Off comes the makeup
Off comes the clown's disguise
The curtain's fallin'
The music softly dies.

But I hope your smilin'
As you're filin' out the door
As they say in this biz
That's all there is... there isn't any more.  (The Curtain Falls - Bobby Darin)

It recently was my pleasure to attend not one, but two very different
events within the city of Fort Myers. One being the gathering hosted
by Dragon Mihail Voda of the clan Daeva, the other Beings of Power
thrown by Cirque du Nocturne representing the Circle. With two such
strong examples of party styles, who am I to refuse the opportunity to
compare?
While it would seem on the surface that Mr Voda and the rest of the
Daeva put no serious thought or effort on their gathering, I would
like to take a moment to shatter those illusions. It was to be a grand
experiment and challenge, with the subjects being those residents and
visitors who attended the gathering. The test? Why, to see just how a
large group of kindred would act when forced to commingle with kine. Mr
Voda had put in the expense of renting a bar for the evening,
including staff, and even went to the trouble to find a moderately
skilled cover band to perform. The thought was that kindred would
properly censor themselves, and that any true issues to arise would
almost certainly be able to get cleaned up before they became
irreparable. No, the failure was not for a lack of an idea.

Unfortunately, Mr Voda failed to have contingencies in place. When the
Ventrue did just what any right-thinking kindred would do by removing
all kine from the location with little haste and leaving the
Masquerade intact, he could only state his disappointment. All
entertainment of the night was then left to the guests to find for
themselves. While this meant calm conversation and some awkward pauses
through most of the night, it somehow came to blows between the three
present clan members by the closing of the evening. I must admit that
I’m a bit disappointed, as I had hoped that the clan best known for
their social charms would be able to work together to make a good
appearance.

Some snippets from the night:
“…all Daeva go to home depot for their sex toys, and all Gangrel go to the zoo.”

“I can feel the dots on your shirt.”

In comparison, Cirque du Nocturne’s gala event was full of charm and
dare I say life. The hosts grabbed hold of the theme and brought it
full into the light. Guests were encouraged to abandon delusions of
grandeur and acknowledge those who they hold higher than themselves.
They provided entertainment that was engaging, but not disruptive as
it may have been in the past. The few snafus that did occur were
handled quickly and discretely. In all, the evening was viewed as a
success.
While most of the guests did not take part in the costume contest, I
would still like to take a chance to comment on a few of those who
did. Firstly, I offer congratulations to the winner of the
competition, Lady Arabella Evengii for her homage to the late Alder
Evengii. The decision was not easy for the judges, and if I had a hat
I would tip it to you, Madam. Some other highlights found were Prince
McKay’s interpretation of Death, as well as a certain Shadow who
showed a surprising amount of wit by coming as “The Man in Black”
himself. I can only imagine what some others would have been able to
create had they chosen to take part, worries of hubris and dishonor
aside.

Some things that just didn’t fit in:

To the man climbing on tables, don’t worry, you’re far from useless.

To the De la Vegas, I’m somewhat impressed by the socializing that can
take place at a nearly full table in the far corner of the room.

To Alex the Axe, I’m sure you’ll get it eventually, just keep trying dear.

“Language Roulette” will likely be the hot new game.

Certain Shadows would be best served attaching themselves to different
bodies, for survival’s sake.

To Mr. Dart: keep looking. Just because one didn’t pan through doesn’t
mean others won’t.

And finally, a quote:
“’You see, we called him Voldemort because we can’t say his name
wherever he’s Prince.’
‘I don’t get it.’”

-
Aaryanna Bucher
Prince's Harpy of Fort Myers

I guess one of the main sticking points for me, in EVERYTHING he's said so far, would have to be that whole "dedication and worship to the goddess is primary" thing. I mean, REALLY? "Tribulation brings enlightenment, we must suffer to progress, blah blah blah." Thing is, though, things have been FAR too easy for me, comparatively, since joining in this thing. I come, I snark, I get to watch some good shows, get to have people be impressed by the STUPIDEST fucking shit I can pull out, and everyone is content to just leave me alone.

Not just internally, either. I go to gatherings, I sit, I chat on autopilot while plotting out new potting schedules or street locations or positions and locations I've yet to try. The pretty priest Prince using me as a convenient place to rest his eyes when he has something he feels must be said to the entire room, and I'm off thinking about the blond I ate earlier and just how empty her mind really WAS.

The anonymity of sub-developments is a beautiful thing, really. If you have no children, are relatively quiet, and don't take up the entire street with guests, you will NEVER see one of your neighbors up close. Lovely, really it's nearly as convenient as being in a real city, except that I get to have a yard to do things in. Fences, too... I wonder how well my garden would be received without the fence. No, I much prefer it to just be me, my plants, and the moonlight. I might share them with someone else, sometime. They did seem to take very well to... what did I name him? I know it started with a letter of some sort... Hum. I'm sorry I've forgotten you, but you certainly did make the poppies more cheery and red.

Oh! Right, focus, that's what I was trying to get to. I seem to be lacking that of late. A driving direction, a purpose, some reason why I don't just sit at home and read, and occasionally go out for a bite to eat. Something other than the ease of thinking with background noise, and the occasional circle bellydancer. I know there's an answer to that. I just can't put my finger on it, and I'm just so BORED with the talks so far "remember where we came from", "embrace the man instead of the beast", "Remembering the human parts of ourselves is the key to success." The booze is just not worth this and the perks are just not as shiny as they used to be.
 

Jumping on the bandwagon! 
PC Name (mine or yours) + Song = Something written by me. Those who tag me may or may not get tagged back for the same.

Julie's PCs in play:
Aaryanna Bucher (requiem)
Scolex (Awakening)
Summer Evans (Forsaken)