Hullo Vital!

I am pleased to announce the opening of Virtues and Vices, the 8th Annual Vital Masquerade Ball! Follow the link to the main forum. I've included a forum where you can post events occurring above the party on the deck of the host ship. If you are finding that you are frequently posting in the main thread but that your posts are largely centred around a private discussion, I would ask you to move said RP to another thread in the dock district and to use the Topic Description Line to signal that it is part of Masque 2011. This will help to keep the main forum organized and to allow other people a chance to talk without feeling crowded.

As a side note, Bastien will attempt to meet and greet each of his guests in person – hopefully at the main entrance but if you get missed, I'll be sure to catch you later in the evening. Some of you may require formal introductions, you know who you are, and I'll try to get to those asap. If you can work it out among yourselves, please do so.

-B

Loving everyone's arrivals :)

Um, Bastien, I have a question. Can I pick a tune for the band to play for when Amber and Marcus have their first dance of the evening?

I was thinking this one http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YllbzNTFxQ

If you think its okay, might I suggest everyone pick a tune of their liking and post it in here for us all to listen to...might give us all a bit of inspiration to have suitable background music as we write.

Just an idea :)

I like this idea. The band is pretty much a background to the rest of the masquerade with no one really dictating their actions so sure, post songs (you could even use the http link system in IC posts to drop YouTube or other links in for reference) and dance away! The idea is to have fun so do what you need to to have it ^_^

Okay, thanks :) will see if I can find some other nice ones to put up.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZr8EK5icLI

Okay this isnt so much for the song as for the dance itself...I can just see them all doing this whilst keeping an eye on Miskal lmao! :heh:

Neat, what's it from?

Its from the last Step UP movie which I think is just called Step Up 3D. Not actually seen it myself, it was just a friend sent me the clip to show me the main guy and it reminded me of your masquerade :)

Would it be wrong of me to ask - what are we doing with this Masquerade now?

Are we giving up on it or...? <_<

I personally would love to carry on with it, it could be fun. Its a great idea and Bastien has put alot of thought into it. Where's the mojo gone guys?

I understand that people have real lives and that alot goes on, for everyone, but, come on, is it that hard to find 15-20 mins somewhere to write out a little post every now and again...?

Masquerade threads tend to die out after the initial introductions since those are where most people focus their efforts for the thread. These things tend to be more about who wore what and who they arrived with and which coven hosted the even and in which style – rather than about why anyone would come to such a thing.

But that's sort of the fun of it. I admit that I'd love it for the Masquerades to go longer, but the reality is: most players don't come to the Masquerade with much in the line of character motivation; they exist in a kind of bubble outside of the usual time and space of character narratives, or at least they seem to.

All that being said, I'm perfectly happy to keep going – Colum especially has only just gotten into his flirtations with Enoch and I'm sure Bastien would like to brood a little longer. Not to mention, Miskal and Marcus have yet to actually meet in the main ballroom and I'd hate to cancel the event before our recently returned players have a chance to give us a little more of an entrance... but there just doesn't seem to be support for it right now. The last post was 10 days ago which wouldn't normally be alarming if it wasn't for the plethora of people who were posting and the rate at which posts were coming before then.

Also, I think our current wave of activity is streaming more from our Mortal players and those that are RPing with them than from our vampires. This is a great shift in the represented population of Demaitre since we usually don't have any mortals, and if we do they don't last very long.

I think it might be best if we declare the Masquerade officially over and, for those of us who like to keep our characters' timelines relatively in synch (*raises hand*) we can say that things have progressed to "present day". In terms of ending the evening, I will allow players to decide for themselves exactly how the evening progressed. Bastien is unlikely to make another formal appearance aside from declaring the orchestra's last song, which is probably something light to get people up for one more dance. He will however have circulated and mingled, making sure to have small chats with each of the coven leaders and to extend them invitations to call upon him at the Church so as to discuss amending inter-coven relations (of course, Kie will not have been invited to the coven house but Bastien will still be polite with her).

Any questions, PM me or post here ^.^'

-B

Whatever you think best, although not sure what the point of it was if you just want to call it a day before its even got going, but...your call.

It just seems that we never get a conclusion to any thread and I have to admit it is getting highly frustrating and not through the lack of trying on my part.

Okay, rant over, will go back to...waiting.

Best wishes,

Amber x

My personal theory is that people are afraid to post too often. Heck, I myself was waiting because I posted one or two entries before Bastien's 'moving things along' post so I didn't want to seem obnoxious.

Or they're afraid to approach anyone. It's like a big awkward middle school dance and all the little vamps are standing with their backs against the wall staring at each other, wishing someone would ask them to dance. (Or was that just my middle school?) ... Annnd I didn't ask anyone to be my partner because many people this year seemed to mention in their opening posts that they were wishing to speak/interact with someone specific. I know, I know, excuses, but still.

Amber, if you want some sort of action in the Masque I can have Clementine approach your character. Okay, wait, maybe "action" was the wrong word with the middle school dance metaphor, haha. I don't mind playing on after everyone else has left, I've been known to be the last person to leave the party.

I'm happy to see it go to be honest.

Like you said, its a kind of bubble outside of any site narrative. I thought from the beginning that it was a bit tenuous having Miskal and co there. In a non-violent capacity, at any rate.

I'd love to have Marcus and Miskal cross fangs again, but I dont think the masuq is the right place to do it. It won't sit right with either of their characters, so far as I can see (granted I have no certificated training in such theatrical matters).

I admit I've been pretty flakey about replying of late, and I apologise for that. I'll continue trying to find time. *sigh*

That being said two good things have come to me as a result of the masque; annabel's painted face, and Miskal in a zoot suit. :P

"Crossing Fangs" sounds like a subliminal version of a Yaoi Scene, which I give my stamp of approval and encourage by a number over 9,000!!!!!!!!!!!! -insert girlie squeal-

But yeah, I did make a suggestion in the cbox a few days ago and I think that the whole thing could've been better played if the entire Masquerade thingy was a separate forum board all together. You can have your entrances in a Pinned Thread and then have people make their own individual thread, so it wouldn't be clustered nor bothering the regular site thread-age that has nothing to do with the Masquerade thingy whatsoever.

That way everyone could post at their own pace without having a billion people getting confused or overwhelmed by the swarms of people coming in.

I'll keep posting in the Masquerade as long as people are interested in doing so; closing it was merely my reaction to the observation that interest seemed to have waned. I fully acknowledge that people get busy and can't post AND that (perhaps ironically) currently our most active members are mortals who, aside from Amber, have either no business or no interest in attending the event.

If people wish to post please, please, please do so. The last thing I'd want to do was to discourage participation on the forums. That being said, I'd hate for the Masquerade to become a kind of cloud hovering over a player's head constantly nattering "Poooossst! PoooOOOooOOoossssst!" because that's just never fun.

-B