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The Black & Blue Ball
and Fetish Marathon Wrap-Up
Ah, the Fetish Marathon. I recall sitting in a Chelsea diner with
members of TES discussing the possibilities of one big BDSM weekend. We
came up with that title as a way to describe an exhaustive whirlwind of
play parties and see-and-be-scene events. That was a few years ago and
since then we’ve celebrated a few kinkfests together. Over last year’s
I barely slept. But this year was gonna be different. TES decided to
hold off until the Fourth of July weekend for their annual extravaganza
of non-stop symposiums and 24-hour dungeon access. Xris of SMack! fame
was having trouble finding a venue for his tenth anniversary bash. And
the Black & Blue Ball was going to stick with their post-Memorial
Day date. A month ago the weekend was looking decidedly
non-marathon-ish. At the last minute things more or less came together,
assisted in no small part by The Baroness [www.baroness.com] and the
ladies of Slave to Lust [http://www.slavetolust.com].
I skipped all the associated munches and meetings. I missed the
cocktail hours and spanking stuff. In fact, the only thing I managed to
make it to was The Black & Blue Ball. Well, it IS the biggest
fetish event of the year, right?
Mistress Carrie looked resplendent in a gorgeous ball gown of gathers
and rosettes as Empress Chi Chi Valenti introduced the Ball’s producers
with a flourish. For some reason, only Carrie appeared onstage while up
in the wings, a gentleman made a “cut” motion across his throat as
everyone wondered where Leda was. Perhaps she was getting herself into
a particularly complicated ensemble. I never saw her.
Avalon was the perfect venue for the event, full of nooks and crannies
and dimly lit side rooms. The space has been reconfigured somewhat and
it seems to make better sense. Stairways have been widened and the
lighting is spectacular. I especially love the upstairs back room (I’m
sure it has some fancy name) that’s lit with colored bulbs. Mistress
Syren was there holding court and presiding over the antics with the
other ladies of The Den of Iniquity. She looks amazing, all tan and
slender and blonde streaked! This space is adjacent to the larger room,
formerly The Giger Room, which was serving as the dungeon. Banquettes
full of beautiful dommes and fetish furniture made for a perfect
setting, with DJ Lestat spinning the soundtrack for all the smacks and
snaps. Penthouse columnist Victoria Zdrok and new Pet Krista Ayne were
signing autographs as they watched the goings on. My friends and I
wound up, as usual, in the bathroom, where we posed for wacky group
shots.
What about the performances, you ask? Well I guess I missed most of
them. There were so many distractions! I did see the lovely Julie Atlas
Muz. Rather than spinning on a go-go pole, as I’d expected, she was
crawling around the stage inside an enormous blown up ball! She was
sharing the inflatable with another glamour girl and the sight was
definitely arresting! Two aerialists in wonderful airbrushed “outfits”
were swinging above the dance floor on trapezes, assisted by DJs Johnny
Dynell and Saint James. It felt like the old days of Click + Drag at
Mother! And I did catch the fashion show by Veritee Hill, which was
fetish starlet studded and trés elegant.
As for the fetish royalty in attendance, there were all sorts of
no-shows, including Mistress Evita. I guess Tampa is just too exciting!
Maybe they weren’t no-shows…and I was just too busy boozing it up with
Mistress Harlequinn [http://independentmistress.com] in the VIP room!
For me, truly, these events are more like reunions and I often wind up
just hanging out with people I don’t see as often as I’d like to. But,
that said, where was The Baroness? Domina Skye? Dante Posh? Lady Kayla?
Have the old guard dommes ceded the social whirl to the newly minted
mistresses? I saw all sorts of young women in black latex and PVD but
didn’t recognize a one. Sigh. I guess I’m part of that old guard!
The biggest disappointment for me was the lack of amazing outfits. I
usually enjoy photographing the folks who most impress me and only the
performers and models were wearing anything close to interesting. Foot
fetishists might’ve been thrilled to see those many models milling
about in flip flops and other flats. I was floored by Nicole Moan’s
[www.nicolemoan.com] ceramic corsets. Penthouse’s Lainie Speyser said I
had one of the best ensembles and that’s a sad commentary on everyone
else’s attempts, since I was only wearing a corset and frilly panties.
Mind you, it was a pretty special pairing of bright purples and pinks,
but still! Perhaps it was the amorphous theme; what does one do to
depict evolution? Dress as an ape? Or maybe it was all the rain. I know
I was worried about my furry boots and ribbon hair accessories! But I
even saw one young man in a wifebeater and blue jeans. What the? If I
hadn’t been so focused on finding sugar daddies to keep me in vodka
crans I would’ve kicked the guy’s ass! Anyway…
This year’s after hours party was moved from the familiar Paddles to
Bacchus Studios, which I’ve recently rented for Boogie Nights and The
Pink Party. It’s also been home to two Kostume Kult fundraisers.
Unfortunately Saul, the man running the show over there, and I have had
a difference of opinion, shall we say. So I suppose it was just as well
that I was too smashed to attend!
On Friday I found myself overwhelmed by the numerous social
opportunities and discouraged by the continuous downpour of torrential
rain, so instead of attending The Baroness’s Cocktail Party or checking
out Slave to Lust’s Spankings Under the Stars, I stayed home. And on
Saturday, rather than lacing myself into another corset for SMack! or
the other BDSM events, I spent my night with a bunch of overgrown
adolescents dressed as breakfast cereals at the big Chiller bash in
Secaucus, New Jersey. I donned my Supergirl costume and we drank dozens
of Bud talls. Yup, I traded fetish freaks for comic book freaks.
Sunday night it was still raining and I deliberated attending the final
Fetish Retinue of the season. If I could’ve shown up in my sloppy jeans
and no makeup, I might’ve…but I can’t be seen in such a state of
disarray. Not only would I have disappointed the Baroness, but I have a
reputation to uphold. Sadly I opted for the last season finales of The
Sopranos and Big Love. Let’s hope I can summon up more enthusiasm for
next year’s Fetish Marathon! And let’s hope it’s more of an actual
marathon.
[Written June 2006]
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