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 do not wanna play that game with me, pumpkin.

[But just like Cisco isn't deathly afraid of bees, Taako isn't being entirely serious with that little challenge, since he's more than happy to let Cisco head over to the booth. He follows at a slower pace and finds a spot against another booth to lean on, appearing to check his phone while he eavesdrops.

Luckily he's mastered the art of the phone stopwatch, so he's keeping time.

Which is a shame, really, because even though Cisco's reaction is way more hilarious, he technically manages to pull it off for longer, not that Taako is about to tell him that anytime soon. Mostly because he's too busy losing his shit. He barely manages to keep up as Cisco runs away, cackling the whole time.

When they finally stop, he's practically doubled over with laughter.]

You shoulda seen the dude's face! You should'a seen your face! Holy shit that was good.

[ Cisco isn't thinking about the game, or how long he lasted for. Every atom in his body is too busy being filled with mingled revulsion and outrage. He sees Taako losing his shit, and many many other people who have stopped walking and turned to stare, and he doesn't care one bit. He feels entirely justified in his reaction.

Taako is still bent over laughing his head off, but Cisco isn't done. He's got more to say. ]

I mean, who sits down and says to themselves, "Y'know, sex is great and all, but you know what would make it better?! If I had just dozens of tiny, crawly, stinging, horrifying death insects all over my body! That's a totally logical next step! Boy oh boy, that'd really spice things up!"

[ His rant is not exactly quiet, and they are definitely getting some stares. Cisco gives an exaggerated full body shudder. None of the bees had followed them but his skin is still crawling at the mere thought of it. Yuck. So very very yuck. ]

[He loves this, he's never been happier.]

See, that's what I fucking said to Loki and he gave me shit! Like, sure, people die from insects but lets stick my dick in a swarm of them, what the fuck.

[He's not even that mad anymore but he's kind of swept up in laughter and how mad Cisco is and he's a very excitable elf, really. He likes ranting.]

Okay, so assuming Loki is not the guy at that booth just now, what you're telling me is there are potentially two whole people who are into that shit?!

[ If it was just that one hipster guy, maybe once he calmed down Cisco could pass it off as a stunt. Trying to be ironic in the most over the top way possible. But the idea that this is a sufficiently established fetish that Taako has already had a conversation about it with someone else, someone who may or may not be into it? Horrifying. Unthinkable. ]

Also, just- please never use the words 'dick' and 'insects' in the same sentence around me ever again. I'm scarred for life.

[ Cisco runs his hands over his face, lets out a very long and very heavy sigh. If he was at all worried about anything at this expo striking his interest a little too much and getting him inconveniently interested, all he's going to have to do is remember there is a goddamn bee man somewhere in the building and the problem will be solved, immediately. ]

What's my time?

[He holds up his hands in a placating gesture, though it's ruined a little by the fact Taako is still laughing.]

Nah, nah, he's just very kink friendly.

[He'd have to be, all things considered.

What's way more important is that Cisco has now asked for his time, and Taako knows that he managed to last for longer with the bee man, but he also knows they're both kind of being ridiculous right now.

He looks down at his phone.]

Aw, fuck, I cleared it somewhere between trying to chase you down and trying not to wet myself from laughing. It was like forty three seconds?

[He's bad at lying when it comes to like, keeping birthday parties secret, but this is now officially A Hustle, and Taako doesn't even hesitate to sell it.]

Okay, but there's kink friendly and then there's bugs.

[ Before he'd come to this expo, Cisco had thought of himself as a pretty open-minded guy, who had heard about just about everything, and could potentially get down with quite a range of freakiness if the right partner were interested. But apparently, there's a whole lot more that he'd never even dreamed of. Probably a good thing, since those dreams would've been nightmares.

He believes Taako, when Taako says that he lasted only forty-three seconds in that conversation. It had felt like about a half an hour, but the number is close enough to the truth that Cisco doesn't even question it. Besides, there's absolutely no doubt about which one of them chickened out the hardest, if not the first. Taako had been discreet, and Cisco had literally run in the opposite direction yelling. ]

Aw, man, you mean I gotta go back?!

[ Considering how vociferously he had ended the conversation, there is no way in hell that is going to be anything but incredibly awkward. Still, fair's fair, and he'd agreed to the terms before they start. Cisco straightens up, looking in the direction he'd run from, expression exaggeratedly glum. ]

I'm buying the cheapest thing possible.

[ He slinks back towards the bee both, hoping beyond hope that somehow, it will be a different person working there than there was two minutes before. There is not, and the awkwardness is profound. Cisco keeps a healthy distance of about four feet between himself and the booth, asking what is cheapest. It turned out to be a compact vibrator... in the shape of a bee. It's tiny and translucent purple - Cisco thinks it might actually be cute, if it weren't for the fact that it is shaped like a bee. He comes close enough to snag it from the table and slap down a few bills, and then he is striding quickly away.

As soon as he gets to Taako he slaps the package with the bee vibrator into his hand and says: ]

Happy birthday.

[ He's pretty glad they said the loser had to buy something from the booth and drinks. He really wants one, right now. ]

[Honestly this whole experience is up there with the last time he absolutely destroyed Leon, in terms of comedic value, maybe even better because there's a little extra delight after Cisco made fun of Taako for getting flustered.

Even by the time Cisco returns with the bee vibrator and shoves it at him, Taako is still chuckling to himself. He takes a second to inspect the packaging, seemingly weighing up his options now that he owns a brand new bee virbator.]

I'll pass it on to someone who'll get more use outta it.

[It's not exactly designed for dicks, he's pretty sure.]

You wanna go get those drinks?

[Poor Cisco.]

Yeah, do that. Maybe some good can come out of this complete horrorshow.

[ Taako looks as pleased as punch, which is totally rude, but at least he doesn't insist that Cisco keep the bee vibrator. Cisco chances a look over his shoulder, and the bee hipster is definitely glaring in their direction. Better to go get those drinks now, before he decides to go all Larvan and sick his army of sex bees on Cisco, and Taako by association. ]

Very much.

[ He and Taako head to an area outside the alleys of booths, where there are a variety of carts providing refreshments. It's still vaguely in the direction they'd been headed before, but seeing that there are a few little plastic tables and chairs set up, Cisco snags one of them. No need to rush, and he thinks drinking and walking around this place is a recipe for an inevitable, uncomfortable spit-take.

He gets himself a pint of beer, Taako a pint of cider (both with punny, sex-related names, because people are absolutely going all out at this thing), and the two of them sit at the table, where Cisco promptly rests his forehead on the surface of the table and mutters miserably: ]

Bees.

[The vibrator is tossed idly in his bag (maybe Lucretia will think it's cute, although she'd also murder him for giving it to her, which makes it more hilarious) and Taako is happy to trail along beside Cisco, still laughing to himself because he's a horrible person and an even worse friend.

At least he's mostly got himself under control by the time they're finally seated with drinks in hand, although Cisco ruins it again.

On the plus side, Taako is nice enough to give Cisco a comforting little pat on the head.]

You want me to wipe your memory of the last ten minutes?

Oh, yeah, now you're generous.

[ Cisco lifts his head from the table, resting his chin glumly on his wrist and making a face as if he is seriously contemplating saying yes. He isn't, of course, and he'd kind of forgotten that Taako could even do that, but he doesn't think Taako's offer was in earnest. It's just funnier if he pretends to be tempted.

After a couple more moments he shakes his head, sighing and sitting up finally. ]

Probably just vibe it in a day or two and be back where I started.

[ And that's an odd and distracting little thrill, being able to mention his powers in a conversation, bring them up casually, in a funny way. He takes a long drink of his beer, and any minor lingering disgust over the whole thing is now gone, replaced by amusement at his silliness and a feeling of mild happiness over the fact that he'd been able to make Taako laugh so much. ]

Listen, if you hadn't run off so quickly I was gonna offer you a disguise.

[To save Cisco the embarrassment of having to face down the same dude again, after such an intense reaction to the bee thing, because sometimes he can be a little bit nice.

Also because he technically lied, not that he feels all that guilty, but you know.]

Would that work, I mean... totally hypothetically cause I'm not actually gonna fuck with your memories, but would your shit overwrite magic?

[He's curious, now.]

[ Cisco stares, agape, forgetting the beer that is halfway lifted to his mouth. He hadn't even considered that as an option. He had forgotten that magic could do that sort of thing. He might be getting accustomed to the idea that he is friends with a wizard, but in its practical applications, he still has a lot to learn. ]

Oh shit, for real? Damn. Gotta remember that for next time.

[ And he smiles, because obviously, there's never going to be a next time. Not for this particular set of circumstances. But there are probably other fun things they could get up to with a disguise spell - good-hearted pranks and the like.

When Taako asks if Cisco's powers could circumvent a spell particularly intended to wipe away memories, he gives a big shrug, finally taking that sip of his drink. ]

No clue. You know way more about magic than I do. I just figured, you know, if I can remember stuff from entire timelines that have been undone and rewritten, I can probably get around a memory wipe. Could be wrong, though.

[Taako just clicks his tongue in a what a shame sort of way, since it would've been funny to pop a glamor on Cisco and see how he handled the situation, but they'll have to save it for some other time.]

It feels like it'd be a different kinda deal, you know? An alternate timeline still exists in a potential sort of way, right? But if there's something specifically blocking a memory that's gotta be harder to work around.

[He is very much not a scientist, but they hypothesized about what the chalice could do, with regards to creating alternate timelines, so he's not completely talking out of his ass.]

Hmmm, good point.

[ Taako's theory sparks the same sudden rush of anxiety that had surfaced in him the first time Taako mentioned memory-altering spells. If his powers aren't capable of getting around that kind of magic, how would Cisco know if it had been done to him already? Hell, for all he knows, Taako's insistence that he would never mess with Cisco's memories is him protesting too much. Maybe it's a ruse. Maybe Taako's erased whole swaths of-

At which point Cisco gets a handle on that little flare-up of paranoia. Taako is his friend, and not evil (probably), and what's more Cisco can't imagine what benefit he could get from it. Someone as magically powerful as him, and as uninterested in science, would have no need to involve Cisco even if he did have secret, elaborate, horrible plans. Besides, Eddie trusts Taako, and Eddie has good instincts. Far better than Cisco's ever were.

The whole moment of uncertainty passes quickly, and doesn't show almost at all on the surface. Once he's on the other side of it Cisco feels profoundly grateful that, for all that he's magic, Taako isn't a mind-reader. That kind of wild and unpredictable suspiciousness is not really his most flattering trait. He puts it out of mind, shrugging and concluding: ]

Not really any way of testing it, since I'm still at square one when it comes to figuring out how to control that shit.

[ But he has, at least, been working on it, a little. Which is more than he could say a while ago. Cisco grins, setting thoughts of his powers aside; now that he's a safe distance away and he's got a drink in his hand, the whole thing seems much much funnier. ]

Besides, I feel like I oughta remember this, so if I ever start to worry I'm too much of a weirdo, I can just think, at least I'm not a guy who gets a boner for bees.

[Taako really wants to ask about the powers thing, to know if Cisco's been practicing, how it's been going, because a) he's interested and b) he knows that it's kind of a big deal for Cisco, and he's wondering if he's coping okay.

But that's probably a conversation for somewhere else, so he's going to run with the bee thing.]

It's the bee thing that you needed to convince you? Not like... [He grimaces, waving a hand in the general direction of the entire expo.] There's a lot weirder shit than being into bugs. I mean, I'm starting to be fucking grateful that Merle is just into plants. It could be soooo much worse.

[ Taako does have a point; there's a whole lot of bizarre stuff going on here, and Cisco wants to be open-minded about all of it, but some things just really are pushing it too far. He laughs when Taako mentions Merle being into plants, but it reminds him of when that had first come up. The conversation had moved on before Cisco had had a chance to ask a follow-up question, and he's definitely not letting that opportunity pass him by a second time. ]

Okay so you brought that up before about Merle and plants but like how does that even...? I mean... what's the story there?

[ Cisco's got half his beer left and feels like nothing can possibly shock him more today than he's already been shocked. He is ready to Hear Some Shit. ]

You're gonna make me relive some serious trauma, my fella.

[His tone is light, though, and he doesn't look like he's about to die from horror, he just seems sort of amused and resigned to his fate. Which is retelling this story.]

Okay, so like, Merle is a worshipper of Pan and nature shit is their whole deal, you know? So one thing he can do is talk to plants, not that they talk back real often, but most people who use that kinda magic will just, like, nicely ask the plants to do whatever you want them to do. [Most people. Not Merle.] Merle, meanwhile, felt the need to seduce the vines we ran into until they had a fucking plant orgasm. It was gross. I've never wanted to be more dead than I did in that moment.

[ Whatever Cisco had been expecting, this was definitely not it. He'd been thinking, dryads or something like that, some kind of magical creature that was plant-ish but also ambulatory and mostly humanoid. But apparently... no. Just vines. And magic. Cisco opens his mouth as if he's about to say something, closes it again, and a few seconds later he bursts into laughter. ]

I was gonna ask what that even looks like but you know what? I actually really don't wanna know. You say it was a plant orgasm, I believe you. No need to elaborate.

[ He can tell Taako is joking about wanting to be dead and all that, but at the same time, the extremity of his sarcastic suffering does seem a bit extreme to Cisco. He feels like maybe there's something he's not getting, so he prods: ]

Okay, so I can see how that would be pretty awkward to witness, don't get me wrong, but you don't exactly seem like a super prudish guy, so why the degree of disgust? I mean, if he was just talking to them, and it got the job done...?

[ Maybe it's one of those things where you had to be there. ]

[Not asking for details is probably a smart idea, something that's conveyed by the look Taako gives Cisco.

But the other question is easy enough to answer.]

I'm gonna need you to imagine listening to your dad seduce someone, and then think about whether that's a legit question.

[Merle isn't actually his dad, but he definitely kind of slotted into that role in their lives, both on the Starblaster and with the Bureau.

Not that he expects Cisco to know this, but well, he's explaining now.]

[ Cisco's expression changes from one of puzzled curiosity, to dawning realization, to abject horror, to lingering disgust. He'd assumed the dynamic between Taako and his fellow adventurers was more like the camaraderie between himself, and Barry, and Caitlin. That they were friends and equals and of course all cared about each other. But apparently, Merle is more of a father figure, enough to prompt that comparison.

In a way, it's sweet. They're close enough to be like family. Cisco will definitely think that it's really sweet... later, when he's done being completely grossed out. ]

Eugh, right. Got it. Nevermind. Question rescinded, like, forever.

[ Time to ask something, anything, to distract from that horrifying hypothetical. ]

Why'd you guys have to talk your way past some vines, anyhow?

[Womp there it is.]

Oh, someone was under the thrall of the gaia sash and using it to fuck up a bank. We knew she had the sash, so we went in to get her, annnnd promptly had our asses handed to us.

[Thanks Merle, again, for making a way powerful relic.]

[ He can tell by the way Taako tosses out that explanation that he thinks he's making things clearer, rather than raising a whole bunch more questions while not actually answering the one Cisco had just asked. Fortunately, Cisco's found out that Taako usually doesn't mind elaborating, so he doesn't hesitate to interrupt and ask: ]

Okay, I'm gonna need you back up several steps, because I've got no clue what a gaia sash is.

[ Clearly it is a thing, an object that one can have. One which may or may not aid in vandalizing banks? And controlling plants. Possibly both at the same time. ]

Kinda hard to imagine you losing a fight. I mean, I guess I haven't seen you do anything offensive, but your magic is way dope.

[laugh track.mp3

Quite literally, because that's Taako's response to Cisco saying he can't imagine him losing a fight.]

Are you- I mean, you're kidding right? There's a reason Mags got in the habit of carrying healing potions.

[He's dropped to zero hit points so many times.

(The gaia sash thing will be address momentarily)]

[ Cisco hadn't been expecting Taako to laugh, or to give an answer which implies that that ass-kicking was merely one amongst many. It's true, Cisco hasn't met a whole lot of wizards to compare Taako to. And the magic he had seen - Garyl, that awesome room Taako conjured, seeing him turn water into rosé - isn't exactly combat-centric. But he'd somehow just imagined, since everything Taako said about his life just sounded so damn epic (maybe not really the plant thing just now), that he was some overpowered hero who never even got his hair mussed battling off armies of the undead or whatever.

But then... Taako also mentioned that he's died several times, so maybe Cisco should've realized that is several steps past an ass-kicking and put the rest together. ]

Really? Damn.

[ Strangely, that doesn't make Cisco think less of Taako - in fact, quite the opposite. If him and his two buddies get hurt that regularly, the fact that they just stock up on more healing potions and keep going is pretty damn admirable. ]

One time I got fucking suplexed by a bugbear and straight up nearly died then and there.

[To be fair, he deserved it for telling Klarg to jump in front of a laser to save their own asses, but still.]

We're a bunch of idiots and I run around without armor, it's a miracle I'm not dead.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

i have googled unspeakable things for the sake of this thread.

the bee vibe is cute!!!

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject