peckenpaugh | PECKENPAUGH WINTER SEMI-FORMAL!! (Reply)

winter semi-formal!!

what's up? It’s a crisply cold night tonight, with a clear starry sky overhead and a gentle but chilling breeze stirring through campus. There may still be much winter left for the holler, but this is the time of year to celebrate the coming of spring and Peckenpaugh’s winter formal reflects that. Outside the auditorium where tonight’s dance is being held a bonfire burns on the cobblestone street. The bright beacon provides light and warmth for gathering attendees, its flickering flames magically steadied so as not to whip around too much in the wind.

Inside the Globe Theater-like auditorium is only partly recognizable. Passing through the entry, through curtains of pearly stones made to look like snow, students step right out onto the dance floor. The main stage has been retracted by half to give students room to dance and mingle, and the area is decorated with large fake snow drifts begging to be played in. Crocuses and other small spring flowers poke up through the smaller piles. More fantastic than that are the hundreds and hundreds of magical candles bobbing in the air overhead, illuminating the dance floor and every tier of the auditorium’s outer ring in romantic flickering light.

If you step up onto stage you’ll be struck by the smell of flowers and for good reason: freshmen are staffing tables to assist in the assembly and delivery of small bouquets. Each tier of the outer ring has been decorated and made more cozy with tables and benches for intimate conversation. Back on the dance floor, at the center of it all is a large stone well. Don’t forget to leave an offering and make a wish!

visuals!

how this works! ⬥ The dance starts at 7PM and goes until 10PM!

⬥ The dance is semi-formal. Dress code wise that’s pretty typical high school dance fare. Nice suits, pretty dresses, cocktail or floor length are traditional, but no one’s going to boot you for showing up in your batman pajama pants.

⬥ The theme is New Spring Romance, or, alternately, the dance is Imbolc and Valentine’s Day inspired. We tried to fit in Lupercalia but there’s no breastfeeding caves around.

⬥ You can send flowers and candy anonymously (or not) to anyone! Freshmen will deliver bouquets and small bags of Bertie Bott’s Candy Hearts to anyone at the dance, or you can opt to hand deliver your gift in person. The cost is “less than a dragot” per flower. We’re being non-specific, but assume it’s cheap.

⬥ The options for flowers are absolutely mind boggling. If you need help with flower languages, may we suggest wikipedia or the farmer's almanac? Just about every flower on these lists is likely available for students to purchase. Yes, you can purchase multiple flowers per bouquet.

⬥ If you request candy, we will RNG 5 candy hearts with shuffled phrases and flavors and reply to your order with them.

⬥ Recipients can feel free to respond to their deliveries under the Special Deliveries subheader! We’ll do an example to get the ball rolling.

⬥ Here’s the form! Post it to the Special Deliveries! section below:

NAME: Who’s sending these?
RECIPIENT: Who is this intended for?
ANONYMOUS?: Y/N, a freshman will deliver the flowers if you want them to be anonymous.
FLOWERS: if you are ordering flowers, let us know which ones here. Feel free to describe your bouquet in detail. There are plenty of ribbon, string and paper options to wrap things up.
CANDY?: Y/N. Are you sending a bag of heart candies?
ANYTHING ELSE?: Let us know.

locations! ⬦ WHAT'S UP?: Tell us about your day leading up to the dance. What'd you do to get ready? Did all your yearmates pile into the same dorm or did you run off to get ready on your own? Use this space to tell us how your character's feeling and what they're wearing to the first official formal dance of the year!

⬦ OUTSIDE: THE BONFIRE: The winter’s chill is mitigated by a great bonfire burning prettily on the cobblestone street outside the auditorium. Some spellwork seems to hold the flames at bay, keeping them from spitting embers or whipping up too much in the breeze. It’s a pleasant enough spot to gather ‘round for a bit of a chat if you need the fresh air, but this isn’t the night’s main event.

⬦ ENTRANCE: BLIZZARD HALL: Every student passes through the auditorium entryway at least twice every school year, so this little hall should be familiar enough. Tonight it’s decorated with curtains of twinkling crystals and pearlescent snowflakes, giving attendees the feel of walking through a snowstorm on their way to the dance proper. Near the end of the curved hall is a coat check stand with a rotating staff of Student Council members and teachers.

⬦ AUDITORIUM CENTER: DANCE FLOOR: The stage is half-retracted and the wooden floors of the central round have been charmed to look more rustic. The area has been decorated with fake magical snow drifts, some of them piled quite high ⁠— enough for a student to get lost in, certainly ⁠— others low enough to the ground that glittering crocuses poke through. Heatless candles on wreathes of wood and flowers are strategically placed on raw wood log stands surrounding the dance floor. Boughs of pine flocked with white and silver glitter decorate the eaves and more flickering candles float just overhead, casting a romantic golden glow over the dance floor. Occasionally, shimmering magical snow flurries fall down over the dance floor. Look straight up and you’ll see that higher above the simple candles are heart-shaped paper sky lanterns bobbing in the air. Tonight, given the holiday, musical selections err more slow and romantic, though there's more than enough danceable beats to keep kids moving. The stage and its flower sales are accessible from a set of stairs made to look like the roots of a tree. In the center of it all is a wishing well.

⬦ THE WISHING WELL: In the very center of the dance floor is a large rustic well made of wood and flagstone, decorated with a sheen of magical false frost and curling green ivy. Ribbons are tied around the well's poles and its bucket is full of flowers. Tradition dictates that you walk one circle around the well before leaving an offering ⁠— a favor, or flowers or money ⁠— to make a wish. While it may be a fun conversation piece and certainly a great spot to grab a group picture or watch the dancers, it’s no good if you’re looking for privacy. The well is always crowded with people.

⬦ THE STAGE: SPECIAL DELIVERIES!: Can’t convey your feelings with words? Say it with flowers! Up on stage several tables have been laid out where freshmen are assembling and delivering Valentine’s presents for students. Behind them, a breathtaking collection of flowers is assembled, blooms sorted into baskets by type. For less than a dragot, you can send someone a flower or a small sachet of Bertie Bott’s Candy Hearts. Need help learning the language of flowers? Ms. Treetops and Ms. Min are both on hand to assist.

⬦ LEVEL TWO: SNACKS, DRINKS & SEATING: A quick walk up the rear staircases brings you to the second of the three levels of the auditorium. The tiered benches usually found here have been removed and in their place there are long tables of sweet and savory finger foods, honey tarts, rosemary pinwheels and other treats. Beside that, a bar is serving up sparkling punch, juices and sodas with ice cubes filled with edible flowers or frozen strawberries cut into the shape of hearts. There’s enough room to stroll, plenty of space to mingle with friends. Grab a chair at one of the many little tables, each one decorated with a mossy terrarium centerpiece and candles, and kick off your shoes. From here, it’s easy to see the dancers and just off the balcony’s edge bob candles and heart-shaped sky lanterns. If you reach out and touch one, it rains glittery snowflakes on the people below.

⬦ LEVEL THREE: THE ICE ROSE GARDEN: The top tier of the auditorium’s outer rings is more dimly lit than the bottom two. Up here, only a few heart-shaped sky lanterns cast a faint and flickering warm glow. If you aren’t afraid of heights, looking down is a beautiful sight, with all the lights and dancers below, but just having a walk about the outer ring is lovely, too: every surface is touched with glittering false frost. The snow drifts and flowers from the ground floor make a slightly more controlled reappearance on this level and ice transfigured into the shape of ivy crawls over the banisters, sprouting cold crystalline flowers ⁠— go ahead and pick one and give it to someone you think looks nice. They grow back almost immediately! There are a few benches and plenty of room to have a quiet, cozy conversation for two.

⬦ BACKSTAGE: If you’re sneaky and you want a snog, it’s not too hard to slip backstage. The storage rooms are dusty and the dance room is still a bit cluttered, but there’s no better place for privacy than the dark rooms behind the stage.

⬦ OOC - QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, CONCERNS!

PECKENPAUGH WINTER SEMI-FORMAL!!

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