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

navigation

Comments

[barksnark]

What's the old fashioned way, for reference? Keeping track of timelines is kinda tricky for me. Or has dyeing your hair always been done the same way since forever?

[ That's the problem with having traveled back and forth in time and universes since you've been a child. WHAT IS OLD FASHIONED. What is avant-garde! Is this the real life? etc ]

[inlaid]

[It's a good question, and Bryn grins.]

The old-fashioned way back home is using actual chemical hair dyes. And the old-old-fashioned way is probably using roots and berries and all natural dyes or something I don't know. I've only ever used charms and once one of the dyes-in-a-box when I was a kid.

[If you ever want a good laugh, you tell your mercenary father that he needs to dye your hair blue for your part in a school play. Because you're supposed to be a mermaid. Somewhere, her mother has a picture of him looking faintly alarmed with blue dye up to his elbows while standing behind a nine-year-old Bryn grinning from ear to ear with her hair in a blue, goopy mess atop her head. Her other father had laughed himself silly for an hour at least.]

Naturally, it was the first and last time after the mess was cleaned up.

[barksnark]

I have the feeling this is the place where all dreams come true, [ except going home or whatever ] So you can probably grab a bunch of magical berries to return your hair to optimal colorfulness.

[ See what a good friend he is? Hell, he might even ask to trade with her. It'd be cool to have pink hair, totally.

This is a guy who cares about his appearance about as much as a pigeon does. You're lucky you've got handsome genes, Will. ]

[inlaid]

[Bryn laughs, shrugs.]

Maybe I can. I'll look around town and beyond the fence when I'm out there next. See what I can find. If nothing else I'd be happy to help you dye your hair whatever color you like.

[Or at least she'll let him sit around and laugh as she dyes her hair some color at some point. They have hair stylists and salons around there somewhere, right? At some point she'll take the time to get things tamed again.]

Out of curiosity, have you seen any interesting magical whosits and whatsits around here? Cool trinkets or functional things?

[barksnark]

Y... eah? Probably? I'm mostly focusing on all the food, not gonna lie.

[ And... again. What's considered magical in one place isn't the same in another. How does he deal with these things! Conversations are hard. ]

Anything you're looking for in particular?

[inlaid]

[She shakes her head at once, giving a little shrug.]

Nope, nothing in particular. Just have one pair of eyes and I can't look at everything as quickly as I'd like. Curious about the sorts of things they have here with regards to technology and magic. Food is just as important though.

[barksnark]

You're right. One pair of eyes can't possibly enough. I humbly offer you my own.

[ The only joke here is that Will can't be humble to save his life, as well meaning as he may be. ]

I'll admit that tech isn't something I really care about, but, uh - I guess I can keep an eye out in case I bump into something I recognize? Magic is the opposite of my forte, though. I prefer to leave that to the Gandalfs of this world and the next.

[inlaid]

[Tech doesn't interest him, and magic isn't his forte, which raises the question:]

Well, what would you say your forte is? Or your interest, at least?

[She'll appreciate the information all the same if he happens upon something particularly interesting, but it's just as important to Bryn to learn about the other people here as it is to learn about this other world she's been thrust into.]

[barksnark]

People? And animals! Definitely animals. More than people, actually.

[ He says it like it's supposed to be an obvious answer; it's obvious to the Holts and Co., at least. ]

They're gonna give me a job at the shelter I think.

[inlaid]

[Animals don't matter to Bryn nearly as much as other things, but it's okay. She's long since learned that it's good to have contacts whose interests and expertise has expanded into areas that her own doesn't cover. If something happens around here that involves animals or other creatures, she can always check in with Will and see what he knows.

He's young but he looks to be an adult by Askoupuran standards, which is to say older than sixteen, and she's never underestimated a person based on their age.]

Sounds like a good fit for you. Have you checked it out yet? Seen what kinds of animals they have there?

[barksnark]

Nope, but I've heard about the things they keep out of the quarantine and all. I kinda wanna check them out and see if they're as tough as everyone's making them out to be, you know? Maybe they're fluffy and just need a little love.

[inlaid]

I get the feeling that's your approach to anything whether or not it's actually fluffy and in need of a little love.

[She grins a little.]

Though if you do manage to tame something ferocious you'll have to show me.

[barksnark]

I'm starting to think we're meant to be, you already know me so well!

But yeah - totally. Absolutely. I'll even let you name it.

[inlaid]

You're a little young for me, my friend. [The grin widens.] But no take backsies? I get to name whatever you manage to tame?

[barksnark]

Wow, I can't believe I'm being discriminated like this. Brutal.

[ Ah, well. ]

You sure do! I'm a man of my word.

[inlaid]

Well that's certainly good to know. [And now because the age thing has come up she does have to ask...] Just how old are you anyway?

[Maybe he looks young for his age like she does?]

[barksnark]

[ There won't be much of a surprise here - his family does not know what it's like to age past the age of being an adult but still extremely pretty tho(c), but the boys are still within the right physical-chronological age ratio. ]

Uh. How old do you think I am?

[inlaid]

[Hmm. Bryn's fairly decent at this, at least back home. Here, she can't entirely trust her own perception but--]

I'd say eighteen, give or take a year at most. Which at best puts you seven years younger at me, and at worst widens the gap to nearly a decade.

[barksnark]

[ -- damn. She's right. ]

Wow. You can't judge love like that. It's such a depressing perspective on life.

[inlaid]

Oh? And I suppose you'd generously offer to help me see the light and teach me how to simply love and let love?

[Grinning she reaches out, poking his side teasingly.]

[barksnark]

If that includes me, then yeah, sure.

[ He twitches somewhat, but it is a huge victory! ]

[inlaid]

[He's adorable, and privately she thinks it's a shame that he's so much younger than her. Even if he is legal by her country's laws.]

Why don't you teach by example and we find you someone closer to your own age?

[barksnark]

'We'?

[ He narrows his eyes, hums in thought. ]

What, are you offering to be my wingwoman?

[inlaid]

[She lifts her shoulders in a little shrug, but there is definitely a gleam in her eyes.]

Sure, why not? You're cute enough it's not like it'd be much of a challenge for me.

[barksnark]

If you're going to put it like that, [ Accompanied by a tilt of his head, ] Then why would I need a wingwoman at all?

Which doesn't mean I'm not cute, mind.