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

[burntbridges]

[She opens her mouth to speak, but his sudden motion startles her a bit. She glances back at the game in time to see the target blocks fall over, and the stuffed creature is presented for her to take.]

We met during the storm... your name is Steve Rogers, is it not? I saved you from that man trying to force your attendance at the - what was it - the speed dating arrangement.

[She's a little hurt that he doesn't remember her, but... she hasn't caught on that she's made a mistake.]

[starspangled]

[steve's just as confused, because it's not like him to forget a face, much less the event that she describes. he's pretty sure he'd remember both in this case.

and then it dawns on him. steve exhales. maybe he should start getting used to this.]

It is. I am Steve Rogers, I'm just not the only one. Another one from an alternate dimension was brought here too. [it's not his fault, but there's still something apologetic in steve's smile.] I'm sorry for the mix-up. [a pause.] But I'd love to hear about that.

[burntbridges]

Oh. I didn't realize, I'm sorry. [She turns a bit pink.] Well, thank you for the plush all the same. And... I suppose I should find some way to tell you apart from the one I met before.

[She hesitates before offering him an awkward curtsy.] I should introduce myself. My name is Letha Regis.

[starspangled]

No need to apologize. [steve shakes his head.] You couldn't have known. To be honest, I'm still getting used to the idea myself.

[his smile warms, not wanting her to feel awkward about it. if it's any consolation, steve looks a little bit that way when she curtsies. should he bow? in the end he just sort of stands there, looking unsure.]

It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Regis.

[burntbridges]

[Just as awkward as the other Steve, it seems. That makes her relax a bit, there's something nice about having a stoic man to bother.]

The pleasure's all mine... despite the odd circumstances. The other Mr. Rogers I met is someone I consider a friend of sorts, so I hope we can be as well. And I'll be just as happy to save you from vendors as I am for him.

[starspangled]

I'd like that too.

[he and the other steve aren't exactly alike, but if he's friends with the lady beside him, steve thinks that's a pretty good sign that they can be friends as well.]

Ah, my hero. [he laughs.] Maybe you can help me liberate one of those drinks from a few stalls down.

[burntbridges]

[She gains a smile on her face when she laughs, falling back into her stride of sass.]

If a drink needs liberating I'm not one to turn down their plea. Lead the way, Mr. Rogers.