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Arabian Nights
Setting: Treasure caves by the desert
Main Hosts: Ali Babba and his lady
Comments/Critique
It sounds like a fun idea, but I'm not sure how many room ideas we can get out of it.

Classic Lit.
Setting: The library, and then enter the books from there
Main Hosts: Librarians
Comments/Critique:
There are plenty of great plots and characters already available for hundreds of stories, and we can edit these to suit our needs. It also seems like it could add some uniformity to the rooms.

the Undead
Setting: A small town in Georgia...
Main Hosts: Two humans who are trying to get away from zombies
Comments/Critique:
I know that several people within the ball hate zombies, so it would make it uncomfortable for them. I also don't know how we can stretch this out into several rooms. They would all pretty much seem to have the same plot.

Steampunk
Setting: Parallel universe Victorian England
Main Hosts: Engineers or Scientists
Comments/Critiques:
It is a very popular genre right now, and we could have rooms based off of different types of inventions.

Dark Carnival
Setting: A traveling carnival in a rural area
Main Hosts: Ring Master and Trapeze Artist
Comments/Critiques:
We could go in a ton of different directions using the different staples of carnivals.

Myths and Legends
Setting: Irish countryside
Main Hosts: Two children
Comments/Critiques:
We could easily manipulate several pre-made stories for our own use, but we might have a little trouble unifying them for the main plot.

Zodiac
Setting: Ancient Greece/Rome (wherever they originated)
Main Hosts: Two humans
Comments/Critiques:
This one might make people feel uncomfortable for religious reasons, and we're going to need to pair off the twelve members of the zodiac.

Sea
Setting: Deep under the sea
Main Hosts: Mermaids?
Comments/Critiques:
I don't see how we can make the rooms different enough.

Time Periods
Setting: Victorian England
Main Hosts: Researchers
Comments/Critiques:
Use artifacts to take people back to different time periods, and you've got some easy rooms to work with!

Video Games
Setting: Inside the video game world
Main Hosts: Video Game Characters
Comments/Critiques:
There are many different games we could use for rooms, but we would have to be careful how we played it because of copyright issues.

Arabian Nights
Setting:
Main Hosts:
Comments/Critique I haven't really gotten any ideas for setting or hosts for this one, but if necessary, we can combine it with the classic-lit theme, since the Arabian Nights is definitely a classic.

Classic Lit.
Setting: A bookstore that sells used books
Main Hosts: The owners of the bookstore, or the characters in the oldest book?
Comments/Critique: I had another post in one of the survey threads about this one. I was thinking that this one would be one of the best ideas because it gives more room for diversity, and we definitely need an idea that would make everyone comfortable. Horror stories, for instance, are great but not for everyone (they make me really uncomfortable!). A literature theme would give horror fans the opportunity to create a great scary story with the undead and all the other classic horror themes, without making EVERYBODY do that. Anyhooo...my idea (which makes no sense but I'll put it out there anyway) is that the books are magical and the characters can visit other books, but only at certain times. So there are characters from several types of books who are getting bored with their regular lives and decide to visit other books to see if they like the "other side" better...only, for some reason, the crossovers are getting harder and harder, so the characters have to get back to their own books before they're trapped in each other's worlds. Also, because the characters are going to other stories, the very integrity of each story is jeopardized because all of the crossovers are making each in-story universe so unstable. Crossovers between genres could be played for comedy, drama, or a little bit of both. It could be as silly as a hard-boiled Dashiell Hammett-esque private eye finding himself embroiled with sorting out the romantic problems of the Bennett sisters in Pride and Prejudice, or spies from a WWII spy novel finding themselves in a Jane Austen-esque village where NOTHING DANGEROUS EVER EVER HAPPENS, or something really serious and heartrending (but my brain gears towards comedy and mystery; Serious Literature plots are admittedly not my forte). The sky's the limit!

the Undead
Setting:
Main Hosts:
Comments/Critique: I concur with Chibi on this one: There are too many people (myself included) who are really uncomfortable with the whole ball being dedicated to the undead. sweatdrop I'm all in favor of having a room dedicated to the undead (Classic Lit would be great for this, as many of our conceptions/perceptions of the undead come from classic novels), but making the whole ball an undead theme might alienate more people than it draws in.

Steampunk
Setting:
Main Hosts:
Comments/Critiques: Steampunk would be fantastic! Again, I don't really have ideas for hosts or settings, except that maybe we could expand it and instead of just doing steampunk (Victorian-era sci-fi aesthetic), maybe we could take the essence of the steampunk aesthetic (the way people of the past viewed what the future would be like) and also do the sci-fi/"high-tech" aesthetics of different eras, from DaVinci's time all the way up to the '60s. I know that these aren't steampunk, but the idea is similar. So we could have a traditional Victorian steampunk room, a Renaissance-era Da Vinci room, a Sky Captain/Rocketeer kind of 1940s room, etc. Again, I know I make no sense, but that's the only way I could think of multiple rooms for any theme like this. I'm awful at brainstorming...

Dark Carnival
Setting: A mysterious carnival that no one has seen before or since, full of magic and wonder...
Main Hosts: Barkers?
Comments/Critiques: I haven't thought of anything for this one yet...

Myths and Legends
Setting: A library? Could also be combined with the classic-literature theme.
Main Hosts: Librarians or historians
Comments/Critiques: I don't have any for this one yet...

Zodiac
Setting:
Main Hosts:
Comments/Critiques: Again, I concur with Chibi that as popular as this idea seems to be, there are just too many of us (including me) who would be very uncomfortable with it for religious reasons.

Sea
Setting: Exactly what it says on the tin. mrgreen
Main Hosts: You could go lots of ways with this one, including having scientists or merpeople!
Comments/Critiques: This could be a really fun theme, and maybe the rooms could be based on the "zones" of depth in the ocean. And the deepest part of the deep sea is rife with mystery and creepy creatures, so there's horror potential there. 3nodding

Time Periods
Setting: Gosh, the best setting I can think of for this one is a museum, and that's already been done in A Night at the Museum, so I wouldn't want us to get in trouble with the copyright people. BUT we could also do some other fun settings, like an antique store or maybe the attic at Grandma's house.
Main Hosts: If we do Grandma's attic as a setting, the hosts could be Grandma and Grandpa, the owners of the house and the keepers of all the items within.
Comments/Critiques: This is another theme that has some of the best potential for keeping everyone reasonably comfortable. There is boundless potential for coming up with good stories, and again, if anyone wants to do a scary room, there's definitely potential there. ("NOBODY expects the Spanish Inquisition!!!") My idea is that the items in the attic actually take whoever touches them back to the era in which they originate. Like maybe an ankh artifact will take you back to ancient Egypt, or a feather boa will whisk you away to a speakeasy in the Roaring Twenties. But as the items are getting more unstable for some reason (maybe they're just decaying because they're old items, and attics aren't the most safe places for antiques), it becomes harder and harder to get back to the present (and time travel makes history so unstable), so the hosts (the homeowners and the people who lived in the eras in question) have to enlist the guests' aid in restoring the status quo.

Video Games
Setting: A video game store, or maybe the home of a collector who has to have one of everything!
Main Hosts: The home/store owners? I'm not very creative, I'm afraid...
Comments/Critiques: Admittedly, I'm not much of a gamer, so other than a general concern about copyright issues, I'm not sure I have much to add. What I do know, though, is that video games are fun, and there are so many games and genres out there that they're like books and movies: There's something for everybody! heart

My final thoughts: I like most of the themes except the two that I expressed objections to. And I also want to reiterate that my objections aren't in any way meant to spoil the fun or rain on anyone's parade in any way. I just really am concerned for religious and personal reasons about the two themes I've mentioned above, and I don't want to have to wind up leaving the ball over it. Don't get me wrong; this would not be an "I didn't get my way so I'm taking my toys and going home" decision; I really would genuinely be heartbroken if I had to choose between something as wonderful as the ball and something as important to me as my personal religious beliefs, and I really don't think it should have to come to that, for anybody.

In the end, we're like a family here--we're a diverse group of people who come together to do something awesome every year. Sometimes we laugh, sometimes we cry, and sometimes we bicker...but at the end, we create something special that we all love and that appeals to a wide range of people. I know you can't please everybody, but we still need to remember the feelings and beliefs of all our brothers and sisters, and try to come up with something that everybody feels okay with. 3nodding

/babbling Dang, I talk too much! sweatdrop

Arabian Nights
Setting: Caves in the desert
Main Hosts: A Genie, and Ali Babba
Comments/Critique Honestly, it sounds like a fun idea.

Classic Lit.
Setting: A Grand Library
Main Hosts: The Librarians
Comments/Critique: Each room can be a basic genre of books, Horror, Romance, Adventure, Comedy, etc. But would it be entirely fiction, or should we delve into Non-Fiction?

the Undead
Setting: A town in Kansas
Main Hosts: A Military Officer, and An old Farm Woman
Comments/Critique: I don't know, this seems like there would only be one room entirely.

Steampunk
Setting: 19th Century New York
Main Hosts: An Earl, and a Governess
Comments/Critiques: I like this one, because there are robots in Steampunk, who doesn't love robots?

Dark Carnival
Setting: A carnival set up in a deserted field.
Main Hosts: The Ring Master, and a Magician
Comments/Critiques: I have to admit, I have always loved circus/carnival themes. We don't have to go full on Horror. A dark carnival can just be very strange.

Myths and Legends
Setting: A meauseum in England.
Main Hosts: The Cureator, and the Anthropologist
Comments/Critiques: I don't really have a critique or comment for this one.

Zodiac
Setting: Among the stars. Maybe a field, or a gold, and black building.
Main Hosts: Taurus, and Leo
Comments/Critiques: I have to be honest, I am not in favor of this one. It's a great idea, but in a way it's also kind of blah. No offense to anyone, and hasn't the Ball already done a Zodiac theme?

Sea
Setting:
Main Hosts: Posiden, and a Mermaid
Comments/Critiques: Erm, how different can we make the rooms?

Time Periods
Setting: A
Main Hosts:
Comments/Critiques:

Video Games
Setting:
Main Hosts:
Comments/Critiques:

Arabian Nights
Setting: An Oasis in the dessert
Main Hosts: Sultan and Sultana
Comments/Critique We could have it were everyone is enjoying the party and suddenly desert raiders attack. From their room are set up for those captured, those who fled, or those who fight. Depending on what each person does sets the storyline for a room. Like those who fled may find the Djinn, those who got captured meet Alibaba, etc.

Classic Lit.
Setting: A regal manor with old world architecture
Main Hosts: Duke and Duchess or a Lord and his Lady
Comments/Critique: Invited to the Manor of _____ Gaians are enjoying themselves when suddenly the hosts announce that they tricked the Gaians there for another motive. To help stories that are fading into obscurity to be rekindled by having Gaians literally help enact a story. Each room in the manor could transport us to story which needs our help to complete it. The garden gate could be "The Secret Garden", a child's bedroom "Peter Pan", the library "Alice in Wonderland" , a dueling room " The Three Musketeers", the dungeons/basement "The Count of Monte Cristo", etc.

the Undead
Setting: Block Party
Main Hosts: Old Military War Hero
Comments/Critique: I think the best way to start this idea would be to have a block party type ball where suddenly sirens sound and news is heard on the radio about attacks/riots going on. Then everyone see's something headed down the block. From there everyone has to choose a room based on what they would do....kinda like a choose your own adventure.

Steampunk
Setting: An Airship
Main Hosts: ?
Comments/Critiques: ?

Dark Carnival
Setting: Circus
Main Hosts: Ring Master and Freak Show announcer
Comments/Critiques: Basically a ball for Gaians to dress up outside the norm of ball etiquette. The come as freaks and oddities where all are welcome. I don't know where we would go from there though. I see some potential though with clowns, swords, flame eaters, etc. Maybe each room must make a performance based on their Gaians look.

Myths and Legends
Setting: An outdoor ball with Ivy cover columns and small waterfalls
Main Hosts: ?
Comments/Critiques: Well I sort of had this theme idea but I thought that we could open with everyone enjoying the ball with their hosts ( not sure who yet) when a spirit of the stars appears wishing to join in but finds it is not corporeal enough on Gaia. To remedy this though Star child transports everyone to the realm of Legends. Here all the old stories are real amongst the stars. I thought that legends from around the world could be used so that there are different elements to for everyone to enjoy. Like Camelot (knights and magic), Native American Legends (cowboys, animal totems, Indians), Avalon ( fairies, fae, nymphs, etc.), Celtic (druids, banshees, leprechauns, brownies), Asian (dragons, demons, mulan, animal zodiac), Egyptian (mummies, pharaohs, sorcerers/sorceresses, Gods/Goddess, etc.)

Zodiac
Setting: A planetarium
Main Hosts: Astronomer and Astrologist
Comments/Critiques: Dancing amongst the stars the host suddenly discover a new object in the sky that is disrupting the alignment of the constellations. From their each Gaian can choose a room based on the constellation they wish to help. Each rooms story could be based on the constellations story.

Sea
Setting: Cruiseship
Main Hosts: A millionaire and Ship Captain
Comments/Critiques: This was also another idea of mine where we could be on the sea and suddenly attack by Pirates. From there the rooms would be based upon are actions. Like if captured we could become pirates or slaves, if we jump ship it's a deserted island or under the sea turned into a mermaid by a sea witch, or a survivor on the sinking ship rescued by a noble merchant ship.

Time Periods
Setting: Ballroom
Main Hosts: Rich entrepreneurs
Comments/Critiques: Mainly where a crazed scientist enters the ball screaming about finally conquering time with a machine in his hand. He's hoping to get endorsement from the hosts when suddenly he trips. The machine flies through the air landing on the ballroom floor with a loud crash that echos through the room and breaking said machine into little pieces. Silver dust spill out all over the floor and air causing the room to distort. From there each Gaian is transported to a different place in time.

Video Games
Setting: A Gamers Convention
Main Hosts: Game room hosts
Comments/Critiques: Have Gaians playing games and having fun when suddenly the host announce that they invited everyone to test out their newest invention, that would allow everyone to experience the game live. However when sending everyone in as a sample the hosts realize soon enough that their machine won't bring them out until the game is complete. Will the Gaians prevail or will it be game over for Gaia.

Arabian Nights
Setting: The Sultan's Palace, no?
Main Hosts: The Sultan and Scheherazade
Comments/Critique Well, we could reenact Scheherazade's storytelling for survival - with a twist. Not only does she have to tell the stories, the stories become alive...? And they have to go along the plot properly?

Classic Lit.
Setting: I don't think anyone (including me) has thought of anything but a bookstore or a library.
Main Hosts:
Comments/Critique:

the Undead
Setting:
Main Hosts:
Comments/Critique:

Steampunk
Setting: Great Britain (England?) in the Victorian Era
Main Hosts: Lady Victoria and Sir Victor
Comments/Critiques: Battle between the classes!

Dark Carnival
Setting: Well... a circus.
Main Hosts: The Ring Master and his daughter
Comments/Critiques: The Dark Carnival's magic has been disrupted! If they don't restore the balance soon, dark magic could spill onto the world! Something like that.

Myths and Legends
Setting:
Main Hosts:
Comments/Critiques:

Zodiac
Setting: THE UNIVERSE (vague, I know, but I meant something more like "Where the stars live")
Main Hosts: Dragon (if Chinese zodiac), or something random to do with stars (Western Zodiac)
Comments/Critiques: I don't exactly see the religion component of this theme, but perhaps it's because I'm an atheist?

Sea
Setting: Under the Sea!
Main Hosts: Merpeople?
Comments/Critiques: I really can't think of a plot at all.

Time Periods
Setting: I like the antique store idea by Mademoiselle Alvinette
Main Hosts: The storekeeper, his daughter? Ugh, I can't think of anything but the father/daughter combination.
Comments/Critiques:

Video Games
Setting: The video game world?
Main Hosts: ...Two players?
Comments/Critiques:

Arabian Nights
Setting: Very Aladdin-like, the castle and maybe the bazaar as well.
Main Hosts: A king/queen and their heir
Comments/Critique: I think this has good room for lots of people to jump in and make a character for themselves, but little creativity for individual rooms.

Classic Lit.
Setting:
Main Hosts:
Comments/Critique: I don't think we'll gain as wide of an audience as we desire with this theme. I think a more appropriate theme would be Literature and then a specific room can be for Classical. To be honest, I don't see this theme working out very successful ONLY because it is so specific already.

The Undead
Setting: Anywhere. The US, or maybe years in advance where we can say all the continents became one big blob.
Main Hosts: A zombie leader and the Anti-Zombie leader
Comments/Critique: I personally probably wouldn't join this roleplay. I dislike fighting roleplays, mostly because they're hard to regulate. I just don't know if it'll be worth us having to worry about people killing one another off and then getting all upset about it. Not to mention everyone has their own ideas of what a zombie is or isn't or how they'd act and it might conflict.

Steampunk
Setting: A run-down building type atmosphere
Main Hosts:
Comments/Critiques:

Dark Carnival
Setting: Self-explanatory. razz Maybe an old abandoned carnival. Some friends can stumble upon it and decide to host a party here, but then in the middle of the night the carnival comes to life and everyone attending is trapped inside.
Main Hosts: The party hosts OR the ring leaders
Comments/Critiques: I really love this idea. There's a lot of room for people to join in, possible rooms (like the different tents), as well as an easy to build theme. It is also something that almost anyone could take interest in. It's fun, but dark. Simple but also complex and etc.

Myths and Legends
Setting: Something very similar to Nightmare Before Christmas, but tales instead of Holidays.
Main Hosts: The Grimm Brothers?
Comments/Critiques: I dunno if I'm taking the right approach with this. But I also think this theme could be a very good one.

Zodiac
Setting: The night sky, maybe a palace in the stars
Main Hosts: Leo (King of the Zodiacs) and maybe another Horoscope
Comments/Critiques: Another one I love, the rooms can be divided into horoscopes with doubled up people. People who come in would most likely join their zodiac room and it would be smooooooth sailing.

Sea
Setting: .....Under the sea. o.o
Main Hosts: KING TRITON. (No, but, for real).
Comments/Critiques: Maybe a good one, I don't know. I just can't see how the rooms would be split up or if many males would like being a mermaid/man.

Time Periods
Setting:
Main Hosts:
Comments/Critiques: This has already been done. I think if it was chosen, it would be good and easy to plan but wouldn't we all rather use an original idea then recycle an old ball's?

Video Games
Setting: An arcade room maybe? The interwebz? Ooooh, I like that. We're all getting sucked into the internetz > biggrin
Main Hosts:
Comments/Critiques: I think mostly everyone on Gaia likes some type of video games, so we'd draw in a lot pf people. I think a plot would be easy to create and the rooms as well, but the character development for the hosts might be tough.

I reallly, REALLY don't wanna throw in my ideas for the other themes. Mostly because they don't appeal to me. But I could type up everything I have in mind for my preferred theme, Zodiac. But I don't want to waste the work...