[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

2/3

[excaliburden]

[...................





.....................]

3/3

[excaliburden]

I-I mean! Yes! I'd love to be taller! Right now I'm so short and people overlook me so easily...!

[TOTALLY WHAT SHE SAID. All she said. That's it.]

[keepgodwaiting]

[ At that, she snorts. ]

Count on me. Been a bit since someone gave me permission to destroy property.

[ That probably sounds ominous, but Kaveh needn't worry about the integrity of his decorations; she's going to get distracted by pretty people and champagne pretty fast and forget to take any of the mistletoe down. ]

[featheradrift]

[ That's the difficult part. There's no one in charge of anything. It'll be difficult to organize large scale movements like rationing food. ]

First, we should check how much food is available in general. We may not need to engage in such measures yet, but it'll be good to know how much we're working with.

[ Only with numbers and good research will people be compelled to act. At least, if one can't put up a convincing emotional argument. And he's definitely not one for those kinds of arguments. ]

[deathoftheauthor]

Lestat...

( Louis lets out a breath shaped by a smile, the crown of his head tipped back against the wall. His back arches, his chest pushing eagerly toward Lestat's touch. His heart pounds at the thought that someone might stumble by at any moment and see them like this — catch them in the act, as they say. But there's a buzzing under his skin that's more from excitement than fear.

Would it be so bad to be spotted? To have someone (or everyone) know that Lestat wants him badly enough to steal him away from the gala for this? He would be flustered beyond reason if anyone were to actually call him on it. But in the moment, with Lestat's cool hands roaming his skin, it doesn't seem such a terrible consequence.

Louis presses his thumb to the spot where Lestat's neck meets the base of his skull, holding him there against his neck even as he tries to chide him: )

You're going to send me back to work in wrinkled clothes if you keep at this, is that what you want? ( He lets out a huff. ) It probably is. 

[fussiest]

[ genuinely, we're here to stan jo's rights and wrongs (of which she has none), so this party goes on in the best way possible, honestly. ]

[deathoftheauthor]

( That gets a low, surprised laugh, a warm look in his eyes, and a nod. )

That sums it up.

[fussiest]

Why would I not?

[ the answer comes easily, because it is the truth. kaveh looks to lestat, the red of his eyes dark, and fond, because it's easy to be fond when ghost is the subject matter at hand. ] Why would I not? It's disingenuous, I think, to argue the case that in order to prove one has a reason to help someone, there must equally exist reasons not to help someone. I think there never is a reason not to help. Ghost could have asked me to make for her a desk or a coat rack, and I'd have put the same amount of effort into it. You could have asked me the same, and I would have done the exact same thing.

[ kaveh's eyes lid, two half-moons as he considers the premise. a good answer, a better answer: ]

But Lestat, I believe that you are asking the wrong question. It wasn't her vision that inspired me, so much as it was her vision. I think both of us know Ghost, and care for her, which is why you have asked me this question, and why I have an answer for you. Sometimes, it takes all you have to ask for something. For some people, this is more difficult than others. Ghost is a hero, Lestat - did you know? [ kaveh bites down on the words there - frustration, and exasperation, and sorrow. ] She doesn't know. She writes stories for others, solves complex problems and knits together solutions on the fly so that their stories can go on and those who star in it can careen towards their predestined endings - if not happy, then at least fulfilled. But she hardly sees herself as having a story to her name, let alone a story worth reading.

I don't know what kind of story she must've come from or what has been done to her to have her think in such a way. There is little I can do to reach into her and wrest those thoughts into submission, nor would I want to. But I can change the world around her and hope that one day she will look at it, and want to change herself. So I thought to myself: what sort of story that has a gala isn't worth reading?

[ he shakes his head. his clips have come loose. they litter the space above his shoulder like red shooting stars. ]

In truth, I thought I would hold back this project. I'm no gala-organiser. I'm just an architect in a city without anything to build. Ghost wanted to start a trend - I hardly know what the trends are, let alone how to start one. But I figured that if I were to work on this project, then it must meet her vision, because it's Ghost, and she deserves to have such a thing. [ as soft as dust: ] I want the world to treat her kindly, but more than anything, I want her to treat herself kindly.

[ and how can you treat yourself kindly when you have nothing to hold in your hands? it's only when you can see yourself reflected in what you have done that the lesson may have its chance to take hold. that is what kaveh has always believed.

finally, kaveh lets lestat go. there's rue tucked away in the corner of his smile as he opens his eyes. ]

... sorry. I'm not actually certain if I've answered your question, just a question.

[yyds]

Hm? Why? Would an adult do something about masochism?

[yyds]

Because it'd be fun. Does fun need a point?

[abit_ofboth]

[The reaction he gets immediately makes Loki regret asking. On some level he must have know it was a question that could upset Lestat, but as per usual, he let his curiosity get the better of him and he blathered on without thinking. Sometimes he really didn’t know when to stop talking.]

I am sorry, I should not have asked such things.

[His voice is hushed and he reaches out to place a gentle hand over Lestat’s, though he half expects Lestat to pull away. Perhaps even walk away. Loki wouldn’t blame him if he did.

Loki breathes a sigh of relief when Lestat seems to come back to himself and he offers a bit of a weak smile in return.]

I hope not. Now, if I hit you for some unwarranted reason, then perhaps you should be offended. [It’s a weak joke, but he doesn’t really know what else to say.]

No, I cannot imagine seeing someone here you cared for back there is ever a good thing. [Loki was never close with many people, but he knows as much as he misses his brother, he would never want to see Thor here either.]

[unrequite]

[ Midnight tips his head down to Kaveh obediently, pliant. ]

No, no, art doesn't work like that. Beauty only serves to elevate that which surrounds it. It's why I always look the way I do.

[ He laughs. He understands perfectly well, at this point, that Kaveh is morally opposed to his entire asthetic. It's very funny, Midnight relishes it. ]

I want to surround you with beauty, Kaveh. To enrich the beauty you have, so you might see the same in yourself.

[ ... But with Kaveh's mindset, it won't really work, will it? All of his efforts for naught. Ah, well. ]

[unrequite]

It's because you're drunk and I'm sober.

[ ... Wait. ]

Apologies, I'mdrunk, you're sober. Slander. I do apologize. I do appreciate the recipe, or I will as soon as I'm sober. Not now. Later.

[perfectdevil]

[ Lestat can’t repress the laugh he lets out against Louis skin, and rather than the peal of church bells it’s instead something smooth and satisfied; Louis has fallen into his trap and, satisfied, Lestat flicks his tongue out against his windpipe to taste the powerful scent of another man and the distinct taste of smoke from his skin.

He felt that quickening pulse, the thrill of excitement through Louis as Lestat’s wandering hands sought to make their quick tryst something that couldn’t be so easily explained away, and he wonders what is going through Louis’ mind as he fantasises about having to return in such a state – what people might think, what they might assume. Is it Lestat’s possessive passion, or the idea of getting caught, that’s more exciting to him? ]

I could send you back with more than that, if you’d like; enough that should anyone else come close enough to kiss you, they might think twice.

[ He doesn’t sound dangerous, nor particularly annoyed, and that’s because he isn’t. His tone is as playful as he feels, fingers kneading into Louis’ flesh like a pleased cat as his mouth scatters idle kisses across his throat, wondering if Louis will flush so dark Lestat will feel the burn of blood under the skin there. ]

[gripper]

( "the floating boy" yeah he did float didn't he what the fuck was up with th )

I think he's worse. ( there's nothing worse than seeing something and not doing something about it. they can probably agree on that. ) I wonder... if it's because he knew Sinclair's parents had to die in order for Sinclair to really start living.

( there is no version of this story where sinclair's parents do not die somehow, someway. she can feel that in her heart.

she knows he can, too. )

[immortalpoet]

You need a different idea of fun.

1/2

[deathoftheauthor]

( Thud goes Louis' heart in his chest. Lestat's playful tone and the knowing subtext in it sends a faint, humming blush straight to Louis' cheeks, and he squirms like his spine is trying to contort itself into a pretzel. )

2/2

[deathoftheauthor]

You— That was the mistletoe! 

( Louis gives Lestat's hair a tug, and kicks petulantly at his foot with a fine, pointed boot. He hadn't hated kissing Reno; it was pleasant enough in a purely physical sense. The man clearly knows what he's doing when it comes to seduction, and yet he's too earnest for Louis to really resent, no matter how they came to know each other. But to Louis, having someone else's hands and attention on him felt wrong in a way that he doesn't know how to explain to Lestat.

On one hand, he's relieved that Lestat isn't jealous. On the other hand, he had felt an undeniable pang of discontent at how naturally and effortlessly Lestat could sweep someone else into his arms. Louis can tell he's even fed himself a bit. So he sounds entirely flustered and defensive when he replies: ) 

I was in need of a diversion, and he asked me to dance. It would have been impolite to refuse, no matter how terrible the music might have been. 

[cashewlater]

[ you see?? puns are excellent. cyno is incredibly pleased, wanderer has unlocked a new friendship tier. ]

Heh, that was a good one. You're really knocking me on my back foot.

[cashewlater]

Hmm.. not in so many words. I'm an investigator.

[featheradrift]

Are you sure you should be drinking more? You can't even keep your words straight.

[ And now that Midnight's sitting down, he's wondering if the inebriation will prove to be a challenge when he tries to stand up again. ]

[astraphilia]

[ Reno takes the seat next to Kaveh and unbuttons his cuffs so he can roll his sleeves up too—that's more comfortable for him anyway, than the long sleeves and startched cuffs are around his wrists. his own forearms are scarred, too—not from lumber, but from blades and bullets and all the little hurts that come along with his profession, things that would have been a waste of a healing materia.

he props his right elbow on the table and clasps his hand in Kaveh's, then slightly adjusts his grip until it feels comfortable and steady. ]

I know Turk rules, I don't know if I know your rules. Lay 'em on me.

[featheradrift]

[ Oh, it's becoming a little harder to come up with more foot related puns. There's a short pause as he tries to come up with something. ]

Nonsense. I can only take this step by step. How could I compare to the master?

crying

[reflexio]

[ Yi Sang nods slowly, carefully, purposefully. Yes. Altria would love to be taller. That is, most certainly, precisely what she said. ]

There are methods of commanding others' attention without additional height.

[ Methods that don't involve what Altria had actually said. ]

Nor are there any guarantees that others will cease to overlook you, even if you grew taller.

[ Take him, for example. When stepping into a room, Yi Sang doesn't really command much of a presence. ]

[icanfixer]

[ bitch she wishes she kn ]

There is never a need for the good to die, Kromer! They may not have been the best, but they were innocent!

[ and despite the exclamations, her voice is more of a hissed whisper. there's no need to ruin a lovely evening further. ]

Their only sin was assuming that he would want the same as they, for he had not spoken otherwise! How is one to know the way another feels if they are not capable of speaking?