Milli-timed to Tuesday the 28th - New Orleans Mardi Gras

[mogget_cat]

The bar room of Milliways is always full of sound - the clatter of dishes and clink of glasses, chairs being scooted back or further in, footsteps upon the floor, rats squeaking, the background murmur of conversations overlapping one another.

But tonight the main door to the bar opens to the mouth of an city alleyway, to a caucophony of noise and music, full of seething crowds and colorful parade floats, the smells of food and sweat and smoke and beer and those colorful fruity drinks sold in yard-long plastic glasses with umbrellas in them. Mardi Gras is in full swing and New Orleans has outdone itself this time.

Yrael enters, trailing laughter from a section of the crowd on the other side. His white hair is decorated with purple, gold and green feathers, his pale face partially hidden by a sharp, glittery cat mask of gold, behind which his green eyes are bright. Over his white shirt this evening he wears a shiny waistcoat of purple, gold, green, and black. It's clearly party time, big time, show time -

"And then some!" he grins, seeing Milliways. "Fat Tuesday is upon us, Milliways! Welcome to Mardi Gras! Come, dance, explore! Laissez les bons temps rouler!"

Yrael will make sure the door stays open for any party-goer who would like to partake in the joie de vivre, and the Bar can certainly provide a change of costume...



(ooc: The post will be open all weekend and into next week as needed! Usual party-thread guidelines apply! Tag in! Threadhop! Meet new people and get into trouble! :D Yrael will be around, but his mun will not be able to tag much until Monday evening. <333333)

Comments

At the door

[mogget_cat]

Yrael is at the door, grinning a very toothy grin and welcoming all who pass through to the massive, many-day party that is Mardi Gras. If there is any 'mundane' city in the world which could accept without question the wide variety of clientele Milliways caters to, it would be New Orleans.

(ooc: Mun will be absent until Monday, then will get to all tags here. <3333)

Re: At the door

[thewidewideworld]

Sinric bounces downstairs, rather surprised to find his warm silk tunic replaced by... well, feathers. And a corset which turns his androgynous figure distinctly feminine. He laughs and turns around, feeling the feathers swish. "Is this your doing?" He asks, as graceful on the heels as he is in his own felt slippers.

Re: At the door

[scourgeofpiracy]

"This looks an uncommon treat", James says with a grin, approaching the door. "At least in my current position."

Re: At the door

[mightbeagoodone]

Even though Jim requested black body paint and gold glitter, in the end Sherlock went with the idea if not the exact specifications; summer-weight black suit, black shirt, and gold glitter daubed in strategic places on his face and threaded through his hair where it will best catch the light.

Maybe not dark and fucking dangerous, but definitely not your average casual tourist.

Re: At the door

[i_am_your_host]

Emcee wanders downstairs, quiet and subdued, expecting only to fetch a meal to bring back to his room.

But the door is open. And he hears familiar music coming through it, rousing and rambunctious. And he hears laughter and shouting, and sees flashes of color and moving bodies. It's unmistakably New Orleans.

And he sees the man with the gold mask and glittery waistcoat, Yrael, who had welcomed him and Sinric to his city a while ago, ages ago, it seems. When Emcee was who he was.

Emcee is torn and hesitant. Though he is drawn to the celebrations, he fears that it is not his place to join them. He lingers at a distance, not wanting to be noticed, but keeping the music in earshot.

Re: At the door

[likeroaringlions]

"What's this?" The Bar has something for him when he comes to ask for a drink: a bundle of tartan. It's like what he found himself on at Halloween, but with a bit more green and purple. Is he supposed to wear that? What for?

...then he spots the people heading for the door, and brightens. "A party, is it? Alright, then!" He'll just get himself dressed and see what's up.

Re: At the door

[yinyangwizard]

A woman sweeps through the doorway, wearing layered robes of purple, blue, pink, and white.* Her black hair is as long as she is tall. She comes equipped with a dark-blue fan stamped with silver foil in curling patterns.

"Yrael-sama," she says with a bow, "thank you for hosting this unique gathering." She reaches into her sleeve and pulls out a small package wrapped in lavender paper and tied with string, which she offers to Yrael.

The package contains an elegantly carved netsuke bead.

*See the color combination on the bottom right.

Re: At the door

[pro_patria_mortuus]

Enjolras doesn't look like your typical Mardi Gras-goer, really. He's changed from his usual 1830s menswear to dark slacks, a dark t-shirt, and a red jacket (well, hoodie) provided by Bar, but it's still awfully staid for a massive multi-day party.

But he does look, in a quiet and reserved way, like he's glowing with excitement. Because he is.

"You're the one who arranged this, monsieur? Thank you very much for it."

He's palpably sincere.

Re: At the door

[visible_sariel]

((OOC: I say sorry, because I have had zero brain for playing Sariel until now!))

Here's someone either expected or quite unexpected, depending on how you look at things. She's still in Starfleet reds, but the neat bundle of rather sparkly clothing Bar's just materialized, including bird-featured mask, well... Someone's being hinted at, maybe.

"Yrael? What's going on?"

Parades

[mogget_cat]

Down the middle of the main street through the French Quarter, now lined with crowds shouting and waving, come the parades. The towering floats of the Mardi Gras celebration are huge works of color and creativity, fantastical faces and leering, phantasmagorical creatures. People in outlandish costumes perched upon them throw beads and candy into the waiting crowds. The candy can be caught freely, of course, but the beads might come at a price...

Re: Parades

[jonathanparagon]

Jonathan slips into the crowd to watch the parade.

(And if he's keeping half an eye out for vampires, that's just force of habit with no real expectation.)

Re: Parades

[alec_swamp]

One such creature looks like a walking tree, encrusted in moss. The tourists might recognize it as something from a comic book or a cartoon - this not being the world Alec comes from - but they surely won't realize he's real as he walks through the crowds, enjoying a rare chance to return to his favorite city.

Re: Parades

[likeroaringlions]

William realizes fairly quickly that he a) has no appropriate money and b) can't get any refreshments from the stands without appropriate money. Eh, well. There's plenty to see for free.

He's been ignoring the candy so far, too busy gaping at the floats and costumes, but then a little girl charges into him, nearly knocking him over to scoop up a lollipop at his feet. And oh hey. Is that free food? HELL YES FREE FOOD.

So he'll just be scavenging now.

Re: Parades

[yinyangwizard]

Participating in the parade is a woman in striking layered robes.* She carries a deep blue fan stamped with silver foil, which she occasionally twirls in the air. Each twirl releases floating motes of colored light, which spread out and fade as they fall to the ground.

(Interesting note: though the hems of her robes and her long train drag on the ground, they do not get soiled.)


*See the color combination at the bottom right.

Re: Parades

[i_am_your_host]

At some point during the evening, a brass band dressed in white, oversized suits, feathered fedoras, and wingtips comes strutting along, playing "Minnie the Moocher" at an almost dirge-like pace. The float behind them bears a giant head of Cab Calloway made of papier mâché and flowers, with blinking eyes and a grinning, laughing jaw.

People on the float call out to the crowd, "Hi dee hi dee hi dee hi!" and the crowd responds, Hi dee hi dee hi dee hi! They call out again, "Hi dee hi dee hi dee ho!" and the crowd shouts back, Hi dee hi dee hi dee ho!

A pale figure decked out in a spiked top hat and raven's wings has slinked his way into the procession. He struts, slides, shuffles and glides, a glossy shape among the musicians, shadowing them. They take notice; it's hard not to.

They launch into somethin' jumpin', the "Calloway Boogie", and in no time couples in the crowd are rock stepping and Lindy hopping.

Emcee flits from one dancer to another before a hand grabs his wrist and pulls him up onto the float.

You gon join us? Alrite, den. Git on up here, you. Dat's how we do.

Music and Dancing

[mogget_cat]

Even in its quietest seasons, the French Quarter is full of music. Mardi Gras is bursting at the seams with jazz and live performances to suit any taste. Don't like the music? Wait a few minutes and something else will be along shortly. And if dancing in the street with the common crowd is not your style, the veritable surplus of night clubs in the area will be absolutely happy to accommodate.

Re: Music and Dancing

[thewidewideworld]

Sinric finds jazz wonderfully irresistible and can be found in the street, gladly dancing with the crowd. It doesn't bother him that people mistake him for a woman, after all, it's an easy mistake to make in this outfit. And he has earned a few stings of beads, mostly traded for kisses. It's rather hard to flash anyone in this corset.

It remind him of the bacchanal of his youth and he shines joyfully.

Re: Music and Dancing

[scourgeofpiracy]

There was a time James' idea of dancing was very sedate and proper.

That was then. This is now, and he's spent time in Tortuga.

He joins the crowd with gusto.

Re: Music and Dancing

[mightbeagoodone]

Something that may not be obvious to the casual observer is that Sherlock loves dancing. He just doesn't get amny chances to do it.

The moment he and Jim are on the street, he pulls Jim into his arms.

Re: Music and Dancing

[clayforthedevil]

Bahorel came into the city in a very sharp suit, with a filigree black skull mask.

But that was like...minutes ago. Maybe hours! He's gleefully abandoned his sense of time to the thrill of being in a real crowd again, a real city again.

And he's also abandoned his waistcoat and undershirt, although somehow not his jacket. They've been replaced by so many beads, though! And the happy buzz of whatever was in that drink a very barely dressed young man passed him several bands earlier. It's a good Carnival!

Re: Music and Dancing

[i_am_your_host]

Emcee spends equal amounts of time dancing with strangers and making out with them. This is mostly why he has ended up wearing a ton of beads around his neck; this in turn attracts more strangers seeking to claim one from him.

His kisses taste of chocolate and cherry schnapps, his lips are stained with the face paint of many. From the woman dressed as a cannabis fairy to the shirtless man in satyr pants to the Dr. Frank-N-Furter drag queen.

A shimmy and a shake, a bump and grind, a twirl of tongues, a rattle of beads. Who's next?

Food and Drink, etc.

[mogget_cat]

New Orleans is known for its music, its parties, and most certainly its food and drinks. Beers, tall unlikely-looking fruity drinks with umbrellas in them, king cake, jambalaya, gumbo, red beans and rice, and - oddly enough - pancakes can be found at any number of food trucks and stand vendors in the midst of the crowds, while the numerous restaurants in the area are seeking to outdo each other in providing the best of Creole and Cajun cuisine to one and all. If one is looking for more exotic and possibly illegal things to purchase, one is sure visitors could find the right seller if they look in the right places. This is New Orleans, after all.

Re: Food and Drink, etc.

[aka_casanova]

Giovanni strolls among the food trucks, a cane - which is a gentleman's must-have accessory in his time, but may be more than meets the eye - swinging idly from his hand.

From time to time, he glances at the other vendors, the ones with their wares not so openly on display.

[ofcourage]

When it comes to food, Taichi will stick around to explore all of it. And it's gosh-darned delicious this time.

(If he manages to sneak a beer despite his age, that's nice too, but he's mostly enjoying the food.)

Exploring the French Quarter

[mogget_cat]

Even apart from the main party there is much to see and do and explore in the maze that is the French Quarter. Would you dare to enter the shadowy little voodoo shop tucked in between the more brightly lit souvenir stores? Perhaps you would prefer wandering through the airy art gallery on the corner, or be lost of the many rooms of curios and artifacts of questionable provenance offered by one of the city's antiques and collectables shops? One might sit and rest in the warm sea-scented air at Cafe du Monde and enjoy the sweet beignets and deliciously strong coffee. Perhaps you prefer to stick to the main streets? Or perhaps you would dare to explore the many alleyways. New Orleans is an old city, for the New World, and it has many secrets to uncover if you dare. You never know what you might find.

Re: Exploring the French Quarter

[runningred]

Jay finds the back streets and alley deals more his speed, slipping in and out of the shadows with his face painted in a half skull. There are gifts to be bought, and perhaps some excitement to be found. Of one sort or another.