riverviewlogs | monthly mingle: FLOWER FESTIVAL

Entry tags:

monthly mingle: FLOWER FESTIVAL

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

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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Some of the panic eases away with those words, few as they are, but— it's a reassurance. A small one, anyway.

He can't help but breathe out a quick laugh, though, a bit of skepticism returning to his expression as she leans forward against him. ]

What's that mean?

[ In a different context, it might seem like she was teasing him, like how she occasionally rolls her eyes and says, "Predictable." ]

[ If the moment were lighter, it could absolutely be a tease. But given the weight of everything that's come spilling out of Peter today, it's not quite the place for it. ]

That everything you were saying was part of you – your history or your feelings.

[ A faint lift of her shoulder as she draws back enough to watch his face. ]

None of that is too much.

[ He falls quiet for a second, studying her a little doubtfully.

If it were literally anyone else? He'd call bullshit.

But... Gamora doesn't like lying. She avoids it when she can, he thinks, and in a case like this, where lying would just make the situation worse and worse, the thinks that maybe he can believe her.

Ridiculous as the reasoning sounds, at least to him.

Slowly, he tries to make himself calm down, to tamp down on that urge to run out the door and never come back. That won't help, he knows, regardless of how tempting that instinct is. A while ago, he already resolved himself to stick with this for the long haul, and he doesn't intend to go back on that now. ]

You don't have to say it back.

[ He pauses, trying to think of way to say this without spouting any other truths as collateral damage. ]

I hope you do, one day. But it doesn't have to be now.

[ She doesn't relax fully, but there is something reassuring about hearing Peter say that aloud. It didn't feel like he was expecting it from her, and he hadn't demanded anything, but... hearing it helps.

(Funny, how she so often fails to understand how Peter needs things to be said, when this is what soothes her.)

She nods quietly, running her thumb over the back of his hand. ]

All right.

[ She hopes that she does, too. She hopes that she can feel that and she hopes that she can say it.

For Peter.

She glances down to their linked fingers, then leans across the space between them to press a gentle kiss to Peter's lips. She can't offer that same sentiment, but... she can at least try to reassure him that she isn't running for the door because of it. ]

[ He returns the kiss in kind, gentle and slow, and when the pull apart, he—

He feels better, he guesses. A little like a weight has been lifted off his shoulders. Part of him still feels a little exhausted by it all, like he just finished running a marathon where he was chased by killer bees the entire time, but that initial burst of panic is gone, at least, replaced with a low hum of concern. ]

I—

[ —which is about when the doorbell rings, loudly, and Peter practically jumps out of his skin. ]

What the hell.

[ The doorbell itself doesn't make Gamora jump, but Peter's reaction gives her a brief, short start. She immediately looks towards their front door, and then seems to remember they'd ordered dinner. ]

Food.

[ An easy explanation, though she's a little reluctant to pull away from Peter. ]

Do you want to get Groot?

[ She gets to her feet as she asks, headed for their door to accept the food. She signs the delivery boy's receipt, sends him on his way, and then carries a couple of big boxes of pizza into the kitchen. ]

[ Right. Food.

Peter not so subtly presses a hand against his sternum – way to give him a heart attack, delivery guy – before slipping into the bedroom.

Groot glances up, one earbud pressed against the side of his head. He looks nervous, anxious, and Peter takes a breath before putting on a small, reassuring smile.

“I am Groot?” Are you two still fighting? ]

No, I think we’re okay now. [ Though Peter says it uncertainly. He’s reasonably sure, anyway, so it’s not a lie. ] I mean, I’m probably going to be paranoid as hell for the next couple of weeks and reading way too much into things, but that’s more me than anything. So for now, we’re not fighting.

[ A pause, and he shoots Groot a low level glare. ]

Stop asking me questions.

[ And Groot flashes him an impish smile.

Peter lifts him up, after that, letting the kid perch on Peter’s shoulder, and he steps out into the living space again. He pauses, though, when he sees the boxes in Gamora’s hands. ]

Jeez. How much did you order?

[ Gamora doesn't bother getting plates – if only because most of them are still drying or in the sink – but she grabs paper towels to deal with some of the greasy mess.

She sets the boxes out, opening them up to show off the steaming, gooey cheese and toppings awaiting them. Glancing up at Peter, she rips off a few paper towels, then offers them to him. ]

Enough to feed you for the next few days.

[ So: leftovers. ]

[ He takes the paper towel, pausing as Groot clambers off his shoulder and down his arm, to hop onto Gamora’s instead. ]

A few days.

[ And he echoes it back flatly before his expression pinches a little. ]

Exactly how long do you think this word-puking thing is gonna last?

[ because getting delivery in the first place was in deference to his “condition.” A few days’ worth of leftovers sort of makes it seem like Gamora expects this to last a while yet. ]

[ If Gamora explained her reasoning entirely, it would probably be something along the lines of wanting Peter to have his favorite food around in the aftermath of this strange compulsion. She knows how vulnerability can sit with a person, and it will at least make it easier on Peter to have pizza around when he wants it.

But instead, she just shrugs. ]

It doesn't hurt to be prepared.

[ She goes about getting a paper towel for Groot, putting down a slice of pizza for him and helping him onto the counter. ]

But it'll likely wear off by tomorrow.

Which is exactly when you're gonna kill me with running laps.

[ But apparently, for now, that isn't enough to deter him from plucking up a couple slices. Having a small panic attack takes a lot out of a guy, alright? And Peter is a growing boy who needs his nutrients, scarce as they may be in food like this. ]

I can run with you, if you're going to complain about it.

[ Though she says it mildly, that hint of good-humor in her tone as she takes a slice of pizza for herself. Obviously, running is a different matter for Gamora, but it's... moral support or something. ]

[ He snorts out a laugh before taking a bite of his pizza. And because he has the table manners of a caveman, he talks around the mouthful. ]

You and I both know that'd start as you running laps with me, then it'd turn into you running laps around me.

Which means I'm gonna complain no matter what.

[ These are all incredibly fair points that Gamora doesn't feel the need to concede – though she has better manners than Peter, so she's not going to say as much until she swallows her food. ]

And you'll still run, no matter what.

[ Because that's how you train.

She takes a bite from her pizza, offering Groot a reassuring little shoulder rub as he starts devouring his own food with only slightly less finesse than his Terran caretaker. She waits again until she swallows, and then, ]

Did you want to watch that movie you mentioned?

[ He huffs out a sigh in lieu of an answer. (Because, yeah, he’ll still run. He’ll still train. Gamora made it pretty clear that the Guardians were 100% not equipped to face Thanos, himself least of all.

So the training should help. Maybe him running a little quicker, him punching a little harder, him being a little better, will tip the scales in their favor?

... Probably not. Probably not at all, but there’s still something comforting about dreaming.)

At her question, he shrugs his shoulders and answers automatically: ] Not really, but everything still feels really awkward, and I’m not really sure what to say after all of— that. So it might be a good idea to turn the movie on just as background noise so it doesn’t feel like a funeral parlor in here.

[ An air of annoyance drifts over him briefly, as he shuts his eyes and takes a steadying breath. Then with a sense of calm he can fake but that he doesn’t feel, ]

You guys really need to be careful with the questions.

[ She doesn't look outright apologetic, but she also doesn't look bothered by the response. ]

That seemed like an easy one.

[ But considering all questions are apparently going to make Peter provide every single detail of his feelings, that doesn't leave much room to ask something harmless. ]

We could go down to the gardens after we eat instead.

Whatever you wanna do.

[ And he says it with another shrug. It doesn’t matter much to him what they do, because, honestly, he still feels wrong-footed. Clumsy. Maybe watching a movie would fill in the quiet so his disloyal mouth doesn’t try to do the job for him, but he likes walking through the gardens with Gamora. Likes the quiet and the tranquility and that look of wonder that crosses her face, sometimes. ]

I’m easy like Sunday morning.

[ She watches him quietly as she considers their options, and then finally, ]

We'll go for a walk.

[ It's decisive and easy, and she knows that even though it means the opportunity for Peter to accidentally share more, the peace will do them some good. It's easy to walk through the gardens without having to fill the silence. ]

[ He nods, taking another bite of his pizza. That's fine, he thinks. That'll be fine. The gardens are sort of, like, their spot. A frequent date night location, by now, even before they were an item. So, you know. It'll be good. It'll be fine. And it'll give something Groot to occupy himself with, learning new flowers and stuff.

He pauses, casting her a slightly wary look. ]

No more questions, though. I mean it.

[ She meets his wary look with something not quite exasperated, but maybe a little contrite. ]

I won't intentionally ask you anything.

[ Not for the purpose of him spilling any secrets; she might ask something like, "Do you want ice cream?" without thinking about it.

She waits until she finishes off her pizza, and then she reaches out to him, lightly resting her hand on his elbow: silent, gentle reassurance that she's there for him, and that she isn't delighting in this rash of honesty like some others might. ]

[ He pauses for a second, watching her with what's probably an overabundance of caution.

... He knows she doesn't mean anything by it, really. He knows she doesn't intend to take advantage of this, and anything that spills from his mouth, she isn't actively trying to mine from him. Gamora's cool like that, he thinks. She gets what's on and off the table.

(And admittedly, there's a lot more off than on, but that's simply because Peter is Peter, and he prefers to keep as much of himself to himself as he can.)

He relaxes, nodding slowly. ]

Okay. Good.

[ A beat, and he adds on in nearly a whisper, ]

Thank you.

[ She nods, and on an equally quiet tone, she offers, ]

Any time.

[ From Gamora, that's more than an acceptance of his gratitude or a way to dismiss his thanks; it's a promise, because any time Peter needs something, any time he finds himself lost and confused and threatened, Gamora will be there.

Any time. ]

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monthly mingle: FLOWER FESTIVAL

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