monthly mingle: FLOWER FESTIVAL

[riverviewmod]

who: everyone in Riverview!
what: monthly mingle: flower festival
when: The month of April.
where: Anywhere around the city.
warnings: please put any necessary warnings in the subject lines

flower festival

In the days leading up to April 1st, residents new and old will notice preparations beginning, a flurry of activity getting the city ready for the upcoming celebration: The Flower Festival. Celebrating springtime, beauty, joy, and togetherness, the festival heavily features floral themes and dancing. The advertising mentions that on April 9th, a paid holiday, there will be a Blossom Picnic, as well as lists of various public dances at clubs or other open venues, the River Spirit Procession, and Flower Exchange.

a celebration of spring

The Flower Festival's main event is the Blossom Picnic on April 9th, 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 9th. 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 and dances

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)!

As for the Flower Festival dances, they're pretty straightforward - 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.

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!

iii. flower exchange

During this year, there's been an influx of people from a dying reality consisting mostly of living plant people, and they've really taken the Flower Festival as a great opportunity to introduce one of their most honored traditions to the people of their new adopted world. The tradition involves sharing various types of flowers with strangers, with each type of flower having a different meaning and effect on both the giver and receiver - the bond of the exchange can spark emotion as well as physical responses that function in a unique way that affects almost everyone that participates, whether animal, plant, or even android.

Any characters exchanging the flowers with other characters, whether friends or strangers, will experience emotional/psychological effects, physical effects, or both once the exchange is complete. Effects can last for as short or long a time as the players involved want, and are as follows:

● Baby Blue Eyes - Trust/Healing the Inner Child
Emotional Effect: Either an inexplicable trust in the person the flower was exchanged with, or a generalized paranoia.
Physical Effect: De-aging. Characters can become a younger version of themselves, physically, mentally, or both. Whether or not their normal selves are of age, de-aged characters may not participate in adult prompts unless they're de-aged to something above 18.

● Chamomile - Peace & Harmony/Animal Support
Emotional Effect: A desire to make peace with one's enemies, or an inexplicable urge to push away loved ones.
Physical Effect: Both participants in the exchange will wake up the next morning with an animal companion that represents their soul/personality. Whether the companion can speak is up to player discretion.
NOTE: Animal companions from this event can be kept for a total of 300 Points. If you wish to keep them, just submit a request under your name on the Activity Bonus Rewards Page. For new players ONLY (players apping/reapping their first character in April) who wish to keep the animal companion but do not yet have points, feel free to submit and I will credit 300 points to be submitted once you have them.

● Rose - Friendship/Beauty
Emotional Effect: Openness and a desire to make new friends, or excessive competitiveness.
Physical Effect: A temporary glamor that makes both participants in the exchange appear as the most beautiful possible version of themselves, and improves their charisma.

● Crepe Myrtle: - Inspiration/Enduring Partnerships
Emotional Effect: New and creative ideas to solve life issues, or finding oneself averse to change.
Physical Effect: As soon as the exchange is complete, the two characters involved will be bound by an invisible tether that keeps them within three feet of each other. The tether won't affect anyone but the characters involved (no, you can't clothesline your enemies with it).

● Valerian: - Relaxation/Heart-Opening
Emotional Effect: A near-complete erasure of anxiety and stress, or a dramatic inexplicable increase in it.
Physical Effect: Forced honesty. Both affected characters become incapable of lying. Whether they're compelled to blurt the truth or if they can keep their mouths shut or talk around the truth is up to player discretion.

[Flower meanings used in this prompt come from this site.]

iv. river spirit procession

The River Spirit Procession is a yearly tradition in the Quarantine where a (usually small) contingent of people walk along the edges of the river carrying candles and dressed as river spirits, and offer sweets and blossoms or petals by tossing them into the river. The offerings are intended to appease the river spirits and guarantee safety from flooding, storms, and to ensure a good growing season. With the flooding that's still affecting the river, the turn out this year is much greater than usual, with a large number of residents entering the processions that happen throughout the month, usually on weekends.

During the processions, residents dress as river spirits, which is a relatively broad description and can be taken in a wide variety of ways and leaves a lot up to interpretation. They enter the procession at the place where the river enters the walls and follow the banks of it carrying candles, and often whispering or quietly speaking their gratitude for the river's plenty and their wishes for the year to come. Many residents also bring baskets of young blossoms or petals from flowers, and small sweets such as candy or tiny pastries and throw them into the river to appease the spirits. They carry along the river for as long as they wish to.

ACTION PROMPT: This year, with the flooding, the monsters, and the heavy turnout, the river spirit procession is a little more dangerous an undertaking than usual. After the first procession on April 1st resulted in several residents being swept away in the rising flood waters, and several others being attacked by a loose crocodile, the trouble becomes painfully evident. The Perimeter Guard will be sending out extra detachments and calling in reserve members to help keep the processions safe, and any extra hands to protect those who choose to participate will be more than welcome.

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 Flower Festival, feel free to write it up!

visual inspiration

click on thumbnails for larger view

Credit: image i: unknown, found on pinterest; image ii: Steven Kent Lomtong; iii: Ryan Talbot; iv: Toru Nishimura

navigation

Comments

COMMUNAL HOUSING APARTMENT MINGLES

[riverviewmod]

Feel free to post up a top-level for residents of any floor in the apartment building to mingle and meet each other.

Elizabeth Bennet (PPZ): Floor 3 shared

[wit_and_sword]

[With the combinations of flooding, atacks, and needing to keep the peace, Elizabeth had been on her feet all day and then some. She could bear it of course, she had the endurance and mental capacity, but when she was allowed home, she certainly felt like she'd been running and fighting all day.

She's currently resting on the balcony with a cup of tea and the book Alex had lent her. She wasn't really one for novels, but this one was enjoyable-if not uncanny.]

Noctis Lucis Caelum (Final Fantasy XV)

[brotrips]

i. blossom picnic

(Festivals are something Noctis has always enjoyed, but his focus is normally on those that provide fun and games. The flowers are pretty, but a bit distant for someone who is dressed all in black, even now. He can be found wandering about the event, stopping at various vendors and checking out the wares. Along the way, the pastries seem to have his attention, where he's a bit curious about the seasonal ingredients.)

ii. dancing

(Noctis has danced as part of formal functions back in Insomnia, but it's never been his favorite activity due to the formality of it all. However, it's at the Community Center that he's found a sillier form of dances, those which can be a bit funny or like the dancing games he rarely played at the arcade.

He isn't one to approach a partner, however. While it's easy for him to let loose with his friends, it's a bit harder to create those bonds from social situations for him. Nonetheless, he seems to enjoy just being one of the crowd at the festival.

He seems to be; right then, it's a distraction.)

iii. flowers

(Despite his inability to conquer social situations, somehow, he's found himself with a lot of flowers. Will he pass them along? It seems harmless enough. Noctis is liberal, approaching and holding them out with a general explanation.)

I'm apparently supposed to pass these along. Which one do you want?

iv. wildcard

(I can be reached at wrinklesintimes for plotting, or just tag away. Someone please give him flowers.)

i

[coquere]

[naturally, Ignis accompanies Noct on this picnic and cooks all of the prince's favorites. Or as close to those as he can with the available ingredients. It's all a little different from Eos, but it'll still taste very good.

He notes the prince giving attention to the pastries and buys one]

Try to eat some vegetables as well, Noct.

jessica jones | marvel tv

[hardedged]

i. blossom picnic

[ look at all this flower power everywhere. fucking great. as far as she's concerned, the blossoming trees are more of a nuisance than a sight to behold — somehow, those annoying petals keep falling into her glass of hard liquor.

in fact, as jessica takes a seat on a park bench, hoping to relax for a change ... two more end up inside her booze. her shoulders slump down. with a deep exhale, she presses her lips together in frustration. ]

Shit.

ii. dancing lessons and dances

[ while everyone around her is dressed to impress, wearing floral fabric or jewelry that match the lovely decorations of the festival, she's in one of her typical, unflattering outfits — plain jeans, combat boots, and a shapeless shirt, hidden beneath a leather jacket. it's safe to say she doesn't blend in with the crowd.

are you interested in dancing with her? perhaps something spontaneous with a group of friends, or even one that's more intimate and personal?

yeah, good luck with that.

regardless of whether jess catches someone's eye or finds herself the sudden recipient of conversation, her response is the same. her brow furrows into an annoyed glare. along the edge of a sharp scoff, she retorts: ]

No.

iii. flower exchange

[ it may require a bit of time to convince her to exchange flowers, but she's open to any and all of the options! ]

ii

[buildingcastles]

[ He's not actually dancing much, but Christian isn't about to leave any places uninvestigated just because he doesn't feel like dancing. There's a lot to see and learn in a room full of strange people. He notices, for instance, the way Jessica is very determined not to participate, dressed more like she's ready to go trash a bar than learn some dance steps. He approaches with caution, but he's not going to be scared off just yet. ]

So are you here just to make everyone else feel bad? You're like the cat judging them from the bathroom counter while they're sitting on the toilet.

thor odinson | mcu | ota

[worldsaway]

i. dancing.
[This is not where Thor thought he would be just a few months, but he finds himself here, in a crowd of dancing people, without a partner. He's taken the flower theme into consideration, his shirt is floral at least, his jeans and shoes are plain. His shirt buttons are tastefully low, it says I feel casual, but appropriate.

He allows himself to hang back long enough to get the hang of the dances, then he'll step into the crowd and find himself a partner. He swings between picking someone on the sideline and waiting for people who have caught his eye to finish their dances with different partners.]

Mind if I have this one?

iii. a. flowers: baby blue eyes.

(Let me know if you would like little Loki involved in your thread and I will get Timmy involved!)

[An exchange of flowers as a symbol of trust seems like the most appropriate way for Thor to celebrate the holiday with Loki. He initiates the exchange, tucking a flower behind Loki's ear with a smug look, but his expression softens when he accepts his flower from Loki.

Seconds pass, and the world is suddenly getting smaller and smaller. He's looking a little chubbier, and he's completely oblivious to the changes. This is how things should be, right? He's just ten years old, looking for adventure with Loki, who is tailing along behind him wherever he goes.

Thor is swimming in the shirt that fit tightly before, so it now looks like a charming dress. His first order or business should be pants, but he's more interested in the food. He doesn't have any money (that he knows of) so obviously the only way to get his hands on the delicious vendor bounty is by trying to steal some (which would only be bad if he wasn't planning in sharing it).

In most cases, he looks to use Loki as a distraction. Having him tell stories or cry for attention while Thor rummages for food. If they get caught, they run, arms laden with food. They can be found splitting the goods among themselves, hiding in trees or in the thick of the flowers.

On the odd occasion, Thor might offer you some of his food. It might be out of concern or pity, it might be because he's taken an interest in you. It's most likely because he's decided he doesn't want it anymore. Maybe, just maybe, he offers it in exchange for information about where he can find some pants.

Small Thor's travels take him to dangerous places. He's still equally fascinated with reptiles, particularly crocodiles. In the flooded rivers, he catches sight of a beast floating through the water and looks absolutely delighted. He dances in place for a moment before he has a thought, he holds out a sizable donut and extends his arm for the crocodile. That this might be a bad idea does not occur to him, hopefully it occurs to you.]


iii. b. various flowers.
[The effects eventually wear off, and Thor is left a little wary about exchanging flowers. He gets roped back into it eventually, and soon enough he's willing to participate in any exchanges he might be propositioned with.

Maybe not blue again, though.]

[ iii ]

[dothelokimotion]

[ Loki munches on a cookie, dropping crumbs everywhere, though he does sweep them off his clothes once he's done. ]

When's Mother coming to get us?

[ Because as fun as it is to be with Thor, Loki gets a little antsy where he's far away from home. There are monsters around and Loki gets spooked easily. ]

loki | mcu

[dothelokimotion]

[ ii. dancing - normal loki ]

[ Loki has a fondness for dancing. There's a certain amount of grace and nuance involved that he always appreciates seeing in people. Dances can be secrets shared, moments of discovery, of freshness and delight. As such, he didn't mind volunteering some of his time to teach others how to dance. In a way, it lets him pass on the few tenets of Asgardian dance to others. It's strange to teach it to mortals, but if it allows such passing cultural thoughts of Asgard live longer, who was he to deny them? ]

Palms forward. They should close enough to touch, but the space between must linger.

[ iii. flower exchange - young loki ]

(( thor will be around and if you need him to jump in the thread, let me know! ))

[ Loki is mostly tottering after Thor, hiding behind his back but sometimes he wanders off (though not too far from Thor) to look at the flowers. Leaning over to sniff the flowers, he blinks, rubbing his eyes. It reminds him of his mother's garden and Loki is suddenly overwhelmed with a small bout of homesickness, his eyes tearing up. But he is a prince of Asgard so he valiantly forces them back as he plucks some of the flowers for his mother. Once Loki has a bunch, he closes his hand around it and starts looking for a ribbon to tie them together. Once he spots someone, he carefully approaches them, wary. ]

Excuse me? Do you have a ribbon?

[ wild card ]

[ Loki will offer a few dancing lessons for anyone interested. as a kid, he'll be wherever Thor. If you want adult loki for any other prompt, send me a PM / contact me at captainkink]

iii;

[hasitsthorns]

[ There are suddenly a lot more children than Rose remembers. It's fine. It's not like she's bad with kids, it's just- She's not really good with them either. Just as long as she avoids them though it should be fine and- ]

Uh.

[ Mission failed. That was fast. ]

I don't, but- I could find one, kid. What color you want?

peter quill | mcu | ota

[nostalgiabomb]

i. blossom picnic;

[ Listen, Peter gets that in a melting pot of cultures like this, there's bound to be a lot of holidays to celebrate, so he doesn't begrudge Riverview's monthly festive spirit.

What he does begrudge is how readily available almost every imaginable sweet becomes around these holidays, and what it's doing to his (admittedly, already pretty poor) diet. But that's a thought for later. For tomorrow. For Tomorrow-Peter, who is going to have to go hard on the weights to work off all these empty calories.

Current-Peter, In-the-Moment-Peter, is currently sitting on a blanket in the park with an assortment of sweets and pastries. Beside him, a small tree-like entity munches on a gummy candy that's almost as large as his head. The two of them are far enough from the live bands that Peter can play his own tunes over a cobbled-together speaker, plugged into his Sony Walkman. Currently playing?

"Hooked on a Feeling." Blue Swede. 1973.

Ooga chaka. ]

ii. dancing lessons;

[ It started so innocently.

Peter likes dancing, okay? He really, really likes dancing, and as far as music appreciation goes, dancing comes second only to singing really loudly at the top of his lungs while using a hairbrush as a pretend microphone.

So dancing along to a cool song when some random stranger tugs him in, turns into Peter unleashing the motherfucking moonwalk, turns into a few curious onlookers asking, How did you do that?!

Which somehow, at the end of things, turns into this: Peter coaching a few folks through the finer points of Michael Jackson's signature move. He preps himself to demonstrate again, but he points accusingly out at the small crowd – probably to some native who's currently distracted, or maybe even to you. Who knows! ]

Hey. Take this seriously. This move was invented by a highly esteemed virtuoso, back where I'm from, and it demands your attention and respect.

iii. flower exchange;

[ The flowers are nice and all, sure, but what really has Peter's – and consequently, Groot's – attention is the plant people.

Currently, the two of them are in deep conversation with a couple of the refugees – that is, Peter is having a conversation, while Groot is mostly saying the only three words he knows (that being "I," "am," and "Groot"), though his partner seems to understand him well enough. Groot seems enrapt with his fellow sapient plantlife, and he and the woman he's speaking with create flowers together, to varying degrees of success.

Peter, on the other hand, has apparently adopted the familiar posture and expression of a beleaguered dad commiserating with a fellow parent. ]

It's just— every time I turn around – every single time – he's just cramming a bug down his mouth. I don't even know where he's getting them, but there he is! Just— chomp, like he thinks it's candy.

Is that even normal?

iv. river procession;

[ Guard detail isn't too much of a jump for Peter, all things considered. They don't call him a Guardian of the Galaxy for nothing, after all, so, you know, this is sort of in his wheelhouse. This is definitely something he can do.

He is, however, starting to get a little bored. The quiet hum of conversation and the droned chanting is sort of hypnotic, like white noise, and so far, the most exciting thing to happen was that someone clad all in white tripped over their long robes and splashed face-first into the riverbank. They came back up filthy with mud, and Peter's grin at the ridiculous display was, thankfully, completely hidden behind his trademark mask.

For now, here stands Peter, ever vigilant, absently twirling his blaster on his finger, like he's planning on auditioning for a part in a Spaghetti Western. ]

v. wildcard;

( feel free to leave me a prompt, or PM this journal/message me at lampshading if you want to hash something out! )

II

[hasitsthorns]

[ In her line of work, it is fairly often that Rose sees people bust a move. With the strange mish-mash of cultures and alien creatures, however, she hasn't seen anyone groove in quite so familiar a way. The moonwalk. Now there's a classic she hasn't seen in a while. If one considers a couple months a while, which- For a nomad like Rose? It feels like it's been an eternity already. ]

Sorry, dude, no disrespect to Michael Jackson meant. [ He was a great composer and dancer. Even Rose can recognize that. ] It's just... a little cliche, isn't it? Like doing The Robot as your most awesome dance. Kind of amateur hour to rely on someone else's moves to make you look cool.

[ Shots fired. ]

tony stark (ults)

[inebriety]

iii. flowers
[Tony has spent most of the day collecting flowers here and there to make himself a flower crown. By now he's nearly finished with it and he's just looking to put on the finishing touches.]

Can I have that one?

[ooc: Taking Valerian off the table!]

iv. river procession
[The call for help didn't quite get Tony's attention, but he's there nonetheless watching Iron Man struggle to fly with a crocodile hanging off its leg.]

Tony! Help!

[The voice quality from Iron Man is a little distorted as it's coming from speakers, but it's unmistakeably a child's voice.]

The paint job's ruined, but otherwise you're doing great.

v. wildcard
[If you want something else feel free to hit me up with whatever or pm/send me a plurk (black_catxiii) to plan something!]

iv

[livingsymbol]

What is that?

[It's hard to tell if Steve is referring to the crocodile or the fact that the Iron Man is flying around without Tony in it, but he's definitely concerned either way. The voice coming from the armor sound distressed and that pings Steve's protective instinct. Tony seems as calm as ever, although Steve has come to learn that this is more of a defense than anything and it's difficult to gauge the level of danger in a situation based on his casual reactions.]

Does he need help? [The concern is growing in his voice.]

john proudstar | the gifted

[tanker]

a. baby blue

[ John knew he shouldn't have accepted a flower from a stranger. This is the kind of shit that happens and gets him into trouble - mom was going to have a field day, seeing him like this, he could already tell. But everybody seemed to be doing it, and so he did, too.

And now here he is, clothes ill-fitting, the blue flower crushed in one of his palms, his hair longer - or is just that he's smaller? He's definitely shorter than he was before, even if he's still broad. He's broad in that way teenagers can be, when they're growing too fast to even deal with it. John, for sure, doesn't look comfortable in his own body, constantly rolling his shoulders and eyes throwing daggers at anyone looks at him for too long as he walks the streets, jeans scraping the ground. His hair is in disarray, falling over his face all the time, but it does little to hide the plain anger set all over his features.

John Proudstar is not 34 anymore, in control and holding his chin high. John Proudstar is back to being 14, powers just emerging, and anger one of the only ways he knows how to express the anguish of watching his father leave for yet another war while he holds on his little brother's hand.

He walks the streets both like he owns them and also like he's attempting to melt right down into them, but one thing is for sure - if you get in his way, he will shoulder his way through, and possibly send you straight into a wall. ]

Watch it.

b. river spirits

[ John has to admit to being so incredibly grateful that the effect the flower had on him only lasts for a few hours. Not only because he signed up to help the river spirits procession, but mainly because that was... an unpleasant experience. He couldn't imagine many people had any with to revisit their teenage years, and John definitely didn't want.

His skin felt a bit tight as he held on to the gun in his hands, walking along the procession, the whole thing slow and muddy. It's quiet, too, which is good, gives him time to process what just happened to him.

Not that it's quiet for very long. They get to a more damaged part of the shore, and before he even knows it, John has rushed over, slid in the mud on his knees, to prevent someone from falling in to the river and being taken by the still strong current going through. ]

I got you!

c. wildcard

[ anything goes! hmu with anything I'm super easy - ellievolia if you wanna chat. ]

b;

[hasitsthorns]

[ Rose is a trained killing machine, extremely swift and deadly. No one would know it, however, as she lets out the most ungraceful sounding squawk of distress after stumbling in the dark. It's a bit muddier than she had anticipated on this bank (clearly!) and she's suddenly careening towards the water. Since she can't swim, this sends off literally every single panic bell in her mind as she tries to grasp at something, anything to stop her from falling into a watery grave.

Then she's suddenly not falling, which is extremely relieving. Perhaps he can feel it. There's a residual shake to Rose that's not caused by the cold. She stares for a moment at the rushing water below and envisions what could have been her demise. ] Oh my gosh, dude, [ she finally breathes, snapping out of the strange trance. ]

Thank you, like. Super sweet save.

[ Being casual will totally mask the lingering fear, right? Totally. ]

cisco ramon | the flash | ota

[franciscoramon]

i. blossom picnic [established cr]

[ Cisco Ramon loves himself a picnic, and this whole event is having the unintended effect of making him feel rather nostalgic. Last year, this picnic had taken place the day that he showed up on this moon, swept away from Central City, from S.T.A.R. Labs and the life he'd known. He'd been disoriented and apprehensive, that first time. Penniless, friendless, and feeling like there was nowhere in the multiverse he could possibly belong.

Things are different, now, and he intends to celebrate that to the fullest.

He spends entirely too long preparing, and shows up to the park with nine (9) picnic blankets that he arranges into a massive patchwork party-picnic blanket. He also brought baskets full of snacks he'd made to share with his friends - Earth recipes, none of them particularly gourmet, but all finger-foods and all very tasty. He also goes and buys a ton of candy and fruit and sweets from the street markets, until he's got quite the spread going. If he sees any friends passing by, he will wave them over enthusiastically, saying: ]

Hey! C'mon, come join me! It's my mooniversary!

iii. flower exchange

[ He's lived in this place long enough to know that there's a high probability that some of these flowers are going to have effects he doesn't enjoy, and likely he'll regret this at least once or twice. But that doesn't stop him from being curious, and in the end, he decides to just go for it. Carpe diem, right? So he will walk up to friends - or non-shady looking strangers - and offer: ]

Wanna give it a shot?

iv. river spirit procession

Come do the procession, they said! It'll be so peaceful, they said!

[ Cisco is currently hanging very precariously onto a tree branch, having scrambled up along with another member of the crowd when, out of freaking nowhere, a crocodile had come up out of the water and started attacking people. It hadn't gotten scared off by the screaming, either. It's still roaming the area just under the tree, big and powerful and scaly. The branch is hanging far lower than Cisco's comfortable with, and there's a faint note of panic in his voice. ]

Is it rabid? Can crocs even get rabies?! Where the hell's the Guard, anyway?

[ Just then, there's a rather ominous creaking sound coming from the branch beneath him, and it sways, dipping down a little as it starts to crack. Cisco shoots a frightened look at the person clinging to the branch with him, and asks: ]

What's the plan if it breaks?

iii

[bythehand]

[ Carpe diem is definitely the mood of the moment, in this regard. Finn's only been here for about four months, give or take, and even he knows that it's possible to find a magical shenanigan in even the most unlikely of situations.

But on the other hand: they're nice flowers. And nice... plant people. He thinks. From what he's seen hanging around here with Cisco, anyway. ]

Maybe.

[ Which is to say, he's already starting to walk forward. Rey would love how some of these look. ]

Are you saying you only want to give me flowers on special occasions?

Bucky Barnes (616) | OTA

[anotheroldsoldier]

i. Blossom Picnic
[It's all a little frou-frou for Bucky's taste, mostly, the intense focus on flowers and florals, but he's made a small attempt at getting into the spirit. He takes in the sights and the foods in a pair of jeans that have floral patches in the holes in the knees, and a dark blue button-up shirt - the rolled cuffs of the sleeves, up at his elbows, are also a subtle, soft blue floral print. He's pretty relaxed, browsing the food stalls, occasionally buying himself an ice cream or some other treat.

If you happen to join him at any time during his wanderings, he'll probably buy an extra ice cream, or an extra bento box, and hold it out in offering with a small smile. Or maybe you want to talk him into a dance - he still has the moves, somewhere.]

iii. Flowers (De-Aging)
[At some point, someone gives him blue flowers. The effect leaves him... well, smaller than he was before. Bucky Barnes at seventeen is wiry, strong, and scrappy, with a charming, roguish smile and more outgoing personality. He's not sure where he is or what's really going on, but a quick explanation and he's rolling with it. Steve is here, it must be fine if he's not rattling his cage yet.

He's a bit of a flirt, and he's a lot more good-natured than his 30-some year old self is; he also has both arms intact, so he's got that going for him. He can be found just about all over, usually finding trouble, but especially...]

iii-A. Bar & Casino
[Bucky Barnes cheats at poker. This is a fact that is generally known but never proven, always coming in accusations from people he's won the money or candy or girly magazines of. They're biased. Turns out though, the drinking age here is 14 - which means there's a bar and gambling den that doesn't card him, and he's gotten a bank card with a fake name from somewhere (it's actually his, he just doesn't remember it).

He goes straight to the poker table, and he plays his cards very well. At first, he plays the part of the wide-eyed, young, naive man gambling for the first time, and he loses a few hands purposely, lets the other men at the table goad him into betting more. Eventually they "talk" him into double-or-nothing, his entire pile of chips in; someone very confident in his hand bets his entire winnings from the night, a sizable amount.

Bucky lays his cards out with a wide smirk. It's a very convenient win.] Read 'em and weep, boys.

iii-B. Boy's Got Wheels
[What is a seventeen year old on some kind of interdimensional leave going to do with all that illicit poker money? Rent a car. Duh. He's bought himself a pair of expensive sunglasses and rented a cherry-red convertible, beautifully vintage and flashy as hell, and he's cruising the streets looking for something interesting, or someone who looks like they could use a little fun.]

v. Wildcard

iii - Deaging

[hititwithacrowbar]

Jason had finally given the slip to those claiming to know him. They knew his name, and facts but facts can be learned. SO he had slipped away the moment he could. Bruce wasn't around, neither was Alfred so he could handle himself just fine as he had done before the rich man swooped him in from the streets.

He was moving quietly, wearing a red hoodie he had stolen from one of the strange kids, over his red sweater vest and nice jeans. He had slicked his curly hair back the way Alfred usually fixed it, the two curls escaping as always. When he saw the taller teenager he watched him quietly from under his hood for now, curious, but not yet approaching.

Jason (DC) - OTA

[hititwithacrowbar]

III. - Deage
[ Jason hadn't been interested at first but one of the flowers had caught his attention more than the rest.The baby blue eyes, he knew who he wanted to give one to, and the moment he had, he would have regretted it, if his world hadn't turned upside down in that moment. The weight of his life lifted for the most part, the horrors he lives with daily washed away for a different level of pain, one he used to wear with a smile and deal with. The raw pain of losing his family, joined with the joy of finally having somewhere he belonged.

He had magic he was Robin the Boy Wonder, Jason Todd may not be able to do much at fourteen, but Robin could do anything he wanted. He took off like a bolt of lightning before he realized he had no idea where he was. Dressed in a red sweatervest and a nice pair of jeans, his hair was slicked back with two curls against his forehead. A much smaller boy than most might expect of a fourteen year old loving a double life. Standing just at four foot six and looking skinny as could be, he was just amazed. ]

iv. river spirit procession
[ After returning to normal, Jason had returned to work, he was on guard for the procession and actually enjoying watching the procession as they passed in their outfits with the candles. It might have been morbid given his life but he was curious about the world's traditions with death.

That and it gave him something out of the ordinary to do with his time.]

V. Wild Card

iv

[mysophobic]

[ Shigeru is also going to be watching the procession. He's on duty as well but more as medic than anything else. He'll notice Jason immediately though, their first encounter never really escaping his mind. It was...awkward for him mostly and he hasn't spoken to the man since. But given the situation and the festival he'll try to talk to him, this time with his actual voice. ]

This is...really beautiful isn't it?

Kylo Ren (and Ben Solo!) | Star Wars | OPEN

[killthepast]

iii-a. flower exchange
[ Let's be real: Kylo likely isn't interested in exchanging flowers with anyone. But that doesn't mean it can't happen. We can either play out the exchange, or handwave it as a happy accident and get right to the effects. THE POINT IS: this prompt is open to chamomile, rose, crepe myrtle, and valerian.

If the chamomile option is selected, Kylo's animal companion will be a majestic alien horse-dog... by which I mean a borzoi. Enjoy your encounter with this magnificent creature. ]

iii-b. the adventures of ben solo
[ There comes a point during the festival when Ren actually decides to make some attempt at a peace offering with his mother. The wounds of the past remain as raw as ever, but after their last encounter, he's... trying. Little by little. It's not as if he has any plans to return to their galaxy, as it is. And surely, General Organa will take the first portal out of here, to return to her Rebellion. Which means that the window of opportunity to resolve anything, and move on with his life, is limited.

Had he known such a meager and tentative gesture of goodwill would affect him so profoundly, he wouldn't have bothered at all. AND YET...

Here's Ben Solo, age 15, a gangly boy with a mop of unruly black curls. Despite his age, he still carries the same air of loneliness and undercurrent of anger as Kylo Ren-- but unlike Kylo Ren, his life has yet to take a turn for the darkness. His sullenness isn't so different from your average moody teenager's, really. The only thing that makes it more dangerous is his lack of control over the Force. Things have a way of breaking when he gets mad, whether he wants them to or not.

But, without a familiar voice whispering dark thoughts to him and sowing feelings of mistrust and alienation, it's as if a heavy burden's been lifted from him. He finds it easier to smile, and run around, and be a kid again. There's a spark of mischief and adventure in him, a bit of cockiness, and an adolescent recklessness that's probably going to get him in trouble, especially after he escapes his mother's watchful eye.

PS HIS DAD IS THE COOLEST DAD IN THE GALAXY AND CAN TOTALLY BEAT UP YOUR DAD ]

v. wildcard
[ IDK ANYTHING GOES. You can wildcard for regular old Kylo Ren or young Ben Solo. ]

[protectingthelight]

[ Amilyn Holdo is on one of her regular walks through the community, taking note of how things are going for all and sundry, introducing herself here and there, the usual. As always, she cuts a pretty distinctive figure with her height and her purple hair. This is a perfect opportunity for someone—e.g. an old friend's son who's suddenly had his age cut by half—to notice and accost her. ]

Chyler Silva || Halo: Forward Unto Dawn

[childofaxios]

iii. flower exchange - early april

[ It's a gift from one of her cadets, a little bouquet of chamomile and baby blue eyes, and it's not like Chyler can say no to that. It's sweet. It's cute. The flowers are pretty. And she's trying, she's really trying to accept that not everything frivolous is a waste of resources. Not when there's plenty of resources to be used.

It's easier to think that with something as simple and beautiful as flowers.

She takes them to work, arranges them on her desk, goes about her day. She doesn't mean to fall asleep over her reports. She would be mortified if anyone caught her at it, but it was a bad night and there's nothing interesting to write up.

She doesn't mean to fall asleep at her desk, but she does. And she wakes up curled up on the chair in clothes that are too large with a puppy whining at her feet.

That's how a small girl dressed in nothing but a uniform shirt ends up sneaking around the Perimeter Guard's offices, trailed by a dog that's nearly half her height. ]


i. blossom picnic

[ By the time the Blossom Picnic rolls around, Chyler is feeling decidedly more herself, though she's still accompanied by a dog. One that's very, very invested in getting her to throw a stick for him, and she is just as invested in making sure he gets what he wants.

Of course, what he wants is a reward for sitting, staying, laying down, rolling over. Occasionally she just runs alongside Domitius for as long as and fast as she can, getting him to heel and stay with her through each pivot and turn. He does better sometimes than others, but Chyler is patient and determined and completely in love.

There might be occasional puppy-related accidents, like, y'know, Domitius charging through someone's picnic in pursuit of small animals. Chyler will help clean that up, she swears. ]


i. blossom picnic - closed to existing cr

[ If she knows you, it's safe to assume you received a formally-worded invitation to come to the Blossom Picnic on one of its earliest opening days. She's even packed an actual picnic with more food than she can possibly eat alone, most of it fairly basic and not extremely well-prepared.

She tried.

And she's probably gonna replace half of it with stuff from the vendors. SHE'S TRYING REAL HARD FOR THE WHOLE 'FUN' THING OKAY. ]


ii. dancing

[ Speaking of trying real hard at fun. She still hasn't forgotten Marco's challenge during Sampremi. She is not scared to try dancing. She just doesn't know how. And not knowing how can be fixed.

So she's attempting a variety of different dances, from the formal to the ridiculous, trying to think of it as just another way to train. She might, possibly, a little bit, be caught enjoying herself.

She likes waltzes the most. ]

ii.

[protectingthelight]

[ Amilyn, for her part, is enjoying every dance on offer; years of practice in Gatalentan skyfaring have given her the strength and grace to adapt to most dances. Chyler might see her gliding through the steps of a waltz, or taking a break on the sidelines with a cool drink in hand. ]

All Might / Toshinori Yagi | OTA

[almightiness]

iii. flower exchange OPTION A (Incognito Skinny Mode)



[Toshinori Yagi is more than content to avoid the dancing part (he's a hero, not a dancer, even if sometimes heroing can be a fine art of motion!!!) and instead moves to the literal flowery part of the ceremonies; what's the worst that can happen? They're just flowers...! Don't mind the 7'3", gaunt-faced man, looking a little less spooky with a flower crown on that someone had apparently made for him. He's too nice to remove it. He is holding a Valerian, which bodes poorly considering it's a forced honesty flower.

But it's so nice to look at. He's clearly in over his head when he offers to pass it along.]

iii. flower exchange OPTION B (Hero Mode)



[Later in the day when he's big and buff and just finishing up some patrol duties for the festival, he also has a Crepe Myrtle, which is far more horrible a fate when he's in hero mode...! Imagine being tethered three feet apart from this hulking fellow. But more than that, hopefully they'll untether before he poofs into his skinny form and has a lot of explaining to do, right?]

For you, good friend! Happy Flower Exchange!

iv. river spirit procession (Hero Mode)



TEXAAAAS SMASH—!!

[HOLY MACKEREL HE JUST PUNCHED A SHARKLOBSTER OVER THE TREETOPS AND AWAY FROM CELEBRATING CROWDS (AND MAYBE BLEW UP A FEW SKIRTS ON ACCIDENT SORRY LADIES-!!]

BE GONE, YOU TOOTHY BEAST!

option A

[smokedout]

[Valerians aren't really his style, but they're not the most intrusive flower in his mind. And yeah, he does think of certain flowers as intrusive. He takes it without a thought, glancing from the pastel petals up to the gaunt, eerie face of the man that gave it to him.]

God, I could do some awful things to that face...

[What. The fuck did he just say. He blinks, retracing his last few words and turning white. Sure, he's not ashamed of thinking it, but he could have worded it a little better... instead of just letting the first thing that came to mind tumble out of his mouth.]

Sumeragi Lee Noreiga || Gundam 00

[drunken_tactics]

Blossom Picnic

Picnics weren't something that Sumeragi usually did, since she used to be studying or making plans of some sort. She liked that she could just relax and enjoy things here, but there was always some sort of plan lingering in the back of her mind as she tried to find things to entertain herself with.

She remembered one of the old countries having some sort of flower watching festival, but she couldn't quite remember which one. Still, this was nice. She had packed a few snacks and some drinks, leaving a note for the Dylandy twins and Tieria if they wanted to join her.

While she had some other drinks, she held a glass of wine in her hand as she watched both the people around her and the flowers.


Dance Lessons

Dancing was also something that she didn't get a chance to do very often. She didn't really understand what she was getting herself into, but she was going to do it anyway. She had decided to do this and she wasn't going to back out.

She looked up at her partner and gave a rather awkward smile. "Sorry. I've never really danced before."

dancing

[anotheroldsoldier]

Bucky isn't interested in lessons, really, or even in dancing all that much. He sort of got roped into it through someone he knows from the Perimeter Guard. He has to reach back several decades into his memory to really find his moves again, but his body remembers what his brain doesn't. A somewhat more upbeat song starts playing over the speakers as he holds a hand out to his next partner.

"That's fine, it's been a while for me.

Riza Hawkeye || FullMetal Alchemist

[miss_sniper]

Flower Exchange - Baby Blue Eyes - Young Hawkeye


Riza was very confused. This didn't look anything like Amestris at all and she couldn't find her house. She was doing her best to keep calm, but her eyes were a dead give away that she was lost, somewhat dazed, and confused. She still hadn't gotten over the loss of her father and now she was stuck somewhere where she had no friends to help her out. She didn't talk to her extended family at all and she couldn't get in touch with the military either.

So she would keep walking around for a little bit more, hoping to find someone that might be able to help her out. She needed someone familiar but she doubted that she would be able to find the one person that she knew would be able to help her.

Dance Lessons - Normal Aged Hawkeye

Back home Hawkeye wouldn't have thought of taking dancing lessons for anything. She was a soldier and didn't need to know how to dance. She never went to the military balls that the higher ups held upon occasion, preferring to just keep to her apartment and her dog. But things were different here in Quarantine. She could relax a little bit more and do some things that she wouldn't normally do.

So she decided to take a few formal dance lessons. She found a small class that she could join and headed to it. She didn't know what she was getting herself into, but she was determined to have a bit of fun.

dancing lessons

[buildingcastles]

Christian wasn't actually the dancing sort, but he was certainly the curious kind. So he still ended up at the lessons just to see what everyone else is doing. When he sees Hawkeye off by herself, he thinks she's probably safe to approach. At least he's less embarrassed when dealing with one person.

"Are you here to dance?"

Aeacinos Ixocia | OC | ota!

[illusionistic]

Picnic

[ Well Aeacinos can be found lounging underneath a tree in the park a bottle of what can be assumed of wine or some other alcoholic beverage lazily clutched in his clawed hand. His tail will flick idly as he people watches, a small smirk touching his lips as he picks up another piece of finger food.

He'll beckon anyone over who looks of age, motioning to the wine and the other bottles of liquor neatly nestled in a coil of his tail. Listen he's keeping them nice and chilled with his magic, so don't judge. ]

Would you care for some? A good wine and some food makes this all the more entertaining. Perhaps we may exchange some stories as well. It is the right atmosphere for it, yes?

[ Come and chat with the old snake man, he likes learning and listening to weird human stories. ]

Flower exchange

[ And if you really want to exchange flowers with him Aeacinos will have an oddly docile cougar just walking beside him as he browses the shops and stalls of the festival. At some point a stall owner will give him a bunch of flowers, sending him on his way, as he sighs and looks down at them with some uncertainty. Looks like he was already given a flower judging by the cougar looking and walking around him curiously. But now he has to go around and give them out? ]

Hm. These flowers are strange. They apparently have many different effects to them. If you are brave enough to take one...I suggest doing so with caution. [ The cougar will let out a soft growl in response, eying whoever it is that Aeacinos offers the flowers to. ]

River procession

[ Being a creation of the sea goddess means he is more than capable of handling and dealing with the waters here. Aeacinos will be on high alert for any sort of monsters or changing levels of the water as the procession begins. At first he thinks nothing of it because nothing has happened for several hours but that'll change, it always does.

At some point a few stray crocodiles will find its way towards the ongoing procession its aggression and intent clear. Aeacinos will point to whoever is on guard duty with him. ] It seems they did not learn their lessons the first time.

[ His claws will flex in eagerness as his tail thrashes behind him excitedly. ] We should rid ourselves of these pests, before they get too bold.

Wildcard

((ooc; anything not here you wanna do just hit me up @ pathogenic))

picnic;

[hasitsthorns]

[ Ah, that's

interesting. Rose hasn't seen any Uwabami in a while. They usually tended to stay down south where it was warmer. She finds it a little strange that he's curled around something cold when usually snakes tended to do the opposite but, hey, different worlds. Who knows if this guy's even a yokai. He's the closest she's seen yet on this moon though and that's what draws her in curiously.

With flowers braided in her hair and a rose-printed pattern on her T-shirt, she looks like she's fitting right into the festivities. ] Sure, dude. Reminds me of the hanami back home, actually! Those are always a good time to get lit and swap stories. Not sure I got any exciting ones but... you can ask me anything.

Jamie Dodger | OTA

[smokedout]

i. blossom picnic

Dodger isn't usually one for peace and quiet, but he's gotten a thirst for it lately. He found a decent spot under a tree, and he's spending the day there or nearby. Sometimes he's playing fetch with his dog, sometimes he's napping under it, and sometimes he's doing his best to meditate... though, he always ends up tapping his fingers on his knees as his patience runs out.

If your muse isn't the type to approach, they may end up getting hit by the frisbee Dodger and his dog are playing with - after which the dog will greet them with an apologetic whine and a muffled "Excuse me." as it picks the frisbee up and goes back to its master.

iii. flower exchange - side A

It seems that someone gave Dodger a baby blue eyes - maybe it was you, maybe it was someone else. The Dodger currently running around is several inches shorter than his adult counterpart, and sports both patchy, half-grown facial hair, and very fresh scars that have just started healing. He also only has one tattoo - a pair of serpents twined around his left forearm. Other than that? Classic Dodger, although maybe a little cockier.

He can be found buying food to feed stray animals that he comes across, playing his guitar in areas where other bands are not already filling the air, and offering to try and fix any machinery that breaks down near him. He can also be found reverse-pickpocketing cherry bombs into other people's pockets and bags, and snapping his fingers to light the fuse once he's a safe distance from them. Hopefully you aren't a victim of the latter.

iii. flower exchange - side B (for close CR and police officers)

Later on in the week, someone... tried to give Dodger a rose. The effect never took hold, since he didn't accept it, but the sight of it did enough on its own. The person who gave it to him had been incinerated on the spot, and rushed to the hospital. Several more bursts of flame had scared off on-lookers, injured several of them, and it soon becomes clear that Dodger has lost control of himself. Someone has run to alert the police, but everyone is keeping their distance now.

The ground is scorched around Dodger in a three-meter radius, but at least the grass is wet enough that the fires aren't spreading much. Dodger himself is stooped in the middle of this ring, clutching his head as if trying to fight back his own instability. Anyone who tries to get closer than the border of the ring will instantaneously catch fire, in some paranoid attempt at self-defense... but someone's going to have to stop him before anyone else gets hurt.

i time for suffering

[mysophobic]

Shigeru just so happens to get hit by that frisbee while was drawing too so there's a long dark mark going across his drawing of the trees and the people he's just finished drawing when that Frisbee almost hits him. Luckily Shigeru has good enough reflexes to duck or move out of the way but it hurts when he does because of his ribs. He might let out a pained little exhale of air he moves to get up, going over to fetch whoever's frisbee it was. It's not until he turns around that his face goes pale and he might almost drop it when it he realizes it's Brink.

That means Dodger is around, right? He's breath might catch in his throat. He hasn't seen Dodger since the hospital and he's not sure he really wants to either. Of course it had to be his frisbee and of course it had to be Brink who came to fetch it. ] Ah. It-it's okay Brink...

[ He looks really...unsure and maybe slightly more wary now. ]

Lola Pacini - OPEN

[threatenwithcuteness]

Lola's Cantina

Lola hasn't gotten all the kinks out yet, she doesn't have a full staff nor has she finalized the prices to be competitive but keep the books in the black. Still, she has a space, it isn't much, but it belongs to just her. And she can do with it what she likes.

She opens her Cantina up, with the barest and most basic ingredients. Offering the use of her kitchen to cook your own meal, or maybe bring a recipe for one of her meager staff can use to make something. She asks for pay what you can in favor of strict pricing, mostly out of not being able to price meals on a case by case basis. She's banking on it being free advertising, that gets people to know where her Cantina is.

Plus, her hair pinned up and away under a cute little hat will help her charm the loyalty out of anyone foolish enough not to expect her to be just the nicest waitress slash owner of this little place that is all her's.

Dancing Lessons and Dances

When Lola isn't cooking, dancing is definitely her next favorite thing. She isn't confident enough to teach dancing, but she's picked out four or five offered dances to learn and is quick to pick a cute set of sweats to show off a little and learn.

Now, if you've seen Lola attempt her schoolwork, she's awkward, and slow, and can't ever seem to fully grasp what the classes require of her. But if you see her move, in a sport, a dance, or anything else. She can easily take on the motions of another person and make them her own. So she's pretty quick to get the basics for just about any dance offered to her. And if she's in a class where it's a partner dance, you can expect her to offer to dance with anyone who seems a bit shy to ask.

And what's the point of learning new dances if you don't spend some time meeting new friends in da club!? There is no point, so she finds her best shoes to dance in, outfits that... show off as much as Lola ever shows off, and makes sure everything is on point. And she'll dance with pretty much anyone. But if you get too fresh she's out of there.

Wildcard

((Come at me with whatever. Or plot a thing with me on plurk or discord.))

Cantina

[ragnarsson]

Ivar comes wheeling into the cantina, and right now during the festival, he's being followed by the little hellion that is his spirit animal, the black swan called Vigdis. He slides up to a table, and despite all his efforts to keep Vigdis on the ground, she flutters up into a seat, and refuses to leave. Ivar sighs. This is one battle he's not going to win.

When Lola comes by, Vigdis is the first to order, sounding awfully self-important as she does so. "Breadcrumbs. Lots and lots of breadcrumbs. And lettuce."

Ivar looks over at his fylgia. "Is that even healthy for you?"

Vigdis glares at him with her red eyes. "Does it matter?" She does what she wants and he will not stop her.

Ivar gives up yet again. He turns towards Lola. "Just a quesadilla with salsa for me."

alyssa (teotfw) ota

[kievs]

ii. dance lessons

(With first Sampremi and then the Flower Festival, Alyssa's been getting a pretty good work out in dancing lately. She loves to dance; she'd headed for one of the informal dances immediately. She's got an appropriately flowy dress on, the music is loud, and she's totally in her element. She's doing a lot of exuberant moves with her eyes closed, enjoying the thud of the music, enjoying having an excuse not to think about anything else.

If she notices you standing nearby and not dancing, she'll definitely make a silly beckoning motion in time to the music, trying to get you to come join in. Don't make her do the thing where she pretends to lasso you. She'll do it.)

iii. flower exchange

(Alyssa's picking through the flowers, not really heeding any instruction, simply gathering the blooms she likes the colours of. She's particularly drawn to the roses, the valerian and the chamomile, and currently has both hands full of stems, idly making a make-shift little bouquet out of them.)

Are we just allowed to take these?

(Pretty neat. Something to make her room look a little less shit. She plucks a single flower from the wild clump of blossoms she's gathered, and hands it out.)

Here.

iv. wildcard

(i can be reached on plurk any time if you want a specific starter/to discuss anything! :) )

iii

[buildingcastles]

Aren't you supposed to save roses for people you love?

[The stranger she happens to hand the flower to sounds amused, even charmed by the way she hands out flowers without any hesitation or thought. He could only dream of being that carefree, although as he's holding the gift in his hand he's taken by the overwhelming urge to befriend her.]

I suppose I should give you a gift back.

[Christian picks a nearby flower and holds it out with a half-smile. It's almost innocent, this little exchange of blossoms to build friendships, but he likes it.]

Tony Stark | MCU

[buildsomething]

iii.a flower exchange - baby blue eyes

[He really should know better than to just trust anything on this stupid moon by now, but some things still manage to take him by surprise. When someone practically dances over and offers him some blue flowers, Tony accepts them without really thinking about it. They're just flowers, and they're kinda nice, what's the problem?

And then he's not thinking about anything at all, because he's a college senior and he's on spring break in -- where is this place again and why had anyone let him make travel plans drunk? -- and nothing really matters except having a good time. Everything else with the school and his projects and Dad can wait.

So he wanders around to everywhere he can, somehow trying to affect an aloof disinterest as he investigates anything he can. He's not really managing it, but he is desperately trying to look cool. Cool people don't really care about anything, right? Or at least don't seem like they do. Tony can totally do that. Sure.]

iii.b flower exchange - other

[He's super wary about those flower things now, but if someone asks he will at least consider them. Forced honesty is probably not going to happen with anyone he doesn't absolutely trust, though.

He might be spotted wandering around with a crow sitting on one shoulder, as if that's a perfectly normal thing for him.]

iv. river spirit procession

[Tony's not technically a member of the guard and he doesn't particularly care about any kind of religious observance, but when the call comes for help, he goes. In part because it's something he can do, instead of slowly vibrating out of his skin. He might be just a little addicted to a certain kind of adrenaline rush these days.

So he doesn't have the full armor but he does have both gauntlets on as he plants himself on the riverbank and takes pot shots at anything that seems to be trying to crawl out of the water. At least until one particularly brave lizard decides to make a rush at him and gets a mouthful of an armored hand. Tony might blame being slightly distracted for that, but all he can do is give the thing an exasperated look.]

Really? Really. How did you think that was going to go?

tiny tonys

[inebriety]

[Finding himself in an unfamiliar place has Tony come to the conclusion that he's been kidnapped. He doesn't know why he's allowed to roam freely, but he'll figure it out soon enough. In the mean time he's going to make them regret the decision. He may be twelve, but he knows he's smarter than most adults.

He leaves the flower crown he found himself wearing on as it emphasises his age. Most people have no idea what is appropriate behaviour for a child anyway and he can play that to his advantage. He approaches college senior Tony because a teenager is less likely to be involved in his kidnapping and is likely to be easier to manipulate than a random adult. There's also a familiarity to the man that he hasn't realised yet.]

Excuse me, do you know where we are?

Stan Uris

[stantheman]

( A. Picnic )

[ Stan is uncertain about the picnic idea first. It's a social event, a family event even it feels to him and he hadn't wanted to try and invite himself to anyone else's. So, he does come and he purchases a prepacked lunch once he's there. You might find him eating under a tree by himself. He's acquired a pudgy pidgey in the last month and has it out and it will certainly be begging for food from Stan and anyone that comes to close but Stan will do his best from deterring the pudgy bird from getting any more food. It's on a diet.

He spends just as much time wandering around and he'll stop and say hi to any of his friends and acquaintances that he sees. His bike is nearby and throughout the day you might see him riding around on it as well. He's open to conversation and he's been trying more than his fair share of pastries. ]

( B. Flower Exchange )

[ Where the flower exchange is, Stan finds himself a bit too shy to go up and ask to share with anyone. He's also not completely sure that he believes in their effects. So, he'll settle for studying others that might take advantage of the opportunity with a clear interest in the goings on and if there are any real and tangible results. ]

( C. Wildcard )

[ I'll match tenses and styles! Feel free to hit me with your best shot or hit me up via PM or on plurk at poetanarchy if you want to plot something or want a specific starter. ]

a

[foxtrots]

[inviting yourself along on someone else's picnic isn't so hard. here, let minsu show you how it's done.

he'd spotted the boy eating alone under a tree, and though minsu had just finished his own lunch (probably his second, truth be told), he leaves just long enough to buy another one before coming over to join him. minsu sits down beside him, unpacking his food before pausing to glance at the bird.]

Ah... [minsu glances down at his lunchbox, which includes chicken.] Sorry.

Athelstan

[pietistic]

( A. Picnic )

[ The park is already one of Athelstan's favorite locations. So, while at times during the day he is there with his family (found family?), other times he can be found alone (the rest of the Viking brood not so content to be still as he) with a sketchbook. He sketches the entertainment that is around at times but more often you might see him drawing some of the mundane interactions between people who are happy and clearly care for each other.

Is he drawing you? Hopefully, you don't mind that much. ]

( B. Flower Exchange )

[ The story of what would happen with the flowers is intriguing and reminds him vaguely of uncomfortable memories of Uppsala and other things. A flower that can have an effect on one in such a way is...something but then again, medicines were mostly plant life as well so it is not all bad. ]

What one are you interested in?

( C. Wildcard )

[ I'll match tenses and styles! Feel free to hit me with your best shot or hit me up via PM or on plurk at poetanarchy if you want to plot something or want a specific starter. ]

A

[backwaterbelle]

[The weather was beautiful, so Rogue was able to don a sundress to the festival. Out of comfort and necessity, she's wearing long, yellow gloves that match the yellow of her flip flops and the daffodils in her hair.

Eventually, after she's tired herself of dancing to the live music, the mutant snags herself another ice cream in the shape of a flower and sits beneath a blossoming tree, toes curling in the grass and dirt.

Feeling as though she's being watched, her green eyes find Athelstan's and she watches him confidently, but also curiously.]

Richard Campbell Gansey III

[quiddities]

( A. Picnic )

[ Gansey came to the picnic with Blue. This is definitely Blue's type of thing Gansey thinks and he is more than happy to indulge her with the picnic. Of course, he's hoping that his other friends will join them at some point but some things are harder to predict and pin down than others.

Despite being head over heels for Blue, they're not constantly attached at the hip and so Gansey can be find watching dances with interest and curiosity and sampling different treats. If anyone seems too alone or looks at him a bit too directly he'll greet them with a friendly and polite: ]

Hello. It's a beautiful day isn't it?

( B. Wildcard )

[ I'm interested in doing flower exchange scenes too so feel free to hit me up with those.

I'll match tenses and styles! Hit me with your best shot or hit me up via PM or on plurk at poetanarchy if you want to plot something or want a specific starter. ]

[somnioergosum]

The first thing Ronan remembered dreaming was a blue flower. It was fitting that one should alter him now, changing him back to the six year old he'd been. He remembered everything from before. The memories just didn't seem important enough to dwell on. A few things stood out though. Ronan wouldn't so easily forget his best friend.

Taking a break from playing by the river, he ran up to Gansey. He looked like a much younger version of the Ronan that Gansey had first met: innocent blue eyes, a mischievous smile, and beautiful dark hair.

"Hey!" Ronan picked up a stick and deliberately threw it just to the left of Gansey. He wanted to get his attention not maim him. "I know you!"

Ivar "The Boneless" Ragnarsson | Vikings | OTA

[ragnarsson]

I Blossom Picnic

[Even psychotic teenage Viking warlords can have quiet moments. This is one such for Ivar. As opposed to last year, when he staunchly refused to wear anything flower-patterned, this year he's at least gone for a shirt that has a little bit of color to it, though the primary color scheme is still black.

He sits under a tree slowly pelting him and his wheelchair with soft pink blossoms. He's got an enormous flower ice cream cone, and no, he will not be sharing it with you. Well, maybe if you ask very nicely, and he doesn't hate you with the burning passion of a thousand fiery suns, he might be convinced to share just a little.]

III Flower Exchange

[See, Ivar should be used to the strange things that go on this city. He's had a lot of weird shit happen to him, so he's really just waiting for the other shoe to drop when it comes to these plants. Still, that's definitely not going to prevent him from handing out a few of them himself.

He can be found staring at them quite seriously, and after selecting the proper ones, giving them out to people he cares about with nothing more than a muttered:]

For you.

Baby Blue Eyes

[Ivar is now a six year old. He's small with the same strange blue tint to his eyes, rather cute in appearance, and of course, still has an axe. Why? He's a Viking child, of course they let him have an axe. In terms of personality, he's still got his psychotic side, but it's hidden beneath the sweet nature and hopefulness that he lost as he got angrier and more cynical as a teenager. He's more likely to want to play with someone than anything else.

He's rather quiet and hangs back as he observes everything around him, that trait where he works things out in his mind present even at this young age, but the minute he finds something interesting, he'll have about five hundred questions that he will expect you to answer to satisfy his curiosity. He's also been quite sheltered up to this point, so he can be blunt to the point of rudeness without realizing it.]

Chamomile

[Ivar wakes up to a black swan next to him. When he questions out loud what is going on, he's amazed to find she answers him. She announces her name is Vigdis, a Norse name which means "warrior goddess", and that she is here to stay as long as she pleases. She is large, pretty, and graceful-looking, as most swans are. She is also the devil incarnate.

Anyone that Ivar hates, is on the outs with, or just moderately dislikes, she turns into a nineteen pound feathery terror. What most people don't realize is that swans are very mean birds. They have bone spurs built into their wings designed for the specific purpose of beating the crap out of their opponents. They can also smack someone with said wing with the equivalent force of a baseball bat hitting a person. Like Ivar himself, Vigdis' appearance belies her true nature as a holy terror. It's apparent that, of the two of them, Ivar is actually the nice one.

However, the flip side is that she is extremely affectionate with anyone Ivar likes or loves. She sidles up to them, nuzzling against them gently. She is a creature of extremes, so approaching the pair with caution is recommended. Ivar will do his best to hold her back, but there's no guarantee he'll be able to stop her if she gets going.]

IV River Spirit Procession

[Before all the flower madness starts, Ivar finds himself called out as part of the Perimeter Guard to help keep those in the procession safe. Ivar's not the most comfortable being near the water, so he's a little more agitated and snappish than normal.

Still, he'll do his part, and keep an eye out for both river monsters and people getting too close to the water alike. He's got his bow and arrows with him today to snipe anything that pokes its head out of the river.]

i

[backwaterbelle]

[Rogue is absolutely tickled that they were serving ice cream in the shapes of flowers, and she may just be digging into her second of the day. This one's butter pecan, and even as she walks away from the vendor, the mutant leans down and bites off a petal with a praline nestled inside it. It's with her mouth full that she notices Ivar beneath the tree, her course veering in his direction with a smirk.

Per usual, she's wearing long gloves, which are yellow today, to go with her flowing sundress, but her legs remain bare, her feet tucked into simple matching flip flops.
To actually be with the theme, she's nestled a few daffodil flowers into her mess of curly hair, the largest one behind her ear. Can't take the Southern out of the woman it seems.]

You look good an' comfy sugah.

[As she's been partaking in some enthusiastic dancing (he may have seen her from a distance), there's a slight sheen of sweat and color over her cheeks.]