Apr
10th
2016
Serious question. · 9:04pm Apr 10th, 2016
If you've been reading Transdementia, you know that the plot is rapidly approaching the Fall Formal. However, I've run into a bit of a snag. You see, due to a complete lack of interest on my part, I never actually attended any sort of event like the Formal when I was a teenager, and thus I have only the vaguest notion of what kind of thing normally happens at this sort of thing.
As I know that many of my readers are closer to their high school years than I am, I figure I could just ask you: What happens when there aren't any magical talking ponies engaging in a power struggle?
I've never been to one of those things, either, so you can make it up and I won't notice.
Bad music, worse dancing, awkward romance, strong hormones, and all too inexpensive punch being passed around. That's how I remember the couple dances I attended in high school, all those moons ago when pocket-sized cell phones were new and SEO wasn't on anyone's resume.
I only went to two dances other than senior prom. It was mostly hanging out in a gym with a half-assed decorations covered up by the otherwise totally unnecessary fog machines (which ended up giving my asthmatic date miss the whole thing) and poor lighting. The music was covered by some dj who the school found I don't know where, playing songs they thought the kids were "into these days."
My favorite part was when some girl who must have been wasted (don't ask me how) asked me if I wanted to dance and then starting grinding without waiting for my answer. Noped the hell out of there, let me tell you.
Then again, I grew up in Rockford, IL, one of the worst ranked cities in the US to live in. With Rarity, Pinkie, and Vinyl Scratch working on the fall formal, perhaps my experience isn't exactly indicative of what Penny and Pinkie are bound to experience.
Basically a lot of posturing and awkward dancing. You go to be seen by a bunch of people with an attractive date and little else. Ooh, and getting grilled by your date's parents on the way to the dance, that was always fun. The only time I actually enjoyed one was when I went with friends instead of a date.
I went to a few when I was actually in school. Though I can't tell you anything because I was the shy kid who stuck around the snack table.
If you ever watched the prom scene of Kim Possible So The Drama or seen the EQG 3 The Friendship Games before the games officially started, the party they have is most likely the same thing they do for the Formal.
Uhhhh, no idea, I am also one of those people who don't go to dances n' stuff. Then again, I also go to a charter school, and those aren't the norm. I've heard that my school dances have decent music, decent food and drinks, and good company.
If the Fall Formal is a looked forward to event, I bet it would have decent catering at least. With party foods, chips and dip, few deserts, soda, things along that line. Don't know what would count as good music, I am behind the curb on that account. And if you don't enjoy the music, or food, you can always talk to your friends.
A bunch of standing around, pilfering from the food and punch table, and the occasional group dance (I.e. "cha cha slide" "Cupid shuffle").
You'd probably be better off with the stereotypical "someone spiked the punch" school dance than a "normal" school dance.
I, too, held little interest in such events. I never attended any school dances until my senior year, when I realized I hadn't attended any, and I figured if nothing else, I should go to senior prom. My senior prom story:
- My tickets to the prom were free, because my mother realized that it would be her last opportunity to purchase school fundraiser wrapping paper (me being the youngest child), so she bought a metric ass-ton of the stuff and anyone who sold enough wrapping paper got free prom tickets
- My suit was free, because I wore my grandfather's old tuxedo (complete with old-timey coat tails) instead of renting a new tux.
- My date was free, because I took an underclassman friend of mine (she wanted to go, but underclassmen were only permitted if they were the date to an upperclassman) rather than a real date.
- My ride was free, because we took my car instead of renting a limo.
On the night of the prom, I shaved my face and got dressed. I did not realize until returning home that I had forgotten to put on the cummerbund. (I'd never worn a tuxedo before or since, sue me.) When I got to the front door, I discovered that the theme was "Havana Nights", and they were handing all the guys fake mustaches on arrival. Considering I'd had a full mustache before shaving it off less than an hour before, I declined.
Inside, the lights were low and there was music playing, although it's been so long I don't recall what. Considering the theme, it was probably something Cuban I wouldn't recognize, anyway. There were few people dancing; my "date" and I tried dancing, but neither of us held much interest or skill in that pursuit.
The food was pretty much fruit, marshmallows, and angel-food cake, with three chocolate fountains (white, milk, and dark; in the low-light conditions, distinguishing the milk chocolate from the dark chocolate was difficult). There might have been sliced rolls and deli meats to pick from too, but I'm not certain.
Less than halfway through the evening my "date", three friends we met up with while there, and myself decided the whole thing was boring, and we left. Just a few miles away was a laser-tag arena with an attached pizza joint. We had some real food and played laser tag in our tuxedos, full-length dresses, dress shoes, and high heels; it was the five of us together against some strangers. The girls did not score well.
It's a party with several hundred high school students, music that satisfies nobody, and dancing.
That's. About. It.
I had a longer answer written up when I realized I can answer your question more elegantly: Nothing happens, there's just music (that isn't very good) and a buffet table. That's it.
Poor lighting, music that you can shout over, a roughly 50/50 split between awkward dancing and spawn-camping the food. As long as you didn't take any of it seriously, it was good fun. As I recall, there was a circle of admirers at a respectful distance from the one person who could actually dance.