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

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No one but Clary can understand Simon. [Even Izzy couldn't always figure out his rambling. Alec has the feeling that there was more to that particular set of memories than he wanted to know about so he pushes the thought aside. Whatever it is, probably isn't something he wants to dwell on.] You think you're an expert. That doesn't mean you really are.

[Jace didn't want to think about Clary so he didn't. He chose teasing Alec instead. So much more fun.]

I am an expert. [He then he amended with a smile.] At a few things.

[Alec made a vague sound that could either be agreement or disbelief depending on how Jace decided to interpret it.]

And what are you an expert on this week? Other than Mundane relationship traditions.

[Jace crossed his arms.]

Do you really want a list? Your glitter might start to flake off before you get a chance to see Magnus.

[Alec sidesteps out of someone's way, giving Jace a look that warns that he probably is going to hear more than he really wants to.]

You can try to outlast the glitter, but it's magic. It'll hold up no matter what Magnus and I do together.

[After years of listening to stories about Jace's flings, his parabatai might find out more than he wanted to know about the newlywed life.]

[Alec. Looks so smug and confident. For a moment Jace doesn't hear what he says. And then he has to look away, keep his expression light and teasing.]

You're married. You can do...whatever you want together.

[He's definitely not imagining anything.]

We could do whatever before.

[Not quite but Alec's not going to focus on the Clave's bigotry when he's somewhere that all of them are safe and can be happy with whoever they choose.

Noticing Jace's reaction, his teasing falters. His parabatai has never reacted like that before when Alec mentioned Magnus.]

You're okay with, everything? [He hates how his voice sounds timid, almost like it had when he'd first talked to Izzy about his sexuality.] You're not freaked out over me being gay?

Why would I be freaked? [Focus on that instead of Alec doing whatever. He has no idea why his thoughts went there so easily and now he can't look at Alec without noticing things about him.

Rubbing his face, Jace looks at Alec's face. His eyes. Nowhere else.] Alec. I've known you most of my life. I've known you were gay and I think you and Magnus are adorable. [Adorable isn't the word he would use, but he's trying to keep up with the teasing and not look like a jealous idiot in front of his parabatai.] I'm happy you get to do whatever with whomever whenever.

It makes some people uncomfortable and you know the Clave's stance on it. [And most of the older Nephilim. They avoided or ignored Alec when they could.]

Knowing it and me being open about it are two different things. [It's probably silly to worry over it. They'd talked about Magnus after the breakup, but Jace usually is one of the few people who doesn't act like Alec being with a male warlock is weird.

Which is why Alec tells himself not to worry. He's overreacting and letting old fears get the better of him.] I'm surprised you don't think we're annoying. We should be past the honeymoon stage by now.

[But they aren't and Alec's grateful that they get to go through that phase somewhere without their memories being torn to pieces or zombies trying to kill them all.]

I am too. I didn't realize how worried I was about the Clave until we were away from them.

[That isn't how love should work. The honeymoon stage should last a lifetime. But that's not something he's going to say to Alec after being told he's a hopeless romantic. He'll get teased mercilessly. He knows it.

Instead he looks around, as if searching for something or someone, and then leans closer to Alec.]

I don't see the Clave. I see a lot of people not wearing gold glitter.

[He almost asked if Magnus had rubbed that glitter on with his hands before magicking it to Alec's skin, but that is not an image he needs in his head right now. What he needs is a drink, or five, and warm body. Maybe.]

[It takes a few seconds for Alec to realize what Jace is doing, then he gives his parabatai a relieved grin. He's accepted that their parents will never be happy with his choice, but it would have hurt more than Alec would ever admit if Jace had been angry over the wedding.]

I never thought I'd get to wear gold. Can't blame me for wanting to wear it as much as possible now that I have a reason to.

Next time, I'll wear something that isn't as sparkly.

[Jace can't help thinking Alec can wear all the sparkly glitter he wants so long as he only wears sparkly glitter and his gaze drops with the thought that got away from him.]

Wear whatever makes you happy.

[He needs a drink. He's very thirsty. And absolutely not staring at Alec's glittery-focus on his eyes Wayland!

Seriously. What the hell is wrong with him all of a sudden? He has an emotional breakdown and now he's checking out his parabatai.] I wasn't there to help you celebrate so I owe you a drink or two. Or a proper bachelor party.

Did someone mention sparkles and a party?

[Magnus comes up from behind Alec, one arm hooked through the handles of a bag. He'd gone off to browse one of the stalls, but having made his purchase it was time to join his husband to continue their date. He's smiling an easy smile as he stands behind Alec, free arm wrapping around his bare torso until a hand can rest low on his stomach.]

Jace. Glad to see you're healed and well enough to enjoy a little sexual deviancy.

[Alec hadn't consciously noticed his husband was behind him but the way he allows someone to touch him proves that somehow he'd known Magnus was near. No one except someone he cares about would get that trust from him.

The muscles beneath Magnus' hand jump and Alec barely manages to keep his breath from catching when he realizes how close his husband's fingers are to the button of his pants.]

What's a bachelor party?

[It's something he'd heard about in passing when Jocelyn and Luke were planning their wedding but things had turned into an emotional disaster afterward... At least Alec thinks it did. The details of it are hazy.

Tipping his head back, he attempts to give Magnus a chiding look.]

Didn't you tell me nothing here is deviant if everyone is consenting?

[Jace follows the movement of Magnus's hand and then quickly looks around to give the happy couple a bit of privacy. Which is obviously unnecessary considering where they are at the moment.]

I was just telling Alec I missed the wedding so we should find a way to celebrate.

[He was NOT noticing where Magnus's hand was touching Alec or the way Alec responded to Magnus.]

[Though his attention is on Alec, his eyes watch Jace for his reaction. It's surprising when he glances away, as if he's bothered by the display, but Magnus can't figure out why. The Jace he knows is comfortable with sex, so perhaps it's something else.]

I'm all for celebrating. [His index finger teases at the button of Alec's pants but doesn't undo it. That's for later. He turns to meet Alec's eyes, giving him a smirk as he goes on to explain the Mundane tradition in his own way.] Seeing as we're already married, though, I'm vetoing a bachelor party. Getting drunk and receiving lap dances are supposed to come before the sacred vows.

[Alec knows he should move Magnus' hand. They're a few minutes away from making out in front of his parabatai so he really should put some distance between himself and Magnus. It should be like having Izzy catching them, but it's not. Maybe he'd walked in on Jace too many times or training together for years had taken away most of his shyness.

Stealing a quick kiss when Magnus turns, he leans back against his husband as waits for one of them to explain the Mundane tradition.] We should throw another party like the ones at the store.

[Which is probably a strange thing to say after his years of avoiding parties, but he'd enjoyed that one even without the activities they'd snuck off for in the shop. He almost asks why the drinking and lap dances would be different than their usual parties but that isn't something to say in front of Jace.] What about a reception? We didn't get to do that.

[ continued here ]

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introductory mingle: carnivale

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