The Gala at Winter Wonderland!

[Mallory]

As of December 1st, Winter Wonderland has opened in the Old Temple district in RhyDin and will stay open all season long -- with a Winter Gala set for December 8th at 9 PM EST! Guests are invited to attend and get into the spirit of giving -- as everyone who donates over the course of the next week, including on the night of the Gala itself, will earn a ticket that could win them one of a number of door prizes!



The large attraction features a busy holiday bazaar, with vendor stalls for gifts, sweets, and decorations, and a whimsical double-decker carousel at the center. Vendors are welcome to rent stalls or erect their own for any duration of Winter Wonderland, whether for the night of the Gala or longer.



On the night of the Gala, Winter Wonderland's RhyDin Eye ferris wheel is letting guests ride for free! Those who are able are encouraged to make monetary donations to the Very Melee Christmas charity drive in lieu of a ticket purchase. A ride on the ferris wheel offers a breathtaking view of the temple and cathedral spires that surround the plaza, many of them decorated with lights for the holidays.



Fire pits have been set up around a large, open-air pavilion, where the dwarven hosts will bring out hot cocoa, mulled wine, and other drinks to help guests stave off the cold. Red Orc Brwery, maker of Badsider, will be re-releasing their special edition Mad Fairy Winter Ale, while Silver Mark Brewing Co. will be premiering their new Yuletide Ale, with freshly tapped kegs set up at two large bars that flank the entrance.

There is a massive tree in the center of the pavilion, where people can set down gifts of food, clothes, and toys for the Very Melee Christmas charity drive. Helpful volunteers in fur-trimmed tunics of red and green are hard at work wrapping the donations with paper, ribbons and twine; while less helpful volunteers in the form of pixies drawn by the light and sound are flitting around the pavilion, hoisting sprigs of mistletoe over some of the cozier-looking fire pits...



At 11:30 ET, the bright lights of Winter Wonderland will be dimmed as a special squadron of six RhyDin Air & Space Guard pilots led by Khajja nar Ja'targk flies over, dropping fireworks over the Hakodate Snow Palace skating rink at the far end of the festival. After the show, the Gala's door prizes will be announced, hand delivered by the volunteers wrapping presents at the tree in the pavilion.

((Please feel free to use this thread to post character outfits, vendor stalls, and any ideas for door prizes you might have. Alternatively, if you'd rather keep the prize a secret, you can PM me and I'll announce it when it's issued. :-D You can also do donation posts here! I will count those as well as donations made in the #winter-wonderland channel during the event itself, though I recommend messaging me to confirm that I saw it.))

[PC]

Every Gala attendee will receive a festive Santa-inspired candle!
There's scented and non-scented versions with those who have sensitive noses.

[Delahada]

(Please delete me.)

[JewellRavenlock]

Premiering in time for the Gala at Winter Wonderland and available from different vendors throughout Winter Wonderland itself: Mad Fairy Winter Ale re-release!

As a special addition this year in collaboration with House of Summer, Inc., many bottles have an actual fairy inside!

Open the bottle, set your fairy free, and make a wish before you take that first sip.



WARNING: Fairies may be intoxicated upon gaining their freedom and unable to properly grant wishes. Red Orc Brewery and House of Summer, Inc. are not responsible for any harm caused by the fairies; wishes that are misinterpreted due to intoxication or your inability to enunciate; or any mischief the fairies may cause once they have gained their freedom. If your bottle is already empty upon opening it, you are not eligible for a refund.




((How to play along: Not all Mad Fairy Winter Ale bottles have a drunken fairy inside, but a lot of bottles do! The little drunken wish fairies can grant a wish correctly, be too drunk to grant a wish at all, misinterpret a wish out of malice or intoxication, or grant whatever wish they want for the fun of it. They may give your character some fancy new shoes, fabulous clothes, or the worst haircut of their life! You decide!))

[Saori Sato]

Saori was present, of course!

(Saori's outfit)

[Mai Sato]

Mai's attire may not have fit the theme of a gala.. It looked as if she arrived after a long trip instead of the dressing room; which, in a way, is the truth. The tengu hadn't expected to make the gala on time, possibly being an hour or two late, but with the out of town meeting done early she had no real excuse (other than to go through a McDonalds drive-through) not to head for the party.. Sure, there were some complications: like being pulled over by the Watch up in the outskirts of New Haven, but that was something easily mended!

Either way, long story short — she made it to the gala!

[Lucy Mitford]

Lucy will be attending the Gala! She will arrive on her own, but hopes to see some friends at the event to share the night with (and maybe some drinks and dance partners too!). She'll spend most of the night in the warm pavilion, but eventually she'll venture out to make a donation and take a ride on the ferris wheel. Anyone want to join her?

[Eden Parker]

Eden is very excited to attend the Winter Gala. She's purchased a dress on theme and customized the back to allow her wings to peek through. She also has the perfect sparkly sneakers to go with it!

She'll enjoy bouncing around the event, enjoying the food and dance, and while she'll take as many rides on the carousel as anyone will let her, she will absolutely not (definitely, absolutely not) go anywhere near the ferris wheel.

[Bailey Raptis]

Bailey worked with Pierce Pianz of Highlife Haberdashery to pick out the perfect tuxedo for the Winter Gala, and with his more usual and frequent collaborator, Roshanak Armin-Zadeh, for all the accessories that went with it. It pained her to do so, but Roshie went along with the more subdued feel of the tuxedo and found suitable kitten heels and a clutch bag in black. She did insist that Bailey pierce his ears and wear a pair of small studded crystal and gold earrings, as well as a yellow gold cuff bracelet for his right wrist. Bailey agreed, but only if he could wear an intricately woven purple, blue, and silver fabric bracelet on his left hand. The stipulation drew a raised eyebrow from Roshie, but when she pressed Bailey on it, he refused to elaborate further.

Bailey completed the outfit with a little make-up work on his own. Some blue, indigo, and white confetti make-up sprinkled around his eyes, combined with blue eyeshadow and a carefully drawn snowflake in the outer corner of each eye, felt appropriate for the night.

[Senka Tihomir]

Senka loved any change to dress up. She'd make sure to stop by the Gala, make a donation, and ride the ferris wheel. She hoped to see some friends she hadn't been in touch with for a while.

Using the powers of the Firebird, her skin seemed to glow golden from within and despite her style of dress she was warm. Her wings were out and fell like a cascade of flames down her back. The eye of each feather also glowed softly casting an illuminating light around her.

[Soraya Yazdan]

[Hana Sasaki]

Snow or not! Hana braves the winter chill to make it to the Winter Gala.

[Yuki Sasaki]

Yuki braved the snow with Hana, enjoying the festive atmosphere!

[Mallory]

While the witch usually favored more alternative (and less expensive) clothes, celebrating the winter holidays was different, especially at a public event! With a few strategic visits to secondhand shops and some prodding from her shop's co-owner, Safiya ("You're out there representing us, Baroness -- now stop grumbling and try on the Burberry"), Mallory dressed warmly but nicely for the Gala. She still wore her usual assortment of rings, with the addition of a distinctive golden band worn on a necklace...

She let Safiya run the small tent for the Lyceum over near the carousel, though she couldn't help but point people that way when given the chance. She browsed the bazaar, picking out an ornament for her and Eri's tree; then settled into a seat at the pavilion, enjoying a drink alone and watching the lights of the Hakodate Snow Palace with a warm smile, until the festivities started in earnest.

She and Safiya made a donation from their own old clothes and other items they'd collected from customers at the Lyceum, though both of them declined to be entered for the prize drawing.

[JewellRavenlock]

The Mad Fairy herself was at the Gala all evening in the Red Orc Brewery promotion tent set up for the event. There was magic in the air in the tent (possibly encouraging people to drink more) and Jewell was there giving out samples of Mad Fairy Winter Ale, taking pictures, signing bottles, and generally being her charming self. As the night went on, there were dozens of little fairies (escaped from the bottles of Mad Fairy Winter Ale) buzzing around the tent. Those brave enough to catch one might be granted a wish! Maybe...

House of Summer Inc. offered to match, dollar for dollar, money spent on Mad Fairy Winter Ale for the evening in donations.

Jewell was seen sneaking away at least once during the night to ride the ferris wheel with Lucy!