gooseberryhigh | SUMMER SOLSTICE

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SUMMER SOLSTICE

SUMMER SOLSTICE

Although seniors still have their project presentations to prepare for, the other three years can let loose and celebrate a little. Students make and wear animal or plant masks and leaf garlands, and there’s a massive bonfire by the lake to welcome in summer.

RULES

The celebration begins at 8:00 PM around the docks, and goes until 10:00 PM, when staff will walk students back to their campsites.

There's a massive bonfire, and it's tradition for students to throw their unwanted textbooks, notes, or other things they're done with into the fire. Some students may be reluctant to do so.

Students can wear masks inspired by nature (plants, animals, etc.), but this time there's no anonymity charm to help you blend in.

You can also wear a leaf garland, which is a long scarf of leaves and flowers. Virgins are supposed to have white flowers in their wreaths, but only very traditional wizarding towns and families worry about this dated tradition.

At the end of the night, everyone is given a candle in their house color. The flame burns with magical brightness in purple, green, blue or orange. [Volunteer A] lights their candle first, and uses it to light the candles of the people standing near them. Then they light the candles of those next to them, until everyone's candle is lit. Everyone keeps their candles burning as they walk in single file back to their cabins, singing an old traditional song. The lights of students walking home can be seen all across campus as everyone heads back. Blow out your candle before entering your home (or in this case your cabin) and reflect on the upcoming year.

» the bonfire: The large bonfire has space for dancing, socializing and s'mores. Some students are tossing in old books, photos of exes, and unwanted notes. It's hopefully cathartic.

» the shore and docks: If you want to get a little closer to the water, it's quieter here, and you can even find a bit of privacy.

» truth or dare: There are too many teachers for truth or shot, but there's lots of wide open space and plenty of friends to embarrass.

» the end of the night: The walk back to bed is solemn. What do you hope for the coming year?

» OOC: QUESTIONS, COMMENTS & CONCERNS

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Robin's kind of baked right now. These were the most stressful exams of his life, and his test anxiety was not fucking around. For days his stomach had been in knots, his forehead prone to profuse sweating, his eyes would sometimes just stop working and everything on the test or practice test or flashcard would just turn into a blur of nonsense, but now it was over. If he didn't fuck up his senior project presentation tomorrow, he would graduate from high school on Friday, and that was kind of a big deal. Getting invited to auror testing was huge, sure, but sometimes just not flunking out seemed beyond his capabilities.

But now he can chill. He feeds the fire another fistful of indecipherable Charms notes then leans back, hands behind his head, eyes cast upward. There aren't many stars yet this early in the night, but there could still be UFOs. It never hurts to keep an eye out.

Robin + Tess

noblewon - 2017-06-23 01:54 (UTC) - Expand

Robin + Tess

hisshiss - 2017-06-23 02:02 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Robin + Tess

noblewon - 2017-06-24 02:22 (UTC) - Expand

Robin + Tess

hisshiss - 2017-06-24 04:18 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Robin + Tess

noblewon - 2017-06-24 06:33 (UTC) - Expand

Where's her highlighter...?

Lit by lumos, Quinn rummages through her backpack. She knows she it's there.

Exams may be over, but did you know seniors have to present their projects tomorrow? Quinn does. She went straight from her final test to the library to review her presentation notes, tried to memorize them by copying them out a third time. And then a fourth. And now, by the bonfire, a fifth. ~~Each copy had been nearly identical and also a futile exercise in 'diminishing returns' but just try to convince her of that, I dare you.~~

She can't find the highlighter and looks back to her little stack of index cards, because maybe it's beside them? Except. Um. They're not beside her shoe where they should be. And they're not beside the log she's sitting on, either. A frantic search of her immediate area reveals not a stack of index cards on the ground, but instead in the hands of a certain Ribbonfin freshman with a popped collar, standing by the fire, his hand poised to drop them into the flames. He gives her a thumbs-up as he lets go because check it out, he's doing her a favour! What a helpful dude!

Quinn groans loudly and collapses onto the dirt behind her, in defeat. Mother. Fucking. Braydyn.

Edited 2017-06-20 19:00 (UTC)

Quinn & Dahlia

dollywould - 2017-06-22 02:55 (UTC) - Expand

Finals were over. The last finals of Nathaniel Bird’s high school career were over and done with, in the hands of the teachers and their red pens. Nate could stop studying now, he could toss his textbooks in the fire (if he was the type of person to throw away expensive books, which he most definitely is not), he could recline and eat some smores. He could almost relax.

… Almost. There were still senior project presentations tomorrow, the other thing Nate has been preparing for and building toward all year, the other culmination of his four years of hard work and lost sleep. But if that went as well as his finals had (hopefully) gone, then that too would be over in twenty-four hours, and he could relax then.

Well. Almost. Because then there’s another speech to give, and that won’t be over until Friday. But then, after graduation, when they all climb on those buses the next morning, after nothing bad happened to any of them at all, then Nate could relax. And just knowing that’s within reach is nice. Flipping through another card, his hand sticky with s’mores, Nate thinks about how nice a full night’s sleep will be as he makes another change to his valedictorian speech. Soon, child. Soon.

While Cecil's definitely relieved that exams are over and that there's no more work left to do on his senior project before tomorrow, the quickly approaching end of the year and everything that will come after is a lot for him to wrap his mind around. Because it's both wonderful and terrifying to know that everything is about to change. The party had been a good distraction for an hour or so but, eventually, he'd needed a few minutes to himself and had retreated for the docks. Sprawled on his back and looking up at the stars, he lets his mind wander.

Until he hears footsteps approaching and tilts his head to look and smiles softly. "Hey Diego."

Diego & Cecil

indiefolk - 2017-06-21 05:48 (UTC) - Expand

Diego & Cecil

choneychurch - 2017-06-21 06:10 (UTC) - Expand

This is his last summer solstice. Every year before he's neglected to burn anything. He still has his notes from the previous three - now four - years. He still has his textbooks on his bookshelf at home in Boston. All of that has been leading up to this year and now his last finals are done and he'll never be tested on this shit again, but he's still incapable of burning this shit. This knowledge. Books. Pages he spent an entire year on, covering with his handwriting, his anal notations. Anything he could remember over the years.

He tracks Rosy down to the docks. If he knows anything about Rosy - it's that she's not burning anything either. "I got a gift for you," he says. He didn't wrap it. He just holds a pretty impressive binder up. "I want you to have it."

Chris & Rosy

browbeats - 2017-06-21 14:53 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Chris & Rosy

bambae - 2017-06-22 02:04 (UTC) - Expand

Chris & Rosy

browbeats - 2017-06-22 02:47 (UTC) - Expand

Chris & Rosy

bambae - 2017-06-22 03:53 (UTC) - Expand

Chris & Rosy

browbeats - 2017-06-22 17:45 (UTC) - Expand

Chris & Rosy

bambae - 2017-06-23 03:05 (UTC) - Expand

Pippa can't remember whose idea this was, only that it is a brilliant idea and she and Essie are clearly geniuses. Having managed to separate themselves from the crowd and their 38 other best friends, the two girls find a spot near the docks where they're hidden from view. But they have to be quick, otherwise their cunning plan will be sunk before it's even started.

Pippa unties her mask and passes it over to Essie, suppressing a giggle. "Here," she whispers. And then, taking out her wand, "Should we charm our own hair? Or do each other's?"