[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

[perfectdevil]

[ He nods at her question, pleased by both the fact that he doesn’t have to explain what a vampire is to her and also by the fact that she doesn’t seem even the slightest bit afraid of what he is. That makes everything a whole lot easier. ]

Yes, exactly. I drink human blood for sustenance. So when I say that I ‘changed’ and ‘became what I am’, that’s what I’m referring to. I went from the penniless son of a Marquis who ran away to become an actor, to a creature of the night who could no longer walk on the stage he once loved so dearly, but could certainly buy it with a few of the jewels he had stored away in a chest in his tower.

[ It all sounds like a fairytale when he says it like that, though he isn’t sure if he’d be the hero or the villain of that particular tale. ]

Does that sate your curiosity, chérie? Or is there more you’d like to know?

[ He’s feeling surprisingly honest tonight, so this is as good an opportunity as any. ]

[excaliburden]

[She thinks, in a sense, it must be a little different from Faerie Britain. It is true that vampires drink human blood, but there is no being changed into one. They are simply malignant faeries who live an existence such as that.

But then--before that, he was... human, maybe?

It's true that that explains some of it, though--the way he puts it means she's still so curious, in ways she cannot help.]

I think I understand...

[But, well... "who could no longer walk on the stage"...]

But... mm. [Is there a good way to ask this? Maybe not.]

Is it lonely?

[perfectdevil]

[ When she asks him that, his unfazed and unflappable demeanour drops into something so much more real than it has ever been with her thus far. He looks, for a moment, less like a stunning vampire with mysteries and secrets to eke out in drips here and there to inspire curiosity, and instead more like a human man caught off guard with his tender and easily broken heart so vulnerably on his sleeve. ]

… It can be. Very lonely indeed.

[ He had been lonely for a long time, and he’s sure that he isn’t free of that feeling for the rest of his days, but it is much easier now. Even in this place, he’s found a way to soothe it. ]

But you already know I have someone to spend my long life with, as I told you on the network, isn’t that right? He is of my kind, and despite all our differences, we have reached a form of mutual understanding together.

[ He gets a soft look in his eyes, which always tends to happen when talking about Louis. ]

So, I no longer feel as lonely as I once did.

[excaliburden]

[Oh. So that's how it is. He found someone--someone who can understand him, someone who he can share the whole of himself with. He found someone to ease that loneliness.

(That's so... lovely, she can't help but think. How lovely, how romantic.)

And how honest, his expression is now, achingly so.]

I see... so that's how it is.

[Being a vampire is lonely, but--with the right company, with the right companions, that pain can be eased.]

I'm so happy for you! And for him! I'm so glad that you two found each other.

[Because surely, it has enriched his companion's life just as much.]

And I hope... you don't have to feel lonely for a long, long time in the future.

[perfectdevil]

[ What a considerate little thing she is, he thinks to himself, as he watches her sparkling eyes study him and seem to take on his story right to heart. Humans - or, at least, creatures that appear human, since you really never can be sure in this place - never cease to fascinate him with just how easily they can feel empathy. ]

Thank you, chérie. I hope the same, though I’m sure it will be an easy feat. It’s difficult to feel lonely in a place like this with so many people to keep me entertained, isn’t that right?

[ Welllll, the place he comes from is much more densely populated than this one, so he’s being a little bit romantic saying that, but… at least here he isn’t so overwhelmed with thoughts that some inhabitants go under his radar; here he has enough time and opportunity to get to know all of them very well. ]

But, I’ve talked your ear off enough about me. Won’t you tell me what kind of place you come from in return?

[excaliburden]

[She supposes it's true that there are plenty of people here who seem much more invested and interested in the people around them. It is unusual, and strange, but not in a bad way.

Perhaps he's right.

Maybe it's harder to feel lonely in a place like this.]

Oh--no, you weren't talking my ear off at all! I was really enjoying learning about you!

[... That probably won't get her off the hook, though, she's aware. So,]

Um, I'm from Faerie Britain though. I think if you're from France, you must be from Proper Human History instead, right?

[perfectdevil]

[ He blinks a little at that. Hearing about fairies and the like is still a little surprising despite the fact that this is not the first he’s heard of their existence in this place, but it certainly is the first time he’s heard of the concept of fairies having their own countries. ]

Human history, yes, I believe so.

[ He replies with a little perplexed smile because, well, he’s never thought of his history as human history in particular, but it makes sense compared to her more magical based one, surely.]

I must confess that I have only read of fairies and the like in stories for children, and in a few plays here and there. There are varying reports on their nature in each, though I have never heard of any entire country inhabited by fae folk. Is your world the same as mine, only magical?

[excaliburden]

[Hmmm... It's a good question, really. A broad one, which gives her a lot of wiggle room. But this man has been so honest and open with her, so the last thing she wants to do is be too cagey, even if talking about where she comes from is rather uncomfortable in a place like this.

So considers the question for a moment too long, and her smile is a little too distant.]

Hmm... well! It's probably pretty different, to be honest. But it's hard to say without seeing your world for myself...

Faeries don't really need the same things that humans do, you see. Like...

[What's a good example... Oh!]

Oh, for example, there aren't any gods or anything in Faerie Britain. I learned about that sort of concept very recently.

[perfectdevil]

[ He picks up on the way her smile looks considerably less easy as he asks his question, but he isn’t observant nor empathetic enough to estimate the reason why it might have changed so. He supposes she could be unhappy with the world she comes from – uncomfortable with her place in it, perhaps, or struggling to find her way? It’s not an impossible concept, even if it is a little difficult to imagine such a dreary world view afflicting this chipper thing. He wonders, then, why she hadn’t just lied about it. He wouldn’t know any better unless he dipped into her thoughts, after all. Unless she’s incapable of lying or something terrible like that. What a curse that would be. ]

Ah, I see.

[ Apparently it’s his turn to let his smile go a little rigid in response. He and God have never really been on the best of terms, and he has half a mind to tell her that Gods probably don’t exist in any world— but he knows better than to start that kind of miserable argument at parties. ]

I meant more in the way of… well, you said you have a version of France, non? Do you have other places? Germany, Spain? America?

[excaliburden]

[Aaaa, well... She was trying to duck that part of it in particular, but she supposes there's no real reason to be cagey. It's just weird. She's realized over her time here, and her time with Fujimaru that it's weird.

But she supposes that's part of what makes it what it is.]

Mm... no, we don't have any country other than Faerie Britain. Outside of Britain is just a vast, vast ocean.

I've heard of France before! From someone from Proper Human History. But there isn't any France where I come from.

So it's really exciting to hear about other countries and things!

[perfectdevil]

[ He nods in recognition, though the concept of an isle as small as Britain being lost in the midst of an expansive ocean is quite the alarming thought. He’s never had much love for the place, save for the musicians it produces… and the accent. He quite likes the accent. ]

I see, I supposed I just assumed you must have some other culture to your world… How tragic that there is no Faerie New Orleans for you to have visited.

[ Tragic indeed. He sighs a little, as though mourning her lost opportunity. ]

Are you a fairy then, madame?

[excaliburden]

[New Orleans... is that in Proper Human History France?]

I am! It is mostly faeries in Faerie Britain, of course, though there are humans as well.