introductory mingle: DRAGOSTA

[riverviewmod]

who: everyone in Riverview!
what: Introductory Log and Dragosta celebration
when: The month of September.
where: Anywhere around the city.
warnings: please put any necessary warnings in the subject lines

dragosta

In the days leading up to September 1st, residents new and old will notice preparations beginning, a flurry of activity getting the city ready for the upcoming celebration: Dragosta. This holiday is in celebration of romantic love, and seen as a time of the year for Quarantine residents to try to find someone special to cuddle up with in preparation for the cold winter months. Romantic love is highly valued in Riverview Quarantine, as it can foster an incredible sense of wellness and belonging, and is often the cornerstone of found families as well as biological ones. While there are no official city-sponsored parties, there are various holiday traditions and a paid day off on September 8th so anyone who wants to indulge in them with their loved one can do so.

a celebration of romantic love

Rather than anything structured and organized by the city, Dragosta is a celebration usually left up to the citizens of the city to organize for themselves - there are a few traditions that many businesses (obviously) capitalize on, mainly the tradition of special date nights with small gifts exchanged for people who've already matched up or want to. There are also various singles dances intended to help people without partners find someone to share the special holiday with, and a tradition among the various magic users in the city of preparing soul mate potions and spells intended to help people find the person they're meant to be with.

i. soulmates

Almost as soon as it hits midnight on August 31st, booths and street corner vendors are popping up all around the city offering various magical potions and spells in little rows of bottles. The number of types are overwhelming, with a different concoction available for every type of magic that exists across thousands of different worlds. But the purpose of every single bottle and its contents is exactly the same: to help you find love. Specifically, these are the traditional magics that promise to give anyone who uses them the ability to find or identify their soulmate.

These little bits of magic can have various effects on the person using them (reminiscent of the soulmate trope in fiction), depending on the type of magic and the person who prepared them, and the options are almost endless. There are a few comfortable standbys, though, that pop up pretty much every year:

● Rainbow Potion: Tiny bottles of a soft rainbow-colored potion that affects the vision. Once drunk, the potion will remove the partaker's ability to see in color until the first time they meet their soulmate after ingestion, then all the colors will come flooding back.
● Time Spell: Purchasing a time spell will get you a little vial of liquid with a tiny hourglass inside. Pouring out the liquid and turning the tiny hourglass will result in the appearance of a timer counting down on the partaker's skin somewhere - like a moving tattoo, it will count down the days, hours, minutes, and even seconds until the person will meet their soulmate for the first time after the spell is initiated.
● Red Thread: Some residents might've heard of the legend of the red thread of fate, a red thread that is tied between the ankles or little fingers of two people destined to fall in love. Tiny jars with a delicate red thread attached to a note (the contents of which are unreadable) are sold to invoke this legend. Once opened, the user should tie the red thread around their smallest finger on the left side and a red thread only that person and their soulmate can see will appear, tying them together. It may stretch or tangle, but will never break.
● Ink Potion: Small vials of a mysterious black liquid are one of the more common offerings - this liquid, once carefully spread on a portion of the partaker's skin, will result in a tattoo-like marking in a particular shape, that matches the marking that magically appeared on their soulmate!

While these are the most common types, there are almost infinite numbers of other types of potions, spells, and magics intended to help people find their soulmates, of varying type and quality.

A Few OOC Guidelines:
● Soulmate potions/spells can be used multiple times with different partners, and the effect can last as long (or as briefly) as you want it to.
● Since there is a wide variation of different types of potions/spells, they can vary in effectiveness. Feel free to use this prompt for either serious shipping or silly pairings for comedic effect.
● There is no compulsion involved in this prompt. The potions/spells will only show the character who their supposed soulmate is, not compel them to fall in love with the other character.
● Because there is no compulsion or alteration of behavior involved, and all effects are temporary and mildly annoying at most, characters ARE allowed to use them on other characters without asking. If your character wouldn't take one of the potions/spells, one of their friends can definitely spike their drink with a potion or use a spell on their behalf. Also, only one party has to use the potion/spell in order for it to work, both parties do not have to partake, though it is up to player discretion how heavily affected the person who did not partake is.
● A long list of trope ideas and variations can be found here. I've only included specific potions/spells for the most common ones I've seen, but please go as wild as you'd like with the types of potions and effects they have, so long as everyone involved is on the same page.
● Mod questions and plotting regarding this prompt can be found here.

ii. singles dances

All around the city, various businesses are hosting and sponsoring singles dances. These dances are an ancient tradition of Dragosta, originating from the reality of a very early group of displaced arrivals. Observed since the founding of Riverview Quarantine, the events have grown and changed with the times, still serving the interests of the modern citizen. The dances will be advertised throughout the city and range in quality, size, and tone, but they will always have the same objective and methodology: to match people up based on chemistry on the dance floor.

All singles or polyamorous pairings/groups looking to add additional members will sign in at the dance of their choice, and attach nametags or stickers to their clothing - pink, blue, or purple to indicate their preferences in partner (female, male, or any), and a "P" or "D" for "poly" or "duo" to indicate their preference for a polyamorous match-up or only one partner. Once they've indicated these preferences, they head out onto the dance floor, where they can either seek out someone they're interested in or wait for someone to come to them. As the dance goes on, and one person approaches another (or a group or pair), the person (or people) approached can either accept or reject the advances, and after finding someone with chemistry, the happy couple (or triad, etc.) can leave the floor together.

Every person who attends and participates will receive vouchers for free dinners and discounts or gift cards for various places in the city to have a nice dinner and get a present for a new paramour, or two or three...!

iii. date nights

This one is pretty simple: restaurants, clubs, hotels, movie theatres, and anything else in the city that might even vaguely be construed as a date location will be offering romantic date night packages, discounts, and other promotions to the lovebirds of the city. There are a few highly-anticipated special events that crop up every year, though.

One of the most popular are the movies in the park, hosted on almost every night of the month, these are romantic comedies and other good date movies from dozens of realities featuring romantic stories in a multitude of different configurations. Lovers are encouraged to bring a picnic blanket and settle on the grass for a nice relaxed show, or tickets can be bought for special experiences such as the mini-deck, with romantic table settings, wine, and catering with a waiter, or the cuddlebug, where a comfortable couch is set up with popcorn and blankets for the lucky lovebirds to curl up on together. The variations are endless!

Another popular option is a retro-futuristic drive-in experience, where any type of vehicle can be driven up to a temporary drive-in diner for a meal, and then pull up to a temporary outdoor theatre. Once parked, the lovebirds can "park" - that is, cuddle and neck in the car to their hearts' content, probably instead of actually watching the movie.

For this prompt, any type of date night discount is cool to assume, or make a mingle top-level with a special event of your own imagining and earn bonus activity points!

iv. kiss and tell

Something a little different is happening during Dragosta this year - one of the magic researchers at Gramarye, who was recently married and only just returned from her honeymoon, got hit with a confusion spell by accident. A little muddled and love-drunk, she acted on her intense desire to make everyone in the city feel just as happy as her, and shared the love by whipping up a potent spell to do so. As a result, residents will see bright little glowing 'fairy lights' floating around the city throughout the entire month of September. What do the fairy lights do, though?

Two or more characters walking under one of these glowing, floating lights will get stuck for one hour, trapped inside an invisible enclosure with an approximate three foot radius. The only options are to either wait out the hour, or to kiss! Characters will know they're meant to kiss, because part of the magic spell is the sudden and intense knowledge that they should kiss in order to break free. There is no compulsion to kiss, just the knowledge that that's how to get free. What the characters won't immediately know is that any kind of kiss will work - a hand, forehead, cheek, or butterfly kiss will work just as well as a kiss on the mouth, but that will require some experimentation to find out.

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 the mod-posted prompt to create a Communal Housing floor mingle. Or, if you have an idea for a prompt that isn't in this list, set during Dragosta, feel free to write it up!

visual inspiration

click on thumbnails for larger view

Credit: image i: Anya Goo; image ii & iv: unknown; image iii: Raphael Grimm

navigation

Comments

Are you Suuuuuuuuuuure?

[de_evilise]

[ Gosh. She's just going to have to suck it up like a big girl then! ]

Yeah, guess there is. [ She folds her arms with a bit of a grin. ]

I'll wait here. You go on ahead. [ Age before beauty! ... except beauty has no intention of going near the fairy lights if she can help it. ]

Pretty sure. /checks.

[idolpire]

I think not, Nibblet. You know what happens if they don't want to smooch? You're stuck there, in one spot. For ages.

[It was only an hour, or so he'd seen so far from some of the reluctantly caught ones, but still. An hour of precious night time to go do what he wanted because someone didn't want to press their dainty lips to his. Rude.]

*scribbles 'boss of Spike' on a button, sticks it onto her shirt*

[de_evilise]

You sure know a lot about those things. Are you _SURE_ you didn't get caught by one of them? [ Fess up, so she can laugh. Or...well, not laugh since that would be mean. Still she holds her hands up. ]

Don't worry, I won't go near them. [ Because he was so considerate to worry about her well being, and all! ]

Oh that's right! You look fine now, but were you okay with that fire that hit the building earlier?

... That's cheating.

[idolpire]

That's none of your business, Little Bit. I'm not getting pinched for tellign naughty things to children.

[Oh, the things he could say, Marinette. So. Much. Naughty.

Was that concern? For him? He might almost laugh.]

Yeah, heard about that. Not housed there, though. Guess you escaped all right.

[He'd checked in on the few people that mattered to him, but outside of that, he hadn't really cared. If you were dumb enough to stay in bed and sleep through an inferno, you deserved to become finger licking good.]

Prove it!

[de_evilise]

[ She gave him a bit of a look. ]

You know, I'm fifteen, that's not exactly being a -child-.

....but I'll pass on hearing anything naughty all the same. [ No really, even though you have no soul it's nice to know you have some morals! ... And yes it WAS concern. Gross, right? ]

Yep, since I'm not crispy french fries. Though I owe that thanks to a friend of mine. It's good you managed to avoid it though.

Section C, line 4 of the rule book says so.

[idolpire]

[That was a child in his book, even without him being a vampire. He'd been close to thirty when he'd been turned, and while there were fifteen year old brides in his time, he'd always felt that was a bit... gauche. He'd preferred his peers. Unfortunately, they hadn't preferred him. Pity.]

I'd avoid the whole city if I could. They just don't have anything running out past the fence. Seems daft, if you ask me. There's loads there to make work. And less people to start fires.

What - I call shenanigans! where's the Judge?

[de_evilise]

[ So antisocial, Spike! See, this is why you need to be bugged by Dawn substitutes. ]

But there are monsters out there, and some of those monsters might be able to start fires. Or worse. And if that's the case you would kind of be in trouble with no one knowing you were even out there.

I guess that's their thinking, anyway. It's at least a LITTLE safer in the city - uh, with the exception of that fire, that is.

*scribbles 'Judge' on a button and sticks it to his jacket*

[idolpire]

[Where was a wall for him to beat his head against?]

Oh, pish-posh. I haven't seen one bloody 'monster' out there outside of myself. There may well be some creepy beasties out in the jungle proper, but the abandoned city is barely a problem. You're more likely to trip on something and gash yourself bloody than you are to get eaten, and I travel around at night.

[Of course, he was also undead, had no heartbeat to track, gave off no body heat, and might not be something that any sort of creature would think of as 'food'.]

GASP! Who taught you such naughty cheating tactics!?

[de_evilise]

[ Wow, rude! ]

I've seen them, they're out there! [ Erm. ] I mean... well *I* haven't seen them but other people I know have, I mean.

If it was so safe and monster free out there, why would they say it was dangerous? Why the wall?

I have no idea...

[idolpire]

Right. And they just swarm the moment you step a toe over the fence, eh? Why else do you think they put it up? Nothing controls people like fear, love. Put enough ghost stories out there and make everyone afraid of the dark and they'll all fall in line and cower around the campfire. Oldest trick in the book.

[de_evilise]

Well... I don't think they -swarm-...

[ He's not the only one who's suspicious of the people here. Marinette didn't trust or distrust them, but Spike did make a pretty good point. ]

Okay, but if they were trying to keep us all afraid and in line, wouldn't they try to prevent us from going outside the walls at all?

[idolpire]

Not at all. People are much easier to control if they think they're making their own choices. I'm evil, Pet. I know how this works.

[de_evilise]

You think? [ She paused. ]

... well, I didn't think about it that way. And it's true they haven't really told us that much - as far as I've heard at least.

[ But they were also seeming very forward about helping people who want to go home, go home.

Also, you're not evil Spike, you're Diet Evil. Evil Zero, one calorie ]

[idolpire]

Oldest story in the book, love. Put up a few walls, don't tell people much, give out vague 'Well, there's danger out there. You can go out if you want, but it's best you don't' and people will make up their own scary monsters out there and keep themselves in nice and safe.

[She had no idea. He was the most evil. He would eat her up and wipe his mouth with her dolly if he had a mind to.]

[de_evilise]

[ But she's small and cute and bitesized and sweet!-- wait, strike those last two things. ]

... So you really don't trust the people here? [ Actually, he doesn't seem to trust anyone, does he? ]

[idolpire]

[Nah, those last two things were always on his mind, Nibblet.]

I don't trust anyone anywhere.

[He didn't realize he'd echoed her thoughts, shrugging as he looked around at the still-bustling night life around them.]

'Specially not someone that thinks 'trust me' is a good way to start off.

[de_evilise]

[ No no no, the FIRST two should be! You've got it allll backwards, silly vampire. ]

That... seems kind of lonely. I don't think I'd be able to go around for any amount of time not trusting -anyone-.

[ She tended to trust people right off the bat, unless she's given a reason to be suspicious of them. Like. She wouldn't want to be trapped in a room or dark alley with Spike, for example... but she was find chatting him up! ]

[idolpire]

That's 'cause you're young, yet. Don't worry. The world will rub the shiny off you in its own way. Come back to me in ten years and tell me I'm wrong.

[Spike was pretty sure he'd be right. They all started out perky and idealistic. Hell, even he had. Then life happened.]

[de_evilise]

[ WOW. She doesn't wanna be all grumpy and jaded in ten years though! Also, she doesn't want to be -here- for ten years. ]

Haha, alright. I'll do that - just to see the look on your face when I tell you you're wrong.

[idolpire]

I won't hold my breath.

[He grinned, giving a half shrug.]

Mostly because I don't need to breathe.

[de_evilise]

[ She giggled. ]

You're tempting fate, you know. Ten years from now - heck, FIVE years from now, you'll be full of hope and optimism cheer.

[ SCARY. ]

[idolpire]

I'm over a hundred years old, pet. Hope and optimism died a long, long time ago. But you're welcome to think it's possible. Just makes it that much better when your delusion is shattered.

[de_evilise]

Well.. okay so you've lived a really really long time.

[ Damn vampires and their so-and-so-eternal-youth-rassin-frassin.. ]

I don't believe hope and optimism REALLY dies so much as... goes into hiding. Scared off by the .. the hardened edge of veteran..ism.. or something.

[ She's just poking fun at him now. Though she did kind of believe hope and optimism doesn't die too. ]

[idolpire]

[He pulled it off well. He was clearly the best vampire of all vampires.]

Tell me that in ten years, love. It's just what it is. Everything dies. Everything...

[de_evilise]

If I'm still here in ten years, I will.

[ She might have gone back home by then! and Clearly, yes! BEST Vampiar ]

You're right. That's why we should cherish the time we have with the people we care about.