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

[idolpire]

You have been any time I've had the misfortune of running across you. All knees high and bouncy toes and too many smiles.

[He actually emulated that, doing a few mincing steps with knees jerking up high, bouncing on the tips of his toes and smiling too wide.]

You're like a bloody bunny. I eat bunnies.

[aeturnus]

Yes, and you could drink my blood too. Under certain circumstances.

[ That impression gets a laugh out of him and he shakes his head. ]

After a certain point you just realize there isn't much use to not taking the good where you can find it.

[idolpire]

What, that was a one-off? Figures.

[See this, Cain? This is a vampire rolling his eyes.]

The only taking of any good I plan on doing is of good blood, good drink, and maybe a good woman I can turn bad.

[aeturnus]

No, just that the serum wears off. Doing it now would be on your head.

[ Cain's not going to go running around half-mortal just for your appetite! ]

What, you don't go for the already-bad girls?

[idolpire]

... So how long does that stuff last? What if I had a good bellyful near the end of it? I'd go through that bloody hell again?

[Rude, Cain. Super rude.]

Mm, depends. I like the bad ones for a bit of sport, but I like the good ones because nothing's better than something you've corrupted yourself.

[aeturnus]

Depends on the dosage. This is the part where you'd have to communicate beforehand how much you'd want.

[ That's him. Perpetual rude boy, Jacob Kane. Totally. ]

Bit of that homemade flavor to it.

[idolpire]

You're no fun, you know that? Here I was, thinking I could lure you off and steal a nip. Nope. Got to ruin a vampire's hopes and dreams. You're cruel Jake.

[aeturnus]

[ Cain just shakes his head. ]

Sorry to steal your fun, but I actually like being able to not-die. You haven't seen my luck yet, I tend to need it.

[idolpire]

We're all going to die, mate. We all should. Some might live longer than others, yeah, but at the end of the day, we all run out. Anything that doesn't? Well.. Bit of nasty, isn't it? Seen some older types go mad before. You don't want a crazy mad immortal around.

[aeturnus]

On the other hand, all things have a time they should die and unfortunately mine isn't up yet. Far be it from me to throw everything out of balance just because I like sanity.

[idolpire]

See, there you go. Being rude again.

[He lifted his brows at Cain, a smirk paired with it to lessen any supposed heat behind it.]

S'all right. I found someone I can feed from who's tastier than you.

[aeturnus]

[ That gets a bit of a mock-offended look, and then he looks genuinely curious. ]

Really? Now you're just trying to make me jealous.

[idolpire]

What? I am not! We're not... Oh, sod off.

[Yes, that was a grumpy face, Cain. Spike was overreacting because Spike was... confused.]

[aeturnus]

[ That just gets Cain to grin and look hilariously innocent. It isn't a bad look, but totally not true. Absolutely not. ]

If you're serious, then good. Doesn't mean my offer's not still on the table. [ Don't ask why. Just don't. ]

[idolpire]

Look at that. I've got two bodies willing to give me blood. Two crazy people that are borderline suicidal. Not exactly going to argue that. You still taste better than the bagged stuff.

[aeturnus]

Pretty sure I can't be classed as suicidal.

[ He'll still come back, so it isn't like he's got a death wish. He's just... using what he has strategically. ]

[idolpire]

Only because you can't die, and honestly, that makes you worse. At least most of us have a limit. Something we know if we go beyond, that's it. Keeps the ones who want to keep ticking from doing anything too stupid. Not having one? That has to mess you up some.

[aeturnus]

I'll cop to that one.

[ Hard to claim a lack of physical repercussion doesn't leave you with a lot of issues in the self-preservation department. As long as he's still functional in a totally acceptable manner in order to get by, Cain doesn't really care. ]

[idolpire]

Good.

[The last thing he needed was to be chumming around with an immortal that thought he was 'perfectly okay'. Live long enough and you wound up with some kind of fucked up in your head.]

[aeturnus]

[ Oh yeah, Cain knows he's not insane but there's a lot that isn't right with him, either. It's fine. S'all good. He has it taken care of, works with his issues instead of pretends they aren't there. Most of the time. ]

Were you worried?

[idolpire]

Not really. I can always slip away if you start going mental.

[aeturnus]

[ That one gets a quick laugh. ]

While the going's still good. Thankfully, I don't think I'm in any danger of snapping any time soon.

[idolpire]

You never can tell, can you. That's the whole point of snapping. Happens without warning.

[aeturnus]

Sometimes. Other times, pressure gets applied with intent.

[idolpire]

Angelus did that with Dru. She was a little flighty already, what with being a seer and all, but when a soulless vampire has a mind to drive you batty before turning you...

[He shrugged.]