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PLOT CALENDAR: April
🎂 Happy birthday, Tuesday North!
Spring Break ends. All students are picked up by buses early this morning, and return to school by noon.
Dyngus Day! Much to the chagrin of the staff, some students are running around throwing buckets (or glasses, or bowls, or just using spells) of water on one another and smacking their butts with little branches. They wish you would stop.
Hieronymus Lee is stalked all day long by a freshman desperately trying to hit them with a bucket of water-flour slurry. Do they think they're a mimic? A cute mimic, maybe...?
🎂 Happy birthday, Jonathan Wilde!
Classes resume.
Grace Sowerberry accidentally disturbs a hornet's nest while out on a walk, and has to be taken to see Mufferaw for all the stings. Ouch!
Cole Moss sees JD Pitchford who appears to be accepting a box of stolen craft supplies from a freshman. However, the offender was in class at the time of the supposed handoff. Huh.
🎂 Happy birthday, Webster Knox!
Prom Court nominations open up! This year, sophomores are eligible to run for Prom Duke and Duchess. Your character may nominate anyone you like, and as many people as you like. The staff will then choose a number of candidates that are suitable for the honor.
A post for submitting nominations will go up.
The mods will select nominees based on activity, with a hint of IC suitability. The staff will be looking for (somewhat) well-behaved students who represent the spirit of Gooseberry, but we might include some dark horse candidates.
Voting will begin in May, and will be done by way of a screened dropbox. It'll be a straight up popularity contest, with every character getting a vote. Your character may campaign IC for Prom King/Queen if you like, but you may not campaign OOC. (Which is to say, while you can express excitement at the prospect and share how your character would react to winning, you may not ask people OOC to vote for your character on the comms. Don't be surprised if we gently scold you if we see it.)
Prom itself will be held either at the very end of May or the beginning of June.
Last year, Mackenzie Prince and Casey Patterson were Prom Princess and Prince.
🎂 Happy birthday, Samantha Sweeney!
Carolina Foster-Hayes is informed that a freshman put in at least 20 nominations for them under false names, which will not be counted towards their candidacy.
During dinner, staff warns students that there's been a resurgence in the will-o'-wisp population on campus. Typically these creatures are seen as pests, and Gooseberry goes to great lengths to keep them away from students. They're highly dangerous, and responsible for a lot of deaths in North America when they lure people off the trails. Don't travel alone after dark, and if you see a strange light in the forest, don't stare at it too long.
Everyone get ready to participate in the Annual Easter Egg Hunt! The night before, the house elves and teachers all went out to hide eggs and candy around campus. First thing in the morning the students are released to try and find as many treats as possible.
🎂 Happy birthday, Casey Patterson!
It's World Health Day! Mr. Thorn, assisted by Janet Pitchford and Ophelia Noggins, runs a health fair out in the fields. He lures out students with the promise of snacks and prizes, and then makes them play educational games. Learn to eat right! How much should you be exercising? Are you drinking enough? Well, at this totally cool fair you'll find out. Tuesday North wins the raffle for their own set of Quidditch balls, including a Snitch of fair quality. Tobias Rush, on the other hand, proceeds to fail most of the quizzes and challenges, leaving Mr. Thorn concerned about their health.
QUIDDITCH MATCH: Coppertale v. Ribbonfin
Much to everyone's confusion, Paris Holloway's cabin got egged overnight. Looks like some perpetrator got a little confused about who's playing tomorrow.
A cruelly worded poster about Dinah Dixon is plastered right at the entrance of the lodge... suspiciously made with stolen crafting supplies. (You may determine the exact content of the poster.)
Ms. Lilywhite announces that she'll be giving a lecture at 5 PM in the auditorium relating to how students can protect themselves against mental intrusion. She expresses concerns about how will-o'-wisps enchant travelers into wandering off trails, and how the mimics reportedly are capable of mind-reading. She teaches them to recognize some signs of suffering mental intrusion (pain in the temples, blurred vision, difficulty focusing) and some meditation exercises to clear one's thoughts. Evangeline Bagman assists her with some demonstrations, mostly describing how it feels when their mind is probed, and ends up getting a terrible headache later.
(Note: Although Lilywhite does her best to help, for the sake of fairness, only students in Occlumency will be able to shield their thoughts against mind-readers. So keep in mind for the future that if an Occlumency student has any encounters with a mimic, the mimic will be more likely to make mistakes and give themselves away.)
Oh no, it's a list. This time, the freshmen have "corrected" a number of couples, rearranging them to be in an "improved" order.
The following characters (and their significant others) have caught the attention of the freshmen: Phineas Bones (& Sofia Delgado), Reece Downing (& Roxanne Barringer), Calvin Evercreech (& Micah St. Clair), Cameron Carney (& Iliya Krum), and Noel Finnigan-Thomas (& Lilika Ignacz).
Lilika Ignacz overhears Mr. Covington complaining to Mrs. Bloom that he thinks something's impacting his wards and safeguards against dangerous magical creatures. Along with the will-o'-wisps, he's seeing more hoop snakes, splintercats, and even a Hidebehind getting close to campus. It's obvious from Mr. Covington's tone that this is rare, and a serious issue.
Someone broke into London Holloway's locker and stole or ruined almost everything inside! Later on, her gossip scrapbook is discovered by Solomon Webb, having been dumped in the stream.
A freshman who's the daughter of beauty mogul Elodie Schön has several spare samples of her mother's new temporary magical hair dyes. Gweneth Popplestone ends up with dark blue hair that sparkles like stars in the night sky. Eileen Coffin's hair is now a teal ombre, and it sways softly as though it's underwater. Riley Stamper, however, accepts a third sample that a different freshman sweaaaars is from Elodie's line! Unfortunately, it's definitely a prank, and makes their hair fall out! Mr. Elmasry is kind enough to supply a potion for regrowing it afterwards.
🎂 Happy birthday, Joshua Fairbrass!
Marie Patterson's cabin gets invaded by a raccoon while all its residents are in class, and it makes quite a mess tearing everything up.
Cole Moss spots a beautiful little light floating through the trees, and against all logic they're enchanted, and nearly follow it out into the woods. Luckily, they were walking with Ramon Delgado, who stops them and pulls them back to the trail.
Despite it being an ominous Friday the 13th, Outdoor Exploration has a camping trip planned. It's a special one, too, because the students will be taking a portkey to Antelope Island State Park to spend the night. You might see a buffalo!
Non-OE students may also sign up to come along, so long as they're respectful and well-behaved. Misbehavior and harassment will get you sent home.
If you'd like to join, sign up HERE.
Max Pendergast decides to play a prank on Chad Winterbottom, who brought an inflatable mattress on the trip. They wake up in the morning to find that their mattress (with them on it) is floating out in the lake! At least they're awake before drifting too far, and Mr. Thorn helps pull them back to shore.
🎂 Happy birthday, Jefferson Key!
🔮 A mimic disguised as Archimedes Rose drugs the water at breakfast with the latest version of his altered Amortentia. Luckily, the current batch is relatively harmless. However, it's not without any effect.
If your student drinks the water, then they'll be convinced that the next person they see is their best friend. Why did they only notice just now how amaaazing this person is? They've never felt closer to anyone else.
The effects will last all day, and since this isn't necessarily dangerous, there won't be a quarantine. They will be keeping an eye on everyone, though. Just in case.
Archie will be accused of the drugging, but Ariadne Flint is able to provide an airtight alibi that saves him from punishment. It's concluded that a mimic was behind the incident.
All matches will be assumed to be reciprocated unless you specifically arrange something else. (For instance, if you wanted to play Stewart as thinking Alice is his best friend while Alice definitely disagrees because she was not drugged, you'll have to plan that on your own and inform the mods when you sign up.)
You have until Sat, Apr 14 at 11:59 PM MT to sign up!
You can choose to either plan out who your character's new bestie is, or you can ask us to randomize it.
If you'd like to participate, sign up HERE.
🌑 NEW MOON
Rupert Wick hears shouting and yelling from the freshmen boys' cabin after dark. When they go to investigate, it turns out that they found Juniper Crane's lacy unmentionables, and were throwing them at one another. The prefect confiscates the lingerie.
🔮 The Ebonhide Junior Boys wake up to find that their cabin's been trashed overnight, with all their pens scattered across the floor. Someone has written "THIEF" all over Austin McNamara's things.
Ira Ashworth is unexpectedly bitten by a highly venomous hoop snake. The bite is so severe that Mufferaw calls in an expert to help with the emergency. Healer (lastname) manages to save their leg, and afterwards gives pre-Healer students a talk about dealing with magical and non-magical snake bites. Either way, the victim of this particular bite is spending the night in the infirmary. (If you take this spot, you may choose the gender and PB of the Healer, so long as they're not already taken and are age appropriate!)
Students in Pre-Healer Studies now know how to stabilize snake bites and administer antivenom.
Austin McNamara's bed feels unusually cold now, no matter how long he lies in it.
🎂 Happy birthday, Salem Wagonblast!
The strange occurrences in Ebonhide continue. The Ebonhide Junior Boys begin to hear what sounds like a young girl coughing and crying underneath the floorboards of their cabins. Agent Gillespie of the MACUSA Spirit Division assures them they're dealing with it, but the ghost who goes by Molly has relocated to their cabin. Apparently, she's very upset about someone named "Todd," but it's hard to talk to her right now through all the crying. Would you like some magical earplugs in the meantime?
🔮 Sofia Delgado is heading back to their cabin after dark when they spot what they assume is someone's flashlight deep in the woods. They call to the person, but they longer they stare at the light, the more enamored they become. They step off the trail, and wander into the forest, seeking out that beautiful light. Sofia's prefect reports them missing, and the school panics over another missing student. It isn't until nearly midnight that Roxanne Barringer finds them, just out of sight of the trail. Luckily, they hadn't been led too far away.
🎂 Happy birthday, Grace Sowerberry!
This week's Taco Tuesday has a new addition in the taco bar: a creamy deep brown substance that's been labelled "Chocolate Guacamole." Unfortunately, Concordia Knight slathers it all over their taco and takes a bite only to realize it's definitely just out-of-the-box chocolate pudding.
🎂 Happy birthday, Iliya Krum!
Yancey Montgomery gets excited because they think they see Brother... but it's just a normal moose. A normal, angry moose that chases them up a tree after they drop their wand in surprise. Lachlan Galbraith has to save them by carefully scaring the animal away with magic.
The MACUSA agents have finally convinced Molly to stop haunting Austin McNamara, and the Ebonhide junior boys can sleep in peace.
While everyone's in line for breakfast, Thaddeus Butterfield unexpectedly trips, causing a domino effect, knocking down a dozen students with trays full of food.
Gooseberry's school team will be going to Ilvermorny, which is hosting the Quidditch match against Gooseberry this year. The Quidditch and Cheer team members are required to attend, obviously, and other students may sign up.
Students will spend Saturday night at Ilvermorny, and return Sunday evening. The game will take place Sunday morning. You can sign up to three characters, including anyone on the teams, to go to Ilvermorny.
If you'd like your character to join, sign up HERE. If you'd like to submit an NPC for Team Ilvermorny, submit them HERE.
QUIDDITCH MATCH: Gooseberry v. Ilvermorny
After the game, there's a party. It's not as extravagant as the Grotto, and is mostly just a bunch of kids crammed into a basement drinking really shitty beer.
Quentin Youngblood gets into a drinking competition with a senior from Ilvermorny and narrowly wins.
A cute Ilvermorny girl flirts with Daniel Notoriano... but it turns out she already has a boyfriend, who ends up sucker punching them. January James joins in the ensuing brawl, possibly without knowing what's going on.
🎂 Happy birthday, Ariadne Flint!
Clementine Decourt sees what they assume is Casper Kim, who's angrily trying to open their cabin door. They proclaim it's broken and storm off, but the real Casper was all the way across campus at the time. Well, at least it seems true that mimics can't get into cabins.
Even though Ennis Harper was warned about the will-o'-wisp problem, the sight of that alluring light draws them in. They wander deep into the dark forest, with their goal always just out of reach. It's so beautiful, so intoxicating. Nothing breaks their concentration until a dark shadow stands between them and the light. It's Brother, and at the sight of him, they're themselves again. Brother offers his hand, and walks his charge back to the safety of their camp in full view of everyone.