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]

Oh hey, you found it!

[ The necklace she wanted, or just the accessory she was looking for. It's probably not as important to distinguish one from the other when this event is meant to entertain people who were brought here against everyone's will, save for that of whichever rift opened at the time across dimensions.

His cheerfulness, chewed in his mouth with some caramel popcorn, slows down when he sees her talking to a duplication of himself (aka, the lesser twin), lids lowered, steps growing lazy. ]

This guy bothering you?

[ Hmmmm? ]

[snarkbark]

[Ben is, quite eagerly, about to suggest something sweet and covered in chocolate. William, though, as always, has impeccable timing when it comes to showing up uninvited. Eyelids lazy, and the smile sliding onto his mouth just as lazy, Ben shoves a hand into his pocket and steps a little forward, in front of Bryn.]

Don't you have anything better to do than follow me around like a lost puppy?

[inlaid]

[What.

What is.

Oh. Oh.

Okay.

It takes Bryn a few seconds to get what's happening. She met Will before. She met his twin and assumed he was Will and...apparently did nothing to correct her when he called her by name.

Unlike most twins she's met, they seem to be a little tense around one another which is why Bryn quietly slips from behind the twin whose name she doesn't know, and around to face them both. The resemblance is, understandably, a little uncanny, especially as their expressions shift in similar ways.]

He's not bothering me, he just helped me win the pendant... [Her eyes narrow a little, but she glances back to the other twin. Then to the one she assumes is who she met earlier...] You're Will and you're...?

[barksnark]

Wannabe Will!

[ There's hidden humor in how the twins bicker with one another - Will is in on the joke as much as Ben is, happy to play along until both Holts give it up and reveal that their competitiveness is all in good nature. ]

Unfortunately, he has no name. Our parents just looked at me and saw perfection, so they were too ashamed of this guy to give him a name. That'd mean he was on the same level as me, you know?

Sometimes I think he's not actually real. Maybe a trick of the light?

[snarkbark]

[Ben's long suffering look to Bryn likely speaks volumes about a hard life that does not, in actuality, exist. Still; it's good for winding people up. ]

You know he actually believes that? Once, he tried to convince our teacher that I was his 3D shadow.

[Eyes rolling; Ben at least has enough sense to look somewhat sheepish at being found out. ] I'm Ben, by the way. Usually people don't believe I have a twin, so I just. Go along with being Will and try to save his sad, sad reputation.

[inlaid]

[Despite being an only child, Bryn's no stranger to sibling antics, and she regards Will's stories about his sibling with the humor they're due. The fact that Ben seems unfazed by his brother's comments and speculation keeps Bryn from feeling any need to interject on his behalf.

Especially since he didn't actually do anything to correct her assumption.]

Mhmm. I'm sure neither of you enjoys pretending to be one another to confuse your friends or get each other into trouble. Not at all.

[barksnark]

Oh, shit. Dude - she's got us figured out. What do we do now?

[ So painfully theatrical, every single detail brimmed with humor. That's just the Holt boys - all play, barely any work. ]

[snarkbark]

Are we so transparent?

[Hand on chest, as though truly wounded -- and then, grinning, he walks to William to swing an arm around his brothers shoulders. ] She deserves a prize, at least. You can pay.

[inlaid]

Mm, I won't say no to another prize if someone else is paying.

[Never let it be said she won't let someone treat her in return. Granted, she was about to buy Ben something to eat but she already did for Will earlier so clearly it's her turn.]

It'll give me a chance to get to know you two as individuals instead of con artists in the making.

[barksnark]

'In the making'. Pfft.

Tell you what - [ he crosses his arms, making no move to shake off Ben's Bro Embrace, ] How about we con somebody into giving us stuff for free.

[snarkbark]

That sounds like a better plan.

[A glance to Bryn, lips pursed. ] We have to keep our con artist rep untainted in this brave new world, you understand.

[inlaid]

[She lifts a brow, smiling despite herself.]

Alright, but it has to be enough that everyone gets something, and the person you con can't be me. I am not your Hard Mode target just because I know better with you two now.

[barksnark]

Damn, what's with all the rules? We need all the artistic liberty we can get.

[ He looks to his brother, frowns in thought. ]

Bet some cash on it?

[snarkbark]

Yeah, your cash.

[A woeful look to Bryn like, sorry for this loser. ] You're safe from our nefarious plots. I promise.

[inlaid]

Don't artists create and perform better when faced with strife and oppression?

[Her grin is for Will, but seeing Ben's look she offers him a wink. Then turns to survey the people around them.]

Who looks like a promising target to you two?

[barksnark]

Uhm, no? We need a calm and nurturing environment to be our better selves.

[ Their lives have already been strife and oppression (and that's from their big sister alone), and look how well they turned out. You could hardly even tell! ]

Who do you think has the most cash to spend?

[snarkbark]

[Riverview's busy social gathering(s) are rife with potential targets. Most of them, though, seem to be newer arrivals, just like the three of them. But some are having better luck at playing the games than others. Ben narrows in on them -- or at least, the ones that he thinks he wouldn't feel too bad ripping off. No kids. No pensioners. And then, his eyes drift beyond their fellow quarantined cohabitants, to the vendors themselves.

One that seems to take particular glee in participants loss catches his eye, and, after a moment of observation, Ben nudges Will with his shoulder and nods in his direction. ]

Him.

/close

[inlaid]

[What follows is, well, enlightening. Entertaining, and all around fascinating for Bryn. So amused and curious about how well the twins work together she can't help but pick out a second target for them later...

If nothing else than to take note of their relative skills and cataloguing it for later. One of her skills as a Council Agent has always been making connections and tapping others for assistance in the field. They may oblige her sometime in the future if nothing else than for a lark.]