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saveourearth2018-09-02 08:34 pm
ourearth) wrote in saveourearth2018-09-02 08:34 pm
Let's proudly not melt, shall we? [Mingle]
Date: 31.8-9.9.2018
Characters: Open
With the end of the eternal summerheat in sight, the last gasp of summer festivities start in Mossgate. 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 “Defining ourselves: deconstructing LGBT+ labels” and “Not just Stonewall: a brief history of LGBT+ activism”. 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.
The main event is the pride parade, held from 11AM on Saturday, starting at the town hall, progressing along the main beach front road and ending 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.
There is one unforeseen thing happening this year though that will be throwing everyone into a tizzy for a bit: In between the last security check and the head of the pride parade arriving at the spot outside the town museum, someone has managed to sneak a giant cake in the way of the parade. The parade will come to an abrupt stop for almost half an hour while rumours run wild about the reason for which the parade has stopped, ranging from a terrorist attack to a romantic proposal. Eventually, the cake turns out to be entirely harmless, is removed and the parade continues. But news of it spread soon, and it is moved to a square where people are allowed to take pictures with it. It is, of course, heavily advised against trying to eat from it. Just that it doesn't explode doesn't mean that it meets food safety standards...
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. 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: Eating from the cake will give characters a plot echo. It will also make them high and give them indigestion the next day.]
Characters: Open
With the end of the eternal summer
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 “Defining ourselves: deconstructing LGBT+ labels” and “Not just Stonewall: a brief history of LGBT+ activism”. 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.
The main event is the pride parade, held from 11AM on Saturday, starting at the town hall, progressing along the main beach front road and ending 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.
There is one unforeseen thing happening this year though that will be throwing everyone into a tizzy for a bit: In between the last security check and the head of the pride parade arriving at the spot outside the town museum, someone has managed to sneak a giant cake in the way of the parade. The parade will come to an abrupt stop for almost half an hour while rumours run wild about the reason for which the parade has stopped, ranging from a terrorist attack to a romantic proposal. Eventually, the cake turns out to be entirely harmless, is removed and the parade continues. But news of it spread soon, and it is moved to a square where people are allowed to take pictures with it. It is, of course, heavily advised against trying to eat from it. Just that it doesn't explode doesn't mean that it meets food safety standards...
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. 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: Eating from the cake will give characters a plot echo. It will also make them high and give them indigestion the next day.]
Cake
"Mmmmmmmmm!" It was surprisingly good! A hint of vanilla to the sponge and the icing wasn't unbearably sweet. She's almost considering going for a second bite when her stomach drops out from itself and the familiar sensation of Number nonsense starts. She braces herself for some sort of memory or change and is sort of shocked when nothing changes.
"Huh. Okay...?" Confusing.
She starts to drift away from the cake, back through the crowd and looks around at all the decorations. She giggles, it was kind of funny that she'd been going to Pride for ages but this was the first one she's been to since she came out. How ridiculous. More giggles escape her and she starts skipping as she moves, she just felt so light and bubbly, simply walking didn't feel good enough. Maybe she'd bump into someone fun!
no subject
His own pace is slower than usual, finding himself distracted more than once as he walks along.
In due time, he makes his way to the beach front to walk by the shops that look out towards the ocean, scanning the crowd for signs of Sadie. As he walks passed the entrance of the pleasure pier, he slows to a halt as he takes notice of a familiar shade of blonde hair bobbing up and down off ahead. He watches as she grows closer, and sure enough, when he sees that wonderful smile, he cheers her name happily and steps into her path to intercept her, “Sadie!” Unless she manages to slow down or veer to the side, Sadie will find herself caught under the shoulders and raised up with Benjiro beaming up to her, “Found you!”
no subject
Breaking into a peel of giggles, she cheers. "Ben! I'm taller than you!" So continues to giggle even as Ben puts her down and she wraps him in a big hug and buries her face into his neck. "I missed you! Now today's even better!"
no subject
“Missed you too… But, oh! I saw you! I saw you walking in the parade. You were gone when they found it and I had to come tell you. About the cake.” Lifting his head back up, he’ll loosen his arms just enough to try to crane his head over where he might see her at his shoulder.
no subject
Her hands trail down his arms until she takes both of his hands and starts skipping backwards. "Come on, I want to sit on the sand, it'll be so warm!"
Everhthing is just so wonderful, and great, and wonderful! And warm! Ben was warm. Maybe they could cuddle? That would be lovely, and his hair looked so soft...
no subject
That touch of her hands sliding down his arms is sufficient to make his frown disappear, and with it the worry that caused it. She said she had cake too, yet she seems fine. Giddy, but he likes how happy she looks! If she’s happy, he can be happy. His hands link to hers naturally and the tug starts him forward with a slight stumble before he laughs and begins to bound steps in time with her skips.
Going down to the beach with Sadie sounds like the best idea. EVER. He laughs as he is led, “Sa-Sadie! Be careful!”
no subject
It would be like a superpower! Ben was so wonderful already and that would make him even wonderfuller! If anything she bounces even more as she tugs him along, especially when he matches her step rhythm.
" B-en! I'm always careful! Come on, come on!"
Bounding down the steps, Sadie hucks off her sandals as soon as she hits the beach proper with a happy squeel. "The sands so soft and warm!"
Now that she had informed the world, she topples backwards to spread-eagle on the ground, tugging Ben down with her.
That’s Walter’s thing tyvm
Trailing on her heels, he stumbles only a step when he first hits the sand. He’ll pause seeing her removing her sandals and follow suit, because who wants sand in tennis shoes anyway? Kicking each off, he’ll stand on one foot to pull each matching sock off in succession. It is as he pulls on the second that he feels a sudden yank that takes him over. Flopping down into the sand next to Sadie, he looks over at her almost wide-eyed only to burst out laughing.
no subject
Ben's laughter once he falls down next to her sets Sadie off, and she decides that the best thing in the world right now would be a hug. So she rolls over, now lying on Ben's chest, head resting just below his left shoulder and still giggling away.
" Much better!" She proclaims through the giggles. Because clearly it was.
no subject
Still laughing laying on the sand, the sound dwindles as he is surprised by Sadie rolling over to come on top of his chest. Her warmth and weight is comfortable, and the vibration from her giggles is quick to get him going again into a fresh fit of laughter. Lifting both his arms from the sand, he wraps them over Sadie to hold her as that laughter calms more slowly. This...this is nice. He’ll stay right here with her.
“Defintely better.” A beat, then he verbalizes a thought, “I like being with you, Sadie.”
no subject
Sadie hums happily as she feels Ben's arms wrap around her, the beaming smile never leaving her face. It felt so safe and warm like this. With Ben. He liked being with her...Her chest felt warm and full, and it felt like something was stuck in her throat and all she wanted to do was be with him, the way it vibrated felt nice. In fact, her chest was vibrating, but she wasn't humming?
"I like being with you too Ben! It's one of my favourite things." She readily and happily admits back to him as the vibrating in her chest got more and more.
Sadie picks up her head and glances around. "Where's the cat, I can hear it purring?"
no subject
His easy smile widens, unseen directly behind his mask, but the curve of his eyes show it as Sadie reciprocates that sentiment of enjoying being together. In fact, it is a favorite thing. That alone would make him holler happily - if he weren’t immediately distracted by the new sound. Despite his sedate state, Benjiro recognizes that the vibration he feels and hears from Sadie is of a lower magnitude yet a higher frequency rate. Then Sadie points out the striking resemblance.
Benjiro concentrates on sorting through the sensory information, and with one hand sliding from her back to his pocket to confirm his phone is inactive, he has no doubt about the source. With a giggle of his own, he cheerfully answers her, “I know where!” Once Sadie looks to him, he lifts that same hand up to gently boop her nose with one finger, “Riiiight here! You.”
no subject
Sadie giggles at the feeling, which makes the purring feel even funner so then she has to laugh, ducking her head back against Ben's chest.
"Ohmygod Ben! I'm purring! We've got to film this!" She insists, although she briefly gets distracted by the thudding sound of Ben's heart by her ear.
no subject
She’s too cute!
Benjiro lifts his head to look at her as she speaks from against his chest, and at her position, she can easily hear his accerlerated heartbeat. Relaxing on the sand does not counteract having Sadie so very comfortably close... At her proposal to film the occurence, he nods and reaches back down to fish his phone from his pocket while half sitting up just enough to prop on his elbow while keeping that hand at her side, “Good idea! We can watch it later and...and have a record of your first purrs!” Clearly that’s reason enough.
Phone retrieved, he opens the camera to video mode and holds it out and slightly above to capture Sadie as he hits ‘record’ with intense effort made to keep that phone steady.
no subject
Sadie beams up at phone from her position cuddled up against Ben's chest.
"I can purr!" She cheers and giggles. "But. But!" She pouts, "Ben booped me the meanie, which means revenge!"
Smothering down her giggles Sadie pushes herself up till they're face to face and, with a massive grin on her face, kisses Ben on the end of his nose. "Revenge boop!"
Lifting the lid of the giggles, Sadie ends up giggling again forehead resting against Ben's.
Ben.exe has stopped working
A soft snicker escapes as she proclaims her new ability to the phone, and he laughs softly with amusement as she announces an intent to seek revenge, “Wait, what?” Watching her on the screen of the phone, fixated still on his task of recording, he moves the phone more out to the side to catch a lateral shot only to realize she’s now face to face with him. His dark eyes turn as he looks straight at her, eyes wide and brows raised in surprise as his breath catches in his chest.
Phone left in its position, the device captures the instant she kisses him on the nose. That lick of icing he had earlier isn’t enough to override his reaction as his entire face flushes to a vibrant shade of red and he stiffens from head to toe with their foreheads together.
“Hnnnh?” is all he utters in those first seconds after before he slides from his elbow and flops flat in the sand with his phone following to record the sky instead.
no subject
The way the red rapidly spreads across his face was so interesting! Sadie gently brushes her fingers across his cheeks.
"You're really warm." She giggles again and continues to rest her forehead on his, although she does boop their noses together. "We should swim! It'll cool you down!"
no subject
Noses booped together, he’ll peek his eyes open. Aw. Her contacts are in. He’d rather see her eyes...
It’s the suggestion of swimming that gets a stronger response as Ben reaches both arms up to wrap around her once more, phone brought onto her back to record the purring directly. With a shake of his head, he rejects the notion, “No. No swimming after cake.” She might breathe underwater now but that doesn’t mean swimming with their heads muddled is safe.
no subject
"But Beeeeeen," She whines with a pout, "It'd be fuuuuuuun." Although this was nice too...
no subject
“Yeah, but...but getting ice cream would be fun and cool us down too! And that tastes a lot a lot better than the ocean water,” he counters in offer. He will go buy her ice cream if that’s what he needs to do to avoid swimming. Arms still around her, Benjiro shifts his hold a little lower on her back and strains in the effort to try to sit up with both of them only using his abdominal muscles. Although he does actually lift them to clear the sand all the way down his back, he fails to get upright and flops back again in defeat.
“That’s hard,” he sighs as his arms leave her low back to wrap in a cross over her chest, bringing his phone up over her shoulder to record upside down.
no subject
She squeaks as Ben shifts tightening her hold on him, 'oooooo'-ING appreciatively as he manages sit them both up even if only temporarily.
"You did your best." She tells him consolingly before she yawns. "Could we nap and then ice cream?" She asks Ben, eyes wide and pleading.
no subject
Lifting his head from the sand as she yawns, he can only snicker at the sheer cuteness of her plea, “Of course. And, if you wait to go to the bottom on a weekend, maybe I can rent some scuba gear and come with you!” It is a curiosity as to how deep she can comfortably wander even with no hinderance to maintaining oxygenation.
Quite suddenly, he remembers his phone in his hand and taps the button to stop recording. Benjiro turns off the touch screen then tucks it back into his pocket.
no subject
Sadie yawns again, happily tucking herself against Ben's chest. "Nap, ice-cream, then who knows... I didn't put more suntan lotion on." She grumbles sleepily into his chest.
no subject
Watching as she makes herself comfortable on his chest, he smiles and brings his second arm up around her again as he yawns himself. Blinking his eyes a couple times, he rests his head back as he decides that this is much more comfortable than he would have expected in the heat and sand. Starting to feel sleepy himself, he replies, “Maybe just a short nap then, okay?”
no subject
Sadie nods against his chest, she hardly needs any encouragement being halfway asleep already. She is going to feel the full after effects of that cake once she wakes up but for now it is calm and peaceful on Mossgate beach.