Week 2 Monday Night Pajama Party!!

[seaweedwrap]

[HELLO AND WELCOME TO THE PAJAMA PARTY! They’ve really gone all out here, because the tables have all been pushed up to the wall (thank you, Finn) to make room on the floor for pillows and blankets and some cushions, too. There’s also streamers and other decorations hung up for a party-type atmosphere, as well as nice quality baijuand plum wine chilled and set out along with glasses for consumption. Next to that, there’s a variety of hors d’oeuvres to be noshed on, along with whatever anyone else has brought. There’s several balls of light floating around, courtesy of Stella, to give the place a nice, cozy glow.

Feel free to make yourself comfortable, grab some hors d’oeuvres and something to drink, and settle in for some sleepover activities or just sitting around and mingling. If you’ve brought something for the party, you can add it to the list here, or if there’s a game or an activity you’d like to host, feel free to add it on to this top level and it’ll get added to the navigation! The pajama party is your oyster~]

((OOC NAVIGATION))
||SUBJECT||sub-subjects |sub-subject||

• ||FOOD/DRINKS|| List of Buffet Items | Buffet Mingle ||


• || GAMES/ACTIVITIES || Avatar's Game | ~Spooky Stories~ | Hot Goss (Info Gathering)||


• ||GENERAL MINGLE||

Comments

[strongestfeelings]

[Oh. This is happening, huh? She places her hand on Zenos’ arm pretty much the second Wu shows up, and casts a warm smile at Wu.]

I was just explaining to Zenos how fun parties can be.

[philomachy]

She made a compelling argument in favor of them.

[Doesn't even blink at the contact even if internally he's like ???]

[seaweedwrap]

[Wu's eyes narrow at that] Well, she's a pretty compelling dame. Not surprising that you wouldn't know what fun is.

[strongestfeelings]

The most compelling. [She smiles brighter. They’re all having so much fun, right? The most fun.]

He just had to look at it the right way. You don’t just go to a party.

You have to dominate it.

[philomachy]

It certainly makes it far more interesting than the parties I am accustomed to.

And no longer having someone breathing down my neck about status helps, as well.

[seaweedwrap]

Dominating as in being the life of the party, right...?

[BECAUSE NOW HE'S UNSURE--but then what Zenos says gets his attention and UGH he doesn't want to be interested in that but he IS because it sounds like GOSSIP]

Did you only ever go to fancy dinner parties or something?

[strongestfeelings]

[He's so sulky that she can't help but soften her smile to Wu, like she's letting him in on something. She doesn't take her hand off Zenos, though.]

Right. Like that. You get whatever you want out of the party.

[philomachy]

Parties in the palace were more of a severe affair. Power plays and politics. Exhausting.

[...just drops that in there and moves on--]

The informal nature of this is a step up, I will admit.

[seaweedwrap]

In that case, yeah, that's what the best parties are about. [the softening of Stella's smile does a lot for his wary mood--he's not a big fan of Zenos still but his eyes go a bit wide at that]

Wait--palace?

[strongestfeelings]

The palace. [She echoes Wu, but with way more emphasis. She sidles up closer to Zenos, almost leaning against him.]

Tell us about these parties at this palace.

[philomachy]

[......this is what he gets for making an attempt to converse like a person. this is what he gets. ugh.

He sips his wine.]

The palace in Garlemald. It was nothing interesting. Dull ceremony, for the sake of my dearest [SO dry] great grandfather's amusement.

[seaweedwrap]

[oh are they getting close now?? GREAT Wu will plop himself down perpendicular-ish to Stella, legs folding a bit but close enough that his knee is definitely touching hers--and he's arching an eyebrow at that description]

And your great grandfather is.....?

[strongestfeelings]

That's completely different. Those aren't fun parties. You said it yourself, that's ceremony.

This is a party. Completely different than the posh dinners my mother hosts at the Solarian palace. No one's getting anything out of that, except an absurd amount of fear. [She pauses then, to wait for an answer to Wu's question with bated breath]

[philomachy]

I am only vaguely aware of the difference, but yes, fear was a regular part of it. The goal, I believe.

[But Wu asked a question, so. He'll answer.]

Solus zos Galvus, founder and first Emperor of the Garlean Empire.

1/2

[seaweedwrap]

So that would make you...a prince. [wtf. OKAY HOLD ON HE NEEDS HALF A SECOND TO PROCESS THAT] That's...I didn't know that.
--

2/2

[seaweedwrap]

Okay, wait, hooold your ostrich horses. [Wu throws his hands out to slow both of them down] Most of the fancy parties I've been to are definitely boring--just people standing around and talking about the weather, and there to show off their money and status, and the music is boring and the dancing is boring--but...fear? [HEY GUYS...U GOOD???] What does fear have to do with it?

[strongestfeelings]

[Oh. ... Oh, sweet baby Wu. Is she going to break you? She tries to exchange a look at Zenos, like, this poor sweet angel baby, can you believe him?, then looks back at Wu.]

If someone were to offend royalty, in the Earth Kingdom, what would happen to them?

[philomachy]

Prince Zenos yae Galvus, correct. [Nope, not the name on his profile, actually.] For as much as the title holds any meaning now.

[Yeah, he's sharing that look because....... honey. Wu. Sweet summer child.]

Fear is an integral part of keeping those in power right where they wish to be. It was also a source of great entertainment to my great grandfather, though you would not know it from how beloved his rule was.

...While the Garlean Empire was known to be more ruthless than most, I doubt your kingdom is quite so soft as you seem to think.

1/2

[seaweedwrap]

[Wu sits back a bit, a frown appearing between his brows] I mean, if someone made my great-aunt really angry, she might banish them or have them thrown in jail for a bit, but...none of that ever happened at parties. [he says, like he wasn't a child or a teenager during most of those parties and he wasn't even the crown prince lol so he was often shunted to the side. A lot of it went over his head]

2/2

[seaweedwrap]

[he's quiet, for a moment, looking down at his hands clasped together in his lap]

...is fear really so essential for a kingdom to survive? [it's a quiet, hesitant question]

[strongestfeelings]

[Stella shifts uncomfortably at the question. She finally draws back from Zenos, and instead wraps her free arm around her waist. She takes a moment to drink her wine, then--]

Solaria is a kingdom of peace, and abundance. That matters much more, than the fact that anyone who displeases my mother having to live through their greatest fears. Sometimes, you must do difficult things, for the greater good.

[philomachy]

Mhm. For the sake of survival? That is a good question. But not one I believe the powerful are as concerned with as they claim. Fear is a tool to make them feel superior to those under their control.

"The greater good" is only part of it so long as it keeps them right where they are.

[...]

But I cannot say what would keep a kingdom thriving. It certainly did not work well for Garlemald.

[seaweedwrap]

[Wu is quiet for a moment, just listening. In the end, he addresses Stella first]

...a lot of people here have said that. That for a kingdom to thrive, to be safe...the leader must make decisions for the greater good. That the ends--using fear, treating their people poorly--justifies the means. Perhaps...my great aunt was like that. I didn't spend a lot of time around her; I wasn't the crown prince, after all. Most of my childhood I spent in the upper ring. At best, we went to the middle ring once in a while, but for the most part, there was no need to leave the palace or its grounds. [he was just a regular prince, after all. An orphan one, but still a prince. He wasn't next in line. Until, of course, he was.]

And though I have to admit that there's a lot of people here with a lot more experience ruling or seeing people rule...Can doing things solely for "the greater good" without the input of the people around can really be called having peace and prosperity? What kind of peace can a kingdom have if its residents are always living in fear?

[he's glancing at Zenos] ...what happened to Garlemand?

[strongestfeelings]

No one needs to fear. It's only if they have a reason to. [She's... strangely stubborn about this, especially with how she's talked about her mother before this.]

Everything has it's place. Everyone has theirs. [And besides. Zenos had said it himself, right? The people loved his great grandfather, even if people had to fear him. Her eyes move back to him, waiting to hear what the fuck happened with Garlemand, anyway, because seriously, this is cryptic.]

oh we gonna go full spoilers now lmao

[philomachy]

The ends do not justify the means. The means are justified in the minds of those employing them. They make up their ends to make themselves feel better.

[They're nailing the party atmosphere right now.]

There is no more Garlemald. The empire fell.

It took very little, in the end. Simply a push of the dominoes.