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

Gods, I've done so much stupid shit.

[Just like the start of this, his laugh is shaky with threatening tears, but it's still genuine, because he has. There's been a lot that's happened without her, including his show and the aftermath and the whole hunt for the relics. He's been different, without her, and he knows it but isn't sure how to bring that up.

I forgot you feels too cruel.]

I know this is kinda like, a fucking taboo question for us, but are you okay?

Of course you have.

[She laughs - a quiet and slightly tear-filled one, but still a laugh.

When he asks if she's okay, Lup finally lets go and grabs the vodka from him while holding up a finger in a 'wait' gesture. Then she just chugs a third of the damn at once.

Fuck no she's not okay, but she's going to deal with it. She's not as good as Taako at hiding away her emotions in some little part of her and toss away the key, but she could push herself.

Power through.]

You're a shithead and I hate you.

[It's so very, very fond.]

[This is why he grabbed the vodka, it's not exactly the best way to cope with the current emotional upheaval, but he knows they'll sort things out eventually, that it'll stop hurting so much. Right now, though, he's dumped a lot of shitty information on Lup and can't blame her for needing something.]

I love you too.

[Those aren't words Taako says a lot, and Lup is one of the few people who gets to hear them. He could've just repeated the I hate you, she would've known what he meant.

But the words themselves feel important, right now.]

[Those words makes her grab him for a hug again - briefer this time but just as emotional. She wants to say it back a million times, but it's just not what they do. Plus she's done crying for the next century.

...then Lup pulls back again with a concerned frown.

Taako was her heart, her second half - but they had other family these days.]

How... how is everyone else? Are they here?

Lux is here.

[There should be a weight to that announcement but he manages to make it sound like a good thing, instead of the complicated mess that it is.]

She's from way back, when we got Fisher? I've told her some shit, it's been kinda weird. [understatement of the century] The rest of our dipshits are back in Fearun, they're all okay.

[debatable]

That far back?

[It was really weird to think about. She was a different person back then, before the year where they all died and she was the only one left. Softer.

More innocent.]

Faerun? That's the name of the place you guys landed on?

[And, of course, the question she dreaded:]

...how's Barry?

[She's gone or missing and fuck, they were supposed to keep eachother in check.]

She's kind of a baby, yeah.

[Which comes from two places, one of them being the fact that Lup and Taako are a hell of a lot older than the rest of the IPRE, and the other that there's a big difference between 30 and 80, or even 30 and 110 years. There's a lot of things that Lucretia hasn't been through, yet, including what she does to them.

At the question about Fearun, he just nods a confirmation, because he's kind of expecting what's coming next and wants to focus on that.]

Kinda... lichy. [And he holds up a hand, as if anticipating Lup's concern.] He's got a way to get new bodies. I dunno how exactly, we've sorta been separated, but he's been kinda on and off. With the lich thing...

[Lucretia was a baby, still a withdrawn and shy person, not the woman she grown to later. That is a strange thought by itself, but Lup can't fully concentrate on that when Taako mentions that Barry went all lichy.

It could only mean one thing - that he died. Sure, she had seen him die several times, but Taako had said they were out of the cycles.

It meant he wouldn't...

...but new bodies? It didn't make sense either.]

Fuck, this is so messed up.

I know, Lulu.

[The fact that he was responsible for Barry's first death is... hard, no matter how much Barry pleaded for it, no matter how necessary it was. Taako didn't love Barry in the same way Lup did, but he was still family, they were still close. Taako has watched him fall and had forgotten who he was by the time the body bit the ground.

But he isn't going to dump that on Lup right now, there's a lot of ground to cover and there's time to do it. Right now he doesn't want to overwhelm her with information.]

We're gonna figure this shit out, though, we're gonna win.

[He's not sure he believes that, but it's always been easier to hope when Lup is around.]

[Lup makes an affirming sound as she flops back on the bed, but her hand closes around Taako's tightly. She's afraid, but she couldn't allow herself to show that right now. They had to have hope.

It's all that was left.]

How long have you been here? In this place?

[Not showing emotions is kind of their deal, but Taako feels the way her hand tightens on his and holds on just as tight. Maybe the reason they don't need to show it is because they've never really needed to, they just get each other.]

Four months, give or take. [It's long in some ways and short in others. A third of a cycle, but not nearly as long as he's spent in Fearun.] I'm, uh, kinda seeing someone? Like exclusively? We go on dates and I sleep at his place and he makes me breakfast in the morning?

[It seems kind of unimportant, compared to Lup dying, Barry dying, the shit back home, but that's why he's telling her. It's a distraction. It's also weird.]

[She was going to say something about how long he had been here but then he drops another thing on her that makes Lup shoot up again from her position.]

Holy fuck, Taako?!

[Her brother, seeing someone (more than once)???]

Who is he? What's his name? Does he live here?

I know.

[This is strange and unusual for him to! He gets it!!!

But he's glad his offering of a distraction is working. He'll let Lup put him on blast if it makes her feel better.]

His name's Eddie, we met not long after we both got here? I saved his ass from a broken down elevator and we went clubbing and got puh-retty high on party drugs and fucked. [That's a pretty good summary of how it went down.] Then we kinda just kept going on dates? We haven't like... talked about it, but I'm not fooling around with anyone else and neither is he, so I guess that's a thing. He has his own place though, gods, if I move in with some dude you can kill me instantly cause I'm obviously fucking possessed.

[It all sounded pretty normal for Taako's hookups at first. Clubbing, getting wasted, fucking. The fact that he was going on dates after that was the new thing, and Lup is grinning more and more as her brother tells her about this guy. Eddie.

It seemed they both liked guys with shitty names.

The last part makes her laugh again, and damn it feels so good to be able to do that.]

I was a little concerned, there. You know I gotta meet him, though. You've been a little shit to Barry, now it's my turn.

Edited 2017-07-05 23:27 (UTC)

Excuse the fuck outta you, I was a delight to Barry! Who told him to finally make a fucking move after twenty years of messing around?

[Which isn't to say that he didn't also torment the hell out of Barry when given the chance, but he was pretty well behaved, because he never wanted to ruin any chance Lup had of being happy.]

Suuure, it's an absolute delight to make him blush all the time, I swear he was gonna get bruises on his face.

[She sticks out her tongue, because she's five.

In all honestly though, Lup is really grateful that Taako gave Barry the talk that made realized his feelings and actually do something about his crush.]

You know I gotta give him the shovel talk.

You don't gotta do shit, I never gave Barold one!

[In part because it's not like Lup needs him to threaten people for her, but he's also just never really felt like poking his nose into her business in that particular way.]

You knew Barry. I don't know this guy.

[She jabs him gently with her elbow.]

Besides, I want to meet him. He obviously has good taste.

You can meet him without giving him the shovel talk, we'll have dinner or whatever sometime.

[Probably after Carnivale, since he kind of wants to just chill and throw himself into partying because things with Eddie have been a tiny bit weird, ever since the whole... stabbing.......]

You gotta meet Ellie, too, she lives here. You two are gonna make my life hell.

[Looking back, now that he can remember Lup, his back and forth with Ellie is very familiar.]

Alright, alright. So what's he like?

[It's fine, she's not in a hurry. After all this shit they just dug through, partying away you emotions seemed like a Taaco thing to do.

Still, he mentions some other person living here, and Lup smiles. Of course Taako wouldn't live alone.]

I like her already. Who did you hustle to get a place like this, anyway?

I have a job, bitch.

[He feels like he needs to get that very important fact out of the way before she so rudely besmirches his name, not that he wouldn't hustle a place, but he did this one on the up and up.]

But uh, Eddie's really sweet? He's a cop - [Taako holds up a hand to cut that off before Lup gets started.] I know, I know, it's fucking wild. He likes my cooking and we can kinda talk about shit and it's chill, I guess? We haven't had the talk or whatever about what we're doing and that's fine by me.

Fuck you, how am I supposed to know my bro is all legit with a sweet place like this?

[She's only seem his room, but aside from the Starblaster it's the nicest place any of them has ever had.

...and god damn it Taako, you're going to give her emotional whiplash.]

Geez, who are you?

[The question isn't supposed to mean what it does, but it feels like a shot to the chest, and Taako fumbles with his words for a moment, not knowing what to say.

I forgot you sits over him like a weight. Things are different because he forgot her, because when he turned up in this place he was alone without any memories of Lup to keep him steady, and latching onto people is just how he dealt with that. He'd never really understood why being alone felt so crushing, until he could remember her.]

I missed you.

[As if that explains anything, as if the genuine way he says it and the ache in his voice doesn't just make things more complicated.]

[Shit, she fucked up somehow. She can read that all over his face as clear as day - but she doesn't know and that means it only makes her feel confused and unsure what to do.

She knows what to do when he says that, however.

Lup leans her forehead against his, cupping his face gently and closing her eyes. Connected.]

I'm here. I'm not going anywhere.

[It's a relief when she closes the distance between them; Taako closes his eyes and just breathes for a moment, listening to Lup breathe and feeling so fucking grateful that she's here, no matter how painful and complicated it is.]

I know, I know. [He doesn't pull away, but it's time for a Joke to lighten the mood.] It's just been kinda shitty, I got all these two person cons and no one to pull 'em with.

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