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

Reaper | Overwatch | OTA

[hellshot]

side i
↪ Blossom Picnic

No. I'd rather die again than eat something like that.

[Here's someone who looks entirely out of place. Not only does he look like someone who had lost their way looking for the nearest heavy metal goth party, but he sticks out like a sore thumb among among the flowers and beautiful scenery.
One of the street vendor hands had, for a moment, gotten up enough gall to waltz up to him and offer to sell him a selection of flowery looking tarts.
Honestly, anyone else might have been tempted but for this apparent tryhard?

No, he growls at her with a voice that seems to echo out from behind an oddly stylized skull mask, and shoo her off with a hand.

Seriously, the man needs to be taught some manners.]

side iii
↪ Flower Festival Dancing

['Copious amounts of security' was right. While he'd only recently arrived--unceremoniously, and from a planet still far, far from Earth--he'd already taken a liking to the new job he'd been offered when arriving to this place.

However, what he didn't enjoy was being drafted during a paid holiday to work as a chaperone and security for a dance that was happening while the sun of Riverview dipped down past the horizon--the party lights keeping the merrymaking and partytime going.

Avoiding drink and any sort of wayward partier who might ask him for a dance--he once again looks like a thorny black rosebush among the rest of the highlighted garden here. Maybe he'd be better left alone, but who knows--maybe bothering the guy might brighten him up a bit.]

side v
↪ Roommates Floor 8

[One might notice that his bed is become one that's barely used. Slept in for perhaps a short hour or two each day, at random times in the day. Always with his mask on, usually when there's noone else sleeping in the room.

He doesn't seem to eat that much--if at all, his habits of staying out of the room and avoiding those inside it apparent, but for a reason.

But if you're lucky, you might catch him hanging out on the balcony or sitting on his bed, minding his own business. Not exactly the friendliest of roommates, but the dishes always seem to be done when he's around, and his bed is always made to nearly military-level neatness.]

SIDE I

[liquidate]

Wait, I'll take his!

(the familiar voice, following you across space and time.

and there he is, cresting the grassy knoll with his hands pushing at his thighs, panting like he's just run a marathon. it's not even steep. slowly making his way over, arm outstretched, fingers wiggling over the tray of tarts — it gets an awkward smile out of the woman, before she's quick to get the fuck away from these freaks when suigetsu jams both into his mouth immediately.

mmm.

strawberry.)

Ugh, god. You are missing out, man. More for me, I guess, hahaha.

[hellshot]

[That voice... he recognises that voice. That excitable yell and there it is, bounding into his sight, the head of a white-haired jellyfish man whom, he had thought when he had ported here from Space, he'd escaped.

He hadn't met a single other soul from that place, so he'd assumed...

His expression already twists into one of disappointment and irritation, a hand moving over his face as the other eats the tarts like a child.]

Don't talk with your mouth full. Chew, swallow, and then speak.

I can't believe I escaped space only for you to come following behind me.

[liquidate]

(the chewing slows, cheek full, and suigetsu stares at the man in the mask with a cock of his head.)

...

Uhhh, what?

(has he met a crazy person already? first that guy who stole all of his snacks, now this. his poor luck follows him.)

I didn't follow you here, I followed the tart lady here.

(points in her direction. she's gone.)

i!!

[spellslots]

[It's the cloak that draws his attention, both for the color and the fact that whoever's wearing it is absolutely extra enough to think it's appropriate for the middle of a flower festival. Which really, to Taako, seems like something that Kravitz would do if he'd just shown up in some other dimension.

He catches a glimpse of the white of Gabriel's mask, assumes it's just the white of bone, and that cements it enough for Taako, leading him to actually fucking like, jog his way over, as if he's some sort of idiot who gets excited about seeing people he knows.

At least he's smart enough to do something stupid like barrel into Gabe, especially when he's approaching from behind.]

Someone has really gotta teach you when the whole reaper look is appropriate, my fella.

[hellshot]

[He'll appreciate not being barreled into, just as Taako will appreciate not having a gun pulled on him from the aforementioned edgelord if any sort of unwanted touching were to happen.

But what he does hear is his name, and turning to look at this... Elf...

He's immediately wary about how this person knows his name, and why he's so goddamn friendly with him.

Don't you love miscommunication?]

And someone has to teach you that when speaking with others, you usually adopt more formal speech when it's to strangers.

[spellslots]

[OOPS.

As soon as Gabriel turns around, it's immediately clear that this 110% isn't Kravitz, which could make things awkward, especially when the guy gets some attitude. But Taako just laughs. Apparently the get up and growly voice isn't very intimidating to someone who's met the for real grim reaper and threatened to tentacle his dick.]

Don't get your panties in a twist, bubbale, I thought you were someone else. Not like you've got a trademark on the creepy robe thing.

[This is why most people he meets immediately dislike him, but the bluster and the jokes do a decent job of hiding the small pang of disappointment he feels at that fact this guy isn't Kravitz.]

i;

[pundemic]

[He looks like someone that escaped the Halloween store in the mall she and Riley used to go to, but it's what he says and how he says it that has her all kinds of unimpressed. Okay, so she's never been to a restaurant back home in her life but treating people trying to offer you free food seems like it's pretty high up there on the general 'decent human to-do list' so she just gives him an arch look and takes one of those tarts for herself, thank you very much.]

Hey buddy, ever heard of a 'no thank you'?

[Yes she is 5'3 of I will fight you on this.]

[hellshot]

[He doesn't even bat an eye(not that Ellie would be able to see it under his mask) when he's spoken to--but he will take the moment to give her a slow, deliberate head-turn before fixing her with a stare.

She'd gotten a tart out of it so why the hell was she complaining. Arms crossed and a low snort escaping him with a whisp of black smoke, he waves a hand at her--clawed fingers clicking together. Yeah, Halloween store reject isn't too far from the truth.]

Politeness is encouraging. If you don't chase them off with finality, they'll never leave you alone.

[Battle me, tiny.]

[pundemic]

[is that supposed to be scary because she is not impressed she will battle you, she'll do it!!]

The fuck are you even on? Politeness is polite, that's it, period. I didn't say you couldn't be firm about it, just don't be a jackass to somebody trying to give you free food. Dick.

[Why is she forever meeting adults that haven't learned their manners?? Her exasperation at being what she perceives as The Most Mature One In The Room is clear.]

iii

[finethanks]

[There's no way he'd leave him alone! Eichi has been on the lookout for any familiar faces, and the faces of those he's shared tea with are high on his list of importance, as it so happens. In the middle of all of this joy, relief, dancing and buzz, seeing Reaper on the sidelines is like an extra bit of good news that makes him practically float on over.

And almost stumble into him. But he catches himself, remembering the first time he'd accidentally made contact, and raises both of his hands defensively.]

You made it! It's a relief to see you here, Reaper. Won't you come dance? With your aura, you could get away with all sorts of moves that no one else could. ♪

[hellshot]

[He stares for what seems like an uncomfortably long moment. As if he's looking at Eichi like a total stranger--which might be enough to make the idol uncomfortable enough to think that Reaper doesn't actually recognise the ill rising star.

But after a moment, he turns his head with that usual, irritated sigh.]

...So you're here, too. [Yeah, he remembers you. How oddly strange you are, the weird off-coloured comments for someone who's supposed to be on stage, and the over-friendliness despite Reaper's appearance.]

No, I won't come dance. Not unless you want every other person out there chased off from their little joy-making festival here.

[finethanks]

[That was enough to cause a worry in Eichi. He'd heard immediately from Yuuri that not everyone here remembered their venture in space, and though Eichi had been fearing that he'd have to break through Reaper's defenses again to reach some point of conversation, he'd stood there smiling the whole time.

However, once Reaper confirms that he remembers, it's clear in Eichi's eyes that he'd been worrying. They warm noticeably, his shoulders relax with them, and then he brings his palms together for a single clap.]

Standing there so silently that whole time, were you trying to give me a heart attack? I was almost readmitted on the spot! [Dropping his hands again, he slides over to Reaper's side, not daring to touch him but still leaning a bit too close. Hello, grumpy old man...]

On the contrary, I think to see someone as serious as you dancing would bring joy to the hearts of many. ♪

I.

[leadintheyoung]

[ 'Die again,' he said. Now isn't that a curious word choice! And equally curious apparel. And -- well, his manner reminds her somewhat of a great bear newly awakened with a thorn in each paw, but that sort of reality has never kept her from walking through the figurative den. The man is a curiosity all around and hers is certainly piqued as she applies another generous lick to her floral patterned ice cream and allows her feet to carry her forward.

Don't mind that she looks very much like an actress fresh out of a renaissance festival, what with her hooded cloak, robes, satchel, the sheathed dagger at her side, and the bow and quiver full of arrows at her back. Greens and browns are her colors with the occasional bit of black and yellow in accent. She moves nimbly to claim a spot at his side, intent to rest there or walk with him, one. ]

What would you eat, then? Generally speaking. The festival food is not common fare if my understanding of this event is right.

[ And yes, she is smiling at him with honest curiosity, completely and utterly undeterred by his early growling at that poor merchant. ]

[hellshot]

[He'll perhaps admit later, that the amount of fearlessness this woman had in approaching him without any sort of plan to reprimand his (admittedly) terrible attitude was... interesting, at best. Though he does take a moment to just stare at her like a dog looks at the source of a high-pitched sound.

His own 'grim reaper' getup is definitely one that's questionable, but this girl looked like she was just straight up pulled out of a fantasy novel that starred a big bad wolf and horse-drawn carriages.]

Sugar and sweets are off the list. Most regular foods you eat have enough sugars in them to keep anyone's body going. Everything else is just access.

[Even before he'd died, he'd had a terrible attitude about dessert, anyway.]

I'm fine with common fare. Festival food is just overpriced for the sake of novelty.

[leadintheyoung]

[ If the wolf is the size of a horse or bigger and the carriage is a wagon, he'd be guessing pretty close. She'll apply another lick to that ice cream cone of hers as she considers his words. ]

I could put something together for you, then. I'm due for a hunt. As convenient as it is to buy food from the markets here, it doesn't keep one's skills sharp and their portion sizes are small.

[ Considering a regular portion of food to her is several more plates than a baseline human could eat comfortably, there's no room for a 'rather' there. That, and she's curious about the flora and fauna beyond the wa -- wait a minute. Her smile drops and her brows knit. ]

Is it truly overpriced?

[ Trade is the tradition in her world and currency isn't a thing just yet in most places. ]

v !!

[kuyamu]

[ he knows little of Reaper, at home. but as far as infamous figures go, he's a fairly memorable one, and when Hanzo sees the masked man in the communal housing, he feels confident in the assumption of who it is. surely there can't be too many people who share the appearance of a terrorist like that. he just doesn't know what to actually do with that knowledge; he hardly has any desire to strike up conversation with a terrorist just because he's from home.

for the most part, Hanzo does his utmost to avoid everyone he shares a floor with, or at least to ignore their existence until they give up on him. Jesse McCree, he avoids most of all; with Genji, he tries, but he always answers when his little brother speaks to him. it turns out he doesn't have to make any effort at all to dodge Reaper, who he only ever sees in passing.

when he goes out onto the balcony with a cup of green tea in his hands one evening, he thinks it might be the first time he's shared space with Reaper since arriving. Hanzo leans against the railing and considers saying nothing. ]

I wonder whether it is the intention of this place to draw in people of notable reputation. [ he doesn't turn to face Reaper fully, but shifts a little, slides his gaze across to look at the man sidelong. ] Between you and Jesse McCree, it seems to be gathering a bounty of substantial reward.

:D!

[hellshot]

[He's not ignorant of this man. He knows his name, he knows his family--and he knows his brother, most importantly. He knows what the archer did, what condition it had left the other in. How he almost died, and how the organization he was part of had been there on time to save him.

...What little was left of him.

Now, while Reaper holds no personal grudge against Hanzo, despite how disapproving and disgusted as he was about the older Shimada's actions and their cause, he had no quarrel with the man. If anything, of the three familiar faces he had to share space with in the communal room, Hanzo had been the one he was the least worried about.

Which is likely how they got to where they are now--Reaper idling as he sits, thinking the man would either not approach him out of respect or fear. Clearly? He was wrong. He feels his teeth set behind his mask as the respectful sounding man talks, and he considers a shadow-step to the ground below, followed by disappearing without a single word.

But that'd just make things even more awkward for later on. Bandaid time. Rip it off, be done with it.]

Never thought about it myself. [His answer is curt, without respect but without any of the bite he would have given Genji or McCree.
But after you've been to space, you stop questioning a lot of things related to dimensional travel.] But if you're considering collecting a bounty, I'd say that your efforts would go to waste.

[kuyamu]

[ there's always the question of what kind of man could possibly be behind a reputation as known as Reaper's. when it comes to assassinations, Hanzo does what he can to find those deserving, the corrupt and the criminal, and doesn't wonder about them beyond that. thinking too hard on a person's nature never did any good, in his position.

but still, he wouldn't have expected Reaper to be like this. dry and calm. at least McCree suits his own bounty. Hanzo scoffs quietly, curled over his tea. ]

If I ever intended to collect either of your bounties, I would have tried long before now.

[ he takes a drink and doesn't seem to have any intention of saying anything else; he isn't one to press conversation, at least. ]

bit of roommates, bit of wildcard

[eyeforaneye]

[ The first time he sees Reaper can hardly be labeled an actual meeting. Rather, one particular evening while Reaper is out on the balcony, a head will pop down from the floor above, hanging upside down with black hair dangling and wearing a completely neutral expression before it slowly recedes whence it came. Any attempt at questioning or calling out after him is left without response.

Weird.

The second time, however, is at the Riverview Mall. It didn't take long for Sasuke to learn of its existence or that it's the best place to acquire a large variety of items in one location, which explains the two bags already hooked onto his arm when he enters the clothing store. Ah. Exactly what he was looking for, second row of hooks down on the far right wall. He can just barely see it around the broad man dressed head to toe in black clearly perusing the same section.

He approaches, then, boldly reaching out for that single remaining wide leather black belt, complete with two sealable, segmented pouches and further support for more. With a momentary glance of eye contact. This is the cream of the crop. ]

... [ And he takes it anyway, moving right around him for the counter. lol bye bitch, this is mine ]

it's about to get mean girls up in here

[hellshot]

[It wouldn't be his first time seeing Sasuke. However, it would be his first time seeing Sasuke here. He'd already dealt with the jellyninja earlier, and back then, Suigetsu had claimed the one-armed wonder wasn't around.

So he actually takes a moment to stare at him--which probably gives the ninja the ample time to target the belt Reaper is currently comparing to another before deciding on buying one of them.

Maybe he should just let him have it, but needing know if this ninja forgets him already, he grabs the end of it before the other can make a neat escape.]

...You've still got shitty manners. I was looking at that.

iii please don't hurt his feelings too much

[mysophobic]

[ Shigeru is always wallflowering it up but that's because he's a mysophobe and isn't very good at any of this/ Physical touch is just an absolute no for him most of the time. So while he gets a good vantage point for drawing he also runs into one Gabriel Reyes as well. He might apologize for bumping into him, looking a bit pale as he regains his composure. He might type something on the phone in his hands as he shifts the drawing pad under his arm for now. ]

I'm sorry! Are you alright? I wasn't paying attention...

[ It's not until he gets a good look at the other that he really notices his, well, get up. Aren't you hot wearing all that black?! ]

absolutely no promises

[hellshot]

[He'll actually understand this guy's lack of want for physical touch, and it's with a gruff sound that he'll let out when he's bumped into by someone. Again.

Fortunately for Shigeru, being knocked into has become irritatingly common since the dancing first began, either due to people trying to get past him or from people trying to get him to dance, too.

So when he turns his head to glare down at the guy when he apologises, it's with a note of confusion.]

...What's that? [Why is he holding up--

This guy can't talk? That would explain the need to hold up his phone instead of speaking. Also, no, it's definitely not hot. At least not to someone dead. It's fine...]

....

I'll let it go this time. Only because you had the decency to apologise.

iii

[smokedout]

[He hasn't spent an amazing amount of time around this festival, on account of having no interest in it. But parties tend to mean trouble of one kind or another, and where there is trouble Dodger doesn't tend to be far away.

In this case he's sort of glad he took the risk... since he's found someone who definitely seems interesting to talk to.

Not wanting to bother with struggling through the crowd, he teleports beside Reaper to take a seat and watch the dance floor. At first he just sits near him, acting like he didn't come over for the purpose of talking to him, but he finally turns to watch the man.]

Guessing you don't want to dance.

[hellshot]

[He's settled like every bit of the human pretzel that he is--twisted up in a knot with his arms crossed and trying to ignore the merrymaking he's currently having to watch.

He's not particularly interested in striking up a conversation with anyone, but taking one look at this guy and his scarred up face--well. He could think of far more irritating company than someone who looks like they've been through shit.

Unless Dodger just had an unfortunate run-in with a with a toy helicopter or something. So he gets the same sort of dry, uninterested response that just about anyone would get from the try-hard in a leather coat:]

Entirely uninterested.

It's a waste of energy to hop around looking like an idiot. I have better ways to spend my time, and this isn't near the top of the list.