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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

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.

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?

[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.

[ 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?

Edited 2023-12-03 09:09 (UTC)

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.

[ 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?

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.

[ 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?

[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.

[ kaveh considers this. not a god, but kaveh knows that gods can be killed. of course that is the first thing he thinks of. only those who don't know kaveh think that he tends towards flight; kaveh's idealism has always come with teeth, and death is a matter of course for an idea that won't put itself to rest.

a demon. kaveh thinks of midnight. he wouldn't know much of this sort, would he. ]

You say you are able to turn into him. Is it a sort of possession?

By own his admission, what happened was a complete accident here. But yes, possession. I don't know if you encountered the little tea party in the garden that opened a couple of months ago, but it affected me.

...Then Vergilius was an idiot and tried to confront him. [Daan's voice is, of course, fond. Despite the weary explanation of Pocketcat.] It didn't go over that great, but... it was sweet of him to try.

[And really, the moment that cinched any doubts about how Daan was feeling about the man.]

[ sweet of him to try, daan says. kaveh smiles at that. of course he does. ]

Why wouldn't he try, for you. [ says kaveh, as he leans into the railing proper. the night air skims the open back of his suit. ] ... I was there for the greenhouse and the tea-party, though I wasn't affected myself. It was... Alhaitham and Netzach. [ kaveh pauses here. he says, ] I tired of it, Daan. I tire of the way this city brings out the worst in us, and into us.

If it happens again, Daan, what would you like for me to do?

...I didn't know then how much he cared. Or, really, how much anyone cared. Heine had to tell me that I have... friends here. People who care. Much less knowing just how much, how deeply Vergilius would feel about me.

[A grimace.] I'm sorry any of you had to deal with it. Pocketcat did his damage enough by coercing people to drink. ...I know it's not my fault but I do feel responsible nonetheless.

[There, though -- a question about the potential of being possessed again. Daan can only hope it doesn't happen again, but it isn't impossible, is it? A possible fate of his own, brought forth by a mere cup of tea.]

...Don't let Vergilius do something that will hurt him, if you can. If the cat gets me, then everyone is better off not interacting with him.

And I'd do whatever it takes to keep him from throwing it in Vergilius' face.

[ it's the guilt, kaveh thinks. this isn't guilt that daan ought to bear. daan ought not apologise for something that was forced upon him. it was the city that provided the means, it was pocketcat that loaded the gun. that daan was the gun and the vehicle for it was not his fault.

this, kaveh doesn't say, because kaveh knows what it's like to need to bear that guilt, for fear of being powerless to do anything else. instead: ]

As long as you recognise that the fault isn't yours to bear. I would also argue until I am red in the face that the responsibility isn't yours either, but I am trying to make this gala a pleasant one and I'd like you to enjoy the rest of it.

[ kaveh looks. ] ... but I will make that promise to you, Daan. I will do what I can to keep Vergilius from doing something that will harm him; if nothing else, I won't let him alone in the aftermath. Not until you are back, and yourself.

And you know that I keep my word.

How generous of you, Kaveh. But I'm trying to be aware and... shrug that sort of thing off.

[Daan glances down, not really giving anything in particular a look. He's quiet, but he does nod in response initially before he finds his words.]

I know you do. ...Thank you.

I don't need to tell you how stubborn he is. And I would prefer anything else to keep his heart from breaking, but I don't need to tell you that whoever runs this city does seem to have other plans for us, so one never knows.

[ kaveh finally pulls the cigarette from his lips. the filter's been torn to shreds, chewed into little long, orange, smoldering bits along the tailend of something that once burned. kaveh snuffs out the flame along the railing. he flicks it into the night, the scattered pieces of it. ]

One never knows. [ kaveh echoes, ] But I do know that anyone who chooses to love the way you and Vergilius does have hearts far more robust than even you two gives yourselves credit for. Vergilius' heart won't break. Not so long as you return to him.

So ensure that you do, alright? And so you know, he wouldn't be the only one waiting.

[Oddly enough, the end of the cigarette makes him think of the way the tips of Kaveh's nails bled from picking and picking. Similar, he thinks. Not that Daan has any excuse from his own bad habits.]

...He's more gentle than he acts. More than he knows. That heart of his is something I'd protect if I could.

[True, Vergilius is also strong. Absurdly so. One has to be in order to survive that City, Daan thinks, but he also knows how delicate it is. How so deeply concerned Vergilius is about whether or not he can protect Daan, and their shared fears of the inevitable future, their preciously doomed relationship.]

But I'd do anything to get back to him. I already know that, and I doubt I have to tell you.

[The stubborn way Daan refused to move in that haunted house, his mind only set on seeing Vergilius alive again. Not the corpse cooling in the hallway that he'd been forced to slay.]

You don't.

[ because kaveh remembers - the blood and the pain and the fear of it. of course he does. it's an act of self-sacrifice that shames the rest; it's an act of self-sacrifice that defines who daan is as a person.

he looks. ]

You'll laugh hearing this from me, but I'll need you to keep a straight face - listen. There's very little you can do right now while catastrophising. Rather than that, shouldn't you be spending time with him right now to make it all worth it? Robust memories protect the heart. It keeps it warm, and alive, for the trials that it faces.

[Briefly, Daan is quiet, because he knows exactly what he's doing. Spiraling, as he has been since he had to leave the party. Getting sucked down into his own mind, thinking about how things will one day end, as they always do.

It will hurt, when it does. It'll make him think of a bloodied basement and corpses. It'll feel like he's carving off pieces of himself all over again. He'll wish he could, just to continue as things have been.

But that is the way of it. Nothing is forever. Not this, not anything.]

[But he does crack a smile.]

Yeah, I almost did laugh hearing that from you, of all people.

But bothering him is my favorite past time, so I suppose I should go do that.

Rude. Twice, even, since I was under the impression that bothering me was your favourite past-time. You're about to give me a crisis of self-esteem, and then where would we be?

[ kaveh smiles. it's an indulgent one. he holds out his hand. ] Come, give me your hand.

I'm afraid you're just going to have go with second place on this one, buddy. I hope you'll forgive me.

[There's a brief moment as he looks at Kaveh's hand curiously, but he does find that he safely can say he trusts the other man. After everything they've been through, that's easy to conclude.

So he does take Kaveh's hand.]

Me? Forgive? Never. You'll have to endure my perpetual complaining on the matter. It's the least you deserve.

[ daan slips his hand into kaveh's. kaveh's own hand, scarred from years of wresting dreams into a reality where dreams so oft go to die, gives daan's a proper squeeze. he says: ] The next time you feel inclined to wallow - remember this. This is the hand that you saw fit to give a bit of courage and hope to, in order to do what must be done. You were the one who gave me the ultimatum. Dwell? Or find a way forward? Daan, you have the ability to create a future that will become a past that carries on from the past that follows you. To do so, you must live a present that will become a past worth remembering.

That's all we have, isn't it?

[Ah. He'd been content to just kind of pretend he was fine and move on, but it's not like he can deceive Kaveh easily.

It's probably better this way, though. He knows that he needs to hear this.]

...Yeah. It's all we have.

And no matter what I might fear, I'd rather go to meet it with a heap of good memories I can finally call upon. I know this city has done its fair share of harm... but it's also given me more than anything else ever has.

[So he may dread going to his world one day, but for now... for now, this is enough.]

Giving?

[ kaveh laughs. ] Oh, no. You earned what you have now, through blood and tears. Or did you forget what you went through that day. No, this is all earned. What's earned is something that stays with you regardless of who attempts to take it, and what's earned is something worth keeping.

[ the grip on daan's hand is fierce. ] We earned this, Daan. It was owed to you, one way or another. Don't let yourself be the one to take it from you.

[open mingle: the sunlight at midnight gala]

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1/2

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finally gets back to this after the AGE SHENANIGANS lskdhfds

THAT WAS WILD HAHAHAH

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