[Artemisia] RE: Event Thoughts

[Angela Perry]

Greetings, everyone,

Normally I'm a professional lurker, but this is a subject that is very near 
to my heart. When I joined the SCA, I joined because of my friends. I chose 
to stay when everyone else was drifting away, however, because of a magic 
moment. It was an indoor event, a candlelit feast where I was surrounded by 
courtiers in their best garb, and I was literally transported.

But why? Based on my observations, HE Niccolo has got the beginnings of a 
great theory. And I think if we can pinpoint what it is that makes us fall 
in love with the SCA, not only will all of us have a better time, but we 
will be able to bring new members in more easily as well.

I think the reason for my magic moments is that I can almost believe it's 
real, whatever "it" happens to be. The less of the mundane there is, the 
more magic it becomes. Perhaps that's why magic moments happen so often in 
the dusk or dark: the mundane things are just not so obvious. It's more like 
the Middle Ages would have been.

But they can happen away from mundane things at any time during the day. My 
most recent magic time was at Hell's Gate in BSK this summer. The site was 
great, with a little stream running through the woods nearby. I went walking 
with my four-year-old son near the stream. Again, I was transported as I 
walked with him, chasing sticks in the stream, with the hum of flies and 
bees around us and the smell of the water and wildflowers. Nothing mundane 
was in sight or sound. I was merely a peasant woman playing with her small 
child.

So my thoughts are, let's do what Lady Constance so wisely suggests and keep 
a list of the best places, the least mundane places. It doesn't matter if 
it's a one-day indoor event or a four-day camping event, if the mundane 
world is kept from intruding as much as possible, it will be magic.

I also think the individual bears a lot of reponsibility here. Yeah, 
sometimes it's a pain to pour my soda into a period cup or remember to talk 
about less mundane things, but nothing throws me out of the magic moment 
faster than a CocaCola can or overhearing someone chatting about how Windows 
sucks and their computer crashed four times.

As for cleanup, unfortunately I expect my magic moments to end with the 
event...before cleanup. There is nothing magic about cleanup that I have 
found; it's just a boring necessity. But to me, cleanup is not part of the 
actual event so much as it is part of "making the event happen," like 
advertising and collecting fees. Magic happens after all the necessities are 
taken care of and I am free to enjoy the event. And I don't think an event 
should EVER happen to anyone where that time to enjoy, that time to let the 
magic happen does not exist.

Geez, when I unlurk, look what happens... Shutting up now ;-)

~Lady Verdiana