[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

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?

[onlythans]

[They are all really just doing their best to cover that hole, really, and Thancred is in much the same boat as Kaveh — armed with a pair of recipes committed to memory, both carefully vetted by Reno in advance to be certain they'd pair well with his menu, all he's really got to do is keep to proportions as he pushes out quantity, and there's a certain level of entertainment in that.

Case in point: he flips a glass into the air as he straightens up from digging for ice underneath his station, and almost seems to forget about it for a moment as all his attention goes to Kaveh. The fact that his hand is already waiting for it to fall back neatly into seems entirely reflexive.]

A wise man once told me you've no room to complain about the burdens you shoulder voluntarily. I'm still deciding whether or not I subscribe to that notion, myself.

[He grins. The glass makes a soft thump as it hits his palm.]

But I'm afraid I can't accept the regard; I'm just an available set of hands. Compliments go to the chef, I daresay, for knowing what to make to begin with.

[fussiest]

[ the glass flips into the air. kaveh's eye traces its arc. he knows without seeing anything further that thancred will catch it. the arc is at a tight, controlled angle of a thing, meant to carve its way right back to where it began, and so long as thancred's hand was where it was, it would return. the parabola is a well-understood one. but the fact that thancred has such control over it means that this isn't the first, second or nth time that he's taken over a bar and wrested miracles out of it.

kaveh's gratitude swells. he owes this man for helping out today. he knows he does. ]

Oh, I'll give compliments to the chef after this. It's Reno, and he'll take it too kindly, but I suppose if one redhead is helping my other one, I can hardly give him too much trouble. [ it's rote. kaveh's gaze peers over the display, then the glasses, and the homes in on the half-empty blue crate there by the counter. ] You're almost out of lemons, aren't you. I'll get Louis to see if he can bring out another few crates for you. Is there anything else you need or want? Maybe a break?

[onlythans]

[There's something about Kaveh that makes him pause a moment, internally, to take stock of just what it was about his cadence or his bearing or the content of his remarks that stirred up an old association — but for a second, just a second, he can't help but catch himself glancing to the top of his head as if expecting to see a pair of red furry ears moving in time with his expressed emotion, or a long tail flicking about behind him. It's hard to say whether it's the businesslike focus, the problem-solving, or just the general energy about him that brings G'raha Tia to mind; on personality alone, he likely would've guessed that this one was a Tia, himself.

They have that sort of energy, Tias. Hyperfixations on this or that, like they need a place to redirect all the energy they're not using to challenge to be the Nunh.]

And just how many redheads do you have, exactly? Sounds as though you've been rather collecting them.

[He grins, setting up the glass he'd just tossed and beginning to go through the habitual steps of getting a drink mixed once more, his hands moving effortlessly as if totally on muscle memory at this point.]

...Actually, there is something you might aid me with. Those flowers I've been seeing people going about wearing, how does one go about getting his hands on an arrangement of them? Something colorful, preferably.

[fussiest]

[ thancred's eyes flicker upwards. kaveh nearly looks up once more to gauge to see if there is a mistletoe or something that's magically sprouted overhead. the moment passes. the thought is an amusing one. imagine that, kaveh thinks, an entire flock of redheads simply flocking under his banner to do favours for one another. kaveh remembers the joke of it, back on the network - then, kaveh remembers that red is the colour of blood.

it's unbidden. it ought not be. but sometimes, it just happens - kaveh's hand flits to his neck, then falls. the looks. ]

Just two. In truth, I doubt I could handle more. The white-haired men in my life seem far more manageable. [ says kaveh, and grins.

but the request is one that has kaveh brightening. he says: ] And you can get one of those from myself, actually. I've an entire bucket's worth of boutonnières that are still awaiting homes. How colourful is colourful? Blue and silver, perhaps, to go with your outfit? Or is there something you are hoping to match?

[onlythans]

[The thing is, Thancred doesn't have to know what a tell is betraying to recognize from a malm away that it is one. Guessing what runs through another person's head also isn't strictly speaking his forte; why guess when a better goal is to simply persuade them to give it up for themselves? But there's clearly something more here, above and beyond just the obvious glance in search of something overhead — a knife, mayhap? A dagger in the dark?

The fact that Kaveh's hand goes to his pulse, near the vein, is conspicuous.]

Ah, it's not for me. Rather, there's a young lady about I'd like to decorate — still a redhead, but I guarantee she's not one of yours.

[That is a thing he can guarantee, because Ryne isn't anybody's, not even his. She's her own, at long last, and that's precisely how it ought to be.]

It only has to go with a white dress, so I imagine there's a great deal that can be done with color, isn't there?

[fussiest]

[ another redhead. kaveh brightens. well, he thinks, there are several boutonnières that have yet to see proper use, or perhaps she would prefer a corsage? much to think about, and he makes a note to go and grab a set so that thancred can take a look for himself. the young lady is not one of kaveh's, no, but thancred must know her well, and he thinks it's a natural thing to want to bring a flower to someone you care for.

a white dress, huh. ]

A great deal, yes, but perhaps too much that can be done. Did you know that art exists best when there are limitations applied? A box that you cannot draw outside of, a certain colour or theme that must be applied, a set of picky clientele with exacting requirements and very little idea as to how to make it happen. You, with your pen and paper as you plumb the depths of your knowledge, skill and experience for some combination that will satisfy that itch. That's the test were creativity has room to breathe.

[ kaveh laughs. ] Which is to say, white goes and doesn't go with everything, so I'm glad you mentioned that she's a redhead. It's easy to think red as an immediate answer, but I'm partial to colours that look like the sunrise nowadays. Perhaps I can find her a combination like that. Shall I bring it back here for you to take a look for yourself?

[onlythans]

I'd be much obliged if you could. Something...

[He pauses, considering, and then laughs a little, offering a casual sort of shrug.]

You'll be astonished to hear me say it, I reckon, but something not too elegant, if you could? She's more a free spirit than a proper well-bred lady, and I'd wager she'd enjoy something a little different from the norm, if you've got it. Untraditional, let's say.

[fussiest]

[ untraditional, huh. kaveh considers this. ]

Quite honestly, I've only learned about the existence of this sort of culture a scant week ago, and under Ghost's brisk tutelage. I hardly know what's traditional, let alone untraditional. But my lack of knowledge on the topic might end up being a boon. I'll take a look for you either way.

What is the young lady's name?

[onlythans]

Does that make a difference, to the flowers?

[He smiles, and tosses another shaker, and it's so smooth you almost wouldn't notice that both things are deflections, unless you were really looking for them.]

Her name is "Blessing". That's a bit untraditional, too.

[fussiest]

If you asked a certain friend of mine, he would say that it's only respectful to the flowers.

[ but kaveh reads it, the seamless slip of the conversation. he smiles. he taps the counter twice, the drum of his nails like a pair of click consonants. ] I'll be right back, then. I've something in mind. You'll see.