With prudent planning and plenty of help from Shep, Meadow, and a couple of Hex?s numerous siblings (Kokabiel and Harper), the decor was all about the Glow. Nothing seemed to suit the mercurial muse better than neon lights and outstanding color to match the brightness of which she both saw the world and how Hex saw her. The ultimate best part? was just how unplanned, yet significant it had turned out. Meadow had chosen the theme because it was ?trendy? and Shep? well, Shep was the muscle behind the idea that helped with the decor. After raising a hand to volunteer in the decorating, insistent on Hex focusing on keeping Saila away and oblivious, he came to realize quickly?. He didn?t know a damn thing about planning a party for a teenager. Thank goodness for meeting a young dame who seemed updated on the latest trends and fads.

With the estranged duo on decorating duty, Kokabiel on booze and bartending duty, Harper on?. Er, what was her job again?

?I?m the rock in the room making sure shit gets done. One of the whipper snappers gets outta line?? Harper smacked the back of her left hand to the palm of her right, a stern expression on her face. She?d mostly just sat around, kept Kokabiel in line from getting too nosy or stepping outside the line of her duties. Which may have lead to the sisters grappling in the middle of the living room now and then, or outside, until Harper got her into a headlock with her legs to subdue her.

Hex had his hands full with constant concentration to keep his thoughts from Saila about the party, keeping her entertained far away from the cabin - as if that was ever a strenuous task for him - and sneaking her phone when she was in the shower in order to send invites to the most important people in her life. Luckily, he wasn?t like his sister, and the only thing he looked at was her contacts to find the names he recognized - at least those he didn?t have himself. He may or may not have bullied Craig, a fellow Hellion and one of Saila?s Shanachie castmates into inviting their co-workers in secrecy with adequate threats made.

And by may have, he totally did.

?And for ****?s sake Craig, don?t let her make skin to skin contact.?
?Is? that for my benefit?... Hers?... Yours??
?This isn?t a jealous thing?? But Saila?s abilities weren?t his to tell, so he let Craig think he was a jealous boyfriend. ?But it may be for your benefit,? Hex had smiled, but it wasn?t the dimpled boyish grin Saila loved, it was born from Hell and Spite.
?Okay! No Touching! Got it!? Craig yelped, before turning tail and bolting like the Hounds of Hell were hot on his heels.
Hex had only burst out into laughter, the ?act? dropping as he shook his head. ?Dude?s too friggin? easy??

Taking in the final result of everyone?s hard work in the name of his Not-So-Old Lady?s birthday, Hex couldn?t imagine anything more well suited, and absolutely fitting. ?Now, as long as she loves it as much as we do..? He gave the place one more panorama look before grinning devilishly. ?Okay, she?d just be nuts not to.?

Decorations and Theme

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While normally cozy and comfortable, the unlikeliest pair of party planners on the planet had wrought a total transformation on the interior.

All the lights were off, and every surface had been recovered in thick black material -- even the floor, to protect the hardwoods. Large UV black lights had been temporarily installed strategically throughout the dwelling, giving the entire cabin an ambiant purplish glow to accentuate the neon decorations.

The walls were hung with wavy neon lights in every shade of the rainbow:
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A fiberoptic chandelier now hung from the ceiling of the living room (also draped in black cloth):
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The kitchen ceiling had been lined in LED lights:
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The usual furniture had been put away in storage, replaced for the night with chairs and tables that glowed:

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One entire wall was draped with a heavy black canvas that had been splattered in UV reactive paint. Shep and Meadow had had a most excellent time creating together?

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The sheltered part of the porch had not escaped the duo?s attentions, either. There were more black light spotlights out there, angled to highlight spirals that had been affixed to the overhang (slinkies. They?re plastic slinkies.)

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The porch railings had been draped with artfully arranged glowing bracelets:

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In the corner farthest away from the water, directly opposite the bar, a flashy DJ booth had been set up, replete with its own LED light sequencing, programmed to create a continuous light show as soon as the party got started in earnest.

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Meadow had tapped her contacts back in LA for the lowdown on hot DJs who either were already in or willing to travel to Rhy?Din, and came up with a local native who?d made it really big in Korea, DJ goyang-i saekki

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He was, of course, dressed to the nines in his black-light reflective finest.

The Bartender of the night was Kokabiel, who was on official Booze Duty. She?d been set up with a luminescent rented bar that was on the opposing side on the porch to their DJ, Ancelin. In the spirit of the Glow, she?d invested in a fiber optic dress with glow heels. Her face, neck and shoulders were splattered and artfully eclectic with Glow Glitter applied. She?d even employed Grace?s expertise who?d created a spiky, intricate updo and threaded it with glow sticks that peeked out. If there was one thing she knew of owning a chain of bars and burlesque clubs, you could never have too much Glam.

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Bar

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Drink Menu

The special of the night?.
Ultraviolet
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Those that ordered and drank the enchanted UV purple mixer would find out the effects almost instantly: they glowed! Within seconds, the effects would take hold to illuminate their skin like a living glow stick in a Saila inspired shade of purple. The effects would only last about an hour, so those that wish to keep up the Glow? drinkdrinkdrink!


Lumin-Essence
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This luminescent, cold drink was inspired by the natural luminescence in the animal kingdom. The chilled drink tastes crisp, clean and refreshing to the tongue but gives a good burn going down and is enchanted to keep the guests nice and warm regardless of the cold weather.


The Experiment
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A little inside joke and knowledge, Kokabiel couldn?t help but to design this grotesque drink. After all, it was an experiment in itself.


Petri Shot
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What?s a party without jello shots? This particular shot is in a round petri dish (clean!), with blueberry base jello mixed with flavored vodka, speckled with raspberry jello. As always, under the blacklights, it glowed!


The Blacklight
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Nebula
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Oh Snap!
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This frozen shot is deliciously berry?. With a surprise! Get a mouthful and find the surprise of pop rocks hidden inside.


Party Punch
https://activedark.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/glowdrinkswedding.jpg
A self-serve bowl of punch for those that didn?t want to get too blitzed for the evening, virginized. One was set at each end of the bar, and though it didn?t glow? the LED ice cubes did, as well as the cups set besides the bowls. ?I know? drinks without liquor? But, we gotta cover all our bases??

And for those that just wanted a neat drink, they weren't left out of the Glow loop. Special LED ice cubes and cups were at hand for the straight shooters.

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Ancelin typically didn?t work as a DJ here at home, come to think of it -- he wasn?t sure anybody at home even knew he had that skill. So the phone call from his agent telling him some Hollywood type was on the phone trying to hire him for a house party in town, at first he?d thought it must be some kind of prank.

But no. There really was going to be a party, the pay was excellent, and the chick on the phone sounded pretty hot. More than anything though, it was the theme that sold him.

Black light reflective? Check. Neon colors? Double check. A chance to actually play with the cool lighting program he?d downloaded the other day? Sold.

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It took some doing to get his rig outfitted the way he wanted, and some more doing still to get it set up on the spacious back porch. He insisted on keeping his precious electronics as far away from the water as possible (not to mention the painting stations), but he had to admit he was pleased with the result.

https://www.clearconsole.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/modular-dj-booth-clear-console-3.jpg

Between sets, the party boy was quick to socialize, mingling with the other guests, helping himself to a few of the flashier drinks. Towards the end of the night -- having scrupulously avoided it all the rest of the time -- he even got into the spirit of the thing, covering himself in (more) UV reflective paint (to match the freshly re-dyed mohawk and the dusting of glowing body powder that already covered his naked torso) and added some glitter for the hell of it. The overall glowing effect was, of course, considerably augmented by a near continuous stream of the evening?s signature cocktail. He either joined a game of twister or tried to get one started at every available opportunity, often losing more than he won, but he didn?t seem to mind.

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Glow Baby!

Jackie donned all pristine white, tights and chucks, a swingy shirt, and showed up a lovely blank slate for the paints and glitters. Dancing, Yes Thank You, and plenty of the flinging of glowy colors to share and share alike.

At first, she stuck primly to the Virgin cocktails but as the night went on, well, there were a lot of groovy drinks to get on! Plus so many sugary snacks. It was glorious.

Now if she could sweet talk Ancelin into playing a fun little rock 'n' roll tune for her to drag Saila into a dance to, it'd be awesomeness.

Cherry Bomb!

She brought a gift, but it seemed pretty boring: just a little data stick that had a glowie heart on it. Plugged into a phone or computer or pad, it opened a virtual scrapbook of photos and notes featuring Saila. As the night went on, photos from the party would start adding to the scrapbook.

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?I thought pre--?
?That?s a myth,? Grace hissed, cutting the other stylist off before she could finish her sentence out loud. ?And hush, I haven?t made any formal announcements yet.?

The tiny color technician was standing in front of the mirror at her salon, carefully painting a white substance into sections of her own vibrantly teal hair. At least one of the others, having never seen this particular technique before, were clustered around her, watching with no little skepticism.

?How does it work? Is this RhyDin ma---?
?No,? Grace cut her off again, more patiently this time. ?This technique was invented by regular old humans back home. It?s a new trend, but I?m pretty sure I can manage it.?

Manage it she did. When she had it rinsed and dried, Grace cut the main overhead lights at her station and switched on the small uv lamp she?d brought in with her. Sure enough, the oceanic locks were luminescing in woven shades of green and blue, and everywhere she hadn?t touched with the temporary dye showed up black in contrast. She smiled, pleased.

A familiar voice spoke up behind her. ?Oh, that?s cool. Me next.?

****

A few hours later, Gypsy royalty arrived together. Never very big on strangers to begin with, and made even more protective than usual by a recent change in circumstances, Mark ultimately, if reluctantly, agreed to come along. After all, it was close by, Quinn would be there, and the party was for Saila.

With a little advance warning of the evening?s theme, Grace had worn an unseasonable white dress for the occasion. Although Mark could not necessarily be convinced to dress up, she had at least coaxed him into wearing a plain white shirt. At the glow bar station, Grace donned a pair of glowing purple bracelets -- one on each delicate wrist-- and tried (likely with considerably less success) to get her man to follow suit.

Although it was freezing outside, Grace limited herself to the virgin punch with the pretty light up ice cubes, and politely declined her bartender-slash-head of security?s covert offer to put something warming in the mocktail for her. More often than not when the couple was outside, they would be near the fire pit accordingly.

Posing for a couple of pictures (and snapping a few selfies along the way, to be sure, naturally with the appropriate hashtag), Grace found herself handing out business cards to a few of the party goers--either because of what she?d done to Kokabiel?s hair or to her own, she was happy to accept the compliments, not to mention the potential new business, whenever they came along the way.

They didn?t stay very long, but for a short time before they left, the Barlows could be found curled up together under a blanket on the hanging bed on the porch, listening to the music as they took in the spectacular view.

Saila's Party

Whispers sometimes spread like wildfire. It was how Eden had heard of a glow party for Saila, and why she and Ransom appeared at the party bearing gifts. Unsure what a 'glow' party was, Eden had unfortunately chosen black on black attire but got into the swing of things by adding glow sticks and glitter to enhance her otherwise monochrome outfit. At some point, she wound up with glow glitter in her hair, long streaks of it, which flared out around her body as she drew her handsome husband into a dance. They were both friendly and outgoing, greeting strangers and familiars alike.

Should they find the birthday girl with a second to spare, Eden and Ransom drew her into a dance as well, much like Saila had during their wedding reception. Eden teased that the 'threesome' was becoming a habit. Both wished Saila the happiest birthday before she could escape for more dancing with her other guests.

The gift they brought for Saila was predictable luxury: a bottle of premium liquor that swirled purple and black, like magic, as well as a twenty-five-year old bottle of Glenlivet Scotch Whisky.

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Millicent was made of moon-light.

So, in the black-light she looked like an echo of something fantastic. Like she would blur across the screen, ethereal, spectral and made of ectoplasm. She was like the x-ray of a black hole- a ring singularity, a disembodied halo. Millicent was all divine ratios- a white relief in the seething mass of mess and messier. She hearkened back to her elder (younger?) days, by wrapping up her white tendrils into little buns and pigtails like she stepped out of a page of manga. To add to the look,again, like she had done countless times before, she had tipped her hair in the most exceptional hot-pink that did, indeed, glow in the black-light. Just like her naturally white hair. She was flame tonight, not moon-light. Soul-flame.

Her dress was -- nothing. It was gossamer and air. Millicent was wearing cobwebs and morning dew. The shift she wore fell to half-thigh, but in truth it covered nothing. And underneath it, she also wore almost nothing. Her purt breasts dimpled the front of her dress with the soft, subtle pink flush of her skin. But Millicent was not a monster, her narrow waist was outlined and traced in the white impressions of white garter and belt. The accouterments of French heiresses in the imaginations of all men. These created an illusion of an ultra-feminine skeleton of mystery and confines that caught the black light even better than the dress, so the effect was dramatic and somewhat indecent. She was a beautiful ingenue of a girl with an exoskeleton of scandalous duplicity. But-- Millicent was famous. Millicent had a role to play. Millicent had an image to project, whether her constitution maintained it or not. The stockings that were held up by little white-bow clips were white silk, and threw ultra-violet webbery down her legs into tall white boots. All in all, Millicent was a beacon for the damned.

And she brought two of them with her.

Jonathan Davis, her tall, gaunt, lean high-goth manager entered with her. He just... couldn't follow the theme. In honesty, if anyone needed black-light paint and glitter it was him, and Millicent knew that Meadow would be just the one to do it. And eventually the somewhat dower Jon would let her. And he would giggle about it. But when he walked in he was all black and he also did not look amused. Shoulder length black hair, black trench coat, black pants, black t-shirt. Black black black. He looked around the room with his lazy but protective gaze. His features seemed half disapproval, half curiosity. The former lingered just a little too long on the other individual Millicent entered with, as Jonathan just couldn't help it.

Sinon Lagos was a dark slash in the day-glow party as well. But he was a tale all his own. Millicent would throw an arm around him as they stepped inside. And she would lean up, way up, on her tip-toes and press a kiss to the corner of the Lagos Prince's mouth. And when he turned into it, to speak or to return the gesture, she would lick his lips with the flat of her tongue. Shameless. Just like the way she pulled him close to her at the hips and smiled up at him, knowingly, mischievously.

"Will you dance tonight, Sinon?" And whether he did or not, she would leave him a crime scene mess of day-glow finger prints and paint spatter, the evidence of their indecency.

Jonathan would take this moment to exit. "I'll get us drinks. Wh--" He thought better of asking what they would want. They'd drink what he brought.

And thus began the night for the trio of black and white. Millicent would drink, and sparkle, and shine. She would be gregarious and dance. Millicent would find the music with her hips and her spine, swaying and winding and weaving the music into sonorous undulations of hips, and shoulder blades and fingers that fluttered like snakes and butterflies. The goth roots of her made her dance elegant but intense at the same time, and she would share this for Sinon. He had a singular gravity for her, a returning point, touch stone. She would dance with everyone and anyone, but 'with' and 'for' are different things. The siren-muse was haunting ghost-fire on the dancefloor, and she laughed melodically and had the best of times. And she would be attentive to the men she came with, ensuring that they enjoyed their time and exchanged pleasantries at a decent rate. She would, in truth, be attentive to one and all.

She would wish Saila the most happy of birthdays, approaching her like a stalking predator and likely whisking her away to dance to one of the more heavier numbers. Millicent would laugh and laugh and share the jovial pleasantries she felt fit with every celebration, but especially birthdays. Birthdays were special to her.

And for Meadow? Meadow would finally get her kiss. In fact, she would get several. Probably from all three of the monochromatic trio.

**Title by VNV Nation

Out of the blue sky, maybe attracted by all the shining lights and colours, Benjamin showed up in a flurry of feathers and club gear verging dangerously on the sinners side of life. Under the black lights, the bondage pants and skin tight ribbed undershirt picked up lurid illumination, and then some as he got caught in the paint and glitter.

Twister was more to his taste than beer pong, and dancing more than those. Somewhere along the course of the evening, he'd sneak up on Saila to give her a hug and wish her a happy birthday, drag her off for a dance, before returning back to the shift and flow of the glow.

For a present, she'd probably find eventually a bottle of herbal infused moonshine and a handful of large gray and black feathers.

Jewell had heard about the party third-hand since she didn't have a phone. She'd always rather liked Saila, so she dragged herself off the couch and into a dress that made her look like a will-o-wisp once she got to the house. Under the black lights, her white-silver hair and dusting of pixie dust across her face had a pearly luminescence as well.

She danced, drank, and flirted shamelessly. At some point in the night, she located Saila to bestow a gift: a kiss and faerie blessing for a wonderful year to come.

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#NeonBirthday indeed.

Fact #1: It wasn't a party until Bob showed up. Every event without a Bob was lame and doomed to be forgotten.
Fact #2: Insurance Companies disagreed with Fact #1. In fact, they disagreed with it so strongly that they regularly ran ads on local television channels and radio stations advertising their "Bob Appearance Insurance Plans".
Fact #3: There was absolutely no way anyone throwing a neon themed party was going to be able to afford any of the insurance plans because, as Bob put it, "Neon is hella cool," and the likelihood he would show up was too high for anyone to be willing to insure the event.
Fact #4: Thus it was that Bob showed up unannounced, uninvited, and yet totally expected to Saila's birthday party. They might have all been spared if not for the #NeonBirthday tag going around on the internets as soon as the party started. Alas, the fools. This was going to be a party for the ages, and would serve as a classic example of the dangers of neon-themed events in a universe where Bob existed. Decades from now, uptight men in uptight suits would give uptight presentations to other uptight men about the folly of neon, and this exact party would be referenced dozens of times. It would go right up there with "The Dangers of Glitterpaint" and "Why Tentacles Aren't As Cool As You Think, Little Girl (Subtitle: Don't Let the Bob Touch You, You Don't Know Where Those Tentacles Have Been)".

It started innocently enough; a short, chubby looking cat-beast with tentacles arrived a few hours into the party, armed with neon reflective paint-markers and a few full sets of laser tag gear. Almost immediately it got around that Bob, Rhy'Din's richest resident, was lurking around. "Follow the graffiti," they said, "and you will find him." Sure enough, Bob weaved a path of neon destruction all over the area, running around atop his tentacles like a child in the dangerous throws of a sugar rush.

When the markers ran out, he conscripted people into poorly organized laser tag battles. When one laser gun innocently blasted the arm off some unnamed local, Bob wondered out loud if one of his hirelings was off on some distant moon battling hostile aliens only to find his gun shot harmless beams of invisible infrared, and then dropped all his equipment and wandered away from the spectacle like he had nothing to do it.

Bob found a moment sometime in the night to stop and chat with Saila, going so far as allowing her to pet him if she wished (the moment would be mentioned years later in "Tentacles Aren't As Cool As You Think", but that's a story for another time) and offering her a gift basket of baked goods. Bob giggled like a lunatic anytime he or someone else said the word baked in reference to the basket, and given his warning about only eating one at a time and waiting a bit, it was a real shock when everyone learned they weren't his usual gift of special cookies, and that they were just really, really, really good, and Bob was just a weird, weird little man...cat...thing.

Beyond that, Bob spent some time in the DJ Booth (both with and without permission), hit the dance floor and tried to get all up in Millicent Grim's business ("OMG I LOVE YOU! YOU'RE LIKE, THE GOTH LADY GAGA!"), procured samples of all the food and drinks available (particularly the galaxy pops, which may or may not have survived their encounter with him ), and was one of the last to leave.

Days later, if left alone, most of the drawings he made that night -- on the ground, on the walls, on people, and so on -- got right up and walked off on their own accord. Rumors persisted that from that day on the woods around the area were haunted by neon beasts, and any who crossed their path were subjected to hours and hours of dancing to club beats.