riverviewlogs | introductory mingle: RIVER FESTIVAL

Entry tags:

introductory mingle: RIVER FESTIVAL

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

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Well, before anything else he's definitely taking note of the hair change. He has to nod at her words, though, it did suck.]

People come and go so often on our floor sometimes it's hard to tell who even really lives there until you ask them.

[Which means you'd have to talk to them and some of them weren't around long enough for even that.]

It sucks... It's always unpredictable, like every world I was trapped before, and it doesn't matter how much we think it sucks, because it will continue this way.

As for saying goodbye, with all this technology you would think a text wouldn't take much time.

[What would he know? He didn't use text before he got here, when he had it was voice to text anyway.]

But you all came to the party together right? So a bunch of you have just kinda decided to make it a thing.

*But it meant anyone who didn't join in on that was probably... well, really alone. Lola didn't like that idea at all. It just made her feel all sorts of uneasy. Anyone feeling left out.*

Yeah... but people can abandon you even at home. You don't need stupid portals that go anywhere but home to do it. Some people just get so caught up in their own things that even sending a text is just... not a thing they'd think about. And you don't even need to text, a quick video goodbye would do. If you can't figure out the right words, just use emoji. Airplane, planet earth, house.

*Lola that's a terrible way to say goodbye. Also yes she can mope and talk about emoji at the same time.*

[He paused at that.]

Some of us became quick friends, when my brother arrived he was put on the same floor by coincidence I guess. We do make it a point to try to include everyone, but... not everyone wants to be included- and honestly, those that don't tend to be the ones that disappear fastest.

[Not everyone wanted to be a team with a bunch of strangers, he got that. He considered himself lucky to be as close to Chloe and Jason as he was. Of course when Yuffie started hanging around like part of the family Ed had invited her to stay too, if she wanted. It seemed like a no brainer at the time.]

They can. There's all sorts of reasons you'll never see someone again without a goodbye. They can leave, or die... All the more reason you'd think if you had a chance you would make it a point to say something.

[Video might take longer, depending on how many people one needed to reach, but then she starts talking about emojis and he just kind of ... stares. He's seen emotes on the network, but discussing them outside of context meant she was basically speaking Greek at that point.]

I just wish there was a way to confirm it's as voluntary as they claim.

*Lola frowns a little. The idea of not trying to meet people and make friends just doesn't really fit to who she is. So she doesn't fully get it.*

They said we show up here cause we didn't... belong? Maybe they don't stay here because they don't belong here either?

*She thinks that's logic, but she can't be totally sure if it is. That's not what she's good at.*

I would, I'd say something. Nobody should ever have to ask why someone left and what they could have done to do it different. Maybe... I dunno, this is probably a stupid idea. If it isn't all like they say it is, maybe we should leave letters to people. You know, in case.

*She doesn't like the idea that everything about this place is a lie, she doesn't feel like it is. She feels like... she isn't sure, she likes the idea this place sells on. A place for people who want something else, something new. A life they might not get otherwise. But... what if it isn't that?*

I'm not sure if I want to go back, it's dumb. I mean, my world is so much nicer than what I know about everyone else's. Nobody has creepy zombie powers, no galactic bad guys. But... I kinda like being here.

[Ed doesn't like it much either, but he's not going to dwell on that when he doesn't know the reasons behind anyone else's motives. Mostly, he hated the idea of living with people - having to be vulnerable, for one thing - that were complete strangers. He liked knowing he was around people that he could trust, especially the ones in his living space.]

Sort of... Pre-emptive goodbye notes?

[That wasn't such a bad idea, especially if it was true that sometimes you just got the chance to leave and go home and there was no time or opportunity to let anyone know. It all depended on the person's priorities - if leaving was the first thing they cared about, any chance of messing it up could be a mistake. That didn't consider the people who wanted to be here though, some of them had to have left to at some point.]

I do too.

[A small, tentative, smile at that. Most people didn't agree and those that did weren't people he knew well anyway.]

This place isn't so bad, it's better than the ones before. If what Al knows is really my future it's ... not something I'm in a rush to get back to, either. He doesn't want to stay here though, he wants to go home and I- can't really blame him.

*Lola nodded.*

Yeah, just... in case something happens. Not leaving anyone with questions. That's kinda the worst part, right? Not knowing.

*Well the worst part was they were gone, but there's no real fixing that part. All that she could do was fix what she can fix. Which is the questions.*

So... you don't want to face your future? But he does?

*That didn't make sense to Lola. Well, it did, she just didn't like what she felt about it. Cause she could be pretty sure a lot of her friends would happily want to return to their good life and not think about anyone else who might be suffering. Who dwells on the suffering of others if they can get their happiness.*

[He nodded at that, it seemed like a logical enough idea actually. Even if it sounded kind of depressing to write a letter of goodbye to people you may have no intention of leaving.]

That wouldn't be so bad, sort of like a will. We'd probably have to update them every now and then, but... at least it would give people some idea.

[At the question he paused, expression growing guarded before answering softly.]

Al's from my future, like I mentioned. When he goes home, he'll go back to that time... There's a lot that I haven't experienced yet, that's already in his past. So, he won't be facing it again.

[His brother would go back to a different time, in his mind a different Ed. Even if they went through the portal together they wouldn't be together, that's how Ed saw it. It killed him to think about, especially because of all the Als he'd met over the years in Purg, this one is different somehow. He didn't want to lose him.]

*She didn't want to think of it like a will, but... yeah. That's what she was suggesting, wasn't it. Creepy.*

Well, yeah, I mean I'd probably keep mine digitally. Probably a collection of video messages. I can just re-record them every so often, if things change between me and someone.

*Like, if she ever falls in love. Let's down her guard, makes that mistake again, if she ever does that she'd want the message to be personal.*

So... if you went with him, there'd be two of you? Or... you'd replace that one but- no, that'd be weird too. Or you'd go back and then his timeline just unravels cause you aren't that you anymore- no that's dumb too.

*THIS IS WHY SOMEONE DOESN'T WATCH A TON OF SCIENCE FICTION. Her head hurts thinking about all this.*

[It could only get worse, leaving a note of intent to disappear from the world forever? Will or suicide note, take your pick Lola.]

That's a good point.

[Ed still wasn't used to the concept of pre-recording video messages. When he sent messages it was an immediate communication, so recording over them wasn't a thing he was too aware of.]

Well....

[Yes, this was complicated, wasn't it?]

Theoretically, if we both went home we would go different places. I would go back to our world, before Al even got his body back. Then I'd have to go through the process of getting it back...

[He's quiet for a moment, it's not a fun process and he's dreading it. More than anything he's sick over the idea that some day he'd willingly walk out of his brother's life again.]

Al would just go back to the world we wound up in after all that. He spent two years searching for me and when he finally found me he followed me there. I don't know much about it because I only have what I've been told to go on- but it's not a future I'm looking forward to.

[When he found out that Al got his body back without Ed's presence there at all? That time didn't make sense in these places? He'd been more than happy to settle down in Purg where he'd made friends who needed him and never face that future that would happen right along without him there. He was content to do the same in Riverview, but he knew Al wanted to go back and he knew that he was going to be a disappointment either way. Either keeping Al here or refusing to go with him when that time came.]

Wait, back up, got his what back?

*Okay, see, cause it sounded like Ed said 'got his body back' but that's, like, how do you lose a body!? Bodies aren't cell phones, they're very hard to lose! You don't just misplace a body and you definitely don't misplace it then get it back.*

*...Right?*

Ah-

[There's a brief moment of confusion on his features at the question. See, Ed had two realities. One in which mostly everyone, including his closer relationships in Riverview, knew about Al's body. And one in which Al wasn't really around, so talking about it didn't happen too much.

Frankly, when Ed brought up Al's body there was less of a reaction than when people discovered his automail. It was almost as if losing a limb was more intense to these people than living as a disembodied soul. He'd gotten kind of used to the lack of reaction and poor Lola was getting the brunt of that adjustment. It's been awhile since he's even known any slice of life characters.]

Oh... Well. That's kind of a long story- Al lost his body when we were kids, he nearly died but I managed to pull back his soul. It was my fault. I spent four years trying to return him to his body, honestly I haven't yet, but the timeframe he's from- obviously it already happened.

[That's the short version, he figured it would make more sense without getting into alchemy or soul binding and all that it entailed.]

*Lola believes him, mostly. She can tell there's something missing in the story. How any of that actually makes sense, that's what she feels is missing. But she doesn't feel anything he said is wrong. Just, you know-*

You come from a really weird place. Normally not having a body just means you're dead. Kinda makes me feel silly for being a mess when a boy broke up with me.

*Lola's drama feels very underwhelming whenever she finds out someone else's drama.*

[There's a strained smile in response to that.]

Normally not having a body means you're dead back home, too. To be honest, pulling off what I did- even if it worked, it should have killed me. That... You don't come back from. We're just lucky, I guess.

[Stupid, for having done it in the first place, but lucky.]

Everyone has their own problems. You can't go around holding your version of things up against everyone else's, you'll just go insane.

*She listened, it was kinda hard to really figure out the right way to say what she was feeling. But... she didn't feel okay with him trying to make her feel better. Although he was right, comparisons just made her feel worse.*

You just said you had to do the impossible to save your brother. We all have our own problems, but I can't even begin to figure out how I'd handle yours. Mine is all normal stuff, my mom left, my boyfriend dumped me for my best friend. getting an abortion. Easy stuff.

*Lola... what about any of that can be called easy?*

Doing the impossible is what got him into that situation in the first place. It would have never happened if I listened to him.

[He didn't like anyone saying he had it worse than them, his problems were almost always his own fault as far as he was concerned. Unless he could blame his father, than it was that bastard's fault.]

Nothing about that sounds easy.

[Really, his mind boggled at her perspective. He can't really relate to the abortion thing and he certainly can't relate to being dumped for his best friend. Ed exhaled slowly.]

Look, I know what it's like to think you have something with someone only to find out that you don't. The guy was a stranger though, not my best friend... My dad left when we were kids, too. If he hadn't... Al and I probably wouldn't have tried what we did, but we were alone. So, I get all that. When our mom died we thought it was the worst thing that could ever happen to us, and trust me... it's not. That doesn't make what you went through any less-

[A pause, he's trying to think of how to say this so that it makes sense.]

Even after nearly getting my brother killed, and all of the impossible I've dealt with, being alone all of a sudden when I wasn't... That wasn't any easier to deal with. It would have been even harder if it was my best friend, too... but either way, they're not comparable.

Edited 2017-08-19 06:55 (UTC)

*Guess everyone has their stuff to deal with. People that leave, people that die. Of course the laundry list that is 'Ed Elric's life' really just compounded her feeling out of her depth in everyone else's issues. But it did get her to think in a different way.*

Do you do what I do? Take forever to say how you feel about someone else? Just because you've seen how that can all just fall apart all at once?

*That was her big take-away, seeing her dad after mom left. How everyone treated her like she was some fragile little doll over it. How her dad never really got past it. He was still happy, loved her, loved his cantina. But... it wasn't the same. Plus, Lola knew one thing that just made things better, or at least made someone less alone. Hey Ed you wanted a hug right? That definitely won't make any metal limbs obvious at all!*

Well, I won't really understand all of it. Cause your world has some weird things to it. But if you wanna talk about stuff. I've gotten really good at listening.

[There was a split second of confusion before Ed smirked, glancing away again as he smirks ruefully.]

How about just not tell them at all, because it wouldn't matter anyway?

[He wasn't generally self-aware enough to even figure out his own feelings before it was too late, nevermind bring them up. Besides, there was the matter of them being un-reciprocated or other person being otherwise involved from the start, anyway.]

It's complicated, it's always complicated so I've never told anyone before.

[They were all complicated, and the only one he didn't know for sure was complicated was Nico - but he didn't even fully understand those feelings (and probably never would) so he didn't include that in his list of complicated situations.]]

I'm just not good with that sort of thing, I guess.

[He's going to die alone. Ed's even more confused at the hug, but if there's one thing that Yuffie has gotten him to adapt to it's sudden unexpected affection. Even if he didn't see it coming with Lola specifically and just sort of stood there stupidly when her arms wrapped around him. Honestly, he's not even thinking about his arm - probably in the same way he hadn't considered talking about Al's body casually.]

Thanks...

[That's said quietly, he's still sort of recovering. Ed's not even fussed by the statement that his world is weird, but he smirked at the offer. There's a slight smirk in response to that, but it's friendly. He probably wouldn't take her up on that offer considering how beyond her comprehension things were for him, not just at home but Purg and Attollo both.]

I'll keep that in mind.

[Relationships and all those dynamics confused him and he wasn't even going to pretend otherwise.]

I would say you too, but I don't think I can be much help with... Still- if you ever want someone to just listen, I can do that at least.

Edited 2017-08-20 19:46 (UTC)

Well, you had more happen than I did. Mom dying, brother losing his body, I can get you'd be worse at this than I am.

*Way to not pull any punches Lola. She's pretty self-aware, she's gotten better at it little by little until she had to really face all her own issues before coming here. It hurt, people leaving, people not being there... but being alone was worse. She never wanted that for herself.*

Hmm?

*Lola's not listening anymore Ed, she's poking his arm. The one that isn't made of human things. But instead of asking about it. She just moves her head to his softer fleshier shoulder and gives one last squeeze before breaking the hug.*

I mean, it isn't really about solving things. Just knowing what you're going through is normal. Or... I guess, not being as alone as you might feel.

[Ed blinked at the poking, but that was one of those things he could grasp so even if she didn't ask about it the explanation came as if on auto-pilot.]

Like I said, I'm lucky I got out of that alive.

[Missing an arm, but alive. He's kind of surprised she's one of the few that didn't bother to ask about it, after all she hasn't seen nearly as much as some of the people who did question him. Like she just pointed out.]

That is one thing about this place... It's hard to feel alone.

[Between having 9 room mates and the fact that everyone seemed to have been through some level of shit - even if Lola's wasn't nearly as fantastical as Ed or Jay's experiences, her life hadn't been easy. At the last part he can't help but agree, so he just shrugs.]

Yeah. Even if I'm not sure normal really cuts it... It's nice not to be alone.

*Prosthetics did exist on Earth. Not exactly the same, but the same need is being filled there. So she didn't see much reason to ask about it. It was less weird than 'lost entire body' so it hardly warranted a talk till Ed felt like sharing.*

I guess normal isn't really a thing here. Things happen and you just have to try and make them fit whatever normal was.

*Which was impossible, but Lola tried really hard to make that fit.*

[Ed didn't mind talking about it so much as he minded the sympathy, the demands that came with overbearing concern as if he had to explain himself to people. The simplest explanation is the easiest. He lost it saving Al.]

Things happen and you just have to try and make them fit pretty much sums it up.

[Impossible or not, he actually liked that way of looking at it. It was logical.]

You can get used to a lot of things when you wake up in weird situations like having the wrong body. Nothing here has really been too out of the realm of reality, at least.

[For now, anyway.]

I'm almost over all my memories of not being myself. I guess anything can just become okay.

*She sounds almost excited with that. Things happen, they change you, but you'll get used to the new version of everything. Or you go nuts. Or you die... The point is not to dwell on those and focus on being okay with it.*

Wait... wrong body?

Eventually.

[Ed's actually relieved for her apparent excitement until she asks the question. Not again. Have a sigh, Lola.]

Yeah, I'm going to guess you've never woken up one day a guy.

[You know what's not comfortable? His style of automail with breasts.]

Edited 2017-09-14 10:10 (UTC)

No, ew, guys junk is weird.

*Lola tell us how you really feel? She pauses and considers*

That's... gotta be awkward when you have to go to the bathroom. On the other hand you wear a lot of black, and that's slimming. And your hair is already long enough so you probably looked really good.

*LOLA!*

[Ed’s not even going to respond to that, and before he can say it’s awkward around more than just the bathroom she’s turning this conversation in typical Lola fashion and Ed just blinks. Have the most confused blush in the world as he tries to unpack that information mentally.]

Uh, thanks… I guess.

[What is he supposed to say to that?]

introductory mingle: RIVER FESTIVAL

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