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

( the moment he first sinks down into the water is the worst: it's cold, enough that he stiffens up in response to the warm air contrasting to the cool water, but. billy gets over it fast enough, kneels down to start scrubbing at the writing on his arms. )

You are very good at punching things. But you also looked pretty cool swinging around Excelsior.

[The water is cold, but it feels kind of nice in Teddy's opinion -- the summer heat's kicked in for sure. He kneels down after a moment as well, reaching out to help Billy scrub away any areas he misses.

Clean up first - then he can see if he can coax Billy into a little bit of playing around in the water. They're at the beach. It's kind of a requirement.]

Well, all the more reason to get the sword then, huh? I do like showing off for my boyfriend.

( with their powers combined eventually billy will be cleansed of dicks. and tommy's other nonsensical stuff. luckily he was laying on his back so that remained pretty untainted, because he can't--quite see his back to get off whatever nonsense may have been written there. )

You show off all the time.

( not that he minds any, as evident by how he gestures down to. . teddy's everything. )

[Free of dicks means Teddy is free to back up and splash at Billy, rolling his eyes in amusement.]

Not all the time. Right now, I'm too focused on my total babe of a boyfriend in a swimsuit to worry about it.

( splashing is returned with even more splashing, hands shoving down into the water to spray it all over teddy. )

I'll show you who's a total babe.

( hint: it's teddy. )

[Billy!!!

No fair. Just backing up some after he splashes back, grinning even wider.]

That, William Kaplan, isn't even a threat. Do better!

( there's a loud shriek that escapes his lips as water splashes over him, both hands moving down into the water to splash teddy more, cupping fingers to shove as much as he can up. )

You don't want me to do better. Not out here at least.

[Totally worth getting doused in even more water for that shriek, to be honest. He laughs and moves in closer to Billy, just a little menacingly.]

Oh, yeah? Well, now that I've got you in the water, you know I'm not going to let you climb back out and go to sleep that easily, right?

( teddy moves in closer, but billy--is moving his legs through it as fast as he can, trying to wade his way through back towards the shore. )

You'll have to catch me to stop me!

Billy! Don't you dare.

[He's wading after him as quick as he can, okay. He's going to catch him one way or another.]

Your boyfriend wants to spend time with you in the water! You're not really going to say no, right?

[He is so not above using some mild guilt.]

( billy's still going towards the shore but without much intention. he turns around on his heels, faces teddy. purses his lips. )

I'm not saying no. I'm saying catch me. You can handle that, can't you? You're the Space King after all.

( teddy wants to play in the water? he'll play. )

Of course I can, but I thought you'd let me do it the very easy way and give in.

[But it's hard to keep up the sad look when Billy is giving him that look. He can't help but laugh as he continues to go towards Billy, reaching out to try and grab a wrist.]

I could be more kingly for you if you really want though... I could even be very green for you, if it makes me look more like a Space King.

You're always kingly to me. Whether you're green or not. I think it's the dimples.

( two more steps back--and his heels catch on a twig, enough that both hands raise and flail as billy tries to catch his balance, scrambles to grab onto the hand teddy had outreached towards him. )

Whoa, hey--!

[... He didn't mean to make Billy actually trip on anything. Oops. He does try his best to catch him though, fumbling forward with some careful shifting to lengthen his arm just a little bit to try and get his hand.

He just sort of topples too, but he does try to shift his weight to land under Billy as much as he can.]

Ugh-- you okay, B?

( he probably could have caught himself, but it's more fun to have teddy to it. to hold onto his hand and lean into his grip, smiling wide. )

Fine, T. You caught me.

( with his free hand shoving down into the water to splash more onto teddy. )

Which means there's no room for escape now.

[He lets out a laugh at that and tugs at Billy to try and pull him up against him. Dork.]

Come here. [He gives a playful grin.] I'll show you no escape.

Maybe I should check you over anyway, make sure you're fine.

[Or you know, use it for some playful groping excuses...]

( teddy pulls and billy follows, wrapping arms around wide shoulders with a pleased smile on his lips. lets his body fall in against the other's own, curves to curves. )

What, are you going to check me all over, Ted? Here, in front of everyone?

Maybe not that far-- unless you've got a really strong exhibitionism streak I don't know of, Kaplan.

[He settles his arms around Billy's waist and bend down to press a kiss to his lips playfully.]

But maybe when we find somewhere a little more private...

( a short laugh, hands sliding down to press palms into the bones of teddy's hips comfortably. )

You know I'm always ready to go anywhere with you.

You're just trying to get me to let you get out of the water, Kaplan. I'm perfectly able to control my libido long enough for another kind of fun... are you?

[Still, he slides his arms around Billy, pulling him into a loose hug.]

You're the horny teenager here, I'm a full fledged adult now, Teddy.

( and clearly the adult thing to do is to squirm up against teddy, scoop up water into his hand, and splash it directly into his face. )

Like your libido just suddenly stops because you're twe--

[!!!

Oh, that's it. That's totally it. You're going down, Kaplan. He sputters out water and bends down to lift Billy up and carry him deeper into the water.

Guess who's getting thrown in unless he can do some quick convincing!!]

You know what? You totally asked for this, William Kaplan.

( an ugly laugh bursts free from his lips when teddy picks him up, arms and legs wrapping tight around the other, gripping hard. )

Bring it on, Altman!

Billy.

[He gives him a look as he clings around him.]

Do you think that's going to stop me from throwing you in the water? There's no way you can hang on that tight...

[Also, bold of Billy to think Teddy won't take them both under just to tease him...]

( there's a spark that ignites in billy's eyes at the challenge, arms holding on even tighter and thighs gripping hard, too. if teddy goes down with him he still wins, right? and winning is clearly what matters here. )

Try me, nerd.

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