Just a wee snippetses from something we’re writing right now, yessss my precioussss….

Whoever had decked out the ballroom did a good job: it was tasteful as well as atmospheric. Drapes in deep red velvet hid the normal hotel-awful decor, and the tables had a mix of Victoriana and steampunk accessories. Again, it wasn’t overdone. One table might have a Victorian candelabra and a set of brass-and-leather goggles, another a pair of gloves laid beside a silver tea set. I had to convince whoever had done this to keep doing it.

Look, I know what fen are like. Usually their idea of interior decoration is ‘enough bookshelves to hold all the books’. I’m no better, but I can appreciate good taste when I see it.

Judging by the murmured comments I heard, so could a lot of the fen in attendance. The tone was that odd mix of wistfulness and envy you get when someone really wishes they had the ability to do whatever it is they’re admiring.

The good taste, alas, didn’t extend to the alleged music. I’d harbored a faint hope that there’d be Victorian-style dancing, but apparently that wasn’t the case — or at least, not for now. Not with AC/DC blasting Big Balls from the speakers.