I'm No Party-Throwing Expert But I Do Think This Is Gonna Be A Good One!

[summerdude]

The first day of summer dawns bright and warm, a steady breeze stirring through the trees. The day itself is a flurry of activity: Magnus and Tress meet up in the kitchen early in the morning to start throwing together refreshments for Galahad's party. They make three kinds of cookies, and also a tray of flat brownies — Magnus has it in his head that half of the cookies and all of the brownies should be turned into ice cream sandwiches and, accordingly, tracks down Susan (who seems to know everything about this place) to get her to produce a deep freezer for Legoland. (She has that look on her face like he smells bad the whole time, but when he mentions it's for the bachelorette, at least she seems slightly less cold and standoffish.)

While the baked goods cool, Magnus ransacks the pantry for chips and candy and stuff for sandwiches. He lets Tress handle ice cream selection; when they find boxes of Bagel Bites in the freezer, he cheers. Legoland definitely has a microwave; they plugged the freezer into the same outlet. (Is a bachelorette the same thing as a slumber party? Maybe!)

It's early evening by the time everything is done and set up, even with Alex and Tress's help. He decides that the substantial food and record player should both be reserved for Legoland, partly because it does have electricity. They lug a big old table up to the top of the tower for the taste tests, and then an easel with giant post-it notes for the 'naming Mansion constellations' portion of the evening, and then a bunch of the smaller easels, sketchpads, and a selection of different art supplies (markers, crayons, watercolors, pencils, acrylic paints) he and Sunny have been tracking down and hoarding, for the bestiality portion of the evening.

After sending Tress and Alex off so they can get ready, he sets up for the taste tests: bowls full of different candies (white rabbit, hopjes, strawberry-flavored fizzing warheads, Reeses's cluster bites, Haribo gummy goldbears, hundred grand bars, red vines, salmiak licorice, candied verdant vines (Tress made them), and nerd ropes), bowls full of chips (Takis in the flavors angry burger, blue heat, and dragon sweet chili; Lays in the flavors Wasabi Octopus, All Dressed, Cappuccino, White Rabbit Rich Toffee (to compare with the actual white rabbit candy), and Pimento Cheese), and several cloth bags covering different red-flavored sodas, with wine tasting note cards so people can try to guess which is Code Red, which is Big Red, which is Cheerwine, and (in a fond nod to Alex), which is Tizer. He completes the array with a stack of paper for general ranking notes for the candy and chips. (There are also a couple child-sized easels and ranking sheets, for Mothwing and Sunny, but Magnus did also bring regular water for her and Sunny, a fish supplied by Drosera for Mothwing, and some carrots and apple slices for Sunny. There is also an easel and notepad for Shen Yuan, even though he's just a ghost and probably can't manipulate it, but he knocked once for yes when Magnus asked his growing body if he was going to make it.)

Finally, after convincing Drosera that she should absolutely wear a cute little bolo tie and party hat for this, he darts into the mansion for a quick shower, a change into one of the outfits Galahad picked for him when they tried on clothes, and to collect the groom himself. He presents Galahad with a white sash embroidered in gold; it reads GROOM TO BE. There's also a little tiara that he found in their bedroom. He assumes it's a cheap gimmicky one, but it's actually filigree red and white gold with real sapphires, diamonds, and pearls — he just picked it because it's delicate and will blend in with Galahad's hair in a way that will let the sapphires really pop.


Stages of the night will be posted in parent comments; everyone is welcome to thread with whoever in response to those! Awkward social interactions between people who aren't necessarily friendly are encouraged.

Comments

Arrivals!

[summerdude]

When guests arrive, they will find Magnus and Galahad hanging out with Alex already in flamingo form. The first thirty minutes of the night will be unstructured; guests are welcome to mingle, engage in taste testing, and chat.

Re: Arrivals!

[onthewillowsthere]

Galahad is wearing his favorite overalls, and the earrings Claudius gave him for his birthday, along with the sash and tiara, and has added mascara to make his eyelashes longer and darker (it's his first time wearing makeup outside of his and Claudius' room). He is eating Angry Burger takis with the intensity and focus usually reserved for disarming explosives.

[lightbearinglord]

Lan Wangji is perfectly on time, just as he always is, and dressed in crisp white robes, also just as he always is. He makes his way to the top of the tower and surveys the production with some minor trepidation, which he stoically keeps invisible and to himself. He would not have dreamed of refusing the invitation; how could he? He bows respectfully to Alex in particular, and then proceeds to find himself a place on the outskirts. That said, he may also be found grimly and systematically eating exactly one of every food on offer, because he is the world's most indulgent father figure and teacher and can't refuse anything asked of him by Magnus or Galahad.

Re: Arrivals!

[mothwingofriverclan]

Mothwing's been warned about Alex, but it's still odd not to try and hunt a bird in their midst. She sits on the opposite side of the room, tail twitching, wondering what twolegs do at parties.

[sporesprouter]

Tress gets herself ready for the party fairly quickly once the preparations are ready and arrives, wearing a light blue dress. She greets those who arrived ahead of her, especially Galahad, and goes to start trying the food that she didn't have an active hand in creating.

Re: Arrivals!

[ninth_cavalier]

Tally had strong-armed (read: half-encouraged, half-bullied) Gideon into dressing up for this, so she's in an oversized shirt patterned with butterflies and the jawbones of some kind of creature, unbuttoned to her navel, over a black sports bra and nice black slacks, looser than her normal jeans.

When she sees either Magnus or Galahad or both, she will point to her shirt with both thumbs and go, "Look!! Bugs and bones!!"

[biteybaby]

Sunny is wearing a very fluffy dress with pink flowers and green leaves printed on it. There was a matching headband with big fabric flowers, but when Sunny tried it on she decided she didn't want it, so instead her hair is in two tiny little pigtails that stick straight out, tied back with small green bows. She has on pink shoes that squeak when she walks.

[untamedantinous]

Enjolras arrives shortly after Lan Wangji does, dressed in something very similar to this floral patterned waistcoat; his only concession to the party being a green frock coat instead of a black. He greets Alex, Magnus, and Galahad with a short nod, and lingers on the outskirts as well, observing the sodas and snacks with somewhat appalled curiosity.

Re: Arrivals!

[recognizance]

So... this is happening.

Despite the mansion's aversion to anything resembling modern technology, Murderbot was somehow expecting the threatened "invite" to show up in its feed or something, and not on a bright pink sheet of paper attached to its door. After careful examination, it brought the thing inside and laid it carefully on the table it mostly doesn't use, but did not check any checkboxes. (It isn't totally sure what RSVP stands for, and it knows better than to sign any contract it doesn't fully understand.)

When it went to change into fresh clothes, though, all of its go-to hooded jackets and multi-pocked pants were nowhere to be found. It spent several irritated minutes looking for them before it gave in to the inevitable.

So SecUnit turns up wearing a long-sleeved tee (the one reading "please don't make me do things" was a strong temptation, but Murderbot can be nice sometimes, okay?) and dark blue jeans with only a few pockets. It regards the taste-test table with misgiving -- Magnus mentioned astronomy and fauna but nothing about mandatory eating -- but manages to keep a straight face, and even to nod politely to the large pink creature that must be Magnus's romantic partner.

It can do this. Probably.

Re: Arrivals!

[timebethine]

Laertes arrives with a very small package in hand--at long last, he's finished the final details on the signet ring that Galahad means to give to Claudius, and now it lies nestled safely in a velvet-lined box. (There's a second ring, too, sized for Galahad's finger, that Laertes has labored over in secret; he hopes that the discovery of a second ring alongside the first will be a happy surprise.)

Re: Arrivals!

[thepurpledanger]

Gu Xiang arrives arrayed for war, her whip sword belted on and spare knives tucked into every conceivable belt and boot gap. "I'm ready for the kick-butt activities!!" she tells Magnus. "Whose butt am I kicking first?"

Bestiality time!

[summerdude]

Eventually, Magnus will shepherd everyone over to the easels. He'll press a kiss to Alex's feathery little flamingo head, and then announce that she's selected a few animal forms that they can draw -- he won't announce them up front, but as drawing and painting go on, it will become clear that the forms include, but aren't limited to, flamingo, hippo, unicorn, and giraffe -- and that if guests ask very nicely, she might try one or two additional forms after that.

He has some idea that bachelorette parties are supposed to involve specifically bringing up the groom as much as possible? But he knows Galahad would hate that. He's just trying to facilitate a bunch of activities Galahad loves with people he also loves. He does, as a nod to this being Galahad's night anyway, manage to refrain from mentioning just how great and cool Alex is every other word in his announcement of this first formal activity.

Re: Bestiality time!

[biteybaby]

Sunny has recently been told by many reputable sources that she can create Very Fine Drawings. She's also very fast compared to everyone else. She thinks that probably counts for something.

In the spirit of sharing art with the world, here are her masterpieces, a word which here means, "crayon scribbles".

Flamingo: Hippo:
Unicorn: Giraffe:

And, because this is Magnu's Galahad party, after all, she also takes the time to do a portrait of Galahad:

Re: Bestiality time!

[mothwingofriverclan]

Mothwing decides to try her best at drawing something, since she's been jealous of this twoleg ability for a while. She tries a crayon first, since it seems small and easy to hold in her teeth. Any ambitions of drawing Alex go down the river immediately, though, and she focuses on just trying to make straight lines.

[lightbearinglord]

Although Lan Wangji has had few occasions to practice his painting recently, he can easily imagine his uncle's disappointed face if he allowed the skill to waste away entirely. Back in the jingshi, he has an entire stack of his own childhood paintings, survivors of the burning of the Cloud Recesses, as proof of the effort he put into learning.

This painting is not quite the sort of painting he knows, but he anticipated that. He observes Alex at length each time, studying the overarching shapes and shades of each beast, and proceeds to do his best with the watercolors. He is used to using calligraphy ink¹, so instead he selects one color for each animal along with a store of black paint: a bright pink for the flamingo, a dark grey for the hippopotamus, smooth yellow for the giraffe, and so on. For the unicorn, he allows both pink and green. With intentional dilution of each color, it becomes possible to create a reasonable approximation of every creature, a collection of thoughtful, deliberately loose brushstrokes rather than an effort at strict realism. (Something like this or this as far as the general vibes.)

¹The kind of painting he knows how to do is shui mo/水墨/ink wash, which mostly uses different washes of black ink.

[onthewillowsthere]

The drawing portion helps settle Galahad a little -- he's beginning to be overwhelmed by all the people and all the talking, in the same way he was at Sagramore and Laertes' dance, where all the words stopped being words and just became incomprehensible sounds instead. Focusing on each of Alex's forms gives him a grounding point, and he works studiously at his drawings.

[quote_gentle_unquote]

Susan knows that drawing isn't Laertes's strongest suit; she herself avoids painting, lest she make a fool of herself. When Magnus's interesting girlfriend(?) starts shifting into different animals, rather than attempt to recreate them visually, Susan shall go to strike up a conversation - with Laertes and, perhaps, Galahad - about what she remembers about each offering from her ethology classes and broader readings.

Re: Bestiality time!

[sporesprouter]

Tress's artistic skills are pretty much limited to rough technical schematics, but she does give the different animal forms at least a go.

Animals, even ones that are Alex in animal form, do tend to move a bit more than inanimate objects, however, so it's somewhat tricky. At least she gets the vague shapes and colors right.

stars!

[summerdude]

The final activity for the tower proper is naming Mansion constellations. Conveniently, even though perhaps it might have been wiser to make this the last activity of the night, the sun has set remarkably early for the first night of summer. As such, it's dark enough to be able to see the bright ribbons and dots of stars in all their splendor.

Everyone will be able to use the telescope in turn, picking out clusters of stars and nominating names (and, maybe, explanations for why the name and combination of stars ought to be a constellation — this can involve making up a new mythology, if the attendees feel so inclined!), though of course using the naked eye is also an option. Ultimately, everyone present will vote on their favorite options. Surely there's no way for this to go wrong...

Re: stars!

[mothwingofriverclan]

After giving up on drawing, fairly pleased with her results, Mothwing pads back over to Magnus to ask him about constellations.

"Will you tell me a little about what the stars mean to twolegs?" she asks. "To clan cats, they're the spirits of our warrior ancestors, though I suspect that's not literally true. We don't name constellations, though, so if you could tell me what it means to name one, I'd appreciate it."

Re: stars!

[biteybaby]

Sunny is starting to get pretty tired by this point of the evening, but she does take a few minutes to look at some of the stars through the telescope. She can't think of any good names though so she decides to let everyone else handle that business.

[lightbearinglord]

Initially, Lan Wangji is silently occupied by wonder as he looks through the telescope. For every time that he has slept or walked or night-hunted beneath the stars, he has never seen them this jewel-bright and this close. He lingers as long as he feels is appropriate, trying not to take up such a quantity of time that it becomes rude.

He is, however, stymied by the naming portion of events. Naming the constellations as he understands the task would constitute dividing the entirety of their new sky into symbols, but that would require a consensus amongst the partygoers that he doubts is possible. He waits to see if Magnus will have a free moment to enlighten him.

[quote_gentle_unquote]

This activity strikes an odd, pangy sort of chord. Oh, Susan is participating, and heartily, but it brings to mind lying in the open-air ruins of an ancient Cair Paravel, curled around Lucy in the dark of the night, picking out all the old constellations they recalled from their time ruling Narnia as the boys slept on the other side of the campfire. Half the Narnian constellations had been taught to them - by Mr Tumnus and Mrs Beaver and King Frank and even Rumblebuffin the friendly Giant, along with so many others. The other half, she and Lucy and Peter had named whilst adventuring through Narnia, before Edmund had been restored to them, as a way to soothe themselves from the dangers of the waning winter and the lingering grasp of the White Witch, trying to find familiar patterns and making up fresh stories when they couldn't.

In fact, in the first moment that Susan looks through the telescope, she seeks Alambil and Tarva - and even Coriakin and Ramandu, even though she's got the vaguest memory of Edmund and Lucy discussing (during the time that Susan rejected Narnia) that they were sent from the heavens after the Pevensie's reign. Of course, Alambil and Tarva are not there. Still, for a split second, she looks to Lucy to reminisce... but sees only Sunny, nodding off next to SecUnit. And instead of Edmund, of course, there's Galahad. She thinks to exchange a look with Laertes - surely he might understand the sudden, wild strike of this nameless feeling; he understand what it means to desperately miss a little sibling - but he's got Enjolras at his side, and she'd rather not deal with that.

So instead she presses her lips together, quiet, and wanders off to a window-notch so that she might stare into the dark expanse of trees instead of the bright spread of stars, and lets the fragrant fresh air blowing through ground her. She's glad to be around people right now, but feels sharply fragile, and will startle if anyone speaks to her.

Re: stars!

[sporesprouter]

Very early on, Tress spent a few weeks doing star charts for Janet, so she's not exactly unused to the night sky here, barring, of course, the shifting of stars over the seasons.

She only requests one constellation, though, and she picks out a relatively small grouping for it. And even if nobody ends up agreeing with it, she'll probably still think of it as the Rat, anyway.

legos!

[summerdude]

In the final segment of the evening, once everyone is sick of stars, it'll be time for everyone to make their way to the basement and, subsequently, Legoland. There's stations for all attendees — though, by this point, it's after Sunny's bedtime, and so Alex is going to turn into an enormous stork and carry her to Sagramore's cottage while everyone else starts making their way to the Mansion.

In addition to the earlier preparations (moving the freezer and the like), a bunch of Lego sets have been laid out so people can choose a specific project; there are also several bins full of assorted bricks for people who prefer to create organically. The rest of Legoland has been decorated with streamers and balloons; the freezer is clearly labeled, and when they get there, Magnus will start making bagel bites.

This is a great time for people to chat, eat the pastries and ice cream sandwiches Tress made, and build!

Re: legos!

[mothwingofriverclan]

This is maybe one of the more confusing places Mothwing's ever seen. Everything is made of smooth twoleg material, and looks like mouse-sized versions of real things. With a start, Mothwing recognizes a box with a picture of a clearing with a large stone in the middle, and four old oak trees at each corner. It's Fourtrees in miniature. It even has small versions of Blackstar, Leopardstar, Firestar and Tallstar sitting on top of the Great Rock. She sniffs it, hackles raised, wondering how it got here.