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

[The tension doesn't exactly go away, but it shifts, a little. Her focus turns on Tony, with a hint of something behind her eyes. The fingers of one hand curl around the edge of the chair a little, as she takes in that expression.

Only a moment longer and she adopts a more casual pose again, even smiling politely.]

I wasn't aware. Very well, then. If he's amenable, I'd be willing to let you and him do some scans, after I've met him.

Sure.

[ It's an easy, casual agreement, but Tony is still giving her a slightly searching look, trying to puzzle out exactly what that reaction is about. Something about JARVIS, but he can't figure out exactly what. She doesn't seem to be the type to be weirded out by AIs, not from what Tony has seen, but there's definitely something there. ]

Any time. We could go now, if you want.

[This time, there's another half-second of hesitation, but the reason for it is more obvious, as Breq spares a glance toward the stage and the rockers still screaming and shouting and shredding their way through their set.]

Once this song is done.

[After that, her casual gesture says, she's willing to go wherever.]

Fair enough. There's no rush.

[ And Tony stretches out a little to make himself comfortable, fingers absently tapping out a little rhythm on his leg in time to the music. It's not half-bad for a live set, and Tony can appreciate it for a bit. He might still be more than a little curious about what's going on in Breq's head, but even he can tell that she's not the type to be rushed.

Besides, he came out here for a reason. Might as well enjoy it for a bit. ]

[As soon as he confirms, Breq nods, and her attention is turned completely back toward the music, and the stage. Her arms are crossed loosely against her chest, as she watches the performers up on stage work their way through the song, throwing their energy into the piece, and jumping and running around the stage to interact with the cheering crowd.

For all of her intense focus, though, she doesn't appear to be tapping to the beat, or even moving at all.

When the song finishes, she uncrosses her arms, and turns to Tony, expression inscrutable.]

Where to?

[ Tony's eyes slide over towards her as she shifts, but he just smiles slightly. And might groan just a little as he pushes himself to his feet. ]

Come on.

[ And for all his curiosity, he's in no particular hurry as he leads her out of the festival, over towards the scattered warehouses that dot the side of the city. The one he stops in front of looks no different from the rest, aside from maybe being a bit smaller than some, but the door swings itself open as he approaches.

The inside, however, is a different story. The entire first floor is taken up with worktables and projects in various states of completion, with a desk covered in monitors tucked against one side, and a corner with a sofa in the other. And, standing against the back wall, a familiar red-and-gold suit of armor. ]

[Breq isn't overly wary as she follows Tony through the streets to his place. Which is to say, she's a bit less wary and alert than she was when they were in actively hostile territory together. She's still definitely taking note of the route and their surroundings.

As for when they finally reach the warehouse... She doesn't mean to linger at the edge the way she does, but there's so much to take in that she wastes almost three seconds standing there cataloguing the contents of the tables. She finally steps inside when her attention reaches the suit.]

I see you keep busy.

Generally.

[ It's an easy agreement, considering that Tony is in his element. He gestures over towards the couch with a faint smile, like he knows what she's doing. She wouldn't be the first to try to case the joint, he's worked with too many soldiers. But if she wants to get a little more comfortable, the offer is there.

Something moves behind him before he can give a warning, and Dum-E scoots by between a couple of the tables with what looks like a cleaning cloth clutched in his claw. He's not actually cleaning anything, but the intent is clearly there. ]

[She does actually start toward the couch with a little nod of thanks-- she may be intense and noticably wary, but she's also not going to be rude when it's not warranted. She's a few feet from it when Dum-E makes a sudden appearance.

She looks over the robot, then glances back to Tony.]

'Generally.' Are introductions in order?

[It feels awkward, to not be able to recognize the artificial intelligences immediately, but that's the nature of a melting pot like the quarantine. Everyone here is and has something someone else has never even considered before.]

[ Tony glances briefly at her with a look of vague confusion, before he follows her gaze over towards the bot he'd tuned out. And then with an amused snort, he turns and gestures towards it. ]

Hey, c'mere.

[ Dum-E's claw rotates all the way around his base to look over, like he's trying to make sure he's being addressed, before the bot rolls his way back over to Tony, cloth still clutched victoriously. He lifts it even higher as he rolls to a stop in front of Tony, showing off a little. ]

Yeah, yeah. You're not entirely useless for once, good job. Dum-E, this is Breq, [ he gestures over to her as the robot's arm swivels in her direction ] Breq meet Dum-E.

[What a way to talk to a robot. Breq is prepared to bristle-- slightly less so at the revelation that this isn't the JARVIS Tony had indicated before-- but does at least manage a polite almost-a-bow nod, rather than offering a handshake.]

Is Dum-E key to this process?

[Skepticism, what skepticism.]

Nah, he's supposed to be cleaning.

[ The tone in Tony's voice is clearly aiming for resigned, but it comes out sounding a lot more like fond. He absently pets the bot's main strut as the claw rotates towards him again. ]

Go on. And don't break anything!

[ This last called after him as Dum-E trundles off again, cleaning cloth held aloft with something almost like determination. Tony watches him go for a moment, then shakes his head. ]

Don't mind him.

[That reaction eases some of the tension in her, for some reason or another. Not entirely, but enough that she isn't quite so hawk-eyed about Tony's interactions with the robot. She also finally makes it over to the couch to sit properly on it, then fixes Tony with a clearly expectant look.]

How do you plan to go about this?

[ He flicks a glance towards her that manages to be both amused and thoughtful -- he hasn't missed that tension returning, though he's still not sure what it's all about. But they are here for a reason, so hey. ]

JARVIS?

Sir? [ The new voice is smooth, posh, and seems to come from nowhere in particular. ]

First off, meet Breq. Breq, JARVIS. [ He waves a hand vaguely around like that's supposed to help anything. ] Also, can you give me a list of all the music we currently have available?

[ There's no response this time, but a glowing holographic window pops up near Tony's side, with an increasingly long list scrolling down. ]

So. Rock, right?

[Right. She'd nearly forgotten that particular goal of this meeting, when faced with the specter of scans and prying questions about the Radchaai technology installed in her body. At least she can be comfortable in the fact that Tony and Jarvis likely won't recognize the significance of her ancillary implants, though they'll probably find out something.

Trepidation is no reason to be rude to a potential cousin, though. She tilts her head, taking in the professionally cultured voice without hunting for a source.]

I'm pleased to meet you, JARVIS. I hope I'm not a disruption.

[To Tony, she adds:]

Yes. Feel free to start with any favorites you might have.

And you, miss.

[ The reply is perfectly polite, though almost drowned out as Tony does something arcane with the window in front of him and the opening riff to Thunderstruck pours through the speakers. ]

Here.

[ And Tony flicks the entire window in her direction, voice raised to speak over the music. ]

Feel free to play around. It's sort of organized by subgenre. Metal, Thrash, Funk, etc etc. There's like a thousand of them, Im tried to pick out the big ones.

Edited 2018-08-17 01:59 (UTC)

[Acting automatically, she 'catches' the screen, quickly working out the ways of controlling the screen and beginning to scroll through the options available. A few entries make her pause, but she doesn't select anything just yet as she lets AC/DC continue making the room hum.]

Thank you, both of you.

[Not to throw shade on Tony but JARVIS definitely provided a lot of this list, and she's determined to give credit where it's due where AI are concerned.]

What details did you want to know about the armor?

[ Tony gives an absent sort of shrug as he watches her work through everything. No surprise that she works it out quickly, though the UI is designed to be pretty self-evident. ]

Anything you want to tell me, really. How does it work?

[Her eyes are still down on the list, but her attention isn't, if the way her scrolling slows is any indication. In the background, Brian Johnson's voice begins to wail that there's no turning back.]

It's armor, rather than shielding, because of the way it functions. It doesn't negate the force of a blow. It simply converts the kinetic energy to thermal. Much easier to accomplish in a small personal unit. It's not infallible. It saved me from falling off of a bridge, but just barely.

It's not shielding. And it's not a force field.

Huh. So what happens to the thermal energy, does it just dissipate?

[ Wouldn't be a very good defense if it proceeded to cook you by accident. But she hadn't seemed to have any problems with it. ]

Sounds kind of like what I'd think of as body armor. Spreads the impact out so that it's less damaging.

Yes. The unit would fail long before the temperatures became dangerous to the user, though. It can only take so much. And it's only effective against certain attacks.

[The invisible gun she carries is one of those things that is specifically meant to pierce through Radchaai shielding, among other things, but she stays silent about that. She's not going to give up that many secrets, especially since Tony still is a relative unknown, even as she begins to extend her trust.]

That is a good description of the effect.

So basically a full-body flak jacket. Interesting.

[ The energy conversion is definitely a fun idea, if nothing else. Part of him wonders if he could incorporate that into the armor without too much restructuring. Might save him a few bruises.

Tony's fingers twitch slightly like he's just barely resisting the urge to pull up another window and start designing. But he can at least pretend to be a decent host. ]

J, make a note. Look into that energy thing.

Would you perhaps like to be a bit more specific, sir? [ Somehow the sarcasm is perfectly audible even over the music. Tony just rolls his eyes. ]

I'll know what I mean. Be nice, we've got company.

By all means, JARVIS, make it more specific.

[Breq's eyes make a brief flicker, from Tony to the speakers that JARVIS's voice is emerging from, a glint of amusement flickering in them before she turns her attention down to the registry of songs in front of her. A tap ends AC/DC in favor of the Foo Fighters strumming out the beginning chords of The Pretenders, which she tilts her head to listen to for a few moments, absorbing the song before she eventually turns her attention back to Tony.]

Unless you didn't want any scans.

[ Tony twists to give her a deeply amused look. ]

Is that blackmail? [ He doesn't sound particularly upset about the idea. More like delighted. It's always a fun time when he can get Breq to break through her usual stoicism. ]

Yes, fine. JARVIS, we're gonna try to see if I can use that energy conversion idea, at least a little. The armor's mostly bulletproof [ it's added almost as an aside to Breq, ] but I still get knocked around a bunch. Always looking for ways to stop giving myself concussions.

Simply pointing out a fact. [But there's just a hint of lightness in her tone. And if she's placing herself squarely on the AI's side, well, it's only jesting. And really, the banter between JARVIS and Tony isn't a bad thing. It doesn't mean that Tony might not see his AI as a thing, a tool, but it at least means JARVIS is a favored one, and dry retorts mean JARVIS isn't resentful.

She scrolls slowly through the song list and wonders what she might learn if her implants were active]

It won't save you from a fall. [Slightly more serious, this time. She looks over the lab, then amends:] Not in the form it's installed in me. But I've used it to slow falls, take shots, guard against knives in the back. If you raise it fast enough, it can save your life.

monthly mingle: CARNIVALE

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