introductory mingle: PRIJATA

[riverviewmod]

who: everyone in Riverview!
what: Introductory Log and Prijata Celebration
when: June 1st - June 8th
where: Anywhere around the city.
warnings: please put any necessary warnings in the subject lines

prijata

In the days leading up to June 1st, residents new and old will notice preparations beginning, a flurry of activity getting the city ready for the upcoming celebration: Prijata. Riverview Quarantine has a strong culture of love, and they celebrate all types - Prijata is a special celebration of platonic love and building community through friendship. Prijata traditions include gift exchanges between friends, sharing meals cooked together by friend groups, and a variety of events and services aimed at making friends.

a celebration of platonic love

Prijata is a relatively relaxed holiday, focused mainly on friendship and platonic love - dedicated to appreciating the friends already in one's life, and opening oneself up to making new friends. Besides the private giving of gifts between friends, there is also a city-wide government-sponsored gift fountain that is open throughout the entire week. Included in the wide variety of events catered to finding new friends, are 'speed friending' and a large open exhibition where all the specialized clubs in Riverview can recruit for new members - and residents new or old can create a club and recruit.

i. gift fountain

While Prijata gift exchanges between friends are generally a quiet affair, done at friend-group dinners or parties, the element of gift giving does extend outward - community-wide, in fact. Throughout the course of the week, anyone living in Riverview Quarantine can drop by the huge fountain in the City Center, in front of the City Hall. They will find that the fountain is chock full of floating gift boxes in a wide variety of colors, patterns, and different shapes - though none larger than a shoe box. There are signs put up around the fountain stating that the boxes are magic and will only seek and open for their rightful owners. Characters will find that, upon touching the water, a box will float over to them, and when they pick it up, the top will unfurl like flower petals, displaying the gift inside. Sometimes, the box won't appear on the first try, since there's only so much space in the fountain at any given time, but if at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Every person in the city (including new arrivals) will receive one gift by the end of the week.

Gift fountain boxes will contain one small item from each character's home dimension (or, for CRAUs, from their previous game), similar to the "items from home" bonus reward, but without needing to spend points. The item should be small enough to fit in a shoebox, sentimental, and cannot be something intended for another person's character. ETA: If you can't think of an item like this that would work for your character, something of similar size and quality to what's described above that would make the character very happy can be substituted.

This prompt can also be used for gift exchanges and for characters to receive the Government-given gifts that were suggested in the Prijata Pregaming posts on the OOC community and the TDM.

ii. speed-friending

This is pretty much what it says on the tin! Much like speed-dating setups, many bars, coffee shops, and other places that people might gather are holding speed-friending! It's your standard setup - characters enter and fill out a quick questionnaire about themselves, and flit from table to table looking for someone with great friend chemistry. Not all of them are general and open to anyone who walks in, though, with many being specialized to people who are invested in certain hobbies, occupations, or with specific sets of interests. With specialized speed-friending setups ranging from horror movie buffs to members of the Perimeter Guard to fashionistas to sports or martial arts to video games, no matter what your character is into, they're likely to be able to sign up for a special event where they can go looking for a friend who's into the same things they are!

For this prompt, you can put up a list of hobbies or interests your character has, and compatible characters can hit them up for a speed-friending thread, like the IC equivalent of the CR meme!

iii. club exhibition

Speed-friending is all well and good, but not everyone is outgoing or open enough to know if they have friend chemistry in only a few minutes. For anyone looking to find groups of like-minded individuals they can spend more than a few minutes with before committing to something as daunting as a friendship, there is a week-long club exhibition happening in the Town Square in the City Center. Table after table and booth after booth are occupied by existing clubs in the city, with an incredibly broad scope of focus interests and hobbies - enough that any character should be able to find a club with their niche interest represented.

And if it isn't? Characters are welcome to start their own clubs - much like a business, a character-run club can have space set aside in the city for meetings and event mingles that are eligible for Activity Point Bonuses for the organizer.

iv. unveiling the new friendr

Prijata this year is marked by something special - the unveiling of a code rebuild of the ubiquitous Friendr app! Anyone with the app installed already will receive a prompt to update the app, and if anyone hasn't yet downloaded it, they'll receive a quick, easily-dismissed pop-up ad on their device when they next access the network, asking if they want to. No one is obligated, and the ad is a one-time instance, intended to make sure any character who hasn't heard of the app gets a chance.

The Friendr app is a swipe-left-or-right style friend matching and/or dating app that is very common in Riverview, both for PCs and NPCs, and it has received an upgrade with a new appearance, a new interests line for more accurate matching, and a wide variety of themes so that the colors can be customized!

Please see the updated appearance below, with the 'default' color scheme. Players are free to change the colors or appearance of the code but please do not remove the credit line showing where the base code came from, out of respect for the code creator.

	Friendr
«		»
	» Age: your character's age » Seeking: friendship/romantic/anything » Preferences: sexual preference or n/a » Interests: three interests » Bio: 30 words or less
	base code by photosynthesis
	Character Name
	« ✘ ✔ »

<br><center><table style="width:300px;"><tr style="border-bottom:1px dashed #528887;"><td></td> <td style="padding:20px; padding-bottom:0; width:300px; font:38px Helvetica, Tahoma, sans-serif; text-transform:uppercase; color:#c4c4c4; text-align:center; letter-spacing:2px; background-color:#2a2a2a; border-top-right-radius:50px; border-top-left-radius:50px;"><b>Friendr</b></td> <td></td></tr> <tr><td style="font-size:70px; vertical-align:middle; text-align:right; padding:0; color:#528887;">«</td> <td style="background-color:#2a2a2a; padding:20px; padding-top:10px; padding-bottom:0; width:308px;"><img src="IMAGE URL - 300px WIDE OR LESS" style="border-radius:20px;"><br> </td> <td style="font-size:70px; vertical-align:middle; padding:0; color:#528887;">»</td></tr> <tr><td></td> <td style="background-color:#2a2a2a; font:12px arial; text-align:left; padding:10px;"><span style="color:#c4c4c4;"><b>» Age:</b> your character's age</span> <span style="color:#c4c4c4;"><b>» Seeking:</b> friendship/romantic/anything</span> <span style="color:#c4c4c4;"><b>» Preferences:</b> sexual preference or n/a</span> <span style="color:#c4c4c4;"><b>» Interests:</b> three interests</span> <span style="color:#c4c4c4;"><b>» Bio:</b> 30 words or less</span> </td></tr> <tr><td></td> <td style="text-align:right; font-size:10px; background-color:#2a2a2a;"><font color="#528887">base code by</font> <a href="http://photosynthesis.dreamwidth.org/" style="color:#528887;">photosynthesis</td></tr> <raw-code><tr style="border-bottom:1px dashed #528887;"><td></td> <td style="background-color:#2a2a2a;font:20px Helvetica, Tahoma, sans-serif; color:#c4c4c4; text-align:center;">Character Name</td> <td><td></tr><tr><td></td> <td style="border-bottom-right-radius:50px; border-bottom-left-radius:50px; background-color:#2a2a2a; text-align:center;"><table style="width:100%; font:30px Verdana;"><tr><td style="text-align:left;"> <span style="text-decoration:none; color:#528887;">« ✘</span></td> <td style="text-align:right;"><span style="text-decoration:none; color:#528887;">✔ »</span></td></tr> </table></td> <td></td></table></raw-code></center>
base code found here.

For this prompt, you can either post your character's new, fancy Friendr app profile in the comments, or provide a link to their updated code in an entry on their journal. Whatever floats your boat!

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 Prijata, feel free to write it up!

visual inspiration

click on thumbnails for larger view

Credit: image i: Odysseas Stamoglou; image ii: 5ofnovember; image iii: Sina Pakzad Kasra; image iv: mit19237

navigation

Comments

[adiuvio]

Don't be absurd. I've got a couch, and curtains.

[ John brushes off the off the idea of his new companion sleeping in the sewer just as brusquely. ]

You're going out of your way to see me home safe. I won't have it any other way.

[idolpire]

That so? And you don't plan on opening those curtains until the sun creeps down, do you?

[Because it wouldn't be the first time he'd been surprised awake by an early riser greeting the day.]

[adiuvio]

I only kill uninvited guests.

[ He shoots Spike a look back over his shoulder, a flash of a smirk in his eyes. It’s up to Spike whether he’s joking, or just being honest. The truth is likely some combination of the two. ]

You can take my room, if you’d feel safer for it.

[idolpire]

I'm a vampire. I feel safe all the time.

[Lie. But like he was going to lose the bravado contest with this whippersnapper. He gave John a slap on the shoulder, grinning as he pulled even with him.]

All's I need is the official invite when we get there. Rules, you know. Bit of a hassle, but it is what it is.

[adiuvio]

Uh-huh.

[ The contact is unexpected, but not unwelcome. John has to make a conscious effort not to slip away from the weight of Spike’s hand. Even drunk, to side-step was instinct. Old habits die hard. ]

I’ll be sure to roll out the red carpet for your arrival. Do you prefer tea or coffee upon waking? A robe, perhaps? The day's paper?

[idolpire]

Wouldn't say no, but I mean it. Rules are rules. Unless you want to have a good chuckle watching me lean up against the barrier to your home while I try to get in. Saw one vamp fall asleep like that once.

[Spike didn't notice the effort it took John to let him keep his hand there, but he moved it in his own good time, cramming both of them in the pockets of his trenchcoat as they walked.]

I do love a good cuppa, though.

[adiuvio]

Tempting, but I'll pass. It's already past my bedtime, and a man needs his beauty sleep.

[ It's only another half block until they turn down a treelined side-street into a small, quiet neighbourhood of quaint townhomes. John's is the second on the left.

John grabs his keys from his pocket, jogging up the steps to the door. There's a cheery doormat that says 'welcome' surrounded by drawn daisies.

He unlocks the door, looking back at Spike innocently. ]

So, the mat's not welcome enough?

[idolpire]

Be too easy if it was. Needs to be personal. Or, at least, 'to' me.

[Sure, there were loopholes. Like the Latin outside of the college that welcomed all who wanted to learn. This was just 'welcome'. No true indication of who or what was welcome where.

To prove it, he moves over and pokes his hand at the open doorway, the punch falling short of going through as he is seemingly stopped by an invisible something.]

[adiuvio]

[ John raises a brow. He's seen some weird stuff since his arrival in Riverview, and this is up there. Crossing the threshold, he tosses his keys onto a nearby tray, and turns back to prop the door open with his hip, gesturing Spike through with one hand. ]

Well, welcome. For what it's worth, you're my first house-guest.

[idolpire]

That so?

[Well, look at that. Way to make him feel special, John. And it showed in the way he strutted himself over that threshold, now open to him with the invite.]

Nice place. You get this from doing all your teaching?

[adiuvio]

Thank you. Teaching, and missions. It pays to be an independent contractor. That, and I just don't go out much.

[ John's home is tidy and well-kept. The space is tastefully, if minimally, decorated, with an attention to both form and function. Every item has its place. Fresh flowers sit in a vase on the kitchen counter, daisies, and there's small herb garden on the windowsill.

From around ther corner darts a large, dark pitbull, colliding straight into John's legs. He leans down to scrub at its ears with both hands, chuckling. ]

Hey boy. I'd better let this guy out back before we settle in. Don't worry, he's friendly.

[idolpire]

[Spike heard and smelled the dog before he saw it, watching it careen around the corner and butt into John's legs. Right. Well. He could avoid temptation for the evening, at least. John had been nice enough at the bar and he'd had fresh, human blood that evening. Dog wouldn't top it.

Still, he didn't make an effort to touch the thing. Animals usually sensed either the predator or undead in him and he wasn't going to push his luck.]

Don't know why you wouldn't. Seems like there might actually be fun to be had here. What's this talk of missions?

[adiuvio]

[ John slides open the glass door to his postage-stamp sized backyard, and the dog is out in a flash. It's certainly a downgrade as compared to what he's used to, but any green is better than none. ]

Between the Perimeter Guard, and the police, my schedule's all over the place. It wouldn't be fair to him.

[ It's a weak excuse, but John doesn't feel like getting into it. It's still difficult for him to admit he's in mourning, never mind allowing himself the capacity, emotionally and mentally, to live it out. ]

You can take on missions posted by the city, or other sources, for cash and incentives. Mostly outside the wall, where there's a decent amount of risk involved. The uglier the job, the better the pay.

[ Some things are universally constant. ]

[idolpire]

I'll have to keep that in mind if I'm in need of some pocket money.

[He had his 'day job', after all. Which he was still laughing about. Laughing, and laughing, and laughing.

But the dog was outside, doing what dogs did, and Spike meandered over to the living room. He gave the sofa a bit of a boot, nodding as he did. Sturdy. That was good. Meant he might get a decent snooze on it.]

[adiuvio]

[ John goes immediately to the linen closet, pulling down a spare blanket and pillow, and setting them neatly on the arm of the leather sofa. ]

Do you need anything else? Sorry, I wasn't anticipating company. We used to have a guest room-

[idolpire]

[Spike waved him off, shrugging out of his jacket and setting it along one arm of the couch.]

I sleep in a crypt, mate. This is a step up right now until I can find a bed to drag in it and a place to put it. I'm good.

[He almost asked about the guest room, but he figured it was either Fido's bedroom or the gun show.]

[adiuvio]

Good.

[John finally slips out of his suit jacket, draping it neatly over a nearby chair.

Spike would likely be more interested in the next set of doors John opens. A fully stocked liquor cabinet.]

Nightcap?

[idolpire]

If you're expecting me to say no, I hope you're comfortable with disappointment.

[He flopped onto the couch, legs spreading a bit as he settled in, getting comfy and seeing if he'd be sleeping on a firm or hard couch that morning.]

You, ah, sure you're good with me hiding out here until the sun drops?

[adiuvio]

I wouldn't have offered if I wasn't.

[ A simple truth as he pours two crystal tumblers half full of whiskey. This bottle is on the sweeter side, and best enjoyed room temperature without any ice.

He walks back over to Spike, handing him his drink. ]

Besides, it'd be a waste of blood.

[idolpire]

Good blood, too. Remind me to try to wheedle more out of you after a few of those good drinks again. Adds a nice touch to it.

[He takes the drink, moving over a little to make room for John, if he wants to sit.]

So, you like it here? Fitting in well and all that? Is it just that easy to find a place and slot in?

[adiuvio]

Must be the oak. It's got a way of flavouring the barrel, or the body, I suppose.

[ John takes a heavy seat beside Spike, bone tired. Now that they're familiar, and adequately sauced, he feels comfortable resting his head and closing his eyes for a moment. ]

I can't complain. I was between a rock and a hard place, back home. Here, I've got some room to breathe. Don't know about easy, though. It's never been easy. I don't... settle easy.

[idolpire]

Well, you teach guns, like dogs, and you're more comfortable with a knife and splitting your own skin than most I've met. And you're what, fifty, yeah?

[He remembered the age because he hadn't believed it when he'd read it on the profile.]

I'd say you're doing well enough for yourself. You fit. Or you can pretend to, better than some.

[Better than him. Though, that might just be because Spike tried so hard not to fit in. All thanks to his pre-death existence.]

[adiuvio]

Yeah, I can pretend.

[ John ends the sentence on a sip of whiskey. He's been drinking too much lately, probably, but that's one pleasure he won't spare himself. Sometimes it's all that gets him to sleep. Sometimes it's all that makes being away bearable. ]

What about you? Seems to me like you don't think you fit.

[idolpire]

Of course I don't. I'm not human. Hell, even when I was, I fit badly.

[Always on the fringes. Always being laughed at. He'd very much enjoyed killing all of them when he'd woken up with that new appetite of his.]

Now? Why would I want to? Soft, is what people are. Soft and stupid.

[adiuvio]

Plenty of non-humans here, maybe you'll find somewhere to fit in too.

[ John can't help but laugh. It's funny, because it's true, painfully true, yet soft and stupid is all he's ever wanted to be, and maybe that's worse. ]

The sweet-talk never ends with you.