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

Addy's eyes get larger, mirroring Nia's, and she shakes her head gravely. She follows the line of her date's chin to scope out the prey. She's a pretty girl, smart enough to not be giggling at the young man's attention immediately. But Addy's gaze drops to the girl's absurdly high heels and sighs a little. "Not good, not with footwear like that." Her accent is possibly worse, but she doesn't seem to mind, and grips Nia's wrist for dramatic effect. "She'll have to be very creative if she wants to escape with her life."

But Aristocratus Maximus hasn't approached yet, causing Addy to tilt her head and amend. "But she might get off lucky if the baby douchecub doesn't have any teeth."

"We're really rooting for her," Nia assures their non-existent audience. She lifts her glass to her lips once again, this time to stifle a laugh, and spares a sideways glance at Addy. Her grin pulls wide. This is ten times more fun than she thought it'd be. When her gaze snaps back to their targets, the douchecub is cautiously making his move. "Ah, though he carries himself as lord of his domain among the other males, the young Aristocratus Maximus shows his inexperience in pursuit of his quarry."

Aristocratus Maximus puts on a brilliant smile when he steps up to the pretty girl to ask her to dance. The girl looks him up and down so pointedly that they can see the flick of her gaze from half-way across the room. Nia laughs, then, sputtering into her drink. "Oh my god." She says, leaning against Addy. "Fierce!"

Addy lets out a very un-Australian squeak of delight, holding her champagne flute against her mouth to stifle it. "Oh my god." She confirms, shoulders shaking in silent laughter against Nia's. She clears her throat and slips back into science-mode. "Ladies and gentlemen, I think what we've seen here today is that the female is dominant in this species, even in a quaint, backwards part of society."

But the handsome boy looks a little sad, and shoves himself in the corner with a pilfered glass of white wine. Addy wrinkles her nose. "Awww. Aristocratus admitting defeat so soon?"

"It'll be a hard winter if he's willing to give up that easily," Nia laments, tut tuting softly under her breath. "And I thought he was truly an exemplary Aristocratus Maximus specimen. How will the others fare, I wonder?"

Seeking her next subject, Nia scans the crowd. Her eyes fall on a certain someone, who's looking right back at her. "Oop!" Her brow shoots up. "Bartley sighting." It's the only warning she gives before giggling at him and then turning her head to whisper into Addy's ear. She lays a hand delicately on her date's arm, to sell this as an extra intimate exchange, when she says: "Love your shoe choice for the evening, darling." Nia tries not to laugh too loud in Addy's ear.

Addy loves Bartley sightings. She makes sure to catch his eye and keep contact for a solid second before the corner of her mouth turns up gently. She raises the stakes, turning in and touching Nia's cheek, fond, but very careful to not mess up her makeup. "They're five years old." She grins like that was a secret.

Nia's brows quirk up like she's just heard something very exciting. She's mostly just trying not to laugh, but it works, because the way her smile pulls wide and a little silly is doing a reasonable job of telling a story about what they might be discussing.

She puts her hand over Addy's when she says, "I bet Warren's impressed." And, smile extremely satisfied, lets it linger there after Mr. Bartley's looked away, just a few moments longer before dropping it back to her side.

COTILLION

Addy & Nia Narrate an Award-Winning Documentary

Addy & Nia Narrate an Award-Winning Documentary

Addy & Nia Narrate an Award-Winning Documentary

Addy & Nia Narrate an Award-Winning Documentary

Addy & Nia Narrate an Award-Winning Documentary

Addy & Nia Narrate an Award-Winning Documentary