MASQUERADE

[goosemods]

MASQUERADE

Classes are not cancelled this afternoon, which leaves Event Committee scrambling after 3 PM to get everything in order in the Atrium. Students having dinner are given only 30 minutes before they’re ushered out past the privacy curtains again, since EC claims they need the cafeteria for a “special surprise.” At 7 PM sharp, the Atrium opens, and the Anonymity Charm activates.

Mardi Gras is the theme of the night, and the Atrium has been decorated all over in purple, green and yellow. Floor-to-ceiling backdrops are arranged along the walls, depicting a festive city street, and painted figures of masked performers tumble, juggle, swallow swords and perform magic tricks for the students. The ceiling is decorated with glimmering, stylized stars and a smiling silver moon, and multicoloured confetti falls continuously, vanishing just above everyone’s heads. Purple, green and yellow balloons are strewn across the dance floor, but will magically skitter out of the way so no one accidentally steps on one.

The refreshments table is the real star of the night, with a chocolate fountain surrounded by plates of various fresh fruits, marshmallows, caramels, cream puffs and cakes. A long table features treats styled after the theme, with mask-shaped cookies, cupcakes with edible beads, macarons in purple, green and yellow; glittery cake pops, and sprinkles on literally everything. (A few special treats have been set aside for vegan students, and Prospero will point to them.) At the far end of the table is an open bar adorned with feathers and colourful silk, where students can order mocktails from a menu. Isabelle Sargent, Ursula de Luca and Todd Skynner all volunteer to take shifts behind the bar for an hour (or two), and make conversation with their anonymous classmates while serving up drinks. A masked house-elf will always be present behind the bar, if no one wants to play bartender.

Step through the doors into the cafeteria and you’ll discover a stage has been set up with anonymous karaoke. Have you been too afraid to sing in front of your classmates? Now, if you perform badly, no one will know who you are, so get up there! This room is also popular for the MVSC photobooth in the corner, which automatically spits out a strip of four animated photographs for the low, low price of a half-dragot.

If you want a quiet moment, then the balcony is the place to go. The decorations out here are just as bright and glittery, but the little benches have comfortable purple, green and yellow cushions, and there’s bluebell flame lamps providing warmth and light on this chilly but romantic February night.

Staff is present and also wearing masks, but they aren’t using the Anonymity Charm, to make it easier for students to get help if there’s any trouble. Anyone who’s using anonymity to harass others will be given only one warning before they’re ejected from the dance. Observant partygoers will spot Dr. O’Hare on the arm of Mrs. O’Hare (appropriately, they’re wearing matching rabbit masks), but his partner, Agent Larke, is nowhere to be seen…

Just before midnight, Mr. Oakes presents an awe-inspiring fireworks show right above the lake. You can walk outside for the full view, but the backdrops will be taken down so you also watch from the tall windows of the Atrium. The last fireworks light up the sky at the stroke of midnight, when the Anonymity Charm ends.

HOW THIS WORKS

• Decorating the Atrium begins around 3:15 PM, and the cafeteria is cleared at 6:30 PM.


• Cocktail dress code. That’s party dresses and suits, but you won’t be dinged for getting too fancy or dressing slightly more casually. No jeans or t-shirts, though!


• The dance starts at 7:00 PM, and runs until around 12:00 AM. These are also the hours of the Anonymity Charm: the charm activates just as the clock strikes 7:00 PM, and only within the confines of the lodge and the immediate surrounding area, and permanently deactivates at midnight. If students don’t have a charmed mask of their own, a simple domino will be issued to them at the door.


• Anyone wearing a charmed mask becomes unrecognizable to those looking at them. You might have known a person by their voice, height, hair, skin, or lips, but now suddenly… you aren’t certain. This could be anyone.


• This effectively means that you can’t guess the identity of an individual by their physical traits. However, you might recognize them either from their speech patterns, or something they tell you.


• It’s easier to recognize people by their masks, but if you want your character to struggle with this as well, you may. (The same applies to clothing.) This means you might be at risk of losing track of your date if you come as a couple. This is up to individual players.


• Mr. Calderon-Boot has the power to take the charm away, though, so if you act in a truly horrendous manner or break a rule, you could still get caught. Not to mention that a lot of people will remember if the guy in the blue domino mask was being a total dick all night, and someone might later see it amongst your possessions.


• If you leave the dance, the charm deactivates until you return. If you remove your mask, the charm deactivates, but will reactivate once you put your mask back on.

» Setting Up: In the afternoon, Event Committee works on getting the Atrium looking its best. Event Committee has thrown up magically impenetrable curtains around the Atrium, so even students exiting dinner at 6:30 PM won't be able to see what they're working on.

» Before the Dance: Dress to impress! Do you let your friends see your mask, or are you hiding it until you get to the dance? The trails have been swept by Mr. Covington, to make it easy as possible for students get to the lodge. (He recommends wearing your boots, and changing footwear once you reach the lodge.) Doors open at 7 PM.

» Beginning of the Dance: Students are allowed into the Atrium and get to admire the decorations and everyone's masks. The music aims to get everyone dancing with a playlist that’s heavy on the jazz, ragtime and brass band. (~7:00 PM)

» Refreshments Table & Open Bar: Food and drinks are available all night, and there’s little tables, decked in colourful tablecloths, if you want somewhere to sit. Head to the bar if you want someone to mix a drink for you—all non-alcoholic, of course. (~8:00-11:00 PM)

» Anonymous Karaoke: Through the doors to the cafeteria is a stage with a karaoke setup. Can you guess which one of your classmates is performing? (~8:00-11:00 PM)

» Photobooth: In the corner of the cafeteria, you can take instant mementos of your night. Just insert a half-dragot coin, and strike a pose! Note that the Anonymity Charm does not work in photographs, so your pictures might give away your identity... (~8:00-11:00 PM)

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

» End of the Night: The music winds down with some slower, romantic songs. Just before midnight, there’s a fireworks show. The charm immediately ends at the stroke of midnight, Cinderella. So either leave the dance by then, or stand around with everyone else to unmask and see who you’ve been talking to! (~11:00 PM-12:00 AM)

» OOC - Questions, comments, concerns!

Comments

Senior Coppertale Boys, aka the Cold War

[firstposition.insanejournal.com]

Rafael's outfit (http://orig09.deviantart.net/4d15/f/2017/055/a/2/rafaelmask_by_meggiefox-db07xw8.png) came from advice from a combination of Ravi (http://asylums.insanejournal.com/goose_ooc/75764.html?thread=4984820#t4984820) and... Ricardo, actually. Rafael's much more fashionable brother send him a dramatic suit to go with his rather plain mask, maybe as a sort of peace offering. The letter also unfortunately contained comments like "Anyone you take will be out of their league!" and "Is Leo actually dressing up this much? He didn't seem like the type. You know, if you bring him to the wedding he'll have to—" Etc. etc. etc.

But Rafael is focusing on one of the last comments Rico wrote: "It sounds like he makes you happy."

Rafael leaves the cabin in high spirits, and while not friendly, per se, he's trying to not be horribly icy with Chris and Robin tonight.

"AKA the Cold War" *dies*

[pintsizedsass]

 

Senior Coppertale Boys, aka the Cold War

[evercretin]

This school is GREAT. Plenty of beautiful scenery, lots of strange happenings, no ghosts in the lavatories AND there are fancy dances. Dimi's never been to a school dance before, let alone a masquerade, so he's pumped and it is obvious. Beaming, jocular and humming as he prepares, he is either completely oblivious or stuck too far up his own ass in too good a mood to be bothered by any tension today.

Just like Mina promised, his ensemble was ready for him this morning. He knows he has an appointment to keep with her. After much deliberation, he decided this morning that Mina was probably the sort of girl who would not be flustered by his being late so much as furious. So he's out of the cabin with plenty of time to spare, chirping, "Have a good night, lads!"

Re: Senior Coppertale Boys, aka the Cold War

[bambae]

Chris is doing an admirable job of completely ignoring the Cold War. He seems to be in high spirits while getting ready, which is a drastic change from his usual mopey self. He's wearing the same suit he wore to the formal. He's made no mention that he's not even going to the dance. "Ty, you wanna tie my tie," he asks, with a completely serious face even though it's a great sentence. The serious face is impressive, given that he's currently wearing the horrendous fish mask Rosy made. He's not gonna admit it but she totally won that contest.

"Good luck surviving Mina," he adds as Damon heads out. Somehow he manages to make that not sound like an insult.

Senior Coppertale Boys, aka the Cold War

[tyhawkeswood]

Getting masks to celebrate the victory of the Goosey Griffins had started as a joke, but had ended with Ty tracking down and buying two hand-painted griffin masks for himself and for Quinn. Ignoring the fact that he'd been on the losing Pennywise Pixies, of course. Examining the orange and red mask on his face, paired with a black suit with a patterned blazer over a bright red button-up shirt, he grins and decides that it had been a good idea after all. What kind of mask would he have gotten otherwise, anyway? A fox? Too boring. A squirrel? Too obvious. Just some patterned or abstract thing? He wasn't the type, really. This was perfect!

Satisfied, he turns around to smile at his cabinmates. He's got to wait for Quinn to meet him, but he sends Rafael and Dimi off with bright smiles and waves and promises that he will forget how they're dressed and what they're masks look like as soon as they're out the door. Anonymity and all that! Then he heads over to Chris, reassuring him cheekily, "Tying ties is one of Ty's special...ties." Okay, that last one was a stretch. He reaches to take the ends of the tie and begins the task, talking as he works, "So. Are you psyched, dude? I've benen looking forward to this one." He looks forward to all of the dances, but still.

Re: Senior Coppertale Boys, aka the Cold War

[bambae]

That was a stretch but Chris gives Ty a pity smile anyway. Ty's always been easier to psych up than Chris. Chris usually only gets visibly pumped when a sport or a potentially lethal activity is involved. A dance is neither of those. He should probably make himself scarce soon in case Quinn decides to come for Ty.

"I'm so pumped," Chris says agreeably. He even tries to sound pumped but his spirits are so high it's not even that hard. "And you look hot as fuck. So do I. I'm probably never giving this suit back. Not when it matches my meticulously created mask so perfectly." There's sequins and felt all over this horrendous fish mask. Nothing matches it. The mask itself doesn't even match it. Chris loves it.

Senior Coppertale Boys, aka the Cold War

[tyhawkeswood]

Ty can't think of any reason Chris wouldn't be pumped about the dance and the fact that he might not even go never occurs to him (despite Chris' history of skipping dances), so he just grins and nods and gives a playful little bow once he's finished, both because his tie tying skills clearly deserves applause and as a silent 'thank you' for the compliment. "Well. We're always hot as fuck. Now we're just dapper and hot as fuck." He pauses, then gently pokes the corner of his friend's mask, "That is my favorite part. I had no idea you were a Crafts Master."

Senior Coppertale Boys, aka the Cold War

[hisshiss]

There's a grunt and a confused shout from the vicinity of Robin's bunk, followed by a fluttering of the privacy curtain. Oh, hey, Robin's here too. And apparently he was taking a nap.

"Ah, fuck," he grumbles, pushing the curtain aside to see people looking all fancy and shit, and his kilt's still shoved under his desk from winter formal.

He shoves himself off the bed, slams to the ground like super gracefully, and stumbles to the door. Well. Might as well see what Trix is gonna make him wear. "Peace, bitches, catch y'all in a minute."

And now Robin is no longer there.

Continue with what you were doing.

Re: Senior Coppertale Boys, aka the Cold War

[bambae]

Chris runs his hand over the tie, and he's not sure why, Ty obviously knows how to tie a tie. Chris isn't gonna admit that he's grown fonder of ties now that Rosy seems fond of tugging on them and that's probably a new kink. Chris's face actually lights at the mention of his mask. It's such a god awful mask, he's probably gonna keep it forever. "Oh no, this is not my craftsmanship. Rosy made it." He looks mighty proud of that. "I made hers. It's a fox. Well - it should be a fox. Whether it looks like a fox tends to change depending on whether you know it should be a fox or not. It's hideous. It's great. This one should be a fish. It's got fucking felt, it's ridiculous. The sequins are like ten different shades of the same color like she's color blind. It's great."

Chris might not actually give much of a shit about dances or dressing up or most things that pass as social events at this school, but he seems legitimately pumped about how terrible this mask is. He doesn't actually seem to realize that he's still smiling, and this is probably the most he has smiled in this entire week.

Then Robin wakes up and shambles out, and Chris had legitimately forgotten that Robin was even in the room this entire time. Even though Chris had been taking a bombass nap with Robin before this whole preparation shit had started, and just neglected to wake up Robin when he woke up. Nap time has become a universal past time for the two of them. It's how they bond without having to speak to each other.