#toamasquerade2024

[toa-masquerade]

Dancing is all well and swell, but so too must there be timely opportunity to unloose after the festivities have run their course.

Several circuits of the illusion-forged room bring him back to the center, to nowhere at all. A keen observer quick to note that such an aimless wanderer seems lost. It would not be a false assumption. He turns to the nearest stranger, in unwieldy search for words.

"..."

"..."

"...I am looking for the lavatory."

[theofficersacademy]

This year, in order to study Pasithee's mysterious illusion magic, the bishops of the church have set up a magical ballroom separate from the main party, where you can don a mask and dance with other masked strangers to your heart's content.

Welcome to the Masquerade!

The masquerade is an optional side-event within the Ethereal Ball. The Ethereal Ball has its own event conditions, so whether or not you participate in the masquerade will have no bearing on whether or not you can claim your prizes at the end.

Off in the corner of the ballroom is a mysterious illusory portal maintained by the bishops of the church. In order to enter, you must be wearing a mask, but once inside, you will witness an opulence you could only ever dream of. Inside is a beautiful, extravagant room of marble floors and chiseled columns, crystal chandeliers, and diamond chalices. A fine mist swirls about, lending an even more mysterious ambiance to the masquerade.

Inside, as long as you are wearing your mask, all other identifying features will be hidden from your partners via magic. Your partners can uncover who your muse is based on behavior or if you choose to reveal it yourself, but otherwise you must suspend your disbelief about how much the mask can actually conceal your identity.

How to Play

1. Everyone who submitted a mask last week can participate. If you did not submit a mask and would like to participate, DM Mod N directly for one. However, do be aware that making Mod N create new masks after we set up 10 days for you to submit earlier will detract from the amount of time Mod N can enjoy the event himself. We don't recommend this.

2. Follow the TOA Masquerade blog: @toa-masquerade

3. Submit a starter to the blog's submission box or pursue the starters that have been posted already. When you submit a starter, the mods will add your mask to the post and tag it with a unique thread number so that you can add it to your stats page later. For the sake of the game, try to remain as anonymous as you can, so we recommend not formatting your posts.

4. When you find a post that you want to respond to, submit your reply to the masquerade blog via the submission box. Be sure to include the LINK to the post that you're responding to so that the mod team can reblog the correct one. We will add your mask and the unique thread tag to the post.

5a. You may reveal your muse's identity at any time, after which you can continue reblogging the thread from your muse's own blog.

5b. Keeping in mind that the name of the game, prior to unmasking, is the idea of going incognito: you are still allowed to exchange brooch decorations while masked, but you will, until the end of event OR until said muse has revealed themselves if they should choose to do so, be unaware of exactly which decoration you have received.

6. To best keep the game flowing, the mod team highly encourages keeping posts short (ideally < 200 words)!

7. In the event that multiple people attempt to reply to the same starter, the first person to reply to it will be posted. All other parties will be DM'd by a moderator to let them know of what occurred and will be given the opportunity to repurpose their reply into an open starter instead if they so choose.

8. All posts will be tagged by the mod team with #toamasquerade2024

And that’s it! If you have any questions or concerns, please let the mods know!

- The House Leaders

[toa-masquerade]

For all they've heard balls be hyped up as the pinnacle of high society, it's mostly just a lot of standing around and talking to people. And dancing, too, of course, but even the veil of anonymity does not stop them from feeling shame at not knowing how to dance.

Well, fun can always be had in other ways.

"Let's play a game!" They say to whichever poor unfortunate soul is closest. "Twenty questions. If you can't figure out who I am, I get to keep your mask for the rest of the night."

[toa-masquerade]

The mouth of the portal opens into a spotless underbelly of glittering, sparkling, shining things. Gold and crystal; strangers spinning across the floor; smiling voices and coquettish quips. It's not a place fit for you by any means, but you swallow around the edges of unbelonging, eyes squinting through the gaps of the mask, and press yourself to the wall in observation of those around you.

They look happy, you think, even while wearing these foolish things. There's a brief thought across your mind, wondering if she would like to do something like this. If it would make her happy, too.

You make a loud sound through your nose, annoyance or contemplation. It's hard to tell for the person that settles next to you.

[toa-masquerade]

The illusory magic gives more than one guest pause, but even in the hesitation, there's something deeply exciting about this: Pasithee's magic or no, the flarelet surveys the opulent decoration, the sea of masks, and finds a burgeoning joy in it all. All hidden from sight, but all ready to mingle: It's the perfect opportunity to be yourself, or be someone completely else.

It'll make the guessing fun too, if guessing's part of the game.

They've made their decision on what they want to be. What about the others? Smoothly taking a set of glasses from a table along with a few delicate vanilla biscuits, they catch the eye of an empty-handed passerby by extending to them a glass of sparkling pear wine.

"Hey, having fun?" There's a chortle, warbled behind the illusion. "I can't help but wonder how we're supposed to know we got all our decorations, but honestly, it could be just as fun. You want to swap?"

[toa-masquerade]

Passing through the crowd is like a stone in a river.

People part almost too naturally - perhaps they've all stopped existing, incorporeal save for their hidden faces. Is everyone else smiling? You do not know, but you are, as gently as the mist that you have become. This room is far more tolerable than the ball itself, and as  the night progresses, you have spent more and more time here.

It is a delightful display, but you cannot help but think of the ways it could be weaponized. That anyone could be within.

Looking over to the side, you see someone else peering into the crowd, looking as if perhaps lost. You reach for the empathy in your heart and tap them upon the shoulder.

"Are you looking for a specific mask? Mayhap I can assist."

[toa-masquerade]

You are drawn to social situations like a bee to a flower.

You hover around the room, flitting from person to person, alighting where you wish. Small conversations, little exchanges of words, a smile that permeates your tone where your face is obscured. You are happy, alight, thriving. Your heels click on the floor in an all-too-satisfying way, and they lead you to a mask that piques your interest.

"May I have this dance?"

You bow, one hand behind your back, and extend a hand.

[toa-masquerade]

You blink and there is magic, so much magic, and you're of no such magical hand. It bedazzles you. Captivates you entirely with its silvers and crystalline decor, and you stand only in wonder amid the swirling mists and towering pillars of ivory. 

And there is thud at your back, for you've been standing there too long, and you look aside to another masked face. 

"My apologies," You hum softly, smiling though it's lost behind your mask. "I was awed by the sights. I normally see rather well in dark places." And your voice is bolder now that you are hidden, and neither quiver nor quaver deters it. 

"Are you alright?"