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

[realimperfect]

Well, I have to do more than wait around here, you know.. [ Not that she ever would, but it's a good way to carry on the banter of the moment, habits aside. The place is still pretty pristine, mostly because, well.. it's Re-L. She's not exactly hosting dinner parties or having many people over to dirty the place up. Hell, she's barely got her own knick-knacks around, but it's all something he's allowed to notice about the place when they're good and worn out here.

At the moment she's a little too caught up in this - head tipping back to allow him all the room he needs, skin blossoming in small bits of goose bumps as he moves along the pale skin of her neck. It tickles, ever so slightly, but not so unbearably that it's unpleasant. In fact, soft sounds and hushed breaths slide out in place of anything like sentences, definitely a good thing from someone as opinionated as Re-L. As much as Gladio is soaking in the scent and feel of her, Re-L is doing the same, trying to memorize or at least commit to memory the way it all feels, with him. Not that she's ever writing off a second go, or anything, just... they're busy people. Sometimes, needs needed to be met without the participation of another living being. ]

Mmn.. good question.. [ Her brain isn't as full of blood as it probably should be in the moment, not when Gladio is pressing close like this, the vulnerability of the fact that she's up in the air not nearly as prevalent as her want to just get him in already. Impatience is always her first impulse, but here -

Here Gladio wins a little time with his teasing, teeth immediately pressing in to her bottom lip as a soft whine shoots its way up her throat in a needy tone. Outside of this apartment she'd have never been quite so open, but now - Now she's soaked in to the smooth slide of him against her, that building, maddening heat between her legs that just wants him to get on with it, but in the same breath thrills at the teasing. Extra time to formulate her thoughts isn't all negative, though, as she tries (with only slight success) to shift slightly, trying to maybe find an angle that may allow him to slip in, wanting to feel the girth she's only really had a hint up through pants well and truly. ]

Start here. [ And then, a little huffed laugh. ] And if you're lucky you might get the tour.

[leatherdaddy]

[ There's an odd sort of unlived in feeling when he came into the place. It could be in part because she's only just moved in, but also due to her job. Or, perhaps, she's just exceedingly meticulous.

Gladio laughs at the retort. ]

You got it.

[ He feels that shift of her hips, an eager tell that she wants more than he's giving. He circles her clitoris and then lets his cock slide down between her lips, wastes no time in rolling the head of his dick up against her entrance, letting her arousal wet him while stimulating the flushed and sensitized skin. But he's eager to feel more of that white-hot heat of her body hugging his length, so he pushes in, letting his head breach her before he takes his hand away from his cock to grip the back of her thigh. ]

Ungh... [ It's felt like forever since he was with a woman, not that he minds - but as much as he enjoys banter and flirtation, it's rare for him to have the luxury of intimacy. He's almost always on the clock, but here and now in this reality? Time is absolutely on his side, and he was spend it indulging whatever sparks that fly between him and a friend, when the chemistry and the mood is just right.

He groans as he sinks into her, slow and insistent, feeling her body snug around his cock as he buries himself as close to the root as he can risk, watching her expression carefully for signs of pain, his eyes flicking to her eyes and mouth as he feels his relax to pleasure. ]

[realimperfect]

[ There's a short view of a little smirk as he agrees to her terms - in reality she'd probably let him have his way anyway, but there's no sense in thinking too far ahead when he's so damn close like this. A small, breathless sound eeks past her lips as he makes sure to give her at least a little more of a tease before want she wants, a small attention to detail that sends a jolt up her spine as he stimulates her clitoris again, and even though she wants him inside already ... there's no denying that he's got a way with making sure she's good and ready for him. If it's practice or dumb luck she doesn't care to know, head falling back with a fast breath out as he finally pushes in - ]

Mmnn.. [ Words are hard, actually, even if she's typically full of them even in sarcasm as she feels him press in. That satisfying fullness that she's been craving finally satiated in the moment, easily allowing her legs to spread and be pushed back, her fingers and nails easily twisting and gripping at skin and fabric alike around his shoulders. Thankfully they've played and flirted long enough that there's less in the way of discomfort than there is impatience. The slide of skin against those inner most walls sends a pulsing want right through her, though up against the wall like this there's not much in the way of control for her to have, and (for now) she doesn't really begrudge it.

She'll look serene as ever, really, other than the slight crease of her brow and that coquettish bite of her lip that's an effort to try and keep herself quiet more than anything else. It doesn't take long before she feels his eyes on hers, blue opening to meet his with a slow roll of her back and a little, sighed noise that's two-thirds impatience and one-third just so damn pleased at how filling his feels -

(Size queen here? Never - ) ]

Gladio - [ The commanding edge that usually teases its way in to her voice has long gone, breathy and still low as her heels hook in, pressing, wanting him to press in deep and feel as much of her as possible. Not that he doesn't have all the time in the world for that, just, you know - she's a little curious to know just how deep he can reach, too. ]

Nnn - Gladio, damn -

[ Words and sentences - what are those? ]

[leatherdaddy]

[ Gladio huffs an amused laugh at the abbreviated sentences, knowing all too well how it feels. That white-hot heat of her body he sinks into is just on the edge of too tight, but she's so aroused that her body yields to him deliciously. That demanding note in her words betrays a desperation she's certainly not alone in feeling.

He grunts as he shifts her weight in his arms and against the wall, letting his cock shift with him until he draws his hips back and pushes into her again. Urged on by the soft moans, the way she says his name, the burn of her nails printing half moons into the meat of his shoulders. ]

That work for you?

[ Gladio replies, but he's hardly unaffected. He's rendered somewhat breathless as he pushes into her, the snugness of her body feels incredible. When she tips her head back, it invites him to nuzzle into that long neck of hers and mouth over her pulse, his facial hair scraping her pale skin. He kisses along her collarbone - over skin and clothes both - nipping through the cloth when he can't get at her skin. All the while his body rocks into her with strong, purposeful thrusts to get them both going, then pulls his mouth away from her to smile at that strained bite on her bottom lip.

Nice. ]

Haha... I'm thinking yes. But you don't worry about using that sharp tongue of yours to boss me around.

[ He'll wait until her eyes open to flash her a wink. ]

[realimperfect]

[ She's half tempted to growl out a little 'shut up' as that laugh registers - instead simply giving his shoulder a half-hearted shove. It's not often that she gives in to those deep-buried wants she's beat down for years upon years up until recently. Hedonism comes to mind, though she knows she's no where near the actual definition at this point. Given a few more months, considering th bender she's already on? And she might just be there.

At the very least she's trusting he won't drop her, the press of her back to the wall is too strong and, at any rate, she's got his shoulders hard enough that she could catch herself if need be. The shift of him inside her, though, already so sensitive and ready from waiting to even get here sends a throb of lust through her, ready in the moment to start bossing off the bat, as is her nature. But then he pulls back, a more solid movement that doesn't seem like a tease and suddenly it feels a lot like she can't breathe properly for a few moments.

And before she's gathered her mind enough to do it, he's there at her throat, the rough scratch of facial hair such a difference to the softness of his lips. It's.. new, and not in an unpleasant manner. She's spent so long bossing that to be so thoroughly possessed in a way, for even a moment, is a thrill of it's own. A mental note is made that, next time, she needs to ditch the shirt, wonders what the playful contrast of rough beard vs. soft lips might feel like lower...

That is, if she doesn't find out in the course of the night. As it stands he's already doing a number on her, and though she can't really do much between the wall and his hips, her hands roam, one to the back of his neck, the other dropping down to her clit, careful not to do more than work at a tease for the moment, carefully rolling sensitive nerves under her fingers. ]

I think - ah - you know... [ Though, if it's snark he wants... there's a slight eye roll as he winks, blue eyes hooded in neediness catching his even as said sharp tongue flickers to wet her own lips, leaning closer like she's going to tell him a secret - ]

Don't worry, though. My tongue is capable of more than being sharp, too if you're - mmn - lucky you might get to see for yourself ...

[leatherdaddy]

[ He felt that shove, Re-L, and that's not nearly so dissuasive an act to keep him from teasing her. She's really impressive, at least he thinks so, having been used to a more conservative population that finds displays of affection, particularly of the public sort to be intensely embarrassing.

For him? He finds them thrilling. Just by leaning against a wall and overshadowing someone, he can see their interest and excitement grow as he strikes up even the most tame of conversation. But he's big and cuts an imposing figure, and likewise she is tall and lithe and cold, like a statue cut from flawless marble with live suddenly breathed into it.

She moves and he moves with her, rolling against her body as she breathes against him, speaks her orders and expectations in ways he's more than happy to salute to. ]

I hope I am. Now...

[ Gripping her body, he seeks out purchase as he shrugs his hips into her even harder. ]

What was that about showing me how? Want me to throw you over that couch and you can instruct me properly?

[realimperfect]

[ As in most things Re-L is fast to voice her complaints but quiet in what she's content or happy with, oft little hitches of breath or quiet whines her indicators for the moment that she's happy with what he's doing. Not that it's hard, with all of their toying before hand, all the toying that had happened even previous to that, the build up of idle flirtation that she'd not been sure what the outcome would be of. Right now, their needy movement is more than enough, her idle wonderings about some things about Gladio being steadily put to bed one by one.

(Even she wondered what was going on under what little bit of clothing he always wore, give her a break -)

Gladio moves in to her harder, and Re-L actually looses a moan at that, nails dragging where they'd dug in, hopefully not enough to do more than cause a red mark, but.. she can sometimes lose track of herself, in these moments, too. ]

You're - mmn - you're asking for it now? [ Another flicker of amusement flashes over Re-L's face for the moment, a shoulder shrugging up even as she moves in time with him, wanting to feel him as solidly as possible, in the moment. Someone's been a little frustrated, lately, perhaps - ]

Just don't break the couch - it's, ah, it's too new.