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

[Dodger's near-drooling and leaning forward in his seat involuntarily, when the door opens. Do you even have to ask?]

Always hungry.

[That's not an exaggeration, he's basically a bottomless pit but hey, that superstrength has to run on something. His fingers are even tapping on the counter as we waits for Cain to plate it.]

[ Somehow Cain gets the feeling Dodger won't even let it cool, but... guy manipulates fire. Maybe it won't matter at all. He's getting it out and onto the counter before dishing out a generous heap on one plate and a slightly less generous one on the second, grabs some forks, then just brings the whole thing over. ]

Bon appetite.

[Cain would be entirely correct - Dodger doesn't even really wait for the plate to touch the table, but his body's already a similar temperature on a good day. And after shoveling a few mouthfuls down he's almost shaking from excitement.]

Holy shit. Holy fuck.

[His voice cracks. He's actually shaking, and pretty hard, too. He loves this lasagna- no, you don't understand, he fucking loves this lasagna.

He might be crying.]

[ Cain doesn't even try to interrupt. He just lets Dodger have as much of a moment as he needs, sitting down to work on his own piece and blowing on the parts that are still far too hot for his own comfort. The fact that someone could be so moved by something so natural for him is... well, gratifying might be too small of a word.

Whatever else Dodger has for problems and attitude, there's something very pure about his appreciation of the food and the utter lack of guile in reacting to it. Cain's already thinking about what he could make next that might get similar reactions, or at least will get Dodger to drop the act for a while. It's endearing. ]

[Good choice, because Cain might have lost a hand if it went near Dodger while he has good food. When he's done with scraping as much of the sauce off of the plate as he can, he just sits back and reaches in his pocket for a cigarette... before realizing that that would dampen the taste of lasagna left in his mouth, and he doesn't need that negativity in his life.]

Hoooly fuck.. shit, what the fuck- that was fucking incredible. Fuck.

[This is about the only way he knows how to put his feelings into words. And he's rubbing tears from his eyes, as he catches the breath he didn't breathe while he was eating.]

[ Wordlessly, Cain stands to take Dodger's empty plate and goes to add more. He stops, this time, to grab a glass of water to go with it and places it in front of him with a grin. ]

So. You like it?

I love it.

[The water is getting ignored... as is breathing, again, because it can wait until he's done emptying his plate again. He really eats like he's never eaten a day in his life before, and doesn't seem any closer to being full after the second helping.]

Do you cook like this all the time?

Not always so far from scratch, but basically. I've never had to be one of those bachelors that lives out of a microwave.

[ Well, there's an entire pan of it waiting... but Cain's going to deal with finishing his first serving before anything else. ]

[If left to his own devices he'd probably just eat it all straight out of the pan, but he's conscious enough of his limits to wait a bit before going for another helping.]

I've uh... never been around anyone that could cook. Always survived on microwaves and fast food.

[Next to someone who eats stuff this good so often, maybe even stuff that's better... it feels so pathetic, to have literally never experienced it before.]

Right, well now you have. Been around someone that could cook. [ Cain looks at Dodger for a moment before he continues eating. ] How about this: you promise not to try and run any more cons on me, including all things that technically aren't "cons" but we all know are, and I'll make you food. At least once a week.

[ More if Dodger asks, but he's curious to see if he will... or if he'll try to keep his obvious adoration for food hidden. ]

[...Why do you have to make him choose between his two favorite things. This is the worst ultimatum he's ever been given. His mouth opens for a moment, before he lets out a bemused huff of laughter.]

You're just asking for an argument about what counts as a 'con'. I don't run cons, I make deals.

[ Dodger can go con anyone he wants. How many of them would be willing to cook for him back? Done deal, c'mon now. ]

You called it swindling earlier.

[Dodger's brow furrows... but it's more sullen than anything, his posture is far from aggressive.]

Whatever. Point is it's out of my control if I decide to make a deal with you that you think you get the shorter end of the stick with - it's your job to stay ahead of the game which, so far, you've done fine with. So why worry.

[ Cain shakes his head, doesn't seem too bothered in any case. ]

More than that, I mean things like stealing my books. That's pretty unequivocal.

Then keep a better eye on your books.

Is it that bad of a deal?

[He hesitates for a moment. Yes, it is a shitty deal, because it cuts down on his own personal freedom. But it's trading a small amount of freedom for amazing food... Ughh, this is difficult.]

That depends. Are you gonna cut me off from my free meals if I pull a con on you and you fall for it?

How about just for that week?

[ Maybe that will appeal better to Dodger's sensibilities. Put it into his own hands whether he values the con over the food, or whichever he feels like most at that time. ]

[And, presumably, if he pulls a con after getting his meal, he'll just miss out on the next one. After some thought he finally nods.]

Fine. But if I behave and go a week without getting a meal from you I'm not responsible for what happens to you.

Of course not. If anything comes up, we'll raincheck. I'm a man of my word.

[ ... when he cares enough, anyway, but that doesn't need to be said. This is something ridiculously easy for him to follow-up on, since it isn't like he won't already be making food every night anyway. ]

We'll see if that's true.

[He tilts his head as he watches him, but finally he lifts up the bag of books and places it on the table.]

Alright, you earned your books back. And some Lampyr, like I promised.

[And next, he matter-of-factly pulls a small vial of purple, glowing liquid from his hoodie, and places it next to the bag.]

[ Cain watches, pulls his bag over and then the vial, picking it up to inspect it. ]

Which one is this?

[So he knows vaguely what he's talking about... better than most people Dodger's offered samples to.]

Affectionate Lampyr. Basically a platonic aphrodisiac - if it works like it's supposed to, it makes the drinker want to touch others, hug them, tell them how much they care, that sort of shit.

[It also tastes like mint toothpaste and cough syrup.]

[ Hey, Cain glanced at the post. Even if he doesn't reply to everything, he does keep his ears to the ground. ]

Is this from before or after the testing?

[ His questions aren't very heated, either. Just curiosity about this recompense he's received because it's definitely one of his more interesting possessions now. ]

Testing's still going on - it was my partner's idea to make it drinkable, but the ingredients don't lend themselves well to tasting good. You'd be best either drinking it like a shot or mixing it into a cocktail.

[A small pause, before he adds:]

There are side effects. Sometimes the drug hits a little too hard... you might end up stuck in a... love potion sorta stupor, for an hour or two. So maybe don't drink it before operative heavy machinery, or you might end up just petting it gently for a while.

[Honestly, Affectionate Lampyr is the grossest one in his mind.]

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