citylogs | [open mingle: the sunlight at midnight gala]

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[open mingle: the sunlight at midnight gala]

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.

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

I understand that it is likely easier to move when you're outside of the rainforests or even within them. Yet it can't be comfortable when you're walking around on the stone walkways...

[ Just saying Cyno! How do your feet even manage that?

Tighnari shakes his head. No use arguing. ]

Red, tonight.

Rest assured, I will make time for chocolate yet. [that is a threat and a promise]

I don't believe it has yet... so I've not had a chance to see it in action.

[Wryly, he adds:] And is it not our handiwork? I should loathe to take the credit, you do realize.

Bells? Now that does sound lovely.

[And quite unique, compared to the popular genres he's used to. Not that strings and drums aren't used in Amaurot, but if the bells didn't tip him off to the difference in genre, the lack of brass certainly would.]

Do you yourself play at all?

( she chirrups as if in agreement, spoiled as one can be in the face of such attentive scritches. the thumb on her furred cheek makes her ear flick, pressing back against his hand whenever he so much as lets up even a little bit. she's at least somewhat careful with her claws, sharp as they are. drawing blood would only make him flinch, after all.

but yes! a cat! one of her few tricks up her flowing sleeve. all this for the small price of having this strange little creature in her usual form in their acquaintance. )

[Well. ~~Shit.~~ Goodness. That certainly is an extremely loud sound, isn't it, as the flash goes off and Alucard abruptly channels Joseph Joestar and destroys a fucking 30,000¥ camera with his bare fist. The great news is, just like Joseph Joestar, the image revealed does in fact betray something of the whereabouts of the resident blond vampire!

The downside is, we already knew that, because he's right fucking here.]

Oh — !

[She's just, like. Stock-still. Like her life flashed before her eyes at the same time the camera flashed before Alucard's.]

Oh, oh, I'm so terribly sorry, I-I didn't know it would — !

( the pocketed pick is one she'll take note of. maybe she'll go for it, maybe she won't. it wouldn't surprise her if he expects it, so she'll wait a little before deciding one way or the other. she knows she could just ask, but.. )

There are times you wouldn't mind running for your life?

( she'll have to agree though. running in this outfit would only cause tears she wouldn't be able to fix. so she'd rather not. maybe at the tail end, if it really had to happen. not that the city has ever been so magnanimous in their timings. )

Thrillseeker like you, I didn't think you'd mind.

( if she had a drink, she'd cheers to that. alas. maybe she'll have to go back in to grab them a pair at some point.

but, speaking of moving forward.. )

Did you come here with anyone then?

( she has a sharp eye, daan, even if she doesn't seem it. she poises her question innocently enough, her finger toying with a looser strand of hair in some vague attempt at tempering her curiosity. she knows when people are making eyes at other people, goodness knows she's seen enough of that. )

[Something of a testy subject? Or an idea not yet embraced? Hythlodaeus can't say he knows for certain, but as he nods to acknowledge the description, he decides a change of topic is in order.]

By the by... How did you manage to get Hong Lu to participate in our little contest?

I like visiting the Grand Bazaar in Sumeru City, but naturally it eventually gets loud there. The theatre is there and there are occasional performances.

[ So it's not like Tighnari doesn't like these sorts of things. It's just he has to have them in lower doses. Understandably so. ]

If I had any talent in music, it's probably withered away by now. I spent more time on my duties than anything else.

[The initial anxiety now dissipated as they make their way onto the dance floor — as she leads him onto the dance floor, how exciting! — a great deal more of Rosella's natural confidence begins to return, now that she's back in her element on the dance floor as she was during the weeks leading up to the gala.]

That's rather the way of modern things, though, isn't it? Doing proper things, only turned on their head, or backwards, or in the wrong order entirely! So I'll not worry about any impropriety if you won't.

[She winks at him, already arranging the two of them into a reasonable dancing position with the same businesslike air she'd had for her lessons.]

My name is Rosella, from the kingdom of Daventry. And may I ask yours as well?

[Ah, that question. It was probably inevitable, even if he's not that interested in being completely honest with Fearne. The conversation's been good, but it's not like he knows her.]

I did, as a matter of fact. [and for a switcheroo:] And you?

How much could you possibly weigh?

It's fine. I know my feet are at potential risk, but I'd still like to.

[He finally turns away from the stained glass before him, and faces Netzach with a sly smile.]

I take it you're already planning your next grand endeavor then. Shall I set my expectations to match this one?

Ugh, don't get me started. That's all my parents ever did. We practically lived in the woods during my childhood.

[Right. That town.]

Prehevil, a town in the country of Bohemia. A shit little place in the middle of no where and a terrible experience. This place is practically a vacation by comparison.

No pets, but there's a wolf, apparently. You might see him around wearing a bow tie.

[Three guesses who arranged that one and all of them are Ghost. She tosses the burgundy coat over a nearby chair back and goes digging again, keeping to the darker colors on the rack for the moment.]

Oh, I didn't even pick this dress. I made the mistake of looking in its general direction at the mall once, and Lestat decided I'd be perfect in it. One thing led to another and presto-change-o, here I am.

[She pauses, just briefly.]

It's important to him that this be some kind of perfect night for me, I think.

Of course. You are free to ask my any question that comes to mind. And if any of mine own questions happen to pry too deeply, you need not answer.

If you don't mind, I think I'll begin with something simple: what is your favorite color?

[ That she believes so emphatically that he can be good makes him believe it, even if he knows he's a thing born from evil, he believes that there's a chance he could perhaps be something different with her around. More like the man he wants to be, who makes those he loves around him happy, and less like the man he thought he was.

It's no great show of power, no flashy vampire trick, no suave or grand gesture intended to overwhelm and dazzle, or at least he doesn't intend for it to be that way; if it happens to cause such an effect, it happens, but Lestat isn't planning on any of it. All he cares about in this moment is the wonderful young woman in his arms, and expressing to her exactly how much he adores her.

A slight smile curls his lip as he leans down, tilting his head ever so slightly, palm flat on her back and against her waist to hold her steady and safe in his arms as he presses his lips to hers in a delicate but meaningful kiss. The music swells around them, and the refracting lights shift and change to a sparkling cascade of colours on the floor. ]

Ah- Um!

[Yup, don't mind as Izuku quickly scambles to sip back what he can before abandoning the half-sipped glass on the table because Katsuki is already taking him away!!

Yet, Izuku finds his heart skipping a hopeful beat. Feeling Katsuki's fingers with his makes Izuku want to squeeze and hold on.

This is happening... And it's okay.

Once they're in the crowd of people dancing it feels less scary because everyone is doing their own thing. But it adds a sense of intimacy to the two of them. Izuku tries to clear his throat. Hoping that Katsuki would lead for just a bit more.]

[ He chuckles a little at her insistence and her obvious interest, and while he's more than happy to answer and soothe her curiosity, he'll first scoop up her hand in his and lead her over to one of the nearby tables where they can sit together and get a little more comfortable. If they're to talk at length, he reasons, they should at least be comfortable while doing it. ]

It was terrifying at first, but I became so unhappy with where I was, that it seemed I might die if I didn't run away. It helped that I wasn't alone; I had someone to run away with.

[ He crosses his legs as he sits. His history doesn't exactly make him uncomfortable to talk about, but it isn't the happiest of stories. ]

When I say changed, I mean into what I am now, and as for my treasure... I invested it, I spent a lot of it. I used it to spoil my family and my friends, to buy them things they would have never had the opportunity to have themselves, and then I did the same for myself; a house, fine clothes. I even bought a theatre.

[ He knows what her next question will be, so he asks her a question before she can get a word in: ]

Do you have vampires in your world, madame?

Stories are usually where we originate from, but even stories have to start somewhere, you know.

[ Except he has no idea where that crazy Irish guy got his ideas from. The thing about vampires being unable to cross running water makes no sense at all. ]

You've met another vampire, have you?

[ He knows of two others, of course, but they come from the same world as him, so he's a little confused at this description. ]

( honestly? flattered she's asking her. fearne, for one, while isn't the most adept at sweet romances and the like - she unfortunately has a habit of making it seem she knows more than she actually knows! little lying faeries. she can't help it.

she'll go on ahead and loop their arms together though, since they'll be hanging out anyway? close enough now that whatever she has to say wont get drowned out by the crowd. she wouldn't want her wisdoms to get lost in the din. )

Well, I've gotten my fair share of rejections, so I've learned quite a bit. ( that part is true, at least, ) So one of the most important things is to not get discouraged, especially before you even started.

( that is, in fact, a tiny little reference to her backing out of the party repeatedly.. )

Otherwise? Everyone's a little different. Do you have someone you've got your eye on? Maybe it'd help be more specific?

( Louis' fingers tense, holding tightly to Lestat's as much as the delicate positioning of their fingers will allow, and pulls them down near their collarbones to give himself room to kiss Lestat on the lips. It's nearly chaste, lips parted only slightly, without the barest hint of fangs or even ordinary teeth to spoil the perfect gentlemanly illusion, though of course Lestat knows well indeed what passions Louis keeps banked behind that polite composure.

He pulls away, and then it's his turn to bring Lestat's fingers to his lips and return the kisses, treating each knuckle in turn as if it's worthy of individual affection. He doesn't want to spoil this perfect moment; he means what he'd said about not getting lost in the past. But it wasn't all painful, was it? And no one else knows what it was like in those days but Lestat, no one else knows that they were happy sometimes. Indeed, until he'd found Lestat again after a century apart, those nights in New Orleans had been some of his only happy memories. )

I was watching you from the shadows... I heard you talking to her.

( His heartbeat quickens, a current of anxiety running through him, and he holds tighter to Lestat. It's difficult to speak of her; they've addressed her absence only obliquely, a pain that they have both avoided, likely for each other's sake as much as their own. But it feels safe to say it now. )

I always find myself wondering what she would think of things, just as I did with you when you were gone.

Yes, here. [Is he going to elaborate on that? No. He's of the impression Midnight may not be completely open about what he is, and Alhaitham won't be the one to out him. Moving the roof mtopic along:] So, do you burn in sunlight?

--Chandler -- Ethan's here?

[ This has kind of the tone of "my ill-advised hookup is here?" Which. Would be an incomplete but not inaccurate read on the situation, so. She's sure this won't be awkward for anyone. ]

Huh. Good for him.

[ She's going to try and cover this moment of social trepidation by doing something more pleasant and roasting Lestat behind his back. How about that. ]

God, Lestat. [ The fond derision in her tone isn't feigned, even if she is using it as a tactic. ] Perfect by any means necessary, I take it.

Uh, shit.

[ See icon. ]

If this place rates as a vacation, you must've really been through it.

[ He did mention some run-ins with gods and such, didn't he? Yikes. ]

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[open mingle: the sunlight at midnight gala]

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