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

[franciscoramon]

[ Not that sounds just like the regular Genji - maybe with a different voice, sure, but that same playful teasing. So, rather than be offended or annoyed, Cisco just throws his head back, laughing. No point in denying it. He is a nerd. But he owns it; there's no shame there. ]

And what's wrong with Cowboy Bebop, huh?! It's a classic!

[ He pulls a few goofy faces for some of the selfies, but then smiles in a couple, too. He's going to have a great time showing these to Genji, once he's back to his old self. Plus, Cisco makes sure to snap one of just Genji on his own, before he puts his phone away. ]

You run into anybody else around here who recognized you, yet?

[flowlikewater]

[ Genji likes people who can take what he dishes out, so that gets a genuinely amused snort out of him. ]

It's good but it's old. The kinda shit my brother watches.

[ He pulls some faces for the selfies, makes a rude gesture or two. Might as well have some fun, right? He takes another few swigs of the sake once they've finished. ]

Hm? [ He wipes at his mouth. ] Not really. Did wake up next to some guy.

[ He sounds far less callous about it than he wanted. ]

[franciscoramon]

I mean, yeah, it's dated even in my day. But not everything old is shitty.

[ Cisco's kind of in agreement with Genji, in some ways. A lot of remnants from the past are overrated bullshit. But Cisco's not going to throw out the baby with the bathwater. He can like Buster Keaton and Princess Bride and movies that only came out a week ago. No need to choose just one or another.

There's no mistaking Cisco's surprise, when Genji says he woke up to some guy. No question who that is, obviously. Shigeru. Cisco hadn't known if they were at the sleeping-over stage of things. Interesting. ]

Oh, so you have seen Shigeru. That must've been... awkward.

[ Hopefully only embarrassing and not disastrous. Maybe Cisco will text Shigeru later and make sure he's doing okay. Or... maybe not. Things have been kind of uncomfortable between them, lately. But that doesn't stop Cisco from being concerned. ]

Just going by personal experience. I mean, I've woken up next to my fair share of random folks I barely remember and it's pretty much always awkward.

[ Cisco... now is not the time for ho stories. ]

[flowlikewater]

It's not that it's shitty, it's that you sound like my grandpa.

[ He takes another swig of the booze and peers at him, gauging that reaction. ]

You know him, then? [ Swig...

...pause. ] Wait, you knew who it was without me even having to tell you. So, what, I'm with that guy a lot? He didn't even recognize me.

[ Does that sound like he's pouting about it? Probably. Genji makes a face and pinches his brows together, shaking his head. ]

No, never mind. [ His face switches to a playful one, teasing. ] So you're a nerd with game, huh?

[franciscoramon]

[ When Genji compares Cisco to his grandpa, Cisco just grins, tearing into a sour gummy worm with gusto. So much of his life, people had looked down on or mocked him for being too much like a kid. It still amuses him to no end, being compared to an old man. ]

I mean, you saw that pic of what you normally look like around here. It's a pretty big difference.

[ Or perhaps Shigeru had merely pretended not to recognize Genji, because he thought it would be less complicated. Hard to say. Cisco could see it going either way. Shigeru must have seen at least one picture of young Genji when he was younger, but that was one thing, and being startled with his sudden presence was another. ]

So, wait... do you wanna know or don't you?

[ Genji's indecision earns him some raised eyebrows and a tiny, slightly lopsided smile from Cisco. He's happy to explain, or to not explain. Genji's just got to make up his mind.

He gives a little shrug of his shoulders when Genji teases him about being a nerd with game. ]

I got some moves.

[ Mostly what he'd had, in those one night stand days, had been a fake ID, low self-esteem, and a painfully earnest need for validation. Not exactly the kind of suave player that Genji's probably imagining. But Cisco isn't about to get that real right now. He can already tell that level of honesty and vulnerability would not go over well with a less mature Genji. So. Jokes it is. ]

And good hair doesn't hurt.

[flowlikewater]

[ Genji makes another face at that. He's trying very hard to not think about that too hard. Why was he all... metal? Was it armor? ]

I— [ This is the indecision of someone who is already putting the pieces together but if he doesn't ask then it doesn't have to be real but—

He looks down, almost something approaching bashful. Genji picks at the label on the bottle. ]

I can put two and two together. It's the only thing that makes sense.

[ But whatever faintly vulnerable look he had is gone as quickly as it came. He's back to grinning that teasing little grin, nudging him. ]

Uh huh. Well, I can't disagree about the hair.

[ Genji may seem uncouth, but his physical appearance is obviously well maintained. There's an obvious vanity to it: no roots in his dyed hair, it's clearly not fried and well treated, just the mere look of his eyebrows. The only slight crack is a chipped bit of orange polish on a fingernail. ]

[franciscoramon]

[ Genji's gruff admission that he already figured it out is actually rather cute - but Cisco knows better than to say that out loud or tease him about this. So he just cherishes it privately, thinking that Genji hasn't entirely changed, since his youth. Whatever is good in his older self, it had always been there. It had just never been cultivated. ]

Well, if you decide you want him to join us, I can text him. Just an offer.

[ Cisco gives his hair a flip when Genji compliments it, laughing and then drinking more from the little bottle plum sake, until it is all gone. He's working on a pleasant buzz, now, and doesn't hesitate to just kind of fall back, looking up at the sky and the blossoming trees around them. ]

I don't think I could pull off green hair. Not really my color.

[flowlikewater]

[ Genji huffs and just maybe the tips of his ears turn red for a moment. ]

Nah. S'fine.

[ He goes back to drinking his own (bigger) bottle and snorts when Cisco finishes it off. He sticks the bottle in his lap and looks down at him once he flops down. ]

Definitely not green. [ He holds up his fingers like he's looking at Cisco through a camera, closing one eye like he's examining him. ] I could see purple though.

[franciscoramon]

[ Cisco makes a noise as if he's considering, taking that moment to adjust his hair so it's spread out on the blanket, rather than bunched up under his neck and shoulders. There's something pleasant about this; lying down in the warm spring outdoor air, hearing the chatter of the various people participating in the festival, the faint sounds of a concert far off, a little tipsy, talking with Genji. ]

I prefer to grab people's attention with flashy clothes.

[ He is, as a matter of fact, wearing a rather loud pair of bright pink pants, and a slightly more subdued graphic tee that is making a reference Genji may or may not get. And, of course, some very flashy and expensive shoes, because Cisco likes what he likes. ]

You know you'd probably look good with long hair. I mean, you look good now, but I'm just saying. Lotta guys grow their hair out, boom, instacreep. But you could rock it.

[flowlikewater]

[ Genji snickers a little at that, genuine and not teasing. He's starting to get a tiny bit buzzed himself and he's... enjoying himself? How strange. He usually only felt like this after he found someone to sleep with for the night. (He felt like this with Shigeru too, just... differently. Cisco isn't making his chest feel all tight and fuzzy and fluttery.) ]

I like the pants. I've got these bright orange ones back home, can see me from a mile away.

[ The comment about long hair... Genji frowns a little, the sides of his mouth just instantly dropping. ]

Nah. I mean, you're right, I'd look pretty damn good. [ He takes another swig of his booze. ] But then I'd just be copying my brother.

[ ...why did he bring up his brother? Jeez, he's acting all loose lipped in this place. ]

[franciscoramon]

Nice. I like the scarf, by the way.

[ He's about to suggest that there are a bunch of stores all around where the picnic is being held, that are having all sorts of sales. That the two of them could go and see what's available. But then he realizes he might have stuck his foot in his mouth with that long hair comment. He'd forgotten, that Genji's brother has long hair. He'd only seen the one photo of him, after all, and most of Cisco's attention had been on Genji himself, rather than Hanzo.

So Cisco gives a sigh of agreement, pursing his lips and nodding a bit, gaze still on the sky, watching some wisps of cloud passing by. ]

Okay, you're right. Takes all the fun outta that.

[ Clearly, from his tone of voice and the way he immediately discounted any similarity to Hanzo as a possibility, Cisco has some familiarity with their dynamic. More evidence in support of what he'd said about being Genji's friend. Of course, this Genji has no clue how bad things would get. The whole attempted murder thing. Which... is pretty sad to think about, so Cisco's going to avoid thinking about it, and avoid all brother talk if possible.

So he says, by way of transition: ]

Wanna see if we can find some dope threads? I know a couple places nearby that might be up your alley.

[flowlikewater]

[ That get him to preen a little, tossing an end over one shoulder. ]

It's not quite like the one I got back home, but it works. [ ...did he steal this one? He might have.

He goes back to his drink with a hum. Considering that response, Cisco must know about Hanzo. At least know what a stick in the mud he is. ]

Yup. I'd rather do my own thing.

[ But then his brow raises in amusement and he puts the bottle back down. Genji wipes at his mouth with the back of his hand. ]

'Dope threads'? You really are old. [ With that, he finishes off the bottle with a couple other big swigs and slams it down on the ground. ]

Yeah, sure. Lead the way.