Onyx: Blackout 24--an Event Listicle

Ten favorite things about Blackout.

This past Saturday, I was privileged to attend Blackout, the bi-annual run hosted by Onyx, in this case the Southwest chapter. The host hotel was the Hilton in Glendale, a looooooong way from Long Beach—3.5 by Metro and a short Lyft ride, but I knew it would be worth the wait once I actually got there. This was also my first time attending an official Onyx event, so I knew I’d be seeing lots of new faces, but there were also plenty of familiar faces there that it helped me be less introverted. This will only be from my perspective, so I’m sure there will be things you will want to add, and I’ve learned that these event listicles include things that are not part of the planned festivities—happy accidents, if you will. This will also just be me relating my experience without pictures. I'll post those on my personal wall. Here are my ten favorite moments from Blackout. 

1) Without going into details, the Lyft ride was a…challenge. No sooner than I got out of the car at the host hotel did I turn around and see, to my surprise, Mina Nietschze (Ms. West Coat Olympus 2019) and Raynah Hale (Ms. International Olympus 2019)! In about a second, I forgot about the ordeal of getting there and went into hug mode. They both give fantastic hugs (more later on this).

2) This was my first official event while wearing my title vest, and I put the request out there for people to come up and make contact with the vest path, to imbue their spirit and energy into the vest, so it serves as a reminder of who I serve. Mina and Raynah were the first two to do so. I couldn’t have asked for any better. 

3) Once I checked in and learned that a hook suspension workshop was still in progress, my mouth watered and I started Tigger bouncing. Though late, I knew I was in the right place. The workshop was led by Ponylee Estrange, husband of the current Mr. LA Leather, Elliot Musgrave, and I managed to learn something new about the hook suspension, in terms of its immune boosting qualities (that it produces an immune response, which is good for the body). I am hoping to get a hook pull happening for OC/Long Beach as part of my title year. 

4) Breaking bread. Food is one of the great social lubricant at any (Leather) event, and this was no exception. I was late to class but right on time for lunch, and I think I learned as much from the photo opportunity as I did the classes. I declared a next challenge for myself while talking with Duke Rufff (hint: heels). By now, I felt quite at home. Good buffet, good dessert, good company--what more could I ask for.

5) “We hug.” After a very stimulating and enlightening Trans 201 panel (“overcaffinated woeness” is now my new favorite catch phrase), I got to meet more people, including Elimination Onyx (Deep South chapter), and without batting an eyelash, he leaned right in for a hug, saying matter-of-factly, “We hug.” Talk about throwing yourself into a hug. I had already met fellow IML classmate, Trey Onyx, Mr. SF Leather 2019, and Elimination wanted me to meet Blade Onyx, who just won Mr. Ramrod Leather. Here again, another deep, solid, say-it-like-you-mean-it hug. Of all that I heard spoken during my time at Blackout, I think this will stick with me most, and for a while. This was just how I was greeted at my very first Den Party with Bears San Diego 18 years ago. As soon as I walked in the door, I was greeted with a big hug by then President Ed La-Claire Zoehrer with a big hug, saying afterward, “We greet our guests with a hug.” I could have stayed in their arms for about ten minutes each, soaking up this moment of intimacy for its own sake.

6) Continuing to feel people make contact with the vest patch. It’s my version of doing what the church calls “laying on of hands.” Whether with their arms and hands or with their whole body pressed up against me from behind, I could feel the energy of their embrace soaking in. Physical contact always nourishes and energizes me, tactile Leatherbear that I am. Throughout the weekend, people were not shy with their affections, that’s for sure, and it reminded me that I was in the right place. 

7) Pool party. Time to let you in on a secret: I can’t swim. It doesn’t stop me from going into water and enjoying myself, but there are limits, as you might imagine. I’ve had several people try to teach me, but my body just doesn’t get it. When I reveal this information about me, I invariably get the looks of surprise or tsk-tsk disguised as sympathy. This was not the case at the Blackout pool party. I think I mentioned it three times, and each time I said it, nobody batted an eyelash. There was none of the, “Eric, it’s the easiest thing in the world, here let me teach you,” astonishment bit. Here, folks just took me at my word and accepted what I had to say and that was the end of it. There’s a theme emerging here. (Thank you, Lykos Onyx.)

8) Vivacious Onyx. At the cocktail party, I suddenly found myself becoming very shy for no good reason. I would strike up a chat, but it wouldn’t go beyond “hi/how you doing?” And then, I met Vivacious. In just the short time we spent together at the pre-play party cocktails, I learned more about him/being with him than I do some of the people I spend 8 hours a day with at work. Warm, bubbly and perceptive—he picked up on the shy moment I was having and helped me move past that, and all it took was a few moments of being on that road. 

9) Sanctuary. Of course I’m gonna talk about the play party. I don’t need to draw a diagram of what we were all there to do, because everybody knows why we were there and what who we got it in with. The one thing I liked most about the Sanctuary space was how open the floor plan. There were separate rooms for people to go in, but the space is a big. It made it easy to see all the meat and it made it easy for anything to happen literally anywhere on the floor, well into the night.

10) Going outside for some air as the party started to wind down, and seeing Mina and Rayna again, outside in the smoking area. It was easy to join right in and shoot the breeze, even had someone ask if they could rub my fur (I almost never refuse. Almost.) It could have gone further, but I was tuckered puppers by then

Thank you, Onyx Southwest, for a fantastic event! I am making plans to attend the Silver anniversary celebration in 2 years. 

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More info about ONYX Southwest: https://www.onyxsw.com

Article text © 2019 Eric Franklin Crow