Night Tournament Opening Ceremony

[undergroundmods]

Watch on YouTube

Every four years the Night Tournament is held in London as a celebration of the physical, mental and magical prowess of its supernatural inhabitants. Over three weeks the chosen competitors will take on various challenges in an effort to be crowned Champions of their species. Tonight, the grand opening ceremony is taking place at the Redbright Institute, where guests can expect a spectacle of magical wonders and of course the parade of this year's competitors.

The ceremony takes place from 8pm-11pm Sunday 6th August. It is being hosted by the school's Chancellor, Sylvia Redbright, accompanied by event organisers Alexandrie Belrose, the Dean, and Yasmine Merad. Guests must have purchased a ticket in order to attend the event, unless of course you are one of the competitors or someone involved in organising the tournament.

Rules of entry
• No weapons. Any weapons or objects that could be used as weapons will be confiscated.
• No drugs or alcohol except that provided at the event. Don't try to sneak any in.
• No violence.

There is security present on the grounds during the event. The school itself is shut. (In fact, if your character is a member of the Redbright Institute, you could have them acting as security if you want.) They will respond to and put a stop to any trouble.

Order of events
The entirety of tonight's ceremony takes place outside in the grounds, namely the football field. There are stands around the field where the audience can watch the show. A number of stewards (student volunteers) will check tickets and direct guests over to the right place. They are also selling a variety of drinks and snacks to cater for all supernatural tastes. Vampires without daylight jewellery are directed through to the "shade zone": a section of the stand which is completely shielded from the sun.

8pm-8.30pm: Redbright Choir
Led by the Head of Music Ms Sandra Ng, the Redbright Choir is comprised of a variety of students representing all supernatural beings coming together to sing in harmony. They are accompanied by a live band.

8.30-9.30pm: Welcome to the Night (nb. sunset is at 8.45pm)
Settle in for one hell of a show. The hour's entertainment, proudly organised and performed by students at the Redbright Institute, features a showpiece from every supernatural type, from witches performing a spectacular light show of magic, meta humans showing off their powers, to werewolves and shapeshifters dancing in fur costumes. The theme again is harmony: the show ends with all performers joining hands in a giant circle on the pitch before performing their final dance.

9.30-9.45pm: Sylvia's Welcome Speech
As the host and sponsor of the Night Tournament, Sylvia will then step up to a podium to say a few words. She talks about (you guessed it) peace and harmony and coming together to celebrate supernatural diversity. She speaks proudly of the Redbright Institute's record of welcoming and teaching any supernatural student, no matter their background. The one thing that does get all the journalists scribbling furiously, however, is a brief mention of the Night Council's new President. Though she doesn't mention him by name, she does say that she welcomes the President's stance on promoting peace and unity.

9.45-10.15pm: The Parade
At last the 16 competitors are introduced one by one. Dressed in spectacular costumes, each competitor gets their own float which makes one round of the field before they all meet in the centre of the pitch. The parade is accompanied by inspiring music and showers of glitter (or is it pixie dust?). Smile and wave, everyone. Smile and wave.

10.15-11pm: General Mingling
Finally, the audience are allowed to invade the pitch where they can mingle with the competitors as they please. Stewards walk around serving more drinks, and there is a live band playing until the end of the event. Stick around to catch some gossip, place a bet on your preferred competitor, or offer support to your favourites.

[OOC: Please see the information post for more details on this event and to ask any questions!]

Comments

[trickofthelight]

parade/mingling
Desmond's essentially participating in this whole thing at all because of peer pressure, and also because the one of the coven witches really has her eye on upgrading the coven facilities. Unfortunately, that also means they're in charge of his costume and the float, and given the tight budget they're on, it's essentially what they could pull together with magic on short notice. Once they found out he used to be a bartender, the unanimous decision was made to style his float after Dionysus.

This mostly means that the float is covered in ivy, vines trailing off the side, with plenty of grapes to boot. The main feature of the float, though, is Desmond sitting on an overturned wooden tub, with a fake leopard skin with the 'paws' tied around his neck and waist. Besides that, he's wearing the ancient Greek equivalent of a speedo, a wreath of vines around his head, a whole lot of gold body glitter, and an awkward smile. At least he can take comfort in knowing he's reasonably fit and in shape, and that nobody's likely to recognize him.

After the parade, Desmond can mostly be found sitting on the edge of his float, idly twirling the giant fennel stalk he was holding like a scepter earlier, answering questions from guests but also looking like he'd like to be anywhere, anywhere but here. This was probably why his coven left him shoeless.

[hurtcomfort]

"You're golden!" Surprise, that sure is Cole popping up out of nowhere and looking at the body paint like it's the coolest thing ever. Because it is! That's Desmond, but he's glittery and golden and he looks amazing, even if Cole doesn't know why they took away his pants.

And then he notices the fake leopard skin and gives it a little frown. Hmm. Desmond still looks amazing but that's a little concerning for Cole. "I don't think the leopard is too happy, though."

Someone has yet to realize it's a fake leopard skin.

[trickofthelight]

Desmond had caught sight of Cole during the parade earlier, and needless to say, he's completely baffled as to what a ghost is doing competing in something like this, of all things. He's also a little confused by cole's comment, and he glances down at himself before he realizes what he must be talking about.

"Wasn't my idea. Don't worry, though, I don't think any real leopards were harmed making this costume." Just a stuffed one, probably.

[hurtcomfort]

There's a long pause.

"Oh."

That makes a lot of sense, doesn't it. Of course it would be fake. There weren't any leopards in London, after all. He should have known that. Good job, Cole.

"Well, it still looks nice."

[trickofthelight]

"Thanks." There's a bit of a pause on Desmond's end too. The sort that says 'if you were actually wearing anything different, I'd probably say the same thing to you, except you're wearing exactly the same thing you always are so that would obviously be a lie and that feels weird and dishonest even if you probably don't care.'

Instead, he says, "So ... why'd you sign up for this, anyway?"

[hurtcomfort]

"Because I wanted to." It's said as if it's the most obvious answer in the history of creation. Why else would he sign up for this? He's not like Desmond or Ghoul, there's nobody to make him do something like this. But it was interesting and there were people so Cole decided to sign up.

"Why'd you sign up for this?"

[trickofthelight]

Because I'm a pushover, Desmond thinks.

"Because my coven asked me to," he says, out loud. "And because I didn't realize it was going to be like... this."

[hurtcomfort]

Desmond's feelings are...odd. Just being by him is enough for Cole to pick up on them, probably more than Desmond wants. He doesn't say anything, frowning slightly as he looks at the man as he tries to piece out just what exactly Desmond is feeling.

"There's nothing to be ashamed of." Because that's what he's feeling. Ashamed that he got dragged into this. Ashamed that everybody's seeing him in something slightly embarrassing. "You're going to be great."

[freelife]

They know who the other is now. more or less. Evie knew Desmond was one of them. Which was to say, she's increasingly interested in him. She watches him from her own float, and waits until there's a break in her greeting line to disappear for a few moments to find the witch.

She seemingly appears out of nowhere, leaning against his float. "Dionysus' more of a party god- I'm a bit surprised they didn't choose to dress you as Ares instead."

[trickofthelight]

It's a little sad that the only person competing in this thing wearing less than Desmond is the ghost, and even then that's by technicality of him not being able to wear anything at all. When Evie approaches, it still takes him a moment to recognize her -- because sure, she was introduced, but she is still wearing something definitely different from anything he's seen her in before, and he didn't get a good chance to look at it during the parade. He actually visibly boggles for a moment before he finds his tongue.

"I get the feeling that wouldn't have been as fun for my coven," he admits, glumly glancing down. That, or it was just going to take too much time. He does feel overexposed in this, and he really hopes he can get his shirt back on sooner than later. The gold body paint isn't quite enough to hide some of the scarring that creeps out around his sides, continuing under the fake animal pelt on his back.

[freelife]

Desmond glances down, and so does Evie, raising an eyebrow appreciatively. Yes, he's quite a decent looking fellow, she decides. She's a taken woman, but that doesn't mean she can't look.

"They did well, all the same. You looked good out there." She nods over towards the track.

[trickofthelight]

It's hard to miss being sized up like that, and even under the golden body paint, it's not hard to tell that Desmond's flushing a little. It's one thing to get stared at by strangers, but when you know someone...

"Thanks, you too," he says, awkwardly. Is that okay to say to a competitor? He doesn't really know. "Have you done this before?" She certainly has the confidence for it.

[freelife]

She's going to objectify you, and you're going to like it, Desmond.

"Not really, no. But I thought it sounded like fun and I do love a good challenge." Some of these competitors... She really didn't think they were going to be much of a fight, when it came to combat. Though a few others did have her worried.

Like that bear, for instance.

"What about you?"

[trickofthelight]

Desmond could objectified by worse people, so this isn't that much of a trial...

"My coven wants the prize money to renovate the yoga studio," is what he offers for an explanation, sounding about as excited as anyone could expect, with a motivation like that. "If I knew costumes were going to be involved, I probably would have said no."

At least, he'd like to think he would have said no.

[ghoulaid]

"Holy fucking shit." Welp, Desmond's life is officially over. Ghoul is on the scene, propping an elbow against the edge of the float with a devilish grin that fits his outfit a little too perfectly. "Is this Chippendales or a parade?"

[trickofthelight]

Desmond scowls reflexively, but it's more that it's Ghoul is here, meaning he probably theoretically has to compete against him at some point. The idea is horrifying.

"Well, it's definitely not Halloween, or a taxidermy exhibition." He crosses his arms over his chest like that's going to preserve his modesty or erase the fact that Ghoul (and pretty much everyone else) has seen his nipples, but he's also immediately going to put his arms down again. He's uncomfortable, that much is clear, but that has much less to do with Ghoul personally. He keeps scanning the crowd, even if he knows it's ridiculous anyone would try to kidnap him here, in front of everyone else.

[ghoulaid]

Excuse him. This costume is an important part of werewolf folklore... Apparently. Ghoul is still learning werewolf stuff, okay, but at least he has clothes. "Yeah? You coulda fuckin' fooled me with that shit you've got on." Or the shit he doesn't have on. "Who decided to dress you up as disco-Tarzan?"

He squints at Desmond after he catches him eyeballing the crowd for the second time. He's being weird. Ghoul feels unsettled enough that he briefly glances over his shoulder, just to make sure Desmond hasn't caught sight of someone trying to sneak up on them.

[trickofthelight]

"My coven," Desmond says, with a gloomy resignation that's at least a distraction from his paranoia. If Ghoul didn't already assume he was Circle Daybreak before, the introductions gave that much away. He lets his gaze focus back to Ghoul, rubbing absently at the tattoo wrapped around his forearm in a vain attempt to get the glitter off. The gilding does a fairly good job of covering the scars on him, but the witch who cast the glamour wasn't very good at it, so the faint lines still show through.

"At least we won't be competing wearing these." Maybe. hopefully.

[ghoulaid]

"You're in a coven of dicks." Ghoul's face screws up bitterly. It's hard to expect much else from Daybreak at this point, but still. Nobody deserves this. "I almost feel bad for givin' you shit. Your friends probably don't need any help."

Does that mean he's going to stop, though? Not necessarily. Better luck next time.

Ghoul doesn't think much of Desmond's antsy behavior until a dark smudge beneath all the glitter catches his eye. "What's that?" He hadn't bothered looking Desmond over very closely before, because he's wearing basically nothing and that's weird. But that looks like a tattoo. He likes tattoos. He only has about eighty million of them himself, so of course he leans up and in to get a better view.

[trickofthelight]

"It's the price I pay for free education and rent," Desmond quips back, only to look at Ghoul with some mild alarm as he suddenly finds himself the focus of attention. That's something he finds uncomfortable under most circumstances to begin with but doubly so when it's coming from someone who tackled you on your first meeting.

"It's a tattoo," he says, stating the obvious and holding his arm up so Ghoul can get a better look without having to invade his personal space any further or (heaven forbid) grab it. He's not sure why it's drawn his interest, given that what little he's seen of Ghoul seems to suggest he's much more extreme than Desmond's single piddling arm tattoo.

[roddy_reinigen]

Roddy was just passing by after the parade, snacking on some food he'd found at the refreshment table and looking at other people's floats when he spotted Desmond. There was something about that face and scent that struck Roddy as familiar.

"Hey, don't I--" Then, suddenly he remembered. He had smelled that scent before, on a rooftop, going through his pile of clothes. He'd been a rat. "Uh...nevermind."

Of course, with Roddy's mask and Nutcracker-esque rat king costume, it might not take much for Desmond to figure out why Roddy seemed to recognize him for a second.

[trickofthelight]

It's a voice Desmond doesn't recognize, but there have been many of those voices tonight. The surprise is that it comes from a fellow competitor, someone he'd seen presented along with the rest of them. What was his name? Ronnie? Rod? Desmond wishes he'd been paying more attention instead of trying to make sure the fake leopard skin wasn't falling off him.

"Hi?" Desmond's still trying to remember his name even as he gives him a confused smile. Rodney ... Roddy, wasn't it?

And then he realizes why the name was so familiar -- he'd read it off that ID, after all, and he startles visibly. "Hey, you were--" The guy who randomly left his clothes on the roof where a rat was running around? How does anyone just come out and say that?

[roddy_reinigen]

"...the rat shifter who's competing in this. Yeah."

So he just decided to fess up without really fessing up. After all, that bit was something everyone here was aware of. Of course, knowing that this guy was a supernatural being of some type at least let him know why he survived jumping off a roof. Although, he wasn't sure why he was hanging out on one in the first place, but since Roddy was, too, it wasn't like he was in a position to judge.

[trickofthelight]

Wow, this is awkward, but if Desmond pulled himself together enough to grin wryly at Roddy, he could pretend he was talking to just another customer at the bar. Or something. No need to get too personal about it -- and if he didn't directly address it, Desmond wasn't about to either.

"... right. Uh. Nice to meet you face to face and everything." Tentatively, he holds out a hand to shake. "Did you volunteer for this?"

Because if he did, Desmond also desperately wants to know if the costume was his choice or foisted on him.

[roddy_reinigen]

Roddy shook Desmond's hand in a brief handshake, though he did make the effort to maintain a somewhat firm grip for those brief seconds, just to avoid seeming weak. He might end up having to fight this guy soon, after all. "My name's Roddy, by the way. And yeah, I did. I know I'm not the most intimidating competition, but I figure I have a few tricks up my sleeves."

Mostly involving slipping into and out of small spaces, but that could be useful in the later rounds.

Casually slipping his hands into his pockets, he added, "What about you?"