happy new year! (party edition)

[unrequite]

WHO: Anyone who saw Midnight's network post about Seventh Hell's grand opening!
WHAT: Happy New Year! We survived! (At what cost!?)
WHERE: Seventh Hell
WHEN: New Year's Eve, starting at 6 pm.
WARNINGS: Alcohol! Maybe more, please mind individual thread warnings!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

SEVENTH HELL WELCOMES YOU!

It's been a rough half a year. Kidnappings, atmospheric horror, murder (technically), aesthetics, disappearances, reappearances, and the creeping sensation that you aren't alone...

Hey, at least there's drinks.

When you descend the stairs to the underground club, there's music playing, the lights are low, but boy, are there a lot of them. The bartender welcomes you in. Order something, make yourself comfortable! The booths along the mirrored walls, lined with chandeliers and discoballs, are decorated with a sprinkle of shining confetti and host a variety of simple party snacks. (In fact, if your character arrived with some food to share, a bartender will guide you to the tables to help you set it up. They'll get you a drink for your trouble. How thoughtful of them!)

Grab a snack and a drink! It's no planetarium, but there's a variety of party activities to engage in. (Or make up your own! Seriously, this is a pretty casual affair.)

Every guest will receive one ticket for a raffle. There will be three winners, and each winner can choose one out of 3 prizes:

1) One date with one participating host club staff member. (If your character is a current host club staff member who would volunteer for a blind date, please PM me so I can add their name to the list.) Current list of participants: Midnight, Don Quixote, Astarion, Armand
2) One specialty drink named in the winner's honor.
3) One 12 in x 12 in square on one of the mirrors of the Host Club to leave a permanent mark! The winner will be invited back at any time to take paint markers, paint, permanent markers, etc, to leave a short message, work of art, or anything that can fit in a square foot of mirror space in a discreet, aesthetically pleasing area of the host club. (Kaveh chooses where.)

Winners may choose prizes previously chosen by other winners. Winners may forfeit for others to have a chance at a prize, but may not give away their prize to someone else specifically. In the case that one chooses the third prize but lacks the requisite skill or confidence to create a permanent fixture, one can outsource the space to a willing artist or writer within reason.

!

OOC: RAFFLE DETAILS

I will be rolling the results of this raffle on January 2nd, before the start of Alba's player plot! Don't worry about keeping up with the results, I'll PM winners individually. The only requirement for entry is to participate in one thread on this post! If your character would forfeit their prize, please let me know via PM so I can remove their name from the pool! EDIT: All prizes have been claimed! Congratulations to Hob, Yi Sang, and Altria! 🎉

MAIN SEATING (PARTY GAMES)

The back booths of the establishment, along with the standard decorations, have been supplied with small cards. The rules of two different party games are written on each:

NEVER HAVE I EVER

A getting to know you game! For groups of 5 or fewer players, begin with 5 points. For any more than that, it is suggested to start with 10. The goal of the game is to be the last person with points remaining.
1) Everyone in the game starts with five points each. Keep track of your points with your fingers!
2) The first player describes a short scenario that they have never experienced.
3) The other players must put a finger down if they have experienced said scenario. If they, too, have never experienced the scenario, their points remain unaffected.
4) Move onto the next player and repeat steps 2 through 4. The last person with points remaining wins!
5) BONUS: Drinks may be substituted for points. Simply take a drink when you have experienced the scenario! (Please drink responsibly!)

KING'S GAME

This game requires straws, chopsticks or a deck of cards. Please ask a bartender for supplies!
1) For the amount of players in the game, arrange the same amount of straws or chopsticks. For the card version, please use one suit.
2) Assign one chopstick/straw as the "king". For the card version, use one King of your chosen suit. The rest of the cards, chopsticks, or straws should be numbered from 2 to 10 (or however players choose to play.)
3) All players choose a game marker at random. Do not show the other players your number.
4) The King must first reveal themselves. For that round, they must issue a dare to up to two numbered participants. (e.g. Numbers 2 and 5 must end their sentences with "meow" for the next two rounds. The King can choose themselves as one of the participants.)
5) Shuffle the game markers, choose a new King, and repeat!
6) For a challenge, add points for completed dares and drawing the King! The first player to 10 points wins the game. For this mode, it is suggested to add a punishment of a drink for anyone who refuses their dares.

(Please drink responsibly! For the sake of tonight's festivities, we ask that all time based dares end before midnight.)

!

OOC: THREAD SUGGESTIONS

For the purpose of these prompts, feel free to handwave other participants, or to use these prompts as jumping off points for any specific threads you want! For example, one might like to use the King's Game to get into a scenario where one's character has to hold hands with another character for a few minutes for a dare. Please be creative!

THE STAGE (PERFORMANCES)

Eddie Munson (thefreak) will be headlining, with Midnight as backup whenever he can wiggle free from his bartending duties. In between sets, anyone is free to pick up an instrument and a microphone and try their hand at ringing in the new year with a bit of song.

THE BACK ROOMS (NO, NOT LIKE THAT)

There are currently three rooms available for formal guest activities! The rest of the rooms are locked and will require permission for entry. (They're all empty!)

THE GREENHOUSE (featured host: Fearne)

You were... You were underground just a second ago, right? Pull up a seat, settle in, and enjoy being surrounded by plants, a mildly hydrated atmosphere, and light, friendly conversation between fellow guests. There are no activities here, but it does seem like people are free to start up their own round of party games in this somewhat quieter environment... It would be a nice place for a game where one might want to be heard over all that music. (Suggested games: Word Association, 2 Truths and a Lie, 20 Questions.)

THE COFFEE SHOP (featured host: Chesed)

For anyone who needs caffeination to start their new year right. Featuring nondescript coffee shop music, a mildly chill vibe, and comfortable seating, come grab an espresso and pretend you have some important project to deliver by some very specific deadline next year. For this occasion, board games and cards are available for those who want a little more involved with their gaming experience for the new year. (Suggested games: Poker, Uno, Jenga.)

THE PET STATION

Congrats, you printed yourself a dog! Or a cat! Or something! For the purposes of showing off one's pet and getting them some proper socialization, for one night only, there is a pet area monitored closely by one of the club's staff members where one can drop off their furry friend. Get that pet socialized! Get yourself socialized! Please, make a friend before the year ends. It's good for you.

code

[ ooc: If any part of this post is in error, PLEASE do let me know! I made this in like two days in between work and I barely know left from right. Also, host club members especially are encouraged to PM me with any details or updates about this event they'd like for me to add. Thank you, and please enjoy your IRL new year! ]

Comments

wildcard. i almost made it in time but then i decided to rewrite. it's ok. it's fine.

[reflexio]

[ Midnight's speech is both inspiring and ominous. To push towards brighter and more glorious things in spite of the increasingly concerning aspects of The City...

But that's why it's called an aspiration, isn't it?

He's had a bit of a drink, clearly evident from the blooming flush in his cheeks. There's still half of his wine settled within his glass. As Midnight's speech draws to a close, he lifts that very glass in a toast to the new year.

"Do grab someone to kiss," says Midnight, which nearly has Yi Sang's glass slipping from his fingers. There'd been that night at the gala, but surely that had only been a one-time occurrence? Perhaps an additional exception could be made, given that it is simply another appropriate time and place for one.

And though Yi Sang leans a bit against Hong Lu at his side, instead of pulling him in for a midnight kiss, asks: ]

...has your visit to this establishment been informative?

[yyds]

[ hong lu looks down. his head had been tipped up, not for anything to see in the sky, but for the pure sake of thought. aspirations have always been interesting to hong lu, who can't remember ever having an aspiration of his own. at the estate, aspirations have always seemed like things for other people. they also never really went anywhere. for everyone minute that his relatives were to plot another stabbing or two in order to get up the family pecking order is another where the hand of order came down from on-high from his grandmother to keep them down. it didn't seem to matter very much what people wanted, so why were aspirations necessary?

yi sang looks to hong lu. hong lu looks back. 'grab someone to kiss', midnight had said, and hong lu had laughed a little at that before it really sank in, what that had meant. ]

It has. [ hong lu says, and smiles. ] I've learned a lot about host clubs and what you can or can't do in them. The games have been fun as well. It'll be nice if we can play these games outside the club as well.

[ hong lu lifts his drink. he is on his eighth, and he hasn't felt much more than the world being just a little brighter. ] What about you? Did you learn a lot too, Yi Sang?

[reflexio]

[ In Yi Sang's opinion, firsthand experience is generally the best teacher. Hong Lu is like a sponge, eagerly absorbing anything new. As such, he's not surprised at all to hear his company has thoroughly enjoyed his time tonight. ]

We may. The games are appropriate for play outside the club.

[ He gazes down, pensive, into the dark red wine swirling in his glass. Yi Sang hasn't been keeping count of how many drinks Hong Lu's had thus far. As it stands, arithmetic might already be beyond his abilities tonight. ]

I have. It was enlightening.

[ After all, he'd never been to a host club before. He'd walked past similar establishments in the City, though he'd never thought to set foot in one. He'd never thought to set foot into anything back then outside of that little workshop. ]

...I was not aware that others also celebrated the coming of a new year. Perhaps there is not much difference between our former City and others' worlds.

[yyds]

[ it really would be fun, hong lu thinks, to play some of these outside the club. he wonders if more sinners with arrive, and if there will be an opportunity to teach them how to play these as well. hong lu's never really taught anyone before. he wonders what it would feel like, or if he would be any good at it.

yi sang is a good teacher. he is looking into the red swirl of his glass as if it holds the key to the world's mysteries. perhaps it does - there must be a reason, after all, that everyone drinks so much of this stuff. hong lu drains his glass, and then goes for another, because he hasn't felt much of a difference in himself yet, but if he drinks enough, perhaps he will. ]

Maybe this is just something that people do? In every world, they must be able to see a beginning of an end - and people must just like celebrating the beginning and the ending of things. [ hong lu considers this for a moment, then looks to yi sang. in the murky bar light, yi sang is a bright, pale silhouette. ] There is a pretty major difference, though. I haven't seen you enjoy yourself this much back in our City. But here, you seem happier.