( OPEN ) it's party season 🎉

[transmit]

WHO: Anyone and everyone.
WHAT: Rodion's (axethrows) belated birthday party.
WHERE: One of the larger karaoke bars around Neo Tokyo.
WHEN: December 1st.
WARNINGS: Alcohol… Please mark your own content accordingly!


On November 29th, Outsiders will receive the following text:

「 < FROM @ HOTTIE >

Hey there! You're officially invited to celebrate the lovely Miss Rodion's birthday. Whether you're a close friend or just looking for a reason to party, (I'm looking at you, recently cured vampire friends!) you're welcome to join in with her blessing — so long as you bring in the good vibes.

Alcohol and finger foods will be provided, but feel free to bring something extra along if you'd like! No one has ever said no to more options.

Join us on December 1st at Sakura Serenade, starting officially at 8 PM. The venue is ours for the night, and there's no need to RVSP! See you there. ✨ 」

Reiterating that characters do not need to know the birthday girl herself and that this is just a casual party mingle for all those interested.

As for arrangements that have been made for the party specifically, with party games listed in the comments:

01. VENUE
Fitting its title as the largest karaoke venue on the block, Sakura Serenade offers a spacious, vibrant setting perfect for large gatherings. Dazzling with customisable LED lighting and cutting-edge projection technology, they work in tandem to sync with music to create a dynamic and immersive atmosphere.

Seating is luxurious, with plush wraparound couches providing ample space for everyone to lounge comfortably. A central open floor invites guests to dance, while barstools and cocktail tables along the perimeter offer spots for mingling and conversation.

The song library is seemingly infinite, featuring tracks from every genre imaginable with subtitles in countless languages. Have a song that "doesn't exist"? No problem. Guests can upload their custom tracks directly via their implants, ensuring no melody is left unheard.

For those seeking a quieter retreat, Sakura Serenade also features smaller, private rooms equipped with their own karaoke machines, ideal for more intimate and reflective moments as the night winds down.

02. "CHAMPAGNE" TOWER
Upon entering the venue, guests are greeted by an impressive "champagne" tower, sparkling under the glow of ambient lighting. A neatly designed placard stands prominently at the base, declaring in bold letters: "Take one!", with a smaller, playful note beneath: "Or as many as you'd like."

What sets these glasses apart from the usual drinks served at the bar is their origin. The "champagne" is actually a special regain from Yuwon's (yuwon) world, perfect for guests who typically can't get intoxicated by regular alcohol or those with an uncanny tolerance. Have fun!

03. THE GREAT WALL OF POCKY
As per the birthday girl's request (well, not quite, but a certain someone has chosen to interpret it this way), nearly every flavour of Pocky imaginable has been gathered here today, all neatly arranged in rows and columns on a table at the side.

Yes, they're from the batch you're thinking about. Whether your character has caught on to their effects by now or prefers to believe they're from a fixed batch, that's entirely up to you to decide. But what better time to partake in a round of a Pocky game or two? The robot staff seem to support it as one of the host-sanctioned activities, and will even offer an explanation on how to play.

04. AFTERMATH
Guests have the freedom to decide how they'd like to end their evening, whether that means stretching out on the floor for a spontaneous slumber party or taking advantage of the venue's connections with nearby hotels. The options range from luxurious accommodations to more colourful establishments, catering to a variety of budgets.

The night is yours to enjoy, and the journey home can be as adventurous as the party itself! With all the seasonal decorations now beautifully illuminated, there's plenty to marvel at along the way.

( much thanks to abbie, bijou, and chrissy for ideas !! )

Comments

GIFT CORNER

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( it isn't necessary, but for all those who have brought a gift large or small for the birthday girl can drop it off here!! )

ISHMAEL COURIER SERVICE

[transmit]

[ It's a lovely Sunday. Moonlight streams through frosted windows, casting the base in silvery hues. Its glow is soft yet unyielding, a stark contrast to the biting winter chill that lingers in the air. The world is hushed, and yet… there's a subtle tension in the air, an almost imperceptible hum wrapped in the kind of eerie stillness that so often heralds a storm.


It's precisely because it's a lovely Sunday that Ishmael will find herself in a surreal predicament when she rounds a corner: ambushed, a giant burlap sack shoved over her head with startling precision. ]

Aaaaalley-oop!

[ And, promptly—flung over one (1) Elysium's shoulder. Hi! ]

girl help

[wheft]

[ ftr, she was aware that it's rodya's birthday. and she did kind of decide that she will finally apologize either today or tomorrow -- only for a sack to be thrown over her head and being lifted up into the air and onto the shoulder of someone who sounded very familiar... ]

Eh? What the -- What's going on?! Elysium?? Where are you taking me?! What the fuck!!

[ yeah she's going to protest all the way, her feet just wiggling comically the entire time. no seriously, answer her!!! ]

ACTUAL GIFT!!

[transmit]

( The gift of friendship may be the greatest gift of them all, but he isn't about to skimp out on a physical gift, either. In a neatly decorated gift basket sits several canisters of the whisky Pocky they'd talked about, as well as a bottle of actual whisky.

An enclosed note reads:

"Happy belated birthday, Miss Rodya! I hope this marks the first of many celebrations spent with your friends and loved ones. These biscuits are 100% safe for consumption without any surprise secondary effects; yours truly has ascertained it. ☆

All the best!

- E. 🐦" )

delivery - nsfw cake

[zororo]

[ a hassled and harrowed looking delivery guy plops into the venue, claiming he has a cake to deliver, and nobody says no to cake, right?

that the cake is not for the birthday girl doesn't seem to bother anyone.

a sense of accomplishment fills the swordsman when the delivery is accepted - his first uncomplicated delivery since he's started this job assignment! ]

[peoplewatch]

Zoro? Oh, thank you, I'll bring the cake to the birthday girl --

[ Honestly, Kabru is surprised Zoro somehow managed to find his way here at all. Should someone with such an awful sense of direction really be doing courier work?

Out of curiousity, he opens the box, within seconds he's grabbing the other man's wrist before they can leave. ]

Now hold on a minute!

[hitokiller]

( he actually brought something, surprisingly.

a little something, but it still counts. even izou felt a need to heed to certain etiquette, and this was more his style as a "guest" than overt gift-giving for no real particular reason.

he unceremoniously places a small, leather pouch with hand-carved ojime charms attached upon the table when entering, hands stuffed into his pockets afterwards. a nice little something he'd picked up at a second-hand shop specializing in "forgotten" trinkets and merchandise, the perfect place to keep a couple die. )

PARTY GAMES

[transmit]

( self-explanatory! feel free to add your own. be sloshed or bust (no) )

TRUTH OR DARE

[transmit]

[hitokiller]

( it should come as no surprise to see izou flushed, his eyes fluttering open-and-closed like an old-fashioned shuttering camera on the occasion.

when he finally manages to pay attention to the game they're playing, a shiver runs up his spine at the name. a CERTAIN WOMAN who SHALL NOT BE NAMED obliterated him last time. flat-out. no holding back.

so, this time... yeah. he'll just. izou licks his lips. )

T... Truth.

[immortalpoet]

[Vergilius is NOT sloshed. He IS a grumpy party-goer even if he knows the party girl, but here he is, trying to....participate?]

Ugh.

[Okay, he's very bad at participating, given that he's sitting here with eyes faintly glowing like he's a disgruntled demon being brought out from under a child's bed to play games. He's staring down at his glass, before heaving a sigh.]

.......Ask. Sure. Whatever.

[transmit]

[ It should come as no surprise, given the trail of empty glasses Elysium has left in his wake and the cloying scent of alcohol woven into his clothes, to find him flushed and radiating the telltale warmth of indulgence. Yet, despite the clear signs of his revelry, he's remarkably steady on his feet, a testament either to practice or sheer force of will.

Eventually zeroing in on what will likely be just the first of several targets: ]

——You!

[ Exclaiming aloud with a jab of his finger, a fleeting warning before he strides forward with all the confidence of a man whose antics are partly fueled by liquid courage. With an attempt to throw an arm around your character's shoulders to pull them close in a gesture that's equal parts camaraderie and mischievous intent: ]

Truth or dare, my friend?

[followyourstar]

[They have a feeling they're going to regret this (no disguise is ever going to give them the ability to imbibe any form of liquid courage) but...]

...Okay, I'll bite.

[Just try and leave them with a little dignity by the end.]

[wheft]

[ after metaphorically kicking elysium's ass and clumsily apologizing to rodion, ishmael is finally letting herself relax....... with a bottle of webtoon alcohol in hand. because of course. ]

I should be fine with most truths, but for dares... [ shrug ] We'll see.

FONDUE BAR

[axethrows]

welcome to the fondue bar

[While it may be her birthday party and Elysium was in charge of most things, she had a few ideas of her own that she put into action before the party start time. Can't have a Rodion party without her own extra touch after all and since she's a resident food enjoyer, of course this little idea is food related.

Nearby the infamous pocky table will be another table where there will be a few fondue machines set up along with various treats meant for dipping. Thanks to work in food business, she got a connection that let her rent these machines for the evening. A rough written yet legible sign will be placed on the table:

"Help yourselves! Goodie bags are available so you can take some treats home with you!"

There are three flavors available for dipping: dark chocolate, strawberry, and green tea cream and the snacks include pretzels, plain pocky sticks, and common fruit. Anyone can dip anything else in if guests brought their own food. Unlike some of the boxed pocky, there is no worry for any strange side effects here. There are also sprinkles, salt, and little bottles of chocolate and caramel sauces provided for those that want to enhanced their treats to another level. Like the sign said, treat bags and ties are available for any take-home treats or even possible gifts. To cool down and solidify the coating around your dipped treats for packaging or preference, there is one of the robot staff stationed at the table to help thanks to it's built in cooling features. It will also provide other types of assistance such as recommendations and watching over the table so nothing shady occurs while the birthday girl is occupied. This robot will also hold on and guard your bagged treats for you in case you make a snack yet want to save it for later.

There is not much rules or limits here with this table, but given that Rodion is renting these machines, anyone who tries anything shady such as tampering with the machines or food will meet her wrath. The robot staff will alert her if it catches you acting strange around it's station. Any leftovers or abandoned treats will be eaten/saved by Rodion, but some will also be donated to the orphanage to give the children a treat in these colder yet festive times.

Make something for yourself or your friends, create some good treats with a partner, and have a good time among the party. Try not to have a sugar crash! You are free to either tag this top level or include this prompt in your top levels.]

[axethrows]

venue

[Dressed in something extra nice yet not restricting along with her hair tied up with a butterfly hairclip (thank you kabru), the "birthday" girl is overall very pleased with how Elysium set everything up. Rodion is never in one place for long as she is alternating between making sure everyone is having a good time, making conversations, eating and drinking... There may be times where she does wander off to a private room to recover her social battery some, but since this is a party all about herself, she is absolutely doing her best to enjoy herself and keep a good vibe going. If someone ruins that, well... She will deal with it. One way or another. For now, her wish on finally having an enjoyable birthday has been granted. She is happy with that wish becoming true among her list of desires.

For now, she will continue her wandering, greeting, and checking in with all the guests. It's not hard to wave her over or approach her if she missed you, but trying to be a wallflower will simply not do here!]

Hey! Having fun or do you want me to fix that for ya?

[It's an offer if you need some help deciding what to do around here since there is a bit of a lot going on right now.]

wildcard

[Lazy starter for the chill season... You can honestly find her doing various activities from the eating to figuring out what/if she is going to sing in front of everyone and even to playing one of the various party games. Feel free to message me to plot and I can even write a custom starter for you if you want!]

[followyourstar]

[And if anyone's going to be a wallflower, it's Dante.]

O-Oh, I'm fine! No need to worry about me. Isn't this party supposed to be about you?

[And they aren't lying! They may have no idea what to do with themselves at a party, but seeing everyone enjoy themselves puts them at ease too.

They sure did put their PDA away pretty quickly the moment she approached them, though.]

Happy Birthday, by the way.

[axethrows]

Yeah, but if someone ain't having a good time, it could get cold and kill the whole vibe if their mood doesn't improve~

[Which is pretty fair all things considered. It's easier to kick people out if they are ruining the positive air, but Dante has immunity from that plus since they lost their memories, a party can help experience what was lost once again.

The smile on her became a little brighter from Dante's words.]

Thanks~ Gotta catch up on all the celebrations I never had. [anyways!] Come on, Dante~ Play some games or sing a song for everyone. It's all about having a fun time in moments like these!

[likemybooks]

[Taryon can't say that he's a close friend of Rodya, but he's member of Team Redemption and he would like a reason to party, so he has arrived regardless. As a present, he's brought a small metal sculpture approximating a tree, welded together from scrap. He's enchanted it to glow faintly for a minute after being touched, though he doesn't anticipate that it will last indefinitely.

Not really knowing her (though he wonders if he would recall more if he hadn't died), this is the best present he can offer in exchange for joining the celebration.

He smiles and raises his drink when the special girl of the day approaches.] Good evening. [And looks away, hopeful that reintegrating with the Outsiders will go smoothly.]

[axethrows]

[A present wasn't required to join in, but every gift is still cherished by her and nobody will understand how much she treasures every gift. Especially now because she is not in a position to pawn off valuables or something with decent worth to get a bite to eat for the day. It wasn't a great feeling, but she still had to do it to keep going.

She's surprised to see Taryon here, but her smile doesn't slack off on his presence. Sure they weren't close in any form, but a teammate is still a teammate. Hearing the news of his passing from March still put a jab in her heart because it's one less familiar face around these parts. Now... Guess it's kinda like a fresh start so-]

Evening, Taryon. [That look away won't slow her down from talking with him a little bit.] Thanks for coming and that little metal tree was from you, right? I really like it! Thank you.

[She saw it on the table in passing and it really looked like something the man could have made. Even if her knowledge about him is limited, she has a good feeling it was from him.]

[ignoreher]

[ girl............ ur bobbles, ]

Happy birthday, Rodya! You're look so gorgeous... And that depends, do you wanna recommend me some flavor pairs? I was thinking of combining all the ingredients and then dipping it into one of the pots...

[ that is. ahem. she's making something of a delicate kebab with the pocky stick, some strawberries, and the pretzels. all that's left is to decide which of the three, and then maybe the little toppings... ]

wildcard-ish

[wheft]

[ ftr, she still wants to wring elysium's neck for bringing her here like this. he'd certainly made quite a scene by bringing a disgruntled ex-sailor in a fucking sack, but that's not important right now.

ishmael lets her eyes adjust to the light as she gathers her bearings, scanning the room until she finds the birthday girl. ]

R-Rodya...

[ she stumbles off the table, practically rolling on the ground and getting up on her feet before walking towards her, catching her breath. ]

I'll get to the point. I'm sorry. For everything.

[peoplewatch]

[ Kabru has been enjoying the festivities for the most part. He's a little less chipper or energetic as when she last saw him. A few weeks back, he got into an argument with someone he cares about and was told not to speak to them. As someone who doesn't find it easy to completely disregard the opinions of others, it's something he's still mulling over to this day, but he tries not to let his inner feelings show. That would completely ruin the vibe of the party, and he doesn't want that at all. The focus of today is on Rodya, and he intends to keep it that way. As another person takes the stage at the front of the bar, Kabru grabs a seat beside her and offers her a drink. ]

I'm glad you decided to have that party after all.

[penaltypoints]

[ As Rodion makes her rounds, Yesod greets her with a nod. They may not be close, but their interactions here and there have been civil, and he imagines that Rodion and Elysium extended their invitation to all Outsiders for a reason. While he remains poorly suited to this sort of gathering, he will make an effort to participate where he can. ]

Good evening. I'd like to wish you a happy birthday.

belated gift thread!!

[yuwon]

[ sometime in the night when the timing is right, yuwon will hand her over his jacket, which she will recognize is the equipment piece he often wears. while every piece of equipment is valuable, it works well in considering that he still has other pieces in his inventory. besides, considering their previous conversations in the weeks leading up to this, it only makes sense. if there was anyone who was acutely aware of the fragility of life, it'd definitely be them, but...

talk is cheap and words tended to be unreliable, so he figures the next best thing was offering her something up. while he's definitely let her use it in the past, it's different than actually gifting it over. but since giving her something familiar also felt a bit out of place for her birthday, when he puts the jacket on her shoulders, he also makes sure to wrap a brand new scarf around her neck as well in the reddish burgundy hue that seemed to perfectly suit her.

will he actually shed more light on this than he has to? probably not, but he does follow it up with a small happy birthday, even if those words themselves feel completely foreign on his tongue. but, oddly enough it did feel more genuine and sincere than he thought himself capable of. he hasn't ever felt particularly grateful to be born into the world, but that didn't mean he was incapable of feeling that way for someone else apparently, and the feeling isn't as awful as he expected. ]