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Save Our Earth Mods ([personal profile] ourearth) wrote in [community profile] saveourearth2019-08-02 09:35 am

More colours than you can shake a stick at, don't even try [Mingle]

Date: Friday, the 2nd of August - officially Saturday, the 10th (and unofficially Sunday, the 11th)
Characters: Open to all!


It is Mossgate's fifth season, and the the first signs come when the flag above the town hall showing the town coat of arms is removed and replaced with the bright and beautiful pride flag. Anticipation is high in the LGBT+ areas of town, and the traditional pride pre-parties take place in the LGBT+ venues on Friday and Saturday nights. Bunting starts to go up along the main streets of town, and volunteers are gathered for meetings and rehearsals. Any latecomers who still wish to volunteer are invited to turn up and make themselves known at this point (especially anyone with a valid first aid certificate!)

Pride officially opens on Sunday, with special free walking tours of the notable LGBT+ venues and sights around town twice a day, as well as open lectures at the universities featuring such topics as “What is a definition anyway: LGBT identities throughout the times” and “50 years and going strong: An overview of the situation of Pride parades worldwide”. Interested parties can sign up online using the local theatre's website, where they will also be able to browse the special LGBT+ program for the week (which, unfortunately, is not free, but those volunteering at any point over the week will be provided with two free tickets as one of their perks – either to be used alone for two events, or with a companion for one). The twice monthly LGBT+ book club is holding a special taster event on Wednesday evening, and the comic store is also holding special events each evening, focusing on a different LGBT+ character or author each night. Some of the religious institutions in the town are holding special LGBT affirmative services, and some are also holding drop in sessions. The RSPCA holds a pride themed dog show. Certain beauty stores, hair salons and barbers are holding trans-friendly sessions and workshops, some outside of normal working hours (although some are only accessible by signing up in advance). During the evening, there will be LGBT+ pub quizzes and special LGBT+ events up and down the high street. And, of course, plenty of other stores will also be taking advantage of the pink pound and the locals will notice the sudden influx of rainbow products, especially in the touristy shops along the beach front.

Something else starts showing up on Sunday and will be found around town the entire week of Pride: Parcels of various shapes, sizes and colours, some packaged like a present, some like regular postal items, some in entirely different ways. They just sit around in places where curious fingers might prod them, annoyed people might move them, or people might pick them up with the rest of the delivery unthinkigly. Essentially, they can be found anywhere, inside and out. They only have one thing in common: When touched, they explode into a cloud of glitter. And the glitter gets everywhere within a fifty metre radius if nothing (like a wall) stops it. The glitter bombs sitting around and waiting to explode seem to get neither less nor more. Those who can recognize Mr Neutral's scent will find it on the packages.

The other thing starts slowly and almost imperceptibly. All around town, things that break the light like thick glass, mirrors, sprayed water, and so on, will grow more likely to show a rainbow. Short rain showers will almost invariably leave one. All of this is still very natural until Thursday, when the strong, lingering, beautiful rainbow left after a rain shower portrays the colours light blue - baby pink - white - baby pink - light blue. By the time the main event rolls around, there is a ridiculous number of rainbows of all Pride flag colours everywhere, and the sky carries multiple rainbows of various identities' colours at the same time.

The main event, of course, being the pride parade, held from 11AM on Saturday the 10th. It starts at the town hall, progresses along the main beach front road and ends up at the Green from around 2PM. It's a massive event, equal to Brighton or Manchester, with plenty of floats and sponsors. All along the parade route, flags, bunting and ribbons float in the sea breeze and barriers have been placed to keep the audience from getting under the feet of the walkers, dancers, prancers and stompers that will make up a part of the parade's diverse make-up. The parade itself is made up of an interesting mix of local businesses and big name sponsors; the local walking society walking behind Absolut vodka, the WI walking ahead of Skittles, and the local scouts being proceeded by Stonewall and followed by the Conservative Party.

The Green has once again been set up with stalls for sponsors and local businesses, including charities like the RSPCA and the Samaritans. Those out for freebies won't be disappointed, with stickers, badges and sweets being handed out left, right and centre, especially by the representations of political parties who are doing their best to build some trust back up with the population. Because every Tory representative called out for increasingly ridiculous reasons, Mary Saunders had to take the Tory stand into her own hands and is brightly chatting with people about everything that is not national politics. The local reproductive health centre also has a stand, handing out condoms, dental dams, and advice.

A dance area and a DJ have been set up around the bandstand, and with several bars having build temporary extensions, the party will go on well into the night, although the parade officially ends at nightfall, when there is a fireworks display. After the fireworks, the Green is temporary cleared, and after it reopens, only those with ID proving themselves to be 18 are allowed back inside. There is, however, an alternative, alcohol free party held in the town hall for any ages.

Pride officially concludes on Sunday evening with the Kings and Queens ball, an extension by tradition that is held in the Hive. With the bar cleared out to make a second dance floor, there is a flamboyant tie dress code, (as long as it's smart and fabulous, you'll be welcomed), and while tickets generally sell out months in advance, Alexander keeps a few to one side for late comers, and volunteers are (again) provided with two as part of their package. When the bell finally tolls at 2AM, and the last partygoers are sent home, Mossgate will return to it's usual, quiet self (but the glitter will take some time to clean up completely).


[ooc: Everyone who comes in contact with the glitter can, but doesn't have to get a plot echo out of it.]
spaghettimonster: (RUSSELL 3)

[personal profile] spaghettimonster 2019-08-25 04:56 pm (UTC)(link)
[That's one way of resolving the obvious danger, for all Russell would be somewhat disappointed and his sister outright annoyed. But, at least if she gets stubborn enough to go for analog, they can be reasonably assured that neither the photos nor the negatives would be saved directly to the cloud.]

It does
If I didn't think I'd give a heart attack to any driver bringing me out of town
I might look for someplace to commute to


[The other numbered aren't a great option, given the disorientation at the boundary...]
iamnotgod: A man, holding a folder in one hand and gesturing with the other, looking off to the right. (And WHAT Is This?)

[personal profile] iamnotgod 2019-08-25 05:41 pm (UTC)(link)
[Or spread on social media, which would be the greater worry.]

Being able to explain our situation to non-Numbered without great chances of it blowing up in our faces would solve a lot of problems, yes.

[Though that didn't mean there weren't conspiracy boards afire with theories - mostly run by people who didn't bother coming to check on things in person.]
dragoonrouge: (Sadie Disgust)

[personal profile] dragoonrouge 2019-08-26 10:21 am (UTC)(link)
"...It was scary..." The feeling of being trapped in that room had settled into Sadie's skin during that memory even though she hadn't really been present, hadn't really been stuck in that room, not as Walter had been.

"I hate people like them. Hate that that happened to you." And to punctuate her point, a quiet, non-human growl starts rumbling in her chest.
dragoonrouge: (Sadie Thoughtful)

[personal profile] dragoonrouge 2019-08-26 10:46 am (UTC)(link)
Sadie does pale somewhat at that, she hadn't really joined the dots on that point.

That's mildly terrifying. If its code though, could a backup be made?

Walter's question is so unexpected that it does startle a laugh out of Sadie, "Well I've not heard a pun yet but Squash is very sarcastic. As for how it works, it's weird. When they meow or make an audible noise I understand it like they're speaking English but the body language stuff is like I'm being whispered at, like speaking but more of an impression?"
iamnotgod: A man, hands up at chest level, staring left and down (In The Dark)

[personal profile] iamnotgod 2019-08-26 02:08 pm (UTC)(link)
"Yes, it was," Walter agrees quietly.

He doesn't add anything to her second response, but this is one of those times he's content being the short person around.

Though, a comparison does make itself, and he squints.

"What is it with you and Stone? Your Echoes haven't been all that similar, but then there's the growling..."
iamnotgod: A man, smiling and holding a book. (When He Smiles.)

There's some relevant canon discussion, but it's not structured well enough for me to Echo it here.

[personal profile] iamnotgod 2019-08-26 02:39 pm (UTC)(link)
Of the code itself, perhaps - but Webmind himself was decentralized. I expect any notion of copying him would have been difficult.

"That's normal for cats - what's normal volume for us is practically a shout for them. Pity it's not the other way around," he adds, and while he is teasing it's not entirely a joke.

The conversation - and the petting - is interrupted when a child comes by wanting a turn at petting Tigger, and Walter relinquishes his position with good grace.

But the texting continues uninterrupted.

That, and even if he - let alone I - could be stored somewhere, there's still the matter of 'where', exactly.
scarsolderthanyou: (nope)

[personal profile] scarsolderthanyou 2019-08-26 03:46 pm (UTC)(link)
"I'll go to Mary Anne's, it's closer," Sam grumbles. "I'm pretty sure I can drive like this, if I can just get into the damn car." He won't say no to a little help with the groceries, actually. Since bending down to try and retrieve the last bag isn't going to happen.
iamnotgod: A man staring up and off to the right. (And He Asks Why.)

Think this is a good place to fade out, then?

[personal profile] iamnotgod 2019-08-26 04:01 pm (UTC)(link)
"Right."

Getting that last bag is no trouble on Walter's part, as is doing one last check around the car for anything lost or potentially in danger of getting under the wheels.
lovedramamoron: (Default)

[personal profile] lovedramamoron 2019-08-27 01:37 am (UTC)(link)
"Yes to both," Jimmy says. He'd arrived late to the talk about the forts, but he'd managed to catch the important parts.
iamnotgod: A man staring slightly off-center, looking serious. (Let Me Explain You A Thing)

[personal profile] iamnotgod 2019-08-27 01:46 am (UTC)(link)
"Alright, then, would you qualify this as more 'malevolent' or 'chaotic'? Because that may actually be relevant as to who's responsible for all this."
vernal_miss: (Dragonswort)

II

[personal profile] vernal_miss 2019-08-27 01:57 am (UTC)(link)
Occupied with watching videos on a tablet laying upside down on the couch when he enters, Sam will hear a hurried thump as she rolls off to the floor and stumble steps up and over to him with the tablet left behind. Much less worried by the layer of glitter, his body language tells her he needs a guide.

“You should... Mum grabbed some not long ago. I’ll find it while you get cleaned up, okay Grandpa?” she answers as she reaches both hands without hesitation for his wrist. Should he follow her lead with tugging towards the bathroom he usually uses, Nel will get him all the way inside.
faimommy: (tease or thought?)

[personal profile] faimommy 2019-08-27 02:15 am (UTC)(link)
"Ahlrigh. Let's go t'tha diner."

(Alright. Let's go to the diner.) Rune takes Walter's hand, and gently pulls him closer.

"Mehbeh weh kin get sum cocoa agehn. Ahm shure that wuud beh naise."

(Maybe we can get some cocoa again. I'm sure that would be nice.)
faimommy: (peek)

[personal profile] faimommy 2019-08-27 02:28 am (UTC)(link)
Rune laughs, then clicks his tongue with a playful wink.

"Shuud weh switch then? Ah kin catch yuu instehd."

(Should we switch then? I can catch you instead.)

Rune gently sets his foot into Walter's hands and hoists up to the branch, pulling himself up. For as tall as he is, he doesn't weigh too much, and crawls to Mocha, giving gentle meows as he crawls towards him. He tries to lift Mocha up before crawling back and extending a leg down.

"Hey, Walter, hold yer ahrms ahp."

(Hey, Walter, hold your arms up.) And Mocha scurries down Rune's leg at the man.
vernal_miss: (Lavender)

[personal profile] vernal_miss 2019-08-27 02:34 am (UTC)(link)
At the park

A group of children squeal out in a chorus of shock after finding a strange box tucked under the edge of their favorite merry go round equipment. All of them scatter, plastered with glitter after someone finally got tired of two friends trying to dare the other to touch it...well, all except one. Nel lags as the Echo takes hold, and she leans to a bar on the merry go round. This of course leads to her leaning further as it begins to move only to be falling after it as she spins halfway around the circle before tripping and falling on the other side when her grip slips.

That was...odd feeling.

Pride at large

Nel is too young to care much about her own identity yet, so instead she focuses her energy into supporting her family and others who do not fall into the majorities. Every day of Pride she has on a rainbow in her clothing, and many days has her nails painted in the seven major colors of Roy G Biv. Out and about with her family, she usually is within sight of a mother or grandfather.

One thing that really catches her attention are the unnatural rainbows. At first glimpse, it makes her unsettled to see the prism disrupted from order. Once she recognizes the patterns of them however, she begins documenting the lights with her camera at all opportunities. The day of the parade, she is quite busy snapping shots and darting around looking for new places to stand where all the people taller than herself (ie most everyone) do not block her view entirely.
vernal_miss: (Lavender)

[personal profile] vernal_miss 2019-08-27 02:42 am (UTC)(link)
Yes, but I found out what most of them were later. I still don’t know what a couple may have been.
scarsolderthanyou: (Default)

works for me!

[personal profile] scarsolderthanyou 2019-08-27 07:49 pm (UTC)(link)
Walter gets a friendly pat on the shoulder for his trouble (a careful one; Sam has learned his lesson from patting poor Benjiro), than Sam is on his way to get cleaned up. And re-foundationed. Ugh, being gray sucks so much.
scarsolderthanyou: (Default)

[personal profile] scarsolderthanyou 2019-08-27 07:50 pm (UTC)(link)
Lucky for Sam, he knows this house well enough that he manages mostly okay. As annoying as it is to get a guide (and maybe a little bit need one), he knows she's trying to help. "Thanks, kiddo. Might need a little help with that, too, if you feel like it. Apparently I need reading glasses now, and I don't have any yet."
iamnotgod: A man, hands up at chest level, staring left and down (In The Dark)

Also assuming they took a booth and have cushioned seats.

[personal profile] iamnotgod 2019-08-28 07:08 pm (UTC)(link)
Walter doesn't verbally respond this time; instead he nods, and lets Rune lead them out of the alley.

Indeed, he won't speak up again at all until there's cocoa in front of both of them at the table.

"It doesn't always feel like that," he suddenly explains, once he's sure no one in the diner is looking their way.

"Like there's a signal over my head, saying, 'Look at me, I'm trans! React as you will!'"

He sighs afterward, slumping back against the cushion.

"But, anything that could draw attention to myself like that... it's a worry that's been following me for years. Haunting me."
iamnotgod: A man, smiling and holding a book. (When He Smiles.)

[personal profile] iamnotgod 2019-08-28 07:14 pm (UTC)(link)
"Tempting, but..."

He laughs, then, letting Rune haul himself upward.

For less than half a second he does think Rune is going to jump with Mocha - but after the man gives warning, what follows makes more sense overall.

Arms raised, Walter lets Mocha have his expressway to the ground.
iamnotgod: A man staring up and off to the right. (And He Asks Why.)

Pride at Large

[personal profile] iamnotgod 2019-08-28 07:18 pm (UTC)(link)
Walter is more than happy to step out of the way for Nel to catch the latest rainbow - though he notices the camera a fraction of a second before he notices her, and thus moves somewhat faster than he would have otherwise.

He almost runs into someone else, even, and it's only a matter of reflex that prevents a real collision.

"Sorry! Beg pardon," is his response, seeking to get back out of everyone's way.
dragoonrouge: (Sadie Angry)

[personal profile] dragoonrouge 2019-08-29 02:43 pm (UTC)(link)
The last thing that Sadie expected was for the people clamouring outside to enter the room and she backs up towards the bed, hissing at the intruders even as she knows it will do no good. As the memory continues unabated Sadie can only feel a little guilty when all she wants to happen is for the memory to end.
iamnotgod: Shade Over Face (What Did You Do To Me?)

[personal profile] iamnotgod 2019-08-29 03:53 pm (UTC)(link)
They don't find Walter in the room - which is just as well, as the boys then proceed to make a mess of the room anyway.

The fact that they cannot interact with Sadie is also just as well, given that the boys' drunken swearing against rainbows, "all the bloody enbies", and people supposedly being happy reinventing themselves, was bound to make her own blood boil.

"Might as well pu' a spohgtlight on yeh saying 'Come hit me!'"

Eventually, though, they are gone - and when Walter resurfaces from under the bed, the memory ends.
warped_replica: Temporary sketch mode until I can make better icons (Human: It’s Me)

I would say it was given the topic

[personal profile] warped_replica 2019-09-01 01:04 am (UTC)(link)
[As there is hardly ever any time between messages meant to be together, Benjiro reaches a similar conclusion and is able to bypass the concern it might not be intriguing for Walter.]

That sounds really interesting. Did he have assistance initially?
warped_replica: Temp sketch icon (Human: Nervous)

*connected to

[personal profile] warped_replica 2019-09-01 01:15 am (UTC)(link)
The teenager feels stiff when Walter hugs him, and the tension stays as he feels his breath starting to quicken in response to a lightheaded feeling. He feels as though he is being punished, and the worst part is he does not have to confidence to assure himself he does not deserve it.

His parents may have been right to abandon him.

As his thoughts spiral, he begins to tremble and his chest tightens with pain. Setting his phone aside, he folds over where he sits as he struggles to contain the panic attack threatening to rob him of rationale thought entirely.
warped_replica: Temp sketch icon (Human: Cover Neutral)

[personal profile] warped_replica 2019-09-01 12:48 pm (UTC)(link)
Focus is required for Benjiro to follow her as fluidly, turning more than once to manage through the available space between people dancing to find an adequate opening for the two of them, but once they make it in deep enough to begin dancing, his own vigilance starts to give way to enjoyment. Song by song, he eases into the rhythms of the dances, and while he hasn't the moves to stand on a stage, he is here to have fun. Last year, he had been hoping to impress her, and now he can revel in the close bond he has with Sadie. All the kisses prove that to him. Mouth covered, he still shares his fondness in turn with gentle squeezes snuck in and passing touches from his hands.

Spending quite a while on the dance floor, the flow of it all comes to a jarring halt when he bumps into another dancer in the crowd and is met with a snap under the music from the other person, "Watch it, you clumsy git!" Benjiro half turns in surprise, and apologizes, "Sorry, I didn't realize you were there."

Nerves snapping taut, he stalls out of dance as the other person huffs and moves away.

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