of, and fair games that allow a person to win a prize for that special someone.

i. street food

One of the major draws of the festival is the special street food that can only be obtained this time of year. Almost everything you can buy at the Sampremi Festival is meant to be shared - whether it's one piece of meat on two sticks or desserts baked with a narrow part in the middle for convenient tearing, everything is built in twos. The stalls sell everything from cups of soup, sandwiches, roasted or fried meat, deep-fried vegetables and cakes, dumplings, donuts, bagels, turnovers, and anything else you can think of.

Many of the savory dishes are based on the meat of a particular fowl native to the moon Riverview is situated on that has a taste and texture halfway between chicken and duck, cooked to be spicy (ranging from very mild to throat-burning). Many of the desserts are based around a fruit native to the moon that is spherical, red-orange, and has a light sweet taste that is similar to a combination of mango, pineapple, and strawberry. Both ingredients are considered to be aphrodisiacs. Of course, the foods aren't actually aphrodisiacs and any effect is purely placebo.

ii. fair games

The festival features an entire row of fair games ranging from very high-tech games featuring virtual reality and neon holograms to extremely old-fashioned games with darts and balloons or balls and glasses. The games all have prizes in various shapes and sizes, with the standard stuffed animals, but also with goods and special items donated by any business in the city; ranging from tiny prizes to huge and expensive ones.

Due to the nature of the holiday, many of the stalls are set up to cater to winning a prize for your partner, and due to the nature of the Quarantine, a lot of them involve aiming or other aspects of pretending to fight.

iii. shopping

Originally, the part of the street festival that involved an actual market, with stalls and booths set up with goods, was aimed primarily at romantic trinkets like flowers or jewelry, gifts intended to be purchased for a loved one. As time has gone by, however, this aspect of the market has increased, with many businesses participating, though the emphasis is still on small businesses and anything relating to local culture rather than booths for any of the larger more corporate businesses.

There is still plenty of jewelry to be found, for sure, mostly handmade and artisan, but the scope of the Market has widened immeasurably. The Sampremi Market is an excellent place to find specialty foods, clothing, jewelry, art, or other goods that were originally native to cultures on other planets in this reality, or other realities altogether. Many residents in the city use the market to share their unique cultural goods and traditional dress with others.

iv. adult

In a side alley of the Sampremi Market on any day, one can find an area roped off with a red silken cord, attended by members of the Perimeter Guard in casual dress who will ID anyone entering to make sure they are 18+. Once characters are permitted entry, they will find all of the adult offerings that the market has to offer.

Since Sampremi is, historically, a celebration of lust and physical love, the adult offerings are all set up to cater to two or more people of any sex or gender configuration. One can find an adult or sexualized version of almost anything that's featured in the main market, from fair games to adult goods to street food laced with actual aphrodisiacs (there are always warnings for food spiked in this way to avoid accidental consumption).

v. 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 at the Sampremi Festival, feel free to write it up!

visual inspiration

click on thumbnails for larger view

Credit (left to right): Theo Prins, andreasrocha @ tumblr, hrormir @ deviantart, nkabuto @ deviantart

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Comments

feast!

[starspangled]

Did someone say something about a feast?

[despite his words, it's not the food that steve's here for, it's wanda. he also has a bouquet of flowers in one hand and what looks to be a bottle of wine in the other. oh and steve has one other thing - a smile for her when she turns around.]

I think what you're doing here is great.

[divulsion]

[The flowers that Steve carry are beautiful, and the bottle of wine he's also brought is more than welcome, but what makes Wanda happiest about his arrival is how relaxed he seems to look. Compared to everything they were dealing with back home, it's soothing in its own way to see him at ease. Even with just a brief foray into his head over a year ago, she knows well enough how much the man could use a break, even one unasked for. The recent events back home had only confirmed that fact for her.

Face lighting up in greeting, reaches forward to take the flowers or wine, whatever he'll hand off to her.]

Steve, thank you. It's been a while since I celebrated but the timing seemed right. [She looks to the flowers and wine.] These are for the table?

[starspangled]

[things are stressful here in their own way. there's another him, and another tony, and another bucky not counting the one that's always running away from him. but he also has her and sam, the support of good friends, ones that he knows he can trust. that's worth celebrating all by itself.]

The flowers are for you, but you can do whatever you want with them. [steve smiles and hands those over first as he looks around.] Looks like a lot of people took you up on your offer.

[divulsion]

Then they're mine and I'm keeping them.

[Wanda takes the flowers without hesitation, giving no indication that she'll put the flowers on the table. She's brought tons everyone else to enjoy, she's hanging onto these. Smiling, she buries her nose in the bouquet to enjoy the sweet scent.]

And yes, there are more here than I had anticipated. I had planned for about as many people, but expected fewer. It isn't as if they know me, or have reason to care about a small celebration from a country they've never heard of before. [And perhaps some of them are just there for free food and drinks but most seem genuinely pleased by the event.] Should we get you some flowers of your own or would you like something to eat?

[starspangled]

I bet they want to get to know you.

[and her country too, of course. steve takes a breath to respond, then holds it as he takes a quick look at the tables.]

You sure you made enough?

[one corner of his mouth quirks up. he can eat a lot.]

[divulsion]

[Wanda isn't entirely sure if people really want to get to know her. She can count the meaningful conversations she's had with others here on one hand, and one of those conversations had been with a teammate which she doesn't think counts quite the same as new acquaintances. Still, she doesn't argue with him.

Instead she lifts a brow at Steve, a smile tugging at her lips.]

I made enough for a small army of supersoldiers. You won't find it easy to make a dent.

[Heading over toward the food, she holds out a plate with an expression that clearly challenges him to do his best.]

Be sure to try the macaroni and cheese and pecan pie. Sam brought those, his mother's recipes, he said.