FEBRUARY GROTTO PARTY

[goosemods]

FEBRUARY GROTTO PARTY

The attitude towards the Grotto and the deep woods beyond has changed. Still, it's the only place that's out of view of teachers, and slowly, students trickle in. There might be fewer tonight than there were in months past, but that's no reason not to have a good time. The bonfire burns bright, there's plenty of alcohol and music, and everyone's ready to forget for a while.

The Grotto is always warmer than you expect it to be, although the snow on the ground encourages everyone to cuddle close to their friends and dates. The bonfire in the center is large and ambitious, making for a warm and seasonal party. Alcohol is widely available to anyone who wants it, and some thoughtful students also made sure there was plenty of water and soda. By the fire is a table hosting Quidpong.

Inside the stone building, things get downright cozy. Many students sit down on blankets and pillows to keep themselves off the cold dirt floor. A circle gathers around a single glass bottle, and kissing games take place on and off throughout the night.

A series of “borrowed” tents sits just beyond the bonfire. They’re full of blankets and pillows, and have generous warming charms cast inside them. Technically they’re meant for hanging out with a handful of friends (about 4 people can sit in them comfortably)... but if you claim one and zip up the flaps, most people will get the message: Do Not Disturb. (Remember to keep things PG-13, and fade to black if necessary!)

If you signed your character up for either Spin The Bottle or Seven Minutes In Heaven, find their partners below:

Cameron Carney STB #1: Ivy STB #2: Susana 7MIH: Etta	Jaime Castillo STB #1: Teo STB #2: Casey	Avery Davenport STB #1: Ennis STB #2: Laurel	Matteo Diaz STB #1: Jaime STB #2: Calvin 7MIH: Essie
Calvin Evercreech STB #1: Cole STB #2: Teo	Marilyn Fairchild STB #1: Isabelle STB #2: Essie 7MIH: Casey	Ariadne Flint STB #1: Milo STB #2: Micah 7MIH: Reid	Gabriela Flores STB #1: Casey STB #2: Jeffy 7MIH: Milo
Henrietta Gray STB #1: Olivia STB #2: Ursula 7MIH: Cameron	Milo Greer STB #1: Ari STB #2: Isabelle 7MIH: Gabi	Ennis Harper STB #1: Avery STB #2: Olivia 7MIH: Ree	Regan Hobbs STB #1: Hazel STB #2: Cole 7MIH: Ennis
Katerina Ivanova STB #1: Diego STB #2: Ivy	Hazel Keating STB #1: Ree STB #2: Riley 7MIH: Micah	Jefferson Key STB #1: Susana STB #2: Gabi	Xavier Lewis STB #1: Laurel STB #2: Diego
Ursula de Luca STB #1: Ulysses STB #2: Etta 7MIH: Riley	Diego Morales STB #1: Katya STB #2: Xavier 7MIH: Laurel	Estella Morales-Tran STB #1: Micah STB #2: Marilyn 7MIH: Matteo	Cole Moss STB #1: Calvin STB #2: Ree
Casey Patterson STB #1: Gabi STB #2: Jaime 7MIH: Marilyn	Ulysses Quayle STB #1: Ursula STB #2: Wilde 7MIH: Ivy	Olivia Sanchez STB #1: Etta STB #2: Ennis 7MIH: Penny	Isabelle Sargent STB #1: Marilyn STB #2: Milo
Micah St. Clair STB #1: Essie STB #2: Ari 7MIH: Hazel	Riley Stamper STB #1: Wilde STB #2: Hazel 7MIH: Ursula	Ivy Templeton STB #1: Cameron STB #2: Katya 7MIH: Ulysses	Laurel Templeton STB #1: Xavier STB #2: Avery 7MIH: Diego
Penelope Vargas 7MIH: Olivia	Susana Velasquez STB #1: Jeffy STB #2: Cameron 7MIH: Wilde	Jonathan Wilde STB #1: Riley STB #2: Ulysses 7MIH: Susana

RULES

1. Teen peer pressure (and player sadism) aside, no one is obligated to do anything they don't want to. Characters doing Seven Minutes In Heaven can spend the time just talking or staring awkwardly at each other, and characters playing Spin The Bottle can opt out of a kiss (although people will probably boo).


2. If characters get up to anything more racy than PG-13, please fade to black on that! This includes sexually explicit conversations. Many people track IC/OOC posts, so please have consideration for your fellow players. Talking about sex is fine (and part of the flavour of a teen game), but there's no need to get into detailed descriptions of anatomy or sex acts.


3. If you'd like to say two characters were partners in STB or 7MIH in addition to what's been rolled, go ahead! Obviously, get the permission of all involved characters first.

» Before the Party: During class, the teachers are even stricter than usual, and not a few students receive warnings to not leave the trails. Are you going to listen? Whatever. The party starts at 7 PM, so you've got a couple of hours for primping and pre-gaming. Don't get caught, and don't go alone.

» Around the Fire: The large bonfire is warm and romantic. Pull up a log and grab a blanket, make some s'mores, or dance to the party music. There's a karaoke setup for anyone who feels bold enough to sing along. If you don't care for music, there's beer and soda in the ice chests, along with bins for empty bottles and cans. Don't litter. This isn't your home.

» Inside the Building: This may be where the kissing games are taking place, but there's still some room to just snuggle and chat.

» Kissing Games: This is where to post your character's reaction to their Spin the Bottle and Seven Minutes in Heaven Assignments!

• Spin The Bottle: Everyone sits in a circle and takes turns spinning the bottle to find their partner. Anyone who squeezes in (or happens to be accidentally standing behind a gap in the circle) gets a shot at a kiss. People can leave and enter the game at any time. Participants will be encouraged by their drunken classmates to kiss on the mouth.
• Seven Minutes in Heaven: "Heaven" is a narrow, closet-sized room adjacent to the main party, and is dark except for some cracks of light from the door. (The "door" being a heavy wooden board that's propped against the doorway and magically "locked" for seven minutes.) You can use your wand to get more light, but really, you two should be making out.

» Quidditch Beer Pong: Not far from the bonfire, Sy Stoker has set up a table with Quidpong. Nearby is a supply of red ping pong balls, Solo cups, and a waterproof signup sheet. Post your character/team under this heading to call for a challenger! Ask a friend to post results for you, or use the honour system. :)

» Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans: Someone got their hands on a family-sized bag of these imported sweets. At first, it's just taken to be candy, but as the truth about these jelly beans is fully understood, it becomes a spectacle.

• There's a group of students sitting in a circle, passing the bag around. The idea is that you take one, and then everyone waits in anticipation for your reaction. (Let's be real, they're all hoping you get earwax or cigarette ash.) You must then guess what it is before passing the bag to the left.
• In game terms, this means reply to the root comment, and we will use RNG to pick out a flavor for you. You can then write your character's reaction and attempt to identify what they just put in their mouth.

» The Tents: Cozy up in one of these tents with a few friends… or just one friend in particular.

» The Woods: Tonight, the chaperoning prefects are adamant that no one should wander into the surrounding forest. The air grows colder the further away you wander from the heart of the Grotto, and the trees cast long shadows.

» After the Party: At midnight, prefects will be clearing the party and guiding everyone home. Don't walk back alone! Anyone left at 12:30 AM when the second wave of prefects hits the Grotto will be written up for punishment.

» OOC: QUESTIONS, COMMENTS & CONCERNS

Comments

BEFORE THE PARTY

[goosemods]

Penelope

[get_fucked]

Although stoked to be going walking with Diego, Penelope has zero expectations for the night actually being good, since most things don't really work out for her that way. Still, she puts a little extra effort into her hair and make-up and is all smiles when she meets up with Diego to walk to the party.

Isabelle

[-sparrow.insanejournal.com]

Issy is extraordinarily nervous to go to this party thing but she is supposed to be trying to fit in, right? Seems like every other kid on the planet wanted to go to these things, so here she was. If she didn't walk with Laurel, she likely found herself a chaperoning Prefect, like a loser.

Avery

[un_kept]

Needs someone to walk with! Who volunteered?

She's a bit anxious over the whole party thing, worried about everyone and feels it may be a bit... disrespectful or something to actually go this time?? But she still wants to go, and as long as everyone else is, she's definitely going to enjoy herself!

Calvin & Cole

[evercreep.insanejournal.com]

"We can leave early if it isn't fun," Calvin assures Cole as they walk, hoping to somehow dismiss the worried look from his friend's face. Calvin was only going because all of his Azurcrest friends were going (this is what happens when you're friends with so many Azurcrests), and Cole was going because Calvin was, not to mention that Micah and Ennis would be there as well.

Excepting the back to school party, Calvin had yet to have a fully positive Grotto experience. The last time hadn't been too kind to Cole, either, who'd ended up hopelessly drunk and heartbroken. And now the woods feel positively threatening. But, as promised, he's walking there with someone. They're not alone. There's nothing to be afraid of.

REECE! Open

[peanutbuttercup]

Reece is not participating in the party antics, as per usual, but he does make himself readily available throughout the night to walk people between the Grotto and their campsites. Any Azurcrests need a hand down to the party?

Sy & Clem

[threatens]

Sy has a date. He's feeling kind of weird about it, which is fucking stupid because this isn't even technically his first date with Clem, and he wasn't stressed out at all before the Winter Formal. Formal, as in like objectively a way bigger deal than a Grotto party.

He doesn't want to get too drunk tonight—tomorrow's the last day of practice before the game, and he refuses to be hungover like a dumbass. Still... standing on the threshold of the Ebonhide junior girls' cabin, Sy pulls his flask out of his coat pocket and takes a swig. Because he's totally fucking chill about this. You're supposed to be in Coppertale, Stoker. Act like it.

Sy knocks. Confidently. "You girls better not still be putting in hairspray or whatever the fuck," he calls through the wooden door. "'Cause I'm gonna freeze my ass off if I gotta stand out here for much longer."

Ravi (+ Ribbonfins?)

[knightly]

During dinner, Ravi considered just not going to the party. He hadn't gone to Grotto parties for the first three years he'd attended Gooseberry. Now that he'd decisively answered the question of "what have you been missing out on all this time," Ravi could confidently say it wouldn't be a loss if he never went to the Grotto again.

But no. He's on duty tonight, so Ravi puts on a smile and teases his friends as they get ready for the party. He always walks with the other senior Ribbonfins, but with the new rules, anyone else in the house is welcome to join them. There's nothing in the rules forbidding a large group from wandering near the forest at 7 PM. (At midnight, he'll worry about what that'll look like. At this point, Ravi's almost willing to get in trouble with the teachers just so going to the Grotto is actually forbidden for the rest of the year.)

Re: BEFORE THE PARTY

[pintsizedsass]

Since Hazel and Ana have apparently NO self-preservation instincts, or maybe just an amazing ability to forget bad creepy stuff immediately after it's finished, the girls are totally hype for the grotto party. Ana doesn't have a date or anything, besides her wifey of course, but she still puts a little effort into looking cute in a sassy red sweater that's just a few inches shy of her black jeans. She doesn't get many chances to not look like a jock or a weird miniature version of Sporty Spice, so why not right? Even her dark hair, usually in a braid or ponytail or something of that nature, is left down in thick waves to its own devices. No need to tie it back tonight.

"You ready to rock this, wifey???" she exclaims to Hazel.

AROUND THE FIRE

[goosemods]

Diego & making drinks for people.

[indiefolk]

Diego has masterfully compartmentalized the fear of being kidnapped by the forest in order to go party and forget things for the evening. Alcohol helps with that, and he's no longer trying to impress Ravi by drinking less, and He's not going to do anything that'll stress out Cecil, either. So he's in the clear, right? Being pleasantly inebriated is going to help a lot when it comes to not thinking too hard about his anxieties and which of his friends he's annoyed with his neediness.

While his coordination is still trustworthy, Diego tries his hand at playing bartender. He's in a silly mood, though, so expect to be teased when he asks "What'll it be?"

Casey. (Open to multiple)

[sunsoutgunsout]

FOREST MONSTERS? WHAT FOREST MONSTERS?

CASEY'S HERE TO PARTY.

Diego, Casey & Ravi - later in the evening.

[indiefolk]

Diego sits next to Casey without warning, collapsing onto the log beside him all the grace of a bold, drunken teenage boy. He ends up inappropriately close, but... is it really inappropriate when it's Casey and Diego? All boundaries have kind of been crossed there, and Diego has a good feeling Casey's not going to be put off by their thighs brushing together or Diego's hand on his knee.

"So," he starts, grinning. "Is this party more your style?"

Isabelle + Open

[-sparrow.insanejournal.com]

Although she showed up to her first Grotto party ever, Isabelle is still doing a bad job of interacting with people. She had mostly been clinging to Laurel's side but decided not to make her friend chaperone her the whole night, so at some point she ends up near the fire sitting by herself, peering anxiously at her school mates every so often.

[sylla]

Sylla shows up late while the party is already in swing, but isn't too particularly interested in socializing or drinking. She's curiously inspecting the place to see what all the fuss is about, to see if she can pick up on any ~creepy vibes~, and maybe to see if any drunken fights break out.

Addy; open to any!

[addytives]

Addy is here! She thought that tonight would be fun, and relaxing, and a nice break from whatever lived right here. After her talk with Merrill,though, she still kind of looks like she's the one who saw a ghost. She's largely subdued during this party, staying mostly near the bonfire, talking to people mostly when they come by. Being a prefect is a lot to process. She still brought a large quantity of the immune boosting potion she'd made earlier and will hand it out; plague free kissing games are still quite important

Ulysses & whomever

[ulixes]

Ulysses is a regular partygoer and usually, he has a ton of fun at these events. Today, though, the pressure to relax is putting something of a dampener on his ability to actually do so. So, he's said yes to every drink offered, which seems to be helping significantly. The beer he's drinking right now kind of tastes like bread-water and smells a little like pee, but apparently, people develop a taste for that kind of thing. Cool. Whatever.

Several of his friends are here, and he makes a mental note to go over later, but for now... the bonfire crackles and snaps invitingly, hypnotically. He settles on a log, elbows on his knees, and watches the flames. It's very pleasant. He'll go play quidpong in a hot second, honest.

INSIDE THE BUILDING

[goosemods]

Quinn. (Open to multiple, look how brief I was~)

[quinning]

Even though Quinn wants to take full advantage of tonight's party, the thought that the anonymous writer knows she's a frequent visitor and that she's happy here has left her on edge—add the week's excitement and you've got a fairly willing chaperone. One who still wishes she could be drinking and smoking with abandon, granted, but one who's also content for now to keep a clear head and an eye out.

She can be found ambling around the Grotto and bonfire with her trusty solo cup (often full of water, sad). Although not up to her usual SUPER EXCITING SOCIAL GROTTO BUTTERFLY!!! standards, she's happy to chat with friends and try relax at least a little, and peer suspiciously into the woods (ooh, dramatic!). She is still on duty so expect her to hand some people water when they ask for beer if she makes the executive decision that they need a bit of a hand. And to keep an eye on students wandering toward the treeline. And to make a note of where and how Ulysses is like, every twenty minutes.

P.S. How awful is tonight's sweater? It's pretty awful. But, like, minus the collared shirt and plus leggings instead of shorts. But this is all pointless information. Just be glad that the sweater isn't blinding this time.

KISSING GAMES

[goosemods]

Diego: Katya, Xavier, Laurel... AND MORE!

[indiefolk]

Diego is radiating AVAILABILITY (or is it desperation?) tonight. Falling for nice people clearly doesn't work out for him. On the other hand, no-strings-attached making out with classmates has never broken his heart unless you count that this whole Ravi mess started that way but it's fine. Because now, Diego's not going to develop any emotional attachments! He learned his lesson! Diego is just not boyfriend material!!!

Open to extra kisses and 7MiH sessions.

QUIDDITCH BEER PONG

[goosemods]

TEMPLETONS vs OPEN!

[duelled]

The twins are on a bender, guys. Good luck winning this one.

BERTIE BOTT'S EVERY FLAVOUR BEANS

[goosemods]

[sylla]

Sylla has known of these since her childhood, they're quite a classic back home. But the spectacle of watching those who aren't familiar with what they are is very interesting to her. Soon enough she gets roped into trying. After all, this is a game Bedwyr and her sisters would all play until Mummy put a stop to it after not wishing for any more vases to be vomited into.

THE TENTS

[goosemods]

Ivy & Open to Multiple! I really tried to leave the HTML fuck up but I could NOT

[duelled]

Ivy's made a couple of mistakes tonight. #1: She wore a dress and tights instead of pants. Never a good idea, kids. Solution: Get Warm. #2: She had a little too much to drink. Solution: Get Horizontal. #3: Spoilers. Solution: Avoid Awkward Interactions. After finding herself a non-alcoholic drink, she crawls into one of the tents and settles in.

Miraculously, she manages not to fall asleep immediately, and instead fishes a notebook and pen out of her purse and starts doodling. If anyone comes and sits in the tent with her, she offers to draw them. If they stick around, she does in fact draw them, to varying degrees of success as she sobers up.

THE WOODS

[goosemods]

Penelope

[get_fucked]

It's nearing midnight and the party is wrapping up to a close. Although she doesn't actually go out into the woods, Penny does get close and spends and extraordinary amount of time staring longingly at them.

AFTER THE PARTY

[goosemods]

Reece & Ulysses & The Ever-Looming Threat Of The Woods

[peanutbuttercup]

Clean Up Crew Last Call duties go pretty smoothly, all things considered. But as he's leaving the Grotto the final time, he has a pressing feeling that he should go back and down one last look-around. He tells his Buddy System Buddy that he'll catch up with the group and heads back.

At first blush, the Grotto seems just as abandoned as it was when he left it, and he momentarily feels foolish for succumbing to his anxiety. But then he notices someone standing by the treeline. Way closer to the treeline than anyone should be. And also, it's after Party Curfew. What gives, mystery person? Feeling emboldened by his need to complete his prefect-ly duties, he forges ahead, not even considering the possibility that this could possibly be... like... a forest monster? The little girl from The Ring? What's the prevailing theory these days?

Fortunately when he's a handful of paces away from the person, he recognizes them: Ulysses.

What the hell, Dude.

He grabs him by the shoulder to spin him around, away from the woods. "What are you doing here?" he hisses, actually sounding borderline pissed-off for once in his life. What the hell!

OOC - Questions, comments, concerns!

[goosemods]

DUMB KIDS EAT GROSS BEANS: GHOST PEPPER

[goosemods]

One of the flavors on this list is Ghost Pepper, one of the hottest peppers in the world. It's gonna hurt. It will probably ruin the unlucky character's evening for a couple hours, and make even the most stalwart teenager shed tears and stuff snow in their mouth. It has over one million scovilles.

Rather than springing this on someone unexpectedly, if you're alright with your character potentially getting this flavor, reply to this comment. Otherwise, I'll reroll it if you're unlucky enough to land on that number, and you won't have to worry about having this inflicted on your character!

We briefly considered Carolina Reaper but we don't want to have to run anyone to Mufferaw.