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

[franciscoramon]

[ Cisco huffs a tiny laugh, half nerves half actual amusement, shaking his head. ]

Shocking, they let you be a detective even though you're clearly blind.

[ He tosses down his shirt, then holds his hands out for Eddie to squirt some sunscreen into. The tension in his shoulders lessens slightly as he starts rubbing the stuff over his shoulders and chest. It is much nice, not having the stifling shirt on; there is a hint of a breeze and the air feels cool on his skin as he covers what he can reach of himself in sunscreen. ]

Probably a good thing, too, that boy looks like he'd get a burn from standing outside for about two minutes.

[ Cisco is thorough, but there's only so far he can actually contort his arms. It ought to be perfectly normal, asking Eddie to help out. He shouldn't even think twice about it. But of course, it isn't, because everything between them is charged and awkward now. So Cisco's voice is deeply embarrassed and hesitant as he asks: ]

Could you, um, get my back for me?

[ Unlike the marks on his neck, Cisco actually knows the hickey on his shoulderblade is still there, stark and hardly faded at all over the last few days. He'd caught a glimpse of it in the mirror just that morning, getting out of the shower. And on his hip, peeking out above the swim trunks, is a different kind of bruise - faint, but unmistakably a hand print, from where Eddie had held onto him. ]

[causational]

[Eddie rolls his eyes at that comment, but to argue too much about it at this point would just be suspect. Still, he really doesn't like hearing Cisco talk about himself like that. Like he's not attractive, not worthwhile, like you'd have to be blind to think he's sexy. It's something that's always made Eddie a bit sad, about Cisco, even before any feelings had started to develop between them, even before that night in the blackout. It's familiar enough to be particularly painful for Eddie to watch, that self-deprecation played off as a joke that's more serious than it has any right to be.]

He probably would. [A self-deprecating laugh of his own.] Just like me. Actually, I should probably get a bit more on before I go in the water or I'll end up a crab.

[When Cisco holds his hands out, Eddie squeezes a generous amount of sunscreen into his palms, and while Cisco rubs it into his skin, Eddie tries to distract himself with applying some of his own. It catches him a bit off-guard when Cisco asks if he'll get his back for him, mostly because Eddie was so studiously avoiding looking at him, at the way his hands move over his skin. For a moment, he flusters, then nods.]

Uh, yeah, sure, if you get mine in a moment?

[Squeezing a bit more lotion onto his hands, he steps forward while rubbing it between his palms, warming it a little, and then pressing his hands against Cisco's back. Gently, he rubs it into the warm brown skin, his fingers smoothing the liquid until it disappears into Cisco's skin, moving his hands up and down his back, to the small of it. Every bruise makes his breath catch in his throat - the one at the nape of Cisco's neck, the one he'd left against his shoulder, and when his hands are at Cisco's waist, he notices the one on his hip. It's right there, a half a handprint, obvious about what it is, exactly in the shape of his fingers.

For a moment, Eddie holds his breath, and his fingers graze over it, just to where it meets the waistband of Cisco's shorts. And then, abruptly, he pulls his hands away from Cisco's body, his cheeks bright red, turning his back.]

Um. Can you?

[franciscoramon]

[ Cisco stands stock still as Eddie is applying the sunscreen to his back, trying very hard to think about other things. He actually ends up listing as many prime numbers as he can in his head, though he falters a few times when he thinks he hears Eddie drawing in a sharp breath, about to say something. But he never does speak.

There's something a little different about that final touch, when Eddie's fingers just brush over Cisco's hip. He looks down quickly, sees that handprint bruise, and feels his own breath catch in his throat. Oh. Right. That is still there.

For a moment, he thinks Eddie is going to bring it up, to say something else about that night - apologies, excuses, whatever. And Cisco really, really doesn't want him to. He can't see how talking about it any more is going to make either of them feel anything but more miserable. Eddie needs him to be a friend, just a friend, and the only way Cisco knows how to make that happen right now is just to pretend, to everybody else but also to himself, that what had happened... hadn't. ]

Yeah. Yeah, here, I got it.

[ He turns, sees how red Eddie has gone in the face, but he doesn't say anything. He takes the sunscreen and squeezes some into his hand, starts to smooth it over Eddie's back in quick, efficient movements. And of course, Eddie's back is gorgeous - all that pale skin and just the right amount of muscle showing through (not enough to be grotesque, just enough to show how strong he is). The curve of his lower back is the worst of it, but Cisco gets through it, finishing the job hastily and then taking a step back. ]

Okay. Done. Aaaand we should probably give it a second to set in before we go in the water.

[ How to overcome this awful awkwardness, to just go back to that ease he'd felt with Eddie, before? If only there were an off switch, somewhere inside him, that he could flip. Infatuation? No thanks. Attraction? Absolutely not. Silly fruitless pining? Not today. ]

So... I'm probably just gonna wade a little, I'm all sore from picking up trash all day yesterday.

[causational]

[Really, he tries not to enjoy it too much, when Cisco is smoothing sunscreen over his back, those warm strong hands moving over his skin. Even with the efficient, quick way Cisco is moving, it feels nice, and Eddie sighs a bit when Cisco's hands get to his lower back, then makes a little noise of protest when his hands drop.]

Wow. That just reminded me I could definitely use a massage.

[Licking his lips, he stretches a bit, waiting for the sunscreen to set as Cisco fidgets a little, and he's not oblivious to the awkwardness, the tension, but he doesn't know what to do about it, how to make it better. So for a moment, he distracts himself with stretching a bit before going in the water, then putting the sunscreen away, glancing over at Cisco as he starts talking again.]

Hey, I got you out of your shirt and I'm gonna get you into the water, so even if you only wade, I'll consider it a win. You just looked way too hot on the beach in a black shirt.

[A little smile, and he notices the wording there, how it could come across with everything going on between them, and winces a little internally, but tries to keep on a cool face to keep it from getting even more awkward. To give them both plausible deniability, and pretend that wasn't an awkward thing to say.]

I'm gonna swim, though. It's been way too long.

[franciscoramon]

[ Honestly, if Cisco didn't know Eddie as well as he does, he would think it's deliberate. But Eddie is just a conscientious fitness-liking type dude, so he's stretching for the normal reasons - to get his muscles limber before he swims - rather than to just be a goddamn thirst trap. Intentional or not, Cisco sees him stretching out of the corner of his vision, and... it's just not fair at all. Their... encounter, during the blackout, had been much too brief, and in the pitch darkness. Cisco hadn't had time to savor it, to do much of anything at all. And now (or so he thinks) the possibility that he ever will is even less than it had been before.

(And what does Eddie even mean, that it's a win, getting Cisco's shirt off, getting him in the water? Can he really mean that in only a friendly way? Is it weird, that it sounds otherwise, to Cisco?)

He tears his mind away from those thoughts, declaring instead: ]

That's probably enough.

[ And he starts walking into the water without any more preamble. The water is wonderfully cool, and he goes deep enough that it is coming up to his shoulders before he stops, moving his arms around lazily under the surface of the water, enjoying the feeling of its cool resistance. ]

I'm... not actually that sore, to be honest, I was just never super great at swimming. I mean, I'm not gonna drown, but I don't know any fancy strokes or whatever. Just doggy paddling, I guess.

[causational]

[While he might not be oblivious to the awkwardness, Eddie isn't really aware that Cisco has taken his request to put things off between them as a soft rejection, doesn't realize the particular way in which he's torturing Cisco - because the truth is, the stretching is maybe, just a little, to show off. To see if Cisco likes it. To keep his interest. Because part of Eddie is afraid that if he puts this off so he can do it the way he knows Cisco deserves, Cisco might lose interest, might not want him anymore, might have moved on to someone better, someone he would be better with.

And, to some extent, Eddie can't blame him. He doesn't think he's a perfect catch, not by any means, he knows it's a bit selfish to want to make Cisco wait and to try to keep his attention at the same time. But there's something here, he felt it while they were kissing, knew it from the way he felt when he woke up and Cisco was in his bed naked and he'd gently covered him with a blanket, that gentle, warm desire to protect him and take care of him.

There's potential. He doesn't want to waste it.]

Yeah. Um. Probably.

[Cisco looks a bit withdrawn, and he immediately walks into the river, wading out until just his shoulders are above the water, the tips of his hair trailing in it, and Eddie looks at him with his expression soft and unreadable. A moment later, he's walking into the water, at least until he reaches his waist, and then he dives, swimming out to meet Cisco and standing, up to his chest in water, raising his brows as Cisco says he's not great at swimming.]

Doggy paddling is perfectly respectable as a way to swim, you know. Whatever keeps your head above the water is good swimming. But I mean, if you want, I could teach you? It's not my strongest sport, but I'm not bad at it.

[franciscoramon]

[ Cisco watches Eddie through the water, the movements of it distorting him, the light filtering through and bouncing back off his pale skin. When he comes back up and takes a big contented breath, the water running off him, Cisco manages not to sigh, but it's a near thing. The water makes his hair a little darker, makes it stick to his head, and he thinks for a moment about that stupid vibe he'd had, that had started the whole thing. How does his brain manage to be so consistently, belligerently unhelpful? ]

Wait, for real?

[ He's been wanting to learn to swim - properly swim - for a while now. It's less because he wants to do it as recreation (Eddie's pep talks aside, Cisco doesn't think he'll be going around shirtless frequently in the near future), and more because he's worried that someday, he's going to end up in a situation where the difference between life and death will be the ability to swim at least half-decently. ]

I- yeah, Eddie. Totally. I mean, if you don't mind. Doesn't have to be a bunch of fancy strokes or whatever, just. One that's good for getting from point a to point b.

[ With that, Cisco moves a little deeper into the river, dunking his head and then popping back up a moment later, slicking his hair back and away from his face. ]

[causational]

[Eddie's lifting his hands to push his hair off his forehead when Cisco asks if he's being serious about teaching him. Laughing a bit, Eddie nods.]

I wouldn't offer if I wasn't cool with it. Sounds like the crawl would work perfect for you, it's easy but fast and strong.

[He isn't expecting it, when Cisco moves out a little deeper into the water and ducks his head under, and then comes back up, breaking the surface with his eyes closed and dark lashes making wet crescents against his cheeks, the water streaming out of his hair. When Cisco lifts his arms to push his hair back and away from his face, running fingers through it, Eddie gets a distinct, clear memory of running his own fingers through that hair, a memory he tries to shove down.

Traitorously, his cheeks begin to flush, though, and then the colour is moving down his throat to his collarbone and chest, and he huffs, glancing away.]

Okay, normally they teach this with a kickboard, but...are you scared of water?

[franciscoramon]

[ Cisco, for his part, is completely unaware of Eddie watching him, as he enjoys the feeling of the water in his hair, the coolness of it after sitting so long in the direct sun. With hair as dark as his, it absorbs quite a bit of heat, and he actually lets out a tiny sigh of contentment, when he comes back up for air.

The light reflecting off the water is bright - gloriously so, but Cisco has to squint against it, turning towards Eddie. He looks a little pink, sure, but that might be just from being in the sun. Hopefully he hasn't gotten burned already. ]

Kinda funny they named it the crawl, if it's fast.

[ He doesn't really have any idea what a crawl is or would look like, but he trusts Eddie's judgment, if he says it's the right one to learn. ]

Nope. Not a bit, actually. Just... didn't go to a school that had a pool or get swim lessons or any of that.

[ Which he assumes, with a pretty decent amount of certainty, Eddie had definitely had, growing up. He's more than willing to benefit from that, though. Cisco's shoulders sag just a touch when Eddie says they normally teach it with a kickboard. ]

Can we improvise without one?

[causational]

Right? I think it's because it looks sort of like crawling in the water, you know? But I always got a kick out of it.

[Eddie listens to Cisco's explanation of his feelings on water and why he only knows how to doggy paddle, nodding a bit. Of course Eddie had gone to a school with a pool and swimming lessons, and he hadn't really expected that Cisco had. He's aware that they had very different upbringings, and that's part of why he'd offered to teach him so freely. When Cisco asks if they can improvise without a kickboard, Eddie grins and nods.]

Yeah. You're not afraid of water and you can already swim, so you don't really need a flotation device as long as you don't go out of your depth.

[Eddie starts in on explaining the movements of the crawl, making hand gestures, brows raising, grinning, demonstrating the movements in an animated way before demonstrating them.]

Make sense?

[franciscoramon]

[ Cisco listens, pays attention to the explanations and tries to follow the hand gestures. He gets a little distracted glancing up at Eddie's face from time to time (his face is just distracting in general), but he thinks he's mostly gotten it. In theory. So when Eddie asks if it makes sense, Cisco nods, fairly confidently.

In practice, however, is another matter. He gets a few of the components right that Eddie explained - just the kicking is easy enough, and he does the arms right for half a minute, before he gets all twisted, ends up forgetting when to turn his head to breathe and hitting himself in the face. Cisco comes up for air, spluttering a little indignantly, and pushing the hair off his face once again. ]

Okay... so, a little easier said than done.

[ There's some chagrin in his voice, now, because he knows this should be easy. Eddie had explained it like any child could do it, and they probably could. But he's just an uncoordinated, hopeless mess. ]

I'll... try again.

[ He doesn't even last as long, this time, because embarrassment has got him flustered and he can't stop thinking about the fact that Eddie is watching him fail so spectacularly at something that is so completely basic. ]

[causational]

[Eddie waits while Cisco gives it a try, and he flounders around in the water, comes up sputtering with his hair in his face, pushing it all back, and the last thing on Eddie's mind is thinking that he looks dumb or foolish. Because Cisco looks really cute like that, a little flustered, his hair messy, dripping with water.]

Hey, it's fine. Swimming always is easier said than done, believe me. It just takes practice to get the timing right, and once you've got it, it's muscle memory.

[Except, when Cisco tries again, it's somehow even worse, and Eddie blinks a bit, thinking, maybe they do need a kickboard. But after a cursory glance along the shoreline, he doesn't see any, and he licks his lips a bit.]

Here. Why don't I put my hands under you, hold you up so you don't have to worry about keeping your head above water and you can focus on the movements. That's how my nan helped me practice when I was learning, it makes it a lot easier.

[And he feels bad about it, he doesn't want to make Cisco feel like he's doing it wrong, like he's done poorly, because this simply isn't easy, and Eddie knows it.]

No one gets it the first time unless they're a swimming prodigy.

[franciscoramon]

[ Cisco does feel rather like he was doing it wrong, and Eddie's offering to help because he's worried Cisco will manage to drown himself in five feet of water otherwise. But... he'd told Eddie he wanted to learn, and Eddie knows best in this scenario. He's just going to have to swallow his pride, and make the best of it. ]

Only if I get to call you 'Nan' for the duration of the lesson.

[ It's just a little joke, meant lighten things up, particularly since he's feeling embarrassed. That done, he nods stepping a bit closer to Eddie so he'll be able to hold him up. Even in a situation as decidedly unsexy as this, Cisco feel feels a tension around being close to him, touching him in any capacity. ]

Have they got swimming prodigies? I figured it was only stuff like chess or piano or whatever.

[ And he catches Eddie's eye in warning before attempting the crawl once more. ]

[causational]

[The moment Cisco says he gets to call him 'nan' for the duration of the lesson, Eddie's nose wrinkles and he laughs.]

No way in hell. My nan was like a second mom, seriously...

[But it serves to break the tension and when Cisco drops back into the water to try the movements again, Eddie shifts instinctively, catches his arms under Cisco's belly and chest, and holds him securely above water.]

Kick a bit harder, okay perfect...left arm up a bit higher...and yeah, they do have swimming prodigies. You can have prodigies for almost anything.

[franciscoramon]

[ Cisco sighs dramatically, when Eddie refuses his condition, but he doesn't argue (though he makes a mental note to actually ask about that nan, later). Once he's in the water, his worries about any awkwardness from Eddie touching him evaporate. He is too focused on trying the crawl, and Eddie holding him up is, actually, a pretty big help. He doesn't have to focus on getting it all at the same time - he can make sure he has his feet going right, then check in with his arms, then where his head is going.

He can't answer Eddie, while he's juggling different tasks in his mind, focusing on holding his breath, knowing when to turn his head and release it. But as Eddie's holding him, he slowly starts to get the rhythm of the crawl, even as he is staying in the same place. Eventually, Cisco stops, pulling out of Eddie's hold and standing up again. He's a bit out of breath, misses his footing a little and he reaches out instinctively, grabbing onto Eddie's upper arm and half crashing into him as he almost topples over. Once he has his feet secure, he lets go quickly. ]

Whoops, sorry 'bout that. I think I got it, just lemme.... okay. Yeah. Gonna try again.

[ And Cisco plunges back into the water before Eddie has a chance to say otherwise, doing a half-decent crawl and keeping it going, breathing at all the right times, arms and legs going in mostly the right directions. It's slow, clumsy, and a little mechanical, but he keeps it up for half a minute before he pops up again, beaming. ]

How was that?

[causational]

[At the moment, he isn't really in a mood to discuss his nan, because as much as he loved her, the fact is that she was his nanny and not his mother and the fact that his mother needed a nanny to take care of him. Instead, he focuses on keeping Cisco afloat, his hands under Cisco's chest and belly, holding him up while he focuses on the movements of swimming, getting the hang of the strokes and kicks.

When Cisco gets back to his feet and crashes into him, Eddie laughs, his hands coming up to grab onto Cisco's waist, and the quick, warm, solid press of his body feels much better than it has any right to feel.]

Looks like you've got it pretty good. [And he does. Cisco drops into the water again and does a half-decent crawl. By the time he finishes paddling back toward Eddie, he's grinning, and holds his hand up for a high-five.]

Great! Seriously. You did really awesome. Better than I did when I was learning. But I used to be afraid of the water, so I think you have the advantage.