JANUARY GROTTO PARTY

[goosemods]

JANUARY GROTTO PARTY

It's frigid in January, so bundle up before sneaking out to the Grotto. While creeping out into the woods, [Character A] and their friends run into Mr. Merrill who tells them to be mindful of curfew with a knowing wink. It may be noticeably warmer near the empty stone building, but it's not a night for short skirts. A light snowfall starts up just as the party does, clinging to hair and encouraging people to stay near the fire or in the stone building.

The Grotto's been decorated with golden lights that hang in the trees and some of them spell out HAPPY NEW YEAR, twinkling like stars. The trees overhead shower everyone with iridescent gold glitter that clings to hair and cheeks.

RULES

• If this is your first time at a Grotto party, welcome! Although the Grotto is forbidden in the school rules, you can assume your characters a) have heard about the party and b) make it past any adults who are walking the trails. Just be casual!


• There are two routes to the Grotto: in the woods near Bear Trail, and in the woods near Ribbonfin campsite.


• The party starts at 6:30 PM, and runs until 10 PM. The prefects are strictly enforcing curfew, and will start breaking things up at 9:30 PM.

If you signed your character up for either Spin The Bottle or Seven Minutes In Heaven, find their partners below:

Ira Ashworth STB #1: Charlotte STB #2: Isabelle 7MiH: Hazel	Phineas Bones STB #1: Cameron STB #2: Charlotte 7MiH: Ramon	Cameron Carney STB #1: Phineas STB #2: Hazel 7MiH: Avery	Juniper Crane STB #1: Natalie STB #2: Ruby 7MiH: Archimedes
Avery Davenport STB #1: Austin STB #2: Lilika 7MiH: Cameron	Ramon Delgado STB #1: Isabelle STB #2: Hieronymus 7MiH: Phineas	Balthazar Doyle STB #1: Quentin STB #2: Spencer 7MiH: Pandora	Ennis Harper STB #1: Madison STB #2: Todd 7MiH: Isabelle
London Holloway STB #1: Condordia STB #2: Quentin 7MiH: Todd	Lilika Ignacz STB #1: Riley STB #2: Avery 7MiH: Charlotte	Madison Ives STB #1: Ennis STB #2: Riley 7MiH: Spencer	Hazel Keating STB #1: Ruby STB #2: Cameron 7MiH: Ira
Concordia Knight STB #1: London STB #2: Karen 7MiH: Marie	Pandora Lacey STB #1: Hieronymus STB #2: Natalie 7MiH: Balthazar	Hieronymus Lee STB #1: Pandora STB #2: Ramon	Austin McNamara STB #1: Avery STB #2: Archimedes STB #3: Casey Patterson
Charlotte Meer STB #1: Ira STB #2: Phineas 7MiH: Lilika	Tuesday North STB #1: Archimedes STB #2: Marie 7MiH: Natalie	Ruby Oberholtzer STB #1: Hazel STB #2: Juniper 7MiH: Riley	Marie Patterson STB #1: Todd STB #2: Tuesday 7MiH: Concordia
Natalie Prince STB #1: Juniper STB #2: Pandora 7MiH: Tuesday	Archimedes Rose STB #1: Tuesday STB #2: Austin 7MiH: Juniper	Isabelle Sargent STB #1: Ramon STB #2: Ira 7MiH: Ennis	Todd Skynner STB #1: Marie STB #2: Ennis 7MiH: London
Riley Stamper STB #1: Lilika STB #2: Madison 7MiH: Ruby	Spencer Sweet STB #1: Karen STB #2: Balthazar 7MiH: Madison	Quentin Youngbood STB #1: Balthazar STB #2: London 7MiH: Karen	Karen Zabinsky STB #1: Spencer STB #2: Concordia 7MiH: Quentin
Paris Holloway STB #1: Rupert STB #2: Antigone	Casey Patterson STB #1: Austin STB #2: Iliya 7MiH: Evangeline	Evangeline Bagman STB #1: Antigone STB #2: Rupert 7MiH: Casey	Rupert Wick STB #1: Paris STB #2: Evangeline
Antigone Brown STB #1: Evangeline STB #2: Paris	Iliya Krum STB #1: Casey

RULES

1. Teen peer pressure (and player sadism) aside, no one is obligated to do anything they don't want to. Characters doing Seven Minutes In Heaven can spend the time just talking or staring awkwardly at each other, and characters playing Spin The Bottle can opt out of a kiss (although people will probably boo).


2. If characters get up to anything more racy than PG-13, please fade to black on that! This includes sexually explicit conversations. Many people track IC/OOC posts, so please have consideration for your fellow players. Talking about sex is fine (and part of the flavour of a teen game), but there's no need to get into detailed descriptions of anatomy or sex acts.


3. If you'd like to say two characters were partners in STB or 7MIH in addition to what's been rolled, go ahead! Obviously, get the permission of all involved characters first.

» Before the Party: Throw on your best clothes (but bundle up, it's very cold!), prep your hair and makeup, and get ready to sneak out of your cabins. Be careful not to get caught by any teachers or MACUSA agents! Going into the forest isn't against the rules, but the Grotto is still a forbidden area.

» Around the Fire: The large bonfire is warm and romantic. Pull up a log and grab a blanket, make some s'mores, or dance to the party music. There's beer and soda in the ice chests, along with bins for empty bottles and cans. Don't litter. This isn't your home.

» Movie Screening: Not too far from the fire, a white sheet has been hung up between the trees, and blankets and pillows have strewn around the grass. Starting at 7:30 PM, there will be a screening of Children of the Corn. Bags of popcorn are also served.

» Truth or Shot: Around the bonfire, there's a circle of students serving up shots and asking personal questions. The rules are simple: tell the truth, or take a shot. Post your characters to this comment with their name in the header, and other characters will ask you uncomfortable questions.

» Inside the Building: This may be where the kissing games are taking place, but there's still some room to just snuggle and chat. It's warmer than outside, at least!

» Kissing Games:

• Spin The Bottle: Everyone sits in a circle and takes turns spinning the bottle to find their partner. Anyone who squeezes in (or happens to be accidentally standing behind a gap in the circle) gets a shot at a kiss. People can leave and enter the game at any time. Participants will be encouraged by their drunken classmates to kiss on the mouth.


• Seven Minutes in Heaven: "Heaven" is a narrow, closet-sized room adjacent to the main party, and is dark except for some cracks of light from the doorway. There's now a proper wooden door on the closet, and people will magically lock it behind you for 7 minutes. You can use your wand to get more light, but really, you two should be making out.

» By The Woods: The prefects won't be letting anyone wander in, but why would you want to anyway? Still, the treeline is a good place to go if you want a quiet moment away from the party.

» After the Party: Between 9:30 PM and 10:00 PM, prefects will be clearing the party and guiding everyone home.

» OOC - QUESTIONS/DISCUSSION

Comments

BEFORE THE PARTY

[goosemods]

Karen & Dia

[cheer_leader]

Grotto party night!! Dia was very excited, she lived for the atmosphere parties created. Now she just needed to convince some of her more reluctant friends to get into the party spirit. Which was exactly why she was perched next to Karen's bed, badgering her to go through her closet.

"Karen, seriously - it's a party. How can you party without dressing up and doing your hair a little fancier? Oh, or maybe make-up?"

Ennis & Open to multiple

[sheepish]

"Does this look okay?" Ennis asks the room, stepping out from behind his privacy curtain to reveal a shockingly normal ensemble instead of his usual Fifty Layers of Goth. He looks uncertain as he bends and straightens his arms, testing the stretch of the material. "Yancey said I should get a leather jacket so I thought it was fate when I saw one at the thrift store."

AROUND THE FIRE

[goosemods]

Calvin & Open

[evercreep]

Calvin's not the clingiest boyfriend, so when Micah flits off to do whatever it is he needs to do, Calvin doesn't fight it. Micah's social and popular, and while Calvin can never quite convince himself that Micah doesn't have admirers waiting in the wings, he isn't worried. Calvin has no interest in keeping up with Micah's lively social life, or denying it to him. It did take some self-convincing, though. Dating Micah is nothing like dating Cole, where Calvin needed to know where his other half was every moment of the day and night. Cole invited it. Micah, meanwhile, is independent to say the least.

Calvin peels off his gloves and holds out his hands to the warmth of the bonfire. He yawns. It's getting late.

Team Gooseberry SURPRISE Training

[threatens]

Sy's sitting around the campfire, pulling his marshmallow-on-a-stick out of the flames and onto some chocolate and graham crackers. He's in a good mood and only pleasantly buzzed, which is to say he has absolutely no excuse for what occurs when he spots Tuesday North across the campfire. Tuesday, whose success as a Seeker Sy is now suddenly and seriously invested in.

"North! Catch!" he shouts at her, as he flings a square of burning-hot smores at her face.

Webster and Jeffy and Open (**Karaoke**)

[websterknox]

Webster wasn't planning on coming to the Grotto party. He's been feeling a little down this week thanks to a mysterious impersonating incident with Cameron and Tally, learning that Gwen has a crush on Casper, and oh yeah, being a target of skin terrorism getting a terrible case of acne.

But Lilika insisted he attend. So he's here. And even though Lilika says it's "stupid and emo," he's planning on sitting by the fire and playing his guitar quietly. So, guitar in hand and solo cup of water by his side, Webster strums a soft flamenco tune.

Addy & Potions & Nia

[addytives]

The sight of Addy surrounded by small cups of bright blue immunity potion and small vials of hangover potion is probably something of a fixture by now at grotto parties.It takes out some drinking and kissing time, maybe. But it's her duty to the school, and she takes that seriously.

Although, honestly, today she's slacking even on this. She still makes delighted small-talk with people who come to purchase what she has on sale, but she's craning her neck around a lot to see if Nia had come to the party. There's a probably juvenile part of her that can't wait to spend their first grotto party together. Probably together. She's not sure. The lack of a label does nothing to change her feelings. The point is, she lets a freshman wheedle her down to giving away a free potion because she sees Nia across the way and has to pause to wave her over. It's probably a good thing she actually doesn't need money.

Casper & Open (Multiple)

[casperkim]

Casper doesn't come to the Grotto to have fun. He comes to the Grotto to ensure that things aren't getting too out of hand, that everyone gets home safely (particularly his fellow-Ebonhides), and that nothing uninvited can take advantage of his intoxicated classmates. Of course, he rarely has anything to do apart from herding other students away from the woods and wrangling drunks at the end of the night, and that means a lot of standing around, drinking water from a red cup, and occasionally talking to his friends.

It's often a slow night.

Now, standing by the fire and watching the others...he's quite bored.

Miguel & Open

[colitaderana]

He's done his due diligence and made his rounds, checking on the sophomores (and maybe a few juniors who needed the reminder to not be stupid, please). The temperature dropped rapidly after dark and now he's huddled by the fire, glad at least for the forethought to have put on as many layers as he (quite probably). Still, it doesn't stop the occasional shiver from running through him and he's more than a little irritated that it sends a few splashes from the cup of water he's holding dripping down his hands. Still folded in on himself like a particularly chilly armadillo, he's glancing around, hoping to catch sight of one of his friends and leech their body heat.

Cameron & Open

[gonnabefamous]

Maybe the fear of some unknown entity that can impersonate people was a good reason to stay at least a little sober. Logically, Cameron knows that he’s been practicing DADA so he can defend himself if the need arises. But then, it had never been his first instinct to to think things through logically. He let his feelings lead him, and tonight he felt like getting sloshed. He felt like being bad at Truth or Shot and kissing a lot of people. He felt like not thinking about whether some supernatural entity was going to steal his voice and use it to murder his friends.

Well, maybe he was still thinking about it a little, but that just meant that he needed another drink. He peruses his options on the table and in the ice chest, looking for something that will get the job done without tasting like mouth wash.

Solomon and open

[theniceboy]

After his talk with Sam, Solomon wanted to go back to Ebonhide but couldn't because he had to make sure she made it back to Azurcrest, so he went back to the bonfire and sat down on a log by himself. He wasn't moping, because Solomon didn't really have the capacity to be down enough to actually pass for moping, but he did look noticeably over the party. So he contended with watching his classmates.

Avery & Open

[un_kept]

It has been a long time since Avery was able to actually drink at a Grotto party. Most of them took place before something important, mostly Quidditch games, and she's been extremely careful up until this point. Tonight, though, with nothing pressing to do, and still in a slightly less than stellar attitude about life going on, she found herself a little more than slightly tipsy.

Sitting around by the fire and realizing it was probably a good idea to eat again, so she grabbed a handful of marshmallows and pulled the bag of chips she had with her out and stretched out on the ground, her back against the log instead of sitting on it and her feet closer to the fire to keep them warm. Tossing a marshmallow into the fire she watched as it puffed up, chuckling a little to herself.

Okay, maybe she shouldn't have drank this much.

Rupert & Balthazar & Antigone

[somethingwick_ed]

After the movie had finished and left Rupert with nothing to do, he'd meandered over to the fire and sat himself down, hoping to keep from getting any more chilled than he already was. That's where he currently is, nursing a beer that he doesn't particularly like and silently wondering why he's even still at the party. He could be back in his cabin, doing... something. Reading? Practicing a monologue? Probably something more entertaining by sitting than by the fire and watching his classmates drink themselves into oblivion. Ugh. He adjusts the bowtie he's wearing with his free hand, eyes scanning for a familiar face among the party attendees.

MOVIE SCREENING

[goosemods]

Rosy & (Real) Casey

[browbeats]

The world is spinning. Technically, the world is always spinning, but Rosy's definitely not always this aware of it. It makes her uncomfortable, makes her stomach twist, and lying down, eyes closed, in an attempt to just shut down until this hell is over is… not making things any better.

Rosy pushes herself up on her elbows, squinting to hide the movement on the movie screen from her periphery, and silently hates her life. God, maybe she should have eaten more. Drink water, eat bread, that's what she was always telling people, and then she comes here to slam cheap whiskey with nothing but a granola bar since… dinner? She had eaten that at dinner, right? Jesus fuck Rosemary, get your shit together.

She forces her puny mortal body into a sitting position and lets out a pathetic groan, which could really only be interpreted as a request for someone to come along and free her from this mortal coil.

Karen & Open

[inksy]

Karen found herself a spot with a bag of popcorn to sit and watch the movie. When she found out what would be playing she knew she was going to sit somewhere and watch it. She guessed it kind of went against the whole don't be a wallflower that she was going to go and sit watching a movie which was not the most social activity. But what did she care? She wanted to watch Children of the Corn. She sat munching popcorn before it started.

Calvin & Micah

[evercreep]

Calvin's always been a coward. His friends put on a movie, and Calvin ends up with his face hidden in Gwen or Ree's hair for most of it. Except neither of them are here right now. Unfortunately, his relationship with Micah is not yet at the point where Calvin can casually invite him to sit in his lap and act as a buffer.

This isn't the most gruesome movie he's seen with Micah, but every tense scene has him inching closer to the enthusiastic film buff. By the time the climax is taking off, Calvin's trying (and mostly failing) to hide behind him. Their height difference makes this a futile effort.

Another narrow escape from a teenager with a pitchfork on screen, and Calvin jumps, an iron grip on Micah's hand. That's it. "I don't need to see the end of this."

Fern & OPEN

[nothalfplaid]

Fern loves to watch horror movies, but it takes a certain type of person to watch them with her. From the first moment of the opening scene, she’s going to mock every character that appears on screen, ruthlessly questioning their intelligence. It’s a fun pastime, but not for anyone who wants to watch a movie in quiet appreciation.

Watching with someone else isn’t a necessity, though. Fern has set up a comfy little spot near the fire with a fleece blanket, popcorn, and smores.

TRUTH OR SHOT

[goosemods]

Lilika the Liar

[lilipad]

Lilika loves this game because she just lies and never has to drink! Not that she would ever admit that.

INSIDE THE BUILDING

[goosemods]

Archie & Open to multiple.

[cherubic]

The party is in full swing, and as usual, Archie is participating in his own special way. On the bright side, it's not stalking anyone for once. He's here with his own project and goals, and his nose is buried in a notebook. On one side of him is a book of puzzles, and the other a carefully measured drink. He's decorated his charts with small illustrations of solo cups labeled with contents and ounces, and a silhouette of a person that he's shading in as he gradually becomes more inebriated. As much care has gone into making the notes attractive as there was to make them accurate.

Archie records his current numbers, and puts aside the notebook. Time to consume the latest drink.

KISSING GAMES

[goosemods]

Concordia + London, Karen, Marie & open to multiple!

[cheer_leader]

Dia is enjoying the party. She's only minorly intoxicated but she loves kisses so let's do this!

BY THE WOODS

[goosemods]

Chloe & Open

[cmdrchloe]

Chloe reclines against a log at the edge of the party, a solo cup full of something kind of gross sitting on the ground next to her ankle and a sketchbook on her knees. Maybe it’s a strange time to be working on her senior project. Maybe homework doesn’t have a place out here in the midst of a forbidden party with contraband being handed out like candy. Still, between the fire and the twinkling lights, the whole scene is cast in interesting shadows, equal parts inviting and ominous. It’s honestly exactly the aesthetic she’s going for with her project.

AFTER THE PARTY

[goosemods]

Archie & Hero

[cherubic]

Archie is in trouble. And whenever Archie is in trouble, which is often, he knows exactly who to find. Luckily, the trouble this time is very straightforward, and no one's angry with him. Well, no one besides Archimedes himself. He's sick and tired and would rather lie down and fall asleep right here than stumble back to Ebonhide. However, the idea of just any prefect finding him, and then scolding Hieronymus for not finding him? It's unacceptable. He solved part of his issue by throwing up behind a tree, but needs help with the rest.

He comes up behind Hieronymus and tugs on his jacket. "I need to go home."

OOC - QUESTIONS/DISCUSSION

[goosemods]

Re: OOC - QUESTIONS/DISCUSSION

[sunsoutgunsout]

this is so awesome i'm so excited? IT FEELS GOOD TO BE BACK. GROTTO PARTY AHOYYYYY!!!!!!!

i noticed that a few characters who signed up for stb are missing :< i'm sorry to make NEEDY CHILD COMMENTS. paris, casey, evangeline, and antigone aren't up~