introductory mingle: carnivale

[riverviewmod]

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

Comments

[finethanks]

I feel completely fine.

[He says that, but even as he smiles, he is very hot in this. He's soaking wet, and honestly with this as white as it is he could just take some layers off, but he hasn't.] It wouldn't be right of me to wear something less bright and representing of music here, and my old uniforms from home happened to arrive in my room out of nowhere. I thought that I should make use of them.

It's a nice surprise to see you here, Kane-kun.

[aeturnus]

If you say so. Nothing more suited for summer performances?

[ Cain isn't going to push although he might subtly try to make sure Eichi at least has some kind of drink on him by the time he's done to keep the kid hydrated. Dad instincts never really go away, they just lie in wait. ]

Don't let anyone ever tell you they're too old to check out a party. [ He grins, then shrugs. ] But I'll bite. Why's that?

[finethanks]

Even in the summer, my performances were always themed so that my unit could look angelic, and as their leader, I had to set up the image. You don't picture angels as beings in shorts and sleeveless t-shirts, do you?

[Just saying!! This is necessary. But he laughs, pointing the fan at Cain's face next. Enjoy this wind.] It's because Kane-kun seems like a person who would be busy with other things. At the performances or food stands, perhaps, but the parade? I wouldn't have pictured it.

[aeturnus]

Maybe not, but flowing and loose robes wouldn't stand out and you could modernize those without losing the whole look, I'd say.

[ That gets him to close his eyes briefly and wrinkle his nose with amusement. He'll give Eichi a few fanning motions back with his own. ] Hey, the art and the performances are just as entertaining. Besides, I've been wandering all day, figured I'd park it for a while instead.

[finethanks]

The silhouette shown by robes isn't attractive at all, unless you're going fully traditional. I wouldn't want to intrude on Akatsuki's territory.

[He chuckles, finally pulling his little fan back to point at himself.] There have been some interesting things at this festival, haven't there?

[aeturnus]

And what is Akatsuki's territory?

[ There we go. He just smiles and gives Eichi a few more before settling. He's good with the heat for now, it isn't unbearable or anything. ]

Oh yeah, a ton. Best part of the alternate realities is that there's always something to check out, and a festival? Best sort of things.

[finethanks]

Traditional. But they're the Japanese sort of style, so it's probably not what you had in mind.

[They're not really "robes," he just thought of that. Anyway, it sure is getting hot, but as another float passes, it spritzes more water at them, and Eichi has to raise his arms with a laugh to block it from his face.]

They really don't hold back, do they? I'm soaked from head to toe. ♪

[aeturnus]

Oh yeah, no, I was thinking Greco-Roman.

[ For a guy his age, it's not very surprising whatsoever. Cain doesn't even block it, just shoulders hunching up before letting himself relax and moving to wipe the excess from his face. He laughs, too. ]

Not like water's hard to find when you live on a river. Surprised there aren't more beachside parties around here.

[finethanks]

A beachside party... I wonder what that would be like.

[He shakes his hands dry, and then uses the fan to dry the rest of his own face.] I don't do well with extreme temperatures, and getting sunburned would be horrible for an idol, so there would be a lot to worry about. I'd probably end up in the shade the entire time, or get dehydrated and pass out.

[aeturnus]

They're pretty great. Lots of games, refreshments, music.

Part of the point is to hang out with people, especially ones you might like, so that'd be fine. [ Thanks for giving him his opening, Eichi. ] Speaking of, I should probably grab a drink. You had anything recently, Tenshouin-kun?

[finethanks]

Do you think so? I worry that I might hold some people back from truly enjoying themselves, though.

[Standing in the shade and half dying all the time... It's unfair to everyone else who should be out in the water, splashing and having fun. That's what he thinks. At the question, though, he turns away from the parade and more to Cain completely.]

I haven't had the chance yet. It seems that this parade will be continuing for a long while, so why don't I accompany you? If I continue to stand here for too long, I'm worried that I'll get bored and it will ruin the magic.

[aeturnus]

Think of it as you being the freshening-up round. When people need to take a break from all the active fun, you could hang out while they catch their breath.

[ There's fun to be had in all sorts of interactions. With Eichi's agreement, he grins and nods over toward the row of shops away from all the hubbub of the parade in the streets. Plenty of people making bank this holiday, that's for sure. ]

Always good to let your eyes rest, true. What're you thinking, soda? Smoothie? Tea? [ He's not particularly torn in any direction. Whatever Eichi's preferences lean toward, really. ]

[finethanks]

Tea, thank you.

[His favorite. Following along, Eichi can really realize how soaked he is. He laughs at it, glancing down at his uniform that's... really, he should have chosen a different color, but all he wears is white. It's his favorite color.]

My clothes are so wet that they're sticking to me. In this sun, I wonder if it will dry quickly? But if I stay out of the shade for too long, I might get burnt. That's taboo for an idol.

[aeturnus]

Tea it is, then.

[ Truth be told, he's gotten pretty sick of tea over the centuries but at least more modern days have seen twists on old classics and he can deal with that. Nothing he'll get huffy over. ]

If you want, we could grab some sunblock somewhere. Might give you a better fighting chance.

[finethanks]

Is that not strange for just my face and hands? [Well, and his neck too, he guesses. But otherwise, he's not showing much skin... past his wet clothes.]

Even still, it would be a risk that I can't take. I'd rather get a parasol.

[aeturnus]

Not really. Just use it on whatever's showing.

[ That just gets a laugh, and Cain quickly moves aside as someone practically bursts through the crowd to apparently chase after someone up ahead. Rowdy but not necessary uncontrolled, huh. ]

Parasol could work, too.

[finethanks]

Kane-kun could use a parasol himself. It might soften his image a little, you know?

[He teases, watching the stranger chase past them. Ah, he wishes he had that much stamina.]

[aeturnus]

Oh, don't joke. I could totally pull off a parasol.

[ Could you, tho??? ]

[finethanks]

Do you really think so? Someone with your appearance?

[He's doubting it]

[aeturnus]

Sure. I'm a dab hand with cosmetics.

[ Fashion, on the other hand... Well, he does understand it and can use it. But usually just... doesn't. Boring. ]

[finethanks]

Then I should put you in charge of holding a parasol for me, don't you think?

[This is an arrangement he's okay with. Less for him to carry!]

[aeturnus]

What, and risk me ending up in any photos you take?

[ Eichi is an idol. Of course he wouldn't turn down a photo op, yeah? ]

[finethanks]

You shouldn't be afraid of photos if you can pull a look off, Kane-kun. So which is it, I wonder?

[He's teasing so much!!] Look, there's some tea at that stand over there. How's that?

[aeturnus]

More the fact that our two looks don't really mesh.

[ He laughs at the change in subject and starts making his way to the stand Eichi's pointed out. ]

Looks fine to me, Tenshouin-kun. What would you like?

[finethanks]

I enjoy a surprise now and again, so let's see if there's a daily special.

[He loves like, all tea, so he'll enjoy whatever it is this time.] But now I'm wondering about what you just said. Isn't my look the type that can mesh with anyone? Is that an insult, I wonder?