ciderpoint starters

location: outside of grand royale

this is actually kind of mortifying. standing around waiting for passersby to walk just a little too close to her, knowing they’re purposefully giving her a wide berth on account of the stack of flyers in her hand. they probably think she wants to sell them something. she would say there’s no way she could, but she should have confidence in herself, she does it almost every day at the craft corner. but those customers come in looking for stationery, it’s a shot in the dark each time she suddenly reaches out, personally designed flyer in hand. “free book club, first friday of every month!”

⋆˚☆˖° location: electric rhythm!! °˖☆˚⋆

there was something oddly comforting about places that still encouraged people to slow down. electric rhythm hadn't changed much since alessia was a teenager spending summers in cider point, ducking inside to escape the afternoon heat while her mother wandered neighboring shops. the walls were still lined with records she'd once pretended to know everything about, the turntable behind the counter still filling the room with music that somehow made silence feel less empty. she traced absentminded fingers along a row of worn vinyl sleeves before pulling one free, tilting it toward the light. whether she actually intended to buy it was another question entirely, she had always been better at collecting moments than possessions. a familiar melody drifted through the speakers, earning the faintest smile as she glanced toward the employee. "you know," she mused, turning the record over in her hands, "every town has one place that somehow survives every trend, every renovation, every attempt to modernize it." her gaze wandered around the shop before settling on whoever happened to be nearby. “i think this is ours.” she paused for a beat, studying the album in her hands. "now tell me..." she held it up with an amused tilt of her head. "am i about to discover a masterpiece i've somehow overlooked, or are we all just romantically attached to vinyl because it makes us feel more interesting than we actually are?"

Location: Penny Park

"Hey, could you please pass that plastic box over? Don't kick it, just hand it to me. It has rhinestones in it." Tabby said, stomach down on the pavement. They had parked their car in a shady spot near no other cars to start their project. Hopefully the forecast was right and it wouldn't rain this week. They had been bedazzling their car for at least a day now and while they didn't want to do the whole sedan, doing the wheels and window outlines had taken more time than they thought. "Do you think I should just bite the bullet and bedazzle the whole thing?"

winter was trying her very best to have a very normal day. so she sat, surrounded by every quilt she owns, on the coziest spot she could find at bianchi farms. green eyes scan the sky, small smile prematurely lining her lips. if today had to be her birthday, at least she got a shooting star or two out of it. “it's kind of exciting, isn't it?” said to no one in particular, and anyone who would listen. “i mean, a perfect view of a meteor shower? in our own little town? that's gotta be really lucky, right?” and, god, was she in need of a little luck. 

wrapping  an  arm  around  the  other,  it  wasn't  unusual  for  layla  to  drag  someone  to  places  that  catches  her  attention  at  times.  so  after  eyeing  the  dunk  tank,  that  is  exactly  where  she  led  them.  “do  you  think  the  water's  cold?”  she  inquired  casually,  turning  her  head  to  face  the  other.  “or  do  you  think  it's  fine  for  anyone  to  handle?”

"You mind if I sit?" she asked, gesturing to the empty seat in front of the other person with a polite smile. "Sorry. Lunchtime, it's kinda packed in here."

Dakota swayed to the thumping music, feeling it from the bottom of her feet to the top of her head. She loved getting lost in the music and just letting everything go. After she danced to her fourth song in a row, Dakota headed back over to the bar and ordering a beer when she spotted someone sitting by themselves at the bar. "Hey come dance with me. This is such a great song."

@ciderstarters

Tabby knew she probably looked like a mess, all frazzled and running through the door close to 11. But she didn't want to miss this! Just her luck that the convention was the end of the week, the same time as an Open Mic Night. She'd gotten a few texts from people, asking where she was, expecting her to be up there singing. Normally, she would be. But right around the same time, she was staring at diagrams of animal stomachs and the new technology that allowed them to see further into the cellular walls.

So, after getting off the plane, she'd raced home and dropped off her stuff, only to race back here. Spotting a familiar face, she pretended to wipe off a drop of sweat. "I'm so sorry I'm late. Did I miss anything good? Did I miss you going up to sing?"

Sadie had decided approximately six minutes after arriving at the Rhythm & Waves open mic night that live music was scientifically proven to make people hotter. There was simply no other explanation for the energy around the festival grounds right now; string lights glowing overhead, music spilling from both stages at once, strangers swaying with drinks in hand like they’d all wandered accidentally into the same coming-of-age movie. She leaned against the side of one of the bars with a cocktail she’d chosen entirely because the bright blue color looked fun, festival wristband sliding down her arm every time she gestured dramatically toward the stage.

“See, this is exactly how people develop crushes on musicians with absolutely no survival instincts.” The brunette announced as someone nearby finished an aggressively emotional acoustic cover to roaring applause. “One man sings into a microphone under mood lighting and suddenly everyone’s like 'that’s my husband now.'” Sadie took another sip of her drink before narrowing her eyes thoughtfully toward the lineup board. “Also, open mic nights are terrifying because there are only ever two possibilities: either you witness the next indie superstar before they make it big… or a guy named Brandon performs seven uninterrupted minutes of emotional warfare while maintaining direct eye contact with the crowd.” The woman let that marinate in the air for a moment. “And honestly? I support both.”

For the open mic night, Nick brought a variety of instruments and tools. He first started with "Bittersweet Symphony" by The Verve, followed by "Mr. Brightside" by The Killers, both with his acoustic guitar and loop pedal. Following that, he pulled out the alto saxophone and did a rendition of Bruno Mars' "Versace On The Floor." He went back to singing with his fourth song, "Glimpse of Us" by Joji, with the addition of his keyboard. To round off the set, he went back to the classic guitar and performed "The Great Divide" by Noah Kahan.

He thought he did a good job, though he kept hearing one heckling voice throughout most of the set. Once the performance was finished, he hauled his instruments off to the backstage storage area and went looking for his friend who was supposed to be recording his set. "Hey, have you seen anyone with a camera?" he asked around.

Who: Open @ciderstarters

"Um... so. I didn't know this was a whole set, you know? Just thought it was.. one song. Not sure I got much else left in me but... I'll give at least one a shot." Billy cleaned himself up a little, at least. Shaved the mangy beard and made himself somewhat presentable. Couldn't hide the sadness behind his eyes, though. "Someone left my life, relatively recently. Most of you know this. I... uh. I've been... well sad's an understatement." He chuckles, shaking his head. "It's turned my whole life around, really. And it's made me a lot more angry than I really know what to do with it... but he taught me guitar, before he left. Taught me how to play pretty well, as it is, so... guess it's only fair to dedicate this to him the first time I play it for people."