riverviewlogs | monthly mingle: CARNIVALE

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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

[ Yeah sure, she definitely strikes him as the really cool, popular mean girls type. ]

Through no fault of my own, for once.

[ He just got dragged into this whole mess!! Then got lost in the crowd. Funny how he gets lost here more easily than out in the wild. But you know what, he's feeling less grumpy about it now. ]

Thought my guns did that for me. [ He's not carrying any guns, so ya know what guns he's actually talking about. ] I'm not letting you stick any butterflies or pink flowers anywhere on my skin.

[ He leans in closer to take a peek at the tattoos. Not that seems all that interested in them, so it may just be an excuse. ]

( skye wishes she had been that really cool, super popular girl. she can't even try to hide her smile or the eyeroll that accompanies it in reaction to his guns commentary. sure, dude. just brag about your jacked arms, that's totally fair. )

I didn't say anything about butterflies or flowers, did I? ( way to assume her artistic vision here, unnamed attractive man. ) We could do rainbow skulls and bones here. Orrrrr a bunch of naked women with wings, apparently, that's also an option here.

( imagine it: two naked women astride his chest, baring their wings and chest alike to curious onlookers. )

Or dicks, because I got a lot of fake dick tattoos for some reason.

[ It's just a little bit of bragging, he didn't even flex them or anything. He totally could have done that. ]

Right, because those options aren't equally tacky at all. [ He frowns and lets out a 'pffft', taking a few of those tattoos out of her hand. ] Mm, sure. It's thematic. Makes perfect sense. [ Holding one of those dick tattoos up against his forehead. Why would anyone not want a dick tattooed on their body?? ]

How about... we go find some paint, and you draw whatever you feel like? On my arm or something. [ He shrugs. ] I'll buy you a drink, if you want. As a more proper apology.

I think you could rock the fake dick forehead look, actually.

( to be fair, he could probably rock just about anything on his face so long as that wet t-shirt was still there to provide visual distractions. even without gratuitous arm flexing! )

But sure, if you're afraid of a little rainbow tattoo action, we can sub out for some drunken painting. ( a drink, he says. ) No promises there won't be any butterflies, though.

( MAYBE IN HER STOMACH INSTEAD? no, just kidding, who suffers butterflies after the age of fourteen? not adults, that's for sure. )

Gee, thanks. [ The most deadpan and insincere look. Definitely no dicks on his forehead, thanks. ]

Oh, I'm never afraid of a little action. [ He narrows his eyes a bit at her, smirking. In case she's wondering, yes that is flirting. Or an attempt, at the very least. ] Well, if you want a butterfly tattoo that bad, I can do that for you. Quid pro quo.

[ But— drinks first. ] I'm Owen, by the way. [ See, now he's not a stranger. ] I'd say you take me to your favorite bar, but it looks like we can get drinks just about anywhere. [ People are partying all the way down the street, colorful drinks in hand. There are street stands solely dedicated to selling drinks and cocktails. They really won't have to go far. ]

( what's this? the chippendale used flirt? was it effective? maybe. there's a roll of her eyes to downplay the entire situation, but her mouth betrays her, a hint of a grin at the corner offered up instead. )

Skye. ( yes, like the thing up there with the clouds and the sun. ) You can slap a butterfly tattoo on me anywhere you want after about two drinks, I think, but my favorite bar's a dive halfway across town ... which means you better get a move on and find me a drink man, Indiana Jones, or I'm going to have to find someone else to torment with the thought of rainbow junk on their face.

( which is pretty unlikely, all things considered, since owen seems to be that fantastic combo of obnoxiously attractive and yet not a complete douchebag, and skye's never really been in the habit of turning those down. she's not exactly itching for a white picket fence and two point five tax credits, but something lowkey's always an option. )

[ He probably would pretend to be offended at that description but he also probably would play along with it. Minus the bowtie and wrist cuffs. The whole bare-chested look he could pull off, though. ]

Anywhere I want? [ Both eyebrows rise up his forehead. Okay he won't tease her too much about that. But hey, good to know. Clearly he needs to get two drinks on her, fast. ]

Shouldn't be too hard, considering. [ He nods down the street, waiting for her before starting on his way. First bar or drink stand he finds, he'll beeline towards it. ] So how long have you been here, Skye? Fresh off the boat like me, or...

[ It's not like he's ever cared for white picket fences (his raptors would just jump right over them anyway), casual's always been more his style. But there's no harm in some chatting and getting to know each other. ]

What can I say, I'm flexible.

( and shameless, apparently, which will pair nicely with an '82 bordeaux or whatever alcohol happens to be available from the makeshift tiki bar they find along the sidewalk. she's charmed — the bar's cute, fringed all over with raffia and plastic seashells, looking like a decoration out of a kid's birthday party or a state fair.

as she peruses their chalkboard menu, skye considers his question. how long has it been, anyway? she's lost track a bit, if she's totally honest, in between people getting sick and getting kidnapped and getting god knows what else. all that excitement's sure tiring. )

Two months, I think? ( give or take. ) Feels like longer, though.

( a girl in line in front of them finally leaves, hands full with what looks suspiciously like coconuts punctured with metal straws. what a dream. gives a whole new meaning to the "watermelon rum punch" on the menu. )

I really hope that means it's a watermelon full of rum punch.

[ If she really means that, Owen's probably going to take advantage of it. You know, nothing as terrible as asking her to take too many clothes off ~~in public~~, but he's not gonna let an opportunity pass him by either.

The bar is... not his style. But then precious few places at this festival seem to be. He can go along with it, though. It's drinks, and one can't go wrong with alcohol. (Maybe.) ]

Too quiet, or too crazy?

[ He watches the girl walk away with her fruit-slash-drinks, then back to Skye. ] Only one way to find out.

[ And indeed, when Owen asks for one, they get one huge ass watermelon, two straws sticking out of it. He holds it up with a 'wow', then hands it over to Skye. ] Do we share or were you planning on having one of these all by yourself? [ Kudos if she drinks it all, no lie. ]

Little bit of both? ( a vague shrug. ) It's kind of strange, actually — seems like every month, something happens. Some festival or holiday or city-wide crisis, whatever it takes. And there was a whole kidnapping cult thing, too, so...

( she trails off as he turns to the vendor to order, watching with barely repressed amusement as he explains that they'd like whatever the watermelon special happens to be. and, in all honesty, she thought she was prepared for the possibilities. but when it's passed over to him, skye realizes that whatever she thought a giant watermelon filled with rum was going to look or feel like, this definitely wasn't it. the thing is easily twenty pounds of sloshing liquid and two impossibly tall straws, and with the hot air outside and cold air inside, the rind of the fruit quickly begins to sweat. it's basically a recipe for dropping a watermelon keg on the ground, and skye thinks it'd probably be best to avoid that particular disaster.

luckily for them both, there's a picnic table not far away. convenient and shaded, no less, an excellent place to relocate and tackle this outrageous party beverage. when they settle, she levels him with a lightly raised brow and a held out straw of his very own. )

I mean, this thing's begging to be shared. ( there are two straws, after all. ) Unless you want your own — don't let me get in the way of your party. You only show up on the moon once, right?

A kidnapping cult.

[ He sounds somewhere between skeptical and surprised. While he wouldn't call his current situation a kidnapping, he didn't exactly come here of his own volition, so people getting snatched up around the Quarantine on top of that seems a bit excessive. For lack of a better word.

And here he thought the creatures beyond the wall were the only thing people had to worry about, around here.

He takes a seat next to her, sideways on the bench, taking the straw that she offers to him. ]

Oh, no. Sharing fits the theme. Besides, this isn't even my usual drink of choice. [ Meaning it's probably too sweet and he wouldn't manage to drink it all on his own. He leans in and takes a sip, humming. ] Yep, that's sweet.

Yeah, a kidnapping cult. Apparently all the rage for reviving moon spirit people? Something like that, anyway. ( skye shakes her head a bit, clearly put out by the memory. ) I didn't stay to read the mission briefing afterwards, so I don't know all the details.

( she hadn't wanted the guilty feeling that came from not doing enough. she'd been injured at the time, recovering; her friend had gone missing and while skye had done her best to be there for her afterwards, sometimes she didn't feel like that was enough. she could have blasted the door down and dragged the girl to safety, but she hadn't. she'd let other people talk her into following doctor's orders and staying behind.

no reason to dwell on that now, though. not when there's a drink to be sampled in good company on a warm day. following his lead, she leans in to take her own contemplative first sip; there's a beat after her swallow, and then a bemused chuckle breaking the silence. )

It's a watermelon filled with booze. ( duh, owen. ) Of course it's sweet.

( doesn't mean she's not going to drink it, though. a stranger's generosity isn't exactly something she's grown accustomed to relying on, but when offered a free drink from someone who seems statistically unlikely to try and spike it, skye's not in the position to say no. )

It's not terrible, though. It's got a punch, at least.

( get it? sorry, her jokes don't get any better from here. )

[ It's not exactly the most cheerful topic. Owen does want to learn as much as he can about this place, but that doesn't mean he was planning on getting all up on serious stuff with Skye. Seriously, she was talking about pressing a dick tattoo to his forehead.

So when she lets the matter drop for now, he's prompt in following her lead. Maybe sometime later he'll ask her about it, or ask someone else. Right now he'd much rather be having fun with her. Almost feels like he's forgotten at times. ]

Yes, but— it's just sweeter than I'm used to.

[ But then he is a very beer kind of guy. Doesn't get too fancy, nor too colorful. Almost feels like he's on some wild vacation when he's sipping alcohol out of a watermelon.

The effort it takes for him not to snort his drink up his nose when she says that is commendable. He still half-coughs-half-laughs, putting a hand over his mouth as he leans away. ] God— that was... really, really bad. Just awful.

[ And yet he's laughing, what does that say about you Owen. ]

( of course it was bad! it was a bad joke, and the fact that he's practically bent over in fits just proves how bad it was, which means she's feeling particularly smug about her choice in comedic one-liners. )

Oh, come on. ( don't choke and die, please. she'd be very concerned. ) You laughed, okay. You liked it.

( anyway, she liked it, which is all that really matters here. the joke and the drink — and speaking of, the watermelon punch's sweetness is at least somewhat mitigated by the sharpness of the cheap liquor the bartender opted for, so it's not like the afternoon's really that bad. nah, she could do worse. don't mind her, owen, she's just going to take another sip, grinning all the while. )

Let me guess: you're a boring Miller Lite all day kind of guy at home?

Maybe I like dumb jokes and I'm easy to please. Now, what does that say about your comedic skills?

[ In all fairness, not all of that is a lie. Owen is easy in a lot of aspects. Easy to please, but also easy to annoy, and easy to anger. He doesn't often bother trying to hold back on how he feels.

Luckily for Skye, she's mostly falling on the 'pleasing' scale. And, okay yeah, he does like dumb jokes. Whatever. ]

More of a stout guy, actually. But yeah, beer's usually my drink of choice.

[ It's simple but not boring, not too wild but not entirely unsuitable for parties. Owen's like ten years too old to be drinking fruity cocktails anyway. ]

What's your go-to drink, then? This— [ He gestures to the watermelon, finishing his thought just before taking a long sip. ] doesn't look like your usual, either.

Hey, I never claimed to be a comedian. I was just stating a fact. Don't be mad that you're so easy.

( they have that in common. the pendulum swings in many directions, from thrill-seeking to stubborn to aggressively angry; it takes very little for her to go from one to the other. for now, though, she's in a good mood, placated by a much-needed lapse in city-wide crises and the reassurance of a warm day with nary a cloud in the sky. cheap booze and entertaining company isn't hurting, either. )

Believe it or not... I don't really have one. ( a shrug of her shoulders, fingertips tapping along the make-shift rim of the fruit. ) I told you, I'm flexible.

Oh, I'm not. I like easy.

[ Keeps things simple. He knows all too well not everything in life can be easy, so he enjoys what precious little can be.

He nods. She did say that, true. His lips twitch into a vague and brief grin. ] Good. So beer won't be a bad choice for a next time. [ You know, potential next time. That just wouldn't sound as smooth. (As if he ever is.) ]

I'll take a beer next time, yeah. ( there probably will be. as long as he doesn't try anything too weird or start insulting her out of the blue, anyway. ) But don't think that means you get out of finishing this first.

( this being the absurd mini-keg of fruit juice they've got between them... and the potential for terrible, horrible jokes that it inspires. )

Hate to break it to you, but we cantaloupe out of this one.

Who, me? Never. You did say two drinks, I'm gonna see that through.

[ Granted, 'two drinks' gets a whole new meaning when they're slurping out of a huge watermelon. How many drinks does this count as? Still just one? Not that Owen's gonna back down either way. Call it a challenge.

Luckily this time she doesn't catch him halfway through a sip, so he doesn't choke on it. Not that he's that worried about looking cool or anything. He'd just rather not make even more of a mess of himself. Wet shirt's already more than enough.

He still laughs, shaking his head at her. ] Lame puns are kinda like your one move, aren't they? [ Not that they're not working on him. ]

( it's a very flexible watermelon keg, okay. skye would be happy to count it as two drinks if he wanted to be technical — considering that the average drink is usually eight to ten ounces and this is easily double that — or just one if he was feeling cocky. either way, she's going to drink it. he better not let her drink all of it, though. )

More like one in a million. ( moves? bad jokes? great jokes? the world may never know. ) Don't worry, it's not just my jokes that'll rock your world.

( #quakepuns )

[ He's not! He's totally participating in this watermelon drinking activity. She's still drinking a lot more than him, because it's sweet as hell and his intake consists mostly of small sips with pauses in-between.

Cheap alcohol hopefully means it's not too strong, in this case. He wouldn't want her to get totally plastered.

His grin gains a sharper edge to that last remark. He eyes her up and down rather shamelessly. Look, he has absolutely no clue about her powers, so you know how he's taking that, okay. ] Big talk. I'll believe it when I see it.

Hey, listen. Name the time and place, buddy, your world will be thoroughly rocked and rolled.

( is she a little buzzed from her consistent intake of fruit juice and grain liquor? maybe. but her smug grin is true all the same, a steady expression that's lasted from sobriety to her current pleasantly tipsy state; she'd have made the claim either way. )

Unless, of course, you know. You're too polite for all that.

Do I look too polite, to you?

[ Because people usually say the opposite. That's he's blunt, rough, even outright rude. Not that he cares, evidently. Serves him well when he wants to get his opinions through clearly, and if he comes across as a little cocky in more social situations, well... too bad. More of a hit or miss, there.

He's sort of hoping it's a hit, this time around. Skye seems to like it, anyway. His lips twitch into a hint of a smirk, eyes glinting, fingers playing with the tip of his straw. ]

No time like the present. Or so I hear.

( obviously not. it was a rhetorical statement (since it wasn't technically a question) and definitely not one meant in sincerity. it doesn't take a genius to figure out that they're cut from the same brash, obnoxious cloth. )

It's because you want out of buying that second drink, huh?

( now she's just giving him shit. the way her brow arches up in challenge ought to be clue enough that skye's certainly not opposed to escalating things... but maybe, just maybe, not in the middle of a park during a city-wide celebration. surely there are better avenues. )

I think you're forgetting something. I did say time and place...

[ He laughs at that. Her tone doesn't carry that same accusation the words imply, but still he offers, just in case. ]

The present doesn't have to be right this instant, if you want another drink that bad.

[ Besides, the two drinks was for fake butterfly tattoos, not necessarily taking clothes off and getting... busier. Not that he's about to point that out. ]

You did. [ He narrows his eyes, humming thoughtfully. ] Well, I have a private room, back at the community housing building. How's that for a place?

monthly mingle: CARNIVALE

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