riverviewlogs | monthly mingle: CARNIVALE

Entry tags:

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

[Most of the music in his life has been the Chant of Light sung by the Brothers and Sisters in the Chantry or the occasional tune by a passing bard or Marryden in Skyhold's tavern. Since coming here, however, he's come to realize that it's an important part of everyone's lives. No matter where he goes or who he's spoken to, music follows closely behind.

It's...comforting, in a way.

A flash of golden hair and long bare limbs catches Cullen's attention and he finds himself trying to single out just what direction she's disappeared into. He pushes his way through the crowd as unobtrusively as he can, but as someone deliberately runs a hand up his leg to his backside, the former Templar turns on his heel to find the culprit.]

Madam, I would appreciate it very much if you never did that again.

[Through the lull in the music Iona catches the sound of Cullen’s voice, and what he’s saying draws her attention immediately, concern and protectiveness flaring sharply at his words. She’s turning on her heels and winding her way through the crowd towards him before he’s barely finished speaking, all too easily slipping her arm around his waist and leaning into him (ignoring how her ribs protest sharply at the movement; they’re not important at the moment). The very picture of a woman who’s finally found her lover in a crowd. ~~They really do need to talk.~~

She gives the target of Cullen’s words a sharp-edged smile from where she's pressed against his side.]

As would I, actually.

[He is ready to fight on another front when an arm twines around his waist and another body is flush against him. Until he notices who it is and a small smile steals across his face before turning back to the molester in question.]

As you can see, I am already taken. [Permanently if he had his way, but that is neither here nor there.

Before either Iona or the stranger have a chance to respond, he gently leads the elven woman at his side with a hand resting at the small of her back to a less crowded spot.]

I see that you're feeling better, but dancing is hardly the way for a cracked rib to heal.

[He can't help it. He has to make sure that she's taking care of herself if he can't.]

[She should have warned him, somehow, but her first thought had been to try and ensure that his molester didn’t try and touch him without his permission again. And then he realises it’s her and a smile steals across his face and she relaxes a little.

Of course, then he says that, and those words strike her in a way she doesn’t expect, even with her prior realisation; she wants them to be true. His hand is warm on the small of her back as he leads her away to somewhere a touch less crowded before she can say anything at all.

Which is probably for the best, for the moment.]

Probably not. [DEFINITELY not, they feel a bit as though they’re on fire, currently. Worth it, but still. Ow.] But it’s not every day I survive nearly getting sacrificed in a cult ritual to serve as a body for long dead spirits. [Her smile is amused.] Usually they’re just trying kill me, no ritual involved. So celebrating seemed to be in order.

[They can still hear the music from where they’re standing, and it’s not all fast-paced, up-tempo music. Some of it is slower. And oh, it’s a terrible idea, but she steps closer to him, rising up on tiptoe to press a gentle kiss against his cheek.]

Dance with me, Cullen.

[His smile dies as guilt hits him. He'd been outside the Quarantine when these cultists had attacked. Iona isn't the only person to have been kidnapped and harmed.

And he hadn't been here to protect her.]

I'm sorry. If I.... I shouldn't have left.

[The mission had been of some import, but it had also been volunteer from the Guard.

He's not sure if he'll be able to stop blaming himself for the injuries she and many others sustained.

But then she's in his personal space, kissing him. And it's difficult to remember to say no.]

Dancing is outside of my training, Iona. I cannot guarantee that I won't step on your feet.

[No. Nononono. She will not have him blaming himself for something that isn’t his fault in the slightest. Dancing will have to wait for a moment. She hadn’t meant her comment in any way but humourously; she’s gotten rather skilled in finding even a little humour in the things she’s gone through. She’s had to. Lest she breaks under the pressure. ~~And she’s failed there more that she likes.~~]

No, Cullen. My being taken, our being taken, wasn’t your fault. I swear to you. We were in the wrong place at the wrong time, perhaps, or we fit some ridiculous profile that they wanted for their ritual. For the hosts. Or it was utterly random. But it was not your fault.

[She’s framing his face with her hands now, gazing up at him with pleading lilac eyes.] You have no need to apologise. The only ones to blame for our injuries are the cultists.

[And Cullen is the type of man who wants to do all that he can to protect those he cares for. The fact that Iona and Dorian were in danger and he could do nothing rankles. Almost as much as watching Mahanon and the rest of his Inner Circle leave and return to Skyhold time after time.

But this time felt more personal. He'd gone and she'd been taken, hurt, almost killed and he hadn't known a damn thing until he'd returned. How could he not blame himself?

Her words feel hollow, even though he knows they're the truth. It will take some time for him to get over it. But he will, eventually.

He wants to bury his face in her hair, revel in the feel and smell of her around him for a while, but instead, he settles for taking her hands with his own and pulling them from his face to rest against his chest.]

I know.

[She knows that. Knows that no matter her words that he’ll still blame himself. She will just have to make sure she’s there to remind him that it’s not his fault until he realises and accepts that. And spending more time with him is no great hardship. ~~No, she likes his company. A LOT.~~

He takes her hands in his and rests them against his chest, and she’s gazing up at him with warm lilac eyes. I know, he says. She rises up on tiptoe and kisses him, on the lips this time, gently.] But it’ll take you time to believe it. That’s okay. [It’s part of who he is. He wants to protect those he cares about. And her getting hurt while he was gone on a mission...]

I’ll just have to make sure I’m here to help you with that.

Edited 2018-07-10 01:36 (UTC)

[He spends a very long, quiet moment staring into her eyes. They're so bright and it feels like they're piercing straight into him. In a way that he doesn't mind.

And when she kisses him, he wants to pull her in closer, deepen the kiss. He stops himself because he knows she's injured and he won't add to her pain. What he does do is switch his hold to just one hand and puts his other in her long, blonde hair.]

I like the way that sounds. And I still don't think that attempting to dance with me would be a good idea for you in your current condition.

[Fen’Harel’s ass, she enjoys his hand in her hair far too much. She enjoys most things involving Cullen far too much.

She smiles up at him]

I think dancing with you would be a very good idea. Perhaps one of the best, currently. There’s certainly nothing else I would rather be doing than spending time in your arms.

[More honest that she might have been with him, before the kidnapping, and there’s a part of her that wonders if perhaps she should have continued to that to herself... but she’s not. She doesn’t want to.

Dance with her. You won’t hurt her, Cullen.]

[Her answer is as much in response to what he's said as a challenge to do as she is requesting.

And Maker knows there's not a damn thing he'd rather be doing than holding her in his arms and kissing her.

With a defeated laugh, he lets go of her hands and slides that arm around her slim waist, gently urging her to move closer. He might not be a great dancer, but he is more than capable of slow dancing with her.]

As you wish. You might regret it later when you're nursing your toes, but I won't deny you.

[She needs very little urging to slip closer to him, one hand curling lightly around the back of his neck, the other settling on his hip, fingers curling gently into his clothes; coincidentally, that would be the injured side she’s been favouring. He’s already blaming himself for her injuries, she’s not going to do anything to make him feel worse.

She rises up on tiptoe and kisses him lightly.]

Never, Cullen.

[For a long moment, he holds her and moves them gently in a somewhat contained circle. It is pretty much the extent of his skill with dancing and far more than he's done in years.

Cullen is reminded of their trip to the hotsprings. Here they are, surrounded by people and yet so wrapped up in one another that they might as well be alone. It would worry him if he thought they were in any sort of dangerous situation, but things appear to be calm in the Quarantine. For the moment.]

I think you are determined to have your way with me.

[If he sounds okay with that, that's because he is.]

Edited 2018-07-16 08:09 (UTC)

[This is all she wants. She doesn’t need anything fancy when it comes to dancing... she just needs a gentle sway and the embrace of the man ~~she loves~~ she’s falling for.

And then he says that.

She gazes up at him for a long moment, searching his face. Verifying what it is she hears in his voice. He doesn’t... he sounds as though he doesn’t mind that. Which is good, because she’s pretty sure he’s right.]

I think I am.

[He stares into her eyes as she looks at him. It's intense and feels right.

He doesn't stop himself as he leans in and kisses her soundly on the lips. They're still swaying and a part of him chimes in that this might be painful for her, but he doesn't want to let her go.]

I'm inclined to let you do as you wish. I've yet to dislike anything involving you since we met.

[There might be a spark of pain as he leans in and kisses her soundly, but she barely notices with the distraction of him. And she’ll protest fervently if he lets her go.

It’s well worth it. He’s. Well worth it.

And once again he strikes her speechless with his words, her heart fluttering wildly. She doesn’t just want to have her way with him, although she wants him with all of her heart. And that IS a part of it. She just wants him. So she pauses, trying for a moment to find the right words.] And what if what I wish... is you?

[Not having her way with him... HIM. She can speak a bit more plainly if he wishes it, needs it, but she desperately hopes he understands what she means. What she’s trying very hard to say.

To do.]

[He goes still, his arm around her waist feeling like a dead weight for all that he keeps it touching her. His brain is both halted and racing as he tries to figure out just how to reply to that question.

Desire is something neither of them has been able to deny when it has been obvious since the second he arrived to Riverview and saw her. Desire is easy and something he's tried very hard to keep in check since there is the fact that they come from different versions of the same world and knowing that has pained her. Yet, here she is telling him that she wishes for him.

It's something he's hoped for, in between their heated shared moments, fervently.]

Then perhaps this isn't the best venue for this conversation.

[Lust he knows, but he's never been able to be satisfied with just that. And he needs to know if she is interested in something beyond just a night.]

[He goes still, and she watches him, hesitant, nervous. Waiting for his reaction. Hoping that she hasn’t mis-stepped terribly. She means it; means every bloody word. She doesn’t want to pretend that she doesn’t have feelings for him, anymore. That desire is all this is between them.

She exhales softly.]

No, perhaps it isn’t. Shall we take this somewhere... more private?

[Somewhere they can talk. Alone.]

[At her exhalation in relief, he shakes his head and gives her a small, private smile.]

There is a copse of trees on the other side of this park that should be empty of people. I didn't see anyone there before I spotted you at least.

[He wants to talk and if this were Skyhold his office or the parapets around it would be fine. But he doesn't trust the barracks and he's aware that her living arrangements are just as crowded as his own.

And he doesn't want to be interrupted. It's been a while coming and they both know it. Especially since the vigil he kept at her bedside while she was ill. He's known since then how he feels about her, but telling her isn't exactly something easy.]

[She nods. She’s spent quite a lot of time there in that copse of trees, when she’s been missing home, missing being able to surround herself with nature. To see nothing but trees above her, sunlight shining through the leaves. The copse... isn’t much, but it’s something.]

I know it.

[She catches his hand with hers, drawing him with her towards the copse so they can talk. They need to, and it’s... long overdue, probably.]

[Luckily when the enter the cool shade of the trees, it's empty. If it had been occupied, he can't guarantee that he would be able to keep his cool. The long walk has him wound tightly with stress.

But now, his pulse is racing and he's not sure that all of the sweat beading his forehead is from the heat. He can't even remember when the last time he's felt this...no, he can remember. Which puts a great deal of things into perspective for him as he watches her for a long moment.]

I'd never imagined that I'd have this type of conversation before. [It would've meant having a personal life.] I should have pushed more months ago.

[It is a very long walk, and it gives her too much time to think. To overthink, and ponder every way this could go badly. But it doesn’t change the fact that they need to talk. He needs to know where she stands. What she wants.

Who. She wants.

It needs to be said, plainly.]

Neither did I.

[It’s the honest truth. Especially not here in the Quarantine. She laughs softly, watching him with fond lilac eyes.] But we’re here now.

I’m. Here now.

As am I.

[Maker, why is this so difficult. It's something they both know must happen if they're to get any sort of resolution. He knows that they can't keep going back and forth with flirting and kissing and nearly crossing lines that can't be uncrossed.

He doesn't want anyone else. She, at least as he can tell, wants him. It should be as easy as breathing, yes?]

Iona, I... After a conversation with Dorian a few weeks ago, I think that there is a great deal that I should disclose to you about myself.

[More than just the fact that he's addicted to what might be the blood of a Titan and struggling with that bit of withdrawal.]

About my time in Ferelden and in Kirkwall before I joined the Inquisition.

[There is no one else in the Quarantine that she wants, except for him. Only Cullen. She just needs to tell him. Which seems to be less easy than it sounds.

This sounds serious. But it doesn’t matter. Whatever he needs to tell her, she’ll listen.]

Whatever you need to tell me, Cullen. I’m not going anywhere.

[She knows about what it means to be a templar. She knows what he has suffered physically for it and has tried to help him. What she doesn't know is exactly what it's cost him.]

After my vigil and first drought of lyrium, I was sent to the Mage Tower in Ferelden at Kinloch hold. Until the Blight, things were relatively calm and it was as idyllic as it's possible in Thedas.

[This part is easy, remembering what the Tower had been like before Uldred's return.]

There was an apprentice, a pretty girl who was kind to me when I first arrived. She'd just passed her Harrowing before the few mages that survived returned from Ostagar.

[This part is a bit harder. He'd watched the girl pass her Harrowing, had attended and hoped that he didn't have to deliver the blow that would kill her if she failed.]

She was among the first to die during the takeover.

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