riverviewlogs | introductory mingle: RIVER FESTIVAL

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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

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[ It would seem that the superhero life is a family tradition for this kid. Cisco privately thinks that that could either be a very good or a very bad thing. Considering the little mention he'd made of his father, Cisco is thinking maybe a little more on the side of 'bad'. But as curious as he is, he bites those questions back, for the time being. ]

Do your friend's powers involve free unlimited data? 'Cause that would be pretty sweet.

[ It is interesting the sheer variety of origins that Thom lists for superpowers. And not just quasi-scientific sources, either. Gods and magic and who knows what else.]

Why should you have expected it? Does being out in the sun too long bring it on - you need to get inside or something? Even if it wasn't bad this time, you probably still ought to sit down for a little while. I'll come with you, and we can keep talking, okay? Everybody's out here working on this, the world's not gonna end if we take a break.

[ And Cisco does his very best Concern Face, the one that even sometimes convinces Barry to take care of himself a little bit. He pulling out all the stops, here. ]

[Thom shakes his head quickly at that, ever the serious young man when it comes to superheroes and their powers.] Nah, she can set things on fire... kind of like a radiation thing? [You can tell from the way he talks about it that he genuinely has no idea how her powers work, or science for that matter. The same way he doesn't really understand his own. It was funny, despite being so obsessed with heroes Thom didn't always know all of the details when it came to how their various gifts and abilities worked.]

I don't think the sun causes it? I guess its just... pushing myself, doing too much. [He frowns.] Maybe using my powers, too? I had to heal myself, with the rain... well... I didn't have to, I just didn't realise the rain was trying to burn its way through my skin either.

[Thom was smiling though, especially at Cisco's fussing.] Its okay! Honestly... I think its passed? [He did too, his fingertips hadn't so much as twitched since he started talking to the other man.]

Ah, gotcha. I have- uh, had a friend with radiation powers. Two of them. Firestorm. They couldn't do anything separately, but when they fused together they could manipulate fission and fusion. Absorb radiation, shoot fire outta their hands, fly, all of that.

[ That little slip in tense is quick, but painful. It's weird deciding which to use, when Ronnie is dead but Stein isn't. Cisco had gotten to used to speaking about the two of them as a unit. Hopefully Thom didn't notice. ]

Maybe. With the Flash, using his powers can make him pass out if he's not careful, 'cause running at thousands of miles an hour burns a whole lotta calories. And - other metas get headaches and stuff like that, when they use their stuff. So it makes sense to me, anyway.

[ By 'other metas', Cisco is absolutely talking about himself, but he isn't about to say that. He admires Thom for his openness, but that's just not where Cisco's at, when it comes to his powers. Most of the time he'd still rather pretend they don't even exist. ]

You sure?

Really? [Thom was instantly interested because that sounded a hell of a lot like Miss Scarlett.] I really can't imagine there being two Scarlett's... I think I'd die. Literally, she'd probably nuke me. [And probably for something that wasn't even strictly Thom's fault, just that she'd woken up on the wrong side of the bed.]

Yeah? I mean every hero has to have their limitations. [At least from the sounds of things though there was some logic behind the idea.] Maybe its something I should look into... if there's a doctor here or something they'd probably have a better idea than I do. [And probably a better idea than Thom's usual doctors considering he'd never come forward about his powers to one before. Or at least, hadn't been to see one since he started using his powers so actively.]

I'm sure! [He sounds earnest despite a faint wobble to his voice because the young hero wasn't always exactly sure about these things.]

[ Cisco is already shaking his head even before Thom finishes. ] Naw naw naw, Firestorm wasn't two of the same person. He was- Ronnie and Professor Stein were total strangers. Verrrry different. They were just both in the wrong place at the wrong time when the particle accelerator blew. After that, they got fused, and the difficulty was getting them separated. And they did technically nearly go thermonuclear before we could do it stably and make it stick.

[ Not an issue, any longer. Cisco's chest aches for a moment, thinking how much better Ronnie would be at what he's trying to do right now - cheer this kid up, make him feel safe and happy. Ronnie had done that for him at S.T.A.R. Labs almost from the moment he arrived: just scooped Cisco up and been the big brother that his actual brother, Dante, had never been. ]

Your friend Scarlett sounds fun. [ From the sound of it she hasn't come through the portal, which is a shame. ] And I think you're onto something with that doctor thing. They must be used to some pretty exotic problems, here, treating people from all across the multiverse. Can't hurt to go check, right? Even if you feel like you're used to the side effects, and seizures and all...

[ Cisco trails off into a shrug, feeling a touch guilty for preaching something he definitely doesn't practice. His powers have a variety of distressing physiological side effects, and he would never dream of talking to a doctor about them. Maybe, MAYBE if Caitlin were here... but it's pointless to speculate. Because she isn't. ]

[Thom takes a couple of minutes to think over Cisco's words because he'd been having a hard time processing the fact that Firestorm was two different people. It was a strange idea, but again it might've been kinda similar to the Galactic twins- Thom found it hard to view them as two different people yet they were regardless. He started to notice though that Cisco might soon be missing his home after all their talk of people and friends from previous lives]

Fun? She's... not a lot of fun. [Which mean of him to admit, considering Scarlett was the way she was because she had a lot of problems that weren't her fault to begin with, but in turn lead to an attitude that wasn't the most wholesome.] Maybe I should, check it out I mean. Or just ask around... like hey so I can heal any injury known to man but I can't heal the electrical storms going on in my head so can anyone check that out for me? [There's a tone to his voice that says it still wouldn't be the most ridiculous thing he's ever said out loud to an audience.]

[ Oh. Maybe he'd had the wrong idea, about this thermonuclear cell tower girl. Cisco had just kind of assumed that she and Thom were good friends, but thinking back over the conversation, he hadn't really said anything to indicate that. So he gives a little shrug and drops the matter for the time being. He's curious about this girl, and her powers, and his world generally, but right now he's more concerned with Thom himself, and making sure he's okay. ]

I mean, I know you're joking and all, but have you read some of the stuff people post? Definitely wouldn't be the weirdest question anyone's ever asked.

[ Cisco raises his eyebrows, a smile tugging at one corner of his mouth. And it's true, too - people post about god powers and being dead and doppelgangers and just about every single thing in between. Thom asking why his healing doesn't work on seizures would be pretty standard, in this place. ]

I mean, I still think seeing a real doctor at the hospital might be a better bet than this moon's equivalent of friggin' yahoo answers, but it's not such a bad place to start.

[ Carefully, leaving time in case Thom wants to move away, Cisco raises a hand and then rests it on the younger man's shoulder, both bracing and encouraging. ]

And you never know. There might be a way to make them stop. If you ask me, it's worth giving it a try.

[Thom actually considers that for a minute.] I guess you're right; I've seen some weird stuff since I got here. Its all a little personal though, I guess... I'm not sure how I feel about putting myself out there like that. [Except he'd put himself out there under worse conditions before, making public statements about things that were a hell of a lot more invasive than discussing his illness.]

You're right, maybe I should check out the hospital too... see what kind of doctors they have here. [He frowns though, thinking about it.] Wait do we have like... insurance? [Because Thom's dad dealt with that kind of thing usually; he'd never had to think about his own medical bills before- he was still pretty young after all and had always been in the position of dependent rather than his own man.

He nods though at Cisco's encouragement though, the kind words and then the consoling hand earns a smile from the young hero.] Thanks, you're right... I'm glad you were here to talk to rather than me just panicking or whatever. [He seems sincere about it too.]

Naw, you don't gotta worry about that. The healthcare here is free. Pretty fucking wild, right?

[ That's one thing their worlds have in common, at least - Thom's first thought when it came to seeking out medical care was if he could afford it and what kind of paperwork and nonsense might be involved. And it's why Cisco's so happy to give the answer he does. ]

Just go in and explain the situation, they'll get you sorted. And if anyone gives you any shit...

[ Cisco pulls a pen and a little notepad from his pocket (which he absolutely keeps there in case he has brilliant ideas for bits of tech while he's out and about, which happens a little too often. He quickly scratches out his network username, and also his phone number, with his name at the top, rips the sheet free, and hands it over to Thom.

He smiles, pleased and a bit bashful at Thom's gratitude. He gives a bit of a shrug, tucking his hair behind his ears, and admitting: ]

I've been the one panicking enough times before to know how much it sucks.

That is pretty wild... dad had to pull a lot of strings to get me healthcare when I started having my seizures... I'm just glad that he's never had to worry about anything else when it came to my health. [The tests when it came to finding the source of his sickness were bad enough to pay for, considering his dad's job, without having to worry about having a sickly kid in general. Thom had never been sick before, beyond that.

Thom reaches out and takes the piece of paper with a wide smile, a look of genuine gratitude on his features.] Thanks Cisco, you've helped... like, a lot. [He reaches up to run a hand through his own hair.] I guess I maybe forgot that there were still friendly people out there in the world. [The way he says it comes with a certain degree of weariness. After all, he hadnt been shown a great degree of friendliness in recent times and it seemed that here, within this quarantine zone, that had changed significantly for the better.]

Well. I'm just happy I was here to remind you.

[ Cisco feels encouraged by the fact that Thom is smiling so much as he takes the contact info. Maybe he will actually use it; Cisco hopes so. ]

Seriously - text me whenever. Even if there's no trouble. If you just want somebody to go to a movie with or heard about a great new coffeeshop or whatever. Okay?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

introductory mingle: RIVER FESTIVAL

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