MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S PARTY

[miss-waldorf.livejournal.com]

When; Evening, Sunday 21 June
Rating; PG
Characters; EVERYONE~
Summary; one not-so-summery midsummer's night.
Log;

You could call it being hard-headed, but Blair much preferred committed. They did set it to be this date, after all, and the next day would not be midsummer's day anymore. Besides, no one could tell when the snowstorm would end.

For the not-so-brave, there has been a tent set up on the side, all fitted with heaters on full blast. Stand in the heat, down your sangria and pretend it really was summer. But for the more adventurous ones, most of the revelry was still happening outside. The storm had subsided by the day before, and the blanket of snow looked festive enough by itself. Where else could you have a snow party in the middle of summer?

The play had just finished, with great success of course, and the people were now dispersing amongst themselves, eating and chattering. Blair, now with a checklist in hand, was standing by the corner, deep in one thought or another.

Long tables decked out with hearty foods has been set up, and yellow fairy lights lined the snow-laden trees. Under a great tree, a group of musicians were playing a rural dance song, but no one was dancing yet. It could be because of the corsets. The guests were mostly dressed in period garb, complete with large hats and puffy sleeves. Truly, if it were not for the speech, Shakespeare would have felt right at home.

Comments

POST-PLAY FOR THE ACTORS || Backstage squeeing y/y? ♥

[had_not_lived]

Things hadn't gone as planned, between the snow and the curse and all the last-minute fixes and changes to try and accommodate the madness that was the City's Midsummer celebration. Neil couldn't have cared less. Feeling the weight of his father's gaze upon him all through the performance had only made him determined to succeed. Not to prove himself to the absent man-- he'd done that already-- but to prove that it hadn't ruined him, hadn't killed his love of acting. His love of this play. He had a desperate need to build new memories, in order to wash away the connotations of his last performance-- not the play itself, but what had come after. Applause echoing in his ears, surrounded by new friends and old, Neil felt that it had all been worth while.

He was a little tired, having poured all his energy into this-- but overjoyed to see his plans come to fruition, all the work pulling together to produce something amazing. Something beyond all of them; and as much as he protested (truly!) that everyone else had done the bulk of the work, in a way this was wholly his as well, his pet project, his pride and joy.

And it was finished, fantastically, if strangely. He tried to catch his breath-- after all, there was a party to attend, too...


[ooc; FEEL FREE TO MINGLE ELSEWHERE OF COURSE. I just figured it'd be nice to have an actors!meet thread, idk. ♥♥]

POST-PLAY FOR THE ACTORS || omg a thousand times y ♥ ♥♥♥

[mumbled_truth]

Todd couldn't stop beaming after the play ended, his heart and breath racing in the best way possible. He had done it, had gotten up in front of a huge audience and he'd performed-- a major part, no less. And through it all, his own curse-father had been there, seen him get up on stage and pull off something that even Todd himself didn't think he could do. In the end, maybe he'd even done better because of the fact that he could feel that same dismissive, judgmental gaze that had made him feel worthless so often, because he was determined to show his father, whether he actually was there or not, that he could do this, that he wasn't the silent, terrified boy that his father thought of him as. He'd seized the day... he'd gotten up there, and he had been good.

His smile broadened as he stepped up next to Neil, "So... I'll admit, that was... amazing."

POST-PLAY FOR THE ACTORS || omg a thousand times y ♥ ♥♥♥

[had_not_lived]

Neil laughed, clapped his friend on the shoulder, a little intoxicated by the moment. Dragging his shy friend out of his shell was another success of the evening, and Todd had been an admirable Demetrius. Neil had known he'd do fine-- but had to admit, even he was impressed.

"You were amazing. I told you you could do it!"

POST-PLAY FOR THE ACTORS || omg a thousand times y ♥♥♥♥

[mumbled_truth]

He laughed in response to that, an embarrassed grin on his face as he shook his head a little, shrugging, "Well, I guess I was okay..."

Looking back up after a moment, he beamed at his friend, "But you were even better this time... and you were already amazing the first time."

POST-PLAY FOR THE ACTORS || omg a thousand times y ♥ ♥♥♥

[primrosella.livejournal.com]

Todd was number-two on Rosella's list of people to run to for the biggest hug she could manage, so when she managed to corner him backstage, she only gave him a moment or two's warning before pulling him in for that hug, grinning all the way. She'd told him earlier that she'd believed in him, and she'd meant every word--and her faith hadn't been misplaced. Not one bit.

"Marvelous," she said firmly, laughing a little. "You were absolutely marvelous!"

POST-PLAY FOR THE ACTORS || omg a thousand times y ♥ ♥♥♥

[mumbled_truth]

The lack of warning aside, Todd wasn't too startled when Rosella came up and hugged him. Certainly not startled enough that he didn't hug her right back, laughing as he did so.

"You were marvelous," he countered.

POST-PLAY FOR THE ACTORS || Backstage squeeing y/y? ♥

[primrosella.livejournal.com]

"Neil!"

Because, of course, all of this was Neil's doing, Neil's plans, Neil's creation--and so it was only right that once it was all over and the curtain had gone down, Neil receive the first congratulation. After everything that had happened, everything that could've gone wrong and did go wrong with this day, they'd pulled through it. They'd done it.

Rosella's smile was so wide that she was certain her face would hurt from it the next day, but she couldn't seem to make herself stop as she hurried over to Neil and grabbed him for the tightest hug she could possibly manage. "You were fantastic!"

POST-PLAY FOR THE ACTORS || Backstage squeeing y/y? ♥

[had_not_lived]

He laughed and hugged back, as thrilled and excited as Rosella was.

"Thanks! You were, too!" He grinned, pulling back a little to regard her, clasping both her hands tightly. He'd felt like this after the play at Henley Hall, but it had been tempered by the fact that his father was waiting for him, furious-- now it was just him and his friends, and as such his joy was unfettered.

POST-PLAY FOR THE ACTORS || Backstage squeeing y/y? ♥

[primrosella.livejournal.com]

"I didn't laugh! I remembered all my lines! Oh, we all did so well!"

She positively beamed at him as he clasped her hands, her eyes bright with excitement. "We all did so well," she repeated, a little calmer now, but warmer, too. She was just so proud of him. "Especially you."

POST-PLAY FOR THE ACTORS || Backstage squeeing is required<3

[moresake.livejournal.com]

It hadn't gone perfectly, but that was to be expected with theater, and Yuuko thought that the players had pulled together admirably in the end. And her own father hadn't turned up with the rest to complicate things, which made it easier for her to concentrate.

She was quite impressed with Neil and his evident struggles to get here and fix all of the problems that crept up last minute. She caught him backstage afterward, looking a little dazed. She hadn't even bothered to change out of costume, thinking that the gauzy dress and elaborate hair rather suited her. In any case, she wanted to say something to the boy.

"Neil, you did well," she said, approaching him.

POST-PLAY FOR THE ACTORS || ...thread-jacking for the squeeing toos?

[songofdreams.livejournal.com]

Uta didn't play much of a part. However, she was still happy to be close to Yuuko-san as one of her fairies. The cold made it impossible not to wear tights along with the fairy dress, but she enjoyed it nonetheless.

"You were awesome too, Yuuko-san."

She admired Yuuko quite a lot. She wonders why she always felt shy around her...

POST-PLAY FOR THE ACTORS || Backstage squeeing is required<3

[had_not_lived]

"Thank you," replied the boy warmly, still grinning like a fool. That was unlikely to change for-- oh, say, the next few days. He was pleased enough that he could ignore his father's illusory presence almost entirely.

"You made a wonderful Titania," Neil added, smiling a little more broadly. The fairy costuming did suit her, and her otherworldliness (in Neil's opinion) lent itself well to the role.

POST-PLAY FOR THE ACTORS || Y forever~ ♥

[songofdreams.livejournal.com]

Uta shyly approached Neil... She was a little tired from everything that happened during the week, but she was happy that the play was such a success and that she was part of it even in some small way.

"...uhm! Neil?

"Thanks for... letting me be one of Titania's fairies. I really, really enjoyed it! And you were so great too!"

POST-PLAY FOR THE ACTORS || Y forever~ ♥

[had_not_lived]

Neil was still riding the high of the performance, too giddy to be as tired as he ought to be. He had a bright smile for Uta-- since even the smallest roles were vital, and he remembered that she'd been a bit nervous about doing even this.

"I'm glad you had a good time!"

POST-PLAY FOR THE ACTORS

[winewomenand]

He'd given most of the flowers he'd brought, green roses, to Neil to distribute as he saw fit, but he had reserved some. Robin didn't like children by nature, was not much awed by the 'charms' others saw in them-- possibly because he had very specific goals in interacting with other people. He also knew how to act sweetly to people in public. He was a used car salesman, after all.

So he eventually gravitated to the youngest performers. He held a long-stemmed flower out for Uta.

"For my lady fairy."

POST-PLAY FOR THE ACTORS || ♥

[absinthe-eyed.livejournal.com]

Justin waited to approach Neil. He wanted to make a run for it and spend the rest of the evening in his apartment--hopefully he could avoid any comments on his admittedly less-than-stellar acting--but Neil deserved recognition for all of the work he had put into the play. That he had also been able to act with his father present was nothing short of amazing.

After Neil was free, Justin tried to catch his attention. "Neil..."

He had had a rehearsed congratulatory remark prepared, but it escaped him. As such, Justin had to settle with a awkward, "Good job."

POST-PLAY FOR THE ACTORS || ♥

[had_not_lived]

"Justin!"

Perfectly accustomed to dealing with shy people by including them whether they willed or not, Neil had a broad grin in reply to the awkward greeting. He clasped the other's hand with a warm smile. (So much for getting away easily, Justin.)

"You did great! I'm so glad you joined up with us."

POST-PLAY FOR THE ACTORS || rofl i am always late HI GAIZ

[winewomenand]

Robin hadn't decided to join the production because he was an actor by profession-- although certainly one by very nature. Nor had he decided to do so because he was particularly an artistic person, simply a patron of the arts, especially the visual ones. The simple truth was that Robin was an egotist, and that meant he enjoyed praise, eyes on him, and seeing himself on stage-- twice, in this case. As he'd once said, it was as if the city had been throwing him a welcoming party, the coincidental timing of the production. He'd played Nick Bottom for the delightful irony, because Goodfellow also enjoyed that.

Now that the play was all over and done with, he was in a very good mood, a very self-satisfied mood, which meant for Robin reasonably good behavior as well as the energy of a creature who treated caffeine as not a sometimes indulgence but a living religion. Still mostly in his costume, he approached Neil with an addition-- an armful of at least three dozen, closer to four dozen, pale green roses.

One tucked its way into the crown on Neil's head, before Robin offered the whole floral mess to him with a dip of a bow. Despite himself being very much on his mind at the moment, Niko Leandros being on his mind at the moment, as were Neil and Todd-- that curse, it hadn't gone unnoticed to the puck.

"For the real leading man. Kallistēi!. Share them out as you wish. Shrewd work and brave art."

POST-PLAY FOR THE ACTORS || fashionably late obvsly

[had_not_lived]

The play had been a welcome for both of them, in different ways. As strange as the prospect of portraying someone he was actually on stage with had been, in practice, Neil hadn't been nearly as bothered as he'd expected. Robin's egotism was boundless, but it was also (generally) a charming sort; and if it didn't bother him to be played, it surely shouldn't bother the player.

He accepted the pile of roses with a laugh, fumbling a little to keep those on the edge from falling out of his grasp, still beaming. "Thank you!" Those would be shared out, of course, amongst all the other players before they dispersed; but he appreciated the gesture, deeply.

"You were fantastic yourself," the boy added cheerily. Hardly unexpected, but credit where credit is due! And Neil was full of nothing but praise for his fellows, tonight.

Latter than Lys || Exam went well? ♥

[reginagloriae]

Youko Nakajima was still wearing the Queen Hippolyta’s less than warm nuptial wardrobe of the last scene. She had sneaked her sapphire into the accessories, helping her to keep the warmth from the unusually chilly summer evening. Grinning from ear to ear, she approached Neil, to give a congratulatory exchange. She was worried about him and a couple of her friends who were visited by psychotic father figures, but he seemed to be doing better from the last time they talked.

Huh. She reflected for a moment. Unless he’s just acting. Well, if he was, he did a very Academy-Award performance.

Her father didn’t drop by to visit today. If he did, she would expect him to disapprove the way she was dressing, her appearance, and her living arrangements. If ghosts would get a heart attack, he would be the first.

I’m as good as dead to him, she shrugged off, recalling the conversation she had overheard when her mother and him had an argument. She still wished him a happy father’s day, even if he didn’t remember he was one once. Her thoughts about the subject were dropped. Another life, one she had abandoned, with the lingering regret of leaving her mother behind. She joined the cheering group.

“You were amazing!”

hoooraay for exam going well!

[had_not_lived]

The play had pushed the specter of Neil's father almost completely from his mind; he'd been aware of the illusory gaze, at first. But as the play went on he forgot everything else, his entire world contracting to the stage before him.

By now, he was in too good a mood to let his father ruin it, and the smile he had for Youko was genuine.

"You were, too!" he said brightly.

Audience revelry is go y/y?

[i-themagician.livejournal.com]

Clow was somewhere in between the two groups of revelers, not having a particular fondness for the cold but also not liking to be too hot and also being a bit of a wallflower. Temperance was theoretically somewhere nearby - the person, obviously, and not the idea - and he scanned the crowd periodically for the fairy queen and whoever else he might know. Or not know, really, but looked interesting.

Smiling, he turned to Temperance to maybe make small talk. It was odd - he couldn't say for certain, but despite their having gotten off on the wrong foot when they first met she might not be so annoying after all.

"What did you think?"

Audience revelry is always y

[phdinbones.livejournal.com]

Much to her surprise, Brennan had enjoyed herself. Between the awkwardness with Booth, the sadness she feels every Father's Day and the additional pain of today's curse (and the fact that she was not cursed), she had spent most of the day angry and irritable. Clow Reed was an unlikely candidate to cheer her up.

But while she still couldn't take him seriously as a scientist, there was no doubt that he was an intelligent, charming companion. And it was pleasant to be with someone not from her world, someone completely disassociated with its pain and complications.

"It wasn't a great production," she said bluntly. Brennan rarely tempered her words for anybody, and as Clow wasn't involved with the production at all, it didn't even occur to her to try. "The quality of the acting was inconsistent and the director made several glaring errors. It was obviously not a professional production. But, considering that it was not put on by professionals, it was quite well done. Shakespeare is very difficult, even for experts in theater. It was quite entertaining."

[i-themagician.livejournal.com]

Clow blinked at that, stunned by the first words out of her mouth, but then had to laugh. She was right, and he wasn't even offended for Yuuko's sake, but all he could do for a moment was laugh for some reason.

"I'll have you know, my fiancee was in that not-so-great production," he said with mock indignation. Yuuko wasn't really his fiancee, but he was in quite a silly mood by this point (perhaps having a few drinks in him already) and couldn't think of a good word for what she was to him. So he picked the one that would probably offend her most if she heard it.

AT THE PARTY || OPEN

[primrosella.livejournal.com]

Rosella still couldn't help feeling a little bit guilty for having such a wonderful day, but the truth was, she was smiling so wide that she felt as though she'd forgotten how to do anything else.

It was three months to the day since she'd turned eighteen, and the swing dance party on Friday had been a rousing success, and now the play had gone marvelously and Blair's party was absolutely beautiful--up to her usual standards, Rosella couldn't help but think with a note of satisfaction, and not at all like the Victrola mess--and everyone was excited and to top it all off...

She glanced to the side, where her father was standing with her, and even though she knew he was only an apparition, and that it was only a curse that had brought him here, and that at midnight she would have to say goodbye and perhaps he'd never really been there at all...it didn't matter. He was here, just as she remembered him--no, better than she remembered him, because today he was tall and proud and noble, rather than lying in bed recovering from a near-death experience.

"I'm so glad you're here, Daddy," she said softly, returning the smile he offered her; to anyone watching, it looked as though she was speaking to thin air, but she didn't mind. "I'm so, so glad you came..."

And so she stood there next to the father that no one but she could see, her head inclined as though she were resting it on an invisible shoulder, and surveyed the snowy festivities.