Seminar on Effective Posing

[Patrick Littell <pwl206@is9.nyu.edu>]

Nils raps his gavel on the podium and gives a hoarse shout: "Hear ye,
hear ye! The Viscount Nils does hereby call to order the Seminar on
Effective Posing!"

Nils indicates the README FIRST with one bony, extended finger. "Standard
seminar etiquette applies, page Ivanova to reserve a place in line, this
that and the other, you know the drill."

Iohannes walks in from Lower Lobby through the Double Doors.
Iohannes has arrived.

Ivanova waves her hand to the crowd and smiles.

Nils turns to the first page in his notes. "Tonight's seminar deals with
the Do's and Don't's of Posing. We'll start by pointing out some of the
most common pitfalls, and then suggest some tips to keep your RP fresh
and realistic."

Iason nods.

Nils adds, "I'd like to express my indebtedness to Kyleah of Dune II,
whose seminar on posing this one is largely based, and Zami, who provided
me with a document on posing from which I have drawn significantly.
Kyleah's seminar still exists on the Dune II website, at
http://www.fremen.org/muds/dune2/seminars/posing.html."

Nils notes, "Since no one's a perfect poser, this seminar is directed at
everyone--not just you the audience but me, Ivanova, my Guest Posers,
and--" Nils taps on the screen "--everyone out there in Log Land. So we
need everyone's input, and everyone's suggestions. Furthermore, since
we're holding this on such short notice, I only have about half of my
speech prepared, so you're participation is crucial. :P Just remember to
page Ivanova instead of just shouting out."

Ivanova waves her hand again to the crowd.

Nils says, "As Guest Posers, I have ordered a special troupe of Face
Dancers on overnight delivery from Tleilax to help demonstrate what to do
and what not to do. For convenience's sake, they have taken the forms of
Boris, Maia, and Ivanova. Do not be fooled."

Iason peers at Ivanova closely. "Hmm."

Boris takes on the form of Cindy Crawford, just to show the flexibility
of the Face Dancer form.

Nils puts down his notes, and raises his eyes to his audience, "This is
just my opinion, but I think a lot of you would agree: Posing is easily
the most important aspect of RP. Even more important than what we say. A
lot of what we actually say out loud here is diplomatic formalities and
empty talk; we obviously can't say what we think if we want to keep our
heads. Instead, to express our emotions, we have to pose what we really
think instead of speak."

Filarion shifts in his seat.

Ivanova thinks she agrees with Nils on that account.

Nils shudders. "We'll address 'thinking' later, Iva... :P"

Guest wonders if he is allowed to ask questions and such at this seminar.

Nils picks up a yellow, legal-sized piece of paper. "I'd like to read a
short statement from Zami's posing file that I think expresses this quite
well: 'Communication, in the real world, is only 3% of the words actually
being said. Over 70% of our communication comes from body language.
Another 20% comes from tone of voice. Unfortunately, when role-playing on
the MUSE, no one else can really SEE your body language or HEAR you tone
of voice. Therefore, it is imperative that you use poses to enhance the
role-playing that goes on around you.'"

Nils says, "Sure, Guest. Just page Ivanova if you'd like to speak."

Guest thanks Nils and Ivanova heartily.

Nils says, "Let's begin with that perennial scapegoat, 'Says.' Now,
there's nothing wrong with 'says.' I use it all the time. But it can be
easily overused. It's just so easy, just one character: ". When we get
lazy, it's all to easy to forget posing all together and just rely on
that handy quotation mark."

Nils says, "I have arrived, m'lord."

Ivanova frowns.

Nils swivels in his wheelchair to face the disguised Tleilaxu. "What can
we do to improve that?"

Boris marches into the room, throwing off a smart salute as he does so.
He summons up his most military voice and announces, "I have arrived,
m'lord."

Ivanova leaps from her chair, "I have arrived, m'lord!" in a happy tone.

Maia bows her head briefly as she curtseys before her liege, murmuring,
"I have arrived, m'lord."

Nils claps his hands in a quiet, effete manner, as if at the opera.
"Excellent, excellent."

Maia sticks her tongue out at Nils.

Boris smirks at Nils.

Iason passes around the drinks.

You say, "The general rule of thumb is 5 to 1... Five poses to one plain
ol' says. It's referred to in Kyleah's lecture as Old Shaddam's Rule."

Nils smiles and nods. "And now onto everyone's favorites....Smile and
Nod. Now, like 'says', there's nothing inherently wrong with smiling and
nodding. We do it all the time iRL. But when we smile and nod
continuously, in every single pose, it gets, to say the least,
repetative. Unless you're playing a pigeon, you probably don't want to
nod incessantly."

Ivanova smiles.

Nils nods.

Nils waits for his Face Dancers. "What can I do with that, O Human
Thesauri?"

Guest agrees vigorously and vocally with the ideas put forth.

Boris bobs his head up and down, affirming Nils' statement emphatically.

Ivanova folds her arms before her chest. With a slight pursing to her
lips, she inclines her head in ascention.

Maia dips her head in a brief nod, murmuring ascension.

Iohannes inclines his head in a curt movement.

Iason just smiles, inclining his head as he spreads his hands.

Filarion tilts his head a few inches and smiles.

Ivanova nods to Andrei, "Question/comment on the floor Nils."

Nils notes, "If anyone other than my special Guest Posers has a pose,
just go ahead and pose it. I'll waive seminar etiquette and allow a bit
o' spamm, if it's not excessive."

Nils indicates Andrei with an inclination of the head. "na-Baron
Harkonnen?"

Andrei says, "Alright, my point, comment is simply this: As long as one
moves with the same words, you could be very descriptive in your poses,
and they still would be "bad", as _I_ see it. Variation in the language
is extremely important.. Goes for more things than nods, smiles, chuckles
or laughs, IMO."

Nils nods. ;) "I think most people would share that opinion. If you
incessantly raise your eyebrow, scratch your beard, chew your pencil,
etc., and always use the exact same words, it's no different than our
friends Smiling and Nodding."

Ivanova nods to Guest, "Go ahead."

Guest says, "Ahem.."

Guest says, "By their very nature, some actions are repetitive, and there
is only so much variation one can put into assent. Is it not better,
sometimes, to pay more attention to the general story than to small,
usually inconsequential, actions within said storyline?"

Guest shuffles his feet nervously.

Nils runs his fingers through his beard, absently. "Generally, when I RP,
I find that I have plenty of time to spend a couple extra seconds on
':bobs his head emphatically' instead of just ':nods.' It often takes my
RP partner(s) long enough to respond that I can be well into my next pose
by the time they even reply. But there is still a place for short, simple
nodding. I'd follow Old Shaddam's 5:1 rule for this one, too."

Guest thanks the speaker, and sits back down.

Nils smiles. "Now smiling's a bit easier to spruce up than simple
nodding. What can we do with :smiles?"

Boris grins with lunatic menace, showing all his large white teeth.

Maia bows her head to hide a faint blush as the corners of her mouth
tease up into a smile.

Iohannes grins widely, exposing ruddy red gums.

Anthony walks in from Lower Lobby through the Double Doors.
Anthony has arrived.

Ivanova's eyes lower as the edges of her lips curl upwards. A small glint
appears in her eyes as she looks about the room.

Guest looks at you with a sadistic gleam in his eye, the corners of his
mouth turning up in a cruel, unholy grimace.

Anthony climbs upon the podium.

Guest likes posing.

Anthony looks around

Anthony hopes he will not regret leaving the relative comfort and
security of his hotel room.

Nils' lips draw themselves into a thin smile. He taps the tips of his
fingers together and intones, "Excellent."

Nils notes Anthony's entry. He catches his eye, and points to the README
FIRST object.

Iason offers a bland smile as he looks around, his expression carefully
composed to show nothing.

Nils thinks that, although those Bene Gesserit witches and various
abominations may have some sort of telepathic power, it's always odd to
actually hear people's thoughts during RP, as if people could project
their thoughts directly into one's mind...

Nils thinks, 'how absurd!'

Ivanova rolls her eyes at Nil's pose.

You say, "Let's see how we can improve this one..."

Boris 's expression leaves no room for doubt that he thinks Nils' pose
was simply absurd.

Guest sneers contemptuously at the absurd suggestion.

Maia lifts her eyebrows high, shaking her head slowly.

Iohannes glances at the speaker, his eyes wide in disbelief.

Ivanova raises a thin brow slowly as she peers at you.

Anthony steps down from the podium.

The way that Iason crosses his arms and looks over at Nils so coolly
telegraphs his feelings about Nils' pose clearly.

Iason says, "Well, that was bad. Damn brain."

Ivanova stifles a low chuckle with a single raised hand over her mouth.

You say, "Let's try another..."

Filarion let's his hand drop from his chin, his expression that of pure
disbelief.

Ivanova coughs lightly to clear her throat as she turns her eyes off to
one side.

Iason covers his mouth hastily, rapidly blinking.

Nils thinks that the speaker tonight is absolutely fascinating, and that
this is possibly the best lecture he's ever attended.

Guest recommends that Anthony listen to the speaker when he starts
speaking again.

Ivanova's brows both go up as Nils speaks. A quizzical look overcomes her
face yet she continues to keep her eyes trailing on the speaker.

You say, "Or...contrary-wise..."

Nils thinks this is worse than watching paint dry.

Iohannes shuffles in his seat, muttering to his seat mate. He fishes
about restlessly in his coat pocket...

Guest sighs tiredly and shifts his feet, wincing as they stick to the
floor.

Nils looks at Ivanova. "On to my next pet peeve...'Nils looks at
<whoever>.' Now, one out of every six times you need to look at someone,
that's okay, but what can we replace 'look' with?"

Nils looks at Maia and Boris, too. And all of the rest of you.

Iason scans the crowd, his gaze lingering on Ivanova for a moment.

Andrei regards the speaker with an eyebrow raised lightly in doubt.

Maia lets her gaze drift slowly, lingeringly down the Viscount's length.

Boris eyes Nils in return. "What? What?"

Anthony looks intently at Zami.

Ivanova narrows her eyes into a glare as she looks towards Boris.

Iohannes focuses his gaze upon the thin man upon the podium, before
turning to take in the disheveled multitude.

Filarion directs his whole attention to Nils, his gaze steady.

Boris fixes Andrei with a withering glare as he regards his troublesome
son.

Iason studies the Baron carefully, with a shrewd look.

Iohannes marks out the Baron for some grisly fate.

Nils smiles and nods, clapping loudly. "Molto bene, molto bene."

Ivanova tilts her head at Anthony as she raises an eyebrow and wonders
what he's looking at.

Filarion respectfully eyes the Baron, not meeting his eyes.

Ivanova nods to Andrei to speak.

Calida walks in from Lower Lobby through the Double Doors.
Calida has arrived.

Nils' eyes dart to Andrei, awaiting his question. They then scramble back
across the floor, up the podium, and return to their usual places inside
Nils' skull.

Anthony stares in silent horror at Nil ugly eyeballz

Andrei says, "Okay.. I've got a little point here. From us non-english
native speakers.. Ofcourse, spelling is something very important to RP.
And I know for a fact that alot of the respect one gets out of being a
RPer, comes from your ability to spell, just as much as your ability to
pose. There is an elitist clique, not as much on any single MU*, but a
clique that actually knows how to RP. Now.. Newbies, serious minded ones
who want to learn this stuff, obviously has no problem taking critisism.
The same goes, I would say for people who have english as their second or
third language.. I can only speak for myself, but I know I'm kind of
ashamed over the way I spell, and I feel that I, and others who have this
problem, could correct it more readily if it was commented upon if anyone
notices it. Ofcourse, critisism is never hard to give, or recive.. But if
everyone made it a point to show constructive critisism, I think alot of
the "judging" of people by their spelling could be removed. Just my
point."

Andrei expresses his shame at having spammed the room, as he hangs his
head like a man on the way to his own funeral.

Nils constructively criticizes Andrei's spelling of 'receive'. :P

Ivanova nods her head to Andrei, "Actually... it's not just English.
Canadians and folks from England spell things different from United
States people as well... eg, color vs. colour."

Anthony raises his hand and requests permission to speak.

Andrei nods to Ivanova. "Exactly.."

Guest recommends that Anthony page Ivanova and request a place in line.

Ivanova nods to Guest, "Go ahead."

Guest thanks Ivanova and begins to speak.

Guest says, "If you believe that "looking" impedes RP, then is there a
way to make the actual "look" command not echo to anybody except that
doing the looking? One doesn't always know when another is looking at
you."

Boris has connected.

Ivanova nods, "Actually... there is a way Guest. It's a coded item on the
character that makes you 'see' other people looking at you... it's called
@adesc. If folks want more information about this or other coding
specifics, we can talk about it at a seperate time."

Nils nods slowly, and looks at himself. "It's up to the person that is
looked at whether or not they want to know. If you want to be notified
when someone looks at you, type <@adesc me=think %N just looked at you.>
If you don't want to be notified, you can clear this with <@adesc me.>"

Guest says, "It'll have to wait till I get a real character, though."

Guest thanks everybody anyway, and sits back down.

Ivanova smiles and nods to Boris.

Boris says, "What's your opinion on posing where part of the pose is as
if told by a narrator. Let me illustrate."

Boris scratches his beard, wondering where Ulricke has gotten to. Damn
that girl, always running off like that. Still, like father, like
daughter.

Boris says, "No quotes in there. Some MUSHes hate that sort of pose."

Guest has disconnected.
Guest jumps back to the main OOC room.

Nils hmms. He pauses in thought for a moment. "I, personally, try to
avoid that sort of thing. But in matters of taste... If the scene will
benefit from it, I suppose you can, but I'd be careful, and not use it
too often. Iva? What's your take on this?"

Ivanova hmms lightly, "I've seen it done well with that fashion some of
the time. I think it's a style issue and if you're more comfortable with
one style or another... stick to it."

Boris nods. "Okay. I know there are some players on some MUSHes who get
real offended by such poses. Me, I'm okay with them."

Andrei says, "That kind of thing can be rather unethical though, if it
gives information that normally wouldn't be in the scene. Like
telling/hinting at OOC information, etc."

Syrion walks in from Lower Lobby through the Double Doors.
Syrion has arrived.

Nils taps on the screen overhead. "There's certain situations where that
can look good. It looks good when you're reading it in a log, but is less
effective during RP. If you're 'rping for posterity', that is, performing
for the larger audience of log readers, it can work, but it's a bit
disconcerting in normal, everyday RP."

Syrion introduces himself to everyone, then sits down in the same seat
Guest was in earlier.

Nils re-greets The Player Formerly Known as Guest.

Andrei raises a brow at Nils, knowing full well of the other mans
ruthless pursuit of power, knowing, deep in his heart that this is the
man responsible for the murder of his entire family.

Ivanova says, "though... at times, it helps some Rp'ers explain their
actions/expressions to a level that is understandable without describing
every little motion or action... an example. 'Ivanova rolls her eyes, in
the same way she always seem to when faced with this question.' ... it
helps to provide some familiarity with people who might KNOW Ivanova."

Boris says, "Good point, Andrei."

Anthony has to go IC again.....needs to get his bearings back.

Anthony heads back to the IC world of Dune III.
Anthony has left.

Nils notes, "Both Boris and I are known to use the infamous 'as
if'...'Nils raises his eyebrow, as if he was thinking that....' Okay,
lousy example but you all know what I'm referring to."

Boris glances quizzically at Nils, as if he were trying to remember an
example.

Nils shrugs, as if not caring whether he can point out a specific example
or not.

Nils bangs his gavel once more. "Okay, we've gotten through what /not/ to
do. Now, we'll be taking suggestions as to how to make your posing more
(choose one or more of the following:) varied, three-dimensional,
realistic, &c."

You say, "I'll make a couple suggestions, then turn the floor over to our
Special Guest Speaker. One, it's always profitable to observe RL.
Observation of minutiae...it's the Bene Gesserit way. Watch what people
do when they eat. Do they play with their silverware, constantly use
their napkin, keep pushing food off their plate by accident? What do
people do when they talk? Or listen?"

Ivanova thinks Syrion has a suggestion to make.

You say, "Okay, so that was a rather obvious example. But it's a good
one."

Nils indicates Syrion with a short nod.

Syrion says, "I would like to suggest that everybody have a nice little
Thesaurus next to the keyboard, to find that choice phrase to replace a
tired one."

Syrion says, "also a dictionary, though, to check up on nuances so you
don't embarass yourself on unfamiliar words."

Ivanova chuckles and actually has that and a Dictionary so she can
pretend she's actually spelling things.

Syrion says, "I /would/ take my own suggestion, but my dog enjoys the
taste of my reference books."

Filarion nods, but uses the @def command elseMOO.

Nils bobs his head emphatically. "Thanks, Sy...you saved me from having
to bring that up myself. Also, a grammar text, an MLA Handbook, or an ESL
textbook can come in handy."

Syrion bows solemnly to Nils, and returns to his chair.

Nils moves his mouse to click upon that ubiquitous blue W. "If you're
using Windows or a Mac, both Word and Word Perfect have thesauri built
in. You don't even need to crack a book. I have Word open right now, and
have used its thesaurus a couple times this night."

Nils suggests, "Chew the scenery. We have a whole bunch o' different
rooms here, hundreds of 'em, each one, like a snowflake, different from
every other one. You wouldn't act the same inside as you would outside,
not the same in the Imperial Hotel's dining room as in the Selamlik. What
is there in the rooms @desc can you use? Our Builder characters have
(hopefully) been busy as bees making unique spaces for you to RP in;
don't let them down by ignoring their hard work."

Ivanova nods to Calida as she has a comment to make.

You say, "Calida?"

Calida says, "I just wanted to comment on the style
book/thesaurus/dictionary idea. I think it is more effective to spend
your time reading good literature and to take your inspiration from there
than it is to get it from some kind of manual. Even artsy films are
better than a dry dictionary reading."

Iason would suggest reading Asimov, himself.

Syrion says, "Calida, I agree--but it's always helpful to supplement
yourself with a thesaurus."

Boris heard about these books about some deserty-type planet. Duel or
something.

Filarion actually thinks they're called Moon. Hence the desert-like
setting.

Having put in her two cents worth, Calida disappears into the crowd
again.

Boris says, "Moon, June, spoon, something..."

Nils nods, and takes some thick tomes out from under the podium. "I take
a lot of inspiration from the old absurdist theatre. Beckett, Ionesco,
et. al. Just saw an excellent performance of Waiting for Godot, in which
the poses were excellent, and, like Zami would be pleased to note,
conveyed 70% of the meaning. Also, the old silent comedies are great...so
much they could convey without even speaking."

Iason nods. "Acting classes help get one a good sense of how one holds
oneself to convey a specific type of idea..."

Nils puts down his prepared notes. "I've come to the end of my notes. I
never really finished writing them. So now it's up to you folks to finish
the lecture. What makes a good pose?"

Syrion says, "A good pose is one that is prosaic, but not so much so that
the meaning is lost."

Ivanova says, "it helps people to 'see' and not just 'hear' what you're
doing."

Syrion says, "such diction as to obfusicate the direction of the pose is
to be avoided."

Nils steps down from the podium, and gestures to Ivanova. "I'd like to
turn the floor over to one of my Tleilaxu Guest Posers, who has some
remarks prepared. The opinions of the Face Dancer are not those of Nils,
the Admin, the Committee for Better RP, this MUSH or its affiliates, or
even Ivanova herself, because this is just a dirty Tleilaxu in her body."

Ivanova objects to that and is not.

Ivanova says, "okay... so far we've walked through the basics of posing
and what makes posing necessary and effective in RP. I hope you guys
aren't all posed out because I'd like to ask you to pose for me again...
several times...."

Nils shakes his head. "Just watch. Midway through her speech, she'll
morph into Boris."

Ivanova says, "only this time... on the onset, you are to select an item,
any item... and use that to convey an emotion... many times, we spend a
great deal of time @desc'ing ourselves. We put swords and canes, scars
and wounds, etc etc etc. Those description items can be used to help in
your posing..."

Ivanova says, "I'll do a quick example and then I'd like for you to each
think about an item that you might have or wear and use it to describe a
similar emotion that I'm doing... I will begin with anger... my item is a
ring on my finger."

Seated before the audience, Ivanova begins to tap her hand impatiently
upon the armrest of the chair. The motion sets the ring upon her finger
to clink against the metal of the chair.

Nils is wheeled off the stage by his loyal Suk, who struggles to carry
the wheelchair down the steps. "I'm going to pop off for a moment to do
some laundry. Ivanova's in charge until I return. Watch out, she can get
mean..."

Filarion plays with his necklace, grasping it tight, his knuckles
becoming white as he sees Andrei's indifference.

Syrion toys with a small, razorsharp knife, its blade glinting as he
turns it in his hands.

Iason's fingers rub lightly along his medallion, tracing the lines of the
hawk as his mind occupies itself elsewhere.

Andrei's cape flies behind him like a sheet in a laundry commertial as he
surges forward to prove his lack of indiffrence to Filarion.

Iohannes fingers his beads, his lips pursed.

Maia brutally tears a loaf of bread in half, her fingers leaving
indentions in the fresh crust.

Ivanova looks towards Andrei.

Ivanova notes we are trying to show anger here... so keep that in mind.

Andrei says, "Quick point, it might be good to stay in theme when posing.
If you start /posing/ about laundry commercials, etc, it's going to ruin
the mood of a scene."

Ivanova nods, "good point Andrei. Thank you. Now folks... try happiness
with the SAME object."

Iason's expression closes over, becoming very still, his eyes like two
hard chips of green stone as he glares at Andrei.

Syrion thrusts his knife into the table, leans forward, and offers his
hand for you to shake, in the ancient sign of peace.

Ivanova looks upwards as she lets the ring upon her finger lightly run
across the smile upon her face.

Iason clenches his fingers about the hawk medallion excitedly, apparently
restless as he wears a small, tight-lipped grin.

Iohannes moves his fingers over each bead, a look of blissful meditation
on his face.

Maia delicately tears off a morsel of bread and pops it in her mouth,
closing her lips over it with a slow smile.

Ivanova says, "excellent.... try this one... nervousness."

Iohannes fidgets with the prayer beads nervously, his eyes darting about
restlessly.

Maia breaks off bits of bread with quick, jerky movements, leaving crumbs
scattered on the table.

Andrei hangs his head, fingering the edges of his cape, his eyes, while
leveled at the ground, skipping from place to place.

Iohannes fidgets with the prayer beads, his eyes darting about.

Nils is back. With a vengeance.

Filarion flips through the papers in his briefcase, occasionally looking
up, scanning the room.

Iason twirls the medallion around on its chain uneasily, the emerald's
facets flickering as they catch the light. His shoulders are tensed,
almost crouching a bit.

Ivanova runs her thumb across her ring in a rapid tapping motion that
sets the ring jumping. "My... you folks are truly too good for me."

Nils is wheeled back up to the podium by the beleaguered Suk, who
breathes heavily from the exertion. "I agree...we're outclassed here,
Iva."

Ivanova nods her head proudly, "Well done folks... so you see, things in
your description can be used and should be used both to help build good
posing of what you're doing and 'character'... who you are. If I had
Iohannes's necklace, my actions for anger, joy, and nervousness might
have been very different... thus it should be." Smiles and bows and turns
it back over to the returning Nils.

Nils, his shirt stained blue with laundry detergent, raps his gavel once
more.

Nils nods briefly in Iason's direction.

Iason nods a little to Nils. "If it hasn't been mentioned before, note
that body postures are actually important here, since as noted earlier,
much of a conversation is non-verbal. Poses that don't merely convey a
short, simple sentence may want to use some gestures."

Nils nods in complete agreement. "Yes, without question."

Iason waves a hand about in the air. "That's how you can tell if
something's sarcasm or an insult, about half the time." He crosses his
arms. "I mean, if I tell Nils that he's in serious trouble with this pose
says something different than when I say it with something like this.
Iason playfully waggles a finger at Nils as he smiles a bit. "You're in
trouble now."

Iason says, "Head motions, arms, posture, and other things work for or
against you."

Boris waves his arms. "That's the craziest thing I've ever heard, Iason!"

Iason tilts his chin up as he smiles condescendingly at Boris. "That's
YOUR opinion." he replies, arms akimbo.

Boris balls his hands up into fists, glowering at the Atreides
lickspittle. "Don't you use capital letters on me!"

Ivanova chuckles lightly, "come come now gentlemen you're stealing Nils's
fire."

Boris nods. "Sorry, Nils."

Iason's sneer is quickly wiped away as he pivots and drops to one knee,
bowing deeply to Ivanova. "As usual, the lady is correct."

Nils chuckles warmly. "We'll provide some time after the seminar for
sabre-rattling, but we've been at this for two and a half hours and ought
to bring this to a close. I have one more example, and then we'll take
final questions and call it a night. This one's on the basic commandment,
which applies to everything and not just posing. Whether descing, writing
backgrounds, or posing: 'SHOW, DON'T TELL'."

Boris claps a friendly arm around Iason's shoulders. "Let's go get drunk,
eh?"

You say, "How can we improve this..."

Nils eats his jello.

You say, "It's a decent pose...nothing's really /wrong/ with it. But so
much fun can be had while eating jello, it's a disservice to the
wonderful food to make such a lackluster pose."

Iason raises a brow, then gestures to Nils. "Perhaps AFTER we show him
up, my good Baron?"

Boris digs into his vast quivering platter of Giedi gelatin, spiked with
strips of baloney. He spoons a great mass into his mouth. The Baron lets
out a pleased "Mmmmm..." as he tastes deeply of the succulent mouthful.

Boris holds out some to Iason. "Care for a ladle, Iason old friend?"

"Don't mind if I do." Iason says smoothly, delicately taking a smaller
spoon to delve into the gelatinous mass, and with a slight twist of his
wrist bringing up a small spoonful that he places in his mouth.

Nils hits his translucent gelatinous dessert with a spork. It trembles,
then jiggles, then starts to shake violently like a chimp with a
degenerative nerve disorder. It continues its demonic, jiggling dance as
Nils scoops it out of the bowl with his bare fingers, raises it to the
light, and drops it into his gaping maw. "Any questions, comments, or
silly remarks before I close?"

Ivanova lifts her spoon delicately and takes a small amount (OOC: 8
grams) of the gelatin substance into its bowl. With the same delicate
movement, she brings the spoon to her mouth, all the while never setting
the substance in motion.

The Ambassador Helmsgillar spoons the blue glop into his mouth
mechanically, paying little attention as a gelatin dribble runs down the
front of his tunic.

Boris makes loud smacking noises, licking his lips eagerly. Around a
mouthful of jello, he murmurs, "You know, Iason old friend, jello's
always best with strips of balogna. Adds a little spice to the lime
flavor of the jello."

Nils' head lolls back as waves of lime-flavored pleasure pass his
tastebuds. "Mmmm....hooves...."

Maia shudders, and covers her ears.

Ivanova makes a face as the taste of the jello surges in her system. With
a violent shove of her hand, she pushs the substance away from her,
setting the gelatin wobbling dangerously in the cup, about to spill over
the sides.

Filarion takes his bowl and, after reassuring himself that it's his
favourite taste, dips his spoon deep into the mass and carefully balances
the spoon's load into his mouth.

The Na-Baron Harkonnen, terrified of having his father beat him at this
new, interesting game, gobbles his jello down. He holds the spoon in the
tight, possesive grip of a hopeless addict. As he lowers and raises the
spoon from the rapidly disapearing blob of disgusting green mush,
elegantly placed in the middle of that oh so deep bowl, he makes
disgusting sounds, much like an inkwine being sucked through the tight
vacuum of space.

Iason's shoulders rise with a small shrug as he swallows before taking
another spoonful with another neat flick and scoop motion. "I cannot say,
having never had jello before." he says honestly. He lifts the small
shivering mound to his lips, then swallows it.

Maia drops bowl after bowl of jello into a handy bathtub, filling the
deep basin with slick, jiggling green gelatin.

Mikael looks askance at Andrei.

Mikael mutters someething you don't quite catch.

Boris puts his face forward into the depth of the cavernous bowl. He
purses his lips and slurrrrps up a mass of the foul green, jiggling
substance.

Iohannes plunges his head deep within the great green mound, inhaling the
limey goodness.

Nils bangs his gavel thrice. "The Seminar on Effective Posing is now
officially over! The jello will still be available afterward if you still
wish to cavort. Good night, folks!"

Ivanova nods to all in the room before standing and excusing herself,
"Night everyone! great job!"

Filarion stands up and starts applauding to the Viscount.

Ivanova now wants to get into the IC world and REALLY RP with some of
you... should be exciting.