ARRIVAL: The game is now open!

[goosemods]

ARRIVAL

Summer is over, and fall is creeping in. It's the first of September, and every student of Gooseberry knows what that means. Some of them fasten new badges to their lapel excitedly, while others merely dread the inevitable hours on a bus, followed by months in class.

The people milling about and getting themselves to work or the grocery store mostly don't notice the colorful buses stopping in front of apartment buildings, or zipping into quiet neighborhoods. Teenagers drag suitcases and trunks on board, and the noise level inside rises with every new passenger. Eventually, it becomes a cacophony of gossip and reunited friends, and the city streets become forested wilderness and towering granite mountains.

There are four buses, which pick up students by year. This means that all the seniors are riding together, all the juniors are riding together, and all the sophomores are riding together. If you have a sibling in a different year, or live in close proximity to a student from another year, the characters had the option of making arrangements ahead of time to bus together. The school isn't particularly picky, as long as all students sign off and are picked up. (Check here for a rough order of when students get picked up, but if you want to handwave a different order for plot reasons, you totally can.)

Exchange students and students from Hawaii or Puerto Rico must find their own transportation to the mainland, after which a bus will pick them up at a designated spot as per usual.

The buses are large double-deckers which are painted like standard No-Maj school buses. Except that, of course, they're also emblazoned with the Gooseberry emblems. They work basically like the Knight Bus, meaning they move supernaturally fast and cannot be seen by muggles. They have long rows of acceptably comfortable seats, which are set up in blocks of four facing one another. The back of the bus on the lower level has an on-board restroom, which leaves something to be desired.

Below, the post will be divided into three buses, so go ahead and comment below describing what your character did, who they sat with, etc.! Have fun, and welcome back to school!

» Boarding: The Gooseberry bus pulls up to your home lightning fast, and the driver hops out to help with your luggage if you need it. Did anything happen as your character got on the bus?
» During the Ride: Did anything happen on the ride to Gooseberry? The drive will take anywhere from one to four hours, depending on when your character was picked up. The sights outside of your window are bound to be amazing, but they pass quickly.
» Disembarking: It's a little chaotic, with everyone in a hurry to get off this damn bus already. Did anything happen while your character got off the bus?

» Arrival at Gooseberry: Finally! You're here, and you're all together! Staff is ushering freshmen and new exchange students off to the lodge, while everyone else is greeting their Head of House. Each Head of House is making sure all their students have a sack lunch (which will meet all dietary concerns if you put in the request ahead of time) and they'll be heading to their cabins to settle in.

The game is now officially open! Feel free to start making journal entries and posting logs!

Comments

BOARDING

[goosemods]

BOARDING; Chloe Shepherd

[cmdrchloe]

Chloe boards the bus with entirely too much luggage (a big suitcase, two smaller ones, a pillow, a purse, a laptop bag...). It's a lot to carry and in addition to herself and the driver, someone else (volunteer?) had to hop off the bus and help too.

[blinkah.insanejournal.com]

If Boston is a stop before Georgia, Holden probably gets out to help her in with all her luggage!

[cmdrchloe]

It's a magical bus, and if it's like the knight bus, it probably largely ignores logical geography anyway, so let's go with it! XD

She's probably some mixture of relieved/grateful, but also mortified.

[goosemods]

P.S. I know I just wrote that thing about stop order, but YES, you can totally feel free to ignore logical geography, lol. Let's say there was a weird glitch with the junior bus and it hit up some random places before getting caught in that storm in Oregon. c:

[cmdrchloe]

Omg, you guys are so on top of everything! XD I didn't even think to look for this.

[sylla]

Sylla caught the bus close to the MACUSA building and was accompanied by her father and her older brother Bedwyr, who helped her on with her luggage, as she was occupied with murmuring to a new kitten she is bringing to school with her this year. She said her goodbyes and waved to them through the window as long as she could, and tried not to look too sad.

And her brother is kind of hot. Do with that what you will.

[evercreep.insanejournal.com]

Calvin probably was at the same pickup spot as Sylla, but patiently waited for the sophomore bus to reunite with his friends. He would have said hello, and expressed relief she was returning to Gooseberry too.

He tried to avoid eye contact with her extremely hot brother.

[sylla]

She was glad for the distraction from getting too terribly mopey at the thought of leaving her father and brother, and proudly showed off her new (and very cranky) kitten to Calvin, after introducing him to the other Borgins of course.

[puphart]

Kurt arrives at the MACUSA stop at the last possible moment, rushing hand-in-hand with his little sister (a tearful ten-year-old) and followed by their father (a startlingly handsome Man of Business™ with a face that plainly reads "I have many more important things to do.") He gives his sister a bear hug and she hands him a six-page story of her own authorship and illustration, titled Princess Sarah in the Niffler City, and asks Kurt to read it when he gets to school. The request is made, of course, between sniffles. Kurt's father helps him load his modest luggage onto the bus before the two exchange an awkward Men of Business Handshake™.

Once he boards the bus, Kurt finds the first empty window-seat and plops down without looking at who's nearby. He hurriedly distracts himself by reading his Magizoology textbook – or at least, by looking like he's reading his Magizoology textbook.

Re: BOARDING

[cecaelian]

Ursula made it quite clear that she was Not Pleased about the bus' delay in arriving in Los Angeles. When she finally did board the bus, she was in such a controlled and lady-like huff that she tripped on the final stair and her skirt flipped up. She tried to find an empty seat to sulk by herself in, but ended up sitting with VOLUNTEER. Teasing? Comforting? Your choice! ensued.

[catseyenebula.insanejournal.com]

Katya, the spoiled, had far too many bags to get on the bus and because Alaska is far away by the time they got to the stupid state the bus was pretty full. She got separated from Riley so ended up sitting next to (help someone!), the poor unfortunate soul that has to deal with her chipper personality. She's super pumped to get back to school.

Re: BOARDING

[thecourtier.insanejournal.com]

Dom turns up with his freshman sister, Marie-Anne, having got permission to travel together. He hauls all of her luggage on board and ushers her inside.

[blinkah.insanejournal.com]

Holden got picked up in front of his mom's South Boston apartment building and rushed in as quick as he could, with just his broom bag, one duffel, and his turtle tank. Sorry you had to drive into a shabby muggle neighborhood! He didn't keep you there too long.