introductory mingle: FLOWER FESTIVAL

[riverviewmod]

who: everyone in Riverview!
what: Introductory Log and Flower Festival Celebration
when: April 2nd - April 15th
where: In several different locations in the downtown area of the Inhabited City.
warnings: please put any necessary warnings in the subject lines

flower festival

In the days leading up to April 2nd, residents new and old may notice advertising around the city, everywhere from digital screens to paper flyers pasted on blank walls, all advertising an upcoming holiday: The Flower Festival. Celebrating springtime, beauty, joy, and togetherness, the festival heavily features floral themes and dancing. The advertising mentions that on April 10th, a paid holiday, there will be a Blossom Picnic, as well as lists of various public dances at clubs or other open venues, and adult raves.

a celebration of spring

The Flower Festival's main event is the Blossom Picnic on April 10th, but it also features traditions of sharing food and drink, and dancing that span over the course of the whole two weeks. There are a large variety of events going on throughout the city, from dancing lessons in any wide variety of traditional dances, to old-fashioned sock hops, to adult raves complete with mild party drugs. Feel free to use the prompts below or create your own event at any point during the festival, and if your character creates an event and hosts it in a top-level, you can submit that thread for extra bonus points.

i. blossom picnic

The main event that kicks off the second week of the Flower Festival is the Blossom Picnic on April 10th. A relaxed and low-key event, it draws several thousand people every year to the spacious Riverview Central Park, where there is a generous lawn lined with various blossoming trees, and families, found families, lovers, and groups of friends are encouraged to lay out a picnic blanket and share food. There will be live bands playing (but not loudly enough to distract from conversation and peacefully watching the petals flutter in the wind), a variety of demonstrations of traditional cultural dances from many different realities and planets, and a ton of ice cream vendors. This is an excellent festival not only for celebrating togetherness with the people who are already important, but for mingling and making new friends.

Characters may either pack their own lunches or they can purchase pre-packed Blossom Festival lunches. Stores and street markets are carrying a wide variety of specialty food that is only available at this time of year - predominantly pastries, an assortment of types of candies, and ice cream treats all in various floral flavors, as well as a sort of ambrosia salad based around a sweet rose-flavored cream and a native fruit that is bright green and tastes like a combination of peach and citrus.

ii. dancing lessons

Starting on April 2nd, there will be dancing lessons offered almost everywhere you look! From partner dances to group dances to line dances; sexy and sensual or innocent and childlike - almost any type of dance you can imagine is represented, from any reality or planet that has people in Riverview Quarantine.

Additionally, the Riverview Central Community Center has multiple rooms blocked off so anyone who knows a dance from home can teach it to others in their community - sharing is caring, after all. Characters are welcome to block off one of these rooms and offer lessons in any dance they happen to know from home (and these sorts of thread starters would be eligible for the mingle AC Point bonus)!

iii. flower festival dancing

This is pretty simply what it says on the tin - in almost every club, community center, or other public space, there will be dancing at almost all hours of the day or night, formal and informal. Musicians bring out their instruments and play in the street for demonstrations of cultural dances and music at the same time as clubs are offering VIP cover charges for exclusive dances, and you can find anything in between.

There are also many low-cover-charge raves that allow under-18s so younger characters can stay up all night and dance like crazy. The legal drinking age in Riverview Quarantine is 14, and so anyone over 14 can enter and indulge in a few drinks, dancing, and playing tag with a non-intoxicating version of the colored powder featured at the adult raves. There is copious amounts of security on site to ensure that everyone is safe, as well as nurses and off-duty police officers to offer advice or care for anyone who overindulges out of lack of experience.

Grab a partner, a group of friends, or just cruise and mingle the various dancing events.

Characters may also notice that most of the street markets and clothing shops are offering clothing that features floral patterns, flowers as accessories, and that show a lot of skin - for men, women, and anyone in between!

iv. adult raves

Advertised on flyers and digital screens around the city, made to pop as if they were under blacklight, is a series of adult raves that are happening in various large empty warehouse spaces around the city, including one that is listed as the danger rave and hosted in an abandoned factory outside the inhabited city walls. With bouncers at the door to ensure that anyone entering is 18+, the raves are comfortably adult in nature. Clothing is optional, showing skin is encouraged, and there are a lot of neatly tucked away spaces for attendees to get some time alone with one or more than one person, as well as spaces intended for orgies. The atmosphere is sex-positive and non-judgemental, open to any orientation or preference, with various forms of protection available for free, however, to ensure that everyone plays safe there are sober security teams out en masse at all premises to oversee the events.

(CW: DRUG USE) In each location, there is one specific room where attendees can enter, and dance or play tag with brightly colored powder that contains small amounts of a legal party drug commonly available in Riverview, which is absorbed through the skin. Not much more intoxicating than having a few beers, the effects of the drug are a pleasant low-key buzzing euphoria, positive sensitivity to touch, a heightening of desires for intimacy, and a mild lowering of inhibitions. Once a character has been hit with the powder, the color lingers on the skin so other attendees can know who has partaken, but once the powder makes contact with a surface it deactivates, meaning that partakers can safely dance with non-partakers without sharing the intoxicating effects.

Please be sure to warn in subject lines for any threads involving drug use. And remember, there is always security to intervene and make sure everyone is safe.

v. roommates or wildcard

Feel free to use this prompt to set up headers for a communal floor, or threads open to roommates for the purpose of getting to know each other. Or if you have an idea for a prompt that isn't in this list, set at the Flower Festival, feel free to write it up!

visual inspiration

click on thumbnails for larger view

Credit: third image by Steve Goad; other images found on uncredited on Pinterest or Google images - please let the mod know if you find credit!

navigation

Comments

lance | ota

[competing]

1. settling in (aka a bonding moment)

[ so, obviously, there's a lot to process here. being sudden displaced on the basis of feeling displaced (wow, riverview, no need to call him out like that) is definitley not a typical thing that happens in his life, though given the way the past few weeks have gone, he isn't entirely sure it ranks all that high up there on "weird stuff to happen to me." frankly after aliens and sentient space robot lions and a quasi-destiny of saving the universe... alternate universes seem like a pretty natural progression to things when your general outlook on life can be summed down to: sure, why not.

that aside, it's still something a normal person should sit down and digest. think it through. absorb.

BUT LANCE AIN'T ABOUT THAT LIFE, YO! why mull things over and stress yourself out when you can grab life by the horns instead and shout no, you move! (some wires may have crossed there.) the point is he's definitely more of a doer, though unfortunately this kind of doing involves him sneaking out of his room during the dead of night (because stuff's always ten times more fun when it's done at night), past curfew (is there curfew? he doesn't actually even know, but stuff is also ten times more fun when you pretend it's stuff you're not supposed to be doing) and basically at that point it's just about the math! (ten times ten is, like, a million.)

anyway, these Shenanigans™ can definitely involve him whispering for you to join him, whether you be a fellow roommate or someone he just spies roaming the halls... or you catching him in the act. whatever floats your boat! ]

2. settling in (perimeter guard)

[ BUT HE ISN'T ALWAYS A DELINQUENT OKAY... look, here he is reporting for duty like a Good Boy.

of course it also helps that he happens to find his job to be really, really cool. anyone on the grounds he will happily approach, bearing the wide-eyed excitement of someone who probably only has an 80% idea of what this all actually entails. ]

Hey, what's the uniform situation? I'm kinda partial to blue, myself, [ heh heh ] but I can definitely swing any of the other primaries. Do we get badges, or a cool hat, or — ooh! A branded windbreaker?

3. blossom picnic

[ hands down the best part of any party? the food. and if there's one thing lance definitely appreciates about being exposed to so many different cultures, it's getting the opportunity to experience all their different cuisines, dishes, and flavors. he knows if hunk were here, the other boy would be having a field day sampling all of the things, and it is perhaps his own fondness of the yellow paladin that's got lance working as fervently as he is around the different stalls, trying to get a taste of all that's being offered.

the downside? some of these treats are definitely not ideal for consumption of the human body... or maybe just lance's body in particular. figures that even in a world beyond worlds, he'd still find something to be allergic to.

so don't be too surprised if you happen upon this teen happily scarfing down handfuls of different food samples... completely ignorant to the fact that half his face has swollen up.

if he notices you staring, he'll pause then slowly offer one hand out towards you. ]

...Wan' some?

4. flower festival dancing

[ so lance never really did find the time to buy himself some new threads. between settling in, investigating his new job, and pretty much just absorbing the new situation he's found himself in, shopping wound up getting bumped fairly low on his to do list. so thank goodness for all the clothing shops during the flower festival, right? nevermind that he really only went as far as purchasing a shirt, which he'd just thrown over his paladin armor. he's certainly wearing it with pride, though, and frankly far too entranced by the festival itself to really worry about how garish it may or may not be. the pattern and the strange combination of clothing definitely make him pretty easy to spot among the area, breaking out a few choice moves to the myriad of melodies coming from nearby live bands.

join him? make fun of him? if you happen to catch eyes, he won't hesitate to try and wave you down to join him. it's a party, after all! ]

5. wilcard

[ none of the previous scenarios strike your fancy? feel free to hit me up with a wildcard, or plot something else out with me via PM or ellipses! ]

2;

[greyjane]

[She's breezing through on account of her lovely new job appointment. She's not part of the perimeter guard (being a grounded foot soldier? Ghastly, when one has captained a starship) but she is here to check up on the whosits/whatsits of the electrical paneling that powers this part of the grid.

She's not wearing her uniform - she's not acting in Greyjane capacity here, so she's opted for simple coveralls and has stuffed her hair up under a hat - but this young boy seems a bit-- overethusiastically bemused? She spends rather a lot of her time around recruits, and has a soft spot for people in that age demographic. Not quite a maternal instinct, but... maybe an auntish one.

If aunts were drill sergeants who will absolutely haze someone. She folds her arms, arranges her features to be something suitably unimpressed, and gives him a rather scathing up-down look. It's her scary Commander Ebbisaryn face, the one that lets everyone in the Janes know she's about to tell them to run thirty miles under heavy kit.]

Mmm. First of all, stand up straight. Throw out a salute.

[It's not like she's anywhere in his chain of command, mostly she's just curious to see if she can get him to do it.]

[competing]

[ she isn't in uniform, but then again neither is lance. as far as he knows, she could well be a superior officer, and given the way she carries herself, why would he doubt her?

and so he snaps to attention, back rim-rod straight, elbow curved at just the right angle. he may have been the class clown and arrogant doof of the garrison fighter pilot class, but that doesn't mean he didn't take every class seriously and work his butt off... especially considering he had to fight tooth and nail to get there in the first place. ]

Yes, ma'am!

[greyjane]

[lmao fuck that actually worked. That's cute. Shai has a very serious internal debate with herself as to whether or not she should continue the charade, but ultimately her (slight) sense of altruism wins out against the one geared more fully towards mischief. If he was one of her rookies she would drag this out as long as humanly possible just to teach them a lesson, but there are protocols in place here. She's not interested in stepping on someone else's authority solely for giggles.

She reaches out to knock his arm down to his side.]

At ease, son. I'm not actually part of your chain of command. But your form is quite nice-- I'd say ten points for execution.

[competing]

[ thanks for not being a TOTAL JERK ABOUT IT, SHAI, gosh.

but lance doesn't actually look all that bothered by her deceit, if only because she couples her confession with some praise. and who is lance to ever deny himself some praise?

even though his stance loosens, he cannot help but puff up a bit in pride. ]

Ten whole points, huh? [ he's gonna go ahead and consider it out of ten. ] Had a lot of practice back home, but I guess you could say it's in my blood, too.

3

[genice]

( Offering food to Victor is generally a decent sell, depending on his mood, but whereas in most cases both the man and his dog would be inclined to say yes, he's instead laughing... a little confused. )

Ah, thank you, but... your face?

( He's fairly sure that... that probably isn't good? )

It's swelling?

( Is he... human............. is Victor being culturally insensitive to a humanoid alien..................... Makkachin wags his tail slowly and whines, picking up on Victor's confusion at what might be a sign of something seriously wrong?! )

[competing]

[ OMG DOGGO

wait lance don't get distracted— ]

Mah fawce?

[ he pauses, obviously not aware of anything off. he'd been so engrossed in his sampling that nothing felt or seemed out of order, but there is definitely a hint of concern in that man's tone...

swelling?

slowly, lance begins to look around, trying to find a mirror or any kind of reflective surface— ]

[genice]

Yes, your face.

( Victor, either helpful or simply... concerned, turns his phone around in selfie mode to show Lance what he means. (Who needs mirrors when blessed with technology that's currently functional? Trick question.)

Lance.

That's your face right now, with Makkachin nosing closer and looking up at him with a wagging tail and dark, dark eyes. )

4.

[threatenwithcuteness]

*Lola was clearly making a face at his choice of attire. If this was fashionable anywhere in the infinite worlds that apparently existed, she wanted nothing to do with it. If he took better care in his attire he might be cute, but that shirt is so loud she can't actually judge him on his merits. Not that Lola's attire, or hair, is subtle. But it is coordinated. Lola does not 'throw something on.'*

*When he tries to wave her into his dancing, Lola quickly pretends she didn't see him. Badly. But she tries.*

[competing]

[ oh no no no no, there'll be none of that, missy! you made eye contact. a relationship has been established.

lance attributes her outright refusal of his invitation as shyness (of course it is! who wouldn't want to be seen with a cool cat like him? —haha cat pun), and takes it upon himself as the BENEVOLENT SOUL THAT HE IS to make it even harder for her to ignore him.

by shimmying right up to her face. ]

Hey! You probably didn't see me there — wanna dance?

[ he'll go ahead and seal the deal with some fingerguns. ]

[threatenwithcuteness]

*Accusing Lola of shyness is like accusing fire of wetness. It really just doesn't make any sense. And that look in her eyes is definitely not shy. It is cold and judgmental however.*

I couldn't miss you if I tried. Wearing that hideous thing.

*See, not shy at all.*

And no, I'm wearing heels, I wasn't planning on dancing much right now.

*Lola can certainly dance in heels. She's just trying to let Lance down gently. Err... less harshly? The point is your shirt is ugly.*

[competing]

[ if lance let himself get deterred by every cold shoulder, he'd never have any fun, tbh.

so he just laughs, because in the end it's all a game, and she obviously knows how to play. ]

You sure? You're missing oooout~ Not to brag or anything [ he's totally bragging ] but I was a two-time dancing champion in my middle school's talent show.

3 suprise tag

[mysophobic]

[ Oh my god?! Lance are you okay?! Shigeru looks so alarmed right now it's not even funny. He will just gasp and shake his head before writing something hurriedly on the drawing pad in his arms. ]

Are you okay?! Do you want me to heal you? Your face is really swollen! I think you might be allergic to something.

[ Please don't give this poor man a heart attack. ]

shock!!

[competing]

[ it takes lance a moment to switch gears to the drawing pad in front of him, but once he sees (after some initial struggle... is one of his eyes closing?!) he balks a little as well.

or, rather, he would balk... if his face could even move like that any more. ]

Ohmahgawdareyousuryus?! [ he drops whatever cake he'd been eating, hands flying up to pat at his puffy face.

he shrieks, the manliest of sounds. ]

lance pls

[mysophobic]

[ This is not how he wanted this to go?! Shigeru will raise his hands in a placating gesture and scribbles something on his pad, it's not the best of handwriting but it's hard to do so when someone is freaking out. ]

Please stay calm!!

[ He'll make you good as new, don't worry!! ]

3

[yokunaru]

[The offer startles Yuuri out of the daze he's fallen into as so many questions run through his mind--how is he still eating, does he not notice his face is swollen??--and he's mortified to realize he's been caught staring.]

A-ah, no, thank you! [Yuuri holds his hands up, as if to ward the food away. He worries at his bottom lip.] You might want to have your face looked at, though.

[competing]

Mah fayse?

[ lance, in turn, is caught mid-chew on what appears to be some kind of pastel-colored fudge concoction. it's definitely not what caused his face to look the way it does, but it definitely isn't helping to make it... look not like that, either.

carefully, he sets his utensils down, tentatively patting his fingertips over one bulbous cheek. ]

Whas wong widdit?

[yokunaru]

[Well, that answers one question! Yuuri winces on his behalf before gesturing vaguely at his own face.]

It's, um. It's swelling up really badly, like you're having a reaction to something you ate. [Surprise gone, concern flashes on his face as he leans in slightly. That can't be comfortable.] It doesn't hurt?

[ 3 ]

[supersweet]

[ Jon watches with enraptured attention before saying the first thing that comes to mind. ]

Are you gonna die?

[competing]

[ lance nearly chokes on the piece of bagel (he thinks it's a bagel?), swiveling around to face the boy who (amazingly) has less of a filter than he does. ]

Huh???

[supersweet]

You're not looking too good. Sir.

[ Though his heart rate sounds normal to Jon, so he's not too worried. Still, he seems to be lingering between wanting to laugh and being concerned. ]

[competing]

[ well that's just hurtful. ]

Wahs tha'sposetta mean?

[ he's totally good looking! HANDSOME, even! his mom said so herself ]

1!

[leaderboards]

[ the average age of the tenth floor is uncomfortably low and carolina is decidedly too old for this shit. she's not a particularly warm person to begin with and making conversation is an effort, but when she's busy staring into a cup of hot chocolate in the middle of the night because nightmares are terrible and she has nothing better to do, movement outside the kitchen has the redhead turning to look to the hall. ]

Where are you going at this time of night?

[ they've known each other for like, a day, but carolina's curious. ]

[competing]

[ lance has known people for less than fifteen minutes and still considered them a friend (enough to risk his life for, even), so carolina's familiarity doesn't even faze him. he doesn't even straighten up from his crouched position, because you're not properly sneaking around if you aren't breaking your back trying to do it. ]

Does it matter? Everything's always better at night anyway. You're welcome to come with, if you want.

[leaderboards]

I'll pass.

[ it's dry, but mostly just because she's confused, now. ]

You don't even know where you're going. Don't you have school or something in the morning?