Yumemigaoka Rainbow Pride 2023!

[beautifuldreamermods]

⭐ Who: Everyone!
⭐ When: June 10th – 11th
⭐ Where: Yotsuba Park, around Koubai
⭐ What: Yumemigaoka Rainbow Pride weekend!

RAINBOW PRIDE

Since the last week or so of May, there's been posters and advertisements scattered around Yumemigaoka so everyone's known it's coming - but if you're a new arrival maybe you're still a little surprised when the weekend of the 10th rolls around and brings the 6th annual Yumemigaoka Rainbow Pride event with it! Though it's a relatively recent tradition to the city, those that take part in it seem to have turned the whole thing into a well oiled machine with a cozy festival on the 10th followed by the parade around the city on the 11th.

The weather turns out to be just right for the whole thing - apart from some passing drizzles on the 10th, the weekend is mostly dry and sunny with only a chilly wind dampening the mood occasionally. Other than that, it's perfect weather for a celebration!

Whether you're here for solidarity or just to show your support it's sure to be a good time, so why not stop by?

YOTSUBA PARK

The first part of the Rainbow Pride proceedings is the cheery and lively Rainbow Festival hosted at Yotsuba Park. There's a small entry fee of a few hundred yen, just to help offset some of the costs of running the whole thing, but once you're in and you've got your little hand stamp you're free to stay as long as you like and to come and go as you please. And as it happens, there's plenty to see!

The festival is set up a little like a summer festival at a shrine, with a central "street" of stalls and vendors leading up to the open air stage that's been set up to pump out live music. While there's some food and drink stalls at the top and bottom of this little central street, the majority of the stalls are vendors and sellers with various Pride related goods, art or are otherwise independent queer artists and crafters with some cool goods to offload on the nice folks at the festival. Those of you who attended the DU's anniversary event might find things a little familiar and... well, given that this is the DU we're talking about it shouldn't come as a surprise that there's a big overlap between "Dreamers" and "people who go to Pride".

Apart from the stalls, the main draw of the event is the stage that's been set up for today's festival. A few announcements and speeches get made from up on here but for the most part it's here to provide the promised live music for the event. The music lasts more or less all day with at most a half hour break in between acts and while it's mostly smaller, independent musicians and groups you might also spot a few familiar faces up on stage!


🌈 Ai Hoshino (liedol) will be performing a small set of three songs – a newer solo song and two from her B-Komachi days for old time's sake.
🌈 Connor Murphy (yourattention) is busting out some choreography from a performance planned for a Pride event back in the States – just uh... try not to pay any attention to how much cussing there is in the backing track.
🌈 Rue Lette (loungelizard) will be making an appearance in a killer look put together just for Pride with sax in tow and some equally killer lipsync.


... and plenty others to follow!

The event itself is an all day affair, getting started at around 9:30 in the morning and wrapping at around 10pm, with the live music acts wrapping at 8pm - consideration for the neighbours, yanno? The event is mostly a family friendly festival but the food and drink stalls will start serving alcohol at around 4pm and the final few hours of the festival will turn into a full on party!

Don't get too crazy on Saturday though - as the organizers remind everyone at the closing ceremony, there's still the Rainbow Walk through the city on Sunday so make sure you're fresh faced and ready for that!

KOUBAI

Bright and early Sunday morning, everyone shows up fresh faced and raring to go (or, you know, dragging themselves along the pavement and longing for death and/or an alka seltzer) for the second leg of the Rainbow Pride weekend – the Parade! It's a briskly paced march that heads out from the front of Koubai's most central train station and loops around the district twice before breaking off and heading to the plaza just out front of the Dreamer Union. A much more relaxed answer to yesterday's celebrations has been set up, with a few food trucks and stalls and a large tent set up with seating in the shade and out of the glare of the sun.

Once everyone's back at the tent, there's some speeches and toasting from the organizers, some cheers and promises to be back here for the next year... but mostly, the idea is to relax, unwind and just enjoy spending some time and solidarity with the people you just marched with. Maybe you'll make a new buddy or two on the way!

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Comments

[thezekeinator]

[Cue one curious bureaucrat peering at the sign, trying to figure out the meaning of the words. He even tries looking it up on his phone, to no avail -- all the results come back about some giant mech, guilds in some MMO or another, or irrelevant references to some gacha game. That being a bust, he turns back to looking at it, like puzzling over it another minute will somehow bring enlightenment.]

Well, you got me. I can't figure it out.

[howlmyrage]

This?

[ Alter points at the "Gespenst Ketzer" on her sign. ]

It's the name of my circle, it means "Ghost Heretic" in German. Is there a problem?

[thezekeinator]

Only problem was not knowing what it meant... why German, though? 'Ghost Heretic' sounds pretty snazzy to me, it's almost a shame to lose that.

[Also like the name of a rock band.]

[howlmyrage]

"Why German?" What kind of question is that? Would you ask an artist why they use paints? Ask a sculptor why they use marble?

[ She might actually be a little offended. ]

It's the best language for what I want to say! [ i.e. it sounds cool in her head. ]

[thezekeinator]

Sure I would, if I was curious. But that's the best answer I could ask for!

[Zeke totally approves of doing things because they're cool, which is how he's interpreted that answer.]

Now, bear with me on this one. Circle?

[howlmyrage]

[ I mean, is there any other reason to do art? Alter grins, satisfied that she's found a kindred spirit. ]

It's sort of like... a hobbyist group? A company but not really because I'm self run? I say that, but I'm the only permanent member right now so it's basically just my pen name.

[thezekeinator]

[So she's totally extra, that's what Zeke's getting out of this conversation.]

[That shoots her up the list of his favorite people pretty damn fast! The only reason Zeke isn't Dreamer Extra is because Extra isn't extra enough compared to Chaosbringer!]

So all this is your work alone then? That's bloody impressive. [Look at that dragon thing, that's great!]

[howlmyrage]

I had someone print out the t-shirts, but it is pretty impressive isn't it?

[ Big grin, thumbs up. Praise her more, basically. She's all for it, no shame at all. ]

It's the Beast of Revelations, said to be a harbinger of the end of the world. I think it rules.

[ Which is why her Dreamer name is Draco. Dragons are the final enemy of The Faith, so of course she had to be just that. ]

[thezekeinator]

Apparently, the revelations in question are all about lifestyle support! That's a prophecy I can get behind.

[Which means he's got to dig out his wallet!]

[howlmyrage]

Sure, let's go with that, but I don't take any refunds if a priest jumps you.

[ Alter jabs a finger at the price list. 4000 yen, if you'd please. ]

[thezekeinator]

[Behold! CASH MONEY! (Zeke came here assuming that credit card readers wouldn't be standard equipment for schoolgoers.)] If a priest's going to jump me over this, they haven't kept track of everything else I do.

[...he's just talking big. If you don't count being a Dreamer, or being a giant idiot, Zeke is profoundly boring on the waking side of things.]

[howlmyrage]

[ DID YOU SAY CASH MONEY?! Alter accepts! Who doesn't like cash money? (Even though she gets plenty of allowance.) ]

I hear Japanese priests all do weird kung fu or have black holes in their palms. I'd watch my step.

[ It's not actually that dangerous, Alter just wants to make her stuff seem cooler and edgier than they really are, which is why she's saying all of this with a twinkle in her eye and a grin on her face. ]

[thezekeinator]

You can tell that's not true, though. If it were... [Zeke plants one thumb dramatically on his chest.] I'd be one!

[Not even a lie... if something actually promised powers like that, Zeke would have been shooting for it since about thirteen or so!]