InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Narf!"

Gooseberry Mods (goosemods) wrote in gooseberry,
@ 2016-10-31 13:23:00

Entry tags:

! ic/ooc, coralee wong, henrietta gray, philippa nightingale, ravinder dhaliwal

HALLOWEEN DANCE

Afternoon classes are cancelled in preparation for the beloved Halloween Dance. Chaos overtakes the school as everyone scrambles to perfect their costumes, or the Atrium's decorations. The dance may not start until 7:00 PM, but there's a lot of work to be done before then. And after that particularly vicious anonymous post, some students could use the distraction.

After dinner, students have a little more time to run back to their cabins, throw on their costumes, and find their date if they have one. Joanna May and [Dateless Character Y] are mistaken for a couple when they stop to discuss a very large squirrel they saw. They impulsively decide to go to the dance together, because why not.

Finally, the sun starts to set, and it's time for the dance. Upon entering the Atrium, students discover it's been transformed into a stunning haunted Victorian manor... with a rather rustic log cabin feel. Cobwebs are carefully arranged on dusty velvet curtains, and fake bats flutter around the upper levels in time to the music. Books occasionally rattle on fake bookshelves, and stern-faced portraits will scream "boo!" at any wallflowers who let their guards down. The Atrium is lit only by blue, green and purple lights, giving it an appropriately moody feel, and all teachers and staff have decided to get into the spirit by donning their sharpest-looking Victorian costumes.

At the refreshments table, the eerily lit punch bowl constantly emits fog from dry ice, and an array of spooky snacks have been created by the house-elves. Decorated skulls, bloodshot eyeballs, vampire teeth, giant spiders, tiny tombstones shoved into cups of chocolate "dirt"—these creepy offerings are in fact incredibly delicious, even if some of them might look just a little too realistic. Vegan options are also available, and will be pointed out by Prospero.

Outside on the large balcony overlooking the lake, potted trees and magically flowering bushes have been scattered about, along with little benches and soft fairy lights, giving a fairytale feel that cooperates nicely with the idea of a Victorian garden. The surrounding area is full of jack-o-lanterns and candles.

Anyone who needs to go to the restrooms will find that someone has taken cutouts of aliens and UFOs and decorated the doors, walls and mirrors with them. A small musical device is playing the X-Files theme on repeat.

Afternoon classes are cancelled.
By 2:00 PM, the Atrium is fully cleared out and decorating begins.
Dance starts at 7:00 PM and lasts until 11:00 PM.

Setup: After lunch, Event Committee, staff and volunteers help to get the Atrium looking its best. Event Committee has thrown up magically impenetrable curtains around the Atrium, so even students headed in for dinner at 6 PM won't be able to see what they're working on.

Before the Dance: Glitter, hairspray and bloody makeup fills every cabin as students ready their costumes!

The Beginning of the Dance: Students are allowed into the Atrium and get to admire the decorations and one another's costumes. The student band, The Holy Rosicrucians, plays a short set to get things started. (~7:00 PM)

The Middle of the Dance: Finally, things really take off! There's dance music, refreshments, and everyone is milling about freely. (~8:00-11:00 PM)

The Balcony: The balcony overlooks the lake, and some students mingle out here to chat or appreciate the scenery. (~8:00-11:00 PM)

Outside by the Docks: Even more privacy and quiet. It's a little eerie down here, though... (~8:00-11:00 PM)

End of the Night: The dance is wrapping up, and everyone begins to return to their cabins. (~11:00-12:00)

Detention: Sylvester Stoker, Rosemary Stoker, Reid Wainwright, Ursula de Luca, Kurt Wolfhart, Riley Stamper, Olivia Sanchez, Casper Kim, Casey Patterson and Jacob Wood are all expected to show up for detention. They will be assisting in cleaning up the Atrium after the dance. If your character does not show, there will be IC repercussions. (~11:00-12:00)

Late Night: After the dance has long since passed, is there anything else happening? (12:00 AM onwards.)

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orangepip
2016-10-31 05:20 pm UTC (link)

Meanwhile, inside the cabin, Pippa is just finishing curling her hair -- with a little help from her roommates. Her hair isn't quite as voluminous as the real Merida's, but it seemed silly to get a wig when she's naturally ginger. As she does a little twirl in front of the mirror, she feels a giddy rush of excitement. She looks like a princess. She feels like a princess.

So far, the preparations have managed to distract her from worrying about what the night will bring. Pippa still isn't sure if this is a date or not (the anonymous post was very unhelpful on that front), but she's hoping that Kurt's actions will make that clearer. Before she can start fretting (again), one of Pippa's roommates dashes out for more hairspray -- and skids to a halt in front of the boy balanced on the balcony right outside their door. "Pippa!" Martina calls. "Kurt's here."

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lovekurts
2016-10-31 05:40 pm UTC (link)

Kurt only realizes the door's open when he hears Martina's voice, and okay, maybe he's a little startled. He freezes and starts to lurch forward but catches himself just in time and tries to turn it all into a suave dismount from the railing. Judges would probably give it a 7/10. He immediately remembers the exact size and age of the bruise on his stomach and winces. That... that was dumb.

He absent-mindedly brushes the railing dust off of his jeans and stands there, somewhat awkwardly, not entering the cabin. (He's used to the junior girls' cabin in which there are absolutely no boys allowed.) He leans over a little to peek into the room and hopes beyond hope that there are no girls in there still getting ready. "H-hi," he says with a little wave. "Hi! You, um, you l-look nice." The repetition makes him feel like the opposite of suave, but there you have it.

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orangepip
2016-10-31 06:00 pm UTC (link)

As per normal, Pippa's brain temporarily shuts down when Kurt says something to her. It takes her even longer to recover from a compliment (he thinks she looks nice!) and she blushes madly before squeaking out a, "Thanks! You too!" Okay, Kurt isn't quite the dashing prince she'd been hoping for... but then, Merida didn't actually have a prince in the film. And Kurt does look cute in that outfit.

Smiling shyly, Pippa approaches her (possibly romantic) date for the evening. The dress makes her walk differently. She feels so impossibly grown up... and yet still slightly awkward and unsure. "Um, shall we set off then?"

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lovekurts
2016-10-31 06:11 pm UTC (link)

Oh! Yup. That's a costume. That's a dress. That's a walk. That's a, um, girl. Kurt makes a show of rearranging his hat to hide a blush at the returned compliment and holds the door open for her (Martina is grateful).

On the way to the dance, Kurt makes sure to ask what her costume is. Princess? ... woods princess? And then apologizes because he doesn't know much about nomaj movies.

"W-when I found out about them," he explains, "I t-thought they were called... 'm-movings.'" The accompanying smile is half sheepish, half wry.

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orangepip
2016-10-31 06:35 pm UTC (link)

Every time Pippa thinks Kurt couldn't get any more adorable, he goes and proves her wrong. She glances up at him (he's just the right height for this) and grins. "But that makes sense! They do move. You wouldn't have had that problem in Britain," she adds, "since we usually call them films."

(She's under the impression that American boys find English accents irresistible, and figures it won't hurt to remind Kurt of her exotic origins.)

It's fun, walking with Kurt up to the lodge, with only the bobbing light of her wand to illuminate the path. It feels like a night where anything could happen. A little shiver of anticipation goes through Pippa and she unconsciously moves in a little closer to Kurt. Should she try holding his hand? Wouldn't he have already held her hand if he wanted to do that? Holding her breath, she lets the edge of her little finger brush against his, thrilled at her own daring.

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lovekurts
2016-10-31 11:52 pm UTC (link)

Kurt mutters "Films." under his breath and nods. "Yeah, um, yeah, that's better." He wouldn't have been sure if he could agree with the exoticism of England (like... it's kind of close. Although he's from New England, and there IS some kind of weird New England fetish with Old England that he doesn't really get — except the horseback riding. He gets that.) Regarding he accent, however, he would agree: very cute. Would he agree in person? Probably never. That seems weirdly indecent.

He feels her finger brush against hers and freezes for a split second. Was she going to hold his hand? Was it that kind of going-to-the-dance-together? Was would he have to do after if they held hands now? The smallest marble of panic forms in his mind and wobbles around while he debates the should he or shouldn't he of the present situation. As though an answer to his prayers, the Lodge and its massive doors loom before them, like a big... looming... prayer-answering, thing. The front doors open are open and he can start to feel the bass from the music. Kurt busies himself with insisting Pippa go in before him, buying some time to decide between excitement and dread. "It-it looks really cool this year." He remarks, hoping he sounds less useless than he currently feels. "Does Hogwarts have Halloween?"

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orangepip
2016-11-01 03:13 am UTC (link)

Well, that was... anticlimactic. Pippa suppresses a sigh, but she can't be disappointed for long, not with a haunted Victorian manor to take in. Her eyes widen as she steps through the entrance, her gaze sweeping from cobwebbed corner to creepy refreshments. "It looks amazing," she breathes, moving further in, glancing down at the way her dress looks under the coloured lights. "Hogwarts always has a Halloween Feast --" she momentarily wonders what her friends are doing right now, back in Hufflepuff, before remembering they'll probably be asleep "-- but there's never a theme. Not like this."

The decorations have successfully distracted Pippa from her plans, but the night is young! There'll be plenty of time for holding hands and dancing later... she hopes.

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