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riverviewlogs2018-08-01 10:33 pm
- !mod post: holiday,
- !mod post: monthly mingle,
- almost human: dorian,
- detroit become human: markus,
- dragon age: relm hawke,
- imperial radch: breq,
- legend of zelda (botw): zelda,
- marvel (616): cable,
- marvel (616): doreen green,
- marvel (mcu): peter parker,
- marvel (mcu): steve rogers,
- marvel (mcu): wanda maximoff,
- marvel (tv): margaret 'peggy' carter,
- osomatsu-san: jyushimatsu matsuno,
- ppz: elizabeth bennet,
- star trek (aos): james kirk,
- star wars: finn,
- star wars: padmé amidala,
- the black tapes: alex reagan,
- the goblin emperor: csevet aisava,
- the goblin emperor: maia drazhar,
- vikings: gyda ragnarsdottir,
- ✖ dctv (flash): cisco ramon,
- ✖ dctv (flash): eddie thawne,
- ✖ the raven cycle: ronan lynch,
- ✖ vikings: ivar ragnarsson
monthly mingle: RIVER FESTIVAL
what: monthly mingle: the river festival
when: the month of august
where: anywhere around the city
warnings: please put any necessary warnings in the subject lines
In the days leading up to August 1st, residents new and old will notice preparations beginning, a flurry of activity getting the city ready for the upcoming celebration: The River Festival. This holiday is in celebration of the river and the life that it gives to the city, as well as the heat of summer and forming bonds with friends, family, and romantic partners. The celebrations are marked by a community-wide cleanup of the docks and beaches along the river - particularly important considering the recent flooding that's left the banks of the river littered with debris - as well as beachfront cookouts and parties (both private and city sponsored) and beach sports tournaments happening on either open stretches of beach or in special clothing-optional beaches, all capped off with fireworks displays each weekend in August.
Following the hedonism of Carnivale, it's time for something a little more low-key and relaxing. The River Festival happens every year in August, and is geared toward community building through cleaning up the beaches and docks along the river and then using all that freshly cleaned beach to gather on. During the month of August, there are various lightly-themed government-sponsored beach cookouts and parties geared toward family, romantic dates, or casual all-ages get-togethers for meeting new friends; there are also a few more racy parties at clothing-optional beaches around the city. Many private residents also take this time to gather together friends and family, and have cookouts on the beach with all the typical trappings of the beach barbecue. There are also various casual sports tournaments sponsored by community centers, gyms, and sports teams in the city, featuring prizes ranging from notoriety to sports equipment to big bucks. Every weekend, there are beautiful fireworks displays and free concerts. This year, the River Festival has been chosen for the unveiling of a new water park in the City, with free or heavily discounted tickets during August!
i. cleaning up
The holiday starts off on a note that is just a bit more sombre than the rest of the season, with the cleanup efforts following the recent flooding blending into the usual tradition of cleaning up beaches and docks along the river. The cleanup is a group effort, with every citizen who is physically able pitching in to comb the beaches, where they pick up fallen tree limbs, garbage, and anything else that's accumulated during the winter and spring, and then raking the beaches to make them clean and ready to use. The cleanup of the docks is similar, with residents sweeping and hosing them down where necessary. This year, there are a lot of repairs to be made to beachfront structures that might've been damaged by flooding and the traffic along the riverbanks from the heroes that participated in the rescue of cult hostages, so if anyone has some carpentry or building skills, those would definitely come in handy.
This is meant to be a community building effort, so many businesses in the area, more well-to-do private citizens, and the government have pitched in funding to provide lunches, cold drinks, coffee or tea, and snacks to anyone who's helping out with the cleanup efforts. All in all, the cleanup has a very friendly, welcoming vibe.
ii. beach activities
The main traditions of the River Festival involve cookouts and beach parties. Each weekend in August, the government as well as various corporations and businesses in the city, will be providing funds for large beach gatherings. On these days, there will be booths set up offering wares and freebies from various businesses around the city that have helped fund the party, large swaths of cleared beach where residents can don a swimsuit and catch some rays or swim in the river, massive barbecue setups to provide partygoers with all the standard barbecue fare, beach sports tournaments, dancing and musical performances, and fireworks displays (see prompts below).
The holiday isn't just about these big parties, though - many residents arrange their own barbecues, cookouts, beach camping trips, beach bonfires, and other riverside gatherings and outings. Many riverfront businesses offer discounts on services such as canoe or kayak rentals to go out paddling on the river, jetski or motorboat rentals for tubing, wakeboarding, or waterskiing, or mounts to take romantic rides in the surf. Additionally, there is an adults-only section of the beach where any of these activities can be done in the nude in a clothing-optional setting, including the big city-sponsored parties.
If your character is good at playing a particular sport that could, conceivably, be played on a beach, chances are that during the month of August, a tournament will be set up for them to participate in. The tournaments are pretty standard, generally sponsored by community centers, sports clubs and teams, gyms, and other organizations and businesses in the city, with various levels of specialization, and levels of skill or competitiveness. The prizes also vary, with everything from plain old bragging rights to sports equipment or passes to gyms and community centers, to large lump sums of cash money. Definitely worth it, for characters with a love for sport. Oh, and a lot of these tournaments are happening on the adults-only clothing-optional beaches, for those grown-up sports fans who like a bit of an extra challenge.
iii. fireworks and music
Each weekend throughout the month of August, there will be evening performances all along the beach. Not as extensive as the musical performances during Carnivale, the performances are geared more toward dancing than true concerts, with areas roped off on both on the regular and adults-only clothing-optional beaches for dancing and mingling (acts will switch off between the two areas so both areas get both performances).
Player-characters who are musical artists, DJs, or otherwise perform are free to set up shop around this party and panhandle or put on free performances for publicity.
After the sun goes down, boats will head out into the water carrying a variety of fireworks, and there will be a beautiful display of exploding color in the sky for residents to watch and enjoy. The fireworks are highly advanced, incorporating old-fashioned gunpowder as well as modern technology that result in really beautiful displays that can take the breath away!
iv. waterpark
This year, there's an extra little bit of fun being thrown into the River Festival - the grand opening of a new waterpark! It's quite the park, set near the river with a scenic view, and featuring all sorts of amazing rides, from waterslides that are catered to all ages and levels of thrill seeking, tube rides that are almost like a rollercoaster on water, a pool where customers can faux-surf, funnel rides, side-by-side racing slides, a lazy river, and almost anything else you can imagine. Besides the rides, there are also a wide variety of swimming pools for kids and adults - wave pools, lap pools, splash pools - and an equally wide variety of hot tubs featuring various minerals (and some aromatherapy) for relaxing, invigoration, and other effects.
Some of the hot tubs are in a clothing-optional adult area, where there are some normal pools and some clearly-labelled pools contain elements that increase arousal or desire, or simply affection to encourage some closer bonding!
v. roommates or wildcard
Feel free to use this prompt to meet new roommates, for the purpose of getting to know each other, or hit up one of the mod-posted prompts for each Communal Floor. Or if you have an idea for a prompt that isn't in this list, set during the River Festival, feel free to write it up!
Credit: image i: credit unknown; image ii: Albert Ramon Puig; image iii: Claudio Pilia; image iv: Alan Philips
no subject
[She won't have to abandon her funnel cake just yet and it shouldn't be as obvious how weak of a swimmer Wanda is. Maybe this wasn't the best place to pick, but she couldn't help but be curious and it's also nice to see Stephen outside of Gramarye for a change. His assumption's not far off - it's nice to have someone else around she can relate to, but Wanda doesn't want to be seen as just the Scarlet Witch, either.
A group of teens who definitely aren't watching where they're going rush by and Wanda instinctively steps closer to Stephen to avoid a collision. Somewhere not so crowded sounds great to her right about now...]
Definitely more relaxing.
[It's not far at all, and when they arrive at the hot tubs they're presented with a split: an all ages area and the adults-only area. Several helpful signs note that clothing is optional and there are several 'special' hot tubs in the adults-only section.]
no subject
Yes, somewhere away from the crowds sound like the perfect idea right now.
[He doesn't really care about the many people around them, but they are here to spend time together to know each other better, so quieter place seems like the right choice. Though Stephen still tells himself that this is not a date.
He raises an eyebrow slowly at the signage as they arrived at the hot tubs: clearly he didn't expect them to have those kind of rules. Sounds of laughter and splashes are echoing from the all ages area, causing Stephen to tilt his head towards the adult side of the facility:]
Wanna see if we can handle those 'special' baths?
no subject
I don't know if it will affect me, but we can try one of the lighter ones if you really want to see.
[Affection seems to be something they feel for each other already, but the rest, if they aren't immune to the water, seems like a little much so soon. They haven't even put words to whatever-this-is.
She doesn't want to rush it, doesn't want to mistake her joy at meeting someone else so like her for the stirrings of something else.]
But we should definitely try one on that side.
no subject
Oh? You think your willpower can overcome whatever magic they cooked up for the baths? That's a bold affirmation.
[Personally, he wants to think that his own willpower will be strong enough to resist whatever effects the waters might have on him, but he finds it quite...interesting that Wanda seems to think the same of herself. A woman with a strong character, definitely one of his weaknesses.
He opens the door to the adult side of the hot tubs, finding them, as expected, much more quieter than the all-ages ones. He passes by the baths that claims to enhance desire without giving them one look. It's not that Stephen wouldn't like for him and Wanda to become that intimate, it's simply that if they do, he'd rather that to happen on their own terms.
He finally stops in front of one those baths that may (or may not, he's still doubting this, thinking it might just be a psychosomatic effect) increase affection. Stephen turns around to Wanda, a small, almost challenging: smile on his lips]
Still up for this?
[If she backs out, his pride might be wounded, but Stephen wouldn't hold it against Wanda.]
no subject
She's still calm when they finally reach one of the hot tubs that claims to boost affection.]
It looks normal. [But if anyone should know that looks can be deceiving, it's Wanda. Gingerly, she sits on the side of the tub and lowers one leg into the water.
One heartbeat, two heartbeats, three. Nothing. Not even a stray thought urging her closer to him. Should she be disappointed? Maybe it was just a marketing gimmick...]
It feels normal?
[Enough for her to fully turn and slide her other leg into the water, anyway.]
no subject
Her comment breaks his train of thoughts, and he smiles lightly, the frown relaxing:]
It does. And to be honest? I'm almost disappointed that the water hasn't been colored pink and the bath full of bubbles, or something.
[It would have been completely tacky if it had been pink water, but it would have fitted the theme.
Stephen watches at she precociously slips one leg in the waters, waiting intently for her assessment of it. He's not exactly surprised to learn that nothing special happens and he sits in front of her, at the edge of the bath, before letting his body sink in the water until it came to his chest. He's still wearing the thin button up shirt, not having the patience to fight with the buttons a second time around; it hadn't been the smartest fashion choice given the state of his hands.
At least, the temperature of the bath is pleasant, and maybe the tension in his shoulders slacks a tiny bit at the moment.]
Mmm, must be homeopathic then.
[He says dryly before moving to offer Wanda his hand to help her in the bath with him.]
no subject
I don't think anyone would come here if it had.
[She does love a good bath bomb, but weirdly-colored mystery water? Hard pass, thanks.
She's a little surprised Stephen doesn't remove his shirt before it occurs to her that he might not be able to, at least not in a way that he'd want her to see. She can understand that, even if she'd really just rather Stephen be comfortable. Wanda's never explained the bizarre scarring on her right palm even though she's sure he must have noticed - she doesn't really like to talk about Strucker or his experiments or how he'd deceived the twins. And the Mind Stone on its own is...cruel.
The keeper of another Infinity Stone must know all about that, she thinks. There's no need to dwell on it.
She takes his hand and slips gracefully into the water with a sigh.]
It's relaxing. Even if it doesn't do anything, it's nice to have some quiet time.
[A beat. She wants to offer to help, but not in a way that's going to make Stephen self-conscious about it] Are you comfortable?
no subject
He's noticed the scar on her hand, but knows better than to ask about it. He speaks very rarely of the lines that crisscross his own hands, now more out of the fact that he's accepted them enough to forget about it most of the time.
If Wanda had asked Stephen if he considered the Time Stone to be cruel before his time on Titan, he would have nonchalantly answered that the Eye had been nothing but a useful tool in guarding Earth. But now that he knows what will come to pass, and how steep the price of victory for the Avengers is, Stephen would agree that being a stone keeper might be a burden.
But prices paid in the past and the bills that are coming due are far from his mind as he watches Wanda slips into the water, and maybe Stephen keeps her hand in his for a moment longer than necessary, the curl on his lips widening at the sound of her sigh. Hot tubs are not something he would have suggested for a date, but this is turning out to be a great idea.
He hums approvingly:]
That, I can't argue with. I have to admit, it is nice. [He says as he leans back against the wall of the tub. Having spent most of his life living on his own, he's grown accustomed to the silence and solitary life, and now that he's living in the communal apartments, he finds himself missing the quietness of the Sanctum.
He gives Wanda a mildly confused look at her question:]
I am? [And then, Stephens catches her gaze on the wet shirt on his back, and he shrugs lightly, not wanting to put too much importance on it:]
I'm fine. You would still be waiting for me if I had tried to take it off.
[Please don't ask how long it took for him to put it on. There's a reason why he still favors the clothing style he wore in Kamar-Taj.]
no subject
[She knows she's a hopeless romantic and she loves bath bombs, but in a public hot tub, it makes the water seem more questionable and less clean. But whatever she smells (incense, or an oil burner somewhere?) is nice, and Wanda lets more of the tension fall away with another deep breath.
Her eyes open and fall on Stephen (and his shirt) and it just doesn't feel right to let him stay in it unless he really wants to. It's not the effect of the hot tub or any less-than-innocent desire to see him shirtless guiding her, although that's definitely a bonus. Wanda just wants him to be able to fully relax, too.
She shifts a little closer.]
Let me? I don't mind.