monthly mingle: CARNIVALE

[riverviewmod]

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

navigation

Comments

Markus | OTA

[compartmentalise]

i. street parties + food

["Go enjoy the festival" is one of those vague instructions Carl might give him, but that's exactly what the lady he's caring for in his hospice job tells him. So here he is walking around the food carts. So far Markus can't see anything that designates as Androids Only and since the festival is a large area, his programming doesn't block him.

He pauses by each food cart, analyzing the ingredients and nutritional value of each dish. He doesn't need to eat but the hospice patience do, and he needs to make sure they're eating well.

Otherwise Markus tries not to bump into anyone or attract attention. He's dressed in his hospice uniform. He has no idea what these people will do to androids who aren't wearing their proper clothing. Carl did always say he would one day have to take care of himself]

iii. children's parade

[Markus sort of just walked in on this one. He watches it with an upward lift of his mouth. All of the colors fascinate him. At some point he gets a party favor that turns out to be a rainbow pinwheel. He isn't sure he's allowed to have this, but the colors are nice to look at, so he'll hold onto it for a while.

When he's sprayed with water, he doesn't seem bothered by it at all and doesn't even bother wiping the water off his face]

v. wildcard

[idk whatever. Poke me at seraphjewel if you want to do a thing]

i.

[winscenario]

They taste better than they look.

[ Jim offers with a friendly smile, eyebrows raising and head tipping with a nod towards the deep fried food Markus is staring at. He gets a serving for himself, holding off on paying the vendor just yet. ]

Work break? [ He asks because— well, scrubs. ] You want some? My treat.

[compartmentalise]

[He's getting a little more used to people randomly offering him food, though he still doesn't really understand why they're doing it. Is it a custom in this place?]

My client told me to enjoy the festival. [He shakes his head at the offer] I don't eat.

[winscenario]

[ He's just being nice, really. He can't say why everyone else is doing it. Maybe they're just friendlier than usual. Or drunker. Maybe a mix of both. ]

You don't? [ That has Jim looking at the guy more attentively. He looks human. But then so does Dorian, and he doesn't eat either. Just outright asking a guy if he's an android seems rude, though. He could be from a species that just doesn't need that kind of sustenance. ] Why's that?

[ He pays the vendor for his food, taking a step sideways to get out of the way. ]

[compartmentalise]

[Markus turns his head so Jim can more clearly see the LED. To be fair, it is hard to notice if you don't already know to look for it: it's just a small circle with a glowing blue light]

I'm an android.

[winscenario]

Oh. [ He leans to take a look at the other side of his face. From his angle, he couldn't have been able to see it anyway, and he didn't even know to look for it. ]

Wow. I mean, I... sorry. I couldn't tell. [ He seems to be a little awestruck at the moment, don't mind him or his fascinated smile. ]

I'm Jim. [ Offering a hand to him. ] It's... really nice to meet you.

[compartmentalise]

[There's a brief moment where his LED flickers to red. Is he in trouble? But then the man smiled at him, so he settles back to blue, only to flicker to yellow as he processes. It was nice to meet him? Even Carl didn't say that when they first met.

He's not sure what to do with the offered hand, though. He can understand touching humans in the course of his assignment as hospice caretaker, but to shake hands? His hesitation is only a few seconds, which is not that long in human terms. Finally, he shakes the hand]

I've been given the name Markus.

[winscenario]

[ His lips twitch a little at the corner. The way he says that, rather than just saying 'My name is Markus', is kind of endearing in Jim's eyes. He shakes his hand, then lets go. ]

But do you want me to call you Markus? [ Just because he was given that name doesn't necessarily mean he wants to go by it. ]

[compartmentalise]

[That gets him processing again. Before he arrived here, Carl was the only one to call him Markus. Leo calls him a plastic toy, and other humans just call him "it", if they acknowledge him at all. But Jim is the first to ask if he want this name]

Yes. I am Markus.

i

[breqintopieces]

[Markus isn't the only one examining this particular stall at the moment, though Breq's attention is just as much on the impromptu dance party that seems to be springing up in front of this one and drawing the vendor's attention. She looks over the food on display, and then at Markus, looking intensely at them,]

If you're not careful, you'll be strongarmed into trying it.

[compartmentalise]

Everyone I've met at this part of the festival offers me food.

[Maybe if you stopped staring at the food Markus, gosh]

[breqintopieces]

They're fond of it.

[Breq knows plenty of tricks for shaking off persistent sales pitches and even she's ended up with a few dishes to eat or pawn off on her fellow festival-goers in turn.]

Eye contact is the opening they go for.

[compartmentalise]

I've been trying to avoid that. But it seems analyzing the food has the same effect.

[There's a tone to his voice that could be interpreted as amusement]

[breqintopieces]

[Analyze it? Interesting word choice, there, certainly enough to catch her attention.]

Showing interest in their wares? Of course it would.

[Speaking of, there's that vendor, aiming toward the both of them with a gleam in their eye.]

[compartmentalise]

It's not very usual where I come from.

[At least, it isn't for androids. So if that vendor tries to sell them things, Markus will automatically assume they're not talking to him]

[breqintopieces]

Is it?

[That earns a bit of a raised eyebrow from Breq. She's never not known street vendors to go after everyone they could, though plenty of other types have been hostile and mistrusting in her direction, for various reasons.]

I find it to be that the Quarantine is very different in a number of aspects, no matter where you come from.

[compartmentalise]

[He nods. Even in the short time he's been here, he's noticed that this place is different in how others treat him and react when told he's an android]

I think I like it.

i

[quartercoin]

[ Connor has been using the festival to learn more about the culture and people here. It's been fascinating and he's gained a lot of substantial knowledge, and spoken with a good few individuals.

It doesn't seem like anyone here has any ill will towards androids, which Connor is happy to learn. It will certainly make integrating himself easier.

But as he's walking and scanning the crowds he catches a familiar face. A very familiar face. Connor finds himself smiling. ]

Markus!

[ He approaches him, clearly happy to see him. ]

I didn't expect to find you here. Did you just arrive as well?

[compartmentalise]

[He pauses at the name. He's introduced himself a few times now, and his uniform has a nametag, so it's not too odd for a stranger to call for him. But it is odd for them to speak as if they know him.

When he turns he immediately recognizes it's an android like him. But this one is talking to him, which never happens]

Do I know you?

[quartercoin]

[ And that... throws Connor off entirely. It's a rare thing and Connor himself isn't sure what to do with the feeling.

He blinks. ]

It's me, Connor. Do you not remember?

[ ...had his memory been wiped after the revolution? What a terrifying thought. ]

[compartmentalise]

No. We haven't met.

[He's sure of that, though there is something familiar about the other android. Could be that they're both RK models]

[quartercoin]

I see. My apologies, I must be mistaken then.

[ He did a quick scan... this is the same Markus. The one of a kind prototype, given to Carl Manfred from Elijah Kamski.

Well, now he has a new mystery to solve. Connor's LED flashes back to blue, a temporary yellow in his confusion. ]

It is nice to find another android here. Have you been here long?

[compartmentalise]

Not very long. I was assigned a position as a hospice caretaker, but the woman I'm caring for told me to enjoy the festival.

[This is a little odd, having a conversation with another android. Other than stale business interactions, he ignores other androids and they ignore him]

I think I like this place.

[quartercoin]

[ Connor's finds himself smiling very faintly. ]

It has been quite entertaining. The people here seem kind.

[ Connor has yet to narrow down the two possibilities: either Markus' memory was wiped or he is the result of some kind of time anomaly. He'll need more information. ]

Everyone here seems to treat androids kindly. I haven't felt out of place.

[compartmentalise]

It's more than kindness. They like androids, and we are free to go anywhere.

[He wonders if this other android understands how amazing all of this is]