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

navigation

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

You're welcome. I get the want to... help.

[ Seeing all of his family end up the same way and work for a greater good that he'll never get to touch, keeping the balance — it's hard. He does what he can for them in life, but overall it doesn't feel like much. ]

Felt like the easiest route. Did you have anything else in mind?

Unfortunately not. I'm only familiar with more brutal methods.

[????? Without explaining that, he steps away just to grab the sharpest knife he has in his drawers. Sharper makes it easier, right? Bringing it back, he pauses with the flat of the blade against his other palm.]

I'm sorry, but would you mind if we did this on the floor away from the furniture?

Like what?

[ I mean, yeah, what the hell does that mean but also Cain doesn't know this kid's life story. Whatever. Live and let live!! He's about to respond on instinct that his blood won't be a problem because when he heals it comes back to him, but...

Right. He's not the one that will be healing himself this time. Huh. At that, he stands and moves over to the center of the floor, out of the way. ]

Not a problem. Want me to do that? [ He nods to the knife. ]

Let's not speak about scary and violent things while we're already doing something like this.

[He's not going to answer, in other words. Eichi offers over the knife quickly enough once he joins him.]

If you don't mind. My hands will have to touch the wound, I think, so it would be difficult to juggle both. I'm ready as soon as you are, then.

Only if you don't want to.

[ As if Cain himself would be phased at all... He takes the knife in his dominant hand, left, and feels out the heft of it for a moment before putting it to his palm. ]

We'll start small.

Are you also left-handed, Kane-kun?

[He has to ask, since he is, as well. But he's watching and waiting for that small start, ready to cover it with his hand the moment he sees blood. Whenever he does get to healing, Cain will feel that Eichi's fingers turn icy cold before his skin mends back together like brand new.]

I am. Something in common, huh?

[ Cain might have mentioned the other facts, like how the rest of him was swapped too, but then he'd have to get into the twin thing and... Eichi seems nervous enough as it is. Better to let him focus and see he's doing it well than to get distracted by useless parts of conversation.

He slices, Eichi heals, and once it's done, he flexes the hand as if to test it. ]

That's... very different from how it usually feels. Good job.

So it seems.

[Left-handed buddies. ♪ Just leave it at that, Cain, gosh. He's not bringing up the name thing yet, so it should be left at that, right? He blinks at the flexing, letting out a quiet little breath he was holding. It worked. It didn't tire him out too much with something as small as that.]

Did it feel bad in any way? Ah, let's try it again as soon as you're ready.

Not bad, just icy cold. Does it feel like that on your end, too?

[ He's just fine with working while they talk, and while Cain intends to keep an Eichi as they go, he seems okay so far. He makes a longer slice on his palm this time and holds it out for him. ]

I don't really notice it one way or another as far as temperature goes. Mm, but I do feel something moving through to my hands, and if I think about it beyond just that, I suppose it is a little cold.

[Icy cold... he places his hand over that slice again, healing it up once more. Small little things like this he seems to handle. Over time, this is going to stack and wear him out, but right now he seems outwardly fine.]

Something like the energy?

[ Or is Eichi actually injecting some sort of force that he's producing now? More physical than just... magic? Hard to say, but he lets Eichi handle this one too, all the while watching the young man for signs. ]

Tell me if you want anything bigger.

It's difficult for me to describe something like this, since I'm not used to it as a concept at all.

[He really struggles with just understanding that he can even do it, let alone how it feels. But right, he'll focus, healing a few more smaller ones before he takes a slower breath. He better move up or he won't be able to "practice" anything.]

Something a little more significant now, please. I've healed a slit throat, so I should be able to handle something a little more.

What about a puncture instead of a slash?

[ Cain doesn't even really wait for very much of a response (although he does check Eichi's expression first) before he changes the angle of the knife and presses downward into his hand. Through fleshy pieces where it won't get too much resistance since he won't be going the whole way through anyway.

All he really does in reaction is take a deeper, sharper breath. His fingers twitch. Normal physical reactions, not much of him paying attention to the pain signals overall. ]

So... Slit throat, huh?

[That looks a lot more worrying, even still. His eyes flick briefly to Cain's face, but when nothing seems worrying there, he quickly covers the puncture wound with his hand. It heals just the same, though it's a little bit slower.]

Um... [He'd been distracted, so his response is delayed.] Yes, that's right. It's how I discovered these powers. I thought he was going to die, but my hands sealed the wound completely.

[ This time he flexes his hand, setting the knife aside to rub the previously-injured spot. That it feels different is the weirdest part about this because... well, he's always, always healed just the one way. He doesn't really remember what it's like to take the long route, and this alternate short route is strange to say the least. ]

Bet that person's pretty glad you did. How much did that knock you out?

I couldn't walk, and it felt like pure adrenaline was keeping me awake. He had to carry me here, and I fell asleep almost immediately for the walk back.

[So, a while... Considerably, in fact. Even right now, he can feel it a little, but now he's watching the knife, and then watching Cain rub the spot with a bit of worry. Did it heal wrong?]

Is it okay?

[ That concern gets a light smile. ]

It's fine. You just get used to something being one way for so long, other ways feel completely out of place. It's not you. Did you have any... requests? Like something you'd want to know you could heal before it came up?

Mm... Could you try a long-yet-deep one across your arm, or would that be too much? I'd like to be sure that I can use both hands at once and cover a larger area.

Sure. We'll avoid the artery, though.

[ That sounds like a great way to stain the floor and also traumatize someone if it doesn't get healed quickly enough. That said, he positions the knife at his wrist and trails it up to the crook of his elbow, brow quirked while he watches Eichi to see if it's enough — he's willing to go further up as necessary. He could do it along the underside but that's some different complications there. ]

Please.

[Don't hit the artery. That is plenty long, since he doesn't want to do too much at once. Both of his hands press over Cain's wound now, and it seems that the amount of time it takes to heal this probably has to do with both size and Eichi's own energy. At least it's still nothing slow. Even that slit throat had been healed in just moments.

But his shoulders definitely sink a little with this one.]

That seemed to work rather well.

[ Cain is watching Eichi more than the healing, his peripheral vision good enough to keep track of it while he practically sees the vitality drain. He smiles and reaches out to grip his shoulder briefly before sitting back. ]

It did. Keep going?

[ And his tone says he'll trust Eichi on this. Just until proven that he shouldn't otherwise. ]

Yes. I'll let you know when it's been too much. Let's do it a little bit more each time, but while avoiding anything vital.

[It doesn't help that Eichi is so used to lying, and that he can lie so well when his body isn't betraying him. Each time, he heals the wound, focuses, and keeps going. He might seem a little tired in the face or shoulders, but overall he doesn't seem all that bad.

At least not until he's completely healed one larger cut on Cain and then looks green in the face. He still lifts his hands and stares like he's ready, but he's swaying a bit...]

[ Eichi works on the wounds, and Cain focuses on Eichi. it doesn't take all too long for him to see the boy flagging and he sets the knife down, shakes his head. ]

That's enough. Why don't you sit down on the couch and... hm. Do you have anything to eat here? Or I can make something and bring it up.

Just once more.

[Eichi insists, despite him putting the knife down. He has to reach out to grab Cain's arms for support so he doesn't fall over right now, but willpower is keeping him up.] If I don't push myself at this point, then what is the purpose of this? How can I grow at all?

There's a fine line between stretching the muscle and tearing it apart.

[ Cain holds him up easily, arms turning to hold Eichi's back. He sighs. ]

I know you probably want a fast track for this, but doing it right means taking the time to make sure you don't set yourself back. Possibly permanently. Unless you want to cut me yourself, we're done for now.

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