Yes and no. It's all about perspective.
In the last few years, the city's various groups have taken to huddling within private halls frequented only by themselves and their friends. I hesitate to use the cliché, but
echo chambers is an apt term.
Yes there are supposedly "communal" gathering spots, but we all know and don't talk about the fact that they're just the same thing with public faces. Which is no fault of the owners, mind you. Bravo to them for the attempt, but the masses do as the masses do and people will always shy away when they see a group of people they consider "other" than themselves.
Perhaps the best, real open venue I have seen in some years is the Saints of Salem - but of course if you dangle money, people will come.
This leaves the state of our city in an odd position. Yes, we have
peace.
But what does Ravenblack City's particular brand of peace really mean?
Well, a few things. That groups rarely come together for a common purpose is one. That the echo chambers increase in intensity is another. One could argue there is innovation and even conflict despite all of this - but such conflicts are usually short lived and, without the benefit of fresh perspectives, new ventures generally fall flat on their faces. These are common problems though, and were such even before the current state of things.
The cost of peace that interests me far more is actually the lack of activity. There are always naysayers to the claim that the city is dying and our breed bordering extinction, but does the weight of it not feel real to us yet? Do the public taverns not sit quiet and hollow, trivia and game nights with far fewer faces than in years past, the creation of new bloodlines or clans becoming slower with each passing year? How many of our kind have we mourned the loss of?
Perhaps one day I shall collect some data, for the science of it, measuring the rise and fall of new groups over the years. Until then, I'm afraid, my evidence remains purely anecdotal and will fall upon many deaf ears.
It has been said for years by particular individuals that complacency breeds stagnation and that the womb of inaction is a sterile one. I am in agreement with this. You have your peace, Ravenblack City. Congratulations. But now that it is within your grasp, do you treasure it as you once the did the idea of it?
But to the question itself.
Is there a benefit of having common gathering places frequented by diverse groups?
This of course brings to mind the taverns of old, both moderated and not. Of times before we had magical wards preventing those with too low of blood or too few powers from entering. And what a time that was!
There was new blood daily within those bars. Some of value, some less so. There was also an underlying tension to every interaction: there were always eyes upon you, watching and waiting to spread rumor of your deeds or see plots and intrigue in every spoken word. More
dramatic times certainly, but I would argue that immortals thrive off of such theater.
We could sit and watch for hours as various groups vied for social domination, a popular name calling in their reinforcements to solidify the tone of the eve only to be dethroned an hour later by someone louder and more charismatic. This was not only fun for its own sake, but it was also productive in two ways.
The first, in the underlying and never spoken of conflict. Egos were bruised, grudges made, alliances forged, and it all turned upon itself in a beautiful cycle that constantly encouraged activity and diversity. Who else remembers that massive game of Truth or Dare I led in which individuals were burned with holy water by people who had never before come together for denying a dare or lying? A controversial night, certainly. But did it not shift alliances? Create new bonds and strike down old ones?
The second: it demanded ingenuity and co-mingling. You always had to be at the top of your game. If you were off for just one night, you could become a laughing stock for months. But reign in that social jungle and you could wield the power of publicity, which I have always believed to be one of the most dangerous types of power (see: The Void and my unsponsored marketing campaign for them). You could find new blood, sway others to your side.
Most importantly of all though, we could sit down and fucking talk. If you had an idea, you could bounce it off the room and receive the benefit of a hundred different individuals critiquing your work. If you wanted to know something, the knowledge was there if you just asked. And by God, if you wanted a fight, you could go out and pick one without having to worry if the wrath of an entire clan would come down upon you and yours for it.
Now? Now we have... This. Halls where only those who agree with you are welcomed. Where there is no competition, because the ways things are is just absolutely fine, right? Ingenuity and creation are the children of conflict. New blood sparks only when the old is spilled.
There is a cost to everything.
The cost for peace is boredom and stagnation.
The cost for creation is conflict and drama.
Which are you willing to pay?
For me, the answer to this question is: yes. And we have suffered from a lack of such places. I am on the side of creation, as I always have been.
Banner by Batrisha 
