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

[papadopoulos]

Yes, Apollo signs back. Also look younger right now, but -- He shrugs. More comfortable like this. Sometimes. In fairness, Apollo in his 'normal' form also looks a great deal younger than his baby brother, but we can't all be forever twinks.

[papadopoulos]

He sighs a little. "Yeah, me too. Our world's made a lot of progress, but it's still not as good as it needs to be."

[vineleaves]

Whatever the reason, Claudius is clearly taking all of this rather poorly. Not that he shouldn't -- death is death, it's a big fucking deal, but Dionysus needs to help him through it.

"I'm going to make you something," he says, and magics up a kylix of kykeon. Not the psychoactive kind everyone used to use back in all of Demeter's celebrations, it's not needed right now. There's a real death to deal with, not a hypothetical, religious "death" that people dealt with by getting super drugged up.

This kykeon is still very strong, in an alcoholic sort of way, due to the pramnian wine serving as its base. But that's sort of the point, to serve as a way to kickstart Claudius's emotions back into gear so he can hopefully stop looking so incredibly, painfully numb.

"It doesn't taste good," it doesn't look like it would -- a dark, almost blackish purple color, and thick like a smoothie, due to the cheese and oats inside, "but would you drink it? For me?"

[papadopoulos]

"Ah. Right. Met his dad in a bar one time." And flirted with him, but Jack sort of put him off the whole 'Frey' thing. "Anyway, reading, so -- have you done any about homosexuality in modern times? That might give you a little more context for this."

[papadopoulos]

"Stories, huh?" He looks intrigued. "That's an interesting form of payment. Why stories?"

[vineleaves]

"Oh! We never really explained that, did we?" Nope, they just started listing off body parts. "There's a modern celebration -- Pride, Pride Month, Gay Pride, lots of different versions of names for it -- for being, y'know, proud, obviously, of different sexualities and gender identities. There was a protest a few decades ago in America that sort of kickstarted it, that's why it's in June specifically," Grantaire will know all about protests that take place in June. Uh. Moving on quickly from that thought, "The different colored flags all represent different identities that people might have. But there's usually parades in a lot of cities, parties, it's nice to get to see everyone being happy about who they are, y'know?"

[papadopoulos]

They sure did. Which is why Apollo interrupted to try and get them back on track, if such a thing exists. "Yeah," Apollo agrees. "The colors and stripes all have their own various meanings, if you wanna know more about them we have a little sheet over here. And the music playing is all by queer artists, though I'm guessing you probably don't know most of them."

[futaille]

Grantaire contemplates this torrent of information. "Huh. The future is an interesting place."

[vineleaves]

Dionysus laughs. "That's one way to describe it."

[papadopoulos]

"It's fun, most of the time. Not perfect, of course; but fun."

[futaille]

"Perfection is grossly unattainable, so that's unsurprising."

[vineleaves]

"If it was perfect we wouldn't need all of this," he gestures vaguely around, at the flags and everything else. "But it's definitely a nice, fun way to help in the meantime."

[wickedwit]

"You sound like Gertrude," Claudius says -- a statement that would ordinarily make him smile. As he gazes down into the dark drink, his face doesn't change. He twirls the glass, from habit, and the sludge fails to swirl. "Whenever her son Hamlet was ill. He was often ill as a child, like I was." We should've both died in our cribs, he thinks. But he swallows his medicine all the same. The texture's no worse than posset curds with cocksparrow bones to rouse the sanguine humors, the wine no more bitter than wormwood beer for fever and for choler. Only the salt-taste of cheese surprises him, and it's a distant, dull surprise.

[lightbearinglord]

Lan Wangji thinks very little of Magnus' father, despite never having met him. Presumably Frey's inability to take responsibility for having fathered a child is not Apollo's fault, however, so he merely thinks on the question. "I have seen the word. It came up in some additional reading I did for Magnus."

[lanselos_du_lac]

"Here, there are many things possible that were not so in Britain. I'm grateful."

To Dionysus, he says, "Which one, again, is for those who would love both men and women?"

[vineleaves]

Dionysus makes quick, minute eye contact with Apollo, for no reason whatsoever before answering Lancelot, all smiles.

"Ah, if you're looking specifically for bisexual, that's the pink, purple, and blue one. There's also pansexual though, which is being attracted to any gender, that's pink, yellow, and blue," he motions towards the dress he's currently wearing. "They're ah, pretty close in concept."

[vineleaves]

"This is going to be a weird question, but -- humor me. Can you describe to me how it feels as you're drinking it? And how it tastes?" Get him recognizing the here and now, the physical sensations he's feeling but -- from the looks of it -- blocking out. Get him back in his body, more or less.

[kadewest]

"I like stories."

[wickedwit]

“It feels like an over-curdled posset,” Claudius says, since the comparison is close to hand. “Coarse-grained and congealing. Some parts are smoother than others. The taste …” He runs his tongue over his teeth. "Is not unlike the froth of some men. Bitter, salty, strangely sweet."

[papadopoulos]

Apollo is very much not laughing at that look. In fact, he is studiously turning his attention to changing to the next song on their CD player. "Yeah. One's just -- eh, a little more specific? I guess."

[papadopoulos]

"It is. And it's not quite the same here, but we figured people should learn about it in any case."

[lanselos_du_lac]

Lancelot looks thoughtful, frowning a little as he works out how to put it, or how to ask his question. "Gideon spoke of this-- of those who are neither man nor woman. I don't think I understand, though."

[futaille]

His voice turns slightly amused, although at what is not immediately evident. "Education is certainly important. The ABCs of a new subject, if you will."

[papadopoulos]

Apollo just seizes the day, to steal a phrase from a musical --and points at his little brother. "Not a lot to understand? You've met Sissy."

[vineleaves]

He raises an eyebrow at that ...comparison. "If kykeon came outta someone, I'd have some concerns." Let's all collectively ignore the fact that it did, sort of, just come out of Dionysus. Or from him, anyway. That's different.

"I know it's not great, but I'm glad you're drinking it. It'll help. Do you like the blanket? Doesn't it feel nice and heavy?"