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

Mutant.

[As an example, he pulls a cigarette from his pocket and snaps his fingers, lighting it from the flame on his fingertips. He's even polite enough to offer her to pack, in case she'd like one.]

Humans that didn't come out quite right, and ended up with superhuman abilities. Not gonna go into the sob story - the interesting thing here is figuring out what you are.

[ Whoa, hang on, now she's actually interested. Also kinda interested in that stick he's smoking. So she leans forward to accept one of those, eyes lingering on the way he'd lit it. Both to see how it's done, and with a keen eye to the the flame at his fingertip. She holds hers thoughtfully, not quite ready to light it yet. ]

Are you sure? I would have said the interesting thing here is a... mutant. [ She says the word carefully, clearly not familiar with it. ] What else can you do?

[His eyes narrow slightly, as he keeps his fingertips lit for her to light her cigarette if she wants to. He can tell she doesn't quite know what it is, further proof that she's not human... but that just means whatever she does with it is worth the annoyance of being left hanging for now.]

I think we're getting off the subject. [He replies evenly.] Tell me what you are, then we can swap stories.

[ Rather than take the proffered light along with the cigarette, she leans back from him and holds a hand to the end of hers, as he had. And in the same way, a lick of flame lights at the end of her finger. She lights the thing herself — but still doesn't actually smoke it. She looks a little pleased with herself as her gaze lands on him again. ]

I'm a mage. From Krynn, a world nothing at all like this one. We don't have mutants, or these [ she gestures to the cigarette ] —or anything else of this sort. You'll have to forgive me if it all seems new to me.

[ There, she figures that's a pretty good cover. ]

[....That checks out, he guesses. He's got no reason not to believe her. Instead he simply files the knowledge away for later, and dispels the flames on his fingers with a smooth motion.]

You'd better smoke that, if you want to get anything out of it. [He takes a deep drag as an example, and smoke spills from his lips as he speaks without blowing it out.] You don't need instructions, do you?

It doesn't look that complicated.

[ It's just... put it in your mouth and breathe in. She does that, drawing the smoke into her mouth and lungs in a deep, long breath— and then a few seconds later it all comes out again in a rush as her coughing fit starts. She leans over with it, dropping the cigarette as she sputters, changing her mind in record time about the idea of aping everything this guy does. Humans — or mutants, whatever — can keep some of their habits. ]

[Okay, he really can't help laughing at that display. He wasted a cigarette, but god damn was it worth it to see her sputtering.]

You are fucking adorable.

[He takes another drag from his cigarette, quelling his laughter down to a lazy smirk and a quiet chuckle.]

Ask whatever you want. Show like that deserves some payment.

[ Adorable isn't a word that should ever apply to her. She should be beautiful, fearsome, terrifying — but all of this goes unsaid, as the coughing goes on. By the time she finally has it under control she's a little breathless, which doesn't stop her from aiming a glare over at him. ]

How aren't you coughing?

[ Is her first question, apparently. Pride demands she ask about these stupid things before anything more useful. ]

Practice.

[And an inability to burn his lungs, that also helps. He still coughed when he was... what, 13? 14? But it's been over a decade since he had trouble with them, either way.]

Once you smoke enough of these, you stop needing to cough. I'll provide if you wanna learn, but I think you can come up with a better topic for conversation.

[ Ugh, no thanks. She has no interest in ever going through that again, thanks. It hadn't even tasted good, so as far as she's concerned there's no benefit. She takes a deep breath, straightens her shoulders, and combs a hand quickly through her hair. Mostly all better.

He's right, though, she can come up with a better topic, and as she fixes her eyes back onto him she does. ]

What else can you do? As a mutant.

[His head tilts, and after a moment to consider he lifts up a hand with his palm up to summon a fist-sized ball of flames.]

Plenty of things. But I like to keep most of them close to my chest until they're relevant. What about you - is that fire trick all you've got up your sleeve?

[ She watches the fire as he summons it, gauging the size and the apparent ease with which he calls it. It seems to be a safe assumption that he could wield a whole lot more than that. That's good to know — it wasn't so long ago she struggled with just the flicker, and even now her power wavers around a decently sized fireball. She wonders, faintly, if his skills can be taught. ]

No. It's one spell among many. [ Her eyes are on his again, along with a small smile. ] But it looks like we both like to keep them close to our chests.

[He gives her a smile at that, thin and calculating.]

Maybe we can make another deal, then. If you're curious enough.

[She seems like a person dictated by greed, to some extent or another... exactly how far that greed reaches is the real puzzle, but he knows that's the key to finding something to dangle over her head.]

[ Deals means she's back on familiar ground again, which is just where she likes to be. Her smile grows more sure of itself, more humoring, and she tips her head faintly with a nod. ]

You have something in mind. Say it, then.

I like information. I like knowing what to expect from the people I deal with... and I like getting people in bed with me.

[Good base lines to set - whatever deals are struck with those two things as terms, he usually walks away satisfied no matter what he gave up.]

If you sleep with me, I'll show you what I'm capable of, as a mutant. I'll let you decide what I can give you that's worth seeing what sort of power you've got.

[ And just like that, she's wavering back off of her solid ground. After a month here she's at least familiar with the terminology he's using, but she's still not quite sure of all that it entails. The uncertainty shows in her eyes, looking more confused than offput.

She is sure of one thing, though. If he can meet what she wants, she'd be willing to put up with any bewildering new experience. ]

Wait. Before we agree to anything, I want to know — can you teach what you know?

[That's her price, huh. He actually thinks this over for a moment. No, he can't teach people to use his powers. They're genetic, and they've always been as strong as they are, as far as he can tell. He considers for a few more moments if it's worth lying to get sex... but he gets the sense that if she isn't capable of making him regret that, she can get the help of someone who is.]

I can't help you get my powers. But I can teach you to strengthen your own.

[He's taught others before, and if nothing else he's an observant critic. Not that he expects anyone here would believe he was any good at something as helpful as that.]

[ It's not gaining new powers, but she'd also be a fool to turn away help that she already knows she needs. Her answer is clear in the quick and sharp gleam of interest even before she opens her mouth. ]

Then that's my price. [ It's not quite what she was after, but she's still satisfied. Learning about someone else's powers is really just to satisfy her curiosity, but with teaching thrown into the bargain as well — she's getting enough out of this to feel pleased about it. ] When do we start?

[She's trading information about her powers for the opportunity to see how they work. Wow, does she even realize just how much he's getting out of this deal? Well, he's not about to point out how much the scales are being tipped in his favor.]

That depends on how much you care about having an actual bed for screwing around, or if you wanna slip into one of the clubs around here.

[ Wait, this involves a literal bed? She just looks all the more puzzled for a second, but, hating as ever to admit to any ignorance, wipes it off her face as she glances around them with careful nonchalance. ]

Whichever is more comfortable. It would have to be a very luxurious club to meet my standards.

[He notes that puzzled look... and at her response a grin slowly spreads over his face. He actually ends up laughing, quite clearly at her, for a moment before reigning himself in.]

You're not a virgin, are you?

[ Virgin is, at the very least, a word she's seen and heard a few times in the sexier areas of the city. It usually goes with some rendering of a blushing and nervous girl, so she's pretty sure she can safely say she isn't that. And his laugh, so irritatingly clearly directed at her, cements for her that no is absolutely the best answer here. ]

Of course not. [ She says it with a haughty tilt of her chin. ] What does that have to do with anything?

[Well. If she's going to deny it, he's not about to offer her any more help. She had her chance to admit she's floundering.]

Alright... let's get you back to my place, then. It's more.. comfortable, there.

[He finally gets up, stretching after hours of crowd-viewing. And then he settles into a lazy posture, hands in his pockets and head tilted as he looks her over.]

Last chance to back out.

[ She climbs to her feet as well, back to her cover of easy nonchalance and complete unconcern. And, really, she's not worried. Not about this part, at least. The people of Riverview seem enthusiastic enough about sex, she doubts it's anything unpleasant. ]

There's no need for any last chances. Lead the way.

[He offers her a shrug, before leading her out of the crowd and toward the communal hall. It's a silent walk, and he's kind enough to give her personal space... at least until they get to his room.

When they get there, he presses a hand to her lower back so she'll be teleported with him - a feeling like watching the world burst into sparks around her, and reform inside his room. If she looks back at the door, she'll see the inside has a complex set of mechanisms hooked up to two mines, which seem to be set up to shoot some sort of dart full of yellow, glowing liquid into whoever forces the door open. The rest of the room is vaguely messy, lit by strung-up jars of glowing fireflies... and walls full of conspiracy boards, photos and notes on various people from all around the city connected by multi-colored strings. Even a corner by his desk that seems entirely dedicated to information on a certain grim reaper cosplayer.]

This should go without saying, but don't pay too much close attention to the walls. If I find out you let slip any of the information on them, I will kill you.

[It's a comment offered without heat, as he leads her over to the bed. The only part of the room that's vaguely neat... at the very least he's made it. She'll just have to ignore the dozens of beer bottles littered near it and the desk.]

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