the star-gazing festival.

[everyonecanbekind]

Who: All of Wonderland!
Where: Outside, anywhere!
When: 7/31, evening - the wee morning hours of 8/1. ♥
Rating: PG!
Summary: Star-gazing party/Sans' birthday party!!
The Story:

You may have seen a small note slipped under your door when you walked out this morning!!!!

GREETINGS, FELLOW WONDERLANDIAN!!

I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, EXTEND TO YOU AN INVITATION TO CELEBRATE IN THE BIRTHDAY OF MY BROTHER, SANS. THERE WILL BE TELESCOPES (AND SPAGHETTI) TO USE IN VIEWING THE STARS AND CONSTELLATIONS OF THE WONDERLAND SKY. YOU MAY CONTAIN YOUR PRAISE UNTIL I SEE YOU TONIGHT IN CELEBRATION!!

THERE WILL BE FOOD AND A LARGE FIRE UPON WHICH TO ROAST SWEETS!! AND MANY, MANY STARS!! AND I WILL ALSO BE THERE!! NYEH HEH HEH!

HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE,
PAPYRUS (AND FRISK, THE HUMAN!)

It took him all day (and with an early start, even!), but Papyrus has managed to scatter what could be at least fifty telescopes across all of Wonderland-- that's right! On the rooftop, the gardens, the beaches, the plains, and on the outside of the forest. There are even smaller, handheld telescopes available in a wicker basket next to the back door for on-the-go exploring!!

Each telescope has come with a small. hand written pamphlet on some of the constellations around Wonderland's skies; the only problem is that the stars are a little different than the pamphlet suggests. There are some familiar sights, but for the most part, the stars are completely shuffled around due to a recent event a few months prior where the stars fell out of the sky. Remember that? Yeah. The book has some basic information on what the stars could be-- it seems as if someone has tried to make sense of the sky, but can't. The back of the pamphlet just says, ENJOY THE STARS!!!

A blanket is rolled up with a blue ribbon, and a little bone tied into the top. While some of them may look immaculate, some of them may look a bit rushed. Feel free to decide for yourself what your set-up looks like.

Regardless, you might catch Papyrus running around, with a rag, running around and wiping the viewing glass of the telescope, where one would press their face against the frame to view stars. What is he doing? Who knows?

There is also one particular setting, where a very large telescope lingers. A small, electric lantern flickers next to it. A large book of constellations sits, along with a large bottle of ketchup and a bean bag chair. There is a note on the chair, which very impressively states that the bag is meant for a 'guest of honor', as the little paper on the bean bag suggests.).

A small area near the beach serves as a grilling area, where there's a vast collection of hot dogs, hamburgers, and assorted sides lay, waiting to be cooked and eaten.

(There's also a very picturesque looking bowl of spaghetti, which has an...odd smell. And a very....unusually awful taste.)

There's also a large bonfire out near the beach. Well maintained and burning bright, the embers flicker faintly into the sky. A table with marshmallows and graham crackers sits nearby. A cooler with assorted beverages and large bars of chocolate lay, chilled.

Welcome, friends. Welcome to this Stargazing Festival.

Otherwise known as 'Sans'-Belated-Birthday-Party'.

Comments

EARLY EVENING BBQ!

[everyonecanbekind]

[ ALL OF THE FOOD IS BEING COOKED HERE!

Do watch out for that spaghetti though. It's pretty unforgettable. ]

OTA

[punful]

[There is so much food and there is so much ketchup. And it's not just regular food, either, it's the kind he loves--greasy, grilled stuff that Papyrus would normally consider crap. The kind that's perfect for outdoor cookouts, apparently, not that Sans would really know.]

man, wonderland is smelling pretty wonderful, isn't it?

[He's in a good mood and it shows.]

[didntknowbest]

Yes, it really does! If I had known that there was going to be this much food, I may have rethought my gift somewhat...

[Toriel chuckles a bit, as she sets down a plate, upon which set a burger and some fries. They obviously weren't cooked on the barbecue, and are rather lacking in grease- Toriel made them in the kitchen, and put in a bit of extra effort into trying to make them tasty.]

I just remember that you said this was your favorite food, and I wanted to make you something special!

I figured that I would give you your present a bit early, as I am not sure if I will be making it to the real party later. I still am not familiar with most of your friends here, so I would feel somewhat like I would be intruding, so I wanted to wish you a Happy Birthday now!

[Also, there's a good chance Asgore might be there, and she doesn't want her grudge to put a damper on the party. She's already kind of annoyed being close enough to see him off in the distance eating hot dogs already- out of the corner of her eye, of course. She's not actually looking at him or acknowledging his presence.]

Frisk | ota, will match whatever format

[determinedest]

[Frisk is assisting with the barbecue as some of the food has been laid out, buffet-style. Having to fend for themselves in their formative years has given them slightly more of a talent for cooking than your average twelve-slash-thirteen-year-old, so they've assigned themselves to the task of flipping burgers and grilling hotdogs (both the real kind and the water sausage variety, though the later takes slightly shorter to cook to perfection).

Some of their efforts come out a little charred, but as the night goes on, their skills start to grow more practiced and their confidence more palpable. If you need yourself some partially-edible chow, feel free to stop by.

(Ignore the fact that they're wearing a rather fetching apron, with the words "THE COOK IS ALREADY FLIRTING WITH YOU" stamped across the front.)]

[sciencelizard]

[She can't help but giggle at Frisk's apron. Oh my god, where did they even get that.]

L-Looks like you're really getting, uhm, g-good at this cooking thing.

[naughty_nurse]

[BUT HE MADE THE SPAGHETTI SO SHE HAS TO EAT IT, EFFORT FOR EFFORT.

Mikan is... somehow getting sauce and such all over her face and clothes, even she doesn't know how this is possible, but she'll get up to get seconds!]

OTA

[alphyswhatsabara]

::It's bulking season right no wait it's summer you're supposed to cut during the summer but Asgore doesn't know how to cut so it's bulking season and Asgore is going to eat at least thirty (30) hot dogs. Okay maybe not that many, but at least several.::

::There is a large goatman wearing a shirt with pink flowers on it stuffing his face full of hot animal-themed tubes. Doesn't that sound attractive? It's very attractive.::

LATE NIGHT STAR-GAZING!

[everyonecanbekind]

[ for all of your laying on a blanket and watching the stars fly around needs! ]

Mary Winchester

[was_a_hunter]

Mary was lying on a blanket, simply enjoying the relaxation of the moment to spend time with her husband and whoever may come by.

"It's beautiful, isn't it."

OTA

[punful]

[This is just downright unfair.]

[There's so many telescopes, and Sans has to resist the urge to find out what kind each one is, to try and take a look at how they're put together, because the more important thing is the stars, after all. There's point-and-hope telescopes and huge Dobson scopes and incredibly high tech telescopes with built in computers and go-to features that of course don't work in Wonderland.]

[Stargazing is relaxing, though, so it's hard to stay overwhelmed with the variety. It's easier to just be overwhelmed by the skies themselves.]

check it out. this one's a star cluster. it's, uh, it's like this massive collection of stars all in one place. ends up looking like the sky's full of glitter.

[This is...this is good. It's quiet and dark and there are stars. This is good.]

hep burday, snas

[fulllifeconsequences]

[Chara's presence here is about as token as it could be. They definitely weren't part of the party-planning committee. They're about ready to ditch this joint and go home. Probably the only reason they actually showed up was to spare themselves from Frisk getting on their case - making up Chara's mind for them that they're friends, they super totally care oodles about Sans, they should both go hold hands and skip through verdant meadows.

So they're not... settling down anywhere near Sans, really. More... sort of roughly in the general vicinity of the area Sans occupies. Leaving slightly more distance than is necessary, as they do.]

...It's not real, you know. Not an actual ball of combustion, unfathomably far away from the planet. We saw them getting stuck back into the sky.

[Thanks, Chara. Really helping the festive birthday atmosphere.]

[sciencelizard]

[Alphys has never thought much to star-gazing or thinking about the complexity of the cosmos- all it does is make her feel small, worried, alone. But seeing the sky and stars in person is different, and makes it a little better, so when she sees Sans sitting around, excited about this, she does to join him. He always did love this sort of thing.

Man, Papyrus really does throw the best parties.]

I w-wonder, uhm, what kind of stars these really are. I know a lot of p-people have, uhm, said they're different, from how they're supposed to be in the real w-world, but... they're still n-nice.

OTA except Sans

[mypartnerintime]

Max doesn't bother setting up the blanket or anything, but she does stay awhile at one of the telescopes. It's really out of the way, near the edge of the forest. Surprisingly she gets pretty caught up with looking through it, shoulders hunched, in the dark quiet, so that she doesn't notice anyone approaching.

LATE-R NIGHT BONFIRE!

[everyonecanbekind]

[ for the people who just like to watch the world burn.

or maybe just the marshmallows. ♥

there are fire extinguishers!! ]

OTA

[punful]

[Obviously s'mores are required if there's gonna be a bonfire. Sans is just relaxing nearby, setting marshmallows on fire and making s'mores and enjoying how disgustingly sweet they are. It's kind of perfect.]

[But it's later now, and he can't help but be a bit...contemplative. And tired. Always tired. Time is moving forward. This was his first birthday party--his first birthday at all--since he can't even remember. He's been in Wonderland for almost a year. It's about ten months now. No Reset. He still hasn't gone home. Not even just for a few days, like people do sometimes.]

[It's...just weird. Things have been weird lately.]

[And he's happy, at least he's pretty sure he is. This has been a good day. Everything's fine for now, everyone is fine for the most part. He can't be a depressed mess at his own birthday party, and he's done a good job of shoving it all down all night, but...]

[He's tired.]

starting to get a backlog of s'mores over here. you want one?

t-minus three??? tags until payload is delivered

[mettatonvevo]

[Mettaton has been wandering the party for awhile now, enjoying conversation and actually taking the time to view the stars (when I get around to tagging into that skdgshoghs). The whole time he has been carrying a canvas tote bag with his box form and the letters M - T - T embroidered on it. While he hasn't been obvious about it, he has been lowkey seeking out Sans the entire night. Catching sight of him by the fire, he approaches with only the slightest air of awkwardness.]

Sure. It's been a long time since I had a s'more.

[He reaches over, adjusting the bag on his shoulder so it doesn't slip off as he sticks a marshmallow on a stake and hovering it over the fire. He doesn't sit down, not quite yet.]

How has the night treated you?

[saved]

[Peter likes Sans (and his brother) a lot so of course he was going to show up to the birthday party when he saw the note under his door even if Peter's not usually one who goes to parties. He's awkward, and he is a loner, but it's different in Wonderland. They've all gotta count on each other. It's an impressive party. He walks up to the bonfire with one of the handheld telescopes in his hand, looking for the birthday guy to celebrate with and tell him Happy Birthday]

Is there such a thing as a backlog of s'mores?

[He sends Sans a lopsided smile and a wave as he comes to sit beside him.]

Never gonna say no to a s'mores though especially over a real fire. That's something.

[He didn't do much camping in New York city. They mostly made s'mores in the microwave or over the barbecue.]

Here Comes Sans

[punful]

[He knew it. He freaking knew it. He knew Papyrus was planning something, but he got distracted by other things and now, welp, now this has caught him completely off guard. This is definitely a birthday party happening. Holy crap. He can't remember the last time he celebrated a birthday. Technically...technically a year ago, sort of, but throw in Resets and Wonderland time and it's been...]

[He has no idea.]

[He's not the best at parties and he's not the best at dealing with his own birthday, because as far as he's concerned, it's just A Day. But he always loves how much effort Papyrus puts into these things and good lord he really went all out this time. There's food everywhere, there's telescopes everywhere. How did Papyrus manage to set all of this up without Sans noticing?]

this is, uh.

[He's a bit speechless, and his eyesockets are wide as he takes in everything.]

this is kind of incredible, huh?

[He wonders how old he is.]

[determinedest]

[Along saunters Frisk, clad in their slightly-overlarge Sans Edition Hoodie^TM, with the world's biggest, smuggest grin.]

You went to all those lengths to surprise me, and you didn't think I'd wanna help surprise you right back?

[punful]

[He stares at Frisk, his grin widening, abruptly forgetting all the questions he wanted to ask when he saw the kid again.]

you...helped? you and paps, you...did all this?

[everyonecanbekind]

INDEED!!

[ Papyrus walks up to Sans with sheer triumph in his expression. His normal gloves have been substituted for smaller, lighter gardening gloves.

It's difficult to make sure everything's working properly with his normal gloves. You can very faintly make out the shape of the hand plate from under his glove. He doesn't seem to care, though. ]

BUT ONLY IF BY 'KIND OF' INCREDIBLE YOU MEAN 'INCREDIBLY'. INCREDIBLY INCREDIBLE. LIKE ME? AS I AM? VERY INCREDIBLE?

[ looking for pats? Maybe... ]

[punful]

[Look at this brother of his. Look at this amazing, cool brother who masterminded this whole thing. Look at this great brother who cared enough to throw a freaking surprise party.]

[Sans is...so damn lucky to have Papyrus. There's a saying about how you don't know what you have until you lose it, but Sans never needed to lose Papyrus to know how important he was. Sans doesn't deserve him. Not for one second.]

[But he's got him. He's got the best damn brother in the whole world.]

[Sans positively beams.]

incredibly incredible? no way. this is...the most incrediblest incredibly incredible party i've ever seen. i mean...telescopes? and burgers and 'dogs? it's...heh. you really...did all this just for me?

[He can't even really put a name to what he's feeling right now. Overwhelmed? Touched? Blown away? None of them quite hit the mark.]

[naughty_nurse]

H-Happy Birthday, Sans!

[Do Skeletons age??? Are skeletons born??? HOW DOES ANY OF THIS WORK SHE DOESN'T KNOW but she's bowing deeply and trying to be nice.]

In with the Asgore

[alphyswhatsabara]

::The guy who technically gave you your job as the world's worst sentinel is here to congratulate you.::

Happy Birthday, Sans the Skeleton.

::There is a smallish gift in his hands, wrapped in what looks to be newspaper; where did he even get newspaper to wrap a gift in.
take pkmn
item run::

[mypartnerintime]

[Max really, really doesn't want to attend the party.

So she doesn't.

During the night she finds a telescope that's pretty much out of the way and spends some time looking at the stars. Not celebrating, really, just curious.

After that, while she's sure Sans is at the bonfire, she heads over to his room and dumps a shoddily wrapped gift at his door. It's From the Earth to the Moon by Jules Verne. She wonders if it would spoil the night, for him to get something from her.

There's no card or anything, but a picture is tucked into the book, at the first page- a skeleton standing in the rain.

It kind of sums up how she feels.

She doubts she'll miss the picture.]