gooseberryhigh | COTILLION

COTILLION

After two weeks of etiquette and dance lessons, the 2014 National Wizarding Cotillion is finally here! After lunch, participating students gather dress bags and overnight bags and head out to New York City. They'll be staying at the historic Exalted Enchanter Hotel, which today is filled with rich debutantes from schools all over the country. Headmistress Bloom assures her students that they are just as good (if not better) than these kids, and tells them to hurry and get ready. In the lobby, Jefferson Key accidentally ends up deep in conversation with a dragon dung fertilizer tycoon, who is so impressed that they end up offering Jeffy a summer job.

Gooseberry's musicians are admitted early so they can set up and already be playing when presentations begin. The ensemble's musical pièce de résistance is a solo performed by Iliya Krum during dinner, which is so beautifully played that the giant ballroom briefly goes silent as everyone listens. Afterwards, attendants are seen congratulating Mrs. Bloom on the talent of her students. Guess who just won the music program more funding.

HOW THIS WORKS

Students will leave campus right after lunch, and will arrive at the hotel in time to get dressed for the dance, and there will be a 3 hour window where they can sneak off to see the city if they want to. Presentations start at 4:00 PM, dinner is at 5:00 PM, the dance is at 6:00 PM.

Dress Code: One person in black, one in white (or pastel). Clothes must be modest, so keep that cleavage covered. Dresses should be floor length, but tea length is acceptable. Suits should have jackets and ties, and a vest ideally but they won't kick you out if you don't.

For presentations, the pair will enter the ballroom together and link arms, bow or curtsy, and then walk down the length of the dance floor so that all the attendees can see them. Beforehand, couples are lined up outside of the ballroom and each given a notecard upon which they must write their full name, their school, where they come from, and noteworthy accomplishments or goals. This will be read aloud* for both members of a pair when they enter the ballroom. (*Unless it is offensive, trying too hard to be funny, or a flagrant lie. Subtle lies might pass.)
- Please fill out the following form and post it HERE to find out your character's High Society Approval Rating. If you score a 75% or higher, one of these intimidating patriarchs or matriarchs is going to feel you out for marrying their grandchild one day. You're going places, kid.
 
 Full Name:
 Their Date:
 Location: Where do they hail from?
 Accomplishments: You can cite special positions, academic success, good deeds, charity work or any other awards they've received in or out of school.
 Goals: What high and lofty professional goals does your character have?
 Mannerisms: How does your character hold themselves? Do they float through the room, or slip up their curtsy? Is their hair a little frizzy?
 Connections & Pedigree: Is your character well connected and/or well bred by the standards of high society?
 Anything else?:
 
 Full Name: Their Date: Location: Where do they hail from? Accomplishments: You can cite special positions, academic success, good deeds, charity work or any other awards they've received in or out of school. Goals: What high and lofty professional goals does your character have? Mannerisms: How does your character hold themselves? Do they float through the room, or slip up their curtsy? Is their hair a little frizzy? Connections & Pedigree: Is your character well connected and/or well bred by the standards of high society? Anything else?:

After that, everyone sits down for dinner, a five-course meal. Dates sit together, and the rubbing elbows begins. Pairs will be mixed with pairs from other schools. There are plenty of rich, judgemental adults to size up your characters from this point on. Afterwards, a constantly stocked refreshments table will be available for anyone who wants more canapés.

The first dance is a formal waltz with your date, and after that, everything loosens up a bit. Socializing will take up the majority of the evening, and the upper crust students can expect this to be when the matchmaking goes into high gear. Students may slip out early at this point without fear of repercussions.

Please read HERE for consequences for skipping or misbehaving at Cotillion.

While parents may attend, any cameos from graduates must only be in logs posted separately to the comm, and siblings shouldn't really be in attendance. Parents have to pay their own way into the event, and will be expected to behave appropriately. Honestly, we would prefer not to have to deal with a "wacky parents scandalize high society" plot, because it would be a burden on the mods to wrangle it, and it steals time and attention away from other storylines.

Much to Mr. Merrill's chagrin, no one's checking IDs when they hand out glasses of champagne and wine. On the sly, Mr. Calderon-Boot just warns no one to overdo it.

Students will be staying overnight at the Exalted Enchanter, a wizarding hotel in the vein of The Plaza. Very old, very elegant, and with free WiFi in the rooms and lobby. While you can choose your roommates, it's strictly girls only or boys only. No mixed gender rooms. Cotillion didn't account for Gaysberry very well.

» before the event: You'll have a few hours to get ready. Do you need all that time, or do you want to try sneaking into the city for a bit?

» presentations: Two by two, the wizard debutantes of the 2014 season are presented. Please complete the presentation form and post it here for a High Society Approval Rating.

» the dance: The debutantes will need to complete one highly choreographed group waltz before they're allowed to loosen up. But after that, it's unlimited access to the refreshments table!

» new york city: For any scenes taking place in the city, outside of the cotillion.

» the hotel: For any scenes taking place in the hotel, outside of the cotillion.

» OOC - QUESTIONS, COMMENTS & CONCERNS

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"You think I should mention I'm totally best friends with that dragon dung guy??" Jeffy asks, chewing on the end of his pen, anything to avoid finishing his own "goals" section. Were other people taking this as seriously? Some of these guys seemed to be having FUN with it. "He gave me his business card!" Which DID mean they were pretty much best friends in Jeffy's book.

Edited 2017-11-13 01:04 (UTC)

"Yes," Lucas says, absolutely positive. He is a font of good advice tonight. Good advice and anxiety. His anxiety is palpable. Literally tangible. His anxiety is actually a physical presence in the room with him. Get a grip, kid. "Um, but, maybe call him something nicer than dragon dung guy?" He hesitates, chewing his lower lip. "Do you guys think I'd get in trouble if I filled my card out as not me?" Specifically, as Logan Cyanide, international super-spy.

Essie hastily scribbles all three suggestions onto her card, thinking each one sounds more impressive. And they're all KIND OF true??? Magiroboticist by day, treasure hunting cowboy by night. That totally sounds like an awesome Adult Plan. Thanks, Lucas!

"I'm pretty sure that DUNG is already supposed to BE the nice way of saying POOP," Essie points out helpfully. "And if you get to be Blackjack Kowalski, then I'm starting my card over too. Is it too late to buy some cowboy boots to go with my dress? If they've got rhinestones, they're like pretty much part of the dress code, right?"

"I'm PRETTY SURE New York is the best place to buy rhinestone cowboy boots," Jeffy confirms, his pen now hovering over the notable family members section. "I BET if we left now we could get, like, at LEAST one shopping montage in before the party starts??" You definitely cannot, Jefferson, and don't you dare risk your approval rating for this.

Lucas wastes a few precious card-filling-out moments on considering whether they have time to buy cowboy boots. Would shopping actually maybe be a good way of getting Jeffy and Essie to admit their crushes on one another?

I love these ridiculous pink, sequin-encrusted boots!! Lucas imagines the Essie in his head saying.

Yeah! Agrees an imaginary Jeffy. They're almost as cute as YOU!!

And imaginary Lucas stands off to the side pretending to look at handbags because he feels like an awkward third wheel on this super romantic imaginary shopping trip. But then imaginary Essie gets distracted by the hand bags too and they all miss Cotillion and get expelled and--

"NO COWBOY BOOTS." Lucas panics. "No cowboy boots. Um, what are you guys putting for your personal achievements?"

Edited (Lucas writes friend fiction in his head and I'm only a little sorry) 2017-11-13 19:10 (UTC)

COTILLION

Essie!!! & Lucas??? & Jeffy?!?!?! & ???

Essie!!! & Lucas??? & Jeffy?!?!?! & ???

Essie!!! & Lucas??? & Jeffy?!?!?! & ???

Essie!!! & Lucas??? & Jeffy?!?!?! & ???

Essie!!! & Lucas??? & Jeffy?!?!?! & ???