gooseberryhigh | 🎃 THE HALLOWEEN DANCE 🎃

THE HALLOWEEN DANCE

The sun begins to set just at 6:30, so by the time everyone's heading to the Lodge for the dance, the atmosphere is perfect. Mr. Covington (assisted by... Mr. Elmasry?) has lined the main trails with lit jack-o'-lanterns.

The Lodge's lights have all be tinted orange, purple and green, and a red carpet welcomes students into the building. Just inside, there's a podium where Mr. Hightower directs most students to proceed straight into the atrium. Those students who earned the VIP treatment, however, are sent upstairs so that they can descend via the stairs to an announcement and generous confetti. Ennis Harper trips and falls, but luckily is caught by Eve very romantically, earning applause.

The dance begins with a Choir performance, which caps off with Grace Sowerberry's solo to "Spooky". Casey Patterson and [Dance Character D] do an improvised dance to the the number that has everyone stopping and staring. But now that the dance is underway, everyone can help themselves to partying, treats, and spooks!

Riley Stamper knows better than to spike the punch after last year, but still packs a flask to get pleasantly tipsy. Hazel Keating, [Character G] and [Character H] also indulge from that flask, but only [Character H] is caught. Oops, that's a -15 points from their house, and they're sent to see a less than pleased Healer Mufferaw. He sobers [Character H] up, but gives them detention for their trouble.

In the vampire-themed area of the cafeteria, Milo Greer & Bianca Dubois gets the bright idea to hide in one of the plywood caskets to make out, safe from bad jump scares. Meanwhile, Ariadne Flint and Jade Otterwell successfully sneak into the VIP area by pretending to be a auction couple while the freshman bouncer is distracted.

HOW THIS WORKS

The dance begins at 7:00 PM, and ends at 11:00 PM. Staff will escort students back to their cabins at the end of the dance.

The lodge will be cleared at 2 PM so Event Committee can prepare for the dance. As per Ursula de Luca's request, Event Committee may store their supplies in a second floor classroom instead of the basement until the Molly situation is resolved. It's not as conveniently located, but nor is it haunted!

Dinner will take place at individual campgrounds with hot dogs and burgers cooked over the campfire. Vegetarian and vegan options will be available.

Once the dance begins, choir will be performing a set of Halloween-themed songs selected by Tally Prince.

There is a MACUSA presence, but staff will tell students not to bother the agents unless it's an emergency.

Dress Code & Rules: Chests and stomachs must be covered, and shorts and skirts must reach three inches below the fingertips. (Teachers may go easy on skirt lengths, but keep your booties covered, kids.) No real weapons are allowed, but toys will be approved by teachers. Nothing that can shoot anything, be it darts, water or magic, will be permitted. No aggressive magic is allowed at the dance.

During the dance, only the following areas are open in the lodge: the Atrium (main dance area), the cafeteria (which has been transformed into a maze), the hallway to the restrooms (east of the Atrium), the public restrooms, the hallway to the infirmary and classrooms (west of the Atrium), and the infirmary (emergencies only).

Anon and Brother will not be in attendance, as Brother shared with staff the spell to magically bar them from buildings.

VIP AUCTION COUPLES: The VIP couples (listed below) have access to the exclusive balcony area, and are asked to arrive together. As the pairs walk into the atrium, their names are loudly announced in a spoooooky Crypt Keeper sort of voice, and balloons pop overhead showering them in pumpkin and skull shaped glitter.

SCARE ZONES

Instead of a single haunted house, Micah St. Clair has led the creation of several themed “scare zones” in areas surrounding the dance. Costumed freshmen (and some other Event Committee volunteers) have been tasked with scaring anyone who passes through the area.

Many of these areas are inconveniently situated, so students who need to go to the restroom or want to sneak off to make out may end up being unpleasantly interrupted!

Please Note: the freshmen are not allowed to grab anyone or cast spells in the scare zones, and participants are expected to follow the same rules.

If we read your character threatening violence if someone scares them, we probably won't give you a scare. This is just to preserve the mood of the dance, and stop it from being derailed by a fight.

Event Committee characters may join in on scaring people, so you can play and arrange your own scares if you like. Just follow the same rules: no touching, no spells, no fighting.

Jenny will be assisting Meggie and Marin with playing the freshmen! Thank you, Jenny! ♥ If more of our NPC mods from Y1 would like to join in on the fun and lend a hand, email the mods and we'll hook you up. Scares will all be coming from goosefresh

» BEFORE THE DANCE: Event Committee gets the dance ready and everyone hurries to make sure their costumes are perfect.

» BEGINNING OF THE DANCE: The hallway leading into the atrium is decorated like the backstage of a movie set, with sheets hanging from the walls to disguise the log cabin interior. Walking out into the atrium reveals the main dance floor and the stage where Choir performs a set of spooky songs!

» THE ATRIUM: Bright, colorful and fun, the dance floor is styled to look like a Monster Mash movie party. The walls are plastered in classic horror movie posters, and there are two popcorn machines to drive home the old Hollywood feel. Above the dancers are green, purple, orange and black balloons that are suspended in mid-air, lighting up the dance floor with a multicolor glow. There's also a snacks table, that features Halloween themed snacks and punch.

» Dr. FrankenReece's Laboratory: Come trick-or-treat in Dr. FrankenReece's Laboratory! Inside, there are three doors. Behind one hides a candy prize, but behind the other two lurk danger. After you make your selection, Dr. FrankenReece opens one of the other two doors to reveal... Count Zachula! He has the spookiest tricks of all: probability and statistics. To those that will listen, Reece and Zach enthusiastically explain the mathematics behind the Monty Hall Problem. But even if you won't hear them out, you still get a choice: stick with your original door, or switch to the third door?

» VIP AREA: THE BALCONY: Possibly the only peaceful spot at the dance. The balcony has wrought iron tables and chairs that boast jack 'o lantern table settings with name cards reserving seats for VIP couples. The outdoor seating is kept warm with magic, and freshmen run from table to table taking orders and delivering treats and punch to the VIPs. No need to stand in line here! The mood is decidedly romantic, with only candles to serve as lighting. The VIP couples are:

Phineas Bones and Sofia Delgado	Cameron Carney and Charlotte Meer	Jaime Castillo and Avery Davenport
Adeline Foster-Hayes and Antonia Papadakis	Ennis Harper and Evangeline Bagman	Jefferson Key and Estella Morales-Tran
Concordia Knight and Violet McGonagall	Hieronymus Lee and Marie Patterson	Ursula de Luca and Ferdinand Ayers
Cole Moss and Ramon Delgado	Casey Patterson and ~~Fern~~ Hazel Keating	Olivia Sanchez and Riley Stamper
Todd Skynner and Calvin Evercreech	Spencer Sweet and Iliya Krum	Susana Velasquez and Madison Ives

» SCARE ZONE: DOCKS: Immediately outside the lodge, a thick fog blankets the area, almost impossible to navigate except for the magical lanterns bobbing in the mist, leading the way to and out of the dance. But be careful! Terrible amphibious creatures have emerged from the lake, and they have a taste for human flesh! (Creature from the Black Lagoon)

» SCARE ZONE: HALLWAY TO RESTROOMS: Through the low light, you glimpse a forgotten Egyptian tomb. Lockers have been papered over with hieroglyph designs, and skeletal statues stand guard along the walls. Wait—that golden sarcophagus at the end of the hall, right beside the entrance to the restrooms… is it opening? (The Mummy)

» SCARE ZONE: HALLWAY TO CLASSROOMS: A mad genius has taken over this area with ungodly contraptions. Thick black wires spread over the walls and ceiling, and dangerous electric bolts jump between exposed pieces of machinery. In the middle of the hallway is an infirmary bed covered with a bloodstained sheet… and something’s twitching underneath. (Frankenstein)

» SCARE ZONE: CAFETERIA: When you step inside, all colour drains from the room. A charm transforms your vision to mimic grainy black-and-white film. A winding, fake-cobweb-filled maze covers the whole cafeteria, and monstrous creatures prowl, looking for victims. The theme is apparently “every idea we couldn’t fit somewhere else.”

The Day the Earth Stood Still/Invasion of the Body Snatchers. The crowning jewel of the maze is a large wooden UFO that has "crashed" in the middle of the maze. Here, the freshmen are dressed up as aliens that pop out from behind fake bushes. The lighting is eerie and green, and there are magical mirrors framed by fake trees that give the impression that you have a doppleganger following you around. The charm slows down your reflection so it doesn't quite move in time with you.

Night of the Living Dead. Freshmen zombies shamble around a wrecked section of the maze, where a mural of a city on fire and siren lights portrays the apocalypse. The little ankle biters aren't terribly scary, but they will chase you around!

Nosferatu/Dracula. A corner of the cafeteria is made to look a little like a castle basement, with plywood coffins and caskets littered about. It's fairly quiet over here, with moody lighting coming from torches. Little fake bats flutter around overhead.

» AFTER THE DANCE: It's 11:00 and the dance winds down, and everyone hikes back to their campgrounds. Is there anything else your characters get up to in the late evening or early morning?

» OOC - QUESTIONS, COMMENTS & CONCERNS

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

"I, um, kept seeing them across the floor -- they're suuuuper pretty," Madison admits. She has no idea who Marie is, but they're good at making things extremely shiny.

"You're the girl from that one movie with the witch under the house, right?"

Her exposure to no-maj cinema has been varied. There are some gaps.

"Yes," Saira says, one brow arching- did you expect me to deny it, to reassure you? - "you were. But I would bore so quickly, if you bothered to behave normally."

As if she'd even recognize it, really. If Wilde can't talk about 'just asking,' she cant talk about normal.

This rings true to Wilde. It makes him nervous, but a haughty little tilt enters his smile. If he can't be said to behave normally, maybe he's as interesting as he tries to be. Maybe none of this is actually important at all? And she didn't even ask what he'd meant to bring up before. It's almost like it never happened.

Still, he shrugs. It's stupid, but he has to say it:

"It's so pointless to call anything normal, though, isn't it? You'll get bored when you get bored."

"Mmm," Saira hums, neither committing to nor denying the point. "I'm not bored yet. May I ask why you were 'being weird?' Or would that ruin the mystique?"

She watches him for a moment before turning back to study the decorations in this corner, lest one jump out at them. Also to give Wilde a chance to answer, if he chooses to. She doesn't like people watching her when she tries to speak seriously about her feelings, after all.

Wilde watches her back. When she turns away to keep watch, he leans in slightly again to speak more closely to her ear.

"I can't really hide anything from you for long," he admits. "So. Mystique canceled. I feel like I know what you might say, so -- no pressure. You remember how my brother wanted to take me with him on a project? In Egypt? It got canceled, and he's headed to Lisbon instead. I'm taking the boys, aaaand... Wanted to see if you'd want to come too."

Wilde pauses. A little smile enters his voice. "I know it'd... probably be hard to pull off." Her parents don't even require mention. "But it'd be cool. You could have your own room at the hotel, and like... zero obligations when it comes to various inevitable mischief."

Saira does not shiver at the warmth of Wilde's breath against her ear. Why would she shiver? Don't be absurd.

She is quiet for long moments, as is her wont when asked something of import. She doesn't look at Wilde, or indeed away from the decorations, but there is the chance that she is leaning toward him more than she was a few moments ago.

"Come with you," she says finally, in a tone like she is clarifying, "to...Egypt? Or to Lisbon? There was some ambiguity in your phrasing, Jonathan, and you know how I feel about ambiguity."

"Lisbon," he says, quietly. "Sorry."

I'm nervous, he doesn't say. She can probably tell anyway. He doesn't sound too bad, though, when he keeps his voice down.

"With me, and my friends." It's strange to think that there was ever a time he preferred to call them cabinmates. "Mostly me. Except if we're doing something you disapprove of, or you feel like being alone, or you want to chill with Thomas and have him offer you a job because you know more about whatever he's supposed to be doing than he does."

The last part is a joke, but actually Saira would probably like Thomas quite a bit. Wilde hates that, but he likes the idea of her being there at all, so it's a trade-off.

That's what she thought he meant; it's a shame in some ways, because a trip to Egypt would be far, far easier to sell her parents on.

The mention of job offers gets a laugh from her, though it's a quiet one, and when she looks back at Wilde she doesn't appear amused, per se. Mostly just thoughtful. "Let me...consider the ramifications," she says after a moment, something fond flickering at the corner of her lips. "How much do you plan on doing that I will disapprove of? You may not go to a foreign city and spend all day skateboarding and taking photos of your hedgehog, Wilde. I will disavow you."

"I don't know, it's us," says Wilde. "Can I skateboard to historical sites? That was the plan. And squinting at a lot of old Portuguese books I can vaguely get the gist of."

He squeezes her hand a little. "But I dunno, probably sneaking into nomaj bars or something. Or going to a show. Casper likes that. You could always not disapprove and come with."

"To a nomaj bar," Saira echoes, voice exceedingly dry, even for her. Her voice is arid. "You want me to go with a group of Ebonhide boys to a nomja bar." Her smile, fond before, becomes something more like a smirk. "Well. Truly, you wish to fuel my teenage rebellion."

Wilde just shrugs and nods. If it's an option, absolutely.

And it says everything about this, probably, but between her voice and the twist of her smirk it was totally worth asking, no matter what actually happens. He feels weirdly unsteady -- in a good way? -- and leans down to bump his forehead playfully against hers.

"To the extent possible," he says finally. "Isn't that what being with me is anyway? You might as well just go with it."

That is not entirely what being with Wilde is. The rebellious aspect of it is...well. A happy accident? A necessary component? Confusing, in the end.

She does not say as much. It wouldn't do to let him get smug. Saira's need to be a step ahead is perhaps pathological; perhaps she just thinks he wouldn't be so infatuated with her if she wasn't. Hard to say.

"I'll consider it," she says after letting the silence drag for a minute, just to keep him on his toes. "The logistics will prove challenging. I hope you realize this."

Wilde stays where he is, letting the silence lay. Well. As much of a silence as it can be, anyway, with distant screams and footsteps and chattering voices. He keeps forgetting it's even Halloween.

"Completely." He's realistic, after all. "But we're good with those."

...Maybe a little optimistic, actually.

"This is true," Saira allows with a little smile. They are good with those. They're both quite clever, after all. "I am not saying no."

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🎃 THE HALLOWEEN DANCE 🎃

Tally & Madison

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