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

[de_evilise]

"It's kind of weird the way it's just hovering so close like that.." It ..definitely wasn't an akuma. Akumas don't act like that -- and besides which, there aren't any here. She turned to watch him approach the fairy and .. wait, what just happened there? Link, are you going into mimicry? "What happened?"

[bluechampion]

"Come over here." He waved at her to come forward. "It feels like there's a wall right here." He looked back up at the light. There wasn't anything else around that could have done that. He kept a hand on the 'wall' and started to follow it. He didn't need to make a full circle to realize that they were trapped.

At the same time, a strange thought came to him. You've got to kiss her if you want to leave. His cheeks started flushing. Where did that come from? And why was he so sure that something so silly would work?

[de_evilise]

Obediently she trotted up to Link, "A wall? But there's nothing..." she reached out, feeling...well she'll be damned, there WAS a thing there. "Where did this come from?" It couldn't have been there already. She started feeling along the 'wall' worriedly. "Hang on, M..maybe there's..."

Oh no. Oh no. ............... oh noooooo no nonono.

[bluechampion]

"So, uhm..."

Link shifted awkwardly. The thought that had seemed to force its way in his head was still bouncing around. He tried to shove it to the side, but it was as if something wasn't letting him. His cheeks were a bright pink.

"I think I've got an idea to get out of here." He was hoping that he was wrong and that Marinette would point out how stupid said idea was.

[de_evilise]

There HAD to be another way out, somewhere. Maybe if they waited someone would come by and..and pop the bubble? "It feels really sturdy, whatever it is.. at least from this side."

OH! Link had an idea? Great -it... it had best not be the idea that had popped in her head. WHy would she even think about such a thing? She barely knew Link! And besides, there was Adrien to think about -- granted he wasn't here but she wasn't so flighty-

"O-oh? What's your idea...?"

[bluechampion]

Link rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "I know it sounds stupid, but for some reason, I feel like we have to uhm...uh...kiss?"

There, he said it. Now Marinette could punch him the arm or something and exclaim how ridiculous that was. Link even had his weapons on him (as he always did) and somehow trying to use them didn't even occur to him yet.

I'm so sorry :D 1/3

[de_evilise]

Good old Link, of course he'd have an idea on how to get out of their predicament! He was an adventurer! He was probably used to these sorts of shenanigans!

2/3

[de_evilise]

... the idea he proposed though...

For a second she stared at him like she didn't hear him correctly. It ... WAS the same thought she had had, but that was INSANE.

"Wha.."

3/3

[de_evilise]

"WHAT!?!"

And Marinette -immediately- and instinctively flings herself backwards, only to bump into the invisible wall caging the two of them in. She points at a him, in any case, her cheeks quickly getting red, "A.. Are you insane!?" He barely KNOWS her, she thought she was the only who came up with such a ridiculous idea - and it is ridiculous! There's just no way..!

/dead from lolz

[bluechampion]

Ok, that reaction was a bit more extreme than Link was expecting, but that was ok. It was the kind of reaction he more or less wanted. "I told you it was stupid," he muttered as he drew his sword.

The circle that they were trapped in was small; too small for Link to swing around too much without hitting Marinette. He hoped that if this thing didn't break, he could at least get some sort of idea of how strong it was.

"Stand behind me." He took a swing. It felt like he had just swung against the side of a rock. A rock made of solid metal. Whelp, that wasn't too good for his sword. Good thing he knew a guy who could repair it. "Great."

/revives! XD

[de_evilise]

Maaaybe she overreacted, but that ..was kind of her thing - overreacting to things. She was still blushing up a storm when he directed her to stand behind him, in fact, but she did sidle over to a safe spot behind him so he could swing at their prison.

She flinched instinctively at the sound of the sword hitting the nothingness - or the invisible bubble at least, glancing around, then up at the fairy lifhgts. Maybe if they scrammed, the bubble would disappear? So when Link failed to break the invisible trap, she tried jumping up to where the top would be, swatting at the mischievous creatures, "Shoo-" Aaand she bumps her head. "Aaggh.." She stumbles back a step, clutching the top of her head with both hands. "...not doing that again." Ow. And it did nothing to scare the fairies away too!

[bluechampion]

Link winced a bit as he heard the odd-sounding 'thump' from Marinette hitting her head. "You ok?" Well, thanks to her little sacrifice he now knew that this wouldn't be something they could climb over.

Link's face was pretty flushed as well. For some reason, he still felt confident about kissing to make the barrier fall, but it was clear that Marinette didn't want to try it. He couldn't blame her. He must have sounded like a creep. "I'm out of ideas." Granted, he had remote bombs through his Sheikah Slate, but it'd be impossible not to get caught in the blast radius since they were in such a confined space and he wasn't willing to let Marinette get hurt.

[de_evilise]

Maybe they could -dig- their way out....

Okay Marinette was fully aware that that was nuts, even for her. Oh god what if they really DO have to kiss? WHere did that thought even come from? What if they wait it out? Maybe the fairies will move on on their own?

"U-uh... yeah, I'm...I'm great~!" She quickly brushed off the pain from the bonk on the head, rubbing the spot as she skirted a few hesitant glances at Link. "Yeah ..m-me too." All except THAT one... ugh, what to DO.

It wasn't like Link wasn't... good looking. That wasn't the issue! Bu...but... hrrng.

[bluechampion]

The awkwardness-levels were continuing to rise and there was no sign of it stopping. Marinette's flustered reaction didn't help with Link's nerves and his face was now a very bright pink as he fidgeted and rubbed the back of his neck.

If they weren't standing on the concrete sidewalk, Link would certainly be ok with sacrificing his weapons to try to dig out.

"Maybe...maybe that thing will go away if we just wait?" He didn't want to stay stuck in here any longer, but the kissing seemed to be off the table, and Link wasn't really comfortable with it himself. For one, it wouldn't be very...knightly of him, regardless of the fact that he had very little memory of being a knight in the first place. Second, a kiss was a sign of affection. There was a reason people (or rather, most people) didn't go around kissing everyone they knew.

He just stood there awkwardly, wishing he was surrounded by vicious monsters instead of being stuck in this harmless little trap.

*giggling so much XD ALL the awkwardness*

[de_evilise]

Once the Awkward levels reach critical mass, one or both of them were going to start clawing at their invisible walls in a desperate attempt to escape.

... it wasn't complentary to their ego, when you think about it. Was bombing the area still off the table?

"Yeah, maybe... but how long would we have to wait?" She certainly didn't want to be standing around for hours or days, and she didn't think he'd appreciate it either. But she couldn't just..kiss someone casually! Even if it meant their freedom.

She thinks she'd rather be surrounded by angry monsters too, really. So she stood a little awkwardly herself, glancing around, anywhere but at him for several minutes. "Uh.. about the.. you know..." The K word.