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

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Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

What if someone nibbled as foreplay? Right about... here?

[His other hand lifted to trace along the side of her neck, feeling her pulse flutter under his finger as he did.]

[ Whoa, hang on, now she's actually interested. Also kinda interested in that stick he's smoking. So she leans forward to accept one of those, eyes lingering on the way he'd lit it. Both to see how it's done, and with a keen eye to the the flame at his fingertip. She holds hers thoughtfully, not quite ready to light it yet. ]

Are you sure? I would have said the interesting thing here is a... mutant. [ She says the word carefully, clearly not familiar with it. ] What else can you do?

[Oh. Well then. She shifts, drawing her bottom lip between her teeth as her breathing grows just a bit more shallow.]

Nibbling is acceptable. As is evidence of said nibbling.

Kinky little minx. Like a bit of marking, do you?

[He thought about that, about her walking around with a reddened ring from his teeth, and yes, there went that flare of arousal again. It grew when he thought about him wearing one from her, something that hadn't really been possible before.]

I think I would too, just to be clear.

[That confirms any lingering suspicions Taako might have, but he's hardly one to push into someone else's grief, so he focuses his attention on the menu, despite having already chosen what he wants, and only looks back at Bellamy once he's being offered a drink, which he accepts with a little nod of thanks.]

A couple days. She's from like thirty years before me, which is kinda weird, but the other crew member I got is from about eighty.

[He isn't sure if Bellamy will know about elves and the whole long life thing, but he's ready to field a "wtf" at the 80 years, anyway.]

What can I say? I like having reminders.

[She's thinking about that too, about where she could kiss him and suck and tease a mark into. Of leaving something behind no one else ever could, and him carrying it around with him the next day.

Her hand slides to rest against his knee.]

Yeah? And where's that?

[Really? Reaper's confidante is... this kid? Dodger finds that pretty hard to believe - and more importantly, the spot at Reaper's right hand belongs to him, thank you very much. But as far as how much of this shows up on his face, he just raises a brow and leans back, lighting a cigarette with the snap of his fingers.]

We're close enough in our own way, I'm sure he'd understand. [Or at the very least, Reaper has given up hope of keeping information from Dodger. He finds it one way or another.] If you don't want to talk about him, I'll take information about Sombra instead. But I tend to get impatient if deals take too long to make.

[He doesn't know exactly what it is about him... but he really wants to kick the shit out of this kid.]

[Taako is, honestly, pretty rude to most people, even if he likes them, but he can understand that there's cultural things that he should probably respect, so he actually listens to Eichi's explanation.]

I mean, good call there, you're outta luck if you think I'm gonna call you Emperor. [It's said with a smile though.] Is it kinda like if someone was calling me by the nickname my sister uses for me? Over-familiar, I guess?

[Just to make sure he's got it.]

[His eyes narrow slightly, as he keeps his fingertips lit for her to light her cigarette if she wants to. He can tell she doesn't quite know what it is, further proof that she's not human... but that just means whatever she does with it is worth the annoyance of being left hanging for now.]

I think we're getting off the subject. [He replies evenly.] Tell me what you are, then we can swap stories.

Anywhere...

[His voice dropped a bit, a husk coming through as she touched him, his eyes flaring for just a moment as his finger slid along her neck again, tapping over her pulse.]

Everywhere. Especially from you.

[Ah, another snap, another fire, and by now Eichi is coughing occasionally. He's too weak, his lungs can't take this... But he's still here, talking to this guy? That mystery Lampyr is interesting.]

I'll tell you that that would make Reaper-san even more angry, I'm sure. [Besides, he knows about her the least. She vanished back on the ship...] Saying things like "in our own way," though, you sound a little like a villain.

[He laughs, which turns into another cough, and then continues.] You didn't specify the sort of things you're interested in, you know? Let me tell you something interesting; whenever I have tea with Reaper-san, he has to drink it through a straw. It's so funny.

[EICHI... But okay, he guesses this mystery drug isn't cool enough to just tell a bunch of stuff on overwatch or blackwatch or Gabe or anything. He's curious about something else, now.] Why are you so interested in Reaper-san? Someone who's close with someone else doesn't generally have to ask around about them, you know.

[ Rather than take the proffered light along with the cigarette, she leans back from him and holds a hand to the end of hers, as he had. And in the same way, a lick of flame lights at the end of her finger. She lights the thing herself — but still doesn't actually smoke it. She looks a little pleased with herself as her gaze lands on him again. ]

I'm a mage. From Krynn, a world nothing at all like this one. We don't have mutants, or these [ she gestures to the cigarette ] —or anything else of this sort. You'll have to forgive me if it all seems new to me.

[ There, she figures that's a pretty good cover. ]

[There's a sharper intake of breath from her as he touches her and tells her what he wants. He'd be able to feel the way her pulse picks up speed underneath his fingers, how a soft shiver runs down her body at the sound of his voice.]

I'm... okay with that. Completely.

You know what I'd like right this moment, Chloe?

[He can indeed feel that increase in her pulse, his own body tingling as arousal licks through him -- and he hasn't even had anything laced yet. Oh, but wouldn't that just push it further in the best of ways...]

I'd like you to come here and sit on my lap.

You would.

[Said with a soft, amused smile, though it's tempered by the faint flush of arousal rising over her skin. Her hand squeezes his knee before drifting away, body angling more towards him as she starts to give him what he wants.]

Come here.

[He shifts himself, angling sideways and reaching for her, hands already starting to draw her closer. There's another angle to this, of course, such as the fact that not only was he being seen with her in public, but it was now going to be 'known' that they were more than just work partners. That they were a 'them'. That was perfectly find with him.]

He must be enjoying the rest of this festival, right?

[Eichi is quick to speak up in response to that question. He knows for a fact that Gladio is sort of mourning his friends who went home without him, to a place that doesn't sound too ideal, and he doesn't want to bring that up.]

If I see him, I'll be sure to introduce you to him, Tsumugi. You will as well, won't you, Iris-chan?

[It'd never been a secret before, really, though PDA was not her usual way of things. But the mood seemed right here, public enough that others may see them, but tucked away in the corner enough that there wasn't a huge spotlight on them. It feels strangely intimate, despite the setting. Or maybe that's just because she's so focused on him.

Either way, his hands on her give her enough support as she slides a leg across his lap until she's sitting astride him.]

More of what you had in mind?

[He simply laughs at the Emperor comment. Good, good...]

At its simplest, that's exactly right. You catch on quickly.

[He's pleased! He likes talking about this sort of thing, since sharing cultures is interesting.] Using the wrong honorific could be demeaning, and so can dropping the honorific with the wrong person. Or, in this setting, you'll simply be a foreigner.

But from now on, whatever Taako-kun chooses to call me will be with some sort of intention, so you can't excuse yourself. I wonder what I'll be called... [Say his name say it he wants to hear]

Yes.

[The word is breathed out, his hands lifting to smooth over her hair, brushing down along her shoulders before he pulls her down properly into his lap. He couldn't help what may or may not be prodding at her, but he wouldn't press his luck there. More than usual, anyway.]

I'm starting to very much like the way you look when you're above me.

I like information.

[Okay, so this kid is telling the truth... or else he wouldn't know how standoffish Reaper is about Sombra. Dodger's head tilts to the side as he watches him, his demeanor becoming a bit colder.]

I wouldn't think that hole in his face lets him drink at all. [The mental image of it is... really cute, though.] I'm not looking for anything in particular. I know plenty about Overwatch, and a bit about the man he was before he got turned into a living corpse. But I find it best to let other people decide for themselves what's the most relevant information - I'll ask questions if you say anything that catches my interest.

[Her mouth practically goes dry when he tugs her further into his lap, because yes, she feels the hard line of him there. It didn't help that he was already shirtless, his chest a warm expanse to touch and feel as her hands stroked up and down.]

Only starting to? You seemed to like it before.

[....That checks out, he guesses. He's got no reason not to believe her. Instead he simply files the knowledge away for later, and dispels the flames on his fingers with a smooth motion.]

You'd better smoke that, if you want to get anything out of it. [He takes a deep drag as an example, and smoke spills from his lips as he speaks without blowing it out.] You don't need instructions, do you?

It's only temporary, [ she assures him, still holding onto his hands with her paint-smudged ones and running her thumbs along his knuckles. she knows that look in his eye, but she doesn't want him to run, not from this. ] But, yeah — we do what they need us to do here, to help keep the people safe from whatever's on the other side of that wall. And we keep after those people who're working on the portal, to get it up and running; that's all we can do, for now.

[ she tilts her head, beseechingly. ] There's good people here, worth protecting.

I've always found that there's nothing 'simple' about anything or anyone.

[A little shrug, he's trying to be casual about it. Really though, his experience has taught him that nothing is simple.]

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introductory mingle: carnivale

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