happy pride, etc

[papadopoulos]

“Uh, people were killed.”
“No one was killed at Stonewall.”
“No…body…was killed???”
_________________________________________________________

The café is looking much more colorful than it has in the past. Specifically, there are various flags draped on top of the walls – certainly it is much brighter than anything Enjolras would have cared to come up with. Directly behind the pastry case there is a rainbow flag, and scattered around there are a myriad of other pride flags. (Whatever they could scrounge up from the cupboards, basically.) There is also a small table set off to one side, with various types of beaded necklaces and colored bracelets lying atop it. There is also a small flier with descriptions and explanations of what the different flags represent. Explanations of pride in general will be freely offered, as well.

Dionysus has offered up his cd player, though instead of the same music from the party, it is playing songs from various queer artists. There’s a selection ranging from Bowie to Cole Porter to Billie Holiday, including more modern artists such as Lady Gaga, Mika, Queen, and Green Day. Apollo can be found near the music as usual; but he is currently engrossed in making more of the colored bracelets. He is seated at the table with a box full of friendship bracelet making supplies, wearing an artfully cropped version of this shirt, a hyacinth bloom set behind his ear. Dionysus is at a different table, wearing a knee-length sundress of pink, yellow, and blue stripes and one of the beaded bracelets Apollo is making, this one in yellow, white, purple, and black beads. He found a small facepainting palette with a few pride flag options and is willing to offer up his services if anyone happens to want a tiny flag on their cheek (or, well, wherever.)


Let us know if you want Apollo, Dionysus, or both for your threads!

Comments

[vineleaves]

"I won't leave you," he repeats, and starts to lightly rock Claudius back and forth. The gods Shen Teh had to deal with in Good Person of Szechwan couldn't say that. They left, repeatedly, multiple times, but especially notably right after she gave that monologue.

"Part of the problem for Shen Teh is that she tried to bear every burden alone. Granted, the script was written in such a way that it would have made it difficult for her to find someone who could help her out," Wang the Water-Seller is really the best option she could have had, and, you know. Plot devices to keep the two from actually talking much, or whatever. "But we don't have to worry about that. Especially not here. It's hard right now, but we've got such a sweet little community of people. None of us have to bear anything alone. You don't need to invent a Shui Ta to get through this, Claudius, you can just be Claudius."

[lanselos_du_lac]

Lancelot smiles, "Well. It is only truth."

[agula]

"I have been keeping to myself. My name is Qi Yan," Qi Yan says with a bow. The irony of giving this name at a celebration for "being proud of who you are" does not escape her. "How long has it been since you both arrived?"

[papadopoulos]

"Oh, anywhere. People carry them in parades, put them up on their houses, hang them in walls -- I might take one back for my room here, maybe, if I remember. It's a way for people to show they're proud of who they are, or accepting of other people's choices, sometimes."

[vineleaves]

"Ancient Greece had other issues," Dionysus says off-hand, and rolls his eyes. "But I guess nobody cared too much who I was sleeping with, which was nice. Really wish I could say that for every time period."

[papadopoulos]

The other sparkly god in the room is just going to sit back and let Dionysus and Galahad do their thing. He's absently humming along to Queen and making bracelets, it's a good time.

[papadopoulos]

"You just don't know how to appreciate good music."

[futaille]

"The concerts of good music aren't the boring ones."

[papadopoulos]

"I've not been here too long," Apollo replies with a shrug. "Maybe a month? Or close to that. My little brother has been here a little longer."

[vineleaves]

"Exactly! Thank you, Étienne, you beat me to it." Dionysus gives him a kiss on the cheek.

[onthewillowsthere]

Yes. There's more fervent emotion in that bobbing fist than Galahad can possibly express with his face.

[wickedwit]

"I have a name here," Claudius says, working aimlessly through his thoughts, lulled by the rhythm of Dionysus's rocking. "It was a rare thing, in Elsinore, to be called by my name. My brother called me a beast and a serpent. Courtiers called me prince, or your highness. Sometimes they talked around me, like an untoward secret, without calling me anything at all. I had to learn to read between the lines." Between the lines was the only place he felt allowed to exist.

[lightbearinglord]

"Mn," Lan Wangji says again; again, this is a polite acknowledgement, but one of genuine interest. "This celebration is an act of defiance," he ventures.

[vineleaves]

"I know," he says softly. It's not too difficult to extrapolate from Hamlet that people - even before the curtain rises - hardly ever referred to Claudius by name. "I, for one, am so happy that I get to meet you as Claudius. That you get to be yourself here."

Yeah, when they first met, it was a little bit like meeting a celebrity. He got to meet King Claudius, how special is that? But the actual special thing about this place is that he can get to know just Claudius. Who he is, separated from who Will wanted him to be. That's the person Dionysus cares about, not just a character in a play he already knows.

[vineleaves]

Where? Which color? Dionysus lines up the small containers on the table. There's a couple that are a standard holographic-white glitter, but there's also other colors as well.

Do you want paint as well? Or just glitter?

[vineleaves]

"I've been here since before Dark. So ...what's that, nearly half a year now? Half an Earth year, anyway. Years are longer here." He should do the math to figure out he should ask Apollo to do the math to figure out new lyrics for Seasons of Love.

[onthewillowsthere]

Everything. Please.

[vineleaves]

Dionysus laughs. I will cover you in doodles then! Come sit! He motions to the chair beside his.

[papadopoulos]

"Oh, yeah, right. I haven't! But I'd still want to hear some of your stories, too, if you like."

[onthewillowsthere]

Galahad makes sure the basket of scones is safe and then sits in the chair, straight-backed and straight-shouldered as always.

[papadopoulos]

"He's right," Apollo chimes in. "You know I don't lie."

[vineleaves]

Dionysus looks genuinely touched by Lancelot's words, but does roll his eyes a little at Apollo.

"You can't always use that as an excuse to win arguments, big brother." He turns back to Lancelot. "Anyway! So what other questions are you curious about?"

[vineleaves]

Dionysus carefully wets the dry makeup cake, mixing the water in with his brush until it activates into a creamy paint. Yellow to start with, he thinks, and carefully starts drawing a little flower on Galahad's cheek.

[kadewest]

"That'll cost you extra," Kade laughs. "But sure."

[onthewillowsthere]

When Galahad sees himself painted with flowers later he is going to be thrilled -- he looks like a garden, like his favorite overalls, like a greenhouse full of orchids, like Claudius' beloved -- but right now all he can think about is how much the brush tickles.