Friday, 19 April 2024
Life, the universe, pies, hot-pink bunnies, world domination, and everything
It’s the biggest event of the academic year. The decorations are up, the food is ready, the musicians are practiced, rested, and in tune.
The ball lasts just a few hours in Musiverse time but unfolds over a whole month of blog time.
Formal attire required. Fortunately, all clothing is virtual and incredibly comfortable to wear.
Date: May 1, 2009
Categories: Muse Academy, RRRs, RPWs, and RPGs, The Musiverse
Let the ball begin…
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I walk into the brightly colored room, with my black tuxedo on. Under my black tuxedo, I’m wearing a light blue shirt, and I have black pants on. Seeing there is only bookgirl_me here, I ask her for a dance
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(I’ll just hover around on the edges, popping in and out now and then. I won’t do any dancing to anything but classical music. And I do know some kind of folk dance that my ballet teacher taught me.)
I peek around the door, smoothing my dress nervously. Trust now for my shyness to come to the top! I look down at my dress, to make sure it looks okay. It is a deep blue, with a lighter blue cardigan on top. And of course, a large purse, filled with books, food, and allergy medicine. I decide that if I don’t walk in now then I never will, and cautiously walk in. There are only two people in the room, for which I am relieved. I look around nervously, run for the farthest corner, and sit down on the floor, pulling out a book. As I start to read, the ballroom wavers and dissolves as I am immersed into the world of the book. I notice some more people coming in, but none seem to notice me. Good. I couldn’t face that many people without support, unless I could push my shyness back down. Finally, I put my book away and hide in the crowd, frantically looking for someone I know, to help me meet other people.
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(I’m wearing a bowler hat, kakhi suit, and navy pointy shoes.)
I walk in and notice fireandhemlock1996 hiding in the crowd of two people ;).
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No, I’m still in the corner reading a book when you come in.
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Because there are but four other people in the room, I run around like a spaz, pressing all the buttons on the ice fountains. My musical jewlery clangs, clunks, hoots, and whistles (quietly)
I really don’t know any classical dance tunes. In fact, I know almost no classical tunes by their real name. What’s playing?
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I walk into the room, my head down low so that no one notices me. I move over to a little potted bush in the corner and examine it. When even this remarkable activity begins to bore me, I sigh, unbend myself, and walk over to everyobody else.
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I walk into the room in my lovely red ball gown with my hair in pin curls running down my shoulders, looking around at the people and smiling at the beautiful ballroom. I especially love the ice fountains, where my idea has come to life. It makes me all fizzy inside. I press one button and a red rose flies out of the fountain. I pin it to my hair.”Hello, everyone!” I exclaim. I am carrying my cherry red cello case, which has been painted over with swirls of pretty colors. I walk up the the main stage, and as it appears that I have nobody to dance with, I unpack my cello, proceeding to play Vivaldi’s “Spring” movement with a grin on my face. The dancers join in with an enthusiastic dance.
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I calm down and ask Jakob Wonkychair for a dance.
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I accept Tessera Rose’s request for a dance, but say that I have never danced before. 
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I stroll into the room, my dress swishing around my ankles. My dress is pale green with long tiers, and I have a crystal teardrop pendant around my neck. It seems as though there is no one available to dance, so I go and stand in a corner, hoping more people will show up soon.
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The GAPAs stand off to one side of the room, talking among themselves and studiously avoiding the puffin puffs.
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I walk outside to the gardens, digging my iPod out of my large purse, then select a nice, fast paced classical piece and practice the folk dance that my dance teacher gave me for homework. It is very hard, and I still can’t do some of the steps. Some others look at me oddly, as I am jumping around and waving my arms. (or so it would seem to them. I am actually doing a delicate and difficult folk dance that my dance class is working on.)
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I dance happily with Enceladus, trying not to step on his feet and not to look it. But the atmosphere is nice and I relax. I’m wearing a light blue dress and matching necklace and earrings. Several people have shown up. Even though some look a bit shy, they seem to be having a good time. This is my first MA ball, and I’ll have to leave early. ((Time difference, it’s 6:38 p.m. here)). But for now- who cares ! I swish around happily and wish that the ball would go on forever.
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When I fall on my face during a hard step, I decide to give up and do something else. I find the GAPAs and ask them if there is a piano. (I can play the Rainbow Prelude by Chopin, btw, for real.)
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I look sadly at the girl who has taken out her iPod. Maybe I should play something else, I think to myself. I play some lively Bach, to which the dancers respond positively. I smile happily, tapping my foot at the same beat as my flying fingers.
I look around at the scenery, noting the stinky puffin puffs which the GAPAs are clearly avoiding. There is the May Day Pole cake in the middle of the banquet table, along with many colors of punch, sugar flowers, and various other treats. there is a May pole in the middle of the room, where people will do the Maypole dance later. I wish someone would join me onstage, it’s getting rather lonely.
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Wearing my bright red halter top with lots of annoyingly flashy sequins, I enter my very first MA ball and wait for someone to finish dancing so I can ask them to dance. I then look at the puffin puffs rather curiously, then back away, unable to figure out whether they actually contain puffin.
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((The beaks and claws ought to be a giveaway. Feathers, too: Helga Gunnarsdóttir doesn’t always pluck her puffins very thoroughly before puffing them.))
Wungs converge on nolagirl7 and whisk her back to the Muse Academy dormitory to change into formal attire.
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((That’s smart, Aggie. Lucky you, you don’t have to dance with anyone yet….))
I walk in, wearing my [leaving everything else to your imagination] blue dress, and see that–as at the Halloween Ball–there are only two boys here, and they’re taken already. I sigh, and walk over to the food table. “So these are the famous puffin puffs?” I ask Robert, studying the vaguely round objects with beaks, claws, and feathers sticking out of them in random places. “They don’t look very… appetizing, do they. Oh well, I’ve always wanted to try one of these, might as well.” I pick up one of the puffin puffs and bite into it.
“Hmm,” I say with my mouth full. “These are actually kind of… interesting. Not the most pleasant thing in the world, but I don’t get what the big deal is…. They are kind of feathery though.”
((Yeah, well. Can’t let the boys have all the puffin puff fun, right?))
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((so, agrrfishi is playing the piano or something?))
I see that there is a piano, but another girl is playing it. I walk up to her and ask her if she is good at sight reading, because I also play the clarinet and have a great duet for clarinet and piano. She finishes playing her song and looks at me. ((does this work?)))
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Cello, actually, but i can play piano too!
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I make an unsuccessful attempt to glide gracefully into the ballroom, only succeeding in gracefully tripping myself.
I stand up; check to make sure my red dress didn’t rip, adjust the black sash, fix my headband, and retrieve one shoe that somehow ended up several feet away.
Once these tasks are done, I decide to investigate the refreshments.
Nibbling on a scone, I watch the dancers. Only two couples are dancing: bookgirl_me with Enceladus and Jakob Wonkychair with Tessera Rose.
I see Armada boldly biting into one of the notorious Puffin Puffs. I walk over to her and Mr. Coontz.
“That’s very brave of you, Armada,” I note. “I don’t think I’ll try one, but they’re certainly arranged nicely on the plate.”
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bookgirl_me and I finish dancing, I walk over to Cerulean Pyros, and Armada by the Puffin Puffs. I pick one up, eyeing it as if it were going to fly away. The one I picked up had the beak, wings, and feet sticking out correctly. I put it to my mouth, and suddenly, a puffin exploded out of it. It flapped around my head, cawing ((screeching? I dunno)), sending little bits of puff pastry all aound my head. “I warned you about those” Said Robert.
((20 How do you gracefuly trip? ))
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I walk into the room, adjusting the skirt of my white dress to make sure it hangs right. Oh, where is Piggy in his picturesque toga?
(Piggy, describe your toga.) I stare at the puffin puffs. They aren’t fully plucked. Oh dear.
(Since I couldn’t send in my picture in time, I’m going to just describe it here. It’s a white long-sleeved number, with a full skirt. It has a low scoop neck and it has panel things- like those panel things on some leotards? I’m not wearing any jewelry and I’m wearing white heels.)
“These puffin puffs are…certainly arranged beautifully,” I tell Mr. Coontz.
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I enter the ballroom somewhat nervously, wearing this dress.
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Whoops. Comment 44 on that thread.
[I fixed your link, Rainbowstar. With the upgrade, the comment links are handled slightly differently. Instead of the “local” number on the thread, you have to use the comment’s unique number, which you can see in the status bar at the bottom of your browser window when you mouse over the “reply” button. For instance, this comment is #290357. ~Rebecca]
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((*sigh* Why can’t there be more boys on MB??))
I wander over to the puffin puffs, eyeing them cautiously. “Oh, what the heck?” I say, and boldly grab a puffin puff. Just then, Enceladus’ puffin puff exploded and a Puffin started flying around his head. I hastely dropped the Puffin Puff I was holding and jumped away, knocking into Armada. “Oops, sorry!” I apologize to her.
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I call out to Syllabub from across the hall, “Why would you want to dance with a boy? They’re icky.”
/gradster(1)/ – Secretary of Bureaucracy of the ASAP
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I call back to gradster. “Some are, most of which reside in my 7th grade class. But others are just fine! Would you like to dance?”
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“Why, certainly! Let me just finish this piece,” I say distractedly, strumming Leslie. I smile amusedly as I play, remembering how not a few seconds ago I had been chatting with a friend, and found out that your username is an alcoholic drink most often served as a traditional English dessert.
/gradster(1)/ – Secretary of Bureaucracy of the ASAP who is muttering that they still think all boys are icky, for the lack of a better all-encompassing word
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((Actually, it’s an English dessert with alchohol in it. It’s not a drink. But I’m thinking of changing my username, because, well, I’m not sure if I like being a dessert anymore…))
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Actually, it’s both a drink and a dessert.
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((Whoa, I can’t believe it, it’s already been a year since the 08 May Day Ball. Time sure flies, huh?))
I adjust my hot pink tie for the thousandth time (I counted) and almost get knocked out by a crazed puffin flying out of the ballroom. I brush some puff pastry off of my black suit jacket before entering the ballroom. I open the door and notice Aggie playing her cello- that’s good, there won’t be a shortage of music. I also notice that I am only the third representative of the male species to arrive, which doesn’t surprise me in the least. I pull a bit of Puffin Puff out of my hair and walk in.
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((19-I believe so.
20- 
Yes, they are arranged nicely. They’re actually better than they look, once you get past the beak and feet.
23-I know, right?))
“That’s okay, Syllabub…” I stare at the puffin as it flies around my, Enceladus’, and Syllabub’s head. “Er. I didn’t know they did that….” I begin to feel a bit nauseous. “Do you think they all had live puffins in them?”
((Can I have the next dance, Enceladus?))
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Why don’t you try something else from the table? The Hare & Hedgepig did the catering, so we have just about anything you can imagine.
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“Do you think they all have puffins in them?” Armada asks me. ” I don’t think so,” I reply. “I mean, yours didn’t explode when you first ate it, and Enceladus’ did. But I don’t think I’ll take the chance and eat one…”
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I knew Helga was getting careless about her cooking, but I didn’t think she’d be that careless. Part of the batch must not have gone into the oven.
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((25- The May Day and Halloween Balls: The only time that anyone ever notices that there are roughly two and a half times the number of girls on MuseBlog as there are boys.))
27- “Oh, but I like puffin puffs! At least, the dead kind…. You’re right, though, I probably should try something else…. Like KaiYves’ honey sesame chicken.” I grab a drumstick. “Mph, thif if better than puffin puffs!”
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I make it a point to walk into the ball, and straight through the door as well, which everyone seems to be trying to avoid doing. I make quite the presence in my golden attire.
Agrrrfishi looks pleased to see me. “Oh, you brought Leslie!” she calls.
“Why, that I did! She’s really the star of the night,” I explain. I pull her out of the case and borrow the piano that seems to have appeared to tune for a minute with Agrrrfishi. “Please excuse me if there’s a wrong note here or there – I only just started two weeks ago.”
“You did? That’s wonderful!” she exclaims. We finish tuning, and I settle into my chair.
“It really is. Mind if we play something simple? Perhaps we’ll pull out Bolero if we can coax a violin or two over! I am playing Spring as well, so we could do that later. I left Dean near the coat rack as well – so if you want, I can pull him out.”
I explain that I started on brass and am much more proficient with him. “I started out on Eric, and was at the top of my class before Dean came along. He really ruined my embouchure, and things went downhill from there. But here I am blabbering, and there’s music to be played!”
We start into a lively rendition of something that I haven’t chosen, yet can play. As I pluck, I think to myself, “I hope she doesn’t mind my role playing!”
/gradster(1)/ – Secretary of Bureaucracy of the ASAP
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((SFTDP)) “Go ahead, Syllabub!” I watch as she bites into the puff. Luckily this one doesn’t explode.
((28.1- Or maybe it’s all part of a plot to take over MA. But your explanation seems more likely.
Gods, this is so much funner than the Halloween Ball…))
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((25- A BOY!!! *pounces* Just kidding, sorry if I scared you… 
))
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I look down at myself in surprise and find that I am for some reason now in formal attire, consisting of a black and green dress with a corset top. I stare down uncomprehending until I glance up and see there is some sort of get-together ahead, with music playing.
Oh. Hello, May day.
I decide I might as well go on in.
(((er… I guess people are posting pictures of their dresses? Or links to them the GAPAs then alter? Mine looks something like this 
in green and black then (less black than is on that one this is spring after all) and a bit higher neckline)))
(((if the dress pic is just a hassle then cut that whole last section out darling administrators)
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((31- And it’s only just begun…))
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A girl named fireandhemlock (who I have not met before, pleased to make your acquaintance!) comes over and asks to play a duet for clarinet and piano.
“Sure!” I reply happily. Yay! Another player! I push the piano onto the stage and set down my cello. FireandHemlock takes my vacated seat and picks up a clarinet. We both start to play the duet together, as some commotion takes place over by the puffin puffs. Never, in a million years, will I try one, I assure myself, and keep playing.
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(oh, right, nice to meet you too!)
I grin mentally. We sound pretty good, I think. As we finish the song, I say thanks to the other girl, and go to see what’s going on with the puffin puffs. I laugh at Enceladus’s face as a live puffin flies around his head. “Nice ta see you, Enceladus! What, you’ve got a new pet?”, I tease him. It’s a relief to see a familiar face. He laughs. “Check out these puffin puffs! It just exploded in my face!”, he says. I grimace slightly. “No thanks, the batter probably has milk and eggs in it. Allergies, you know?” He grins. “Yeah right. You just don’t want to eat them.” I laugh and wander off, admiring the general splendour of the hall.
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((Regarding the shortage of boys: as Robert noted last year, this is a Muse Academy event, therefore presumably from our combined campuses there are more students around besides just the ones we see on MuseBlog. So, perhaps it’s time to find out more about the slightly shy boy in the pie sciences class, or meet the new guy on the competitive iambics team. Muse Academy is the school of our dreams; surely anyone can find a dance partner.))
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ADDED: (I didn’t see Gradster’s post, sorry! )
Gradster comes over and pulls Leslie out of her case. I am pleased to see him. A string player! It makes me extremely happy, and our trio continues the piece onstage. People have gradually drifted away from the puffin puffs and begin to dance again. The ice fountains, with their colored waters, are sending out occasional spurts of punch. People seem to have noticed, and grab a cup to scoop out a drink. I am absolutely happy, and hope that the ball continues for a much longer span of time.
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((33-I know! It’s great! *soveryhappy* This is epic. I’m so glad it wasn’t just the first time.
35-Meh…. dancing with NPCs is no fun. I’d rather dance with another girl. But I’ve [hopefully] secured Enceladus… *looks around* Enceladus? You still here?))
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((It’s only a suggestion and one doesn’t preclude the other. But it seems as the ball progresses, the more people dancing the better. And one can use NPCs creatively.))
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I walk in, wearing my sea-green summer kimono with a blue obi sash. Many people are already inside and there’s even a little band playing- wonderful!
I head for the food table and see Armada already there. “You look great!” I say, taking some sesame chicken.
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38- “Thanks. You look awesome–much more imaginative than me. Isn’t this chicken good? Thanks for making it…”
((Enceladus!))
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“Well, I don’t really like European formal wear. And thanks, although I didn’t actually make it, so I can’t take credit. I just bought it at this little Italian place on my block.”
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((21-Enceladus: It’s rather hard to explain without seeing it done.))
((37-Armada: I don’t know, the Elf I danced with at Halloween was quite nice–although, I suppose one would expect one’s imaginary dance partner to be such.))
I duck as Enceladus’ Puffin Puff explodes. The puffin circles and lands at my feet, eying me viciously. I back away and collide with someone. Stammering an apology, I turn to see who it is…
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((24.1.1.1.1- No, Syllabub! Don’t change! I like your name! Mine is much, much worse, but it’s my name, and I wouldn’t change it for the world.
42- Link was nice, too, I just like this better. It feels more… open.
CP, I feel so embarassed for asking this, but are you a girl or boy? I can’t remember…))
41- “Well, it looks nice on you, anyway. I didn’t know what else to wear, so I wore this, but maybe I’ll wear something ethnic to the next Ball. Wherever that Italian place is, I want to visit!”
I break off and stare as the puffin from Enceladus’ puffin puff glares at Cerulean Pyros, making him/her back into me. “It’s okay, CP… that thing looks vicious. Do you think we should call a puffincatcher, if such a thing exists?”
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As the three boys at the ball all currently have dance partners, I stroll over to the refreshments table. I spot a plate of puffed pastries, each with what looks like a beak poking out of it. Just as I reach for a puff, Enceladus grabs one and it explodes, sending a live puffin flapping around the room.
Having lost my taste for puffin puffs, I pick up a wung button instead. A helpful sign next to the dish informs me, DOES NOT CONTAIN ACTUAL WUNG. That’s a relief.
I finish the wung button (which is very good), and notice that something’s missing from the ball. I walk over to the nearest GAPA and ask, “Is the rooftop garden open?”
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((Sorry, Armada, I had to do my French Horn practice. Bleh))
I hear Armada looking for me, and I wander over to her, and she asks for a dance. I say yes and we begin to dance. I ask “What happened to that rooftop garden everyone was talking about?” “I dunno.” She said. “It’s probably still up there.”
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BTW, I’m a boy.
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I walk into the ballroom self- consciously. My dress is a sky blue with white lace trimming, and the skirt part is made of layers of floaty, sheer fabric.
There are barely any boys here, and all (or most?) are busy. I notice the band playing, and decide to join it for a while. Though I don’t know the song, I pull out my flute and improvise a little, accenting the tune.
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I walk in, with a book in hand of course, but as I see the lack of books inside, I quickly hide mine in the bathroom. Ugh, why had I come? I don’t even know anyone here… Maybe Daisy will come. Maybe not.
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((I keep forgetting to drop the rest of my name…))
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((What are NPCs? Nuptially Potent Characters?))
I feel that someone has crashed into my back. I whirl around. It is Cerulean Pyros. As C.P. (are you a boy or a girl?) apologizes, I wonder what happened in the first place. “That’s all right,” I say. “I wasn’t really doing anything important, so I don’t mind being collided with.
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I avoid the fried zuchini on the refreshments table, since it is covere in batter strewn from the unbaked puffin puffs. I instead eat a lime popsicle that disolves into a sparkly mist when it drips off the stick. A trio of musicians are playing , and all and all this is a very plesurable ball.
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I enter, feeling a little shy. This is my first MA ball, after all. ((Unintended rhyme.))
I walk over to the food table and pick up a glass of strawberry sorbet, careful not to spill it on my light-green-and-pale-pink-floral-patterned gown. I smile nervously at the other people standing there. ((Are there seats?))
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I keep dancing with Armada, as she is a very good dancer, and NEVER steps on my feet.
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((45- That’s fine, I understand. At least you play something more interesting than piano….
45.1- I know. Were you telling me, or everyone?
49- Non-Player Characters. It’s from some computer game or other, I think, or possibly a book.))
“So… this is interesting. I’ve never been able to dance before this, you know….” I giggle. ((And can’t think of anything else to write.))
((Why is it that whenever I dance with a boy, they word the RP ‘We begin to dance’ or ‘I take [me] and begin to dance with her’? Maybe it’s just me, but it sorta sounds like we’re…. I dunno… *stops right there* Anyway. No offense, Enceladus, I’m just… paranoid. Or something.))
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I see Fishy walk in quietly, so I put my flute away and walk over.
“Have you seen the puffin puffs?” I ask him, shuddering.
“No,” he said.
“You’re lucky. Don’t try them.”
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I go back outside to get some fresh air. Ack! All those people! It makes me claustrophobic!, I think. I see Enceladus and beckon to him. “I hardly know anyone! I can’t manage this anymore, it’s making me claustrophobic, with all the people I don’t know!”, I say frantically. “Can you help me meet some people?”, I plead. He shrugs. “Sure, I guess.” I smile, relieved. “Thanks!” I say enthusiastically.
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I glide right through the open doors to the May Ball, my first! I smooth the wrinkles on the black lace layer of my short royal blue coctail dress. I think i tied the corset too tight. When i glance over the room, i’m happy to see TFATF42 and Agrrfishi, whom i know from the romantic musical comedy thread. I muffle a cry when i see the puffin puffs ( cruelty to animals! 
) as I watch one explode. As a singer, i decide to go up on stage and ask if they would let me sing. I sweep back one Hollywood glamoured curl and build up the bravery to ask to perform.
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“Awfully sorry I’m late, ladies and gents,” I say, tipping my thrice-high tricorn hat*. “Are there any puffin puffs left?”
*I’m not even going to try to describe the full glory of the Qurtvian admiral’s dress uniform. Let’s just say it matches my hair. Which is turquoise.
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*reminisces about the occasion of the turquoise hair*
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Oh my, I remember that without even needing the link. Ah, the days of the Black-Footed Ferret, sailing the open seas. A grand time.
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I haven’t been keeping in touch with Eekeeknurknur very well. I’ll go ask TMFA when I see him.
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I’m wearing a flowy green dress with short sleeves. My hair has been curled and cascades around my shoulders.
Toting my cello along, I join the two others onstage.
“Anyone want to play the Vivaldi duet?”
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I entered the ballroom. Whee, this was my first ball ever! There were a lot of people already. I debated with myself over what to do and decided to go to the food table.
My chiton dragged on the floor as I went. Maybe i shouldn’t have worn something so long and in the way. I made a mental note about avoiding long dresses in my head, and went for a puffin puff.
“Hello,” I smiled at Koppar. She smiled back nervously.
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((Guess I’m not dancing with Enceladus anymore)) “Hi, JJetplane, POSOC! Nice hair, POSOC…. There are some puffin puffs left, but Enceladus, Syllabub, and I demolished a bunch of them. You might want to watch out for the angry puffin there, I think it’s taken up residence under the food table. It hisses at people if they come too close.”
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“Sure,” I say to Kyra excitedly, and pick Bella (my cello, thank-you-very-much) back up. We take dual seats next to each other and begin to play the Vivaldi duet, with the dancers swirling around the ballroom floor. I see many new people come in, and wave to each one or give them a special grin. I’m so excited to see everyone, this is turning out to be a very good ball!
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Terribly sorry I arrived so late! I got held up in a traffic jam. Some angry puffin in the middle of the road kept hissing at cars. *unruffles suit*
Hmm, where to go? I think I’ll start out with a dance!
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“Thanks for the warning Armada. Its so mean to the the puffins, these pastries. I hate it!” Itry hard not to stare at POSOC. This is my first ball, after all . . . (hey that rhymes!)
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“Yes, well… anyway. They died for a good cause, anyway. Seriously, though, that puffin is beginning to terrorize people… perhaps I’ll lead an expedition to capture it at some point.”
((Whee, that will be fun!))
“Hello, Donaldo! Nice to see you!”
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I swept into the ballroom, holding my skirt a few inches off the floor to ease the walking process. Grinning, I take in the wildly varied costumes, gaping a little at POSOC’s hat and giggling at CTN’s apparent confusion in her long dress. I nibble a puffin puff, a Muse Academy favorite, and made a face. They haven’t improved in the year since I’d first tried them, although some people seem to like them.
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“Alice! Good to see you!” I exclaim, brushing a few puff crumbs off my platinum braid and sparkly tassels. “Care to dance?”
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“Why certainly!” I reply. “I should be honored.”
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(((SFTDP)
Yay! More boys are arriving!))
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I drift over, lazily getting back into the action. “I’m telling you, they’re overrated. Care to dance anyway?”
/gradster(1)/ – Secretary of Bureaucracy of the ASAP
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Maybe I should find a dance. I had enough food for now. But maybe I shouldn’t dance, because i didn’t know how and I would probably trip over my chiton anyways. Hmm, maybe I should find someone to talk to…
I looked around for Loreena/AP.
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I check my suit. Dark blue with a white shirt and black tie underneath. I try a Puffin Puff… and almost throw up.
“Not a fan?” CTN asks me.
“No. Say, would you care to dance, CTN? I’m not a fantastic dancer, but I can manage well enough.”
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I wander in, a bit late, wearing a lovely light blue dress with lime green accents. Or something like that. Anyway, it’s nice.
I wander over to the snack table and start munching on… something. Well, whatever it is, it’s delicious.
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“That’s okay,” I said. “I’m not a great dancer either. Let’s try not to kill each other, okay?”
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((66- “Yay! More boys are arriving!” It matters that much? I’m sorry. I’m negative. I suppose there are few boys here, and I should be prouder to be one. I must be “the new guy on the competitive iambics team” (post 36), as can be shown by my “masterpieces” on the most recent Shakespeare’s birthday thread. *ramble, ramble, ramble…*))
After making a final adjustment to my tunic and toga praetexta (being only fifteen years of age), I stroll into the dance and look around. Glad that the food was all delivered according to my instructions, I meander to the buffet and ensure that the puffin puffs had been refrigerated correctly. They had, which is something for which to be grateful, as rotting puffin puffs smell something horrendous. I sample one and, as usual, am amazed by Helga’s cooking. Spotting Robert hiding in an opposite corner, I surreptitiously place a puff inside a fold of my toga and nonchalantly walk over to him. “How are you this fine evening, Robert?” I ask. “Have you had anything to eat yet? I’m sure you’d like a”–I pull out the puff–“puffin puff, right?”
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I saw Piggy talking to Mr. Coontz, looking very picturesque in his toga. “Hello Piggy,” I said, smoothing down my skirt. “Care to dance with me?”
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Seeing a small but fierce individual smooth down her skirt and ask me to dance, I stammer, “Oh, er, in a minute,” and turn back to Robert. “Try it, you’ll like it,” I assure him.
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((I’ve posted some more ballgowns on the Planning thread.))
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((66- That’s right, our population has doubled in only a few hours. Of course, that’s still not saying much.))
“Love the hair,” I comment as I stroll past POSOC starting to dance with Alice. I wander over to the food, since that’s where everybody who isn’t dancing seems to be, and reach for a Puffin Puff. Then I remember my earlier experience with the crazed puffin that, I believe, is currently holding up traffic and grab a pastry off of the next plate.
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“Sorry, CTN! I didn’t mean to step on- Ouch!” I wince as CTN steps on my toe. But its only fair. I’ve stepped on hers like twenty times. “Well, I guess we’re a good match for each other.”
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Sorry to double post, but I quickly had to leave CTN for a moment to warn Mr. Coontz- “Do NOT try a Puffin Puff!”
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Don’t worry, Donaldo. Robert takes care to keep a respectful distance between himself and puffin puffs at all times.
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I make it to the doors of the hall and enter, enjoying how my dress does not itch or need readjustment here. I wander over and stare at the fountains and ice sculptures, trying to peer through the murky frozen water and make out the flowers underneath. I don’t try a puffin puff–yet–but I do take a piece of fruit and nibble at it and watch the dancers.
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Luckily, everyone is dressed in clothing that is not only perfectly comferatable but also easy to move in. Anyway, I don’t want to fill up. I ask Kokonilly if she’d like to dance.
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I walk into my first MB ball and glance hopefully at the boys, then make my way straight to the food. My dress is something like 33, only red and way shorter. I try a pastry, then discover that the puffin puffs are actually rather delicious. I comment on this to Mr Coontz, wondering if he is the only ‘boy’ in the room not taken. The puffin, assuming it is a boy, doesn’t count.
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Excuse me, but POSOC, Piggy, Jacob Wonkychair and I are all here. We all have dance parteners, I think. Also, Paul Baker is there, along with Robert and Rosanne and Lady B.
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I wave to Kokonilly, MDLM, Piggy and many others as they enter the ballroom, then return to the music.
The piece finishes to polite amounts of clapping. For some reason, I’m so elated that I can hardly hold in my breath I feel like singing! I whisper something to Kyra and the others onstage, and then put Bella down on the stage. I walk over to the mike, tap it a bit to make sure it is working, and then with a deep breath begin to sing a favorite of mine.
“I’ve heard it said
That people come into our lives for a reason
Bringing something we must learn
And we are led
To those who help us most to grow
If we let them,
And we help them in return
Well, I don’t know if I believe that’s true
But I know I’m who I am today
Because I knew you…”
‘For Good’ fills the hall, and now the music is slower and the dancers take it as such. I’ve always liked singing for audiences. The way that your voice fills the hall is something truly amazing, and as mine does, I look around the room happily. A picturesque ball. Who could ask for anything more?
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It well may be that we shall never meet again in this lifetime
And let me say before we part
So much of me
Comes from what I learned from you
I listen, mesmerized that someone could sing so well. Suddenly, Agrrrfishi reaches the duet section. She look around hurredly for someone to help. I rush onto the stage and start singing with her
Agrrrfishi:
Like a comet pulled from orbit
As it passes the sun
Like a stream that meets a boulder
Halfway through a wood
Who can say if I’ve been changed for the better?
Me: (overlapping)
Like a ship blown from it’s mooring
By a wind from the sea
Like a seed dropped by a skybird
In a distant wood
Who can say if I’ve been changed for the better
I do believe I have been changed for the better
Together:
Because I knew you.
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I carefully mount the steps, wearing a dress that for those interested, is light purple and floaty and looks much like the picture I shall post below, if it works if the GAPAs allow. I look around, and take a seat in a corner.
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Purple-y 
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I walk over to the food table and select a slice of walnut vegetable wellington, avoiding the puffin puffs at the far end. I then walk to my cello, which is somehow on the stage, and ask Cello-Playing Mathematician what duet she’d like to play.
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17- Oh dear, it was supposed to be formmal in a flashy kind of way:( Oh well, I will now put on my green dress waith the white sash and attempt to make my hair presentable.
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I smile as “For Good” floats through the area. I walk closer to the band to hear it better.
“I love your rendition, Agrrrfishi! We went to see Wicked for my birthday back in February!”
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I smile at Kai-Yves as the music ends. “Thank you!” I say. “I saw it last August in Chicago. I absolutely adore it! This is my favorite song of them all.”
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“Hello! I’m here (finally) Anyone care to dance? Oh, and I brought some canary creams for all you HP fans.”
((I know I’m a whole day late, but I was busy yesterday.))
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((SFTDP))
I am wearing a black suit with a white shirt under it and a blue flame badge in the lapel, and a black tie with blue flames (predictably). My awesome top hat is of the same design. My (synthetic) leather gloves are plain black.
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“Thanks for the advice…” I say. It’s my first ball, so I need some advice…
“No problem!” Daisy says in response.
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“It’s my first ball as well,” I admit.
“Would you care to dance?” I ask Fishy.
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I rush up on stage. “Could someone play ‘No Good Deed’ for me?” I would love to sing if they would let me (hint). I notice bluefire come in. Hey, we match!
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“Would you care to dance?” ((I brought my new wung friend with me))
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I enter the ball at last, in a long white strapless gown with green roses and leaves. Taking a glance at the puffin puffs, I decide to avoid them.
People have been right, there is a shortage of boys at MB. The boys might not mind so much, but it’s a pity when you can’t find anyone to dance with. And at the age I’m at, the boys are getting steadily less icky.
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After I finish singing with Agrrrfishi, I wander out into the crowd, waiting for someone to ask me for a dance. (I’m a boy)
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Oy, Enceladus, why are you in two parts of the party at one time? Oh, and if you can do it then so can I and I’ll dance with you if you want. I NEVER step on anyones feet, and I’m a pretty good dancer. (warning to all boys present: I’m a confirmed flirter/heart-breaker, according to my friends.)
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((Oh, don’t you know? I maaagical. I can be in two places at once. Woooooooo))I wander about, looking for someone to ask me to dance. fireandhemlock asks me to dance.
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I manage to somehow [perhaps the going to bed at 4:06 AM part helped] forget just exactly what I was doing, and loudly apologise to anyone I may have offended by not being present.
I pack up Leslie and stow her in a safe corner, say farewell to Agrrrfishi and the several others that now seem to be playing onstage, and offer myself up for a dance. “My dreadfully forgetful personality and I are free,” I call.
/gradster(1)/ – Secretary of Bureaucracy of the ASAP
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I decide that because of the plentiful amount of entertainers, I might as well take a break. I nod happily to the polite clapping as my song end, give my regards to the band and tell them that I’ll be back in a bit and then stow Bella backstage. I wander off the stage, scoop a cup of purple punch from a fountain, and then sneak up the stairs to the rooftop garden.
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Agrrrfishi- You have an amazing voice! And I love “For Good.” Wicked is probably my favorite Broadway musical I have seen (and the only one, though. haha.)
This is my first ball and I am having SO much fun.
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“Thank you!” I reply happily. “Wicked is my favorite musical too, closely followed by Phantom of the Opera, West Side Story, Rent and Annie.” I giggle. “And operas, too. I love Candide, it’s hilarious.”
I’m having tons of fun too!
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I abandon my [rather short] search in favor of the VARG (Very Appealing Rooftop Garden). Following Agrrrfishi’s example, I sweep upstairs and glance around.
/gradster(1)/ – Secretary of Bureaucracy of the ASAP
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I spot a few people disappearing up a flight of stairs. Remembering the rooftop garden, I curiously head up the stairs myself.
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Peace*: I enter the room, wearing a floor-length turquoise halter-neck dress with black pearl earrings (they do exist, they are my great-aunt’s that will someday be mine) and a silver peace-symbol necklace. Strapped to my back is an acoustic guitar that Silver Lining desperately tried to talk me out of bringing.
Silver Lining: I trail behind my cousin, my eyes flitting around nervously. I finger the layered taffeta skirt of my dress. I fix my eyes on Peace*’s long dark French braid as she walks toward the buffet table.
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66.1- Why, sure! Sorry I took a while to reply….” I look around. “Oh… you’re gone.” I follow gradster up the stairs to the rooftop garden.
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I walk in behind Peace* and Silver Lining. My dress looks like this 
except the neckline is a bit higher, one of the straps is gone (it’s off one shoulder) and the remaining strap has a purple ribbon flower on it. The sash is purple instead of pink.
(It’s OK if the GAPAs don’t post my drawing here, I’ve kind of changed it anyway)
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86- I’ll have a canary cream, please. I will now go to the rooftop garden, since it’s getting crowded.
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“Oh, um, sure,” I said to Tessera Rose. “Wait. I’m a girl…” This conversation would never occur in a real dance, I sadly reflect.
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((Canary creams? *gags* Made from real canaries? Puffin puffs are one thing, but…))
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I walk slowly into the ballroom, smoothing down my blue dress nervously. Usually I don;t like dances, but since this is the highlight of the social calender here at the Academy, here I am. I take a puffin puff and take a seat.
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fireandhemlock and I continue dancing, until I crash into the Puffin PUffs table, causing many uncooked puffins to go flying.
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When Enceladus crashed into the Puffin Puffs, liberating many poor little uncooked puffins, I grin, but soon I am dodging/trying to catch the numerous angry puffins flying around. “Enceladus”, I gasp, laughing, “why oh why did you not look where you were going?”, I gesture at the puffins, then double up laughing at Enceladus’ poor attempt at seeming innocent. He gives up and a puffin starts chasing him, rightly thinking that he was the cause of it’s trouble, screecing and pecking and flapping it’s wings as the other puffins join it. I yell encouragingly to him, “Just think of yourself as a decoy and lead them outside.” He nods and gallops for the door, a flock of angry puffins following him as ducklings would follow their mother. I give up on holding back my laughter and start laughing hysterically. Others have started laughing as well, watching Enceladus flee towards the door, which some other helpful Musers were holding open for him and the puffins.
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I fleed up the stairs to the rooftop garden, thus being in the rooftop garden in two places at once. Wheee!
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Whee?
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That’s just one of my quirks! Wheee!
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SFTDP
“Wheeeeeeee!” Is from the musical ‘Ragtime”
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I take some pink lemonade and decide to check out the rooftop garden.
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100: I know, so what?
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101- Canary creams are a Weasley Wizard Wheezes product (made by Fred and George Weasley of course). You eat it and you turn into a canary for about 30 seconds.
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((Oops, I’m going upstairs to gaze at the stars. (I know it’s not really nighttime, but I don’t care.)
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I finish playing my duet with Jakob ((I guess)) and tote my cello up to my favorite place to lurk during balls–the rooftop garden.
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((Picture of my dress; forget the thingy on top of it.
I just found it. ))
I walked confidently into the ball, carrying one of the school’s bass clarinets and a smile. A year had passed since the last ball, but I was so ready for this one. I grabbed ten truffles before IBCf got them all, and headed up to the rooftop garden.
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“Sorry!” I’ve stepped on Donaldo’s foot quite a few times.But then, my foot was quite sore too. I better go rest after the dance at the rooftop garden, I thought. “I hope your foot isn’t too sore!” I said just as my sandals got caught in my long chiton.
“Ahhh!”
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The puffin is looking rather annoyed, maybe because it’s actually a girl puffin or something, so I go up to the rooftop garden.
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Yo! I’m a little late, but hey, at least I’m here. I’ve got this sweet tuxedo on today, but seeing that people are more freeform than that, I drop my virtual dressy attire and spin into awesome completely black threads with spike rings on my two middle fingers. I have a spiky hairstyle, red with fluorescent green tips. I use my amazing Potter-esque skills of conjuring to create a band stage, complete with full drum kit, electric and bass guitar, a lead mic and a back vocal mic. I use my Runescape summoning power to call The Who, who climb up on the snack bar and give the double “rock on” gestures while devouring whole puffin puffs. They get up on stage and play a four hour set, including Pinball Wizard and Won’t Get Fooled Again, and leave the venue in individually smoking bits. The applause is simply deafening…
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I walk over to the buffet and sample the puffin puffs. I rip off most of the feathers, and gently twist the feet to remove them. I stick them in MLDM’s hair as she walks by. The beak i blow into and the puffin goes form limp to looking like a hot air balloon. The eyes bulge hilariously as I tear into the stinky, putrid, awful meat. Mmmm, this is so awful! Exquisite.
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Then Eragon wakes and realizes he dreamed the whole thing, readjusts the silk bow tie of his tuxedo, and heads over to the ball room.
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Suddenly, Robert’s form disappears and all goes black. I wake up what seems to be hours later having little memory of what had occured. “Unhhh… what happened?” I look around. “Did someone want to dance with me or something?” I murmur.
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“Ah!” I scream, jerking upright from the bench in the ballroom I was slumped in. “What a HPB-awful dream!” Is anybody not taken here? I rub my eyes and jump a foot in the air as the world comes into focus and I see Rebecca Lasley standing in front of me, evidently having just shaken me awake. “Thanks.” I mutter. “I dreamed that puffin puffs tasted bad!”
“Oh dear.” Says Rebecca Lasley. It sounds like you’re having serious psychological problems. You should see a psychologist immediately, I’d recommend Dr. Alex Cross.” “Thanks, that’s encouraging.” I say, walking to a guitar propped up against the piano. I winced as the guitar bangs against my shoulder as I put the strap on. Now I know I’m not dreaming, it hurts like heck.
TBC…
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“Thanks for this dance,” I say to CTN. “But I must check out the garden on the roof. I am leading an expedition, you know!”
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“Oh, shoot, I’m late! And I didn’t even have time to change!”
I run though the doors wearing my Pirate costume: Black and grey vinyl skinny jeans, a Birthday Massacre shirt with a fishnet top over it, two tubes of foundation, three sticks of eyeliner and black lipstick. I reajust my choker, taking in my surrounings.
Speen whimpers.
“Oh, quiet, I’m not going to get kicked out. Now go be social.” He shuffles off to gossip with an puffin puff.
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((Can anyone answer the question: Has anyone been in two places at once at a Muse Academy ball? Like me, where I am in two places in the graden at once, after being in the garden and main hall at th same time? Has that ever happened before?))
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A troupe of wungs kidnap welcome Beavo and whisk him away to the Emergency Formal Wear Supply and Dressing Room.
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Beavo emerges, lookings slightly confuddled, and in 18th century style formal dress (The Emergency Formal Wear Supply and Dressing Room is a bit outdated.)
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((Sorry, dance performance.))
I drift over to the table and examine the puffin puffs. Time for a brutal solution. After pocking them with a fork to see if they’re alive, I rip of all the (visible) feathers and dunk the puffs in the fondue one by one. Then I pile them in a sort of makeshift, dripping pyramid. Ug. But at least they don’t look like puffins. If you didn’t know what they are, you might actually mistake them for something edible. I stick the “Puffin puffs” label in my pocket and proceed to follow Donardo to the rooftop gardens.
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I decide not to finish my puffin puff and toss the rest into a nearby trash can. Sorry Helga! I look around and see a girl in a pirate costume come in.
The band has suddenly started playing rock music, which I find a little strange, but they abruptly stop and go back to classical.
I stifle a yawn. I stayed up late last night and am very tired.
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“Well, I’m not very good, but if you insist!”
((To daisy))
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Ah! Beavo is here…
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((Hm. I think people are confused as to what puffin puffs are. They’re made with puffin meat, not whole puffins. It’s just a type of bird; people eat chicken, turkey, and duck, so puffin shouldn’t be all that weird. They do taste a tad fishy, as puffins eat fish, but not disgustingly so.))
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I drift over towards the buffet table, surveying the options. Puffin Puffs, canary creams… Gee whiz, I thought this was a vegetarian event! I pluck a Puffin Puff from the plate piled high with them and take a bite. Hmmm, bookgirl_me’s attempt at depuffinication did not work very well.
I tactfully slip the rest of my Puffin Puff into the trash can. I begin to sway slowly from side to side, in step with the music. My white strappy high-heels click against the hardwood floor. Perhaps I’ll take a look upstairs, I muse to myself.
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((I’ve made a copy of myself that I’m sending down here. ))
As it seems that many people have headed upstairs, I (copy) return downstairs to greet the new guests.
“Hey Zinc! I love your dress! And Beavo…nice eyeliner!”
I climb back onstage where it seems that Eragon has a guitar. I whisper something and go to the mike. The first chords of Coldplay’s ‘The Scientist’ echo through the ballroom, and I sing along to one of my favorite songs.
Come up to meet you, tell you I’m sorry,
You don’t know how lovely you are,
I had to find you, tell you I need you,
Tell you I set you apart,
Tell me your secrets, and ask me your questions,
Oh, let’s go back to the start…”
((Can anyone play piano?))
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I grab Silver Lining’s wrist. “Wow, you look nervous,” I inform her. “Come.”
I drag her up the stairs into the Rooftop Garden.
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I ran down the rest of the stairs, clutching my skirt. I was giggling on the inside. I love giving directions to people and disappearing before they have a chance to ask me to repeat it. I grabbed my case and downed some punch, and went up on stage. I quickly assembled it, and started playing the bass clarinet part for “The Scientist.” This was much more interesting than those dopey “one rest three rest” songs that you usually see in most songs.
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(( Armada, Loreena Chathing and anyone else who was wondering: I’m a girl, hence my wearing a dress. ))
After apologizing to Armada and Loreena for bumping into them, I look up and see several boys entering.
“Hello, Beavo.” I say. “Nice suit. I liked the pirate costume too, though.”
I cleared my throat. “Would you like to dance?”
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Beavo’s wearing 18th century type clothing, now that the Wungs helped en get a sense of style what not to wear to the May Ball.
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Aggie finishes singing “The Scientist,” by Coldplay, and I walk up to the mike. “May I?” I ask her.
“Sure, go ahead!” she responds, stepping away.
I whisper something to Eragon, who starts playing Avril Lavigne’s “Complicated.”
Chill out
whatcha yellin’ for?
Laid back
it’s all been done before
And if
you could only let it be
you will see
I like
you the way you are
When we’re
drivin’ in your car
and you’re
talking to me one on one
but you’ve become
Somebody else round everyone else
You’re watching your back like you can’t relax
You’re tryin’ to be cool you look like a fool to me
Tell me
I sang. Aggie came in on the chorus, singing backup.
Why’d ya have to go and make things so complicated?
I see the way you’re acting like you’re somebody else gets me frustrated
Life’s like this you
And you fall and you crawl and you break and you take what you get and you turn it into
honesty and promise me I’m never gonna find you fake it
no no no
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Coming back downstairs, I hear Aggie and RoseQuartz singing “Complicated” and join in.
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As I nibble at samples of fruit and make polite greetings to the people I manage to recognize from being on Museblog so little these days, I realize that it is the week of AP testing, and inconspicuously manage to dump the fruit into a wung and make a beeline for the table piled with different sorts of chocolate. I take a plateful of truffles and try to ignore the knowledge that I should be studying.
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“Thank you too,” I said. “And good luck on your expedition.”
Hmm, maybe I should go up there for a rest too. I grabbed a truffle from the food table, careful to avoid the puffin, and started up.
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I wander over to the food table and daintily devour a puffin puff. As I cannot seem to find an available boy to dance with, unless I ask Robert (and proceed to have a rather awkward conversation in Russian with him), I go up to the rooftop garden.
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We finish the song, and I ask Eragon if we should play another set or perhaps dance?
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I pull a tailed vest over my new shirt, and turn to Cerulean Pyros. “Sure, what’s playing? I’m so not dancing to Avril Lavigne and Coldplay. I’m in too good of a mood to hang out by the food table.”
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“What would you like to hear, Beavo?” I called as Don’t Stop The Music played through the speakers. “We can do that one next!”
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I wait for someone to become availaable, and listen to the music while eating a … um, I actually am not quite sure what it is. It’s very good, though. Excellent music!
(:
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As RoseQuartz has taken over the mike, I return to the cello and sit down, flexing my fingers delicately over the fingerboard.
“Can we play some Harry Potter?” I suggest. “It would be rather fitting. And I think everybody loves that theme.”
“Sure!” RoseQuartz nods. The dancers take their spots and the music flows forth from the cello/other instruments.
((If you guys want to dance, I’ve got this song down by heart. ))
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That’s a good long one. You’ll need to rest by the end of this dance!
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I know, it is terribly long. But it is also my favorite overture. We played it this winter concert and I adored the cello part.
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“Ooh, I’ll dance to the overature! What say you, Ms. Pyros?”
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((106-Ah. Phew.
125- Thanks. Sorry.))
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( I am not getting how Eragon dreamed everything, so, I’m just going to continue.)
“Yes, I would like to dance with you,” I say to Piggy as I shake him gently. “Are you game?”
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138- “Well, I’m a bit woozy, but sure. I should warn you, though–I can’t dance very well.”
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“You know what? I can’t either,” I say as I lead Piggy onto the dance floor.
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My wung, Zale, hops off my shoulder and onto the puffin puffs. After sniffing them suspiciously, he begins to munch on one, purring happily.
“What do you think you are, a cat? You’re a Clouded Wung for Koko’s sake!” I say.
Zale looks up from his puffin puff, grins at me with his sharp little wung teeth, and resumes his meticulous disemboweling of the pastry-ish-bird-thingy.
“Yuck,” I mutter. “Don’t expect me to get those at the H&H.”
Zale gives me an awww-p*ease-get-it-for-me look.
“No.”
He sulks and sticks his gray-blue snout back in his snack, growling to himself.
((*ahem* Would someone please be so kind as to notice that I am having conversations with my wung, who speaketh no Englishe?))
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((125.1-Enceladus: I know. Men wore suits in the eighteenth century, didn’t they?))
Agrrrfishi suggests playing the Harry Potter theme and Beavo asks me what I think.
“I don’t think I’ve ever heard it, but it’s fine with me.” I tell Beavo.
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“Oh, good. Let’s dance!”
We move onto the dance floor. I actually dance, which isn’t physically possible outside of the internet.
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Having regained my right to be on MB from parents, I stand up, and go over to the refreshments table. After examining everything, I pick up a Puffin Puff and try it. The first bite makes me want to throw the whole thing away, but after I get used to the flavor, it tastes wonderful. I pick up a plate, and pile it high with Puffs and all sorts of other goodies. Looking around, I notice several people dancing, others strolling upstairs, and a few playing music. Those playing begin something that I’d heard a few times before, but wouldn’t have been able to place had it not been for their discussion before playing about the Harry Potter theme. It’s not a bad song, but I don’t have a partner, so I stroll over to the stairway, wondering what’s up there.
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((142-Nothing good.))
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I’m nervous, so I say,”Let’s go to upstairs, we’ll have fun up there”
Of course, I blush.
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((You? Blush? I can’t even picture that.
I’m assuming you were talking to me…))
I nod. “I heard there is a hedge maze in the rooftop garden.”
Wasting no more time, I run up the stairs, closely followed by Fishy.
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You’ve seen me blush before!
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I arrive downstairs at the same time as Daisy*chain and ThanksForAllTheFish are heading up, and skid to a stop on the polished floor. “Whatever you do, don’t go in the maze!” I shout the Daisy and TFATF as I sprint for the door to the kitchen.
The kitchen wungs look up from their cooking, chittering. “Sorry!” I say to them, rummaging in the drawers for something pointy. “Cake it all, where are the forks?!”
One of the wungs bumps my hand and points with its head to a drawer. “Thanks,” I say to it, grabbing the biggest, pointiest-looking fork I can find and running out of the kitchen again and up the stairs.
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My doppleganger plays the Harry Potter as the remaining couples dance to the theme. My fingers pulse delicately over the fingerboard as I release strains of vibration and elaborate lines from the cello. It is one of the most enjoyable things I have ever done, and I am not at all nervous. The fountains around us leap and brightly gleam different colors to the beat of the music.
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The GAPAs beam as they watch the couples in their finery whirling and swooping to the magical music. The whole room seems to shimmer and glimmer.
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GAPA, my good man, GAPA. No need to say Great And Powerful Administratorss, even if we must include the And in the acronym.
/gradster(1)/ – Secretary of Bureaucracy of the ASAP
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I prefer GAPAs, myself. It’s less ambiguous. Of course, we could always improvise a Greek-ish plural: GAPAe.
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I’m with Robert, here. To me, GAPA stands for Great And Powerful Administrator (singular), so to make plural, we must tack on “S” on the end: GAPAs. Besides, it has a better (more familiar) ring to it
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Besides, “GAPA” as the plural (“a quartet of GAPA”) makes us sound like game animals (a herd of moose; a pair of deer). I suppose some people here might think of us that way…
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Piggy twirls me around on the dance floor, looking very picturesque in his toga. It is all going perfectly- until I step on his toe.
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I dash down the stairs from the Rooftop Garden. I look around frantically and spot the GAPAs. “There’s something gone wrong in the maze! Enceladus has been hyptonised and someone is screaming about a Thing!”, I tell Robert. He nods. “Sounds serious. I’ll be right there!”, he promises. I run back up the stairs.
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Wearing only Roman sandals, SBF’s shoe digs into my foot. However, I bite my lip and keep myself from shouting in alarm and pain. I smile weakly but forgivingly at her and continue to “dance”.
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“I’m so sorry!” I say to Piggy as I continue dancing. “Are you okay?” He seems to have recovered a bit, so we continue dancing. I do not step on his foot, although I do stumble once. He twirls me around and I pirouette away, then twirl back.
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Oh, nevermind my last post. Anyway.
I linger in the crowd, trying to work up the courage to get up on the stage and do some singing. Finally I step up and sit down at the piano. I nod at the other musicians. “Do you know the song ‘Domine’? I’ve got music for it, and it’s a pretty song. I can sing it pretty good,too.” I toss them the music sheets, and set up the piano. I nod at the others. “Ready?”, I ask them. They nod. I grin and start the playing the beginning on the piano, with the others joining in. After the prelude, I start to sing, my husky alto just the right sound for the song.
“Forty days I cried with no reprieve
The tears that raised the tide were crashing
Over me
Forty days I cried with no reprieve
Too far to look ahead
Surround my heart Your grace amends
Domine, Domine
Make my path run straight
Lift my heart, speak my name
I fall, I break
Domine, Domine
Find me far away
Stay, take my pain, I am praying
Domine
I tried to wade so high above reality
I Crashed into the lies of calamity
I tried to wade so high above reality
Arrows fly around my head
Cloud their course Your love protects
Domine, Domine
Make my path run straight
Lift my heart, speak my name
I fall, I break
Domine, Domine
Find me far away
Stay, take my pain, I am praying
Domine
In the driven snow
With the world unknown
I believe in the heavenly sun
Melt my world away
See your face
Again”
I hop off the stage almost as soon as the song is over. Stage fright. I grimace. At least I lasted through the song, I think optimistically. Oh well. I think most of the listeners liked it, at least.
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I wait patiently as fireandhemlock sings, clap politely and give her high praise, and then continue with my Harry Potter (it is a long song!)
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I charge down the staircase, Mia at my heels.
“Hi, Peace*!” I say upon entering the ballroom. “I was just hypnotised by the Thing, but somebody killed it and we’re all right now, but maybe you already knew that because Armada was looking for a fork to stab it with?”
Peace* looks at me blankly. “Okay…”
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I join Peace* in staring blankly at Silver Lining. Suddenly, a small gust of wind blows in a few cherry blossoms from the ornamental trees, which gently float to the ground throughout the ballroom.
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My ghostly double appears in a burst of what appear to be cherry blossoms. Fitting, for such a majestic person as myself.
I slink onto the stage from the back, and pull up a chair and Leslie next to Agrrrfishi. “What’s playing?” I mutter.
“Harry Potter,” she mutters back, not turning her head. “I’m having a lot of fun with it!”
“Oho then. I’ll just wait until the next song.” I grin. “Besides, I’m not even technically here.”
/gradster(1)/ – Secretary of Bureaucracy of the ASAP
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(Piggy, please get your picturesque self over here.)
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((I’m here, I’m here.))
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((Continue role-playing then.))
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I hop off the stage. I hadn’t memorized the bass clarinet part for the theme, so I looked around for a boy to dance with. Not one. Ah well. I leap of the stage, and grab the air. I dance with myself, laughing.
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I stand rather puzzledly in front of the stage, wondering if anyone would like to dance.
/gradster(1)/ – Secretary of Bureaucracy of the ASAP
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I shall dance with you, Gradster. Although I will probably trip.
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“Not with my wonderful new patented invention, Dance-o-matics!” I say jovially. “Just slip a pair on and your feet do the work for you!”
/gradster(1)/ – Secretary of Bureaucracy of the ASAP
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Oh, thank you! I needed that!
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I step over to the band and ask them if they know the song “IGY”.
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“Okay…” I look at Silver Lining. Her yellow dress is mussed slightly. Mia, her wung, gives me the hairy eyeball. “I take it I’m supposed to know what the Thing is, correct?” I say.
Silver Lining nods fervently. “It’s a…” She pauses. “Okay, I don’t know what the heck it is, but it’s beautiful and it’s a thing. I wanted to worship it. It’s pretty.”
I cock my head and look at Silver Lining. “You’re so normal, Silver Lining.” She laughs and begins to dance with herself. I lean with my shoulder against the wall, surveying the crowd of people talking and laughing, singing and dancing. I smile to myself.
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The song finishing, I thank SBF for the dance. “Would you like some punch?” I ask politely. Upon her affirmation, I go over to the buffet and procure some slightly bubbling punch. Returning to her, I hand her the glass. “So is this your first Muse Academy ball?” I query. Listening to her answer, I take a sip of punch and immediately my face puckers. It’s the sourest punch I’ve ever tasted! Nearly doubling over in pain, I rush to a nearby plant where I promptly spit out the horrid liquid, unfortunately making the plant wither up and die. “Oh-h-h-h. Don’t drink that, whatever you do,” I warn through a twisted face.
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“Alright, Piggy,” I say. “Do you want to sing a duet?”
((Say yes, or you will face a virtual whap, delivered by yours truly. Maybe I shouldn’t be so mean to my dancing partner.))
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((Good heavens, did they let Helga Gunnarsdóttir make the punch, too? I must speak to the organizing committee.))
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((165: Pardon?))
I grew awfully tired, and as the dance ends, I staggered over to the refreshments table. “Liquuuuiiiid…” I gasped. I grabbed a cup and ladled some punch into it. I poured it into my mouth.
Total shock. I looked around wildly, my cheeks puffed out with the icky liquid. l spit it into a withered plant. (it withers even more.) The drink tasted like paint. Paint from the Middle Ages. That was kept in a dank cellar and pooed on by rats. I clutch my stomach and balance on the table for support. “I warned everyone,” Piggy said through a twisted face.
“I wasn’t listening,” I gasped, spitting the taste of the drink into the planter.
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Wungs rush in, remove the offending punchbowl, and replace it with a new one filled with fruit punch concocted according to the Hare & Hedgepig’s own special recipe. It is nectar. It is ambrosia. Fear no more. The GAPAs apologize profusely and promise to have a word with the organizing committee.
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((Nectar and ambrosia? Well, unless we’re all demigods, that isn’t much better.
Sorry, been reading Percy Jackson and the Olympians.))
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I can guarantee that the new punch is as good as (but no better than) anything you can imagine.
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((OMG I FINISHED THE NEW BOOK AND RICK RIORDAN’S PULLING A WARRIORS!!!!!! SQUEE!! NEW SERIES!!!!!!))
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((I finished Last Olympian too. New series? 
Anyway, we can discuss it on the Books and Reading thread.))
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((Definitely. No author leaves a book like that. I asked the same question on the thread, though later than you posted your comment I think.))
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As my song is over, I would have liked to dance, but instead I continue to play music, something floaty and classical. It is very entertaining.
((I have nothing better to write and I’m tired. Augh.))
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Agrrrfishi’s music is absolutely beautiful, and I hum along and drink some of the new punch. MUCH better.
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I join in with the band in singing the song. I’ve only got an average voice, but I know most of the words. Plus, it fits with the theme of this month.
“Standing tough under stars and stripes
We can tell
This dream’s in sight
You’ve got to admit it
At this point in time that its clear
The future looks bright
On that train all graphite and glitter
Undersea by rail
Ninety minutes from new york to paris
Well by seventy-six well be A-okay.
What a beautiful world this will be
What a glorious time to be free.
Get your ticket to that wheel in space
While there’s time-
The fix is in
Youll be a witness to that game of chance in the sky-
You know we’ve got to win
Here at home we’ll play in the city
Powered by the sun
Perfect weather for a streamlined world
Therell be spandex jackets- one for everyone
What a beautiful world this will be
What a glorious time to be free…”
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164.1- “Unh, as soon as my face turns itself right side-out, sure.”
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Oh, God. What really stinks is that I love Weird Al’s version of “Complicated”. Anyway, I get my guitar and mic and start singing “Carry On Wayward Son”.
Once I rose above the noise and confusion
Just to get a glimpse beyond the illusion
I was soaring ever higher, but I flew too high
Though my eyes could see I still was a blind man
Though my mind could think I still was a mad man
I hear the voices when I’m dreamin’,
I can hear them say
(Chorus)
Carry on my wayward son,
For there’ll be peace when you are done
Lay your weary head to rest
Now don’t you cry no more
Masquerading as a man with a reason
My charade is the event of the season
And if I claim to be a wise man, it surely
means that I don’t know
On a stormy sea of moving emotion
Tossed about I’m like a ship on the ocean
I set a course for winds of fortune, but
I hear the voices say
Carry on, you will always remember
Carry on, nothing equals the splendor
Now your life’s no longer empty
Surely heaven waits for you
[No, WordPress won’t let you embed video in the comment. It should be easy enough to search for the song on YouTube. –Admin]
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I thank nolagirl7 for the dance, leave her to her punch, and unpack Leslie once more. With Agrrrfishi’s permission, and, if she’s willing, help, I take the stage.
Magically creating a strap, I swing her around my neck, plug her into an amp, and strum a few notes. Everyone looks at me strangely.
The next time I strum, the opening notes of Who Needs Sleep? burst forth.
Now I lay me down not to sleep
I just get tangled in the sheets
I swim in sweat three inches deep
I just lay back and claim defeat
Chapter read and lesson learned
I turn the lights off while she burn
So while she’s three hundred degrees
I throw the sheets off and I freeze
Lids down, I count sheep
I count heartbeats
The only thing that counts is
that I won’t sleep
I countdown, I look around
Who needs sleep?
well you’re never gonna get it
Who needs sleep?
tell me what’s that for
Who needs sleep?
be happy with what you’re getting
There’s a guy who’s been awake
since the Second World War
/gradster(1)/ – Secretary of Bureaucracy of the ASAP
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I enter the ball, unfortunately rather late, and hope that nobody notices. I had work and the homework to finish, so I’m glad to have a chance to relax.
Mikaya (my wung’s name in English) wanders off for a minute to look at the fountains while I make my way towards the group.
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After all our fabulous MuseBloggers sing their songs, Piggy and I get up onstage. The opening chords play.
((Piggy, do you want to do Suddenly Seymour, Almost Paradise, As Long As You’re Mine, or some other?))
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((I have absolutely no idea what any of those are.))
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((Um, duets? Suddenly Seymour’s from Little Shop of Horrors, Almost Paradise is from Footloose, and As Long As You’re Mine is from Wicked. Ooo, and Follow Your Heart is from Urinetown. Maybe later I could sing Privilege To Pee from Urinetown. It sounds terrible, but it’s an amazing show.))
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((Yeah, I assumed they were duets, but I’ve never heard of any of them. Just start singing and I’ll follow your lead. Is there a karaoke machine around here?…))
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((sBf and Piggy: What ever you do, I advise not As Long as Your Mine. It’s kinda… you know… *whisper* inappropriate…))
“Thanks, Robert,” I said, and poured some new punch in my mouth. Ohh, it’s good. I feel much better now.
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Um, yeah.
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We started to sing “A Little Fall of Rain,” from Les Miserables.
EPONINE
Don’t you fret, M’sieur Marius
I don’t feel any pain
A little fall of rain
Can hardly hurt me now
You’re here, that’s all I need to know
And you will keep me safe
And you will keep me close
And rain will make the flowers grow.
MARIUS
But you will live, ‘Ponine – dear God above,
If I could heal your wounds with words of love.
EPONINE
Just hold me now, and let it be.
Shelter me, comfort me
MARIUS
You would live a hundred years
If I could show you how
I won’t desert you now…
EPONINE
The rain can’t hurt me now
This rain will wash away what’s past
And you will keep me safe
And you will keep me close
I’ll sleep in your embrace at last.
The rain that brings you here
Is Heaven-blessed!
The skies begin to clear
And I’m at rest
A breath away from where you are
I’ve come home from so far
So don’t you fret, M’sieur Marius
I don’t feel any pain
A little fall of rain
Can hardly hurt me now
That’s all I need to know
And you will keep me safe
And you will keep me close
MARIUS(in counterpoint)
Hush-a-bye, dear Eponine,
You won’t feel any pain
A little fall of rain
Can hardly hurt you now
I’m here
I will stay with you
Till you are sleeping
EPONINE
And rain…
MARIUS
And rain…
EPONINE
Will make the flowers…
MARIUS
Will make the flowers… grow…
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((SFTDP. ))
Mine and Piggy’s voices rose and fell, blending together in perfect harmony.
((Am I overdoing it too much? I thought that Sunrise (((from In The Heights))) would make a person sitting at his computer uncomfortable; and Almost Paradise isn’t my favorite, and I just thought this one was nice. After this song maybe I’ll do I Dreamed A Dream.))
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“Well, okay.” I say to Tessera Rose, who probably felt abandoned.
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I nod to the dueters and climb off the stage, after the others. I sip a bit of the blueberry punch and then go over to talk to Gradster.
“Hi!” I say happily, and then offer, “Would you like to dance?”
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I thank Piggy for singing with me and he climbs off the stage to thunderous applause. I want to sing again- I love performing for an audience. I start to sing:
And now I’m all alone again, no where to go, no one to turn to,
I did not want your money sir, I came out here cause I was told to,
And now the night is near,
And I can make believe he’s here.
Sometimes I walk alone at night
When everybody else is sleeping
I think of him and then I’m happy
With the company I’m keeping
The city goes to bed
And I can live inside my head.
On my own
Pretending he’s beside me
All alone, I walk with him till morning
Without him
I feel his arms around me
And when I lose my way I close my eyes
And he has found me
In the rain the pavement shines like silver
All the lights are misty in the river
In the darkness, the trees are full of starlight
And all I see is him and me for ever and forever
And I know it’s only in my mind
That I’m talking to myself and not to him
And although I know that he is blind
Still I say, there’s a way for us
I love him
But when the night is over
He is gone, the river’s just a river
Without him the world around me changes
The trees are bare and everywhere
The streets are full of strangers
I love him
But every day I’m learning
All my life I’ve only been pretending
Without me his world will go on turning
A world that’s full of happiness
That I have never known!
I love him
I love him
I love him
But only on my own.
I sing the last words and hop off the stage, rejoining Piggy at the snack table. “Now we can have some decent punch,” I say to Piggy.
((I’m a Les Miserables fan.))
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A flower fell onto my head. Another one fell two feet away from me. I looked up to see the cause- a remote-controlled model airplane dropping flowers.
“What the…?” I heard someone ask.
As if responding, the plane started skywriting: “Happy May Day, Muse Academy- Chad.”
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“What is this?” I say. “Chad’s up to his tricks,” I hear Piggy respond. “Paid us a visit, I see.”
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I waltz in, extremely late, wearing an elegant floor-length midnight purple dress, trimmed with sparkling stuffs.
“Very sorry, everyone, traffic was horrible and my horse spooked… what have I missed?”
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((Get over here.))
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((I’m always here. Just write something–I’m not terribly creative.))
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((You write something. 
))
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((Can you think of something? I’ve got writer’s block.))
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“Hi, MissSwann!” I say. “You look lovely, by the way. You haven’t really missed much except that the people in the Rooftop Garden almost got killed by the Thing. Have a good time!” Mia glares at MissSwann as I waltz over to the buffet table. “You’re very rude, you know that, Mia?” I murmer to her.
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I spot MissSwann and elegently glide over to her. ((Yeah, like that’ll ever happen. In my DREAMS! *klutz*)) “I love your dress! I was considering getting a purple one too, but decided on pale green. How have you been doing?”
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“Hi MissSwann!” I wave. “Not much has been happening around here, but there should be some action going on. Here, I’ll start.” While I wait for Gradster to respond to my request, I take the stage and play a lively dance tune on the cello.
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“Oh! Many apologies.” I stutter. “I have responded now, shall we dance?”
/gradster(1)/ – Secretary of Bureaucracy of the ASAP
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182 – “Oh, that’d be wonderful.” I blush, glad that in this world, I actually am able to. “Very sorry I haven’t been all that prompt in responding.”
We walk out onto the dance floor. I manage to keep my feet without too much trouble as we begin to dance.
I pluck a feather out of your hair. “Well. I had originally meant for this to be some sort of a key in the maze, but I think I’m rather finished with that idea.” I shrug and sigh. “Best laid plans and all. Do you still want the feather?”
/gradster(1)/ – Secretary of Bureaucracy of the ASAP
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I join Syllabub and Miss Swann’s conversation. “I agree, your dress looks marvelous.”
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“Sure, I’ll keep it,” I reply happily. “I rather like feathers.” I tuck it back into my hair and we continue dancing, a fun and airy waltz. The piano seems to be playing itself. I find this rather peculiar and point it out to Gradster.
“Why yes,” he says. “Oh, but look there, I think it’s plugged into the ground. Maybe it’s electrical?”‘
“I think that’s it!” I exclaim. “How strange! It’s taught itself to play Mozart!” I giggle a bit too loudly to myself. “Too much punch,” I say, blushing a shade of red that resembles the color of my dress.
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188- Good evening! You look fabulous. Was there any casualties on the garden? And have I met Mia before?
189- Wonderfully, my dear! Amazing dress, beautiful material.
190- *waves* Marvelous cello, dahlink! *floats about in a rhythmic fashion*
192- Thank you kindly, Kai! Care to dance?
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Thank you, MissSwann. Mia is my wung. She is very tempermental, and you probably haven’t met her before. And no casualties that I am aware of.
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“Well, if you don’t mind dancing with a girl who’s been known to trip over her own two feet…”
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I think I shall enter now, regardless of the fact that I am probably quite late. My dress is turquoise and sleeveless, over a long sleeve black shell. I do not do very well at parties. I shall drift.
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196- Aw, same here. I’m a bit concerned about stepping on a male participent’s feet… why I picked a female for first dance! Syllabub, care to join?
197- Welcome!
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I help myself to a hat on a fork.
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I Giggled at Tessra Rose’s queer action. Just then my Wungs started to pull me toward the pastry table.
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“Well, then, okay. We can dance.”
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199- …
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((Hat on a fork was said to be a Museican delicacy on the Kokonspiracy thread.))
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193 – I grin. “I make it a point never to drink any of anything at a party, so I don’t have to mention those things. Regardless, I’m rather giddy as well.”
As we swirl around the room, several more people join us on the dance floor. We make room.
(Hint. Hint.)
/gradster(1)/ – Secretary of Bureaucracy of the ASAP
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I stumble back into the ballroom, hairstyle gone, dress a mess, and dirt everywhere. After a moment, someone brushes past me and says, “Nice dress!”
I bite back a nasty reply (since I think they were being sarcastic) and look down.
My dress is perfectly clean. I feel my hair, and it is perfectly coiffed, and no leaves are in it anymore.
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(203) Wonderful place, Muse Academy. Welcome back to the ball!
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I appear in the ballroom, completely clean, with no sign of the maze on me, except for Maple who sits contentedly on my shoulder. Everyone else who was in the rooftop garden is here, except I don’t see AJAR or the man. I turn to Rainbowstar, and ask, “What happened to AJAR and the Architect, or whoever he is?”
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I walk over to the corner, where there is a funny little statue that doesn’t remind me of anything. What is it, I wonder? I deposit 25 cents into the collection hole on the top of its head, and it becomes a foam sculpture of a turkey. After approximately 30 seconds, it changes back to its original uncertain shape. I sigh and walk away.
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Seeing no available males on the dance floor, I grab a guitar and start the simple chord progression of “What I Like About You.” Fun song.
The rest of the band joins in.
What I like about you
You hold me tight
Tell me I’m the only one
Wanna come over tonight
Keep on whisperin’ in my ear
Tell me all the things that I wanna hear
‘Cause it’s true
That’s what I like about you
I sing.
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I inspect a round blue shiny orb tucked into a corner of the ballroom, and proceed to pick it up. Immediately, water erupts out of the orb and drenches everything in the room.
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The song finishes, and just in time, too, because a shower of water suddenly fills the room. I only just manage to save my amp from shorting out.
I notice Jakob holding a shiny blue orb and walk over to him.
“Hey, was that you who sprayed us?”
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I suddenly get sprayed by water and stand there, blinking.
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“Who, me? I didn’t do anything, it was this orb. See?” I toss the orb to Rosequartz, and miss by a mile. The orb clunks to the floor and promptly sprays more gallons of water around the ballroom. (This ball needs livening up. )
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I have crossed out the posts that violate protocol and the responses to them. For those who don’t know or who have forgotten, the organizers created the May Day Ball expressly as a formal event, something that would be different and set apart from everyday activities, specifically a haven from adventures, supernatural activities, and the like.
There are numerous other threads where you can do such things to your heart’s content. However, there are few refuges for those who enjoy more peaceful pleasures. We try to maintain their havens as we can, since gentle souls tend to simply disappear when they feel their reveries have been invaded.
It’s all right if nothing “exciting” is happening on the thread. At every moment, whether someone writes a comment or not, the ball is alive. There is music playing — something beautiful and danceable, lively but haunting; there are dancers on the floor, whether they speak aloud or not, exchanging quiet banter with their eyes or laughing at their own awkwardness or in shy admiration of their partners; in inconspicuous nooks of the room, if you look closely you will see the more retiring souls swaying softly to the music, filling their senses with the swirling colors, the mingling susurration of ballgown fabrics and conversation.
These things and more are happening every moment. Listen. Breathe. Absorb. Watch through half-closed eyes, with the half-dreaming mind of when you’re not quite awake in the morning, not quite asleep at night, and then ask if that moment really needs to be assaulted.
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*claps happily* Thank you for speaking up, Lady B!
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We finish the song, and I walk over and ask Jakob if he’d like to dance. For a minute, I have a vision of a shiny blue orb and jets of water, but I banish it as a memory of a dream.
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I walk along the side, toward the refreshments table, until I get to a corner where I can listen to the music. I think about playing “A Winter Tale” when I’m sure I’m not going to interrupt anyone, and slowly walk over to the piano.
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*thoroughly enjoys the music, the dancing, and the decorations*
(212) ((Brava, Lady B. On the blog, a few threads — just a few — are sacrosanct. Apart from special events at Muse Academy , I’d classify Our Reclusive Gardens in that category.))
*continues thoroughly enjoying the music, dancing, and decorations*
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I dance with Miss Swann, enjoying the music.
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I stand puzzled, wondering why I feel like the past few minutes have vanished. I shrug and accept Rosequartz’s dance offer. I wonder briefly if my long pointy shoes will be bothersome, and take great care not to step on her feet.
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I open my eyes groggily to see a low, plain white ceiling. There’s a dim light source coming from somewhere nearby, and it’s peacefully quiet. I’m lying on something soft.
I blink, and use my elbows to push myself up into a sitting position. I’m on a twin-size bed, in a small room lit by a single bare lightbulb. My wung, Serendipity, is skittling about on the floor.
Another wung is perched nearby, gesturing with an appendage to a door. I slowly get up, perching Serendipity on my shoulder, and push the door open. There’s the ballroom, filled with people dancing. I step out and rejoin the May Day Ball.
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Boy, I Thought, my feet are SO sore!
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As Gradster and I keep dancing (doing a pretty good job, I might add! :D) my *other* doppleganger comes down from the rooftop garden and gets onstage to sing, providing the music. I sing a song from Annie Get Your Gun, that I heard the night previously at a music concert.
Don’t ask me just how it happens,
I wish I knew,
I can’t believe that it’s happened,
And still it’s true…
I got lost in his arms
And I had to stay;
It was dark in his arms
And I lost my way.
From the dark came a voice
And it seemed to say,
There you go,
There you go….
How I felt as I fell
I just can’t recall
But his arms held me fast
And it broke the fall,
And I said to my heart,
As it foolishly kept jumping
All around,
I got lost,
But look what I’ve found!
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I warp into what appears to be a small bedroom with a twin size bed , lit up by a single bare lightbulb. A wung is skittering around the floor. The man I rescued groggily goes through a door that happens to lead to the ballroom. He pushes the door behind him as if to close it, but it doesn’t latch.
Suddenly, Rainbowstar appears on the bed. She looks unconscious. She wakes up after a minute, and she looks like she had just been chloroformed. She pushes herself up with her elbows and looks around.
I gesture towards the door. Rainbowstar slowly gets up and perches her wung on her shoulder. She then goes out the door into the ball room and rejoins the May Day Ball.
My Ωmegatrix starts beeping and times out, causing me to transform back to normal. I then go into the ball room. I wait for the song to end, and then I get on stage and sing “Kihon wa Maru”.
Kihon wa Maru
Verse 1
Kihon wa maru
maru, kaite maru
maru, kaite maru
goma kaite maru
migi ni chotto maru
hidari ni chotto maru
shita no kocchi ni mo maru
shita no acchi ni mo maru
sankaku onigiri de mumuu
hontai onigiri de nikou
Ohayou!
Kaabii harapeko daa
Verse 2
Kihon wa maru
tamago kaite maru
tamago kaite maru
tamago ni goma maru
maru ja nakute gunya
biyoyoyoyon no gunya
manna ga petan omanjuu
chounagai maru
chounagai maru
ue ne chotto no maru
yappa saigo wa maru
kanarazu
Dedede wa yattekuru
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I sit down at a table and watch the dancers. I would love to dance, but I don’t really know anyone well enough to ask them. I sigh. Oh well. Being a wallflower can be fun too.
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After AJAR is finished, I get up and sit down on the piano bench, making sure no one else is singing or playing. The music flows beautifully out of the piano, and I don’t make any of my usual mistakes. “Hmmm…” I think, “This piano plays perfectly. Cool!” I get up once I’m finished to let others play and sing without interruption.
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While dancing, a thought suddenly pops into my head. When Atlantis lands on Friday, I want to dedicate a song to the crew.
But just what song?
I mull it over in my head as I dance.
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While I mull over this, I decide to go get some more food.
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The dance finishes. I offer to Gradster, “Would you like to go get some punch? I daresay I need some more.”
“Why, sure,” he replies, and we join Kai by the punch table. I grab us some purple punch, and we sit by te table watching the dancers go by.
“Lovely party, isn’t it?” I say contemplatively as the ball gowns and black shoes flow past.
“Sure is,” he replies. “Pity it has to end soon.”
“I’m really going to miss it,” I agree. It’s been a great time. The May Day Ball is always my favorite of the year…Hey, speaking of May day…!
“We still haven’t done the Maypole dance!” I exclaim.
((Is there usually a Maypole dance at the May Day ball?))
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((Yikes, haven’t been over here in a while.))
I decline MissSwann’s invitation to dance, and instead go grab some punch. I lean back against the wall and watch everyone dance. When the song finishes, I ask, “Does anyone want to dance?”
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I groggily open my eyes and discover I am standing near the food table. Ferelda is inspecting a wung button. My dress is de-pied. Nice. I grab a few truffles, wondering what happened to the Thing. And why I somehow managed to stuff up my longest-running AE ever. Oh well.
I wonder if Enceladus is here and whether he has a dance partner, as everyone else seems to (I assume SunRunner is a girl?). Then I see Sequoia. “Sure!” I say happily.
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“I love the May Day Ball, too, although this is my first one. The Holiday Ball was also nice, but I’m still a little freaked out over what happened at the Halloween Ball.”
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Insane MLDM accepts my dance request. “Thanks! Lets go,” I say. We scurry out onto the dance floor just as a new song begins. It is a brisk waltz and we twirl around the room in a graceful frenzy. ((If that’s even possible.))
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227-Yes, I am female.
On that note, would anyone like to dance?
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I walk over to the refreshments table. I stare at the Puffin Puffs. “Kind of strange…” I murmur, and walk away to stand in the corner and watch, Maple hopping around my feet.
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I take some vegetable chips to munch on.
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“Great party,” I comment as I dance with Jakob.
I notice that he’s wearing very long pointy shoes. Immediately after I notice this, I step on his feet. Pretty hard, if I can judge by the wince.
“Sorry!” I exclaim. “I’m a total klutz.”
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I observe the ball, hoping someone will play some entertaining music. I continue to look at the Puffin Puffs suspiciously.
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*wears golden gown edged with silver*
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I shuffle up to the microphone and make sure it’s working.
“Okay, I would like to dedicate this song to the seven astronauts aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis who just returned to Earth after their successful mission to Hubble:
“I can see clearly now, the rain is gone,
I can see all obstacles in my way
Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind
It’s gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)
Sun-Shiny day.
I think I can make it now, the pain is gone
All of the bad feelings have disappeared
Here is the rainbow I’ve been praying for
It’s gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)
Sun-Shiny day.
Look all around, there’s nothing but blue skies!
Look straight ahead, nothing but blue skies!
I can see clearly now, the rain is gone,
I can see all obstacles in my way
Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind
It’s gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)
Sun-Shiny day.”
Yes, I know, it’s corny. But that’s what they played as the wake-up call on the FIRST servicing mission to Hubble back in ’93.
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((I don’t think it’s corny.))
I clap loudly for Kai Yves, and wonder whether I should sing something.
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I wander over to the refreshment table and pick a truffle to munch on. I look at everyone dancing, and I mentally curse my introverted-ness that prevents me from asking anyone to dance.
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Stepping down from the microphone, I get some more vegetable chips and admire the decor.
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((JAKOB!!!!))
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((Hello? Anyone still posting here?))
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YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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The ball seems to have wound down, as it’s the wee hours of the night now. *snags a puffin puff* Would any of the ladies here care for a last dance?
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*wears cool dress* HI!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Of course!!!!!!! *dances with*
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Are you talking to POSOC? Because if you are, you should reply to his comment somehow.
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As the ball begins to draw to a close, I linger. Wandering over to the tray of puffin puffs, but decide not to try any. People are beginning to leave, and I take my time ambling towards the door as well.
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It’s almost the end of the ball, and I’ve enjoyed it immensely. I look around for a GAPA to congratulate for arranging this wonderful experience.
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The GAPAs all agree that this has been an extraordinary evening, probably the best May Ball in recent memory.
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((Naw….the last one was better. Though I suppose I shouldn’t talk, since I was absent for almost half of this one….))
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Yes, the ball continued even when nobody was looking (or posting). You may have missed it, but we Administrators experienced the whole thing and thoroughly enjoyed it. We might have to keep this thread open for reminiscences.
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((Yeah….I’ll read the thread eventually. There doesn’t seem to be much point in me coming back now, since it’s basically the end, but I definitely enjoyed the part that I went to.))
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I wander over to the food table, to grab a snack before leaving. Serendipity stretches out a fluffy appendage and takes a croissant. So wungs like pastries, I mentally note. I take a wung button for myself. “Bye, everyone!” I say, and eat my wung button as I walk out the door.
Serendipity perched on my shoulder, I enter my vehicle and press a few buttons.
Whirr … whirr …
And I am gone.
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I stop dancing with Sequoia and we walk over to the food table. I take a few truffles. “Bye, all!” I say. “See you at the next ball!” I wave Sequoia, Rebecca, and everyone else, and leave.
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“I Changed my gown” I said.”I COMPLEATLY lost my taste for gold.” I was then wearing a purple, iridesent,velvet gown sorta like Luna’s. (who I think should be Prez.) I took one last glance at the fancy ballroom,said ‘bye to everybody,gather up my Wungs and leave, in a cascade of Wungs and velvety,iridesent,purple.
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Again with the obnoxiousness, Catkopelli. *Grammar And Spelling Police corrects your post* Should read, “‘I changed my gown,’ I said. ‘I completely lost my taste for gold.’ I was then wearing an iridescent purple velvet gown a little like Luna’s. I took one last glance at the fancy ballroom, said my farewells to everyone present, gathered up my wungs and left in a cascade of wungs and iridescent purple velvet.” Or something along those lines.
It’s really annoying when someone uses COMPLETELY incorrect grammar and spelling in their post. Come on, Catkopelli, you could have fixed that. And the randomness of “(who I think should be Prez.)” is profound. President of what? And why are you talking about it here?
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YOU-KNOW-WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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It’s nearly time to go. I wave goodbye to everyone and take one last look at the cherry blossoms before leaving.
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I walk out of the ballroom, congratulating the MBers who played or sang. Maple trails behind me, and I walk back home to my “reclusive garden”.
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I then turned and kicked the whole GASP You-Know-Where.
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Really!
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