riverviewlogs | monthly mingle: RIVER FESTIVAL

monthly mingle: RIVER FESTIVAL

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

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

You do have to wonder if it is the design of this place.

[To have those who don't create too much havoc to others.

She did have a girl offer to protect her if anyone did try anything. It wasn't an offer that Padmé planned on taking, but it was, and still is, something that set the tone for this place. That people are willing to help each other.

She hums a little. She has never been one to back away from a challenge and it is no different here.]

I grew up knowing Naboo, knowing of Coruscant, of other planets. I came knowing nothing about this place. I'm not shying from it, but it is basically starting from scratch.

[ Naboo and Coruscant. Right. He's never been, but he's read a thing or two in his time. Seen some pictures. They're both pretty different. If not quite Naboo to Jakku different. ]

I know the feeling. [ Finn shifts his grip on the tire, facilitates an easier time rolling from his angle. ] Never stuck around somewhere long enough to see the seasons. Before I got here, I mean. Plenty of ships. Couple of bases.

[ Takodana was nice. For a while. Canto Bight, too. Some of them just kind of all roll together. Riverview's the first place he's been able to relax into, as much as he relaxes into anything. ]

It gets easier. Everyone's out of place, so we get to make our own places. You'll end up with ground to stand on before you know it.

It is the type of situation that could either bring out the best in everyone, or it could bring out the worst in everyone.

[Not that it is necessarily just black and white. There may well be those here who are less than pleased about the circumstances that they find themselves in and remain bitter or angry. If there are, Padmé hasn't run across them. She can understand the frustration, as she had been just as frustrated leaving Coruscant just before the vote on an item that she had put a lot of time and effort in to.]

I'm pleased that my experience has been the former.

[ He huffs out part of a laugh. ]

Same here. You can always call if you hit trouble you can't work your way out of, though. Or if you just want the company. Either way. [ Nailed it. Very casual. ] Happy to be on your team whenever you could use one.

Mm. Well, the latter is more likely. Politicians can be rather crafty and work their way out of a variety of situations...

[Which isn't a lie. Padmé just doesn't use her 'powers' for evil, so to speak. She might mislead, but never with a malicious intent. Unfortunately in her line of work, and because of who she was, she did make enemies.

But there is a genuine warmth to her at his words, gratitude at the offer. There may well come a time when she might find herself in a bind. She doesn't go looking for trouble, but sometimes it does find her...]

The same goes for you as well. I always enjoy a challenge or a chat.

[ He admires that implied craftiness. It's not always his own personal strong suit. ]

I appreciate it. [ A brief hesitation, then: ] Maybe you can tell me about your planets sometime. I don't know what they're up to around my time, but-- I haven't gotten around to seeing many places yet. Could be nice to hear about. If you wanted.

Of course. I'd be pleased to do that.

[Although a part of her does wonder what happens to Naboo. They're not too close to Coruscant, but it is a rich and fertile planet. The harvests tend to be bountiful, and while she might have no desire to see war, she knows that it would be a place for supplies if it came to that.]

Perhaps you can tell me more of the places you have been as well.

Sure. Yeah. [ Talking about different places can be nice, he thinks. If he's good and careful about some of it.

But he's careful about a lot of things. What's one more on the list? ]

There haven't been too many. I think I've gotten to a couple of good ones, though.

[Anything, really. Padmé just likes learning more about people in general. It has always been that way, and it's not for putting on airs or a show. She does try to remember conversations, about what people like or don't like, and who they are.

She likes Finn, finding him to be an interesting and polite young man.]

I'd be happy with whatever you wish to share, and no pressure to do so if you would rather not.

[ She's nice. Maybe it's weird to keep getting caught on that with people after this long or something. It's rare he meets someone new here who isn't pretty nice. Maybe kindness really is one of those novelties that never gets old.

He finds himself thinking it's a shame she's from so far back at home; sure, as big as the galaxy is and as hectic as life was there, it's not too likely he'd have ended up knowing her anyway. But the scant chance of that opportunity could have been nice.

Finn's mouth twitches, settles into a very genuine grin. ]

Right. Thanks. And-- no pressure on you, either. Obviously.

Of course. I don't think there's much I wouldn't speak of. Anything confidential to Naboo or Coruscant- although I suppose it is a bit moot, all things considered.

[It is not as if he could do anything with the information, at least nothing that she could think of. If anything, if they were able to bring information home, it would be Padmé that would benefit the most from information about the future.]

[ He pulls a bit of a face, one that more or less says he's thinking along the same lines on that much. Nature of timelines, maybe. ]

Moot or not. As long as you're interested. It can be a whole learning experience... thing. I get those once in a while.

[ Honestly let Padmé change the future 2k18. Maybe she can go back to a good end timeline. ]

Who am I to deny a learning experience...

[And there is truth there. In a greater scheme of events, Padmé has no qualms talking about things. About Naboo, about Coruscant, about anything that she has done while queen or senator. Her personal life? Well that should hardly come in to play, and in reality, there is little there. She would speak of those that she has lost, to honor them always, of what she had done and even what she is trying to do. She has always tried to be approachable.]

But I would be interested, Finn. Thank you.

Thank you.

[ There are plenty of people out there who'd probably want to try to keep their timelines separate or something. Sort of minimalize who they talk to or what they talk about. Avoid them outright.

He personally prefers reaching out to connections. Trying to find ways to help each other feel less alone. In whatever way even can help. It's nice to have a possible tenuous start on that set up. ]

[His own response brings a wide smile to her face. Somehow, a part of her thinks that they could well dance around saying no, thank you, for some time. And, no doubt, there are aspects of her life that others don't know about, that she might not even know about. It would be strange, in a way, to learn of her own history, which is why she likely would seek to keep things general. She is a public figure though, even if she never sought to be renowned by any measure of the word.]

It may not be much, but it does bring home a little closer, speaking about it.

That's the way I see it.

[ He straightens himself up. Puts his hands on his hips. ]

I don't have much worth missing, technically. Apart from people. And most of the people I know now, I met here in the first place. [ When the movies only cover about 3 non-stop days of chaos and chase scenes, life gets like that. ] But I'm ready to head back as soon as they can get me there. And I'm not looking to forget what I do have back home before then. I think it helps. Keeping it close.

[One never knows what lays around the next corner. For a time when her queenship had been drawing to a close, Padmé had thought about settling down, finding someone, starting her own family. Only when the current queen had asked had Padmé deferred from that course of action. And it isn't that one is better than the other. They are simply different and there is nothing wrong with that.]

It has been one of the highlights about this place. The people here. It does truly make a difference.

I think so, too.

[ Finn's a people person at heart. Not always great with people, but a people person. ]

There's no reason anyone should have to feel alone in this city. It's a pretty easy fix.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

monthly mingle: RIVER FESTIVAL

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