OPEN💗 LATE VALENTINE'S DAY PARTY

[peoplewatch]

WHO: Newbies, oldbies, everyone is welcome!
WHAT: A Late Valentine’s Party mingle, since Valentines’ Day was over Kaiju month…
WHERE: “MANTRA”, an underground, alternative club in Neo Toyko
WHEN: March 10th
WARNINGS: Romance and shippy things, alcohol, hookah, suggestive things. Anything NSFW is to be appropriately labelled.

Around the 10th of March, Outsiders will receive a message in their ocular inbox from Kabru, the Outsider also known as @ rasgulla. The message reads:

“To my dearest friends and teammates,

If we haven’t met before, call me Kabru. When not on missions as an Outsider, I work as a freelance event planner for various businesses and private organizations within Neo Tokyo.

Valentines’ Day is a popular holiday in Japan that was sadly interrupted last month by the kaiju. My current client is holding a belated Valentines’ Day event and they would really like the Outsiders to come. There will be plenty of food and things to do. Even if you're not looking for a romantic time, I'd encourage you to come!

Please wear something comfortable. Looking forward to seeing you there!

Yours sincerely,

Kabru.”



A location pin comes attached with the invitation. It looks like Kabru’s become more adept at technology over the months.

Follow the location pin and you’ll find yourself in front of ‘Mantra’ in metro Tokyo, an underground, alternative club making waves for its uniqueness in the club scene. Outsiders will all be allowed in without much fuss. The owner of the club is a gentle woman who kindly requests that all guests take their shoes off and leave them at the side. There is a lingering scent of incense and the people hanging out in the club look remarkably calm as they relax; cuddling and enjoying each other’s company. What kind of Valentine’s day party is this? A New Age, alternative kind, apparently. The owner of the club wants to be promoting togetherness in a completely different way.

Thankfully, finger foods and alcohol appear to be abundant, even if Kabru would really like you to be mingling with the people! There is a bar with free flowing wines and spirits, and a table with hors d'oeuvres and small desserts as accompaniment. These can include sushi rolls, small sandwiches, crab cake bites, small skewers, chocolates, little cakes and tarts. Food aside, there is live music playing and guests are highly encouraged to dance.

Naturally, couples are also coupling up, but anything too raunchy is of course cordoned off to a private room. Also, ignore the people smoking electronic hookah at the side…

What can you do besides eat and drink?

1. DANCING 💗

The DJ mostly plays trance and synth pop music in the background but he’s happy to take requests. On the dancefloor,there’s always a group of tipsy guests dancing their hearts out, some dancing alone and others dancing as a couple. There’s no right or wrong way to dance and most people will not cast judgement. Give it a try? Better hurry, before some of the overeager guests try to drag you in.

2. CUDDLE PILE 💗
Numerous cushions are set out around the venue for guests to lounge in and cuddle. It’s highly encouraged, in fact! Especially after a vigorous dance session. There are people lying together in larger groups, and couples choosing to spend their time lounging and enjoying each other’s company. Finding it difficult to relax? The owner might give you a whiff of her special perfume that’s guaranteed to put you in a state of complete calm. It might even make you more open about lying together with someone else.

3. SPEED DATING 💗

There’s a speed dating round going on in one side of the club. Guests are numbered and paired up randomly, then given a short amount of time to get to know each other on a speedy little date. Don’t know what to say? A list of questions will flow in through the oculars to give you a prompt. (Please refer to here and here for some examples or make up your own!)

4. MAKE SWEET TREATS 💗

In the spirit of Valentines’ Day, the owner of the club is hosting a quick desserts-making workshop at the event. Guests will be provided with ingredients and taught to make chocolate or cupcakes, and they will get the chance to decorate it however they like. It’s highly encouraged to make something to give to your sweetheart or the person you admire. Do you really want to be the person eating their own chocolate on Valentines’ Day?

5. PARTY GAMES 💗

What’s a party without party games? Throughout the night, people will be getting drunk and playing local drinking games such as the King’s Game. Eventually, other games from the West get introduced by other people. These games include Truth or Dare, Spin the Bottle and 7 Minutes in Heaven.

6. TAKE SOMEONE HOME 💗

If it looks like you're having a pretty good time with someone else, a helpful robot will approach you and provide you both with a key to a private room. Some of these private rooms are normal and some are themed, similar to a love hotel. There's no need to actually do anything raunchy of course. You could just cuddle up and enjoy the warmth of the digital fireplace! Everything one might need for a nice time together (condoms, lubricant etc) will be readily available.

As the event planner, Kabru will be buzzing around and making sure everything runs smoothly, but he can be stopped for questions or concerns (pls be nice to him he has anxiety). Characters can sit out of anything they want, but drunk and overeager guests might decide to drag them in.

[ OOC: I put this up so everyone can enjoy a chill mingle after the chaos of last month! And also because we didn’t get the opportunity to have do much for Valentines’ Day given the timing. Naturally, please label any NSFW, add your content warnings appropriately, and state your boundaries and preferences in terms of shipping/gen/being tagged by younger/older characters. ]

Comments

[gilgamess]

[ Ereshkigal is correct on that point. Whatever Gilgamesh's faults, past or present, he is not exactly one to try to turn interactions with others romantic... well, not unless one was named Artoria, and that was another version of him and anyway his idea of "romantic" was pretty debatable, so u know, whole other story there ... certainly not with goddesses. He does like/respect Ereshkigal as much as he is capable of liking/respecting one with her particular title, role, and background, in any case. ]

You say such a thing, but was it not a nice novelty for you, seeing some part of the world above?

[ Her attitude is a curious one. At times, she has been known to plot against Uruk for one rationale or another, but then in other ways, she seems to rather love humanity and even long for that warmth above. Gilgamesh is fine with teasing her a bit, in any case. She seems to be the same Ereshkigal he has known, after all. ]

Why, it was none other than Godzilla, King of the Titans! A most entertaining individual! He claims you as a friend, no less. Ereshkigal, is it true indeed that you have been slaying mighty creatures within this world? Having only just arrived, I must have the lay of this land. I am looking to strategize and employ my talents and abilities in ways that are most befitting, whether in occupations for money or in this resistance. Of course, with my background, I should have no difficulty in either.

But we may also play this speed dating game.

[ Gilgamesh's eyes drift to one of the questions popping up in his ocular implants. ... These things were quite intrusive, hmm. ]

"If you had to give a TED Talk tomorrow, what would you talk about?"

Ahahaha, a TED talk? What mongrel acronym is this? Thermal-Engineering-Daemonology or something of the sort, I presume? But all this is something like a vacation for me, so we may play along at our leisure!

[queenofkur]

[ There it is. Making it sound like his obnoxiousness was actually a wonderful thing, making grand plans even though he is in a foreign land and laughing loudly about completely weird things.

W-What does Ishtar see in him?! Mind you, Ereshkigal doesn't hate him. She thinks he's competent as a king and that the choices he made to drive humanity and gods apart were a good thing, especially in the long run. But as a love interest? He's horrendous!! How could a goddess of love fall for that? Her sister is really a foolish, hopeless girl. ]

No. [A bit of a lie. It'd been nighttime so she'd barely seen anything, but she had liked it.] Meeting Enkidu is the only good thing that came from that.

[ They tried so hard to make flowers grow for her... Enkidu is so good, sniff. Why couldn't they have been summoned here instead of that loud king? Now that'd be more fun, they could talk about flowers and nice things like that.

She tilts her head though at the familiar name. ]

Godzilla is indeed a precious friend and we have slain vicious creatures for the past year. [She clears her throat and says on a proud, more cheerful tone.] As a matter of fact, I am one of those who dealt the most damage to the enemy during our latest mission.

[ Ehehe, because of course! How dares he doubt she has been slaying mighty creatures. Hopefully nobody told him of that time she got brainwashed, or that other time when she missed her attack.

And... T-Ted talk? ]

I have no idea what this is either... But I would wager they ask what kind of talk you would give to an audience if you had to.

[gilgamess]

[ SO MUCH INTERNAL SHADE, ERESH. And for someone who can't even say "HELLO" properly? But u know what, Gilgamesh ain't even trying to be a Romance Option to anyone. Life isn't an otome game, much as this goddess seems to wish it were, and Gilgamesh is here to be Legendary and Have Grand Adventures, and in that, he's sure he'll do just fine, tyvm!! ]

... ah, yes, I suppose the two of you did meet at that time.

[ Gilgamesh actually looks away just slightly for a moment. His expression is a bit somber at first, but there is actually a touch of soft happiness. The mention of Enkidu makes him wish that his friend could accompany him on this journey as well. If Ereshkigal or others from Chaldea have come, there is always the possibility, he supposes. Of course, it is not one he will hold out for... but it would be nice, were such a thing to happen. ]

Hmm... well, it is good that you did. [ He doesn't doubt her. Not necessarily... she is a goddess and, in some contexts, a Servant. It is right that she should be formidable in battle. The only question is what she can do outside of Kur, without her Authority present. ] Of course, with my abilities for strategizing and overseeing the creation of devices to oppose the enemy, all shall be better off.

Indeed, one need not ask what talk I should give before an audience! I gave just such a speech at the final stand before the destruction of Uruk. To the audience of my citizens, I told them to live as they pleased, fight and fall as they pleased, and to take glory in me, the King.

[ A rousing speech, truly. Too bad she had been down in Kur, unable to attend! ]

[queenofkur]

[ And now he's off about how they're already stronger with him by their side. She has to say, to an extent, she admires the sheer confidence he has. She kind of wishes she could come and say that thanks to her, all future battles will undoubtedly be victories!

... W-Well she tries to say it, but either she sounds about as confident as a dead turtle while doing it, either she manages to deliver the line with great success but something comes immediately thereafter to make her panic! Sniff. Life sucks. ]

I... I suppose I can agree with two thirds of this speech.

[ The part where he says they can live as they please and die as they please, she's totally onboard. The part where he's talking about them taking glory in him? That sounds the slightest bit self-serving to her. Now sure, she gets wanting the praise and compliments! B-But maybe there are ways to get it without asking people for it so overtly? ]

Don't you think you would rather people take glory in you because you made them want to... Rather than asking them to?

[ It just sounds much better to her! ]

[gilgamess]

[ Well, is he wrong? Maybe it remains to be seen in this world, but his track record ahead of time has spoken pretty well for itself. ]

Do you think there is such a distinction there?

At the moment of Uruk's greatest tribulation, the King becomes the beacon into which the citizens necessarily put their trust and faith. The lives of the masses are given to the one. Success or failure comes one in all and all in one.

[ It's an inherently royalist perspective which assumes the collective society lives/dies with the monarch, and would of course be completely at odds with modern times. But then, he doesn't originate from modern times, and his people were in lockstep with him on this particular point, also not being from modern times.

Well, plus the people of Uruk are a bunch of normies and he's... him, whatever that uniquely entails. So, y'know, in this case, there's that. ]

I'd think you could understand, as a being with your own domain and Authority.

[ But... he can't much speak for what it's like, with the dead. He had been dead a few times. But he had the impression he was somewhat exceptional in how he handled being dead, relative to others in Kur. He had a lot more fun with it, generally speaking. ]

[queenofkur]

[ She shakes her head. She disagrees totally, even though she can see his perspective. ]

I don't ask of the souls under my care or my Gallû Spirits to praise me. [She smiles confidently (it's not very effective).] The only reward I need is knowing I've done my job well.

[ If her name had been Pinocchio, Ereshkigal's nose would have grown tremendously after saying that! Thankfully, she's not a wooden puppet, just a goddess who really wants to be complimented but feels as though she's unworthy of it all. Her self-esteem is low as ever, alas. Godzilla truly did exaggerate things by a lot. ]

As rulers, we're meant to sacrifice ourselves for those under our care, not the other way around. This is why I never left the Underworld. This is what it means to be a perfect goddess. [As contrasted by her sister, who's a terribly flawed goddess.] N-Not that I would have anyway, the surface world doesn't interest me, not one bit! I'm perfectly happy with the way things are back home. Calling it a sacrifice is pushing it really.

[ She's trying to convince herself more than she's trying to convince him really. ]

[gilgamess]

[ Gilgamesh does not follow up with her on the topic of debate: there's not much point in doing so. They clearly have different perspectives on sacrifice. But there is one point he must raise here. ]

Yet, regardless of your reasons, you participated in the triple goddess alliance against my kingdom. Such an act suggests the surface world does indeed hold meaning for you -- even if the meaning is attached to some form of grudge, your actions cannot be deemed neutral or apathetic.

[ She won't really advance much, trying to be deceptive with Gilgamesh. Even if he does not have the full use of his "Sight" in this world, he's not deemed atypically perceptive for nothing, after all. She knows very well he is the one who traveled all throughout the world and attained the wisdom of the deep. After all, her Kur was no small part of "the deep" in that equation. ]

[queenofkur]

You... You are infuriating!

[ She could reply to him, she could explain things to him and find new ways to deflect. But he's Gilgamesh. She knows any attempt to deflect further are doomed.

Guh.

That reminds her of Callisto... But in even worse! ]

This is the worst Valentine's Event ever... [Granted, this is the first she's ever attended. At least it can only go up from there?] I think we can call this speed dating a failure and move on.

[gilgamess]

Tch, that suits me perfectly well!

[ He has not been taking any of this gathering seriously anyway. Gilgamesh is just here to mongrel people watch and make merry as someone who enjoys a good party. ]

It would be strange to value "success" in such an endeavor anyway, do you not think so?

The idea that individuals might develop amorous entanglements through such inorganic means? Moreover, the holiday itself is a commodification of amorous feelings. Not that I of all people should object to commodification, but if one is a purist about such things [ -- which he knows SHE happens to be -- ] it seems like quite a bit of artifice to essentially set up a marketplace in which affections are vied for through materialistic endeavors.

I much prefer the open, forthright, and natural sensual festivals and goings-on of my kingdom. There, pleasure and love might easily flourish among the masses.

[ Uruk had been a land of raw and primal manifestations of love/sex, from temple harlots to fertility festivals and dances and merrymaking of all sorts. So naturally Gilgamesh thinks a party like this one, with "match-up" games, feels rather... forced/artificial. But he's also not looking to become anyone's love interest. It's all merely entertainment and a means of passing the time, maybe gathering some understanding of the others here. ]

[queenofkur]

[ What a disaster. She just wants to go back to her room as soon as possible. ]

I agree no love worth speaking of could be born of such a thing...

[ But that's about it as far as what she agree on with him. ]

However, there is value in having such a day for people who love each other. It is inherent to human nature to need special days that remind them of what is truly important. [She just wants to have her romantic V-day, let her dream.] I could do without the commercial aspect though...

[gilgamess]

Hmm, I grant you may have a point about the needs of a society.

[ He can't exactly deny the basic claim that humans need celebrations. He just prefers other trappings for them. But merriment? Okay, that's fair enough, Gilgamesh supposes. Humanity needs days, seasons, and special days, to mark the passage of time and forge memories. ]

Yet you and I are somewhat outside such matters, are we not? For you, a goddess of the Underworld, and for myself, a being forged from a union of goddess and man, both of us created to oversee those humans until the end of days, the passage of time is greatly different for us. For us, we can be pleased to watch the cumulative development of human societies -- for me, the living, and for yourself, the dead.

Nevertheless, I know you have those inclinations towards matters of this sort, so it must please you greatly to see the merriment occasioned by such days, I suppose. For me, it is something like being a tourist.

[ He's neither a human nor a god. Something altogether different. Customs, he gets... but he's an outsider, too. ]

[queenofkur]

[ W-Why is he so chatty! She's starting to wonder if his less mature self wasn't the better one. Less chatty, definitely. And well, a lot more obnoxious, she supposes... Okay, so this current self of him is the better one. B-But he could do with talking less!

(she says, lacking any sense of awareness) ]

I suppose... Though it's hard to think of you as an outsider to humanity.

[ She shakes her head. ]

If anything, I always thought you represented an excess of humanity, in a specific direction.

[ That's a compliment, even though that may not entirely sound like it. ]

[gilgamess]

[ Well, now that he's not ruling his kingdom and is forced to make inroads with others here to accomplish anything, his natural chatty instincts come out, perhaps? But Gilgamesh has always been a talker. He and Ereshkigal just usually aren't confined within the same domain. ]

Hm... my friend seemed to indicate a similar feeling.

[ He's not really sure what to think about that. Gilgamesh does not dislike humans. If anything, he aligns with them more than with the gods. But still. ]

I suppose near the end of my life, after my journey, I did grow to understand life in the human world. It is all a transient journey in which a person must make their own meaning.

[ Maybe that's what she means -- that he sort of embodies that core principle. Which he cannot really deny. ]

Normally, the gods, being set in specific roles, would be exempt from that particular aspect of humankind. Yet here such a distinction is not the case for you. You also have that same freedom, should you choose to embrace it.

[queenofkur]

[ Of course Enkidu would have thought the same. It would be nice if he were here, maybe he could keep Gilgamesh company and help him in such matters. Something he says got her confused though. ]

Do I truly?

[ It's true she and Ishtar are the closest goddesses to humanity. Because they dwell amongst humans - the dead in her case and the living for Ishtar - they've been influenced and changed the most by humans. But she's also the most serious goddess of her pantheon! Which means: ]

My duties are too important. [She can't - won't - abandon them. Yes, she has an avatar who has some measure of freedom right now... But that's temporary. It's not like the Underworld is really functioning as usual while the planet is either burning or bleached really.] Besides, you berated me for complaining about them.

[ Which had been exceedingly mean, if she says so herself. ]

[gilgamess]

I did indeed.

[ And he would do so again, were the circumstances the same! ]

Yet I spoke specifically of this time and place. I think we agreed to consider it a sort of vacation.

Though I suppose it does raise a certain question as to what degree you would let yourself become attached to this current existence, devoted as you are to your duties, and knowing everything could change in an instant.

[queenofkur]

[ What a meanie!! ]

W-Well, I am being careful not to get too attached...

[ Honestly it would be super nice if she could live an entire life as a human. She's considered it... B-But that's just surrealistic. While she could technically do it with this avatar, this would be highly irresponsible and dangerous. ]

Why are we talking about me anyway? It is unlike you, Gilgamesh.

[ Usually he would talk about himself and how great he is, not about others. ]

[gilgamess]

Is that not the point of such a gathering? We had begun by playing a game... questions, or something of the sort.

[ Ereshkigal, are you actually encouraging him to talk about himself? Really? ]

Hmph, is it you would rather be regaled with tales of my adventures, or something of the sort? I always did know you had that shy side...

[queenofkur]

I AM NOT SHY!!

[ Maybe she is but she won't let him belittle her like that! And she most certainly isn't shy around him. To an extent, he's like Dumuzid in that she's used to his presence. Even though she sees him far more scarcely than she sees the golden sheep. ]

You're supposed to ask romantic questions, you know? Something like "what do you believe would be an ideal date?" [In her anger, she may be walking into a trap right there.] Not try to talk about me!