my first party was 2002. i was 17. i went alone because the girl who was gonna take me bailed. i stood by a speaker for three hours with my arms crossed, didn't talk to one person, didn't drink any water, and drove home at 4am shaking, and i thought: that's it, that's the thing everyone's obsessed with? then someone gave me a bracelet and it changed my whole life. that's not an exaggeration and i don't care how it sounds. so here's the guide. WATER. every hour. set a rule and follow it like it's a law. more people have a bad night from dehydration than anything else and nobody tells you that because it's not exciting. EAT SOMETHING BEFORE. a real meal. not chips in the car. GO WITH SOMEONE, OR TELL SOMEONE. one person who knows where you are and when you should be back. TALK TO ONE PERSON. one. that's the assignment. compliment somebody's pants. ask where they got their kandi. that's how every friendship in my life started, literally every single one. IF SOMEONE IS ON THE FLOOR OR IN THE CORNER LOOKING WRONG — go. don't wait for someone else to. go sit with them, get them water, get them air. i have been that person and someone sat with me and i've spent three years paying it forward. NOBODY OWES YOU ANYTHING. not a dance, not a conversation, not their hands. that goes for you too. THE 3AM SET IS THE REAL SET. when the crowd thins and the DJ stops caring about the crowd and plays for themselves. stay for it. that's the reason. that's it. see you saturday. ✧ PLUR ✧