[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

midnight | arknights

[unrequite]

i. that is just so typically me

Oh, that was foolish of me, I'm terribly sorry.

[ Champagne is soaking down the side of this poor person's nice prom clothes, courtesy of this very abashed vampire with a now half-empty champagne flute in his hand. Goodness! His coordination and body consciousness is usually much better than this, but being two bottles into the place's stock of champagne has left him with an array of intoxication related mobility issues. He took the brunt of this collision on the dance floor, fortunately, but the prom attendee's garb has paid the price.

He tuts, begins to usher his friend off the dancefloor and to the stairs. (Where are they going? Wait, do they even know each other well enough to be friends? Midnight is too tipsy for these questions to matter.) ]

Come, let's be off. Mr. Lestat's fashion rescue, we'll tidy you up. Dear me, you look a mess. That isn't right, you look so lovely. Won't do at all.

ii. and i lose all my senses (closed to pre-planned encounters and current cr)

[ Midnight leans away and touches his lips, eyebrows raised in oblique surprise. He... He really hadn't meant to kiss his conversation partner. They were posted up on the second floor, chatting and people-watching, admiring the decorations and wondering what the end of the year would bring... And then suddenly he just went for it. (Where? Well, that depends on his conversation partner, but suffice to say that he had enough of his wits about him to keep it tasteful. Maybe.) ]

I... I beg your pardon. Don't know what came over me.

iii. wildcard

[ everyone lookin at me at the center of the ring just like a circus

if u want a custom starter babam request one here or dm me! otherwise he is social and dressed like a goth butterfly so he will inevitably accost your character at some point at a completely random level of inebriation. he is very friendly. good luck! god be with you!!! ]

ii....

[wordchain]

[ This certainly isn't any outcome that Yesod anticipated, either, when he approached Midnight. He'd simply been preoccupied with Midnight's unexpected decision not to attend the gala as Netzach's other date — and admittedly with distracting glimpses of Netzach around the venue as well, something else that he and Midnight appear to have in common. The colors of the flowers decorating Netzach's hair are no coincidence, for one.

After a stretch of silence spanning several moments, Yesod finally replies. ]

...It wasn't an intervention to rescue me from myself this time, I take it.

[unrequite]

An intervention...? What do you mean by that?

[ Midnight asks this rather distantly, looking at his fingertips as though they hold the answer to why he suddenly, temporarily lost his mind. He'd like to return the conversation to Netzach, or whatever pleasant nonsense he wanted Yesod to witness, but kissing someone he knew was devoted to someone else is... certainly is out of character for him. ]

[wordchain]

I was referring to our first meeting, during Don Quixote's party. I meant it as a joke.

[ Since Midnight seems unusually troubled by whatever came over him. Yesod studies him closely for another moment, glancing at Midnight's fingers himself, before continuing. ]

...Will you be alright? What is the matter, exactly?

[ Knowing this place, its reach can affect anything — that would be explanation enough. ]

[unrequite]

[ ... Midnight abruptly shakes himself, pushes away from the railing, and stands a little at a distance. ]

My apologies. I simply don't enjoy being compelled against my wishes.

[ His eyes scan the venue, trying to figure out if there was a specific cause for his sudden discourtesy, before he turns his attention back to Yesod. ]

... I do apologize again. I barely remember the first time we met, but I understand you mean no harm.

[wordchain]

There is no need to apologize.

[ Midnight's odd behavior is cause for concern, however. Yesod begins to inspect the railing, the nearby decorations. It might be pointless — perhaps there is nothing visible to find and identify as the source of this particular compulsion. ]

As we've established that our captors have the means to control our actions to such an extent, it's possible that they saw an opportunity tonight as well.

[ But neither of them is still affected by it, he thinks. It isn't persistent, disorienting like the urge to attend the university Halloween party. He looks over his shoulder. ]

...You haven't answered my first question.

[unrequite]

[ ... Wait, what was the first question? ]

Hm? The bit about the intervention, or my welfare? I don't have enough context for the former. The latter...

[ Midnight shrugs, still casting around for a possible culprit. He starts walking away, and the compulsion... Well, it's less. That's progress. ]

I'm alive, and that's what matters. Shall we find somewhere else to sit?

ii-ish

[justscribing]

[Alhaitham stands, dressed in suit and mismatches boutonniere, and in fact unaware of the sprig of mistletoe high up. Was it even there a minute ago?

Well, it's there now. Midnight approaches. Of course Midnight approaches. Midnight is also looking tipsy at minimum, so Alhaitham stays rooted in spot and makes Midnight have to make the full executive decision to approach for conversation, cradling his own cocktail in hand. Alhaitham notices the moment that Midnight steps in conversation range: something pricks at the edges of his mind. The series of compulsions from October continue to linger in his instincts and he tenses up at the realization. It is a second where he almost, almost doesn't realize Midnight's leaning in.

But he does. Just before Midnight's lips connect Alhaitham manages to push his free hand up between their faces so he gets a mouthful of suede and cologne instead.] Is it about to come over you again?

Re: ii-ish

[unrequite]

[ Ah... That's something he and Kaveh have in common. Midnight leans back into his own space, expression tipsy but more puzzled than pleased with himself. How inebriated is he, exactly, for him to do something like this...? ]

"It"? Bless you, love. I'm as mystified as you are with regard to what came over me just now.

[ He shakes his head and the room spins, bringing no clarity with it. He pauses, then sets his champagne flute down... somewhere. Maybe on the floor. Safety first? ]

[justscribing]

[That's right, once you've seen them both it's hard to miss their extremely married boutonnieres. Kaveh didn't even realize they were going together as a date until the night before.]

So you aren't still feeling a compulsion. [Alhaitham pauses, considering. He is, so it must be by the gesture rather than a proper meeting of the kiss. He holds it down by taking a slow sip of his drink.] No, it probably wasn't just you.

[But then what was it? It can't be intentional to the gala.]

[unrequite]

[ Kaveh and Alhaitham have plenty of things in common, in several senses... ]

That... wasn't of my own volition. Ah.

[ Midnight shakes his head again, but the second attempt does nothing. ]

Don't want that happening again. Don't like that. I...

[ He suddenly grows very quiet and still. After a moment, he pushes away from a nearby wall and staggers to a stairwell. He's looking for an exit. ]

[justscribing]

[... All right, Midnight is drunk off his ass and Alhaitham should probably make sure he doesn't fall over the railing or something, at least. That would probably count as "ruining things for Ghost".

Champagne glass left on the floor where Midnight put it, Alhaitham turns to follow after Midnight. His own compulsion, at least, seems to wane as he escapes the spot he was standing on.]

How much have you had to drink?

[unrequite]

Enough.

[ Stagger, stagger. He pauses, stymied between the two stairwells, before remembering that the exit is on the first floor. He grabs onto the rail and begins to plod his way down. His spatial awareness, dulled by the city and alcohol, has not informed him that he's being followed. He has no plan for that, either. He's just getting the hell out of dodge. ]

not exactly here

[keepgodwaiting]

[ THAT'S RIGHT BABY YOU FLAUNT THOSE SPARKLES

EVERYONE LOOK AT HER DATE'S ASS ]

Re: not exactly here

[fussiest]

[ PLEASE THAT IS TOO MUCH ASS ]

[keepgodwaiting]

[ IF THE ASS IS TOO MUCH WE RECOMMEND YOU REDIRECT YOUR ATTENTION TO THE TITS, WHICH ARE ALSO WORTH A LOOK ]

[fussiest]

[ WHO IS GOING TO INVENT THE IRL CENSOR BAR ]

[unrequite]

[ kaveh why are you so mad she's telling the truth ]

[fussiest]

[ if this is the truth please lie to him. as in, let the truth lie him down in his grave, so the truth can let him down one last time. ]

[unrequite]

[ It's a fine-ass ass. Miss Johanna's arm candy must look perfect, just like her. ]

ii-ish???, YOU CAN'T TAKE HIM FROM THE COOKIE GOLEM, THAT'S HIS BEST FRIEND

[fussiest]

[ midnight kisses kaveh. this is such an largely common occurrence that kaveh merely kisses back. and then, because he is kaveh, the red of his eyes narrow into a hunting look as he immediately looks up into the rafters. there, kaveh thinks, that's the fucker. the mistletoe hangs there gleaming in gossamer-spun light, reds and greens painted with the kind of precision found only in the high-quality glass and the carefully-laid foil that kaveh himself had picked out.

with startling practise, kaveh's hand reaches for midnight's shoulder. ]

Of course, they're everywhere. Give me a boost up, would you?

[ one can imagine the ominous music that plays in conjunction with the way kaveh is reaching for the pair of boltcutters he'd set down against the railing. it may be music in a minor key. ]

[unrequite]

[ Midnight simply nods, bends down and holds his hands out for Kaveh's foot, and hauls him up in one easy lift. Easiest deadlift of his life.

He looks up, curious. ]

What is that?

[ ... He also might be hovering somewhere in that comfortable alcoholic space where sobriety and inebriation are easily accessible. Jury's out on whether he'll remember this though. ]

[fussiest]

[ midnight lifts him up. it's a remarkable steady lift, all things considered. the scent of alcohol lingers as kaveh plants a hand on midnight's head, creating a makeshift tripod for himself as he reaches up with the boltcutters. a moment later, and the mistletoe has been torn loose, dropping neatly into midnight's hair.

kaveh smiles. he lowers first the boltcutters, and then plucks the offending sprig from midnight's dark strands. ]

Mistletoe. Or kissletoe, so I've heard people call it, given that it apparently makes you inclined to kiss whenever you stand beneath it. They've been sprouting around the venue. Truly, we can't seem to get rid of them quickly enough.

[ kaveh hops down from midnight's hand. he holds out the mistletoe. ] Did you want to see, before I send it to where it belongs?

[unrequite]

[ Midnight takes the mistle-or-kissletoe toe from Kaveh's grasp, twirling it around in his fingers. Long leaves, white berries. Innocous. ]

It's infuriating, isn't it? When someone tells you to do something you'd already intended to do. I don't like that.

[ ... The little sprig begins to smoke in his fingertips, little tongues of white flame licking up its stem. Now that Kaveh's gotten his little Terran primer, courtesy of the city's media center, he now knows that when Midnight does this without the aid of an originium circuit, he is using his own body as a replacement, worsening his condition. Midnight doesn't much care, though. It's not that much fire, and the little eyesore offends him. ]

[fussiest]

[ smoke wafts. a thin wisp of it. it reminds kaveh a little of a single strand of spider's silk, one that stretches down from the light of an unforgiving moon. all of a sudden, kaveh is furious.

he reaches out to take the sprig from midnight's hand. kaveh has never feared the flame. no architect worth their salt would look into a forge and fear the tongue of it - but there are other things that kaveh fears. ]

I don't at all like being told what to do. But I dislike it even more, when you burn your life. [ kaveh shakes his head. ] I told myself I'd save anything I had to say to you until after the gala. I want us to have if not a good time, then at least a better time. Don't give me a reason to break that word.