𝙻𝙾𝙲𝙰𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽 : eastwell estate , london .
𝚂𝚃𝙰𝚃𝚄𝚂 : open ( @startertms ) .
and he’s not wasted yet , just this side of drunk ; the bitterness that laces gaunt features tight hasn’t twisted into forlorn misery , & he’s got enough wits about him to keep his fucking voice down . what it DOESN’T stop , of course , is the way he sidles up , loose - limbed , to another figure at the 𝐁𝐀𝐑 . “ so , --- - ” he reaches for another glass of champagne , relishes the way the bubbles burst along his tongue & quash some of the venom that sits pretty upon it . “ --- - what percentage of marriages end in divorce these days ? ”
❝ LOVE IS IN THE AIR THIS WEEK and if you haven’t managed to score an invite to the event of the year ( their words, not mine ), you’re in luck ! the celebration of the flint & parkinson engagement is only one of a number of valentine’s day events being held around the country this coming monday, and amortentia on diagon alley has pulled together what just might be the most impressive one of all ! the two galleon entry fee comes with a complimentary cocktail ( as stock lasts ) and access to every single one of the individually themed rooms, where we’re told they’ve really gone all out this season. the real treat comes to those who choose to sign up for their ‘date night’ arrangement, as the rooftop terrace has been transformed into a perfect replica of the most romantic candlelit restaurant. don’t let the impending nuptials of the slytherin it-couple get you down - get out there this monday and find yourself true love ! ❞
WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE :
EASTWELL ESTATE, LONDON : the eastwell estate is a large georgian mansion sitting on about twenty acres of well tended land just outside of the city - once the home of ulick gamp ( the very FIRST minister of magic ), it’s become a popular venue choice for the upper echelon of british wix society and being able to hire it for even a day is considered a huge show of status and, of course, wealth. the waiting list is pretty long, and neither family would have been able to finesse even the smallest of the function rooms if it hadn’t been for an opportune cancellation and a swift but carefully calculated bribe that guaranteed the use of the main ballroom and terrace, as well as a few bedrooms for family & friends to stay overnihgt. marcus and pansy mightn’t be enjoying their betrothal quite as much as one might hope they would be, but their parents have done everything in their power - and then some, to be frank - to ensure that their engagement party not only goes off without a hitch, but also that there’s something for all of their curated guestlist to appreciate ( even if that just happens to be the copious amounts of alcohol available at the open bar ).
the early afternoon is planned to be the stuffy sort of event befitting of the neoclassical space - all polished marble and gold gild - complete with servers offering the fanciest of finger foods, spindly tables to gather around and enjoy a glass of chilled champagne & a small string orchestra chosen specially by marcus’ mother. first and foremost, this portion of the engagement party is intended to parade the happy couple around in front of their rich & important frineds, not much care given to whether either particularly wants to be shown off. the table at the door where partygoers can set down any presents ( and sign the leatherbound guestbook ) is certainly some kind of compensation for playing along, though both have pansy’s stepmother to thank for the REAL gift that comes, much later. as the older crowd heads home and night starts to set in, a ‘hip’ cover band is set to take over from the orchestra and inspire a very sudden shift in the overall atmosphere. the champagne fountain and the ice sculpture in the shape of a snake - their house emblem, of course - mightn’t seem at home at the heart of what will quickly devolve into a more carefree dancefloor, but there was only so much that vana could do on short notice.
AMORTENTIA, DIAGON ALLEY : amortentia’s horny little devils party ( no dress code enforced at the door, though all the servers on the main floor are dressed in red instead of the trademark bubblegum pink, their ensemble completed with a set of red horns ) has been in planning since halloween past, when the ministry issued safety guidelines forced all the night life along diagon alley to close by eleven on what should have been one of their busiest nights of the year. as such, no expense has been spared for this triumphant return to the party hall of fame. those willing to pay the two galleon entry fee will be given a free cocktail on the door and a complimentary bracelet made of inexpensive ribbon and charmed to change color depending on each characters desire, for the evening - red for taken ( or not interested in the dating scene, tonight ), yellow for casual & green for for anyone happy to go entirely with the flow. the latter might - or might not ! - make up the numbers of the rooftop dating event, which anyone can sign up for before the 8pm deadline, as long as they’re willing to put aside an hour or two for the subsequent dates arranged on scene.
every individual themed room is, as always, decked out to the nines ( with the only one unchanged for the ocassion being the aptly named love room, everything just as pink as always, the same small amounts of their namesake potion added to hidden vaporisers in the walls ). you might stumble on a scene from a popular romantic comedy - one server swears there’s a room with access to paints to mimic the iconic 10 things i hate about you scene, while a loud partygoer insists they took a wrong turn on the way to the bathroom and found a snow covered set that looked like it had been pulled straight from love actually. you’ll find servers dressed as cupid in one heavenly inspired room ( real clouds floating all around the space ) and a very confused set of bartenders dressed like vampires in one snug private bar that have been instructed to tell anyone who buys their drink from them that ‘love bites’, whatever that means. of course there are themed drinks, but there’s also a kissing booth on one level and heart shaped bubbles floating throughout the entire building. amortentia has leaned entirely into the valentine’s day brand, and wouldn’t have it any other way.
ELSEWHERE : the poison apple nightclub on knockturn alley is hosting their own valentine’s day event, with rumors circulating that they’re now fully leaning into the controversy still surrounding them following halloween 2020. back then, they called it an accident when a number of unusual potions were mixed with their signature drinks, causing different symptoms in each unsuspecting partygoer - this year, in contrast, they seem almost proud of the whispers that love potions have been snuck into some of their signature cocktails ( don’t worry, though - none of them actually have any in them ). the quibbler is once again doing their valentine’s day special, promising for the second year in a row to organise blind dates for anyone who sends the form enclosed in their most recent issue back to them by owl ahead of february 14th. flavia scrimgeour is hosting a valentine’s themed dinner at her home for the people who have already invested galleons into her campaign, with a daily prophet photographer ( chosen specially by the ministry hopeful ) sat moodily in the corner of the room to snap pictures for the next issue of the paper, mad they’re missing out on the events around britain.
OUT OF CHARACTER:
it wouldn’t really be february without the acknowledgement of valentine’s day, and what better way to do that than to have our very first double event of the new year ( they’re the nox brand, after all ) ! the celebration of marcus flint iii & pansy parkinson’s engagement is expected to be the event of the year and intended only to be second to the wedding itself - both sets of parents have pulled out all the stops to ensure that they’re the talk of the town ( in the best of ways, preferably ), though they’re still purebloods. only so many invites are issued, and not everyone is fond enough of the two ‘lovebirds’ to bother actually showing up, which led, fairly naturally, to the other half of this event being an entirely different vibe at everyone’s favorite diagon alley hotspot, amortentia !
the valentine’s day event being thrown at amortentia comes with its own side quest, as it were: one way or another, there’ll be randomised dates for you to sign characters up for with the hope that it’ll once again foster more dynamics for characters that maybe wouldn’t interact that much, if not for this. the option to sign up will be posted in the discord, but i’ll also give you guys the chance to decide what way you’d like to do it - i have a couple of ideas, but i always like to see what the vast majority would prefer before i decide on anything that feels a little like a task ! please keep in mind that by signing up there’ll be a certain expectation to do the thread. of course life happens, and i’m sure we all understand that, but it’s all about being inclusive and trying to have some valentine’s fun, so it’s definitely important to at least try when it comes to this portion of the event as a whole !
the events will begin on tuesday the 15th of february at 6pm gmt - you can click this link to find out what that translates to for your timezone - and will end two weeks after !
no character is required to attend either event ( nor are you required to take part at all ! ), and though i do encourage you to throw yourself in to one or the other - or both, if you so choose - please also be mindful of which one makes the most amount of sense for your characters ! we knew going into this that half of the valentine’s day bonanza would be a specific sort of closed door event, and though there are plenty of options ( getting brought as a date, for one, or just... flatout crashing- ) there is no shame in the amortentia party !
since you guys voted fair & square for this event to take place across both discord and the dash, i’m going to honor that & place no obligation on any of you to pause any threads currently going. please just make sure you keep all threads to the correct categories on the discord and tag appropriately to differentiate, on the dash.
event related starters ( including private ones ) can be tagged with nox.event023 if posted to the dash, though you should also use nox.amortentia or nox.engagement to further clarify which one your post is based at ! the club is located on diagon alley and the engagement party on the fictional eastwell estate ( think of it like any rich-in-history manor or mansion hired out for engagements and weddings and things ), for anyone who tags location.
if you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to send them to the main ! please reply to this post with your favorite love song once you’ve read it !
location: the engagement party, off on the sidelines
status: closed for @monstrovs
“The festivities not entertaining enough for you?” Frankly, she has no merlin-forsaken idea how exciting the event has been so far, considering she just slipped in the door, but it’s in Liana’s nature to talk to strangers, so this fares well for her. Besides, she’s been cooped up in her office working on paperwork for half the week, so anything would be a refreshing change of pace to that. Even an engagement party--which, in all fairness, is for a couple she knows almost nothing about aside from their names.
location: the engagement party
status: open ( @startertms )
She appears out of almost nowhere. With one hand, she clutches her purse, in the other, she holds a pink peony out, a small smile playing at her lips. “You look like you could use one of these.” Whether to just cheer them up or to give to someone else or what have you... well, the options are endless, but Liana outstretches her hand further, waving the flower in front of her companion’s face. “Come on, take it.”
LOCATION: eastwell estate, london !
STATUS: closed for @tiimetvrners
Greg has been rather unmoving at the bar, downing free drinks until he's a little more than just pleasantly buzzed to get him through the night. “Y’know,” He starts with a lick of his lips, stirring the contains of his drink, the ice clinking the glass, “I think they’re absolutely mad,” For two people he’s known almost all his life, it was strange to see them to tie the knot, as disgusting as that sounded. “I mean, marriage?” Greg scoffs, polishing off the drink and leaning his elbows back in his seat. “What a waste. Pretty soon, they’ll end up hating each other.”
𝐋𝐎𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍: eastwell estate, london !
𝐅𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆: @taciiturns !
he doesn’t need to say it out loud for his sister to know how fucking bored he is - his heavy exhale of breath and the even tap of his foot against the polished marble floor does it for him. stuffy pureblood events were all the same, even when on paper, they weren’t. he’d HOPED something would kick off ( arranged marriages - and niko was a lot of things, but he wasn’t fool enough to think it any different - always seemed to come with the added bonus of a jilted lover or two ), but he was starting to think that the only way to improve this absolute ordeal was by taking direct action. he downs the dregs of his champagne flute, motions for one of the milling servers to bring him another and without preamble declares, “i’m going to fuck parkinson.” she hated his guts, but niko was nothing if not confident on his odds of success. he’s resolved to make an effort, at least, but it’d be a lot more fun with a competitor. “i’d wager fifty galleons that you can’t bag the groom before i slip somewhere more private with the blushing bride.”
