gooseberryhigh | WINTER MASQUERADE

WINTER MASQUERADE

The privacy curtains are erected in the Atrium as soon as lunch ends, and it's all hands on deck as Event Committee get ready to transform the Atrium. Students having dinner are given only 30 minutes before they're ushered out past the privacy curtains again, so the cafeteria can be claimed for a "special surprise." At 7 PM sharp, the Atrium opens, and the Anonymity Charm activates.

House-elves will take cloaks and coats when students arrive, and usher them past festive red curtains into a light-filled carnival. Yards of colourful fabric drape out from the center of the ceiling and fall all the way down to the floor, creating the illusion of a circus big top. Blinking holiday lights cover the walls, twisted into familiar designs: candy canes, evergreens, dreidels, green and red candles, etc. At different corners stand four tall trees decorated in honour of the four houses: one in plum and gold with fuzzy bear decorations, one in olive and copper with glass trout, one in azure and white with feathery jays, and one in orange and black with felt foxes. A mystery gift exchange is taking place by the trees, so come claim your present!

The dance floor is outlined with twinkling lights that magically strobe along with the music. Cheer captain Madison Ives has organized a dance spectacle opener with the help of the other cheer captains, and student band The Heretics are set to perform tonight!

The refreshments tables lining one wall features fair foods such as bagged popcorn (mixed with green and red M&M's), hot pretzels, candy apples, funnel cakes, corn dogs, french fries, cotton candy, and endless varieties of fizzy soda. (A few special treats have been set aside for vegan students. Prospero recommends the falafel on a stick.) Communal tables and chairs have been adorned with red-and-white-striped fabric, to give them a candy cane circus feel.

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 carousel-themed photo op, where you and a masked stranger can pose in front of seasonally appropriate mounts in the shape of a reindeer, a polar bear, a two-seat swan with holly and red ribbon around its neck, and a plastic Santa Claus inviting you to sit in his lap. Only once you've stepped up to the carousel mounts will you see the sprig of mistletoe hanging overhead. Event Committee volunteer photographers will take your picture, to be publicly posted later so you can guess who was posing with you!

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 red and green cushions, and there's bluebell flame lamps providing warmth and light on this chilly December night. From here, you can see the sleigh rides running just outside the lodge, within the sphere of the Anonymity Charm. These romantic magical sleighs seat up to three, and circle the lodge on a set track that takes you past trees also decorated with brilliant lights.

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 (1) warning before they're ejected from the dance. The same applies to a handful of MACUSA agents, in identical black masks and black robes, but they appear more interested in patrolling the dance than talking to anyone.

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.

CLICK HERE FOR ANONYMITY CHARM RULES

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. Also, the charm also doesn't affect your sense of touch, smell or taste. (But please don't lick anyone to figure out their identity.)

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. The effective area of the charm is the lodge and the area immediately surrounding the lodge, enough to cover the sleigh rides.

» Setting Up » Before the Dance » Beginning of the Dance » Refreshments » Mystery Gift Exchange » Anonymous Karaoke » Carousel Photos » Balcony » Sleigh Rides » End of the Night » OOC - Questions, comments, concerns!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

This point isn't entirely without merit but, in Casper's experience, attempting to predict how far students will push the limits of mockery and jokes that might not actually be funny is difficult and attempting to get ahead of such things is often ineffective. There's little choice but to deal with it when it happens. "Most people know when they're being a shitheel and what would be taking it too far," he says after a moment, shrugging, "So maybe it never comes to that. If it does, then you grab a prefect or a teacher or something, right? Be aware and call it out if it happens but there's no point in dwelling on it now."

He pauses, then adds with a note of wry humor, "And, if it helps, I imagine there will be a little instant karma soon. At least half of them will probably eat themselves sick."

Gwen had to smile at that, even if it came reluctantly at first. "I've got a bit of a temper," she admitted, "which most people don't expect from my House." And she didn't always expect from herself. But whoever this fellow student was, she found herself agreeing with him. To a degree, she was overreacting. But she was aware, and had called out poor behavior, and she should let it go now. "Anyway, you're right. I said what I felt needed saying, and that's all I can do. Actually, I'm kinda glad he wasn't here to see that." She didn't care as much about the laughs at her expense. But now that she had come down from being angry, she had enough time to reflect on the little scene she'd made. Good going, Gwen.

But they were supposed to be enjoying themselves at the dance. Her better humor restored, for the most part, Gwen joked, "Seriously, though, Casper deserves better. I mean, a corndog eating contest? I'm from North Carolina and even I think that's tacky." She punctuated that with a grin.

A Ribbonfin, then. Casper definitely isn't surprised but there's nothing much to say about it either. Few people have all of the traits associated with their house and even fewer live up to the ideal all the time. Instead, he nods in agreement that she has done all she can do and then glances at the girl. "...You were in his corner," he points out evenly, "Even he shouldn't complain too much about that."

Gwen seems to be working herself into a better mood now, at least, and when she grins at him, he utters an exasperated sound that makes it clear he agrees. "Everyone deserves better. I keep thinking that sort of thing's got to lose its appeal eventually, but so far..."

"He's my friend." Said simply, because as far as Gwen was concerned, it was true. She'd wanted to ask him to come to the dance, but when that fell through, it hadn't changed anything, to her. Still, she found herself worried that it would get back, and in the retelling, she would look more like a jerk and less like a supportive friend. But she couldn't do anything about that now.

"What sort of thing? The blatant competition?" Gwen sighed, shaking her head a little. "People always seem to want what they are told they cannot have...people they cannot have. And the more unavailable, the more fierce it is to be the one who succeeds. Contests." She glanced back the way they had come. "Maybe I'm just no fun, because I don't see the appeal. Wouldn't you rather someone who you genuinely liked and liked you back?" When her gaze returned to the other student, she realized that she was likely veering a little bit personal. "Sorry, I don't mean to get on my high horse again. I....thank you for coming over here, making me feel better about it."

This simple proclamation of friendship gives Casper a moment of pause because it makes him think that he knows who he's talking to. He can only think of one girl in Ribbonfin that might talk about him that way. And the bee mask isn't exactly adding to the mystery either. Subtle, Popplestone. Still. He could be wrong and he doesn't intend to bring it up.

Instead, he shakes his head. He'd meant the apparent need of Gooseberry students to see who can shove the most food in their mouths without making themselves sick or to eat the most bizarre and occasionally heinous foods they can find. But, more generally, he does agree with her. Despite being an aggressive, hard-working perfectionist he's never had much interest in competition with anyone but himself. He doesn't care about winning so much as improving or getting closer to a real goal. Let alone trying to win the approval or affection of another person. So he lets her talk, winding herself up and then (thankfully) unwinding again before he responds. "You're not wrong. And. It's no problem."

But he's never been good at accepting thank yous and it isn't long before his dark eyes turn reflexively away from her. He doesn't know what else to say but what he sees nearby supplies him with the obvious answer. "Would you like a distraction?" he asks, gesturing toward the dance floor.

If Gwen had known his thoughts about her mannerisms, she'd agree: subtlety was never her strong suit. No, instead it was basically being as forthright as possible and then regretting it later when she inevitably went too far. At least when she did feel for someone, she felt strongly. It was up for debate if that was always a good quality, but she hoped it was.

"A distraction sounds great," she answered, with some relief. "Save me from myself." A small, wry laugh followed that, as she held out her hand for his. This was one of the last dances she'd be attending, after all, with graduation coming a few months away. She really wanted to enjoy it while it lasted. And whoever this was, he'd been both practical and sympathetic, and she appreciated that. Maybe later, she'd be able to find out who he was, and thank him better.

WINTER MASQUERADE

Gwen & Casper

Gwen & Casper

Gwen & Casper

Gwen & Casper

Gwen & Casper

Gwen & Casper