[video] a little party never killed anybody

[nascensibility]

[After months of attempted planning (most of which was frequently cast to the wayside in favour of dealing with whatever fresh Hell decided to make itself known to them all) Evelyn has come to the conclusion that there will never be a "Good Time," and has therefore decided that with that being the case, it is simply easier to set what she likes, when she likes.

This is all a very runabout way of saying that Evelyn has politely asked the Mansion - which, as we all now know, is practically sentient - to deliver the following invitation to everyone's door:]



[Intangible* attachments have also been forwarded to each resident, supplemented by the following transmission:]

I'm holding a fête this Friday evening - there isn't a particular time for required attendance, it should be ongoing for several hours after dinner - and I should like as many parties as available to come. It is themed, as there are a number of us here from time periods before 1950, so appropriate attire is encouraged, but not mandated.

[This is in part due to a withering homesickness that Wonderland itself has been unable to satisfy.]

Kindly respond if you do plan to join, and I hope to see you all on Friday.




[*Evelyn is having a difficult time remembering to call them "digital."]

Comments

[ text ] tell that to the red wedding guests

[radiopalkiller]

You know that I'm making you pick my outfit again, right?

[ Because he's picked up a few things with her, sure, but she's still the expert. That and... he can't remember what he picked the last time the theme came up, so if he's gonna show up in the same outfit again he'd rather have somebody else to blame. #Friendship ]

[nascensibility]

I expected nothing less, but thank you for giving me the power to rummage through your wardrobe.

[Evelyn can't even remember what she put Philip in the last time they attended an event of this nature together, but her fashion sense has improved exponentially since they were dating.]

How do you feel about pocket squares?

[Like he even has a choice.]

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[thecourier]

Got room at this party for me?

[He has an idea as far as attire goes, but he can't resist teasing her a little first.]

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[nascensibility]

I hope that question is rhetorical.

[Rhetoric or not, Evelyn is happy to see him respond to her missive. Dan showed an interest in the music from her era - she has to wonder if his is very similar, or if it sounds like something else entirely.]

Will you be attending, Mr. Palmer?

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[rosswood]

[ DOT DOT DOT

...no seriously, he's...

a little perturbed. He'd never admit it but. Yeah.]

did you mean to send this to me

[He's just. He has to ask. all right.]

[nascensibility]

[Evelyn should have anticipated dubiousness from the person she stabbed in the hallway, and it's a fair question. Unfamiliar with the best way to approach people whom you have physically gutted with your own two hands, Evelyn thought it the gentlest option to offer an olive branch.

Something he can back out of, should he wish to do so.]

I did, yes.

There is no number of apologies that can set right what happened,
and I do not believe I have earned - or could earn - forgiveness.

I'm very sorry, Alex.

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[mypartnerincrime]

[Chloe snorts in the video. Whatever that chick is saying, it sounds very much like a boring-ass dinner party to her.]

Is this gonna be like some fancy dinner where everyone dresses up and wears wigs?

[Because if it is, then it's definitely not where Chloe wants to be (unless Max drags her again, like in that neighborhood barbecue-slash-potluck,

which wasn't exactly stellar).]

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[nascensibility]

I...don't believe I ever mentioned dinner being a party of the soirée, and it is entirely your prerogative if you wish to wear a wig.

[Not that the girl appears to need one, because her hair is the most remarkable shade of blue.]

...I should clarify that while the idea of a "themed party" is popular in your time, this is something of a "regular party" for me. I'm from 1935.

[intelligently]

Short notice. I like it.

( Because who wants anything ruined and an event has just ended so A+ planning Evie )

So, if we did want to be thematically appropriate, what should we ask the closets for?

[nascensibility]

["Short notice," as though Evelyn hasn't been trying to fit this in for ages. She smiles regardless, because it's about time everyone else was subjected to her era the way she is to theirs on a daily basis.]

Anything between 1920 and 1945 should suffice. The music shall be eclectic, and so shall be the attire.

[ingenii]

Is this what happens when we're not being eaten alive?

[nascensibility]

[Evelyn is a little prickly, if only because she's intended to hold this party for some time and things kept getting in the way. Her tone is not accusatory by any means, but it is challenging.

Having been in residence for nearly five years she thinks she deserves to throw a get-together that makes her feel less homesick.]

Perhaps I should sit on my thumbs instead, or invite a friend over to play whist on a Friday evening.

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[singloversing]

[This sounds like exactly the kind of party Wirt would actually enjoy going to. He isn't from the 20s-40s, but he prefers a lot of the fashion and music from that era, and when he sees the invitation he immediately thinks he might actually fit in at something like that.

His second thought is that this invitation must have gotten to him by mistake. He's only...fifteen? Should he be saying sixteen by now? He's only fifteen and it sounds like a very grown-up soiree.

He stares at the RSVP and agonizes over it for several minutes. He plays the video over again. Breathes. And...eventually, makes himself reply.]

Um...I-- I'd like to RSVP, if that's okay.

[There's a pause, and he looks a little embarrassed. His face starts to go a little pink.]

And-- and maybe plus one? B-But I don't actually know yet, so...so maybe not. I don't know?

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[nascensibility]

[Evelyn is fully aware that she extended the invitation to all parties, and not just those older than eighteen, which is why she is utterly delighted to see Wirt on the line.]

Oh, Wirt! I'm so glad, and I'm very happy to have you.

[The tentative approach he is sustaining regarding a plus one, however, is oddly charming. The fluster suggests mild romantic undertones.]

I wouldn't fret, were I you. I think it would be a marvelous opportunity for you and your potential dance partner to have a nice evening out.

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[krmvgivv]

We'll be there. [A beat.] Out of curiosity are the dances... hard? And also do we have to?

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[nascensibility]

No, [Evelyn laughs.] You don't have to dance. And most of them are very simple at their core, regardless. Anything that looks difficult is usually showmanship.

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[monosaccharide]

I love a good party! Though I'll need to research the 1920-1940 decades. You do mean on Earth, right? And using pre-mushroom war calendar it appears most here use?

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[nascensibility]

Yes, on Earth.

[Evelyn often forgets her own privilege - that not everyone is from her universe, let alone her time.]

...if you don't mind my asking, what were the "mushroom wars?"

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[ofletters]

I'm only going if it's Gatsby themed.

[ :') ]

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[nascensibility]

Sam Winchester.

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[onevice]

You may be happy to hear that the decades you've mentioned are incredibly romanticized in the "modern" era. Or... maybe you wouldn't be happy about that.

[ Snow smiles, chuckling lightly. She's learned by now that Evelyn and herself are something like kindred spirits. ]

Do you need any help with the planning?

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[nascensibility]

[Less happy. The roaring twenties did end with crippling depression for a number of large countries, after all. Britain is still getting its bearings after the Great War. Evelyn grimaces.]

I might actually need help setting up, if you wouldn't mind lending a hand. It's been years since I held a party this large.

[Not that she doesn't think she's capable, but it's nice to be assisted.]

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[normandysbest]

[Well, this actually sounds... fun.]

So how much dancing is going to be involved? I'm, ah... told I'm not a very good dancer.

["Told". She is objectively terrible. But the last time she wore a dress and tried to get fancy she got shot and fell 2 stories into an abyss, so. Maybe this will be better?]

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[nascensibility]

It is very much voluntary, if you're concerned for the safety of your dignity.

[Evelyn understands, having spent the better part of her youth lacking any semblance of grace and frequently knocking things over. Like vases.

Or entire libraries.]

[video]

[ttlynotabloodmage]

[All right, it looks very interesting, not to mention fancy, but Jowan does have one particularly pressing question:] What's a fete?

[video]

[nascensibility]

Oh! Oh, I'm sorry, I should have- It's another word for an elaborate party.

[He is not incorrect in assuming that "fanciness" is a prerequisite thereof.]

[video]

[powerofmabel]

So we can wear those sparkly dresses and those hats with feathers in them???

[video]

[nascensibility]

Absolutely.

[Snow wasn't making jest when she said that these time periods were particularly glamourised. Evelyn has to wonder if this glittering impression is all that people remember, several decades in the future.]

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[alayne]

[ tentatively: ]

Lady Evelyn, are we allowed to attend even if we know little of how to dress for such a function? It would be my pleasure to see you on such an occasion.

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[nascensibility]

Oh, Sansa. Of course you are.

[It was addressed to everyone, after all.]

I would never restrict attendance in such a fashion. If you like, I could help you select something appropriate?

[ voice ]

[glumshoe]

[ Soirées stopped being a prominent feature in Will's life shortly after he played a large part in having their emcee committed. Molly had been good about giving him his distance, cushioning trauma with home dinners, take out, and quiet dining in the city when cabin fever got to be too much and Walter was swinging from the chandeliers. It was a relief, mostly, as Will could so rarely blot out the whole inertia of his thoughts with intense focus on a single task alone.

It isn't you, Molly would say gently from time to time, the gentle suggestion underlying that if the old Will really was someone he didn't want to be, he should prove it. ]

Creating your own piece of home?

[ Will misses his corner of Wolf Trap. He misses a lot of things he doesn't know he misses, too. ]

[ voice ]

[nascensibility]

[The last person Evelyn intended to see respond to her invitation - let alone accept it - is Will Graham, who solemnly breaks the early afternoon quiet between replies with an inquiry. She steels herself before answering, fingertip hovering over RECEIVE CALL before pressing down.

Thank God it's only an audio message.]

I thought it would be nice to hold something more familiar to people from the first half of the twentieth century.

[She exercises politeness, though she is worn thin by the number of people hurling stereotypes. What does it make her?]

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[mviw]

Hello! [He's smiling. Parties aren't his thing, but if Evie's hosting it, it'll be worth the awkward social situations (hopefully).]

I think I can see to my extremely busy schedule and pencil in this engagement somewhere.

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[nascensibility]

[It will absolutely be worth the potential for awkward social situations, because Evelyn plans on doing her damnedest to give the event a pressure-free environment. Assuming that he's being facetious Evelyn nods gravely.]

Yes, I would hate for you to have another appointment at nine in the evening.

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[courtintrigue]

[Though Morrigan has found that she prefers audio when communicating over the network, it is a poor substitute for a personal meeting. Since she recognizes this name and her intention is to be courteous, video it is.]

You are Evelyn O'Connell then. I have heard that you are something of a historian here, in possession of a great many notes about our elaborate prison.

I am Morrigan. I would be pleased to meet you, although the encouraged attire will require research.

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[nascensibility]

Something of a historian,

[Evelyn echoes with a little laugh, because she's something all right, and it's always mildly amusing to see what sort of impression of her people have given to those looking for information. More often than not they seem to expect her to be a great deal older, which would suggest that the stereotype of "spinster librarian" persists well into the future.]

I, ah...I am, yes. I curate a records room on the first floor of the library, which you are free to peruse at your leisure. The attire for Friday should require little more than a cursory search through some fashion plates.

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[circlejerked]

A party! I've never been personally invited to a party before. I'm still counting it as a personal invitation even if everyone's going.

_{[Anders answers with an excitement befitting a person with a severely deprived inner child. Social gatherings, like pies and personal liberties, are titillating novelties for him. Unlike Jowan, Anders is firmly in the "fuck yeah, I'm there" camp, mage or no mage.]}

I'll come! So long as you don't mind catching me up to speed on what the 1920s to 1940s entails.

_{[Oh, the joys of completely different calendar systems.]}

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[nascensibility]

[Evelyn decides not to point out that if he has individually received his own invitation, it is, in fact, personal. Anders' interest comes as little surprise, if only because he's given off the impression that he enjoys social events tremendously. He does, however, remind Evelyn of the small population of near-medievalists.]

Of course! I've actually, ah, got a few books here with a number of images than can give you some idea of the styles?

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[lifeskills]

_{[If Evelyn's video message hadn't done the trick, the invitation Victor finds under both his doors rather decides his answer for him.]}

Well, this should be interesting. It usually is.

<sub>[Fun is terminology suited to sociable personalities like Evelyn who thrive in situations of casual conversation. Interesting better illustrates Victor's intent to objectively watch what Wonderland residents get up to in a small space from the comforts of a corner. A sociological study from a wallflower's perspective.

But for one of his few friends, he'll try not to be a complete wet blanket.]</sub>

I look forward to it.

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[nascensibility]

[Clearly, Evelyn was ensuring that Victor would be exposed to her invitation and very much wants for him to attend. There are so few from times similar to their own, as he well knows, that it would be a pity for him not to make an appearance. (While Evelyn's fête is considerably different in style from the one that Vanessa Ives held whilst in residence, its intentions are the same.)

All that aside, Victor likes to people-watch, and Evelyn knows this.]

I don't suppose I could persuade you to fill a slot on my dance card, Doctor?

[suicidemission]

What the heck do I wear to THAT?

[nascensibility]

Chuck:

I'll send you some photographs for reference.

-E

[mypartnerintime]

RSVP-ing, jsyk!

[nascensibility]

Thank you!

-E

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[ladysunshines]

[Having just died and come back for the first time this past week, she's certainly in need of -- something.

A fancy dress ball sounds like it'd be right up her alley.]

This sounds like a lovely idea. I wonder if I could trust the closets to dress me properly...

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[nascensibility]

You might ask them to provide clothing from the 1920s, in Earth's timeline?

[There are a number of people here that appear vaguely medieval, and she understands their lack of knowledge about future - or parallel - timelines intimately.]