riverviewlogs | monthly mingle: CARNIVALE

who: everyone in Riverview!
what: monthly mingle: carnivale
when: the month of july
where: anywhere around the city
warnings: please put any necessary warnings in the subject lines

carnivale

In the days leading up to July 1st, residents new and old will notice preparations beginning, a flurry of activity getting the city ready for the upcoming celebration: Carnivale. This holiday is in celebration of music, and the onset of summer and warmer weather. The celebrations are marked by street parties, an extensive program of live musical performances, with two large parades on July 8th and July 9th.

celebrating music, and summer

After a couple of months of low-key or even solemn celebrations, it's time for Riverview Quarantine to throw a good, old-fashioned party. Carnivale is a city-wide festival that pretty much everyone gets into, and many residents take the entire week off so they can enjoy all the festivities. With events ranging from impromptu street parties, free live musical performances, food stands, themed club nights, adult lounges with kink shows, and topped off with two massive party parades, the holiday has a lot to offer for anyone who likes to sing, dance, and show some skin!

i. street parties and food

One of the staples of the Carnivale festival is the spontaneous street parties and food trucks and carts. It's not unusual during the holiday to turn a corner and run into a group of people dressed in bright colors and sequins having an impromptu party with a few drinks, and then be invited to join right in! Carnivale is a celebration of music as well as summer, so most shops and stalls will be blasting danceable music into the streets to facilitate these little street parties - it's considered a sign of good luck for the owner of a business if an impromptu Carnivale celebration starts up in front of their door.

Considering the proliferation of street parties and people out and about to celebrate the warmer weather, local business owners also take to the streets. Food carts, stands, and trucks pop up on almost every street corner offering a wide variety of food from savory treats to sweet desserts. Many of the carts are offering one free item to anyone dressed up for Carnivale - anything shimmery, shiny, or brightly colored will do!

ii. live musical performances

One of the major roads in the city center has been completely roped off for the entire week, and all along this street, various temporary stages have been set up, each with a nice hefty sound system. Volunteers hand out printed flyers, and digital boards are set up here and there with schedules of various performances that are all free to attend, ranging from well-known popular music artists to new up-and-comers or independent artists who are looking to make a name for themselves. This event is very widely advertised around the city, and is accepting entries until the very last minute.

So jump in and stomp around in a mosh pit or just dance around in the streets, let yourself get lost in the music and the summer heat!

Any player-characters who are musically inclined are more than welcome to assume their character was fit in for a performance, and can post up a top-level with a rundown of their performance to get bonus Activity Points for posting a mingle!

iii. carnivale parade and children's parade

The other main attraction of Carnivale week comes on the weekend of July 8th and 9th, which are paid holiday days for everyone in the city. There are two parades, the Carnivale Parade on July 8th, and the Children's Parade on July 9th.

Both parades will start out by City Hall and wind through downtown in a lazy pattern so everyone in the city has a chance to see them. There will be all sorts of floats, dancers, marching bands, with all sorts of clubs, businesses, and other organizations represented. Observers can expect great music, excellent dancing and marching shows, neat vehicles provided by classic car clubs, the fire, police, and Perimeter Guard. They can also expect a lot of party favors, whether it's a sparkly plastic beaded necklace, a fan to take the edge off the heat, candy, popsicles, a temporary tattoo, or any number of other little treats or toys to be tossed into the crowd.

The Carnivale Parade on Saturday has a more adult tone to it, and party favors thrown may be toys or gag gifts of a more adult nature suitable for older teens and grown-ups. The floats are more risqué and the people in the parade show more skin, dance more provocatively, and there are wet T-shirts, occasional flashing, and other things that might not be suitable for children. The theme is theatrical, big and showy, bright and colorful, sparkly and shiny, with loud music and lots of glitz and glamour.

Geared toward children and younger teens, the Children's Parade is on Sunday and generally more low-key, with more of a cartoony than glitzy theme. The Children's Parade will have more conservative floats, with bright colors, juggling and dancing, and mascot costumes. Party favors will lean more toward candy and temporary tattoos, rainbow pinwheels, and small toys. Keep an eye out for floats with pop performers and for popular cartoons in the city!

And make sure you wear your waterproof mascara - Carnivale and Children's Parade floats have a tendency of spraying or spritzing water, both in an unspoken competition to see who can make the biggest water-refraction rainbow in the air, and to keep observers cool in the new summer heat.

iv. adult: lounges

Thanks to the Carnivale tradition of showing as much skin as possible, some event organizers' minds have turned to topics of a more adult nature. In the evenings, residents may see clubs doing "lounge nights"; these adults-only events have bouncers IDing everyone at the door to ensure they're 18+. The themes may vary, from very specific niche themes like 'golden age superheroes' to broad themes like 'rainbows,' and each event is clearly marked as what it is - all-nude or clothing-optional, and can host events ranging from amateur to professional exotic dancing, food served off of nude bodies, anonymous masked hookups, or just provide a comfortable space where casual sex is encouraged with whoever happens to be around. Various legal substances can be found at these lounges, but nothing that would cause violation of consent, and every substance would be clearly labeled and have warnings to ensure that no one partakes unless they choose to. Please be sure to warn in the subject line for sexual content or drug use (since some mild party drugs are legal in Riverview).

v. roommates or wildcard

Feel free to use this prompt to set up headers for a communal floor, or threads open to roommates for the purpose of getting to know each other. Or if you have an idea for a prompt that isn't in this list, set during Carnivale, feel free to write it up!

visual inspiration

click on thumbnails for larger view

Credit: image i: Roger Patterson Jr.; image ii: Jie He; image iii: Aaron Walker; image iv: Lewis Monson

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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[The tug on her sleeve has Breq turning sharply, tensing up. Moments like these, she doesn't like crowds either-- too much to keep track of-- but she pauses as she catches sight of the look on Shigeru's face, the shakiness of his voice.

Consciously, she modulates her expression into something less blank, more friendly and polite.]

There's a cafe nearby. Would that be better?

[ Ah. He isn't even paying attention when grabs onto someone. He knows Breq is at least a familiar face so that helps a lot in calming him somewhat. Still he looks shakily at the crowds and just nods his head silently. ]

Th-that's fine... [ anywhere but here right now will do. ] S-Sorry I know it's a weird request...

Not at all.

[Okay, well, it might be a bit of a strange request, but Breq isn't acting like it is. She just offers her arm politely, then starts to navigate through the crowds, leading Shigeru toward the edge.]

[ He'll manage to take it after a few seconds pause and looking incredibly uncomfortable at that. Still he might make noises of discomfort as Breq navigates them through the crowd. But when his phobia is this bad he just closes his eyes and tries to regulate his breathing. ]

Thank you. I-I really appreciate all this.

You're welcome.

[Breq is swift and steady as she leads the two of them through the crowds, and despite the press of people it's not long before they're at the cafe. Rather than walk off and leave him there, though, she goes up to the counter.]

Do you like tea?

[ The crowds is the worst of it and Breq might feel Shigeru's grip tighten around her hand for the duration of it. He looks totally pale as they finally make it into the cafe. He might let out a shaky breath of air as he nods. ]

Yes. Th-that's fine. I-I don't care what kind. [ Ah he feels so...silly having to have someone take care of him like this. ]

[Breq nods, and goes with something soothing and not too strong, for the order. Cold, because the last thing she imagines anyone wants after that much standing around in the hot press of the crowd is something piping hot.]

Does it help if you find a wall to stick to?

[ Shigeru meanwhile just looks tense and super uncomfortable as he eyes the people around them. But he tries to stay focused on the beverages in front of them instead of on the crowds outside and inside as well. He'll wring his hands under the table as he nods, awkwardly, looking anywhere but at Breq. He feels so...childish and stupid. ]

It-it does. I-I don't mind staying here though. In a booth it's...not as bad.

[ As long as he has some space. ]

Less people to keep track of.

[Breq nods, then takes up the drink she got for herself, sipping slightly. Her attention is still on Shigeru, contemplative.]

I find it easier when there's something solid behind me. Less directions to worry about.

[ Shigeru lets out a noise of acknowledgement at that. He totally gets the whole, keeping track of people thing, but probably for a very different reason. ]

Less...less area and space to-to worry about. [ He just wrings his hands as he watches someone walk by, idly chatting with their friends as they do so. He looks down at the blood stains on his gloves there and then. Wondering if he'd ever be able to do something like that so casually. ]

I-I don't like it when people are too close to me. [ He just feels gross and overwhelmed and he can't calm down at all. ]

[Still turning the drink in her hands as she lowers it from her mouth, Breq considers him. He'd seemed to do fine at the activity booths when she'd first met him-- then again, he'd had a table between the two of them. A very different dynamic from being stuck in the middle of a pushy, excited crowd.]

There are some balconies that seem open to viewing. If you'd still like to see the parade, that may be more agreeable.

[ That was before he was traumatized by the kidnapping too. Being stuck in a place without any way to get clean...it was really hard on him. Especially since he couldn't talk and was powerless. It really scared him for a moment, not knowing if he and everyone else would make it out alive. ]

I-I'd like that, if it's not too much trouble. You've been so kind, I-I don't want to make any more trouble for you because of...me.

[ And his own issues. He can probably find a place to sit but knowing him he'll just go home and fall into a pattern of cleaning the house again. ] I can probably go myself, if it's easier.

[She answers that by shaking her head and beginning to get to her feet, drink still in hand as she waves off the concern.]

It's no trouble. Besides, the view is likely to be better from up there.

[Not to mention, she could use a break from the crowds herself, and time to not have to monitor the motions of hundreds of people pressed in close.]

monthly mingle: CARNIVALE

parade

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