[open mingle: the sunlight at midnight gala]

[badfeyth]

WHO: Anyone attending the Sunlight at Midnight gala!
WHAT: KISS PEOPLE AND DANCE IDK
WHERE: The freshly-renovated Planetarium in District 4!
WHEN: Saturday, December 2
WARNINGS: None for the log itself; please warn responsibly in individual top-levels!

THE VENUE

Upon entry to the newly-renovated venue space that was once a planetarium, guests will quickly notice that the space has been transformed into a three-layered affair, ranging from the very well-lit upper level down to the more romantic ambiance of the dance floor and performance space, with a comfortable tier of seating and standing tables in the middle.


Not intended by Ghost (badfeyth) and Kaveh (fussiest), yet still mysteriously appearing at random places throughout the venue, are sprigs of magical kissing mistletoe!

The mistletoe will cause characters to at least pause underneath it, and will give them a mild compulsion to kiss whoever they're with, but the compulsion will not be unavoidable and characters can easily break free of the "hold" the mistletoe has on them. Even so, partygoers will quickly learn to be mindful of what's overhead — or not!

UPPER TIER

On the well-lit upper tier, guests will find plenty of generalized mingle room, including two patios with casual seating on either side of the space. Throughout the center are a variety of stations and attractions, as well as some helpful resources for the discerning partygoer.

For the fashionably un-forward, you may wish to visit (or find yourselves forcibly dragged into) Lestat's on-site fashion consulting lair, which boasts a small and curtained-off space where partygoers in need can receive last-minute fashion advice, do wardrobe finishing touches, and address any other aesthetic concerns under the discerning eye of LESTAT DE LIONCOURT (perfectdevil). This is also where a selection of basic cosmetics and beauty supplies can be found, in case of a need for an emergency touch-up, safety pin, or spot removal!

Continuing onward, guests will find four individual food stations, each with their own set of color-coded disposable dishware! Perhaps they'd like to take a sampling of:

• STATION #1 — TSURUNO (fanstheflames): Fried rice in the shape of Christmas trees, dumplings with carrot reindeer antlers and red pepper noses, and fortune cookies that tell you to go dance with somebody already!
• STATION #2 — ROLAND (gradenine): Hotpot with mild and spicy soup bases plus a variety of vegetables and meats, and KBBQ with chicken, pork, and beef cuts, plus sides!
• STATION #3 — RENO (astraphilia): Whipped goat cheese figs, brie and prosciutto stuffed dates, and sprouting cauliflower with brown butter and lemon — paired with a couple of simple cocktails (a negroni and a Bombay mule)!
• STATION #4 — WANDERER (featheradrift): Samosas, panipuri, Japanese-style sandwiches, and a lot of sweets and desserts like chocolate truffles, pâte de fruit, candied nuts, madeleines, and custards!

Champagne (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) is also circulating around the venue under the watchful eye of KANEKI (anthropophagite), and a small selection of coffee is available at a nearby station as well!

Finally, at the far end of the upper concourse, one can find a partitioned-off space for photo opportunities featuring a black-and-gold backdrop, an arch aglow with fairy lights, and a few idle props like chairs and small movable tables that partygoers can use to coordinate their souvenir photos. PROMPTO (burstmodes) will be around to do formal event photography, but there'll also be a Polaroid available so that people can take their own photos and develop them instantly!

VISUALS: AESTHETICS & ETC.

         

MIDDLE TIER

On the mid-tier halfway down the stairs that flank the venue on either side, partygoers will find a landing with an assortment of standing tables covered in black tablecloths and tied with gold bows, where guests can enjoy their refreshments, engage in conversation, and people-watch the goings-on taking place below them on the dance floor! To prevent any mischief or accidental spilling of food onto hapless dancers below, each landing is lined with a courtesy railing, and immediately below the railing is an arrangement of tasteful decor.

Between the two landings, guests can find the remnants of the planetarium seating — fold-down auditorium chairs with comfortable cushions arranged in gently circular rows, giving the people relaxing there a perfect view of the dance floor and the spectacle of lights taking place below it.

VISUALS: AESTHETICS & ETC.

    

LOWER TIER

The lowest level of the venue, at the very bottom of the stairs, is the most dimly-lit of the three levels and is mostly comprised of the dance floor. Along the back wall and parts of the sides runs a slightly-raised platform stage upon which are arranged a piano, an electric guitar, a stereo system, and a few microphones for the convenience of any vocalists in the house. The stage is wide enough for one or two people to walk around comfortably, but generally is fairly modest to leave the majority of the room for the dance floor.

It's on the dance floor that the real "sunlight at midnight" theme takes its shape, as this is where the bulk of Kaveh's artificial lighting technology has been put into play. Along with standard party enhancements like a few spotlights and an overhead disco ball, the perimeter is also dotted with round arrays of stained glass with light fixtures behind them, causing panels of colored light to cast onto the hardwood of the dance floor. These arrays can also be rotated like kaleidoscopes, allowing for the patterns of light to change throughout the course of the evening — adding an element of renewable interest in the continuing aesthetic.

VISUALS: AESTHETICS & ETC.

    

ENTERTAINMENT

Throughout the course of the evening, music will be provided by a rotating set list of performers, interspersed with prearranged playlists courtesy of the new media store. Entertainers will be informed of their set lengths, obligations, and timeslots well in advance of the venue by Ghost, and any necessary instruments or microphone hookups will be ready and available at the time of the performance.

Performers on deck include:

• HYTHLODAEUS (nomoresharks) and EMET-SELCH (recreator): Jazz piano bops along with some ragtime arrangements.
• EDDIE (thefreak): A mix of slow rock ballads and hard rock dance numbers, on electric guitar!

In addition to the live performances, the venue will also be treated to some traditional mid-2000s party favorites such as:

• BLORBOLICIOUS, by Gurgi (feat. Bill.i.was)
• HIPS SOMETIMES LIE, by The Kira
• SANDSQUALL, by DaNice
• MAYBE GONNA GIVE YOU UP, by Rickard Dastley
• MAMBO NO. 4 AND A HALF, by Stu Vega
• THE CHA-CHA HUSTLE, by DJ FriendlyGhost
• VIRUS, by Boo Boo Dolls

VISUALS: AESTHETICS & ETC.

    

LIVEBLOG

Looking to add some network spam to your gala experience? Check out our dedicated IC NETWORK POST!

credit.

Comments

[limbical]

Told you. I at least can dress myself, can't I?

[There's a faint, crooked smile, and he takes another drag off of his cigarette, sighing smoke into the cold air off to the sky.]

Too much for you to do, yet again. Well, tonight wouldn't work anyway for either of us. We'll take a raincheck on it. [He flicks ash over the railing.] Don't make me nag you about your work. If I hear you've overworked yourself, I'm gonna lay in with a professional medical opinion, and nobody wants to hear that shit.

[limbical]

I've stopped counting.

[just his icon fits the mood]

[fussiest]

Yes, yes, you can at least do one good thing for yourself. Sandwich-heathen.

[ kaveh grins around his cigarette. another wisp of smoke. it carries far. alhaitham is going to complain about it later. kaveh wonders if he can get him to leave it alone if he told him his doctor didn't stop him. ] And that just means you had better not hear about me overworking myself. Still, Ghost put together this venue so everyone can enjoy themselves. What are you doing here on the patio all alone, hm?

[ kaveh looks at daan. the worry is there on his sleeve. it ever is. ] Vergilius?

[featheradrift]

[ Of course. Of course she didn't pay attention to his warning. What a beginner mistake—to think that more is better, when it's definitely not the case with baking. If he weren't running after her, he would let out an aggravated sigh. ]

Clearly it wasn't just a little. Can't you use your magic to stop it?

wildcard.

[fussiest]

[ because there has to be an entire thread of just these two running interference on every emergency that's happening here:

kaveh and his mismatched boutonnière are half-way up the ladder. he's yelling down to ghost. it's all a little disconcerting because the lights above are flashing as if they were strobe lights and it's really turning this party into a completely different sort of party, and kaveh knew there might be an issue with the electrical because nothing here was built for the cold. ]

Ghost! Did you bring it! I said two fresh twigs off a tree and one of those serving cloths!

[justscribing]

[Well Alhaitham made up with Kaveh two weeks ago so if it's still going that's not his fault, it's not Stress Stew.

So Alhaitham's face and shoulders curl with amusement as a breathy chuckle escapes.] I don't suppose that happens to be your favorite food, too.

[Even if it was, it probably isn't now.]

i.

[fussiest]

[ this is kaveh, so of course he has an armful of something or another as he swans by - this time, it's three discarded suit jackets and the magnanimous intention to go grab a fourth, just in case - but he pauses at the counter with something like terrible levity and some very real admiration. alcohol is an art. daan had written for him a few recipes to go on to bridge the gaping alcoholic gap they had at the time, but thancred's technique is what is carrying the rest of the gala today. he is grateful.

and, of course, amused. ]

Ah, there's you. Hi, Thancred. You're doing lovely; I'd like to send you regards, given that the person who rather wishes she could send them is too much of a coward to do so. Do you see what I have to deal with at this gala?

[featheradrift]

Meat, potatoes, onions and peas. They're similar to meat buns, but the outer shell is fried.

[If Yi Sang isn't picky, then he supposes he could recommend just about anything to the man and he'd be fine with it. ]

Why don't you just eat a bit of everything? You're spending way too much time thinking about what to eat.

[limbical]

[Well, there it is, the big question. Why he's out here by himself. A significantly less fun topic than the verbal elbowing they give each other. Daan sighs out smoke, glancing away, trying to figure out his words.]

He's okay. Just inside, maybe wondering where I got off to while he was grabbing some food. I'll text him later.

It was-- something else. Just me, and some bad memories. I've been to a lot of fancy as hell galas and parties, but I've never really... liked them. Don't get me wrong, this one is perfectly fine, but I just have some difficult associations.

[limbical]

Not even close. Not that his cooking isn't good, don't get me wrong.

He has some problems with how I eat. And I am trying to learn how to cook, but he's such a mother hen.

i'm a guest among my yesterdays,

[fussiest]

[ kaveh and his mismatched boutonnière looks. he is also holding what looks to be a pair of boltcutters. the word 'love' has been lovingly engraved onto one handle, and 'patience' has been engraved onto another. kaveh's holding these boltcutters as if it were some kind of medieval weapon, hefted over his shoulder as he surveys the roof of the venue. he only looks down at reno's comment, and even then, it takes him a moment to really look.

you can see the moment it clicks for him. kaveh brightens. then, his expression does its usual elevator crawl down reno's countenance, and the wry twist of his lips suggests that he has thoughts about that. ]

Possibly because you're dressed the way you are. Hi, Reno. I don't suppose you lost your suit jacket or your boutonnière somewhere along the lines?

[fussiest]

[ kaveh's brow furrows. immediately, he begins to demonstrate why smoking wasn't a habit that anyone really wanted him to take on - he begins to pick at the cigarette filter with his teeth. associations, daan says. kaveh hadn't realised.

guilt swims as he looks back to where the party still goes, music filtering in little, whimsical gaps. ]

Were the galas and parties you attended influenced by the gods of your world?

[limbical]

Not usually, but sometimes.

...I learned to be a doctor from my mentor. The Baron von Dutch. Accomplished doctor and surgeon, a real big shot, and plenty of money. A man who was, honestly, a bit too obsessed with the occult. Which is why I was his diligent student; I got an education, he got to learn about an old god from me, my... personal accounts with her, so to speak.

[There's a pause, as Daan takes another drag, quiet and contemplative.]

He liked to show his power. Would throw his parties. Made sure to remind me to be grateful.

And there'd be something... someone else who would remind me I didn't fit in. Because of who I am.

[astraphilia]

[ the sight of Kaveh with a task at hand is as familiar as the slow and moderately judgmental way he looks Reno up and down. it makes Reno grin even as he's already shaking his head in anticipation of whatever cutting comment Kaveh is about to make. ]

Hi, Kaveh. Darling, love of my life, you have gotta explain what my outfit has to do with your dancing.

[ Reno takes a sip of his drink and lifts his eyebrows expectantly. ]

I sure didn't. I got a coat around here somewhere, though. [ he waves a hand back toward the food stations where his coat is slung over a chair, probably. ] Aw, c'mon. What am I gonna get all fancy for?

ii.

[featheradrift]

[ He's seen this woman run around all night, dealing with various nitpicks and minor malfunctions. This must be Ghost then, the other organizer of the event, and the one he spoke to through text. She looks like she's run herself completely ragged keeping the event on straight.

There's a twinge of sympathy for her—but that position cannot possibly be comfortable. And while he thinks the sleep is important, in the end, it's probably better if she find a somewhere more comfortable to do it, or at least move somewhere quieter.

He's not familiar with her, so he keeps his distance for now, conveniently missing the mistletoe growing above her (not that he knows what it means, anyway). ]

Hey. Wake up.

i

[perfectdevil]

[ Lestat has wandered up and down the lines of stalls a few times, but since this one is both boasting an array of foods he's mostly unfamiliar with and directly next to his Fashion Lair, he can't help but find himself lingering if only to stare at the various items with clear intrigue. He had intended to avoid this slightly rude little stranger, but as usual he is made a slave to his own curiosity, and he has to admit that it's impressive, even if none of it appeals to his particular set of interests... mainly, eating.

The sandwiches he can figure out, the desserts also make sense — he's French, after all — but the little folded triangles are clearly taking his attention, so eventually he pipes up: ]

Is there any particular reason they're such a shape?

[justscribing]

It's because he thinks the quality of food you're eating is poor since you can't cook, right? Perhaps you can convince him to give you cooking lessons instead of deciding what you'll be eating for the day himself.

In fact, there's recipe books in the new media store.

[limbical]

He judges my sandwiches, in particular. [it's brutal and kaveh is WRONG his sandwiches are FINE!!] I did ask him to give me some recipes, so there's that, at least.

Hm. I should give the media store another look, in that case.

[fussiest]

[ the story unfolds. an unreasonable mentor by all measures, galas that were very much like showing off livestock. kaveh looks. ]

Someone else. [ kaveh says. he thinks back to the story, to the forest and the rain. ] The cat?

[limbical]

The cat. [He repeats it back, by way of confirmation.] A thing called Pocketcat, who's followed me my entire life. From the fields and woods my parents dragged me through, to the alleyways and gutters of Rondon, the baron's estate, and after.

Wherever I went, there he'd be. Reminding me what I really was. I even... turned into him for awhile here. And I don't mean that story you and I paced through.

i

[perfectdevil]

[ Ever the romantic, Lestat does love a couple. He's been people watching most of the night, and is only now meandering through the tables with slow ease, nodding here and there to faces familiar and otherwise, so when he's greeted by a pretty little stranger and her demure companion... Well, he can't resist a little chuckle at the familiarity of the situation. If only Louis were here to appreciate the mirror image himself. ]

Oh, I wouldn't like to intrude on such a romantic evening as this one-

[ And yet he sits down anyway? Crossing one elegant leg over the other, chin in his hand to behold the two mortals(?) before him. ]

-But I have to say the two of you look astounding together. I have every respect for a coordinating wardrobe.

[fussiest]

[ kaveh frowns. ]

With the way you describe him, he seems more a supernatural entity than something made of flesh and blood. What is he? A god?

kaveh / genshin impact

[fussiest]

[ here's kaveh. here's kaveh and his mismatched boutonnière. watch kaveh run, because he's certainly running. half the gala is simply the tailend of kaveh's back window disappearing beneath a flurry of a red, backless jacket as he scurries up a ladder to stop the lights from strobing, or puts a mosaic back on the wall from where it had melted off from the heat of the heat lamps, or jamming a tide pod pen into your hands after an unfortunate spill of a drink. this is ghost's party, and by the archons kaveh is going to make sure it goes off with the least number of hitches to the least number of weird mechanical mishaps. ]

i.

[ do you have a corsage or a boutonnière? no? well, you do now. the moment you step into the venue, kaveh is on you like a fly to flypaper. there's a smile on his face as he surveys you, that slow elevator crawl going from head to toe before he either lays into you about your fashion sense or compliments your dress - one of the two, kaveh never does anything by halves. but he's pushing into your hands a boutonnière all the same, the sweet-smelling flowers a complementary colour to your choice in wardrobe all the same.

he's also, well, fussing. ]

And Lestat has a fashion show in the corner there if you'd like to grab another jacket and try it on for size. Ah, am I forgetting anything? [ kaveh pauses for a moment, ] Oh, by the by, did you come alone, or did you come with someone?

ii.

[ at the heels of the biscuit golem, kaveh is crying. of course he is. someone somewhere handed him a martini and that was it, that was the end of things. kaveh, resplendent in white and gold, is sitting at the golem's feet. he appears to be clutching it. he's also moved to tears. ]

Mister Golem, please don't go... You are the only one who offers the stability of your stiff peaks to this swaying partying... Oh, everything truly is swaying. Or spinning. One of the two. You are the fulcrum of my world! I can't bear to see the cookie crumble.

[ he is so drunk. help. ]

iii.

[ this is the obligatory dance top level. this is, well, the obligatory dance top level with a twist. the twist: kaveh is already dancing with you. somewhere, somewhen along the lines, he'd come up and asked you for a dance, and you were too late to say no, and now you're stuck with a man gently tweezing your feet apart with his toes as he considers your newfound posture.

kaveh grins. he tips his head. ]

Chin up. [ the red of kaveh's eyes gleam. he pulls you close. ] Shall we make history?

iv.

[ anyway, it's been a night. kaveh looks. he is, in fact, looking at the ceiling of the venue. there's something very soothing about being bathed in the light of stained glass as you contemplate the weal and woes of life. fortunately, it's three in the morning, the gala has wound down, and so the sight of kaveh laying spread-eagle on the dance floor looking up at the contraption that he'd made into some kind of weird pseudo-deity isn't as obtrusive as it could've been.

he is tired, is the thing. a good kind of tired. a satisfied kind of tired. it has been a long time since kaveh has had the chance to be so. all these months running around in the city finishing project after project - they brought him the kind of joy and satisfaction that came from helping people and solving their problems. kaveh can hardly fault that. but it has been a very long time since kaveh has accomplished something for himself. the stained glass contraption sits on the top floor, carefully casting the light that kaveh has allowed it to cast through its shuttered slots. seventy shutters acting in tandem. the click of a timed mechanism, the knell of a bell from afar, and the mechanism shifts again. kaveh is now bathed in greens and golds, the stained glass fresco of a divine tree springing from the land shining itself down on the dance floor.

kaveh holds up his hand. he admires the light. he says, to the sole other person in the room, with a dreamy, dazed smile: ]

If the city takes this mechanism away from me, by the Archons, I will torch it.

[ he's exhausted. please don't listen to him. this has been a night of all time. ]

wildcard.

[ im sorry these are the only things i can come up with, but wildcard me, hit me up. let's ball! ]

[limbical]

[The cigarette has burned too long for Daan now. It's mostly ash, caught up in watching the smoke and speaking. One last puff, and he flicks it away over the railing.]

He bleeds. [Daan blows the smoke up into the air.] But he has multiple bodies, so it doesn't matter.

Think of him as... like a demon, I guess. That's simplifying it, but I'm not sure how else to describe him beyond that. But he serves one of the gods of my world. The Moon God of Trickery, Rher.

I REDISCOVERED MYSELF ON A FRIDAY NIGHT

[justscribing]

[Alhaitham, in suit and mismatched boutonniere is circling to Reno's food station for the third time.

He's here for the same thing as before.] How many more of those cheese and fig crackers can you make?

[But more. Or at least, to have an idea at what point in the night he runs the risk of running out of the most effective calorie he can get Kaveh to eat while he runs around like a madman.]