[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

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credit.

Comments

[fauned]

( ah, there's irony in this. how funny. )

I spent most my life being told we were royalty. ( well, more complicated than that, but the point of it is: ) Both Mama and Papa were just thieves, as it turns out.

( not that this seems to bother her, here in the dark. the privileges he was afforded after being plucked out of his status came with certain brands of misery. meanwhile she's lived in delusion all along, no better than a dreamer wishing for more. )

Your livelihood? He put you through school and all of that, too?

[limbical]

Huh, is that so. But you know, I reckon a lot of nobles are just previous thieves anyway. All you have to do is have enough money to make everyone else believe you.

[He shrugs.] At least that's how I imagine it to be back where I'm from.

[Another puff, and he then he deigns to answer.]

He was my mentor. Pretty accomplished doctor and surgeon. So I wasn't just his son-in-law, but also his protege.

[fauned]

( a snicker. )

I really haven't been in the Material Plane long, but I did notice that in our wandering.

( that most nobles are thieves in their own way, different than her. she's rarely ever interested in pilfering gold. )

It wasn't like that for them, though. Last I saw, they lived in a hole underground.

( hmmm.. )

A legacy thing, then? What came first? Or did he pick you out because he thought you'd be a great doctor, then had you marry his kid?

[limbical]

Material Plane, huh. Which dimension are you usually in?

[Though he isn't that familiar with alternatives, but it's something he's not bothered to be that surprised with anymore. Someone could tell him there's a universe where everyone is a sentient pastry and he'd have to just accept it.]

Protege first. Marriage came later. I fell in love with his daughter. Honestly, I was just surprised he gave me permission to propose to her.

[Daan doesn't get into the details, as grim and gritty as they are. As are most things in his life, but the basic explanation does have a bit of a romantic edge to it, doesn't it?]

[fauned]

It has many names, I'm starting to find out. Lots of stories about it. I come from the Feywild, home of the faeries.

( considering the kickoff of her adventure with the bell's hells started with the attack of literal furniture and household items. well.

ever the romantic, she does rest her chin in her hands over it. none the wiser over the horrors he'd experienced with that family. from the little he says - it almost sounds straight out of a novel. )

Would you have eloped if he didn't?

[limbical]

Huh, that's a new one to me. But then, I don't think faeries exist where I'm from. Could be wrong, though. Maybe they just go by another name where I'm from.

[One final drag, and he's tossing the butt out over the balcony. hopefully that doesn't hit anyone oops]

...Depends on how his daughter felt. [Daan shrugs.] Elise did things her own way. I think if she had insisted, her father would've relented. And if she wanted to elope, I'd have done that.

[He'd have done just about anything she wanted.]

[fauned]

As far as I'm aware, we're connected to a lot of different worlds, so it wouldn't be too surprising.

( wow daan. littering? in front of the druid?





just kidding, she doesn't care. )

She sounds like a gal that knew how to get what she wanted. ( from him and her father. ) Was she a doctor, too?

[limbical]

Well, there you go. Probably just a different set of words.

[shh dont tell the authorities]

No. She didn't want for anything, really. She liked hearing about my lessons, how... things worked, but she was mostly a seamstress. A hobby.

[Ah. This is starting to get uncomfortable. Daan is still sorting out in his mind, how much was real. How much was his hopes, the cold and wretched truth. Things he might never get an answer to, really.

It's not Fearne's fault. It's just the nature of it. Elise's amused smile, her laughter -- and despite it all, Daan does still love her. He isn't sure how to stop.]

That was awhile ago, though. She... passed, half a year ago.

[fauned]

( ... )

...

( a moment of uncharacteristic quiet. suddenly glad for her little corner. even in the dark, beneath rain clouds and the night sky, it's not hard to pick out the broken fondness.

there's something else that brews just beneath, too, but she's a little afraid of scratching that surface at an event like this when he's meant to be back there. away from all of this. )

I'm sorry.

( it doesn't really feel like enough, but it's all she has to offer. all these people are touched by such heavy loss - she truly is out of her depth as far as knowing how to navigate these treacherous waters.

this is what awaits her, she knows, and yet. )

I didn't mean to bring her up, you don't have to talk about it if it makes you uncomfortable. You just seemed to love her a lot and I - ( ... ) .. it makes me happy to see people in love, that's all.

[limbical]

[It's a bit more compassion than expected. Not really any shade on Fearne, but he simply doesn't know her well enough to expect much of anything, but... well. People in this place have a way of surprising him again and again.

Daan slides his hands into his pockets and shakes his head.]

No, you couldn't have known. So, don't worry about it.

I'm working on moving on. Hard as it is; the whole thing's kind of a mess, but I'm figuring out that you don't have to stop moving forward, even when you're in the worst pit of despair. ...It's easy to give up.

But it turns out it'd piss off a lot of people if I did, so I guess that's out for me.

[fauned]

( a pain that she, thankfully, is not familiar with just yet. which perhaps says a lot about a girl whose lived for as long as she has. a privilege, undoubtably. but one cannot lose those which she did not have, her undying grandmother and the conveniently timed animal friends her stalwart companions for most her life. )

Only because you've got good people with you.

( we don't leave ours behind, one of hers had said, despite having been abandoned once before by a group they once thought of as family. they've taught her what good people can do, even to fickle things like her. )

My best friend lost his husband, too, a little before I met him. And I watch his heart break every time he thinks no one's looking.

( ... )

Do you think you'll ever be able to?

( move on, she means. )

[limbical]

Guess I do.

[Good people, that is. It's still a strange sensation still to this day, to have friends and people who care about him. Who love him. Daan's spent his whole life without friends and suddenly there are several. Even people he could consider the equivalent of family.]

...Love is like that. [How, it seems, to have done nothing but destroy Roland. It was close to destroying Daan as well.] Heartbreak is devastating.

[Inevitably, Daan will experience it again one day. What he has with Vergilius is on a ticking clock, and he doesn't know when it'll expire. But it will, and it will hurt when it does.]

I do. I still think about her, sometimes. It's hard not to. But I have other reasons to live now, and I want to hold onto that.

[fauned]

( and that's incredible, she thinks. humanity's resilience. it'd be far more heartbreaking if they'd spent the rest of their short lives in pieces, unable to heal. though she's heard stories of those that succumb to it, too. a tragedy like no other.

love is like that. it makes and it breaks and it moves just as much as it stalls. don's words ring in her mind, about how she did not remember her time here when she left - and even then she stubbornly refuses to believe she would not carry the weight of this adoration with her when all is said and done. )

I don't think it's a bad thing to remember. ( he'd loved her, and seemed happy with it. isn't that enough? ) I wouldn't want to forget anyone I care about for as long as I live if I can help it. I know our situation here isn't the best, but I'm still glad I made the friends that I did.

[limbical]

It's complicated, but... Ultimately, all you can really do is step forward.

[Daan will never know Elise's true feelings, or what her involvements were with the ritual. How much she was cooperating with her father, or if she was a victim, too. If he was even loved. What is true is that he loved her, and has been able to love again.

And maybe for the first time, he is loved.]

But you're right. I've met some people here I'd never want to forget. And I would not take it back, not a minute. Even the difficult parts.

[fauned]

( 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. )

[limbical]

[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?

[fauned]

( dodgy.. hm... )

Well, of course!

( with the unearned confidence of a woman who's definitely had her fair share of failures but is undaunted by them. not that she's against the idea of showing up by her lonesome.

back to him though.. )

Anyone I might know?

[limbical]

I really have no idea who you socialize with, Fearne. No offense in that department, so how am I to know if it's someone you're familiar with?

[yeah he's being dodgy af]

In any case, it's something of a private affair.