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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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[The voice is familiar and has the crowd of exuberant party-goers backing off, a nervous kind of energy to them as they scatter to try and tug someone else into the mix. Chloe sighs, dragging a hand through her sweat-slicked hair before she turns to regard Re-L.]

Thanks for the rescue. I owe you one.

[ There's a slight shrug as they scatter, at least thankful that she's stopped her from a terrible fate. Or at least a sweaty fate. Thankfully having food and drink in hand seems to stop most from approaching her, and she tips her had slightly away from the crowd and toward a few shaded tables where it might be less messy to chow down. ]

It's nothing. The people are a little over zealous right now, maybe because it's all just started up.

I want to sit and eat, if you want to come along. [ It seems like it's one of those 'i'm going whether you are or not' offers, but hey. At least she offered. ]

Please.

[Her intonation almost gives it an edge of desperation as she turns in the direction Re-L indicated. A shaded area to sit sounds like Heaven to her right now, especially because it's far more likely to ward off the enthusiastic crowd still dancing around them.]

I hadn't planned to stop by at all. But since the city's pretty much entirely shut down to host this thing, they kind of blocked me in.

[ There's a small laugh at that tone, but she leads her over anyway. Of course there are also seats available in the sun, but considering the pallor of Re-L's skin it wouldn't be a good plan to sit in the sun to say the least. She's being risky enough wearing shorts to escape the heat, or hanging out outside at all during this time of year. There's no way she could hide for the entire season, at least not without losing her mind, but... she's beginning to think about it if only to save some money on sun screen considering the SPF McCoy had recommended. ]

That was my problem as well. I wanted to come out and grab something simple to eat and .. next thing I knew.. [ She makes a general motion to everything around them, explanatory enough in that alone. Honestly, she's thankful to have made it to the food stand she did and away without a whole lot of issues. ]

Though I did agree to do a little shopping, later. Hopefully I can find someone who has industrial sized water bottle in the mean time.

Heat is not something I'm used to by any means.

Next thing you knew, you were flanked from all sides.

[She finishes her statement almost solemnly, knowing how it goes. She takes a seat in the shade, watching the dancing crowd all the while before turning a sidelong glance to Re-L.]

LA gets pretty hot, especially in the summertime. I'm sure they're selling water bottles around here somewhere. [She pauses, glancing at Re-L's pale skin.] And sunscreen.

Essentially, yes. [ There's a little laugh, despite herself, at the mental image that brings along. It's not a bad thing, really, not when the crowds are large and friendly, it was just.. she wasn't used to such merry making or people being brave enough to pull her in to things. It's another burden of station that she's going to have to shake off from her home sooner than later, lest she end up a total shut in. She pushes the little tray that her food had come in toward the center - still hoarding her drink though, sorry, Chloe. ]

I really shouldn't eat all of this, so if you want any, feel free. My diet is going to go to shit with all of these food trucks around.

[ The sunscreen addition doesn't go over her head, though she does make a gesture like "yes, clearly" ]

The only time I've ever cursed growing up in a place where there's no real sun around is right about now. You wouldn't believe how quickly I begin to burn.

[A small smile is sent her way as she tentatively picks at some of the offered fries. Making sure to avoid any that may have ketchup on them as she did so.]

I doubt your diet will fall behind that much. If you ate this stuff every day, however...

[She makes a small waving gesture in amusement, leaving the rest of that hang there.]

Where is that, exactly? I know you've mentioned you were on a spaceship before.

Honestly? I wonder if that would do anything. Though I'm not willing to begin eating like garbage just to see just because things aren't as monitored here. [ Well, she has a sneaking suspicion that other people weren't as regulated as her, even, but she had a certain look to maintain, didn't she? Here it wasn't all that important, but habits were habits. For her next stop she's sorting out that fruit stand she went by that seemed to display fruit cut in to festive shapes on a stick. Riverview seemed to have a nice selection of things to try, so why not give it all a shot at some point? ]

Well, that, and I'm sure my training would fall behind and Gladio would never let me hear the end of it.

[ Re-L makes a little 'one moment' motion as Chloe asks about her home world, finishing up a fry before responding. ]

It's... a version of Earth, from what I gather. Probably millennia ahead of what other people from Earth remember.. I'm not exactly sure. The way years are dated has changed so it's harder to track than I thought it would be, or even line up. [ Another fry, she mulls over how to say the rest : ]

To make an extremely tedious story short : There was nuclear war, and the planet went in to nuclear winter. Some humans went to space, others stayed on Earth and constructed Domes to live in. All of them were considered utopias, in their time, of course, as anyone would think if the outside meant death in the most absolute terms. I'm from a Dome called Romdeau. Or.. a dome that was called Romdeau.

[The talk about being 'monitored' and wondering if it would do anything gives her pause, a questioning arch of her brow being thrown her way.] What do you mean? About being monitored? Like a parent or something?

[Re-L certainly doesn't look old, but she also doesn't look young enough to be like a child still controlled by an authority figure. At least where eating habits are concerned, that is.]

Gladio? [She listens intently, looking solemn but not surprised.] A nuclear war, huh? You're unfortunately not the first person I've met here that had a similar story. The mention of the domes is new, though.

I mean that when your personal doctor is also Chief of the Health and Welfare Bureau, the fact that he has his hands in the creation of every fellow citizen doesn't stop him from wanting to make you his best one. Whether you're ten years old or twenty,
a doctor is still a doctor. [ Daedalus had his own intentions, as had anyone who interacted with her as a child. Donov Mayer pulled her in one direction, encouraging her to follow rules, study philosophy that aligned with his, maybe grooming her to take the seat of Regent next. Daedalus fed her rebellions. Allowed her things that her grandfather might not, fed her philosophy that made her question and fueled a very strong sense of natural curiosity. And, of course, there was consideration for just being a head strong little thing in the first place. ]

I train with him. Or, I should say, he helps to keep me on track when I need it. You can't miss him if you see him. Taller than me in heels with a huge tattoo down his back and arms. [ Too many years of describing suspects leads immediately to height and distinguishable features off the bat. ]

No one is missing out without a dome, honestly. It all produces a suffocating 'small cog in the large operation' feeling when you live in it.

Ah. So you were pretty close to people in high places, it sounds like. [She can understand that in small ways, though the mention of 'creating' citizens gives her extra pause.] I don't know any politicians or city leaders, but my mom used to be a pretty well-known actress back in her day. She tried her best to get me involved in her acting career too. Wanted me to tap into some talent she thought I had, or whatever.

[It's not something she misses, honestly. And as much as she loves her mom, that whole dynamic had been pretty rocky for awhile.]

I see. I'm sure I'll see him around at some point, then. As for the dome, I'd imagine it's a lot different here. Compared to how it was there, I mean. I'm not sure I'd be able to handle something like that.

I was the Regent's granddaughter. [ Close to people in high places was accurate, in the very least. Donov Mayer might not have always been proud of her, but there was no denying her once she'd been introduced to the Dome as a baby. At least he hadn't tried to pigeon hole her in to a career she hadn't wanted, even if he had tried to mold her in to a persona that wasn't entirely her own. It had partially worked - at least until she'd grown older and realized she could exert her own pressures in return. ]

It is. There's real sunlight, it rains whenever it wants... [ But she's pretty fascinated by it, honestly. ] I can see actual stars, which is the best part, I think.

Learning how to cook is still an absolute nightmare, though, so here I am braving the sun and the people for food.

Sounds like it might've been difficult. Not always easy when the spotlight's on you because of someone else.

[It had been for her, anyway, though she'd found her own path in time. If there's one thing she's grateful for about this place, it's that no one here is familiar with that stupid movie she'd been part of as a teenager. Hot Tub High School. It's the least of worries on her list of things to live down, but it's still something she tries to distance herself from. One topless scene and suddenly everyone has something to say.]

Have you seen the stars from the rooftop of the community housing center? Or the roofs in general? It's quite the amazing sight, honestly. I don't even recognize any of the constellations.

You can't cook at all?

It wasn't all difficult. I'm realizing over and over again how much of a privledge it was or .. rather how much I had. How much leeway I had where others were .. dealt with more immediately. [ Geanted, she'd eventually been "dealt with" so far as her grandfather knew, too. It's all a very strange episode she has yet to completely sort through or even officially unpack and deal with. All this movement from place to place and job to job didn't leave a lot of time for too much introspection, and perhaps that was a good thing. Not having Vincent around, too, helped with that.

They both had their own demons after all. Some more obvious than others. ]

I haven't done that but I've seen them from beyond the walls and I don't know what could make it better than complete darkness around other than a fire. And the quiet of course. [ She likes her solitude, after all. ]

No. Iggy did it for me in Romdeau and ... without him Vincent took over. We're living on what we can find so there isn't really.. room for meal failures if you know what I mean.

[She's with her up until the phrase 'dealt with,' which earns her a skeptical squint.] What do you meant "dealt with"?

Mm, you've mentioned going beyond the wall before. Honestly, it's... something I've considered, but it's hard to take the risk without knowing exactly what's out there. I'm not exactly helpless, but-- [A shrug.] Call me paranoid.

[She's quiet at her explanation, glancing back down at the tasty if less than ideal meal she'd acquired before turning back to look at her.] Would you like to? Learn how, that is.

You're smart enough to infer what I mean by 'dealt with.' [ It was how all major crime was dealt with in Romdeau City. Anything higher than petty theft and the cog in the wheel was considered broken, dealt with and reborn within a due period of time, if said citizen couldn't be reeducated. Still, for murder, and particularly for crimes amongst those who were immigrants - They simply disappeared like chalk wiped from a board. ]

It's not as risky as they make it sound, provided you're good enough at watching your back and have been out somewhere where there are threats, before. [ But then again, she's also cool as a cucumber in most situations, so perhaps Re-L's scale and pride isn't best to go off of. ] If you want to go out, we can go. The perimeter guard are, for the most part, willing to let you go if you've got a way to protect yourself. And if I'm lucky and Jim is working, he'll just go along with us for the hell of it.

[ The question about learning how to cook, though - seems to catch her off guard, for a moment. She mulls it over her latest mouthful of food (also a pleasant time buyer, if she's honest), before replying. ]

It'd be best for me if I did, I think. No more fast food and things I know I shouldn't have this regularly. But I've proven useless at it more times than not.

[That sends a chill through her, but she doesn't show it outwardly. She's heard various things from other people about their home worlds - worlds that have been destroyed, or war-torn, or nuked. Worlds that have a less forgiving and merciful justice system than the one she knows. Her next words are said quietly:] Unfortunately, yes. I can see now why he'd want a tight fist around the people he runs.

I... might take you up on that at some point. My partner would probably want to come with us as well, if we did. I'd need to prepare beforehand.

[She nods at her assessment.]

Well, it takes practice. I'm not exactly a great chef, but I'd like to think I can cook well enough to be healthy and survive. If you want to learn... [She gestures vaguely.] I wouldn't mind.

Grandfather didn't need a tight fist, most of the time. All citizens are trained from a young age about how to be a good Fellow Citizen, how they need to control themselves and their emotions... the lot of it. [ And when she says trained, she means it. The constant barrage of others telling you how to be a good citizen, how to improve, the just as constant bulletins on what the Dome needed from it's citizens and what the regulations were played over speaker phone over and over again.

She can still hear 'Fellow Citizens, please stay in your homes.' playing as the literal world fell down around her trying to escape. ]

Most people don't think past anything they've been taught their entire lives, so, grandfather only had to concern himself with the loudest ones.

One of them just happened to be me. [ But.. she was pulled from the DNA of an outsider, so.. maybe she couldn't really be counted? ]

Provided I'm not expected in to work on a case I'm always willing to go. Just give me a day's notice or so. [ Re-L pauses at her offer, thinking it over for a spare few moments. It couldn't hurt to at least try it, right? She's paying for a brand new kitchen in her apartment that sits unused other than bowls to hold her fruit, so she might as well. Finally she gives a decisive nod, trying not to show her misgivings about her own abilities with it. ]

It's not like there's much left to lose if I burn a meal or two in the process, so why not.

Oh, so they were brainwashed. [It's said dryly but not without compassion. Re-L is not her grandfather, after all, and while she was afforded privileges, she probably had more than her share of damage done.

There is a note of disgust in her voice in her next statement, though.]

Mm. People spoke out and he snuffed them out or punished them. Like any dictator would. [A sigh.] Thanks. I'll let you know. Right now I'm still more focused with things going on in the city.

[She gives her a hint of a smile.] Great. I'll bring some recipes over and we can work at it. We'll start with simple things.

You could say that. You're also never taught any differently, provided you're taught in the same way that everyone else was. I... had the benefit of my doctor. Of Daedalus teaching me things that grandfather wouldn't have wanted him to... [ She pauses for a moment, the thought of it pushing the corners of her lips up for a slight moment before she settles back in to that classic poker face, swirling her cup of water for a moment before taking another long sip. ] Daedalus underestimated me too, though, so I suppose they're on the same level, in the end.

[ Not that she seems even remotely disturbed by that. As if she's kind of come to enough terms with it to be just fine one way or another. At least for the moment, in this place where none of them were here to haunt her in some way or form. She connects the dots easily enough and Re-L nods, seemingly entertained by her disgust in a way. Probably because it's the first time since Daedalus that someone was outwardly disgusted by Donov Mayer. ]

Unfortunately, in a world that's out to kill you with it's sick, nuclear atmosphere, there isn't exactly room for dissent. Most people aren't willing to accept the.. literal or social suicide, so.. they assimilated. I guess I just decided that the suicide was better. [ Socially and.. well, literally in a strange way. She sips her drink again as if she hadn't just said something dark, nodding her understanding. ]

I've not been able to find anything suspicious here yet, but let me know if you do.

What counts as 'simple' in your books for a recipe? [ Because, truly, she's crap at this. She can't even cook noodles without calling the instructions stupid and throwing the box. ]

Sometimes people like to use others for their own agenda, because they think they can get away with it. Or that no one else will realize they're just as dirty.

[She knows that from experience. Malcolm Graham, a well-loved cop from her own department, had gotten involved in shady dealings. Once he'd gotten shot and been put in a coma, he'd been touted as a hero who'd been trying to put the bad guys away. The fact that she questioned his motives had put a target on her back. She's never done well with people getting away with things they shouldn't, and while Re-L's calm demeanor and account disturbs her somewhat, she can understand. There's not much to be done when you're literally worlds apart.]

It's less that I've found anything suspicious and more that I have a lot of unanswered questions. Or questions that haven't fully been answered, which is just as unsettling to me. Seems like most people are alright with that, though.

[Too bad her idea of simple is along the same line as noodles, but they've got to start somewhere.] I'm thinking pasta of some kind. You can't exactly burn that, for one. Maybe some kind of vegetable dish so it balances out the carbs.

Don't I know it. [ Particularly being the one being used, in one way or another. Used to bring Vincent back to the Dome, used to bring forgiveness back to her doctor after he'd let her go outside, it went on and on. The more she thought about it, the more it irritated her, but.. they're all dead now. Who's there to even be angry at? It seems like an utter waste of energy, when she rationalizes it further, which.. is why it's easier to go in to work and not fuss herself with details from a place full of ghosts, now. ]

Well, when you're being given anything and everything.. who would question? Most people want their basic necessities regardless of what they willingly ignore in the mean time.

[ Pasta... there's a little bit of a twitch in her face at that, thinking of when she's attempted to make noodles any other time, which... well, she was still finding hard stick noodles under things in the Rabbit. Still, with a little more guidance it may not end as terribly... right? ]

If you say I can't burn it. [ Challenge : accepted ]

That's the theory I've been working under so far. Hard to be suspicious or make too many waves when one's hosts are being so generous and seemingly forthcoming.

[Admittedly, even her own intuition, which is normally pretty well-tuned to the inner workings and truth of a case, tells her she may be off base here. But she can't quite determine how yet. It's hard for her to just let it go, though, especially when she's one of the ones who desperately want to go back home.

And hey, Re-L, even her eight-year old can cook a mean set of scrambled eggs with supervision.]

Great. Just let me know when works best for you and we'll set something up.

To be fair I've yet to come up with anything actually suspicious. Which is new. Mildly frustrating and yet.. mildly relieving. [ After all, she's been born in to suspicious places, brought in to suspicious places.. having one that seems pretty damn mild is kind of a relief. There's no breath holding but being able to relax even slightly, for a little while, had been a bit of a relief. ]

I'll take a look at my schedule. It seems a bit off and on, sometimes, so it's best not to assume.

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introductory mingle: carnivale

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