Blurriness; My Take on Shmengfest Date Friday, April 26, 2024 - 01:55 AM PST Topic Cult I was the only person at Shmengfest who hadn’t already met at least one other person there in real life before. I was slightly worried about said statistic, but as it turns out, that detail didn’t matter at all. A while back, I posted in one of the forums the following: “The closeness on the site blurs the boundaries so that I don't know who knows who in ‘real life’ and who only has relationships built from this place. When I witness that blurriness, I wish to be a part of it.” I would say that Shmengfest helped me realize that goal, but it didn’t. What I realized was that I had already been a part of that blur between real life and this website. Meeting people in person was just an added bonus—a very cool one. I’ve always found myself standing just on the outside of any given social situation; marginally included. It’s simply the way my life has always worked. But even though I was the only person there who wasn’t part of a couple, I never felt excluded. I’m not new to meeting one or two people from online, but I am new to meeting a group of people I’ve only known in cyberspace. The sense of community was even better and brighter in person than it already was on my computer screen. There are so many things I want to write about… It’s hard to decide what to share without making this into a novel. We did awesome things, many of which were first-timers for me. There were so many unforgettably perfect moments. Having an entire B&B to ourselves was the best way to go. It made it easy to lounge around in bathrobes, and even easier to take them off for naked hot tub fun. Or was it the alcohol that made the stripping easier? Either way, getting naked in front of people I had only met a day before was a first for me, but a fun one, nonetheless. There’s something sort of cleansing about being naked in front of a group of people while playing a game in which we share intimate things about ourselves. “I Never” has always been a favorite game of mine. I’m glad we played. That was the first time I ever played without everyone getting smashed and forgetting most of the content, but I don’t mind the possibility that everyone there may actually remember the things I shared about myself. Let me take a moment to list some of the perfect moments: - All the hugs were perfect, but hugging Devin for the first time was really great. - Seeing callei and Shade waiting for me at the airport and instantly knowing who they were. - Watching MystryssRavynDarque’s beautiful smile as she walked out of her plane terminal and bouncing inside at the sight of her. - Sitting at the hookah bar and noticing across the way how strikingly lovely callei is—not that I didn’t already know, but at that moment, she was particularly enchanting. - Finding out that not only has Meranda_Jade read more Piers Anthony books than I have, but that she also wrote to him, and we both still have our replies from him. - Sneaking into Kira and pAris’ room after everyone else went to bed and laughing hysterically for a good portion of the night… err, morning? - Talking to pAris about how great Vans are despite the fact that neither one of us were wearing any at the time. - Feeling instantly at home in callei and Shade’s place. - Wearing one of my corsets out in public for the first time, and feeling good in it because the people around me were so supportive. - Talking about anything and everything with callei nearly nonstop for two days. - Having the first emotional orgasm I actually identified as such at the sight of the most perfect corset. Thanks for the lesson, callei! - Talking with Rogue and Meranda_Jade each morning, as it seemed we were the only ones up and about. - Trying to say good night to pAris with my mouth full of toothpaste. - Having my first taste of chocolate soymilk. - When Shade lent me his pendant and Kira lent me a ribbon to complete Saturday night’s outfit, I was absolutely honored. - Running after pAris running after the ice cream truck. - Finding the perfect Restaurant Pickle. I’ve let myself stew for a couple of days to make sure I wouldn’t forget anything. I’m sure I did anyway, but those were the things that stuck the most in my mind as perfect. I had really meant to write this in a better format, but this is what came out instead. I hope it conveys how cool Shmengfest was. I can hardly wait for next year’s. My only suggestion for improvement would be—in the case of going to New Orleans again—having it at a more temperate time of year; the fall, perhaps. If I had to make a list of less than perfect things, I could only put down the weather, but I am not a warm-weather type, so I may be biased. I think it’s safe to say that the good list definitely outweighs the bad. This article comes from Shmeng http://www.shmeng.com/ The URL for this story is: http://www.shmeng.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=705