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

[heirlift]

Are you sure?

[ No way. This kid is like, 10... is he supposed to play babysitter or something? He wouldn't mind so much if someone asked him, or even just told him what was going on here, but he feels a bit at a loss. He doesn't even dislike kids, this is just a lot of responsibility without any kind of expectations set forth.

He's not ready to be a Dad yet. Or even a Bro. ]

Floor 13, room number one?

[sweetlies]

Absolutely sure.

[He's not that small, how dare he? He's lucky Ciel is just a normal human boy and not something annoyingly supernatural. He brushes at his hair, partly in frustration but he's not in any real danger of getting irritated. This won't be the last time he's questioned on anything, he knows it.]

I, thankfully, have excellent memory. I didn't mistake the floor or room I was told. [A pause and, because he should know rather than be surprised.] A case worker will be visiting once a week.

[heirlift]

[ Oh, jeez. A caseworker? It's been a long time since he was on Earth, and he was only thirteen back then, so he's not quite sure how these things are supposed to work, but isn't he supposed to meet with aforementioned caseworker, too? ]

Okay, okay. Well, we can figure this out!

[ He's already asked himself, What Would Dad Do? The answer is nothing he himself wants to do. But his father was pretty good parent, all things considered...

He tries to remember what it was like at that age. He distinctly remembers going through his Independent Young Man phase, and decides to go with that. ]

Come in, then! Come in, and I can... show you around? It's not that big if you just want to look around yourself.

[sweetlies]

[He only just came from Earth but things are very different in his time. The changes to how things work, if this happens on Earth at some point, are not welcome. Ciel is used to a certain level of independence.]

That isn't necessary. I don't believe I'll use too much space in general.

[He hopes to find a way to support himself so he won't have to live in a small space for too long.]

I hope this won't inconvenience you.

[heirlift]

Uh. Alright.

[ Yep! Independent streak. Kids. Well, John can't really blame him-- it's a phase a lot of them go through, right? ]

Well, my name's John, if I can help you out, just. Let me know, okay?

[sweetlies]

[He values his independence, thank you. And phases don't typically last four years, do they?]

It's a pleasure, John.

[He's being rude, and at least he recognizes it. For a moment, Ciel is quiet while he figures out how to try to fix it.]

If we need anything, I get a biweekly stipend. To make up for the inconvenience. And... I'll try not to need anything often.

[He's very bad at this.]

[heirlift]

Oh, good.

[ He doesn't even try to hide his relief. He didn't really want to have to support a kid he barely even knows; he technically only has a job offer at this point. Not that he would just kick him out, but it was just a terrifying prospect is all.

His shoulders relax, and he shoves his hands in his pocket. ]

Well, uh. I guess I'll leave you to it then? But we could talk later? Get to know each other, or play some games, or something...

[sweetlies]

[As if Ciel would allow himself to be kicked out of assigned housing. Or anywhere. He's used to doing as he would though, not allowing others to dictate his life.]

I don't suppose you play chess? It's been some time since I've had a partner with any kind of skill.

[heirlift]

I know how to play chess, if that's what you mean.

[ But chess was never really the same after Sburb. It's not traumatic or anything just... he can't look at a chess board or chess pieces the same way, most certainly not when some of his friends are basically living chess pieces... ]

I don't know if I'm that good, either. What about go-fish? Or Jenga?

[ ...did they have Jenga here? ]

[sweetlies]

More of less.

[At least he knows how to play? If they end up playing, he can at least sense that there's something about the game that isn't welcome. Too much strategy?

The games John mentions though, Ciel can't help but look at him blankly.]

I've never heard of either game.

[heirlift]

Oh man, I can teach you! It's real easy.

[ He mercifully refrains from mentioning that they're children's games. He gets it's. Being a kid and growing up. It's hard and he definitely understands. ]

Guess I'll have to go find a deck of cards somewhere... you okay on your own here for a bit?

[sweetlies]

I should be quite alright, I've been on my own any number of times. You don't need to rush for the sake of a deck of cards.

[Interesting as it would be to learn, he isn't going to start this 'relationship' off with his roommate rushing off to get something that might entertain them.]

we can wrap this here!

[heirlift]

It's fine, it'll come in handy, and... I'm not really doing anything anyway.

[ That, and he kind of just needs to clear his head a bit after his weird misunderstanding of their living situation. It's not that bad, but now he's all keyed up. ]