introductory mingle: FEAST OF THE DYING

[riverviewmod]

who: everyone in Riverview!
what: Introductory Log and Feast of the Dying
when: Feast of the Dying from October 1st-8th; various other prompts over the whole month of October.
where: Anywhere around the city.
warnings: please put any necessary warnings in the subject lines

feast of the dying

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.

celebrating the transition from life to death

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. 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. ghosts from the past

During the 10th month of every year on the moon, due to a complex series of chemical, electromagnetic, and magical forces that no one has ever exactly distinguished or completely understands, the boundaries between the worlds of the living and the dead are weakened almost to the point of nonexistence. During this time, residents of the moon are able to see and interact with the dead - ghosts, manifesting in ways that run the gamut from being a strange sense of being watched or being visible or audible all the way to more corporeal spirits that can affect the world around them. The barriers are weaker in some parts of the city than they are in others, with some areas experiencing little to no ghost activity, while others are so populated with these ghosts that residents can barely go a few feet without running into one. The ghosts are generally the unsettled dead, people who died violently, or who were lost, seeking a place to call home, and their behavior is as varied as it was while they were alive. Some ghosts are angry and vengeful, some are simply lonely and lost.

While some people tend to interact with the ghosts only a little and as necessary, others avoid them as completely as possible, and yet others actively seek out souls who are suffering and try to ease that so they can stop coming back year after year. There are other people who have found that ghosts from their home worlds have come through with them, following them through the portal when they arrived, even if they did not die on the moon...

Whether facing death or making peace with those who have died, this is a time to reflect.

A Few OOC Guidelines:
● Characters may see or interact with ghosts from the Quarantine's past. These people will be as varied as the NPCs, from a multitude of different worlds, and characters are welcome to either engage or avoid, as players wish.
● Most Quarantine-based ghosts will have died in either the Great War with the neighboring reality or in the Pandemic that wiped out the population of the Abandoned City years ago.
● Characters may also see or interact with ghosts from their own or other characters' canons, providing the character in question is dead in canon and is not currently being played in the game.
● Canon-based ghosts should not be simply transplanted into the game as they were in canon - they are ghosts, and therefore 'not quite right,' and should not be used as an excuse to NPC a canonmate for a month. These ghosts are there to be used as plot devices to open up new avenues of CR, to create angst, to help a character make peace with their past, or other similar reasons.
● Ghosts should not be complete corporeal physical presences indistinguishable from living people, but barring this, how strongly the ghosts manifest and how much they can interact with the world around them is up to player discretion. Ghosts shouldn't be present the whole month straight, but can disappear and reappear at random times.

● Mod questions and plotting regarding this prompt can be found here.

ii. the feast of the dying

The month's holiday is named after a long-standing tradition in the Quarantine - the Feast of the Dying - that starts at sundown on the first day of the month and continues until sunrise on the ninth day. The Feast of the Dying is a costumed masquerade-style party that is continuously available for the entire week. Set up by volunteers specializing in both magic and science, the Feast of the Dying is hosted in a large conference center that has been decorated and magically altered to provide a very formal, intensely creepy atmosphere. The decor can run the gamut from fancy and classy decorations featuring iconic skeletons or ghosts to incredibly realistic catacombs or any other frightening settings that you can think of. Rooms often become more and more foggy the more people enter them to mingle, and in many rooms the air pressure will be slightly played with to make the atmosphere seem more oppressive and spooky. Costumes and masks are required, and anything from a Halloween-style costume to a formal outfit with mask is acceptable.

Players can feel free to go wild with ideas for decor at the Feast, including linking to inspiration images in their posts - it is, essentially, like having a Masquerade ball inside a disturbingly realistic haunted house.

The venue the Feast is held in includes several large rooms intended for dancing with different themes and decorations that can change off and on throughout the week, two large dining rooms where feasts will be held at mealtimes and snacks or drinks (alcoholic or non-alcoholic) will be promptly served to anyone who sits at one of the tables, and a plethora of rooms meant for mingling and relaxing. Additionally, there are a large number of smaller lockable rooms set up for sleeping or private encounters.

iii. escape rooms

One of the fun and more commercialized aspects of the season are the many Escape Rooms that pop up throughout the Quarantine. Residents are encouraged to test their survival skills by grouping up with friends or strangers to escape difficult and scary situations together by solving a series of puzzles.

Escape Rooms can be either physical, set up inside buildings with realistic decorations, or they can be Virtual Reality, where the players don VR masks and cooperate in a virtual world. While the former can be more challenging and realistic, the latter provides for higher stakes. Physical Escape Rooms are generally set up to avoid any kind of physical harm to participants, but the Virtual Reality Escape Rooms can simulate pain and injury quite handily, and therefore can put participants in more dangerous situations.

While players can make up an Escape Room that uses whatever theme they like, some prompts are below:

● Zombie Attack
● Torture Machines or Traps
● Cannibal Warlock
● Wrongly Convicted: Escape from Prison
● Escape from Sewer Monsters
● Mad Scientist Experiments

iv. tests of courage

As mentioned before, there are certain parts of the city where the ghost activity is much stronger than elsewhere. These are places where terrible things have happened - 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. Every year during October, these places are shut down or vacated (unless they were already sitting empty) and entrance is allowed to people wishing to partake in a traditional Test of Courage - to enter these deeply haunted and dangerous places, and stay there as long as possible, sometimes even overnight.

In these particularly vulnerable and terrifying places, ghost activity is intense and almost constant. Characters will encounter strange sounds, smells, and visions; will encounter ghosts that are capable of throwing items or people; and most of all, they will experience powerful and realistic hallucinations due to the sheer lack of boundary between the worlds of the living and dead in these areas. Whether the hallucinations are manifestations of their own worst fears, the ghosts retelling their own tortured stories, or any other kind of terrifying vision, they feel very real. While characters will not be injured by the hallucinations, the sensations of pain, pleasure, hunger, thirst, or other sensations will be almost impossible to tell from the real thing until the hallucination subsides at daylight.

While the haunted locations are highly unlikely to kill characters, whether or not they experience serious injury due to physical actions they do while under the influence of a hallucination (eg. falling down a flight of stairs) or attacks from ghosts (eg. an angry ghost throws books at a character) is up to player discretion.

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: Olivier Le Gall; image ii: John Watkiss; image iii: unknown (wallpapersfan); image iv: signed (pinterest); images v and vi: unknown (pinterest)

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Comments

Loki (MCU) | OTA

[dothelokimotion]

[ i. And the violence caused such silence ]

[ He couldn't turn around. She was there, standing silently at his back. His shoulders are hunched and if you look closer, they might be shaking. She would be beautiful. Her robes would be embroidered with sword lilies. Her armor would be an immutable part of her, the shine of it unmistakable. She would have barrettes in her hair. Loki had stolen one when he was younger, tucked it into his pocket like a good luck charm. Her earrings would stir in the breeze.

She was standing there and Loki couldn't move. His arms ached from the effort to reach out, to touch her. He heard her quiet sigh, without words, am I not your mother?

Loki knows she is crying. There would be tears valiantly held back, the wet sheen clear for everyone to see. Everyone would know — would see that Loki is once again, making her cry, is breaking her heart, why can't he turn around? Isn't this what he wanted? Loki had wanted to say goodbye, wanted to see her leave. Wanted to see the last expression on her face. Desperately needed to know that his words, he didn't mean them, he didn't mean to, this he can confess, he can drag himself into the mud for —

His fists clench. Damn her. Damn them all. ]

Just go. Go. You are a specter. And I am not your son.

[ ii. "It's just another night at the Vampire Club." ]

[ Loki still isn't a fan of parties, despite hosting one many months ago. And he's never been a fan of mingling, getting to know people . . . It was an act. It's an act he has mastered, could play beyond compare. Though Loki does appreciate the morbid tone it sets. He dons an outfit similar to his armor, but more soft fabric than sharp, tight leather. And then he does what Loki does best.

Add a little mischief. The punch is slightly more alcoholic than before, a few costumes seem to be the wrong colour. And Loki finds himself a seat so he can watch as chaos unfolds. ]

[ iii. you kept me hanging on a string. ]

[ Okay, maybe Loki has missed the point of this escape room business. It is clearly some form of bonding exercise. He assumes. He stifles a yawn as he flicks his fingers, hiding another clue. Maybe someone will lose their patience and eventually strangle him.

One can hope. ]

Hell truly is other people.

[ v. wildcard! pm me or hit me up on captainkink for a prompt. ]

[ikols]

[ One thing could drive him from his self-imposed grieving over the loss of Tony and it follows him when he teleports; it hurries in his wake as he stalks the street the signal his warding gave off; it stares at the ghost of a dead Freyja, momentarily distracted as Loki takes his twin's arm to steer him away.

The phantom Boy has no pupils, eyes black as the void as he shimmers with green deadlight. ]

Come along, keep moving. They'll follow.

[dothelokimotion]

[ Loki starts at the touch, his eyes wide and too bright. He swallows tightly, unwilling to move. Would Frigga follow? Loki has squandered enough chances. Has wasted enough moments. She had been the only one to visit him. Not even Thor had come. Foolishly, he looks back and — oh. His face crumbles. ]

[ikols]

[ Oh, dear. Squeezing his hand, he keeps his attention on Loki instead of the phantoms. ]

She won't fade any time soon, the magic in the air is too thick. Try to sense it. Loki.

[ The Boy offers Freyja his hand, which Ikol absolutely does not see or feel ill about. ]

You'll go mad watching them, come away.

[dothelokimotion]

[ Loki struggles to close his eyes, breathing heavily. He couldn't leave her. Could he? She's dead. She's dead and Loki will never be able to follow her. Will never be able to her. He smothers a quiet sob. ]

If I leave her, I won't see her again. I rather go mad.

[ikols]

She's not really here, Loki. This is an annual festival that all but summons ghosts, or shades of ghosts. There is a very good chance you will see her again, likely in five minutes or tomorrow.

[ Gripping his shoulder. ]

[dothelokimotion]

[ A ghost. Frigga was dead. Loki didn't need to attend her funeral to know that truth in his bones. But hearing it shakes him out of his stupor at least, even as he blinks away tears valiantly. ]

Yes. Perhaps.

[ If she can stand looking at him, her ill fated son. He drags a hand over his face before glancing at his other self. And also catching a glimpse of the boy with hollowed out eyes, black as ink. ]

That . . . Is that him?

ii

[spellslots]

You're getting lazy in your old age.

[Taako slides smoothly into the seat beside Loki, watching the confusion with a little amusement, but really, it's small fry considering he knows what Loki could do if he really wanted to cause some chaos.]

[dothelokimotion]

[ Loki waves his hand flippantly. It's true and he sees no reason to deny it. He wasn't in the mood. His other self was upset, Steve was upset and Loki . . . well, Loki was still Loki. He didn't feel the pangs of grief and loneliness the way others do. For him, loneliness is his normal. ]

I like the theme. I don't see the need to disturb it too much.

[ A lady shrieks as she finds spiders in her hair. Loki grins shamelessly. ]

[spellslots]

[Taako manages to (mostly) stifle his laughter behind a hand as he watches the dramatics.]

What, you're into all this spooky atmospheric shit? [So much sarcasm, but it's a fond kind of sarcasm.] I'm kinda digging it too. I mean, listen, Carnivale is gonna stay my favorite, but this is pretty great party.

[It's a different kind of over the top, but still one he can appreciate.]

[dothelokimotion]

[ His lips curve in wry fondness. The masquerade was still a strange crowning achievement for Loki, even when he tends to dismiss it. ]

Of course. It is an fertile ground for mischief. I used to put beetles in Thor's soup. And he had not hit puberty yet so his screams were quite . . . loud.

[spellslots]

[Now he definitely laughs, not bothering to hide it.]

Lup had a fucking shriek on her when she was little, too.

[Speaking of beetles, though, Taako moves a hand through the air, casting an auditory illusion somewhere amongst the crowd, the sound of skittering legs. A few people glance around, trying to determine the source of the sound, and Taako looks rather pleased with himself.]

But we never really had shit like this. There are mourning rights and days to honor the dead and shit like that, but this is uh, this is a lot.

[dothelokimotion]

[ Loki makes a quiet sound, lapsing into a fey moodiness. It has been years since his mother died, but what are years to a God? And his mother had dogged his footsteps of late, always always with that teary bright smile, as if Loki wasn't the cause of it, the final nail in her coffin. ]

We placed our warriors in barges as we let them drift into the expanse. The men would raise their arrows and set the barges on fire. They would become stardust and lifebreath. A silent whisper to the universe. For the most noble, people would carry orbs of memories. Thoughts. Hopes. They would lift those to the dark to light the way.

i

[worldsaway]

[Thor is more than aware of the presence of ghosts in the quarantine. Truth be told, he's been awaiting this moment since he discovered it. He's seen more death than most, but some more significant than others.

He's not ready to look his failures in the face, he's not ready to see his mother and think only of everything he did wrong. All of the events that lead to her death could have been prevented. He let it happen.

He hadn't accounted for Loki finding her first. He hadn't accounted for them having to face this together. It's not something he sees as a bonding experience, it's something he's not sure their very fragile relationship can withstand.

Thor is almost shell-shocked when he sees Frigga. He stands on her other side and he dares not walk too close to her. He circles around her slowly, trying to close the gap between Loki and himself.]

You know damn well you are, Loki.

[dothelokimotion]

[ Silence. The stillness of it removes all the air in the space between them. Even Loki's heavy breathing is cut off, not a sound to be heard. His back moves so slight that only the faintest outline of Loki's face can be seen, cut from shadow itself. ]

Am I?

[ His voice was soft, easy to mistake if it weren't for the unrelenting brutal quality it held, the kind that rakes nails over skin, eliciting pain and uneasiness. His eyes glitter as he turns around. Frigga was still there, her hands clasped in front of her. Don't do this, she's saying without a voice. Don't, Loki.

Such a shame. Loki lets the ugliness take hold because now he had a target. His back is not straight as he approaches Thor, crooked at the seams. This was not his unraveling, but it is close, so close that Loki can touch the threads with his mind. ]

Was I her son when you sent her off? Was I her son when you and the All-Father spared yourself the arduous task of informing me of her death? Leaving it to the Einherjar?

[ The venom merely got stronger as Loki faced Thor directly. His skin itched beneath his face itched. He wanted to smile. He wanted to crack his face open. ]

No, I was only her son when you could make use of me to destroy her killer.

[ This time he does grin because it's funny, it's the best joke there is. Frigga still stands but the tears flow freely. ]

Which is ironic, really, considering how like your father you are when it comes to making use of me. Shame there's nothing left to extract.

[worldsaway]

[Loki's reaction is almost unexpected to Thor, and he feels foolish for it. What they have is fragile, but it feels like they took two steps forward and three steps backward in an instant. He's becoming very tired of feeling as if he has something of a solid relationship with Loki, only for it to slip through his fingers again.

He's bitterly angry, both at his incompetence, at Loki's venom and at this accursed place for throwing his unresolved issues in his face. That they've captured his mother's visage is disgusting and distressing, because he holds onto the belief that she is peaceful and safe in the halls of Valhalla.

Thor is too tired for this. His patience is stretched thin as it is. Though he knows it's what Loki wants, he feels that anger brewing dangerously under his skin. He's an ill worded comment away from snapping, and it's taking everything to quell his anger into a calm but menacing expression.]

I am not a vessel for your guilt.

[And he says it as much to himself as he does to Loki.]

[dothelokimotion]

[ Loki balls his hands into a tight fist. The urge to draw out his knives, to threaten, to hurt was overwhelming. If he could make Thor lash it, then it would be easier to breathe. Violence made sense. Seeing Frigga once more did not. It ate away at his sanity, trying to fill in the possibilities Loki used to run himself in the ground for. Did she smile? Did she know? Did she realize it was the last time, did she even think to say something, leave something for him, was it another lie, another ruse to drag him back into — ]

No, it's only your guilt you indulge in, isn't it?

[ His eyes glitter. ]

And why should I feel guilty? I never had her trust. All I had were her tricks. Make up your mind, Thor. Am I or am I not her son?

[worldsaway]

[It's easier if Thor pretends Frigga's ghost isn't behind him, but he can feel her eyes on him. He's disappointing her, he's not being patient. He could never keep himself from rushing into things and he could never control his temper, not even for her.

But it's not her. And it's so much easier to pretend she's fake, and so he's not beholden to her expectations or desires for him.

So, all that's left is bitter, pent-up frustration with a very easy, willing outlet. Thor is sick of Loki's paranoia, he's sick of feeling as if he's feeding into it at every turn. He's sick of questioning everything he does and he's tired of trying when it comes to this.

Whatever it is that's holding Thor back finally snaps, and everything he's held in comes forward. His expression is no less menacing, though it's much less calm. In a flash, he's stepping forward and grabbing Loki by the collar, dragging him forward.]

Is this what you want of me, Loki? [He gives him a shake, so as to fully hold his attention.] Do you want me to be your oafish, brute brother who banishes you from everyone you love? Will that satisfy you?

[dothelokimotion]

You should have let me say goodbye!

[ Is he screaming? Loki can't tell. It sounded like a scream. He claws at Thor's hold, but to no avail. Loki knew how solid it was, how little it will budge. No illusion would work, not so close. But it didn't matter. None of it mattered. Loki could handle Thor's blows and shakes. Not that it matters, since Loki was a live nerve, fight and flight clear in his gaze. ]

You should make up your damn mind about what I am! At least the All-Father is clear about where I stand! But you — I thought you would have tried. You knew I couldn't follow her. You knew I am no longer an Odinson.

[ His laugh borders on hysterics because he doesn't get it and he hates the uncertainty, he hates how unclear it was between him and Thor. Certainly, Loki has managed to skirt by it through the skin of his teeth, but he was just as tired. Loki digs his fingers into Thor's arm, but now he stops fighting it. ]

So what am I, Thor? Yes or no. Just make it simple and end it, for pity's sake. Have some backbone.

[shoplifter]

[It is after Loki is faced with his mother that Laura reveals herself -- or if Loki had not been too caught up in his misery among others, he may have noticed her sitting away and hidden, plucking at the hem of her jean pants as she waits. It's a painful thing to sit and watch from up high. And... she doesn't like it. That he turns her away and tries to cut those ties. She doesn't know if she's really his mother or not, but...

After a time, she drops down from her high space, hands tucked in her pockets as she looks at the spot that the woman had been standing. Laura's own ghosts are, blissfully, not around. Not right now. She takes some comfort in it. Looking at him, donning her colorful sunglasses, her expression is mostly passive.

But thoughtful. Considering him. In Spanish, she asks him:]

Are you okay?

[dothelokimotion]

[ Loki hates that people can see his weaknesses. His wounds. It sets his teeth on edge, makes him more dangerous. He spends so much time playing the part after all. For Loki, vulnerability is a weapon. He knows too many people who will wield it well.

( he hates that she's still crying )

His head jerks as if he hadn't noticed Laura there. For a brief moment, his eyes narrow but his tone is even. ]

As well as one can be.

[shoplifter]

[She nods, thoughtful.]

Why is the city tormenting its people?

[Because that's what she sees it as -- tormenting. Being reminded of the dead is not easy, not with wounds that are apparently often too fresh as it is. She'd ask about the scene at hand -- not yet, anyway. She hasn't decided if she will or not.]

[dothelokimotion]

[ Loki inhales sharply, a bitter hiss. ]

It is not meant as a torment. It is meant to be a way to find peace with the dead.

[shoplifter]

I don't think so.

[She looks at him for a moment, considering how to elaborate.]

You don't seem to be -- at peace.

[dothelokimotion]

I never do.

[ Loki hasn't known peace for years now. It eludes him constantly. He can pretend he has it, act like it owns it, but it has never been his. When your worldview has been upended, peace becomes a pipe dream. ]

But that is a small matter in the grand scheme of things.