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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I

[The bright colors and music threw Leliana for a loop. After arriving in this strange place, she felt completely off kilter. It was one thing to be lost and unsure of her surroundings but another to stumble completely into some raucous party.

Leliana turns this way and that, searching the faces around her, before pushing her way to the outer edges of the crowd. She pulls her hood up, hiding herself from view as much as possible as she decides to look at the food. The first piece of fruit to make it's way into her hands is turned over and inspected thoroughly. She doubts a merchant would be foolish enough to poison their own wares.]

How much is this?

[She realizes that money might be a problem, but perhaps she an haggle her way into some free food. She wasn't without skill in that department. Still, she gives the vendor a bit of a doe eyed look, trying her best to seem helpless and almost flattering of them in an attempt to get what she wants. It was better this way than calling attention to herself by stealing the food.]

III

[Leliana weaved through the crowd, watching the floats go by with interest. They were colorful and the scantily clad people made for an interesting show. It wasn't quite like Orlais but it was interesting enough to hold her interest. The lack of murder and intrigue was a nice change.

A woman dancing near one of the rides, drifts towards her and makes a show of giving her a glimpse of naked skin, much to her amusement. Leliana takes a step back at first but the woman is persistent, twirling near her and flashing more skin that Leliana is comfortable having directed her way. It had been some time since she indulged in pleasures of the flesh, but she wasn't immune to it. She turns to the nearest person, brows knitted together.]

Are parties always like this?

[The woman, realizing she's being put off, pouts and dances away back towards her float. The theme was so over the top theatrical with bright colors and lights and glimmering and shimmering costumes. Leliana just wanted to go home - perhaps with a glass of wine in hand.]

Wildcard

[Feel free to pm me on plurk

wishuponthenightskies if there's something you want to do with Leliana!]

[Eddie's been in the Quarantine for over a year now. He's established, comfortable in his life here, settled down, gainfully employed and post-promotion. Having been here as long as he has, it's easy to spot a newcomer, and when the red-headed lady in the market holds the piece of fruit up to the vendor, asking for the cost of it, Eddie walks over.

After all this time, he does still remember being new, feeling wrong-footed, and how much of a relief it had been when people were kind to him.]

Don't worry, I've got it.

[Pulling his phone out, he taps it against the pay-pad for the fruit, not even looking at the price beyond making sure it's not some kind of exorbitant thing.]

Are you new around here?

[Smiling at the woman warmly, he tucks his phone away again in his back pocket.]

[She watches him with interest, eyes moving for a moment to the device in his hands. She had every intention to ask him how it worked, but for now he was asking her a question.]

Thank you. I suppose I'm not very subtle about it, am I?

[Today was a bit of an off day. She could have just stolen the fruit but where would that have gotten her? It was better this way, even if she would have preferred to handle it herself.]

That was kind of you to help. How is it you were able to pay without coin...?

[She was given a device like his, but still isn't quite sure how it works. Whatever happened to regular currency?]

[Smiling warmly, Eddie shakes his head at her.]

Not really. Everyone here is from somewhere else, and there's new customs no matter how long you've been around, believe me. I've been here for over a year and I still sometimes look like a newbie.

[Graceful self-effacement has always been Eddie's forté, something he does to set the people around him at ease.

When she asks about the device, he brightens a bit.]

Well, let's see. I'm not exactly a tech guy, but I can give you the basics. How much do you know about technology?

[Well now, what's this? Relm pauses some feet behind where Leliana stands, thoughtfully eyeing that fruit and quietly inquiring to the merchant the price. The hood's familiar, as is the posture of the woman. She watches, waiting for Leliana to finish her haggle with the merchant before she steps forward, close enough to be within earshot.]

And behold, the mysterious portal snatches a nightingale. It seems to have a fondness for those of us saddled with names lending themselves to terrible aviary puns.

[But quickly she recalls her conversation with Cullen and she immediately tenses, dropping the familiarity. After all, chances were, Leliana would have no idea who she is.]

You are Sister Nightingale, no?

[There's a moment of confusion when she's being addressed. Clearly this is someone who knows her and yet she doesn't know that she's ever met her. Yet at the same time she feels as if she does. She reminds her almost immediately of Marian Hawke. Although they've only met a handful of times, she had learned a great deal about her.]

Oh, but that just means we're two birds of a feather, no?

[She smiles a bit, letting the answer find the way to her instead of asking who she is. It didn't matter, really.]

And calling me Sister Nightingale usually depends on who is speaking to me. Leliana is fine as well. We're among comrades after all.

[Well, sort of. Cassandra did beat up Varric trying to find her. That was technically her fault for allowing it.]

This place is peculiar. You don't quite look like her, but you're definitely Hawke.

[She is sorry for not knowing you, Hawke.]

[Relm watches and listens closely, taking in the details of the (in)famous Sister's reaction. Of course she doesn't know her. Relm supposes she shouldn't be entirely surprised. But a part of her's disappointed, she won't deny it. Maybe it's not something she'll get used to. Though that depends, she realizes, on whether or not more Thedosians show up between now and when she's spirited away from this place.

There's a hint of a smirk at her pun, but little else. After all, she and Leliana were never exactly chums. She respects the spymaster a great deal, but there's little else for her to go on. So she proceeds with a bit of caution not entirely characteristic of her.]

I'm the wrong Hawke, as it were. But I'll admit to being a little surprise you know of a woman bearing that name. Apparently I take quite a few forms and names, depending on who you ask.

[The whole idea still leaves a bitter taste in her mouth. There's nothing special about her. She's just a copper of a dozen, and just as replaceable.]

Really? That's interesting.

[Magic - or whatever put this place together - just got more weird as time went on.]

Even so, I'm sure you must have some things in common with them besides your appearance.

[Interesting is not exactly the word she would use, if she's being honest. Perhaps to someone like Leliana, it is. And maybe someday to her it will be. But for now, it still feels too unsettling, too... demeaning. Just about everyone else seems to stay the same throughout all these different Thedases. Why did she have to change? Or the Inquisitor? What made it that they were so replaceable, so malleable, and not constant like so many others? Hawke's not a scholar, and she tries not to dwell on things for too long (Tries being the key word) but this just unsettles her immensely.

But she's not about to reveal any of that to a spymaster, of all people.]

Considering that most seem to know of a Garrett Hawke, I'm safely assured that we don't look all that much alike. [Though perhaps they would bear some passing similarities, given they come from the same family. Then again, who knows? Maybe her family looks entirely different in other Thedases.] We share a name, a title, and familiarity with some of the same people. Outside of that I don't really know. I didn't exactly asked for an itemized list of everything this other Hawke did or didn't do.

[Mikumo has been enjoying some downtime between performances. The constant performances are good for her. It helps get her known and it keeps her busy, both good things as far as she's concerned. However, not even she can do nonstop performances. It's bad for her health and she has to build up her energy reserves.

Besides, why shouldn't she take some time to get used to her surroundings and have some fun for herself?

It's not as if she has to worry about the Windermereans or Xaos trying to use her for whatever purposes they have.]

I'm not so sure, but if they are, I don't think life will be boring.

[She gives the other woman a knowing smile.]

Is she not to your liking then?

Oh, no definitely not boring.

[She liked the festivities, but part of her still wanted to be doing something besides partying. She wanted to find out where this place was and how to go home, if possible. Perhaps it was fruitless, but here she is.]

She is... to my liking, I mean. It's just a distraction I don't want right now.

[She could definitely admire the curves and the lack of clothes, though. The whole thing made her feel a tad bit overdressed, wearing her chainmail dress in the warm sun.]

You don't seem lost in the slightest.

[A quick observation, given the woman isn't drifting about like she is, trying to assess the situation.]

[Leliana, find work. You should be used to that by now.]

Some distractions are well worth it.

[Mikumo doesn't have a type. She's not even sure she really cares about that. No one has ever struck her fancy. But, you know what she does like? Singing. And milk. And nice clothes.]

Why should I be lost? I've just got finished performing and now I'm on a break, taking in the scenery. According to my manager, it's the best thing for me to do right now, be seen.

[ Dorian dressed down somewhat to attend the outdoor festival, but as always when the Quarantine involved food, he felt drawn to the carts. There were always strange and exotic delicacies to try, but he didn't anticipate finding this particular bird poking about a fruit stall.

He slides in front of her, leading with a bit of money that he slides into the vendor's hand. ]

For you, good sir. [ And that little transaction taken care of, he turns his attention to Leiliana. Oh, they were going to need to go shopping. They'll both enjoy it. ]t

And you owe me a drink, or at the very least, a grapefruit I'd rather the drink. Grapefruit is far too bitter.

[Leliana jumps slightly with a start. She wasn't caught off guard so easily, but somehow Dorian has done it. Not only that but he's gone and made himself look like a complete gentleman by buying her food for her. She smiles, just to see him there.]

I could use a drink, honestly. This place is so... different.

[She waves a dismissive hand, not quite sure how to describe her feelings. It's not a bad different and certainly far from the worst place she's ever been, but she feels as if she's on the wrong foot of things.]

When did you get here?

[How, would be the better question.]

By "here" I assume you to mean the Quarantine, rather than this particular street, and I also presume the answer to that question to be simple: the same as you.

[ He nodded and started off down the street, sure the Nightingale would follow, and you could count on him to know where to find the good wine. ]

Very nearly a year ago, and by way of the self-same portal that's brought you here, I imagine. [ Though he does tap his chin thoughtfully for a moment. ] While at least slightly on the topic: what is it you last recall of home?

A year? How?

[Her brows shoot up almost immediately. Yes, wine. They needed wine for this. She's just going to follow him while they talk and go find said wine.]

Is this like the spell that brought you to the future with the Inquisitor?

[Obviously more complex or he would have found a way to break it, no?]

I remember... the Inquisitor finishing Corypheus.

Edited (forgot to answer his last question.) 2018-07-28 05:42 (UTC)

Patience. I'll explain.

[ Because he's just pleased as punch she wants to know how it works. ]

I'll preface this explanation with the knowledge that no, we don't actually know how the portal works.

[ He nods, smiling. ]

To confuse you even further, that happened two years ago.

Two years?

[If any of this was supposed to make her feel better, it really wasn't.]

That can't be right.

Can't it? Iona and I traveled a year into the future purely on accident without the influence of a trans-dimensional portal.

[ Think bigger, Leliana. He knows you can. ]

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monthly mingle: CARNIVALE

Leliana | Dragon Age | OTA

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