gooseberryhigh | MASQUERADE

MASQUERADE

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!

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Jaime is going to dance all night if he can help it! He loves dancing, and while he's not normally the shy type being anonymous just makes him feel even more free! He's seriously enjoying having fleeting dances with anyone that passes by, and occasionally he tries to (nicely!) rope someone into dancing with him longer.

After she gets bored being nice to people (so like, immediately), Ari decides it's time to low-key hassle someone. Her favorite Anon post activity brought to real life! She quickly surveys the room to find the person with the absolute stupidest mask she can find, and congrats, Jaime. She thinks that's you!

"Oh my god," she says as she approaches him, doing her very best impression of one of the Azurcrest girls, which is pretty good all things considered. "I love your mask."

"Really?" Jaime asks, surprised but sounding pretty chipper about it. "Thanks! I am really bad at crafts so it's kind of dumb!" He is 0% onto your game, Ari, he just really has no shame.

"Your mask is really great though!"

"Noooo," Ari coos whiningly when he calls his own mask dumb. "It's great."

Her hand goes up to her cheek self-consciously as he compliments her mask. "Do you think so?" she asks. "I wasn't really sure about it."

Laughing and smiling, Jaime offers her a hand to dance as they talk. Just standing is no fun! "If you say so! And yeah, yours is super nice. Really shiny. You shouldn't worry so much about it - we are just here to have fun!"

Someone has been watching Jaime dancing in a way that's equal parts shy and curious. Once Jaime takes notice of his admirer, the stranger looks startled, as though surprised to have been spotted... even though he was standing out in the open. He hadn't been subtle. To Jaime's eyes, he's either a junior or a senior, and now that he's been 'caught', he walks towards Jaime. He's wearing a moth-eaten gray suit that's little outdated, and must be a hand-me-down. His mask looks like a strip of birch bark.

He stops a few feet away, and in a soft voice asks: "Do you want company?"

For a moment Jaime appears only faintly unsure - this is definitely a dude. And whoever it is had definitely been watching him, which is maybe a little strange. He reminds himself, however, no one technically knows who anyone is so he's got nothing to worry about in dancing with a dude, and he's supposed to be having fun. He smiles brightly at the mysterious boy.

"Definitely, it's more fun to dance with someone than alone."

The boy smiles back. Jaime can't make out any specifics about his features, but his expression is clearly pleased by that answer. He holds his hand out for Jaime to take.

"Yes! I just learned to dance," he explains proudly. "I was told I was good at it, though. You don't have to be nervous."

Jaime reaches out to take the stranger's hand without really missing a beat - he's committed to this now, so he's not going to shy away. Sure, his heart is beating a little faster, but he's just ready to dance more is all. His smile remains bright despite some of his internal awkwardness, though, especially as the other young man says he's just learned to dance.

"Yeah? Super fun, right?" Jaime laughs a little. "I'm not nervous that you can't dance! I bet you are good." He says all of this sincerely, being the positive kid that he is.

"Thank you," the boy says, strangely grave, but he's smiling again as he pulls Jaime close to him. Despite his assertiveness, he places his hand on Jaime's shoulder, like he expects Jaime to lead. "It's a party. I won't let anything bad happen to you."

There's a moment where Jaime feels nervous again as he's pulled close, but he still takes the lead without much difficulty. He's smiling still too, and once he's started to move he dances rather smoothly with his partner.

The boy's later comment has him blinking, however. "That is... you know, someone...did you...?" Anonymous had said that to him, but literally everyone could read it. Jaime almost laughs, because for an instant he thought that maybe his dancing partner was Anonymous! But that's crazy. It's just a nice classmate trying to reassure him.

"I don't think anything bad is going to happen at this party. You're not worried about that, are you?"

"Something bad happened last time. Except Chris and Leo stopped it!" He brightens, obviously impressed by the seniors' heroics during the Winter Formal. "But it will be okay. You'll have fun tonight."

"Yeah, they did stop it," Jaime agrees, sounding a little impressed himself, his partner's improved mood only serving to perk him up further as well. "I am definitely going to have fun. So are you! I mean, it seems like you already are yeah?"

He pauses a moment before quietly adding. "Oh, um, and thanks for saying you won't let anything bad happen to me?" It was weird, sure, but it feels kind of...nice to hear it. Even when he's not worried about anything bad happening here, and even when it's from a stranger.

Jaime's bold suit catches Pippa's eye -- that, and the fact that he looks like a good dancer -- and so she sidles on over. When she gets up close, she notices the mask, and bites her lip in amusement. That's cute. Maybe his freshman sister made it for him or something?

"Hi!" she says, with a giggle that's born of nerves more than anything. "Would you like to dance with me?"

Pippa's appearance makes Jaime absolutely beam, even though he's pretty much been smiling the whole night. Like many of his classmates he's having a hard time sorting out if someone is actually a cute girl or not, but he'll give Pippa the benefit of the doubt. Especially with that giggle.

"Hi! I would love to dance with you!" He offers his hand to her, along with a goofy little wiggle of his hips.

The hip wiggle makes Pippa laugh again, and she takes Jaime's hand with a little thrill of excitement. She's perfectly willing to believe that everyone she dances with is a cute boy behind their mask (and considering how many cute boys there are at Gooseberry, the odds are definitely in her favour).

Jaime's eager response boosts her confidence, and she does a little shimmy of her own as they start to dance, causing the sequins on her dress to ripple and reflect the light. "Are you having fun tonight?"

Jaime's ensemble makes him appear friendly and non-threatening; the fact that he's wearing a mask a small child (clearly) made for him shows that he has a good heart. He looks like the perfect candidate to start off Ennis practicing approaching people. If he's not interested, he looks like he would let him down kindly.

Ennis, on the other hand, looks a bit intimidating in his intricate horned mask and dark earthy colors. The anonymity charm and the cut of his clothing make him appear somewhat androgynous-- a reflection of self?-- and his voice is soft and gentle but pins him as male as soon as he speaks. (Sorry, Jaime, it's yet another dude.)

"Your mask is lovely!" he notes with genuine enthusiasm. Ennis really does love it, though he doesn't realize it was made by a sixteen year old and not a six year old. It's still not nearly as bad as Uly's monstrosity. "And so is your suit, really!"

Okay, Ennis, stop using compliments to stall. Now or never.

He extends a hand just as the girl from earlier did to him. Ennis's way of learning has always been very monkey-see-monkey-do. "Would you like to dance with me?"

Jaime is seriously surprised by all the compliments he's getting on his mask, but he'll take them! People are so nice!

"Thanks! I mean, my mask is pretty silly, but..." As he says this he takes full stock of the person standing in front of him and blanches a bit. Oh god. That mask. "Yours is, uh," Terrifying. "Interesting!" Jaime now is both a little uncomfortable because Ennis is a dude and because he looks like some creature that wants to drag him into the woods and kill him. Cool.

This doesn't stop him from taking the offered hand, though, because he likes dancing and he's going to have fun damnit. "Sure! Have you been dancing much tonight?" And scaring other people with that mask?

Ennis doesn't miss the change in Jaime's expression nor the slight hesitation in his words. The mask makes him appear mostly expressionless until a crooked grin forms on his lips. "Interesting," he repeats, amusement clear in his tone. He's fully aware that his appearance is unsettling; he would have included visible eye holes to his mask and worn brighter colors if he wanted a softer, more approachable look. But the forest is dark and mysterious and enchanting and frightening and this is his homage.

He laughs it off and clasps Jaime's hand, not quite sure what to do with it now that he has it. If it's two boys, who leads? "I have! I've been practicing a lot, but I'm still quite terrible at it." Despite his admittance of failure, he still sounds chipper about it. "I've just been doing a lot of this, and it seems to work--" He lifts Jaime's hand, twirling himself around and letting his robes flare out. Good shit, goooood shit.

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MASQUERADE

Jaime

Jaime & Ari (whom I apologize for)

Jaime & Ari (lmao at least he is ridiculous)

Jaime & Ari

Jaime & Ari

Jaime & a Party Crasher

Jaime & a Party Crasher

Jaime & a Party Crasher

Jaime & a Party Crasher

Jaime & a Party Crasher

Jaime & a Party Crasher

Jaime & a Party Crasher

Jaime & a Party Crasher

Jaime & Pippa

Jaime & Pippa - lol Pippa you are very generous about his mask

Jaime & Pippa - or perhaps she just has a really low opinion of freshmen???

Jaime & Ennis

Jaime & Ennis

Jaime & Ennis (that horrified reaction icon is everything i've ever wanted)