monthly mingle: SAMPREMI

[riverviewmod]

who: everyone in Riverview!
what: monthly mingle: sampremi
when: The month of March.
where: Anywhere around the city.
warnings: there will likely be nsfw content; please put any necessary warnings in the subject lines

sampremi

In the days leading up to March 1st, residents new and old will notice preparations beginning, a flurry of activity getting the city ready for the upcoming celebration: Sampremi. This is one of Riverview's four yearly celebrations of love, this one focused on sexual love and lust, and sexual relationships that might bloom into more (or not). Traditions associated with Sampremi are a roving street market, raves where residents can seek out some free love and get a little crazy, a massive week-long kink convention, and a tech expo with all-ages and adult options.

a celebration of sexual love and lust

Riverview has always been a place focused on love and building connections in order to foster community, and for a lot of people, sex is part of that, which makes it something worth celebrating! For people who use sex as a way to connect with others, even if only for a short time, or those who use it as a way to connect on a deeper level with the ones they already love, Sampremi is the perfect holiday to get their freak on in a host of new and exciting or comfortable and familiar ways. The holiday features a large kink convention, where various entities in the city can show off their toys, explain their niche kinks, and share their insights with anyone who might be interested, a series of raves that are both all-ages and adult where residents can find someone(s) to share a night (or a week, a few months, or even a life) with. This year, there is a large tech expo where cutting edge tech companies in the city are sharing their newest toys, like improved virtual reality, robotics advances, and many other types of toys - all for work, play, or, in the spirit of the holiday, pleasure. And for those who don't want to connect through sex or who aren't old enough to, there are dances, games, and an entire market full of street food that's meant for sharing, so they can connect in other ways.

● OOC NOTE: Please be sure to warn in subject lines for any threads involving sexual content, drug use or other content that fellow players may wish to avoid, and do not use the prompt mechanics to circumvent consent in your threads, as non-consensual sex is not permitted on the game communities. Items such as aphrodisiacs, VR, or party drugs mentioned in the prompts are intended to facilitate consensual sex, not to encourage sexual assault, or to 'trick' characters into having sex that they would not normally have. ICly, please remember that there is always security to intervene and make sure everyone is safe.

i. color raves

Advertised on flyers and digital screens around the city, made to pop as if they were under blacklight, is a series of what's called "color raves" that are happening in various large empty warehouse spaces around the city. They are called color raves for the bright colorful lights, the preponderance of glowsticks that attendees wave around, and for the brightly colored powder for attendees to play with, some of which is spiked with a mild party drug and some of which is just for fun (with the difference clearly marked, of course). There are three types of color rave - adult, all-ages, and youth raves.

(CW: DRUG USE) At each adult rave and all-ages rave there is one specific room where attendees can enter (after proving themselves 18+), 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 (whether it is skin, clothing, or structural) it deactivates, meaning that partakers can safely dance with non-partakers without sharing the intoxicating effects.

Adult raves will have bouncers at the door to ensure that anyone entering is 18+, and there is no limit to when and where the debauchery happens. 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.

All-ages raves are open to anyone who wishes to attend, regardless of age. There are bouncers at the door who will check ID and stamp the hand of anyone who is 18+ with a special ink that shows up under blacklight for easy identification. At all-ages raves, 18+ and underage characters can mingle, but there are specific areas set aside for only 18+ characters where they can get down and dirty either in private or the open.

Adult and all-ages raves will have only spiked powder to avoid confusion.

Youth raves are intended only for younger characters under 18, so they can stay up all night and dance like crazy, and meet other young people in the city. 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 version of the colored powder featured at the adult raves that won't give you anything but a sugar high. 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. Youth raves will have only sugar powder, brightly colored and sweet to the taste, meant for fun and to play tag with rather than to cause intoxication.

ii. kink convention

For the week of March 4-10 there will be a massive kink convention on the top floor of one of the large exhibition centers downtown, limited to characters 18+. The exhibition is a sexy adult informational convention featuring various kinks and fetishes. Whether you're into leather, latex, lace, or anything else, you'll be able to find the clothes, toys, guides, books, erotica, fiction, and a wide variety of other interesting stuff to explore. While the atmosphere is sex-positive and there are private and public (for the voyeurs and exhibitionists in the room) venues for having sex, it's definitely focused on exploration and information about different stuff to try.

If someone has thought of it and figured it sounded sexy, it can be found here, and with Riverview's high level of tech advancement and widespread acceptance of magic, things can get pretty kinky. Whatever your kink is, there's probably a VR program, sex toy, potion, or spell that can make it happen, and someone who's got the downlow on how to make it great.

iii. tech expo

Riverview prides itself on its technological advancement, and so, running concurrently with the Kink Convention on March 4-10 and on the bottom floor of the same convention center, various cutting-edge tech companies in the city will be sponsoring a Tech Expo. The expo features demonstrations of all of the most advanced technology that's coming into use in the city, ranging from advancements in VR and holotech to robotics and gadgets, you can find the latest and greatest in almost any area of modern technology. Attendees will be able to come with a friend or a date or anything in between to play VR games, enjoy holoprojected escape rooms and puzzles, meet robot pets, try out the most recent music player or that new cell phone that can bend without breaking, and a wide variety of other gadgets.

While most of the tech expo is all-ages and non-sexual, there is a decently-sized adult area where characters must show ID proving they are 18+ in order to enter, where the technology is mostly related to sexual use. This area features advanced sex toys, VR systems intended to explore sex with other people in a virtual environment with no strings attached, sexy video games and holoprograms, and many other sensual technological.

iv. street market

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 or more sticks or desserts baked with a narrow part in the middle for convenient tearing, everything is built to be shared. 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, though there are some booths (clearly marked and with someone to check ID) that sell actual aphrodisiac-laced foods and drinks to people who are 18+.

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(s), and due to the nature of the Quarantine, a lot of them involve aiming or other aspects of pretending to fight.

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.

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 Sampremi, feel free to write it up!

visual inspiration

click on thumbnails for larger view

Credit: image i: saber XU; image ii: Jose Borges; image iii: Nicolas Sitbon; image iv: Andreas Rocha

navigation

Comments

[franciscoramon]

'Cause I spend a lot of time working with leather. Like, for the suits. Superhero suits! Not- other kinds. Yeah. Anyway, lotta this mass-produced stuff you know people don't know how to work with the material right and it comes out shoddy so I was seeing whether they'd put in the effort or if it was overpriced garbage you get me right it's just a professional curiosity thing and that's all.

[ If Cisco were smoother, as a person, he would know that it would be best to shut up, to not keep stuttering out excuses. The more he talks, the worse it gets, but he can't seem to shut up when he's embarrassed. He hardly pauses for breath that entire time.

And then they're both standing there, awkwardly, in the middle of a convention center full of people shopping for sex paraphernalia and there's no easy way to end the conversation. Cisco decides to just take the bull by the horns. He buries his face in his hands, laughing and saying (though his voice comes out muffled). ]

Well, this is pretty much the awkwardest thing ever, huh?

[otherflash]

[ The way Cisco rambles on in an explanation (which he is willing to buy if only for his own sanity) before putting his face in his hands makes Wally feel a little better about the situation. He's usually the one rambling on in these scenarios. Knowing his friend is just as thrown off as he is by this turn of events is oddly comforting.

The whole thing is still embarrassing and awkward as hell, but at least he will be able to look the Cisco in the eyes now. ]

I've been in some pretty awkward situations before, but this one is right up there at the top.

[ He can't help but agree with a chuckle of his own. Not knowing what else to say, he jams his hands into the pockets of his jeans with a tight-lipped smile and begins rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet. But as the seconds seem to drag on, the silence begins to get to him, and he has to say something. ]

So... I'm sorry about the whole hiding thing. It's just I've never been to anything like this before, and when I saw you, I kinda freaked out. [ a short pause before he quickly clarifies: ] Not that there's anything wrong being here. Y'know, for those who aren't here just because of professional curiosity and stuff.

[franciscoramon]

No! Of course, nothing wrong with it at all.

[ Cisco feels a different sort of discomfort, then, at having startled Wally so much that he'd actually, physically ducked for cover. Particularly if Wally's never been to something like this before.

Cisco's embarrassment at being seen browsing is, comparatively, low stakes. He might not talk about risqué stuff with friends like Wally, but in his private life, he's actually got a very good sense of what he likes, what he's into, and he's quite comfortable with his own sexuality. The last thing he wants, then, is to have interrupted Wally in the process of exploring and maybe getting a little more comfortable with his own.

So, Cisco explains, a little less nervously: ]

I mean, I'm all about that sex positivity shit. Like, there's definitely some stuff in here that I do not get at all - I mean, last time there was a guy at a booth talking about the benefits of getting off on being covered by bees, and after Bug-Eyed Bandit that one's a big ol' flashing NOPE sign to me. But... who am I to judge, you know? As long as nobody's getting hurt. Or- I mean- uh, nobody who doesn't... want to be hurt, I guess.

[ Jokes are a 100% guaranteed way to make the situation less weird, right? ]

And who knows? I mean, I know you're not planning on staying in this world permanently, but... maybe you'll meet somebody. There's bound to be plenty of single folks walking around.

[otherflash]

[ Wally is actually pretty certain when it comes to what he likes in the bedroom. It's also not like he lacks in experience as his sex life with Linda was incredibly active, they were married after all, in the previous life only he remembers. And even before he met Linda, he wasn't exactly struggling when it came to getting interest from women.

This is just not really part of the sexual world that he has experienced before, and with everything going on, he has found it to be quite overwhelming which led to his decision to hide when he spotted Cisco. A decision he hopes doesn't give his friend the wrong impression or make him think he's going to judge him if he is into some of the stuff here.

His expression is one of pure disbelief at the mention of someone getting off on being covered by bees, but when Cisco makes his joke, his lips do quirk up into a small smile. The levity it provides is just what he needs to begin to relax. ]

I don't think me dating is a really good idea. I mean, do you know how long it's been since I've gone out with a woman? I think it's been... at least two years. Though it feels like way longer than that with everything. I'm not even sure I'd know what to do on a date anymore.

[ There was that brief flirtation with his teammate Donna Troy back home after Linda told him she didn't want to deal with the whole man out of time stuff, but it never went beyond a kiss as the two of them agreed it would be best for them and the team if they stayed friends.

With a weary sigh, he runs a hand through his red hair. As much as he hates to admit it, he has been feeling incredibly lonely for a while now. ]

I've come to grips with the idea that Linda and I aren't going to happen anytime soon if at all, but I'm not sure it's fair to drag anyone else into this mess, you know. It's like I'm stuck in place with nowhere to go.

[franciscoramon]

And why's that make it not a good idea?

[ Wally is way to young to look that tired and defeated, and Cisco's gentle, half-teasing suggestion that he should try to meet someone now takes on an air of sincerity. ]

Come on, dating's like riding a bicycle. You're not gonna just forget how to get to know somebody. And anyway, I bet there's ladies out there who'd get a real kick out of re-teaching you how it's supposed to go. Just tell 'em straight up: hey it's been a long time since I did this, mind refreshing my memory? There are worse lines you could go with.

[ A little more seriously, Cisco adds: ]

Besides... you don't gotta think of it as dragging them into a mess. Long as you're honest about the situation, I'm sure there's lots of women around who've got their own messes and complications back home, y'know? And who wouldn't mind somebody to keep 'em company in the meantime.

[ He contemplates, just for a moment, doing what he'd done with Magnus and setting Wally up on some blind dates. That had resulted in more disaster than good, however, so Cisco decides against it. For now, anyway. But he does want to make it clear that he believes what he's saying. That Wally ought to open himself up to the possibility, at least. ]

Just 'cause you know something is going to be temporary doesn't mean it's pointless, or meaningless.

[otherflash]

[ Wally may look young, but there are moments when it feels like he's already lived two lifetimes. All of the changes and everything else that has gone on in his life has obviously and understandably taken a toll on him.

He gives a slight incline of his head to acknowledge Cisco might be right about him getting back into the dating game. ]

There might be worse lines, but I bet there aren't many. [ He flashes a teasing smile before: ] But you might be onto something. Barry did tell me I needed to start running through the roadblocks in my life. The only way to go is forward wherever that might lead, right?

[ While some of his hesitancy about dating again is it's been so long, the bigger thing is the prospect of something temporary or casual doesn't really seem all that appealing to him given he remembers having everything. He would want something that could potentially be a real relationship.

Of course that line of thinking always makes it feel like he's betraying Linda every time he even considers the idea of starting something new.

But Linda isn't his lightning rod anymore. It's a thought that pains him at his core, but she wasn't the the one that brought him back from the Speed Force these last few times, it was Barry and the Titans. Maybe it's time he accepts that, because as his best friend Dick Grayson told him, waiting on a someday that may never come isn't really living. ]

How would I even go about explaining everything, though? They would deserve to know the truth, and once I tell them I have memories of being married floating around in my head, they'd probably run off at a speed that would make me jealous.

[ Or, maybe he's just simply searching for another excuse not to move on with his life like he's been doing ever since he found his way home. ]

[franciscoramon]

Sounds like some solid advice from our mutual friend, there.

[ It's good to know that no matter the universe, Barry apparently gives the same sorts of big-hearted speeches, about the importance of confronting problems, of believing in yourself, and all of that. Cisco feels a pang of sadness, missing him, but it's more of a dull ache than it had been when he first came here.

Wally seems pretty confident that being honest with his potential date would make them freak out, but Cisco just raises his eyebrows, considering. ]

Not necessarily. There's probably women here your age who are on the dating circuit who've been married before, too. Maybe they got divorced. Maybe their partner died. Maybe they got amnesia, or one of 'em was flung into a different reality. You never know!

[ He sets his hands on his hips, looking up at Wally, smiling and determined. This isn't just wild speculation about how anything is possible, either. There are concrete reasons why this is a possibility, and Cisco gets into them: ]

One thing I've learned is that the people the portal brings here tend to have pretty interesting stories. I don't think I've met a single person here who wasn't dealing with planets blowing up or the apocalypse or time travel or dimension hopping or clones or magical abilities or some kind of strangeness. You can't just assume your shit's gonna be any wilder than this theoretical woman's might be. Even if telling the truth chases a few people away, that clearly means they're not prepared for the level of crazy that dating a speedster has just gotta entail.

[otherflash]

[ Barry has always been someone Wally could go to whenever he needed advice about pretty much anything. Though it hasn't been as easy since he's come back from the Speed Force, the two actually had a heated disagreement about the lack of progress in Wally's life among other things, but as is often the case, Barry turned out to be right in the end.

Just like he knows Cisco is correct about everything he's saying right now. His circumstances might be highly unusual, but there really isn't much difference from the situations his friend just mentioned in the grand scheme of things.

It still looks like he's on the verge of protesting when Cisco is done, but after a moment, he closes his eyes as a resigned sigh escapes his lips. ]

You're right. I know you're right. I also know I'm not happy with whatever I've been doing.

[ Not just with his lack of a personal life, but with how his life is going in general. Even he is getting sick of this whole woe-is-me thing he has going on while he waits... for what? Nobody is going to hit a reset button to return his old life or gift him with a new one. His life is his responsibility and it's up to him to make something of it.

The corner of his mouth rises up to form a lopsided smile. ]

I guess the only way to find out how it would go is to give it a shot. It's not like my life is all that crazy these days. I just hope you know that if and when I have my first terrible date, I am totally going to find you so I can complain about it.

[franciscoramon]

So, you got anybody in mind? Or should I start keeping an eye out for eligible ladies? 'Cause I don't mind making an introduction or two...

[ When Wally says he'll find him after his inevitably terrible first date, and complain to him, Cisco grins as if genuinely delighted by the prospect. After all, that's what friends are for, right? And Wally is his friend. So it's only fair that he'll be the one Wally complains to if he ends up on a date that goes horribly awry. ]

You'd better, pal.

[otherflash]

[ Wally holds his hands out in front of him in a "slow down" type of gesture in response to his friend's willingness to play matchmaker. ]

Easy there, cupid. I don't have anyone in mind, but it hasn't exactly been a priority of mine.

[ Honestly, he's probably going to need a good push at some point or else he'll continue to drag his feet. For someone so fast he can be incredibly slow when it comes to certain things as it even took him forever to actually ask Linda out despite him knowing there was something going on between them for some time.

He can't help but good-naturedly roll his eyes as Cisco appears to be a little too pleased at the idea of being the one he complains to whenever he has a poor date which is almost certainly going to happen in his mind. ]

We'll see if you're still saying that after it happens. Though on the bright side, at least I don't have to worry about having dates interrupted by ninja speedsters, the Rogues robbing some place, or H.I.V.E. doing whatever the hell it is they do.

[franciscoramon]

Uh-uh, don't jinx yourself, this place might not have as many rogues, but it's got plenty of man-eating plant invasions and ghosts and weird magic cults and giant beetle swarms and acid rain and who knows what else. Plenty of catastrophes that could impede your love life here, too.

[ And despite all of Wally's insistence that Cisco slow his roll, that he doesn't need a matchmaker and it isn't a priority, Cisco is going to keep an eye out. It's what friends do. Though he's going to wait to do that until they're in a slightly more neutral location than, well, this. ]

For example, I was supposed to be having a picnic with Eddie when that beetle shit went down and my ass got called in to repair a bunch of half-built giant mechs. Which ended up being pretty cool, but even so. Shouldn't test your luck, saying stuff like that.

[ He is curious, though... ]

Ninja speedsters, though? Who was a ninja, anyway.?

[otherflash]

[ Wally tilts his head to the side as he considers all of the crazy things he has experienced during the nine months he's been stuck on this moon. ]

You may have a point. I guess I simply didn't notice since my life consists of work and helping Jason look after the kids these days. There also seems to be an absurd amount of heroes here.

[ Which makes it different from having his own city to protect like Keystone where he feels responsible for everything that goes on in it. He thinks he could manage the occasional night out without interruption as long as nothing major happens because there will be plenty of people to pick up the slack with the minor things. ]

The ninjas were followers of this guy who wanted all the speed for himself. It's from my other life so I don't remember everything, but I think I was standing in his way because my connection to the Speed Force was too strong and he couldn't sever it.

[franciscoramon]

I know, right?! The hero concentration per capita is un-fucking-real, and I bet I only know about some of them. I'm thinkin' the portal's got a type.

[ It made sense, at least. This is a world in need of brave people, ready to face challenges, energetic and strong enough to rebuild it. That strength came in many forms, but then, so did the heroes here. What they had in common was they were the sort of people who, in their own worlds, had been willing to step up, to do something to make the world a better place. ]

We really gotta come up with a villains spreadsheet sometime, man. Get analytical on this stuff.

[ The idea of a speedster who wanted the speedforce all to himself isn't one Cisco's come across before, but... it sounds about right, for a supervillain. Greedy, self-absorbed, trying to twist the laws of reality. Isn't that the way it always goes.

Right about then, someone bumps into Cisco's shoulder, mutters a quick apology, and keeps walking. Which wouldn't be worthy of note, at all, except that Cisco notices, out of the corner of his eye as he's turning away, that the guy is... leading somebody along on a leash. Which brings flooding back the fact that he and Wally are having this chat in the middle of a building absolutely full of people buying butt plugs and whips, and Cisco's face flushes once more and he says, awkwardly: ]

I, uh. Anyway I'm gonna um. Go and get those supplies that I came here for. I'll see you around. But- hopefully not here.

[ No offense intended. ]