(no subject)

[nolitangere]

annie's engagement party

and jack is here too!

setup

Welcome to Jack's twisted mind... Of fun!

As they planned, Jack will be asking ANNIE SONG to marry him. But not as they planned, he's throwing her a surprise engagement party, because he loves complicated little schemes. Bonus points if he can increase the likelihood of the situation blowing up spectacularly in his face. Please handwave Jack inviting your character to this—assume he just liberally tossed out open invites for a general start of the summer party today. Nobody knows this will be Annie's engagement party but him, CRYSTA WALDINGER, EVAN FINCH, and RAINE RILEY (bet you weren't expecting those three names together, huh?).

Party hours: Noon to six in the evening.

Party venue: Jack reserved a room (with a little bit of outdoor patio space) at the Rec Center. After studying the ancient texts (many Pinterest boards), Jack learned the art of decorating an area moderately nicely for cheap. He's very lucky he's living in a moment where people find wooden clothespins and twine charming. There are lots of yellow flowers (mostly peonies!) everywhere, both real and made of paper (shoutout to EVAN who helped Jack make the paper flowers), because that's pretty much the only visual motif Jack could easily pull from One Hundred Years of Solitude, Annie's favorite book. Yes, this is a themed engagement party. Yes, Jack has decided to be corny. Yes, you may debate him on whether the color yellow signifies good things or bad things in One Hundred Years of Solitude, just not now. Anyway, the vibes are nice, because he tried really hard and things that look clumsily made we call "rustic" these days.

Food: Somewhat themed. vanilla & chocolate ice cream (for the white wash and dirt Rebeca ate in the novel), canillitas de leche (for Ursula's milk candy), bruschetta-style asparagus (for Dr. Juvenal Urbino's obsession with asparagus), baba ganoush (for Fermina's hatred of eggplants), and then Jack gave up on themed food and got fruit and chips and fancy little cookies at the commissary, idk man.

Drinks: Beer, wine, canned cocktails, soft drinks, good ol' H₂O. Jack gave up on the theme two sentences ago.

party

Games:

Ring Toss With No Limits: bog standard ring toss (ring, get it?) with some of Jack's special rules, such as tossing while blindfolded, tossing while doing a handstand (with or without handstand assistance), and tossing with both hands tied behind your back (really throw that neck). His special rules are written on pieces of paper in a bowl by the ring toss—use them or not, he's not a cop. Also feel free to make up ridiculous rules.

Ask Me Anything: because Annie loves talking games. In this game, participants sit in a circle. Everyone takes a turn being "it." While you're it, everyone else in the circle is allowed to ask you ANY QUESTION. You may skip a question, but the penalty is taking a drink.

Find the Guest: with the help of the wonderful CRYSTA, Jack has obtained #facts about people attending. When you arrive, you will get a random, context-free fact about someone else at the party. Your mission is to find out who you've been matched with. The prize? Nine Hundred Quatruple Quatrople Dollars. Just kidding. The prize is a Thinking Monkey Statue Jack found at a garage sale in Colchester. Possibly cursed. **NOTE** If your character did not or was not able to supply a #fact but you'd like for them to participate, please Dropbox me a fact and we'll handwave it.

The Proposal: At 1:00, Jack will ask Annie if he can talk to her in a corner, and then pop the question. He's rigged things so Johnny Clegg's Dela will play as this happens. Why? Because: 1) Jack is trying to make all this look as real as possible; 2) he would actually like Annie to enjoy this to the extent she can; 3) he loves dying on the cross of committing to the bit. But also please don't look at him. And he thinks there's a 13% chance Annie will say "NO! AND NOW YOU'RE UNDER ARREST, BOZO! BOOK THIS CLOWN." and federal agents will rappel in and blast him.

After that's all done, the party will resume on as normal.

volunteer slots

TABY MCLEOD gets really into Ring Toss With No Limits and flings a ring in such a way that it catches perfectly on the drink VOLUNTEER 2 is holding. What is this, some kind of meetcute?

OPHELIA CARDENAL ROY decides they really, really like the asparagus bruschetta and starts to hoard it. VOLUNTEER 4 also really likes the asparagus bruschetta and is determined to get to the bottom of why it's disappearing faster than any of the other party foods—culminating in a The Departed-style showdown on the back patio.

VOLUNTEER 5 doesn't know what One Hundred Years of Solitude is about and decides to Google it. What the hell? Who'd throw a themed engagement party about this????

ZIRA BAILEY is hanging out on the back patio minding their own business, enjoying life, when they're beset by a fly. They try to swat the fly, but end up swatting the ice cream right out of VOLUNTEER 7's hands. Excuse you...

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Comments

ARRIVALS/VIBE CHECK

[nolitangere]

ARRIVALS/VIBE CHECK: Zira

[nitere]

Zee wants to pretend all the blipping and mutant mole stuff is Long Behind them, so a party and looking cute it perfect. Probably came with Dior!

ARRIVALS/VIBE CHECK: Minty

[exacutus]

Minty arrives shortly before the proposal and heroically manages to keep her expressions to herself, tho her inner monologue is basically ew, love 🤢

She 100% will comment on the theme.

ARRIVALS/VIBE CHECK: Dorin

[dorinlee]

Dorin is here! He's in good spirits, happy to be invited and instantly charmed by the rustic aesthetic and the plethora of yellow flowers. It's simple but it's warm! And Jack obviously went to a lot of effort! He thinks this is great...even if the intention of the theme completely goes over his head. He'll also spend some time inspecting the paper flowers to see how they're folded; he might want to try that himself later.

When the time comes for the proposal he'll be shocked but over the moon for the happy couple. This is all too sweet!

ARRIVALS/VIBE CHECK: Lenz

[lenzpolzin]

Lenz suspects that there's more to this than a general start of the summer party, but what the hell? There are free drinks and he's more than ready to blow off a little steam after last week's parade of bullshit. When the event devolves into a surprise proposal, though, that's...he's not sure what to do with that. Good fucking luck, Jack and Annie.

ARRIVALS/VIBE CHECK: Ophelia

[cardinal]

Fee is so happy to be here!!! Seriously, just glad 2 be involved. She's trying to make friends and feels a little awkward until the proposal, which she quietly loses her mind over (she barely knows Annie and Jack but she's SO HAPPY FOR THEM!!!!) and loosens up after that.

ARRIVALS/VIBE CHECK: Rory

[coulee]

Rory pops by because he wants to know how many Colin Farrell posters adorn a Jack-decorated party and he's surprised when the answer is zero. He happens to be in jorts and a yellow shirt that accidentally matches the peonies, and for the first time in a week: NO GLOVES!

While he adores an engagement party (he 💞LOVES LOVE💞!!!), public proposals make him want to turn into himself until he's naught but a mote of dust. So he copes with the free beer.

ARRIVALS/VIBE CHECK: Eden

[littlehurry]

Eden is here in a linen minidress and a lot of bronzing oil. She has no idea what this theme is and will not at all suspect the true intention of this party until IT'S GOING DOWN, at which moment she will probably cry because she's had several glasses of wine.

ARRIVALS/VIBE CHECK: Lou

[loudon]

Lou's there, doing his lil professor thing; he thinks he's just gonna pop in and show his face to be polite before scurrying away, but then it turns into an engagement party and then he HAS to stay and mingle.

Lou gets a little weepy about the proposal, both because he is a hopeless romantic and because it brings back bad memories of when he got engaged way back in the dinosaur days. He'll be very complimentary about the theme though, and wish them all the best!

ARRIVALS/VIBE CHECK: Hera

[burnplan]

Hera came for the food, and she's sure that somehow, deep in his heart, Jack knows and understands.

ARRIVALS/VIBE CHECK: Noah

[bubble_boy]

Noah is here, mostly because he just couldn't keep his curiosity in check, despite his somewhat lukewarm feelings on Jack. Despite how he treats Annie he does actually like her, though, so, he'll just majorly roll his eyes at the proposal.

ARRIVALS/VIBE CHECK: Isaiah

[stgermaine]

Isaiah is dressed up in a sweater vest, button-up and tie, which is about as spring themed as he ever gets. The theme of the party dawns on him and he thinks, well, isn't that odd. Then as the romantic nature of the event begins to intensify he thinks, hm, interesting. And then the proposal happens and his smile becomes a tense mask. :) He won't ruin this for Annie, but he's not thrilled by the development.

ARRIVALS/VIBE CHECK: Eureka

[rafflesian]

Eureka is in jorts and a jorset for the Season, and pumped to drink alcohol and play ring toss. When Jack proposes, they are GAGGED and also Reasonably Sus™ but they decide to lean into it in case Annie is either pregnant or Jack is Foreign (Canadian??? DENMARK-IAN???) and Annie's trying to get the hell out of America. (YOU GO GIRL!!)

Anyway, Eureka is probably fairly tipsy by the time of the proposal (their dark roots are starting to show) and decides they're being Helpful by making up heartwarming stories about the couple.

ARRIVALS/VIBE CHECK: Raine

[rainbowfish]

Raine was already kind of in a bad mood today, but was tasked with luring Annie to the venue, so he's doing his best to suck it up. He does bail at about 1:30pm, though. Sorry! Have a nice marriage!!!

ARRIVALS/VIBE CHECK: Linus

[crawlwaller]

Linus will never miss a party, especially not one dedicated to the best season.

ARRIVALS/VIBE CHECK: Enoch

[imaginist]

Contrary to his behavior later this afternoon, Enoch isn't suspicious when he first arrives at this so-called start of the summer party. People here love to throw parties for no reason. He's a bit late because Crysta hit him with glitter during their experiment this morning, but despite his best efforts, there's still traces of glitter in his hair. 😤

When the proposal happens, Enoch can be seen furiously texting on his phone.

ARRIVALS/VIBE CHECK: Evan

[hulled]

Evan arrives in a simple black dress with a cropped denim jacket. If anyone in this group reads energies, hers is not great. She'll keep to the outskirts and stay as long as she can before getting back to the moles.

Scrap, to his credit, is wearing a tiny, tiny chipmunk bowtie made out of a leaf. He is riding on her shoulder, just under her hair, and will offer acorns to those he likes. He will make fun of anyone he doesn't.

ARRIVALS/VIBE CHECK: Rye

[artificialgravity]

Rye looks like maybe he just kind of got lost and wandered in. But hey, no one's kicking him out, and those little cookies are really fancy. Is that free booze, too?

On the bright side he's wearing a jacket with minimal holes in it and he brushed his hair this morning.

ARRIVALS/VIBE CHECK: Annie

[philomathean]

Annie isn't a dolt, so when Raine caves to her pestering and confesses that they're headed to "a surprise party for you," she is pretty dang confident that Jack is going to pop the question. It makes sense; they had just spoken a few days prior about being in the clear soon. She figures that Jack is feeling paranoid in the aftermath of the storm and is eager to protect himself. She is equally eager to protect him.

A few close friends, a picture or two in front of a scenic backdrop, and an unremarkable and inoffensive ring are all she's really expecting. She wonders if he'll get down on one knee and hopes that he doesn't.

Even though she knows this is just a formality, at the end of the day, she is a little vain, so she puts on a nice dress and a red lip and practices looking surprised while she waits for Raine to scoop her up.

Ultimately, she doesn't have to pretend. When they first walk in and see everyone milling around, Annie thinks that maybe this actually is just a summer solstice party. Jack is probably trying to seed one more similarity between them in the minds of her friends and co-workers: Russian literature, basketball, being annoying, and now party planning!

All these peonies! Her favorite. Yellow peonies, no less, which she knows are rare and difficult to come by. Hm, that's odd. Why bother making yellow paper peonies when he could have just bought pink ones from Trader Joe's? And then it hits her that this party is themed after her favorite book and suddenly it all feels a little magical. And corny. And cute. Annie loves it and is pleasantly overwhelmed by the intersection of thoughtfulness, commitment to a bit, and attention to her tastes.

She has to excuse herself to the restroom because she starts to tear up reading the food descriptions, which is too strong of a reaction for baba ganoush. When she emerges again, she is all smiles and will participate in all of the games. Her eagle eyed and highly suspicious friends will pick up that she does seem a little nervous, both before and after the proposal. She drinks a little too much white wine (no, she's not pregnant) and is walking a fine line between tipsy and drunk by the end of the evening. But she also seems genuinely happy, finds this theme genuinely hilarious, and is frequently caught looking at Jack with genuine affection.

ARRIVALS/VIBE CHECK: Jack

[nolitangere]

Jack is dressed nicer than usual—in a yellow sweater and black pants, and dress shoes that look recently polished. He even tried to zhush up his hair, which is why it's extra devastating to him when Scrap later insults it.

He's trying very valiantly to appear his normal, "lol"-saying self, but he does seem stressed. It's hard to say if Jack appears to be experiencing a normal amount of stress for a man about to propose to his girlfriend at a surprise engagement party with all their coworkers, or if he seems a little additionally burdened. But who can never be sure.

He's also really running around, making sure there's enough food and drink and cleaning up spills as they occur, making sure the ring toss isn't exploding, making sure the flowers don't catch fire (anything can happen), and, most importantly, making sure Annie is enjoying herself. Annie seems to make him more nervous than anything else. At 12:50 PM, someone heading into the restroom would have caught Jack in there, standing in front of a mirror pinching the bridge of his nose with his eyes squeezed shut, repeating, "Okay. Okay. Okay. Alright... Okay." Normal pre-proposal anxiety? Or something else?

At first, Jack seems reluctant or unable to fully accept that Annie is enjoying herself—whenever she glances over at him affectionately, he flashes her two thumbs up in a shrugging motion, with a questioning look on his face. But toward the end of the party, his beloved poison of choice light beer has relaxed him, and he starts to enjoy himself, too.

ARRIVALS/VIBE CHECK:Crysta

[beautyfull]

Crysta knows exactly what is going on here but did not really ever think even when offering ring opinions that this would get this far this quickly. She shows up in an incredibly Not on theme (see she KNEW there was a way she'd get this wrong!!) little tube top and skirt situation and as soon as Annie actually does say Yes she sort of loses interest in the romantic tension of it all and just parties instead. Please no one notice the fun facts are things she asked you three weeks ago.

ARRIVALS/VIBE CHECK: Cole

[counterfake]

Cole is fairly oblivious, but after Noah's conversation mentioning that Annie and Weirdo Jack were a thing (and possibly engaged), he's a little suspicious. He's accompanying Fee in casual attire as is mentioned on the invite. Tbh, he didn't read that. He did bring a gift for the host. Is there a pool at Enodia? Oh well, use the lake.

Enjoy your flamingo pool float.

ARRIVALS/VIBE CHECK: ryan

[dissonances]

A party's a party and Ryan's got nothing better to do, so he shows up a couple minutes after 1pm, just in time to see Jack proposing to Annie. Ryan had no idea the two of them were even dating, but he's still pretty new and he doesn't know a lot about a lot of people. He hangs toward the back, somewhat befuddled, wishing he'd taken an edible before he left his apartment, and claps when everyone else claps.

Later on he'll track down both Jack and Annie and congratulate them on their impending nuptials.

AT THE PARTY

[nolitangere]

GAMES: RING TOSS

[nolitangere]

OOC/QUESTIONS/COMMENTS

[nolitangere]

Thank you to Kristina for helping me with this code!!!!! And thank you to Jenny for inventing HTML.

(Posting this early (1:38 AM for meee, PST baybeee) and will get back to administrative things later.) Idk. I tried, everyone...

VOLUNTEER SLOTS

[nolitangere]