introductory mingle: FLOWER FESTIVAL

[riverviewmod]

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!

navigation

Comments

i.

[ikols]

He's noticed it's gone.

[ Arms folded, Loki leans against a wall like he might be engrossed in Netflix rather than the CRIME OF THE CENTURY!!! That's clearly what the feline thinks of it, so why not startle her with a bit of danger to keep things interesting? Even if he's lying, it's hard to see back through the crowd to the right stall. ]

[trashmammal]

[OH GEEZ

Mae jolts pretty visibly at the sound of his voice, but she doesn't run, especially since he doesn't seem all that interested in taking it back. Trying very hard to pretend she didn't nearly crap her pants just then, Mae shoves the necklace into her pocket in an extremely relaxed and cool way.]

And is he ever gonna know who took it? In this crowd? No. That's what makes it the perfect crime.

[ikols]

Unless he sees the picture of you on my phone, red-handed in such devious thievery.

[ Out of his pocket he waggles his Starkphone, slipping it away into secret depths of shadowthread. ]

What can you give me to keep quiet?

[trashmammal]

[She's this close to just laughing it off before the horrible truth dawns on her.]

Oh my God you're serious. [Mae immediately starts patting herself down, looking for something nice to bribe this dude with until she remembers that hey, she's got money now! Not a ton of money but enough to smooth this thing over, right?]

Okay, okay, okay! Iiiii could get you some ice cream! Will that cover it?

[ikols]

Nah, [ it's almost like he prepared an answer even as he shrugs off the offer of ice cream to make her sweat, ] but there is something you can do for me. You're light-fingered in the relocation of trinkets, yes? Even if you're not the most spatially aware ...

[ A crooked finger indicates she should follow him down the cheery market stalls. ]

This-a-way!

[trashmammal]

I have been known to do a crime or two, yeah.

[Okay, whatever this guy has in mind sounds way better than just buying him some ice cream. And she doesn't have to spend any money, which is always a plus. She turns on her heel and follows, cool as a friggin cucumber.]

So what's the job? [She says like a trained professional and not an anxious 20-year-old]

[ikols]

[ 'To do a crime or two', she's precious. Clearly what she really needs is the right mentor, and here he is! What luck. ]

There's a pouch full of money tied to that vendor's belt, see it? [ The mark in question is a large man, twice as wide as he is tall, with a cheery disposition as he sells cakes and pastries. Beside Mae, Loki gets on a bent knee to better share her height and gestures with a nod. ] We're not after that, it's the keys hanging next to it. Think you can do it?

[trashmammal]

[Her eyes narrow, doing her best to take in the scene. She's never actually pickpocketed before, but shes not gonna tell him that. It's basically the same thing as shoplifting, right?]

Aaaaand what do you need those for again?

[She's already starting to move, slowly breaking away from Loki to circle around the back of the stall in a totally inconspicuous type of way, so the answer maybe doesn't matter so much.]

[ikols]

A heist. Better you know not of the deets.

[ He's going to filch himself a frappe off a vendor and settle against a wall to watch the kittycat's progress, arms folded as he sucks thoughtfully on his straw. Even if this exercise goes to Hel, he's prepared to step in and save her from actual harm; he just needs to see what level she's operating at, first. The enthusiasm toward thievery is good, at least. A+ on that! ]

[trashmammal]

Is it still a heist if it's just you?

[Okay Mae shut up. No more talking. Now is the time for action.

She approaches from behind, walking heel first, careful not to step on a misplaced twig or a thrown away food wrapper. Easy, easy. You can do this. You are the bandit queen. She reaches out, hand trembling like she just drank three whole pots of coffee, towards the keys dangling from his belt.

To be specific, she reaches out about halfway, then stops. Then starts again. Then stops. Whether it's because she's uncertain or just trying not to move around to much is kind of unclear. The shopkeeper seems too preoccupied to notice, but occasionally he'll cast a glance over his shoulder, not enough to see Mae in full but enough for her to feel her heart drop into her feet. Eventually, she has the keys in her hand, pulling them away with only a light jingling sound, then bolts. She runs as fast as her tiny legs can carry her, back through the park and around the stall and back into the street before circling back to Loki, panting and shaking.]

Here... you go. Holy crap that was rough. I think I might've for-real died there a couple times. From stress. Like he'd see me and I was gonna have a heart attack and die on the spot.

[ikols]

Oh, yes. [ Misdirection to help bake the heist-cake.

For a while as he watches he thinks Miss Kitty might keel over, frozen with the terror of her actions, but then the best skill she owns seems to be running like the dickens, not the actual stealing. He kneels down to accept the keys and stows them safely in the abyss of his coat, then offers her his icy frappe if she needs to cool off. ]

I'm Loki, by the way. You did excellently! What's your name, Mistress of Thieves?

[trashmammal]

Thanks?

[She's still not 100% sure what's happening right now. Her hands are shaking and her heart is pounding, but she got away and the adrenaline rush just from that is enough to soothe her jangled nerves. She takes the frappe with both hands, not bothering to take a sip just yet. The cool feeling against her palms helps her stay grounded, just a little.]

Uh, Mae. Mae Borowski. [A pause. She cocks an eyebrow, eyes narrowing slightly.] Are you sure that's your name? I mean you look pretty high-key, to me.

[ikols]

You can call me high-key if you want, I'll be sure to answer to it.

[ He places his palm over her forehead to further assist in cooling her down, frost peppering her fur. ]

[trashmammal]

[The contact catches her off-guard, the sudden cold sensation even more so. She jolts back a step, trying to get some distance between her head and his hand.]

Wow, okay! Personal space! [She reaches up to brush the frost from her hair, watching it melt with curiosity before fixing Loki with a Look.] This isn't one of those magic things, is it?

[ikols]

[ Yikes! Holding up his hands like he's been caught with them in the cookie-jar. ]

It is. Sorry.

[ Waiting for her verdict is part of his apology, something rarely given but when it is, he does it right. ]

[trashmammal]

No no no no, it's cool! Just... wasn't expecting it is all.

[Considering her idea of magic before all this was "party tricks and maybe some weird witchcraft stuff", it's been a lot to get used to. She takes a step forward, eyeing his hand casually.]

So, uh. How's it work?

[ikols]

It's more a natural talent and less of a trick. [ Anything frosty, anyway. ] Do you like magic? A fan?

[trashmammal]

Well I'm not not a fan. [She gives a little smile at that, trying really hard not to lose her cool (ha, puns) over here.]

Still getting used to the fact that it's like, a thing. That is real, and that I can see with my eyes. [Man Angus would be losing his goddamn mind about this if he were here.]

[ikols]

Tell me what sort of magic you'd like to see me do and I'll have a go. How about it?

[ Then she can't be too startled, at least. ]

[trashmammal]

So it can be, like, anything, right? Or do you have to get ready first or what? No, I'm overthinking this, I just gotta go for it.

[Oh man oh geez oh man]

Shit, uh, turn into an animal? Any animal, I don't wanna decide for you.

[ikols]

Any animal? Hmm ...

[ His choices are limited but there's one that springs to mind immediately, and in the blink of an eye Loki is a cat-headed man. Cat Thor, technically, but he leaves off the helmet this time as he twitches his whiskers at her. ]

How's this, Mae?

[trashmammal]

[Her first thought, immediately is "wait why did he just turn into a normal-looking person" before she remembers that this is supposed to be an animal and it all clicks. Not sure if he's trying to make fun of her or not, still, but it earns him some very genuine clapping from Mae.]

Perfect. A-plus. Absolutely fantastic.

[ikols]

[ He does a curtsy then itches behind a furry ear, straightening up. ]

Thanks. Shall we go and get some ice cream, the non-bribery kind? I'd like to hear more about how you got into this biz.

[ As if enthused thievery is 'A Biz'. ]

[trashmammal]

[It is absolutely a biz, what're you talking about? Mae spends a second in faux contemplation before nodding enthusiastically.]

It'd be my pleasure. C'mon, I saw a pretty decent-looking place on the way over!

[She turns and starts walking (in the exact opposite direction of the stall they just heist-ed, conveniently enough), giving a small tug on Loki's sleeve as she goes.]

[ikols]

[ Very convenient! She's got a good head on her shoulders. ]

Sounds fab. What's your deal then, Mae? Tell me a little about yourself.

[ He offers his hand, still furry like the rest of him, when she tugs on his sleeve as they walk. ]