monthly mingle: RIVER FESTIVAL

[riverviewmod]

who: everyone in Riverview!
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

river festival

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.

a celebration of the river and togetherness

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!

visual inspiration

click on thumbnails for larger view

Credit: image i: credit unknown; image ii: Albert Ramon Puig; image iii: Claudio Pilia; image iv: Alan Philips

navigation

Comments

[goblinemperor]

[ Even with a gentle as Csevet's words are, Maia feels a rising panic in him. And yet, underneath that fear, there is a kind of nervous excitement, too. Csevet is the closest thing he has ever had to a friend - a best friend, in whom he could confide things he dared not tell anyone else.

It takes time. Despite his trust in Csevet, Maia has many long years training to be cautious. He has no practice, speaking honestly about himself. So, at first, he only gives a very small nod. Answering would be easier, if he were totally ignorant. But the truth is, some part of him has been wondering for longer than he can say. ]

There was... Min Vechin. I knew she was merely... flattering me, but I still let her, because I found her very beautiful.

[ But that was something Csevet already knew. Everyone had seen that well enough. Maia had not thought to hide his attraction to her, his awkward schoolboy crush. Maia's ears dip low, and his voice sinks to a mere whisper. ]

And- for a brief time... I no longer do but at one point I felt... I would not allow myself to put words to it, yet- yet I... uh. I- very much liked... spending time with Nurevis.

[ His face feels as hot as a stove, and he doesn't want to look at Csevet, but cannot stop himself from glancing up, expression half terror, half relief over his confession. He had not said it, even to Csethiro as they made their arrangement. He hadn't even let himself really think it, properly, until this moment. His stomach feels as if it has been twisted into knots. ]

[secretarialhand]

[Csevet can sense Maia's discomfort and self-consciousness, and finds that all he can do to ease it is to continue to be quiet and allow him to gather his thoughts before putting them to words. For a moment, Csevet stops looking at Maia's face, to give him a break from being the subject of someone else's gaze, to give him the privacy he always, understandably, seems to long for. But his eyes settle instead on Maia's strong hands against the railing of the balcony, without any of his usual rings besides his signet, at the way his tendon and muscle move under his slate grey skin.

Maia's admission about Min Vechin comes as no surprise - at the start of his reign, Maia had had very little capacity to hide his crush on the opera singer, and Csevet cannot deny that she was beautiful, still is.

The second admission, however, comes as a bit more of a surprise. Csevet's head turns abruptly so his eyes lock on Maia's face, his ears lifting, eyes widening just a little. The truth is that Csevet had expected Maia to have only the normal inclinations, to be attracted to women. But to hear that Maia had been attracted to Nurevis, even if he'd only admitted to an emotional or mental attraction, is a little startling. Csevet feels something twist in his gut - hope, and it hurts more than anything else, because he knows that he shouldn't, that it would be impossible and improper and not even something he should be thinking about, let alone hoping for. But Maia's simple admission of attraction to a man...he can't stop it from affecting him, just for a moment.

It is Csevet's turn to fold his hands together to keep himself from fidgeting.]

If it is not too impertinent to ask...was your interest in Osmer Chavar...purely out of enjoyment of time spent together or was there some...physical attraction?

[Csevet is not usually one to be hesitant, to speak without eloquence, but he finds it completely impossible not to be so, when asking a question like that.]

[goblinemperor]

[ Maia feels like he can't breathe, waiting for Csevet to speak. Those uncharacteristic hesitations sound to him as if Csevet is forcing himself to speak calmly, despite disappointment, perhaps even disgust. Why else would Csevet be so still, so serious? Of all his household, Csevet was the one who came closest to teasing him, at times. He must be repulsed, and yet allowing his loyalty and sense of duty and the force of habit dictate his response.

Would he be wrong to? Perhaps his tolerance extended to others, but not Maia - not someone he worked with so closely. Maia's mind rings with the echoes of some of Setheris's nastier words, about filthy people doing filthy things. Maia feels a little sick. And yet it is too late, for him to retreat. To undo what he has done.

Neruvis had not been beautiful, like Min Vechin. Hadn't had her voice, or grace; he had never set out to charm Maia the way she had done. And yet, thinking back... the evidence is there. He was emperor. No one was meant to touch him, really. But the rules of etiquette were all a bit looser at Neruvis's parties. His hand on Maia's elbow to get his attention. A tap to his shoulder. A few fingers, brushing his hand as Neruvis handed him something to look at. Maia had assumed that it was just the rarity of being touched by anyone but his edocharei that made his pulse thrill, his words stutter.

But out on this balcony, in the faint breeze, it is time to be honest with himself. Be honest with both of them. Voice tight with emotion, Maia manages: ]

There... was.

[ It was done, then. He had confirmed it, and now Csevet knew. The consequences of that would be what they would be. Maia blinks hard against the sudden swimming of his vision. He had not expected to feel so raw. But he had not expected any of this. There was no way he could have been prepared for it. ]

[secretarialhand]

[When Maia gives his answer, Csevet releases a breath he hadn't realized he was holding, and turns to look at him more directly. Eyes on his face, as he reads his expression. It seems to go beyond self-consciousness, what he sees on Maia's face and hears in Maia's voice, beyond simply being nervous to something like fear. He realizes, slowly, that Maia is afraid of his disapproval, of his disapproval in this.

It's utterly ridiculous, and for a moment, Csevet chokes down the irrational temptation to laugh, completely at a loss. What could Maia possibly have to prove to Csevet? What could he possibly fear from him, when Csevet thinks Maia is as close to perfection as anyone he's met?]

We understand.

[His voice is carefully measured, and he lets go of the railing, turning a little to face Maia more directly, his hip leaning against the railing, because he needs that support, right now. Everything seems surreal, unbelievable, and Csevet is aware of his every heartbeat, his every breath, and those of Maia, just as acutely.]

There are those, Serenity, who make no distinction between men or women, or even anyone who falls between the two, when experiencing attraction and choosing lovers. In our time, among both the couriers and the Court, we have met many such people, and we would reassure you that this inclination is as acceptable to us as any other.

[A slight pause, and he exhales again, eyes dropping, ears going red, unable to meet Maia's eyes.]

We would also wish to make an admission of our own, on this topic. It seems...unfair, to avoid discussing our own inclinations when asking you to expose your own. You see, we ourselves are attracted only to men, and so we hope that this sets whatever fears you may have about our judgement at ease.

[A pause, and another slightly troubled exhalation.]

We only hope that it does not cause you to think less of us.

[goblinemperor]

[ Maia, half out of duty and half out of a strange kind of masochism, forces himself mirrors Csevet's movement. He looks at Csevet's face - a little flushed but otherwise as utterly unreadable as ever. Usually, Maia has little difficulty reading the moods of others, sensing in a basic way what they might be feeling at any given moment. But Csevet's mask is exquisite. Far moreso than the others in his household, or at court. In a way, it reminds him of Csethiro...

So it is unexpected, when Csevet reassures him that he has been friends with people who are like Maia before, and that he finds the whole mess of it perfectly acceptable. The idea that he is not alone, that there are others like him, leaves Maia feeling stunned, and strangely raw. ]

There... are?

[ He hears his own voice crack, under the weight of the tears he had been suppressing. But that awful pressure of sadness and despair is lessening with every second. Maia hasn't fully taken it in, yet, but he is beginning to, slowly. ]

We did not know... such a thing was- allowed.

[ And then Csevet keeps talking, not just to reassure him, or teach him things he does not know of the world due to his inexperience and the isolation of his upbringing. Instead, Csevet volunteers information about himself. It is almost unprecedented. The information itself is also very unexpected. Somehow, he had never really let himself wonder, whether Csevet might not only be interested in women. He had assumed, the way he always assumed, that Csevet was. Maia is stunned into silence - that is, until Csevet says what he does about thinking less of him, and Maia interrupts almost before he finishes the sentence: ]

Of course it doesn't, Csevet. We would have to be a monstrous hypocrite, an it did. Did you not hear us just- just admit to you that we had an infatuation with a man? You need fear my judgment as little as I need fear yours.

[ By the gods... Csevet, with men. That was quite a thought. Of course, Maia had known about Eshevis, but that was entirely different. Csevet had done nothing to encourage that, and had nearly perished because he fought back. It is worlds different to imagining Csevet having male lovers. People who he saw on the off hours when he was not working. Men who kissed him, who ran their hands through his hair, undressed him, did a dozen other things Maia only has the very vaguest notions of...

Abruptly, he decides that he should perhaps not think about all of that. It feels dangerous in a way that he doesn't want to let himself consider. Instead, blindly, he asks: ]

How long have you known?

[secretarialhand]

[There's something about the way Maia looks at him when he asks, in that cracked little voice, if there truly are other people who make no distinction with regards to the sex of their partner when choosing lovers, that makes Csevet feel both incredibly fond and incredibly pained. It isn't difficult to forget that Maia was raised in isolation, sheltered from most of the outside world, but it's even more apparent in moments like this.

Csevet smiles a little, ducking his head, when Maia says he didn't know such thing was allowed.]

Beg pardon, Serenity, but in matters of this kind of inclination, there's very little 'allowing' to be done, as it's something we- [The plural, this time.] -are born into, just like our families.

[A soft exhalation, and he goes quiet, watching Maia as he processes what Csevet has volunteered about himself. He'd expected a pause while Maia considers how to look at him now, how to feel about him, but before he can even finish the sentence, Maia is speaking, saying that he would be a monstrous hypocrite for feeling differently about him because of his inclinations. Maia speaks in the informal again, shifting into it as he says that Csevet needs to fear his judgement as little as Maia fears Csevet's.

He can see the tears in Maia's eyes, and the sincerity and warmth on his face, and he holds his breath for a moment, against the warm rush of pleasure at connecting with Maia in this way, sharing this moment, this information, intimate and personal. It's a dangerous pleasure, because Csevet is at least somewhat aware of his own feelings for Maia, unacknowledged in words or even conscious thought, though felt deeply. It's dangerous, potentially devastating, holds the potential to destroy his life - job, friendships, standing, even future employability - if it goes wrong in any way. And yet, for a moment, he indulges enjoyment of the intimacy, the connection.

Then he exhales and lets the sensation go, still smiling, his eyes softer than usual.]

We have known since we were quite young, Serenity. Since we first realized how romance and more intimate enjoyments worked, we knew that we had no interest in indulging in such with women. To be sure, we tried, but it came to nothing, for we love women, but only as friends. By the time we were thirteen, we knew that there was no use in forcing ourselves anymore to try for a more...acceptable connection.

[goblinemperor]

[ Maia can tell - even though he is being as kind and gentle as ever in his instruction - that Csevet is informing him of things that are, to his mind, very basic. Common sense, almost. And yet to Maia they are small revelations. The idea that his feelings for Nurevis are as natural as his feelings for Min Vechin, that they are part of him, rather than a choice, as much as his hair or skin or height.

He can tell he is going to need to think about this, a lot. That in his quiet moments - on the train, at his job, cooking his food, laying in bed trying to sleep - that his mind will be busy with this new way of looking at love, and at himself. The freedom of it feels dizzying. But then, that fits in well with the feeling of living in this place. He can be anyone, here. Someone had said that to him, when he asked for advice on how to feel at ease making his own choices.

That someone can be a man who cooks a meal for himself and his friend. And that man can be someone who might someday court a woman, someday court a man, without need for shame or self-reflection or doubt. ]

We... envy your precocity.

[ He wonders who those girls were, that Csevet tried to convince himself he could court. He had still only been a child. What must he have been like at that age? What was his life? Maia is reminded, again how much Csevet knows about his past, and how very little he knows in return. ]

Have you ever been in love?

[ Maia blurts the words without thinking, and regrets them a second later, holding up a hand to forestall Csevet and saying in a rush: ]

We are sorry! You do not need to answer- we, we go too far.

[secretarialhand]

[The most unfortunate part of the explanation is that, while it should be basic, common sense that people are born with the inclinations that they have and therefore those inclinations should not be thought poorly of, much like the colour of their eyes or skin, it simply isn't common to think so. There are people who will judge anyone for being different than themselves, and the society they come from, particularly in court, is one that is geared toward judgement, that rewards it. That is why Csevet has never been particularly...open...about his inclinations, especially after seeing the effect that such dalliances have had on the reputations and lives of people like Mer Celehar, Count Nethenel, or Mer Reshema.

When Maia says that he envies how early Csevet had come to realize what he preferred, Csevet makes a soft exhalation that's not quite a laugh.]

We are not entirely sure it is something to be envious of, Serenity. [A pause.] Maia. For it made understanding ourselves and our place in the world quite complicated at a young age, though we do not regret knowing or being what we are.

[His eyes stay on Maia when the younger man blurts out that question - had he ever been in love? For a moment, Csevet is quiet, experiencing the intense sensation of abruptly knowing, deep within himself, what those unacknowledged feelings are. In this moment, he could confess his feelings, could be open with his Emperor, who has asked him to be, and responded so kindly to that openness - for a moment, just one moment, he considers it. But then he pushes the inclination down, and drops his eyes, though his mouth is curved into a small, warm smile, his cheeks and the tips of his ears a little pink.]

Once we thought we were in love, with a girl we knew as a child, but we soon realized the feelings were entirely platonic. Another time, we thought we were in love with one of our fellow couriers, and believed that love reciprocated, but in time the feelings waned, as we do not believe love does. We were twenty, then.

[A short pause, and he lifts his eyes.]

Since then we have had feelings for people, but never pursued something meaningful, we threw ourselves into work, for often our feelings are for those who would not reciprocate, or could not.

[goblinemperor]

[ Maia's smile is a touch wry, as he says, with clear understatement. ]

Yes... we believe we know a little something of that sort of complication.

[ The reasons for it might have been different, but Maia's place in the world, his view of his own identity, had been rather complicated for his whole life, for obvious reasons. He was too royal to be allowed to live mingling with the common people, but not royal enough to be allowed to live at court. He was too goblin for the elves he lived amongst, and yet could not speak Barizhin and knew only a few Barizheise customs. His future had always been a dim uncertainty, over which he had no control. ]

Thank you, Csevet. We know that we should not have asked, and we thank you for your- your willingness to tell us.

[ Maia didn't really understand it. Why should there be that little lift of happiness in his stomach, when Csevet admitted that he didn't have a secret, steadfast lover at present? He cannot fool himself into thinking it is out of kindness, and relief that Csevet isn't parted from someone he cherishes. No, it is not that, as much as he would like it to be. Is it, perhaps, a selfish gladness that he and Csevet are similarly without lovers? A desire for some kind of solidarity?

He dismisses it, with a faint after-feeling of unease. The smile has dropped from his face, and his expression is soft, a little apologetic. ]

We hope that we have not been expecting too much from you. We know that- that because our first Lord Chancellor was so negligent, too many of his duties landed on your shoulders. You must not let us... prevent you from living a full life. No matter how many letters we have to answer, or petitioners, or - or any of it. Promise me that... as dear as Ethuveraz is to both of us, that you will not starve your own happiness, for the good of the empire, or- or for my good, either.

[secretarialhand]

[When Maia thanks him and says that he knows he shouldn't have asked, thanks him for his willingness to share his feelings, Csevet shakes his head, silent, unable to articulate his response. It's too complicated a feeling to try to put words to, how he feels awkward and uncomfortable at the same time as relieved, a little rubbed raw and exposed at the same time as intensely pleased that Maia cares to know about him. It isn't unpleasant even if it stings just a little, makes him feel...vulnerable, in a way that Csevet does not like to be.

And yet, to be vulnerable with someone like Maia, doesn't feel threatening. When Maia thanks him, it seems genuine, like his vulnerability was appreciated, and that sits warm in his belly along with the raw feeling in his chest.]

You did not ask too much, Maia. And you do not expect too much of us, for we have never been so satisfied in any position as we have been to be your secretary.

[After a moment, he pauses, exhales, uncertain of how to respond. How can he say that he is living a full life, or at least as full as he imagines he ever could, considering his inclinations and his...affections...for someone he could never be with.]

And we assure you, Maia, that we have many friends and a very full social life that we are free to indulge as often as we like.