EVENT: Valentine's Dance! February 13th

[ouranhostking]

Dinner in the great hall was not only early, but fairly short. Everyone had to be out of the hall by six so that preparations for the party could be made, and when everyone was allowed back in at the start of the party it had transformed entirely.

The large tables normally used for meals now lined two sides of the great hall, holding a great variety of finger foods, drinks, and desserts that would continuously refill throughout the night. The ceiling above still reflected the night sky, but along its edges and throughout the walls were balloons, ribbons, and flowers of vast variety, with the most numerous of the flowers being white, pink, and red roses. All of of the flowers seemed to be emitting just enough light to effectively illuminate the Great Hall, giving it a - for lack of better term - rosey feel. At one corner near where the staff table normally stood was a group of string instruments, charmed into playing a selection of classical dance music as soon as the first students not involved with set-up stepped into the hall.

That was when Tamaki Suoh, a sixth year student and primary organizer of the dance, appeared at the front of the hall, smiling wide and dressed in an ivory-white tuxedo. He waved his wand briefly before he spoke, his voice magically projected with a charm so that he could be heard above any din that might happen with everyone's arrival.

"Welcome, everyone! I'm pleased to present you with our Hogwarts Valentine's Dance, and I hope you enjoy your time here tonight! Feel free to eat, drink, dance, and be merry in a break from studies and winter cold! Also keep in mind the Dance King and Queen contest, which can be anonymously voted for by you, the students, for the final spotlight dance at midnight tonight, as well as a prize of house points to the winners! Now, let the party begin!"

Prompt 1: Desserts, Drinks, and Wallflowers
Perhaps you're taking a break, enjoying the spread, and watching the other students dancing at various paces in different styles on the floor. Maybe you don't intend to go out onto the floor at all, because the chairs at the sides of the hall are just too comfortable or because you don't want to look like that idiot on the left. You know the one. Either way, congregating at the hors d'oeuvres can be a perfectly acceptable way to pass the night.

Prompt 2: Shut up and Dance
It is a dance party, after all! Grab a partner, whether it's ballroom dancing or just doing your own thing! Granted, the latter might get you some funny looks, but who cares as long as you're having fun? The smell of flowers is quite invigorating, the stars of the enchanted ceiling are above, and there's nothing more important than you and whoever your partner is, whether you know them intimately or have only met them for the first time tonight.

Prompt 3: A Breath of Fresh Air
Maybe the party is a little overwhelming, and you need to step away further from the hall than just sitting near the walls. Although no one is really supposed to leave the dance area for an extended period, who will know if you decide to use the loo as an excuse to get away for a few minutes? Maybe you just want to be somewhere more private, either by yourself or with someone else. Be careful not to get caught though, or it might be detention for you!

Prompt 4: "Love" is in the air?
Uh oh! We have no idea who, but someone seems to have spiked one of the punch bowls with a love potion! This potion is scentless and tasteless, and because the punch bowl is huge (and ever refilling) the effects are, thankfully, greatly weakened in comparison to a normal love potion. This little bit of mischief might result in some of the student body (or even some of the faculty) being a little more openly affectionate than usual with the first person they meet for the night, so a little bit of caution might be necessary. At least it's not at full potency!

Prompt 5: A moment in time that lasts forever!
A professional photographer has been hired to take pictures of students throughout the night! Although it might not be the last memory of the school year, it could be a night you want to cherish forever even if it’s just in a photograph! Is a photo an embarrassing moment or a precious time captured on a special slip of paper?

Prompt 6: Write your own Love Story!
Come up with your own prompts and have a ball AT the ball!

OoC: A note, there will be separate threads for Dance King/Queen contest sign-ups, as well as a contest for best-dressed and an attendance register that will be used to award a door prize drawn by lottery! The prizes are as follows; 50 House Points to 1st place, 25 to 2nd place, and 10 to 3rd place in their respective contests, and a 20 galleon gift receipt for Honeydukes (courtesy of Tamaki pulling some strings with the owner) as a door prize!

There will be a thread below for students to vote on Dance King/Queen, and the best dressed will be decided by members of staff specifically. RNG will be used to determine the door prize. Alright, have fun guys!

A NOTE ABOUT DANCE KING/QUEEN: Although the titles are gendered, who can be entered into each category is not! A boy can be the queen, a girl can be the king, and any combination can happen. The only limitation is that there will be two winners selected from the entrants in the contest!

Comments

WINNERS OF THE NIGHT

[ouranhostking]

Now is the time you've all been waiting for, everyone! Now that the votes have been counted, we can begin the door prize drawing and announcing the contest winners!

[ Tamaki had once again used a charm to project his voice, commanding the attention of everyone in the hall as he levitated the ballot boxes to his side. ]

First, the drawing for the door prize... [ Once again he used a charm, taking a single slip from what had to be the fullest of the four boxes… ] Is Yuugi of the Gryffindor House! Congratulations! If you don't want to collect right now, I'll get you your 20 galleon certificate to Honeydukes as soon as possible after the dance!

[ In a bit of showmanship he winked to the audience, grinning before holding up three envelopes, separating one and tearing it open on the spot. ]

A special thank you to our volunteers, who counted the ballots in time for the winners to be announced here at the height of the dance! Our winner up is best dress! And... It seems that our members of staff have chosen to recognize Kotaro Mochizuki of Hufflepuff as the best dressed man here tonight, taking a prize of 50 House Points! Very nice work, Kotaro!

[ The second envelope is in hand, with Tamaki's eyes brightening. ]

The king contest winners are...

[ Someone could hear the internal drumroll. However, he stopped entirely for a moment, eyes widened with surprise before he wore the biggest and brightest smile he could. He'd seen all three results at once and couldn't have been more pleased. Of course his schoolmates would have good taste! ]

In third place, I congratulate Seth Rim, of Ravenclaw! He brings home 10 House Points!

In second place, I congratulate Reiji Suwa, also of Ravenclaw! He brings back 25 House Points for his ranking!

And in first place... [ There's a flirtatious sparkle around him, and he winks to the audience. ] I wish to thank you all for choosing me as king of the dance! You're all too kind and wonderful to me! I'll be taking 50 House Points to Hufflepuff!

Now, last but most certainly not least, we will announce the belles of the ball, the dance queens!

[ Another rip and the last envelope is open, showing Tamaki the results and getting ready to announce them. ]

In third place, I congratulate Adela Milani of Hufflepuff! She'll take home 10 house points tonight! Try not to take too many of the mens' hearts out there as well!

In second place, I congratulate Shizuma Mayuzumi of Ravenclaw! He'll be taking 25 house points and has a universal appeal that's impossible to ignore!

And our Queen tonight... [ Did he have to pause for dramatic tension every single time? Apparently. ] Is none other than Miss Naminé of Hufflepuff! With another 50 House Points she is your Dancing Queen and will join me under the spotlight for the last dance of the night! Thank you all for your participation and look forward to more events like this in the future!

[ One blast of magic to the ceiling and all of the balloons start changing in a chain reaction, from rubber to flower petals fluttering down slowly with shimmering light coming off of them. ]