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yumemigaoka2023-06-10 01:40 pm
beautifuldreamermods) wrote in yumemigaoka2023-06-10 01:40 pm
Yumemigaoka Rainbow Pride 2023!
⭐ Who: Everyone!
⭐ When: June 10th – 11th
⭐ Where: Yotsuba Park, around Koubai
⭐ What: Yumemigaoka Rainbow Pride weekend!
⭐ 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!
no subject
I admittedly haven’t taken part in many Pride events at all. First time I came was when my friend asked if I’d give her a lift since I live nearby.
[Said friend has scampered off in her usual introverted cat way. She’ll find him again eventually when she’s ready.]
Oh sure. Right this way,
[He puts on a playful little expression and bends his arm, offering his elbow just so. Well, she said she’s from America (and sounds like it too), and he’s seen enough western media to catch the chivalry vibes.]
no subject
[Rue is, at first, genuinely surprised. Then it quickly turns into playful surprise.]
--my, what a gentleman!
[With a giggle she takes the invitation, hooking her hand and its colorfully-painted acrylic nails into the crook of Shu's inner elbow.]
Lead the way, my good sir. I'm Miss Rue Lette, by the way.
[...as if she wasn't a headliner.]
Where'd your friend go? She should know better than to leave her beard without a chaperone at Pride.
[Rue, maybe don't use the deep cut American queer slang, especially if you're going to use a literal translation like that.]
no subject
[The face journey Rue goes on makes Shu giggle to himself. He loves being charming, especially when it's a pleasant surprise! He once again finds himself wondering idly how anyone who has those big acrylic nails does anything with them on.]
Pleasure to meet you, Lette-san. You brought a lot of energy to the stage.
[His compliment is immediately swept away in confusion. To leave her... huh? That's... probably not the word the queen meant to use, right? Japanese is probably not her first language, so maybe that's it. Hi-ge and Yujin don't sound similar to him, but...]
Sorry, did you mean friend? [He sounds it out a little slower than usual, trying not to be patronizing, but just clarifying.]
no subject
If you liked that show, you should see my evening routine. You haven't seen anything yet!
[She's gonna be breaking out the sax for that one.
Rue pauses when Shu asks what she meant, and she pauses for a moment while she figures out where the miscommunication is.]
Oh, no. "Beard," [she says in English, tucking her parasol handle under her arm so she can free her hand to pantomime a wizard thoughtfully stroking a long beard.]
It's when a queer person has a friend to act as their partner to pass as straight. I don't know if there's an equivalent Japanese term. ...or if anyone under the age of 30 uses it anymore. Thankfully we live in an era now where it's not as much of a necessity.
no subject
Ohh I better stick around for the party, then.
[As if he actually has any say in the matter. He will leave when Ryoko finds him and says she's ready to leave and not a moment sooner or later.]
Beard. [He repeats the english word, subconsciously rubbing at his own still very smooth jawline. Puberty did not give him that, not yet.]
[He blinks, taking a second to get used to an unfamiliar turn of phrase. Then all at once his whole face flushes and he sputters slightly.]
Oh, no it isn't like that! It's- [It is actually kind of complicated and difficult to explain without sharing her business!] I don't think Shinonome-senpai would care what anyone else thinks of her enough to do something like that.
no subject
She chuckles.]
I know. I figured. I'm just teasing you.
But it is a little unusual for friends to split up at Pride...at least, in my experience. Why not party together?
[She makes eye contact with the ally emblem on his shirt and nods in his direction.]
After all, you're here to show your support for her, right?
no subject
Oh, right.
[Of course. Man, he's sensitive. Maybe it's because Ryoko has been teasing him more lately?]
Well, she's kind of like a cat you know? She comes and goes, needs her space. She'll find me again soon.
[His face gives away a few of his soft feelings as he stares ahead into the middle distance.]
no subject
Oh, is that so? Sounds like your little kitten is on the prowl for
[
Don't say it
Don't say it
Don't say it
Don't say it]
...someone to make her purr.
[Nailed it.]
no subject
[THE MOST DEAD EYED STARE HE HAS EVER GIVEN ANYONE IN HIS LIFE]
no subject
Sorry. I, uh, usually entertain older audiences...
no subject
[He shakes it off.]
It's not... that. It's... never mind.
[Oh, look, there's the stall!]
Hey here we are!
[There's a little cluster of sculptures out front, some of them are meta- fake record players made out of the old records, or little cars. Inside the tent are the things that more easily hang on the walls.]