riverviewlogs | introductory mingle: carnivale

Entry tags:

introductory mingle: carnivale

who: everyone in Riverview!
what: Introductory Log and Carnivale Celebration
when: July 1st - July 9th
where: Anywhere around the city.
warnings: please put any necessary warnings in the subject lines

carnivale

In the days leading up to July 1st, residents new and old will notice preparations beginning, a flurry of activity getting the city ready for the upcoming celebration: Carnivale. This holiday is in celebration of music, and the onset of summer and warmer weather. The celebrations are marked by street parties, an extensive program of live musical performances, with a large parade (and paid holiday!) capping it off on July 8th.

celebrating music, and summer

After a couple of months of low-key or even solemn celebrations, it's time for Riverview Quarantine to throw a good, old-fashioned party. Carnivale is a city-wide festival that pretty much everyone gets into, and many residents take the entire week off so they can enjoy all the festivities. With events ranging from impromptu street parties, free live musical performances, food stands, themed club nights, adult lounges with kink shows, and topped off with a massive party parade, the holiday has a lot to offer for anyone who likes to sing, dance, and show some skin!

i. street parties and food

One of the staples of the Carnivale festival is the spontaneous street parties and food trucks and carts. It's not unusual during the holiday to turn a corner and run into a group of people dressed in bright colors and sequins having an impromptu party with a few drinks, and then be invited to join right in! Carnivale is a celebration of music as well as summer, so most shops and stalls will be blasting danceable music into the streets to facilitate these little street parties - it's considered a sign of good luck for the owner of a business if an impromptu Carnivale celebration starts up in front of their door.

Considering the proliferation of street parties and people out and about to celebrate the warmer weather, local business owners also take to the streets. Food carts, stands, and trucks pop up on almost every street corner offering a wide variety of food from savory treats to sweet desserts. Many of the carts are offering one free item to anyone dressed up for Carnivale - anything shimmery, shiny, or brightly colored will do!

ii. live musical performances

One of the major roads in the city center has been completely roped off for the entire week, and all along this street, various temporary stages have been set up, each with a nice hefty sound system. Volunteers hand out printed flyers, and digital boards are set up here and there with schedules of various performances that are all free to attend, ranging from well-known popular music artists to new up-and-comers or independent artists who are looking to make a name for themselves. This event is very widely advertised around the city, and is accepting entries until the very last minute.

At couple of the acts might be familiar faces to some of the residents.

Eichi Tenshouin has signed up himself and his friend Tsumugi Aoba into the music festival as a first-time appearing idol unit called "Higanbana." Dressed in all white with splashes of color (blue, largely, with only their headsets being a red spider lily), they carry a very commanding and angelic image together. They'll have a routine that emphasizes their great harmony with each other, taking turns doing solo lines and joining together to show off each of their talents. Singing and dancing, they interact heavily with the audience and will encourage a lot of involvement with speaking between songs and gestures, winks, and so on. Basically, they intend to make this Riverview's very first prominent "idol performance".

For his performance, Otabek Altin will start with rock remixes of a few popular pop songs. He wants to make sure that it starts off with recognizable pieces for some people, and he certainly thinks it is something that could get people excited even if they don't know it. Then, it shifts into a few original songs. They are upbeat, rock songs that he put together with the intention to make people dance and move, since he is a DJ. He'll end his set with a slower piece he put together that is also an original. Through the entire performance, he's focused and quiet, though he may occasionally try and excite the crowd with a few words.

Any other player-characters who are musically inclined are more than welcome to assume their character was fit in for a performance, and can post up a top-level with a rundown of their performance to get bonus Activity Points for posting a mingle!

iii. carnivale parade

The other main attraction of Carnivale week comes on July 8th, which is a paid holiday for everyone in the city. The Carnivale Parade will be starting out by City Hall and winding through downtown in a lazy pattern so everyone in the city has a chance to see it. There will be all sorts of floats, dancers, marching bands, with all sorts of clubs, businesses, and other organizations represented. The theme is theatrical, big and showy, bright and colorful, sparkly and shiny, with loud music and lots of glitz and glamour. Observers can expect great music, excellent dancing and marching shows, neat vehicles provided by classic car clubs, the fire, police, and Perimeter Guard. They can also expect a lot of party favors, whether it's a sparkly plastic beaded necklace, a fan to take the edge off the heat, candy, popsicles, a temporary tattoo, or any number of other little treats or toys to be tossed into the crowd - some of them fit for kids and teens, others of a more 'adult' nature handed out a bit more discreetly to anyone who looks the part.

And make sure you wear your waterproof mascara - Carnivale floats have a tendency of spraying or spritzing water, both in an unspoken competition to see who can make the biggest water-refraction rainbow in the air, and to keep observers cool in the new summer heat.

iv. adult: lounges and kink exhibition

Thanks to the Carnivale tradition of showing as much skin as possible, some event organizers' minds have turned to topics of a more adult nature. In the evenings, residents may see clubs doing "lounge nights"; these adults-only events have bouncers IDing everyone at the door to ensure they're 18+. The themes may vary, from very specific niche themes like 'golden age superheroes' to broad themes like 'rainbows,' and each event is clearly marked as what it is - all-nude or clothing-optional, and can host events ranging from amateur to professional exotic dancing, food served off of nude bodies, anonymous masked hookups, or just provide a comfortable space where casual sex is encouraged with whoever happens to be around. Various legal substances can be found at these lounges, but nothing that would cause violation of consent, and every substance would be clearly labeled and have warnings to ensure that no one partakes unless they choose to. Please be sure to warn in the subject line for sexual content or drug use (since some mild party drugs are legal in Riverview).

For the weekend from July 7th-9th, there will be a kink exhibition in one of the large exhibition centers downtown, limited to characters 18+. The exhibition is a sexy adult informational convention featuring various kinks and fetishes. Whether you're into leather, latex, lace, or anything else, you'll be able to find the clothes, toys, guides, books, erotica, fiction, and a wide variety of other interesting stuff to explore. While the atmosphere is sex-positive and there are private and public (for the voyeurs and exhibitionists in the room) venues for having sex, it's definitely focused on exploration and information about different stuff to try.

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 Carnivale, feel free to write it up!

visual inspiration

click on thumbnails for larger view

Credit: image i: Roger Patterson Jr.; image ii: Syd Mead; image iii: screencap from the movie Paprika; image iv: siamon89

navigation

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[The moment Eddie recognizes him, he shoots him a slightly sheepish grin.]

Supposed to be. I have no idea how it actually tastes, but I can't turn down weird craft beer.

[A little shrug, still grinning.]

What can I say, I like to live dangerously.

...No, I don't think so.

[He decides to slide that hand more around Gladio, like a hug, ignoring the way his heart seizes up at the action.] I never feel truly in danger as long as Gladio is there. It's true that I never thought it would be possible for someone like me... but I was happy.

[He pauses, not wanting to look at Gladio's face.] Is that strange?

[Alec. Looks so smug and confident. For a moment Jace doesn't hear what he says. And then he has to look away, keep his expression light and teasing.]

You're married. You can do...whatever you want together.

[He's definitely not imagining anything.]

[What Thor has with Bryn cannot yet be defined. Oddly, he finds he enjoys that. There's no pressure for it to be anything more or less. He happens upon her spontaneously, and each time he's happier to see her.

There's growing interest beyond what he knows of her and what he sees of her, an increasing desire to know what she's thinking and how she feels. It bothers him that he hasn't formally courted her, but the pursuit he has with her now is a fond indulgence of his.

There is something uniquely Bryn about her, from her hair, to her smile to the way her eyes light up when she's being sly. Her body need not be mentioned, but it's always worth observing. When they're together, Thor can rarely keep his hands off her, so it should surprise nobody that he's already drawing his hands over her, fiddling with her outfit.

When she poses the question, he glances around at other people dancing, intermingling and getting exceedingly close, then he looks back to her and smiles.]

That depends largely on the tenacity of my partner. [He says, but by the fact that she brought it up, he seems to feel she wouldn't mind. He leans over her, hand moving from her back to her front so he can tease his fingers up her thighs.]

But I should let it be known that I would have you here. Now. In front of anyone who dared to watch. [His fingers slip and tease upward with every inflection.]

[ Cisco can see how startled Eddie is, and maybe he should feel bad about that, but it mostly just surprises a small laugh out of him. They're both clearly a bit on edge, all full of nervous energy and a touch more awkward than usual (and they're both already a little awkward on a good day). Cisco makes a big show out of considering the leather costume, walking up to it and actually turning the mannequin, which has a rotating base. When he sees the back, he shakes his head, pointing to it: ]

Aw, man. Plan foiled. No way could I send Barry out there in this... [ And he gestures to the fact that the leather costume is wholly, entirely ass-less. ] I mean, A) that would be cruel to him and to the onlookers, and B) ain't no way somebody wouldn't recognize his tragic total lack of ass. Secret identity totally blown.

[ Listen... Cisco loves Barry. He's his best friend. But sometimes loving someone means harsh truths. And it really doesn't do Barry any harm, if Cisco makes fun of his butt a little to Eddie. He deserves it, really, for all the shade he'd thrown at Eddie before Cisco even got to know him.

Cisco spins the mannequin back to its original position and comes back towards Eddie, adjusting the straps of his backpack, happy and a bit uncomfortable at the same time. He's wishing maybe he hadn't changed into these new leather pants, earlier. Sure, it had made him feel like he fit in a little more, before. But now Eddie's here, and he feels just silly in them. Like a kid playing dress-up. He can only hope Eddie doesn't notice or anything. ]

Kinda didn't expect to see you here.

[When Cisco strides up to the mannequin and turns it to show the complete lack of an ass in the costume, Eddie bursts out laughing, and it only increases as Cisco explains why the asslessness wouldn't work out for Barry.]

Oh my god. Ouch, but also, yeah, totally true.

[For a moment, Eddie had hovered between saying he loved Barry or that Barry is great, but sure he's got no ass, but...part of him is starting to realize how much built-up resentment he has against Barry, and it feels kind of nice to just acknowledge that, and the tiny bit of schadenfreude that comes with the mild insult from Cisco. Eddie's grin is a little sharp, a little harsh, but he can't help it.]

I didn't really expect to be here, but I got curious. I've never really been to this kind of thing before, and I guess my horizons could do with a bit of broadening.

[He shrugs, eyes flicking up and down Cisco, and his grin widens a little bit.]

Ohhh, I like the pants.

[Aww, it's kind of cute how Eddie thinks he can get out of this. But once he starts squirming, Dodger just grips onto his hip with a strong enough force to leave finger-tip bruises.]

Touchy, aren'tcha. [He leans his head against Eddie's shoulder, leaning so that his lips press against Eddie's ear as he speaks in a low growl.] I've got some interest in putting you in handcuffs.

[This is finished off with a low chuckle as he pulls the cop closer.]

[ Cisco shrugs - if it's true, it's true, and there's no denying this one. It's nice, to be able to make Eddie laugh like that. Cisco's getting to know Eddie well enough to be able to tell when he's laughing because he's a little amused, and when he's really, truly losing his shit. And this is closer to the latter. Easy enough to tell, by the lines around his eyes. ]

Same thing I was thinking. Can't hurt to have a look around, y'know. Well, it can, if you want it to, but - and I don't know about you - I'm not one of those folks who's gonna go sign up at a spanking booth or whatever.

[ He'd meant to be funny again, to make Eddie laugh again, but immediately after he regrets trying. Did he really just say spanking booth, to Eddie? Now it's gonna be obvious he'd walked by them and paid enough attention to see there was a sign up sheet.

And then those first mild stirrings of embarrassment get worse when Eddie comments on the pants. Cisco laughs, a little too quickly, rubbing a hand against the back of his neck and shifting his weight from foot to foot, uneasy. ]

I- I bought them here. It's not like... I didn't own these before- I just- felt like I was the only one wandering around in totally normal clothes, so-

[ If he could sink right into the floor now that'd be nice. ]

I suppose I can attest to that. [He shrugs.] Is there a significance behind it being the Romans?

[Thankfully, police float or not, she's got an ally here. Eddie wouldn't consider arresting his boyfriend's twin sister, after all. Especially not when he's heard how cool she is.

When she looks at him and asks how he knows her name, he just grins a bit.]

I might have met your brother. And maybe I'm dating him. Just a little.

[The grin goes a bit more wicked.]

[ "are you a captain" - he almost looks like he could laugh. not that the question was actually unreasonable, in any way. the reality is what's genuinely ridiculous here. ]

Oh yeah, captain of a crew of one. I... bring friends along - have you met Bill Potts?

[ he's sure she's been meeting people here her own age. he hopes she's been meeting people here. it's not a great emotional strain on him, to be displaced like this (he's convinced), but humans generally need some form of stable social circle. and this kid seems sharp, like her.

and then whistles. ]

That's quite a CV, for someone your age. Whatever age you are. [ young, he assumes. to be fair, basically everyone is, to him. ] I'd quite like to see those, when you're done - the earbuds.

[ waggles his fingers near his ear. honestly, he's impressed. he's quite curious to find out whether he can really build something like that. ]

Edited 2017-07-16 05:04 (UTC)

[It's a bit of a relief to see he's welcome, at least judging by that big smile on Taako's face and the way the elf abandons the brochure he'd been looking at. And by the way he's immediately teasing him about his blush. If nothing else, he's probably glad to see Eddie just so he can tease him.

Eddie finds he doesn't really mind all that much.]

About two hours after I decided I was really curious. How's it been going? Having fun?

[Eddie slings an arm around Taako's waist to give him a little sideways hug, but then drops the hand to his side, unsure if Taako wants PDA here.]

[ For a minute there he thinks she means... exactly like before. Home to hold her in his arms until they fall asleep. It's something he'd do any day, something she never has to ask him for when she wants it, and the yes is on his lips. And then-

Then he sees it in her eyes and it clicks, what she's really asking him. What the implication there is.

He's thought about it of course, in the weeks they've been seeing each other. Since before that, if he's really honest, because she's beautiful and startling and brilliant in every way, and he's only human. But they've kept things casual. They've kept them light, and it's better that way, he knows. Safer for everyone, if that part of it stays a fantasy. It was easier to keep it there when it wasn't just sex that was off the table. When they were just two friends, two lonely lost souls in a less than ideal situation, figuring out how to have fun together.

Only. Only somehow now it's turned into something else, when he wasn't looking. When he wasn't ready. And suddenly they're past the point where it's easy to say goodnight, and go home alone to a cold bed. Where he doesn't crave her company, her thoughts on things. It matters what she thinks of Tim. It matters that she doesn't know.

And her touch. He wants that too. He wants this. So badly it takes his breath away. ]

I-

...Yeah. I'd love that. If-

[ God, she wants him. Him. Suddenly he can't not touch her, so he reaches out to cup her face in his hands. Then he leans in close, pressing a soft kiss to the corner of her mouth. ]

I want you. [ It's the only truth that matters in this moment. ]

[He's about to lean into the hug before Eddie pulls his hand away, so Taako just takes Eddie's hand instead, tangling their fingers together. It's probably not a terrible idea to make it more obvious they're a Couple, lest anyone get handsy.]

It's been an experience, for sure. Not sure if fun is the right word.

[He's a lot more hypocritical than he lets on--and besides, who says he won't run into someone he knows at one of these things? His only logic in not being a shut-in.]

Gold is gaudy. And those who wear it have too much to prove. [I only wear black, and sometimes very, very dark grey.]

As to that... if I just wore the mask with an ordinary outfit, people would make even worse comments than they do now. [Going into anywhere in a casual hoodie and jeans with a skull mask was just asking for trouble.]

[Taako tosses a handful of harmless sparks at Cisco, in lieu of having anything physical to throw at him.]

I'll camouflage myself when I'm dead.

[Even that probably isn't true, he probably has some arrangements in place with Lup about how Extra his funeral better be if he dies for real.]

I mean, let's be honest with ourselves, I can always just put 'em on later.

[ :D ]

Edited 2017-07-16 05:22 (UTC)

Dangers outside?

[There is interest in that. It is asked before her attention shifts to the one having spoken, and if he expects a surprised reaction, he will be in luck. Befuddlement crosses her face before her lips purse ever so. Her mind hasn't quite been completely on her surroundings, and if there is annoyance at being caught so unawares, she tries to rein it in.]

... what are you wearing?

[ Jon is too familiar with alternate realities to doubt their existence. But he doesn't like talking about it that much. ]

You're so lucky! I wish I could travel in space.

[ He can . . . probably breathe in space though? ]

[The voice is certainly familiar, and like a moth to a flame, her attention does turn, and almost misses him completely. It is the forward movement that does draw her attention although judging by her expression, she is caught unexpectedly by his attire. True, he has been gone from Asgard for quite some time, but the stark contrast is enough to draw her up for several seconds.

Yet it is Thor, if slightly odd in his clothing and glitter, and as she moves towards him, with a lightness in her features, she cannot help that smile that plays along her lips.]

I almost did not recognize you, adorned as you are.

[It is called out as she continues to work her own way through the crowds. There are questions there beneath the surface on her face. Very many of them.]

That they are. It's not often they opt to forgo modesty, however. [He glances around at the vast array of exhibitions.]

It's refreshing, I think. Perhaps it will be your lucky night. [He waggles a brow.]

[Honestly, it's nice to be made to laugh this way. It's been a while since Eddie found it so easy to laugh, or at least it had before he'd come here and for the first couple of months he'd been here. Now, having met Taako and Cisco, he's finding it easier to open up and smile and laugh at their jokes. It feels good, like freedom, like some of the weight he'd been taking on in the last few months before his death is lifting off him, slowly but surely.

So when Cisco mentions the spanking booth and then starts making excuses for the leather pants, Eddie finds it easier to laugh gently and smile at him fondly.]

Oh wow. I don't...actually know if I'm a pain for pleasure type of person, but something tells me not so much. And spanking would definitely not be how I went about it if I were.

[A little shrug, and he tilts his head through Cisco's excuses, eyes flicking up and down his legs.]

They look good on you. Seriously.

[It's only when he says it that Eddie really realizes how true that is. Cisco has the ass and thighs to pull off the leather pants for sure, and while Eddie had noticed, when Cisco was in jeans, that tight looks good on him, it had never been quite so...accentuated.

His face goes a few shades redder as he glances around.]

Man, you have a point though. I'm only just realizing I'm the guy in a tank top, shorts, and flip-flops at a kink convention. You think I should get something to dress up in?

Oh, no!

[Mantis can't even imagine how overwhelming it might be to be surrounded by all of these people and feeling everything of everyone around her. She is relieved her powers are more sensible.]

I would never do that without your permission. [If only because she has learned how traumatic it can be for people to share their feelings] I have been told it is very effective. I am very good at causing sleep.

[Despite the fact that she herself sleeps very little.]

[The anger doesn't fade, but a distinct sense of panic and being trapped joins it as Dodger just tightens his grip, fingers digging into Eddie's hip, tight enough that he can feel the bruises forming. Gritting his teeth, Eddie turns his head to glare at Dodger.]

I'm not touchy, I just don't want to be touched. And if you're not going to let go, I'm gonna call security. I told you to screw off.

Really? A place like this and you're not having fun?

[It's nice when Taako takes his hand, and Eddie willingly tangles his fingers between Taako's, rubs the pad of his thumb against the skin between Taako's forefinger and thumb, almost idly. The things that Cisco had told him are still lingering in the back of his mind, about how this isn't serious, doesn't really have a future, but he tries to push it out of his brain for now.

Right now, it's really nice to be holding hands with Taako and looking around curiously.]

Did you find anything you actually liked, or have you just been making fun of the stuff you don't?

[Once they cross the crowds to find one another, Thor wastes no time embracing Sif hard and fast. He does it in such a manner before she can swat him away, and he pulls back with a grin.]

It is easier to blend when you've been here as long as I. [Which is a few months, so far.]

I did not know you had arrived. I would have sought you out. [He becomes a little more serious when he says that, a little more curious about when she came from.]

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introductory mingle: carnivale

yeeessssss

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now that hellweek at school is over...

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