introductory mingle: RIVER FESTIVAL

[riverviewmod]

who: everyone in Riverview!
what: Introductory Log and River Festival
when: The month of August; the bulk of celebration will be in week 1, but there is a party and fireworks display on August 14th.
where: Anywhere around the city.
warnings: please put any necessary warnings in the subject lines

river festival

In the days leading up to August 1st, residents new and old will notice preparations beginning, a flurry of activity getting the city ready for the upcoming celebration: The River Festival. This holiday is in celebration of the river and the life that it gives to the city, as well as the heat of summer and forming bonds with friends, family, and romantic partners. The celebrations are marked by a community-wide cleanup of the docks and beaches along the river - particularly important considering the recent acid rain - as well as beachfront cookouts and parties (both private and city sponsored) and beach sports tournaments happening on either open stretches of beach or in special clothing-optional beaches, all capped off with fireworks displays on the evenings of August 7th and 14th.

a celebration of the river and togetherness

Following the hedonism of Carnivale, it's time for something a little more low-key and relaxing. The River Festival happens every year in August, and is geared toward community building through cleaning up the beaches and docks along the river and then using all that freshly cleaned beach to gather on. During the first week of August, there are various lightly-themed government-sponsored beach cookouts and parties geared toward family, romantic dates, or casual all-ages get-togethers for meeting new friends; there are also a few more racy parties at clothing-optional beaches around the city. Many private residents also take this time to gather together friends and family, and have cookouts on the beach with all the typical trappings of the beach barbecue. There are also various casual sports tournaments sponsored by community centers, gyms, and sports teams in the city, featuring prizes ranging from notoriety to sports equipment to big bucks. Finally, there are two fireworks displays, one on August 7th and one on August 14th, with free food, and various live performers beforehand.

i. cleaning up

The holiday starts off on a note that is just a bit more sombre than the rest of the season, with the cleanup efforts following late July's strange fog and acid rain blending into the usual tradition of cleaning up beaches and docks along the river. The cleanup is a group effort, with every citizen who is physically able pitching in to comb the beaches, where they pick up fallen tree limbs, garbage, and anything else that's accumulated during the winter and spring, and then raking the beaches to make them clean and ready to use. The cleanup of the docks is similar, with residents sweeping and hosing them down where necessary. This year, there are a lot of repairs to be made to beachfront structures that might've been damaged by the acid rain, so if anyone has some carpentry or building skills, those would definitely come in handy.

This is meant to be a community building effort, so many businesses in the area, more well-to-do private citizens, and the government have pitched in funding to provide lunches, cold drinks, coffee or tea, and snacks to anyone who's helping out with the cleanup efforts. All in all, the cleanup has a very friendly, welcoming vibe.

ii. cookouts and parties

The main traditions of the River Festival involve cookouts and beach parties. On August 7th and August 14th, the government as well as various corporations and businesses in the city, will be providing funds for large beach gatherings. On these days, there will be booths set up offering wares and freebies from various businesses around the city that have helped fund the party, large swaths of cleared beach where residents can don a swimsuit and catch some rays or swim in the river, massive barbecue setups to provide partygoers with all the standard barbecue fare, beach sports tournaments, dancing and musical performances, and fireworks displays (see prompts below).

The holiday isn't just about these big parties, though - many residents arrange their own barbecues, cookouts, beach camping trips, beach bonfires, and other riverside gatherings and outings. Many riverfront businesses offer discounts on services such as canoe or kayak rentals to go out paddling on the river, jetski or motorboat rentals for tubing, wakeboarding, or waterskiing, or mounts to take romantic rides in the surf. Additionally, there is an adults-only section of the beach where any of these activities can be done in the nude in a clothing-optional setting, including the big city-sponsored parties.

iii. sportsball tournaments

Is your character good at playing a particular sport that could, conceivably, be played on a beach? Chances are that during the month of August, a tournament will be set up for them to participate in. The tournaments are pretty standard, generally sponsored by community centers, sports clubs and teams, gyms, and other organizations and businesses in the city, with various levels of specialization, and levels of skill or competitiveness. The prizes also vary, with everything from plain old bragging rights to sports equipment or passes to gyms and community centers, to large lump sums of cash money. Definitely worth it, for characters with a love for sport.

Oh, and a lot of these tournaments are happening on the adults-only clothing-optional beaches, for those grown-up sports fans who like a bit of an extra challenge.

iv. performances and fireworks

On August 7th and August 14th at the end of the large city-sponsored beach parties, there will be evening performances all along the beach. Not as extensive as the musical performances during Carnivale, there are two large-name performers per night, with various lesser-known groups performing at random off and on throughout the day and night. Areas of the beach are cleared for residents to watch and dance to the music, both on the regular and adults-only clothing-optional beaches (acts will switch off between the two areas so both areas get both performances).

Player-characters who are musical artists, DJs, or otherwise perform are free to set up shop around this party and panhandle or put on free performances for publicity.

After the sun goes down, boats will head out into the water carrying a variety of fireworks, and there will be a beautiful display of exploding color in the sky for residents to watch and enjoy. The fireworks are highly advanced, incorporating old-fashioned gunpowder as well as modern technology that result in really beautiful displays that can take the breath away!

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 the River Festival, feel free to write it up!

visual inspiration

click on thumbnails for larger view

Credit: image i: credit unknown; image ii: Albert Ramon Puig; image iii: Claudio Pilia; image iv: Alan Philips

navigation

Comments

COMMUNAL HOUSING APARTMENT MINGLES

[riverviewmod]

Feel free to post up a top-level for residents of any floor in the apartment building to mingle and meet each other.

Floor 2 - Kitchen

[threatenwithcuteness]

*Lola was feeling so much better about things now that the whole acid rain mess was over. So she's celebrating and the whole floor can enjoy too. ...Once she's finished baking all the trays of corn chips (which are purple but she's not questioning that), cheese (which is yellow... but sorta glowing) and a chaotic mass of toppings she knows tastes close enough to proper nacho ingredients but none of them look quite right.*

*If it makes anyone feel better, the bowl of guac is, in fact, perfectly normal looking. Lola is taking over the kitchen to make nachos and you will all have to deal*

[brightline]

[It's the smell of baking that gets Marco away from his desk and laptop, heading into the kitchen with his stomach growling. Ever since he's gotten here, it's been recon and trying to figure things out, trying to figure out if he even wants to go back and if he does, how.

But when he smells corn chips in the oven, all of that fades away and he's immediately poking into the kitchen, just in time to see the girl who has the bed next to him pulling a tray of chips out of the oven.]

Whoa. I think you're my new favourite roommate.

[threatenwithcuteness]

*Lola's hair is a soft baby blue as she mills about the kitchen moving the nachos from the baking sheet to some plates. She's more than aware that baking anything that has a scent draws more than a few of her roommates out and into the kitchen.*

I'm glad someone appreciates nachos so much.

I'm Lola.

[brightline]

[Marco notices the blue hair, but that's cool, as far as he's concerned. Especially when the girl in question is sliding nachos onto plates and, weird colours and textures or not, the way she's making them looks about a thousand times better than the crappy ones at the food court.

When she gives her name, Marco grins a bit.]

Beautiful name, for a beautiful girl. I'm Marco.

[He holds his hand out to her, grinning because he thinks, maybe, this time, he's finally pulled that line off.]

I think your bed is right beside mine, isn't it?

[bookofyonah]

[ The scent of baking draws in another roommate. Yonah announces her arrival into the kitchen with a few raspy coughs, then excitedly scampers over to look over the trays of chips. Forget her dumb cough. ]

Wow!

[ She's never had nachos before, so she won't know what "normal" nacho and cheese would look like. ]

You made these? What is it called?

[threatenwithcuteness]

*Wait they have a kid on this floor now? She hopes that cough isn't contagious, that's the last thing she needs is to get sick after the weather finally stopped melting clothes.*

These are Nachos, never had them before. They're amazing...

But let them cool down a little before you have some. What's your name?

[bookofyonah]

Okay! They look really good... and magical!

[ Referring to that somewhat glowing cheese there, especially. She sits down and places her hands on her lap, obediently waiting for the food to cool.

Fortunately her cough isn't contagious. But whoever she shares the floor with will probably hear the coughs from her every now and then. ]

I'm Yonah. What's yours?

[somakemelaugh]

[He hadn't been planning on doing any cooking of his own today, but now that he sees this, he's glad for it. Being stuck with no less than nine roommates, he's been begrudgingly used to having to share the kitchen when one of them wants food and all of the smells that he is or isn't used to that tends to come along with it. But this is the first time that one of them has actually managed to take over the whole room just for one meal.]

[He's keeping his hands to himself, but he has to come investigate. What even is going on here?]

Hungry, are we?

[threatenwithcuteness]

Hmm? I just like to make sure there's extra in case anyone else wants some.

*Lola hasn't looked up from her milling about just yet, this was just how she operated, if anyone else wanted the kitchen she could consolidate well enough. But why would anyone with such a great kitchen limit themselves to just a smaller corner.*

Want some?

*And that's when she looked up and realized it was that creepy looking guy from the other half of the floor. And it showed, cause Lola was making a creeped out face.*

[somakemelaugh]

[He could relate. His own kitchen back home had been but a fraction of the size of this one. It had been intended for one person alone, but he would still cover the entire thing from end to end if business was slow and the notion took him.]

[Even with his poor eyesight, he can see that look she's giving him and it gets a smile. He's used to seeing that on people.] No, thank you. Seems you don't care for it much now yourself. I think I'll pass.

Floor 6 - Surprise visitor at the door!

[threatenwithcuteness]

*Someone is excitedly knocking on the door to the Floor Six apartment. She totally doesn't live here but she's looking for someone who sorta does. Lola's all cute and upbeat and dressed for summer (so as little sleeve or pant leg as she can get away with). Hair all bubblegum pink with a basket of cookies under her arm because if Yuffie isn't here she won't be turned away if she brings chocolate chips!*

[alchemyfreak]

[The fact that someone is knocking rather than just inviting themselves in is the first indication to Ed something is wrong with this picture. So many people have waltzed right through Floor Six like they belonged it was hard to tell who was visiting and who was a roommate for a good month or so there.

At least now he knew who everyone was - well, eight of them, anyway.

The first thing Ed seems to notice is the hair, but he immediately jerks his gaze lower to her face as if reminding himself to be polite.]

Uh... Looking for someone?

[Clearly a basket of food had an intended recipient.]

[threatenwithcuteness]

*Lola was raised with these things called manners. And a healthy respect for breaking and entering laws.*

Yes, I'm Lola. Is Yuffie home. Or... here, she said she lived on two floors. Which seemed weird but I thought I'd check here first instead of going up to ten.

*She holds up the bribe.*

I brought cookies, they aren't specifically for Yuffie, just a general way to say hello.

*And to say 'let me in I have cookies.'*

[alchemyfreak]

[What are those.]

Lola, nice to meet you.

[He looks a little wary, but Ed steps back with a sweeping motion as if to invite her in.]

It's hard to tell with her, sometimes she slips out a window... Come on in.

[Ed had never really thought to ask where she goes all the time, honestly it hardly seemed like his business.]

Maybe floor ten is where she lived before, she probably has friends there. She was hanging around here so much we kind of told her to just make it official recently. You can put the cookies on the island in the kitchen if you want... I'm Ed, by the way. Edward Elric.

[There was a brief impulse to shake, but he ignores it for the moment. Too many people knew about the automail as it was, and he saw no reason she needed to any time soon.]

<3

[thegreatninja]

[Yuffie doesn't answer the door but she does throw something at it that causes the door to open on it's own. When Lola does step inside she'll see a shuriken embedded into the door frame and Yuffie sitting a couple yard away sharpening her blades.

It takes her a moment to realize she knows the girl who's standing there.]

Oh, Hey! You found me.

[threatenwithcuteness]

*She'll just stare at the very sharp weapon in the doorframe. And question how that worked for a moment before coming in. Then be amazed at the aim of doing that. Then make her way over to Yuffie.*

I imagine if you didn't want me finding you, you wouldn't have told me where to look.

*She'll put down the cookie basket with a smile. And then stare at the fact that Yuffie is playing with knives and other sharp objects.*

Are you busy?

[thegreatninja]

Or! [Yuffie counters holding up her wet stone.] It's all part of my master plan.

[She laughs softly and then clears a small space for Lola to sit without having to worry about the many blades in front of her.]

Nah. Just making sure that these things are sharp. Oh. Can you go grab the one from the door frame? [She'll probably get yelled at for making another hole in the wood.] Just grab it by the circle in the center or the flat edges. [She doesn't want Lola to cut herself.]

[hititwithacrowbar]

[ Not long after her arrival, the door opens again. The tall dark haired gothamite made his way onto the floor, as usual he had a small bag of stuff grabbed at a store on his way home. The bag left on the counter while he made his way across the room not paying attention to anyone yet. He had a routine for coming home from work. First was to kneel down by his bed and place his messenger bag carefully into the trunk and lock it back up. Then to yank his uniform top off and and toss it on the bed. Before tugging up a shirt and sniffing it. It was clean. So he pulled it on. The shirt in itself was meant to be funny.

It was only when he made his way back out he realized there was a new girl. After a bit he finally spoke up.]

New on the floor? [ He asked in his jersey accented voice.]

[threatenwithcuteness]

*Lola didn't have much to do today, and nobody had offered a time Yuffie would be back... so she just waited. She'd been exploring a little of the kitchen, minus forewarned fridge just to see what was where and probably judge whoever set up the space. She may have smiled at the shirt, it was dark but...
cute.*

No, I don't live here. Just visiting.

*Lola smiles and walks back over to her basket, she's optimistic so it's still half full of cookies.*

Cookie?

[hititwithacrowbar]

[ Jay moved on into the kitchen opening the fridge, pulling out an energy drink. He cracked it open before stepping closer and taking a cookie.]

Edward, Al or Jacob?

[ He spoke before taking a bit, swallowing after he chewed to add.]

Thanks, these are good.

[alkahestic]

[ answering the door provides a surprise for alphonse. the girl he recognizes as a friend of his brother and of yuffie. he figures the girl is there for one of those reasons and offers her a bright smile before opening the door further for her. ]

Come in! Are you looking for someone?

[ and then he gets a whiff of what's in the basket, immediately going starry-eyed. ]

...Are those cookies?

[threatenwithcuteness]

Um, not specifically, I just baked too many cookies. Which you wouldn't think would be possible until you fill all the empty jars in the kitchen.

*How much of that was true, and how much of that was 'excuse to poke around the only floor that acts like a family was anyone's guess. Plus she kept staring at Li's garden out on the deck and couldn't figure out what to do with it now that she's gone.*

Want some?

*Lola's going to come in and just offer cookies. Because cookies are more important than proper greetings.*

[alkahestic]

Wow, that's really nice of you!

[ beckoning her further into the kitchen, he turns to rummage for a plate. if she's made as much as she says, then he figures he should save some for the others. ]

I'm Alphonse. I don't think we've talked much.

WATER GUN FIGHTS - AT THE BEACH

[alchemyfreak]

There are going to be some water gun fights during the week of the festival (and August 14th!) on the beach, if anyone is interested.

Activity won't pick up until Otakon is over, but feel free to tag in whenever.