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

ii

[tevinteraltus]

[He'd left his leathers back in his dismal little dresser in his room and was instead wearing loose light green pants and a loose-fitting shirt, open to the middle of his chest, and a few bits of jewelry that seemed at least vaguely Indian in design, except for all the snake motifs.

Dorian loves a good party, and this is no exception. In fact, the sand, the warm weather, why, it was a damn sight better than most of the "parties" he'd had the pleasure of attending recently, and this one had better music.

Well, it had music at all, and plenty of wine and other things to occupy a tongue for an evening. He'd be lying if he said Tris' hand stretched toward him didn't take him by surprise, but he smiled his usual charming smile and took the man's hand regardless.]

Oh, if you insist...

[saints]

[ the smile was charming. incredibly charming. tristan would be lying if he didn’t admit it himself. once his hand is taken, he guides him in further among the groups of people. it wasn’t too crowded, which was nice on a night like tonight (a touch breezy, but still balmy.) the only dancing tris has ever known is packed in the basements of neon and bass, but this would definitely do. ]

I mean you look like the kind of guy who knows how to dance.

[ swaying in closer, to the time of the music he tilted his head playfully. ]

Seriously, though, your moustache is the most magical thing I’ve seen all night.

[tevinteraltus]

[A playful chuckle from Dorian as he allows himself to be guided toward the makeshift dance floor, enjoying the feel of moist sand between his toes, and the fire lit profile of this stranger who's taken his hand.]

Oh, I most certainly do, though the music is a bit strange to me. I'm sure I can follow your lead, though. I'm a quick study.

[At the always welcome compliment, Dorian rocks his head back with a laugh, throaty but not too loud.] Oh, my dear fellow, the night is young.

[saints]

Good. Shouldn't be too much work to catch on anyways. Music's like magic in a way.

[ the laugh has tris grinning wider as he starts to move to the music, an easy sway that flows with the beats, letting the flow of it work from his shoulders to his hips with ease. you never really forget how to find the beat of a song, how to place your body just right so that it feels like walking on air. it's not hard to let it take hold of him as he very lightly trails dorian along with him, further into the group of swaying partygoers. ]

You got a couple of tricks up your sleeves, then?

[tevinteraltus]

[And Dorian proves he is, indeed, a quick study, and makes it no secret he finds it very appealing what the beat does to Tris' hips as he sways along with him.}

Is it now? The stuff of dreams, music? Much like magic?

[He chuckles quietly.]

Something like that. You speak of magic as though you're familiar.

[saints]

It's got a beat to it. Rhythm. You can catch it and you can own it, just like you can with music.

[ tristan's brows raise just a bit, eyes lighting up excitedly. ]

My whole world back home is full of magic. Everyone is born with the potential to use it, you just make the choice to embrace it or stifle it.

[tevinteraltus]

How very harsh a description. I find it much more like a delicate art, a tool certainly, but one that should be wielded with finesse.

[He raised an eyebrow at the prospect of Tristan's world, though, as the idea of such a place had never before occurred to him.]

Truly? Fascinating! ...and a tad depressing. How could it be considered a gift if everyone has it?

[saints]

Because all of it is different. Everyone’s got a unique magical gift. How you use it is totally up to you.

[ he grins. ]

I’ve got friends who talk with angels, conjure fire, pull swords out of thin air. The possibilities are kind of limitless.

[tevinteraltus]

Within reason, certainly. Natural laws do govern that sort of thing, after all.

[He smiles right back.]

Limited only by one's own imagination, obviously. Magic is the stuff of dreams, after all. Any dullard can conjure fire, but it takes a proper artist to make it a phoenix, doesn't it?