u/DoreenElytis

Some nights basically feel like a social experiment disguised as a dance floor.

Thursday started with a packed room, great music, and seemed like a normal evening. It didn't take long before two competing entrepreneurs turned the place into possible turf war.

This Saturday wasn’t that much calmer with a focus on leadership, influence, authority, and who exactly gets to make decisions when nobody is in charge. As it turns out, we can build entire governments out of thin air if we have to.

I brought my camera both nights. A few photos here and many more, together with the full stories are here:

The Winner Takes It All
https://www.doreenelytis.com/blog/the-winner-takes-it-all

No Authority Present
https://www.doreenelytis.com/blog/no-authority-present

Some Mondays deserve better than being Mondays.

This latest one delivered loud guitars, distorted riffs, 90s nostalgia, great lighting and a group determined to squeeze one more night out of the weekend. For a few hours, Monday simply didn’t stand a chance.

more pictures and a full write-up: https://www.doreenelytis.com/blog/monday-night-lights

Last Saturday night I was faced with one of those impossible nights where different parties all become mandatory at the exact same time.

The first stop was an sci-fi party that was so overloaded with particles, lasers and glowing attachments that taking pictures proved to be impossible. The second stop went considerably smoother after locating what can only be described as the world’s most efficient couch-based nightlife support infrastructure and I actually managed to come home with photos I liked for once.

More pictures and the full write-up here:https://www.doreenelytis.com/blog/the-couch-office

I always think I have my nightlife under control right until I’m standing in an underground industrial club at 3 AM realizing I accidentally documented the entire evening in black and white. Which might have improved the atmosphere tremendously.

Everybody looked like they were either part of an obscure Berlin art movement, involved in international espionage or about to ruin someone’s marriage while smoking elegantly against a concrete wall.

A few shots from the night below. Full set and the full story on the blog.
https://www.doreenelytis.com/blog/boiler-room-noir

I’m starting to suspect sleep deprivation and nightlife are slowly dissolving the boundary between memory and hallucination.

Saturday night somehow involved a dungeon underneath an old gothic estate, chains, cages, people making deliberate choices and music good enough to convince me the whole thing couldn’t possibly be real.

The next morning I discovered my camera had documented evidence to the contrary.

A few photos here, full story on the blog: https://www.doreenelytis.com/blog/dungeon-dreams

I planned for my Thursday night to involve clubbing, but somehow it turned into an inspection of the bathroom facilities after I made one sarcastic comment about the lack of toilets at another venue last week.

Apparently people take restroom criticism very personally in nightlife.

More pictures and the full write-up are on the blog:
https://www.doreenelytis.com/blog/the-cage

Friday night I made the deeply questionable decision to ignore my calendar and freestyle my way through the nightlife scene based entirely on incoming text messages and bad judgment.

What followed was a complete collapse of my otherwise flawless club logistics: missed DJ sets, emergency Uber reroutes, public embarrassment at exactly the wrong moment and me eventually ending up at what may have been a birthday party I absolutely did not belong at.

A few photos here, but the full write-up and complete set are on the blog: https://www.doreenelytis.com/blog/calendar-free-fall

I’m beginning to suspect themed parties in Second Life are less a social activity and more an endurance sport.

Yesterday I ended up at a glam rock night and what followed was a beautifully chaotic mix of glitter, impossible outfits, dramatic lighting and a crowd that looked like several decades had collided at once.

Posting a few favorites here, but the full write-up and complete gallery are on the blog for anyone who wants the rest of the glam rock confusion and nightlife exhaustion.

https://www.doreenelytis.com/blog/too-glam-to-function

So my weekend went from “this is fun” to “what is even happening” in record time. First up was an alien-themed party that turned everything very green, very surreal, and a bit unhinged in the best way. Then later, a reopening drew what felt like half the grid into one space, which turned into a chaotic pile-up that shouldn’t have worked… but absolutely did.

I’m sharing a couple of shots here, but this is just a small slice. I wrote up both nights properly on the blog (here and here and they show some NSFW) with a lot more photos and the full story behind whatever that crowd situation turned into. If you were there, there’s a decent chance you might spot yourself.

Red lighting and I are not friends. It flattens everything and turns good photos into “well… we tried.” So naturally, I went to a club where everything was red.

I expected damage control. Instead, it ended up looking better than most “safe” lighting setups I’ve shot in.

Posting a few favorites here. The rest ^((some NSFW)) is on the blog.

Newstead Abbey got a little out of hand this week. What started as a calling night turned into something a lot less… human.

I tried to document it before things escalated beyond reason. The full set (and whatever version of events I could recover) is on the blog.

I ended up at a hotel advertising a pool party. That sounded harmless enough at the time. It wasn’t.

Somewhere between the heat, the music, and a room full of people who clearly didn’t come to just stand around in water, things shifted fast… sharing some pictures here and a couple of others on the blog, where some are NSFW.