by Lani "Gwen" Jones
Black & White is a staple event for me on the Realms calendar. The ability to bring together a wide variety of players, plots, palatable provisions, prancing, and purchasing proves that the event staff has a no-fail formula for success. Over the past few weeks, my facebook memories have reminded me just how much fun I’ve had at Black & White’s past, and gotten me excited for how much fun is in store for me this weekend. As I detail below why I want to go, please bear in mind that these are my own meandering experiences, and that one of the things that makes this event so special is that the large variety of activities to partake in throughout the day and evening.
In prepping for this event, I spend an exorbitant amount of time determining what I will wear, often opting for a daytime questing outfit and changing prior to the announcement of court. This is partially because I love primping, but mostly because there are so many activities going on it’s hard to know exactly what I’ll want to wear. My day typically starts with putting on questing garb so that we can welcome our newbies to the Oaken Guard and take them out on some of their very first questing adventures. I also love watching our newest community members chase down signatures for the very important newbie scavenger hunt. Then, if I’m lucky, Aeston will loan me the keys to the Rhiassan treasury so I can spend some time gabling at the Chimeron casino, while obviously taking breaks to indulge in the amazing appetizers that Aymise and her team are constantly running from the kitchen to our mouths. If we’re lucky, we’ll see the infamous Blue appear and wreak some havoc on players who don’t know any better. And of course, it wouldn’t be Black & White if we couldn’t write our letters to Pater Yule (after expertly hunting down his wandering mailbox, of course).
When I’m finally stuffed, I find that is the exact perfect time to find a way to squish myself into a bodice and prepare for court. Personally, this is one of my favorite parts of the Black & White because I love both pomp and circumstance, and Chimeron provides. In addition, some pretty epic things tend to happen at this court, and they are often the types of things you definitely want to be there for. While everyone else is preparing for the dancing, you’ll find me at the auction table, putting in my tickets for ALL THE PUMPKINS and whatever excellent stuff is present in one of my favorite give-aways of the year. (What’s in the box? It could even be a boat!)
Generally I like to wind the evening down with a poker game, provided that all the players at the table have reason to stay invested to the end (I’m looking at you Raynor...), while admiring the epic dance movies of my fellow Realmsies. Throw in a dessert contest, and you’ve got yourself one hell of an event. I hope to see you there.