riverviewlogs | introductory mingle: FLOWER FESTIVAL

Entry tags:

introductory mingle: FLOWER FESTIVAL

who: everyone in Riverview!
what: Introductory Log and Flower Festival Celebration
when: April 2nd - April 15th
where: In several different locations in the downtown area of the Inhabited City.
warnings: please put any necessary warnings in the subject lines

flower festival

In the days leading up to April 2nd, residents new and old may notice advertising around the city, everywhere from digital screens to paper flyers pasted on blank walls, all advertising an upcoming holiday: The Flower Festival. Celebrating springtime, beauty, joy, and togetherness, the festival heavily features floral themes and dancing. The advertising mentions that on April 10th, a paid holiday, there will be a Blossom Picnic, as well as lists of various public dances at clubs or other open venues, and adult raves.

a celebration of spring

The Flower Festival's main event is the Blossom Picnic on April 10th, but it also features traditions of sharing food and drink, and dancing that span over the course of the whole two weeks. There are a large variety of events going on throughout the city, from dancing lessons in any wide variety of traditional dances, to old-fashioned sock hops, to adult raves complete with mild party drugs. Feel free to use the prompts below or create your own event at any point during the festival, and if your character creates an event and hosts it in a top-level, you can submit that thread for extra bonus points.

i. blossom picnic

The main event that kicks off the second week of the Flower Festival is the Blossom Picnic on April 10th. A relaxed and low-key event, it draws several thousand people every year to the spacious Riverview Central Park, where there is a generous lawn lined with various blossoming trees, and families, found families, lovers, and groups of friends are encouraged to lay out a picnic blanket and share food. There will be live bands playing (but not loudly enough to distract from conversation and peacefully watching the petals flutter in the wind), a variety of demonstrations of traditional cultural dances from many different realities and planets, and a ton of ice cream vendors. This is an excellent festival not only for celebrating togetherness with the people who are already important, but for mingling and making new friends.

Characters may either pack their own lunches or they can purchase pre-packed Blossom Festival lunches. Stores and street markets are carrying a wide variety of specialty food that is only available at this time of year - predominantly pastries, an assortment of types of candies, and ice cream treats all in various floral flavors, as well as a sort of ambrosia salad based around a sweet rose-flavored cream and a native fruit that is bright green and tastes like a combination of peach and citrus.

ii. dancing lessons

Starting on April 2nd, there will be dancing lessons offered almost everywhere you look! From partner dances to group dances to line dances; sexy and sensual or innocent and childlike - almost any type of dance you can imagine is represented, from any reality or planet that has people in Riverview Quarantine.

Additionally, the Riverview Central Community Center has multiple rooms blocked off so anyone who knows a dance from home can teach it to others in their community - sharing is caring, after all. Characters are welcome to block off one of these rooms and offer lessons in any dance they happen to know from home (and these sorts of thread starters would be eligible for the mingle AC Point bonus)!

iii. flower festival dancing

This is pretty simply what it says on the tin - in almost every club, community center, or other public space, there will be dancing at almost all hours of the day or night, formal and informal. Musicians bring out their instruments and play in the street for demonstrations of cultural dances and music at the same time as clubs are offering VIP cover charges for exclusive dances, and you can find anything in between.

There are also many low-cover-charge raves that allow under-18s so younger characters can stay up all night and dance like crazy. The legal drinking age in Riverview Quarantine is 14, and so anyone over 14 can enter and indulge in a few drinks, dancing, and playing tag with a non-intoxicating version of the colored powder featured at the adult raves. There is copious amounts of security on site to ensure that everyone is safe, as well as nurses and off-duty police officers to offer advice or care for anyone who overindulges out of lack of experience.

Grab a partner, a group of friends, or just cruise and mingle the various dancing events.

Characters may also notice that most of the street markets and clothing shops are offering clothing that features floral patterns, flowers as accessories, and that show a lot of skin - for men, women, and anyone in between!

iv. adult raves

Advertised on flyers and digital screens around the city, made to pop as if they were under blacklight, is a series of adult raves that are happening in various large empty warehouse spaces around the city, including one that is listed as the danger rave and hosted in an abandoned factory outside the inhabited city walls. With bouncers at the door to ensure that anyone entering is 18+, the raves are comfortably adult in nature. Clothing is optional, showing skin is encouraged, and there are a lot of neatly tucked away spaces for attendees to get some time alone with one or more than one person, as well as spaces intended for orgies. The atmosphere is sex-positive and non-judgemental, open to any orientation or preference, with various forms of protection available for free, however, to ensure that everyone plays safe there are sober security teams out en masse at all premises to oversee the events.

(CW: DRUG USE) In each location, there is one specific room where attendees can enter, and dance or play tag with brightly colored powder that contains small amounts of a legal party drug commonly available in Riverview, which is absorbed through the skin. Not much more intoxicating than having a few beers, the effects of the drug are a pleasant low-key buzzing euphoria, positive sensitivity to touch, a heightening of desires for intimacy, and a mild lowering of inhibitions. Once a character has been hit with the powder, the color lingers on the skin so other attendees can know who has partaken, but once the powder makes contact with a surface it deactivates, meaning that partakers can safely dance with non-partakers without sharing the intoxicating effects.

Please be sure to warn in subject lines for any threads involving drug use. And remember, there is always security to intervene and make sure everyone is safe.

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 Flower Festival, feel free to write it up!

visual inspiration

click on thumbnails for larger view

Credit: third image by Steve Goad; other images found on uncredited on Pinterest or Google images - please let the mod know if you find credit!

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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Jonathan hunches his shoulders, holding his two scoop ice-cream in front of him like a shield. His blue eyes rest on Illya warily. Big, tall, imposing . . . Batman-ish. Never a good combo. ]

I'm not doing anything wrong.

[Illya raises an eyebrow as he glances down at the kid. He takes another bite of his own ice cream, but look as he gazes at Jon isn't any less intense.]

That is a weird affirmation to make. Since I did not claim otherwise.

But you're staring.

[ Jon would stare back but he doesn't want his powers to accidentally flare up and blast Illya.

It is a sad but distinct possibility. And he'd ruin his ice-cream. ]

So either you're a school teacher or you need a hobby.

Both are not mutually exclusive.

[He points out because it's true. Even though he's neither a teacher nor needs a hobby (in his opinion).]

What is your name? Are you alone, child?

I'm Jon Kent. My case worker is nearby and so is my dad.

[ There's a bit of bite to his tone. He's getting tired of adults coming at him, trying to take care of him. He could probably beat them all at arm wrestling. ]

[Illya has never wanted to take care of a kid, ever, in his life. He mostly just wanted to send him off to his parents. But the way Jon words it makes him raise an eyebrow.]

Case worker?

To take care of me. Cuz I'm not old enough to have a job.

[ Duh. ]

I see. [Kid's got an attitude. Illya isn't quite sure yet if he likes it, but he figures it's better than those cutesy kids that just stare and giggle. Illya hates those.]

I'm Alexei. [He lies, using the name he's using while in this place because it seems rude not to give the kid a name when he's shared his.]

I was staring because I like getting to know people. That is all.

[ Jon blinks, trying to absorb that logic. ]

Isn't it easier to know people if you talk to them?

By talking to them you only get to know what they want to tell you, what they want you to know. Like now, I am only sharing with you whatever I want to share and nothing else. Plus people lie.

[Yet another bite of his ice cream.] If you truly want to get to know someone you have to observe, not just talk.

[ Jon represses the urge to fidget, a shadow of fear in his eyes. What did this man notice about him? Though Jon can handle himself. He breathes out quietly. ]

It sounds like you want to know them, but not trust them.

[If he notices Jon getting nervous, he doesn’t show it. Everyone has something to hide, kids are usually just less conscious of the fact that literally everyone hides something, not just them. Illya gives the kid the closest he gets to a smile, which is a slight twitch of his lips.]

See? You haven’t told me, but I already know you’re pretty smart.

[ There's a flicker of a smile, though Jon seems to have sunken into the thoughts Ilya provided. Everyone having secrets. It sounds horrible. ]

I just know a little about secrets, that's all.

Everyone knows a little about secrets. [Some just more than others, but Illya doesn't think there exist a person with absolutely nothing to hide.]

Doesn't make them bad people for hiding, though.

Lying doesn't hafta be about good or bad.

It's about people. Lying means people don't know you. And I get that it's . . . necessary. But it's like you're invisible all the time.

[Illya nods, like Jon has reached the conclusion he wanted him to reach.]

Yes. But you say that like it's a bad thing. Being invisible can be good.

Sure.

[ A pause, quieter. ] Still lonely though.

[That makes him pause. Illya would have said not that long ago that being lonely as a good thing, as well. If you trust no one then no one will be able to betray you. But after meeting Gaby, after meeting Solo... he's not so sure.]

I suppose it is, yes. But whenever someone finally sees you, even though you're invisible, it makes it worth it.

That doesn't make any sense.

[ How are they supposed to see you?? ]

[Illya nods, smiling the slightest bit.] I guess the metaphor got away from me.

What I mean is, there will always be someone with whom you can share your secrets. Eventually. To make it not lonely.

[ Jon bites on his lower lip, taking that in. ]

Do you have someone like that?

[He shrugs. He could lie or give the kid evasive answers but that would probably only make him more curious. And it's not like anyone from his world is in this place, he can admit to that much.] Maybe. I think so.

But I as brought here before I could test that theory.

Maybe you'll get to test it soon.

[ Maybe Jon should try it too. All his secrets are wrapped in old promises, promises he's afraid of breaking. ]

Maybe. Or maybe not. [He doesn't look particularly worried about being 'invisible'. It's worked for him, so far.]

Do you always get into philosophical debates with strangers?

[ Philosophy? His brow creases before Jon makes the connection. ]

I . . . guess? I don't get to talk to a lot of people.

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