Silent, not absent

While it is true that I have been far less involved in the advertisement and awareness of the community since the summer, I have remained involved in events.

Through the summer, we saw the OutWest Leather Night meets fail to attract attendance and so, in October, we hosted or 12th and final social. It was after a great amount of consideration, discussion and sometimes argument that we finally copse to cease hosting the event. It was a great run and I personally feel we did or best, but it was the right thing to do at that point. With few attendees and no real interest, it became clear that the event just wasn't the big hit we had hoped for. Still, it was a great chance for local community members to meet up close to home and I really love t the location.

I began cooperating with CC Attle's to fill in any Fetish Night that was leaning a boot black and got to work with GLPW, the Knights of Mantra, SEA-PAH and more to raise funds for some truly great charities.
I am also looking at setting up a monthly mid-week industry night to Boot black for all the staff of local bars. I am also hoping to set up another monthly mid-week or even weekend bort black night for folks who attend other events that conflict/coincide with Fetish Night.

I am also starting work on a boot blacking 101 session as I have been approached to instruct in boot blacking. I can't wait to share the boot black love!

Sir is serving on the SML board and we have joined the Knights of Mantra, so we've been attending board meetings as well as helping with the monthly dinner that the Knights host at the Cuff on the 2nd Sunday of each month.  (This month is chicken teriyaki)

... What else? Gosh, I'll get back to you on that!

IML in review

Given a time crunch, I didn't get to post a pre-IML post but that's alright because now I can talk about the event and not expectations - which is probably for the best anyway.

I went to IML to not only attend but to assist and attend Sir so that he had a personal runner for all the small things; this was a very different experience from being a co-contestant. When we ran for Washington, it was all one contest and we were both competing simultaneously for our respective titles. I got to see a few moments of him on stage, he saw a few glimpses of me; but neither of us really got to see the other's stage time. Because of this, we didn't really have a lot of time to assist each other during the actual competition last year.

IMsL was, therefore, a very different experience for me.
It was - for one thing - a larger competition with 8 women as opposed to Washington's 3 competitors; and the venue was significantly larger as well as the attendance. People came from around the country, continent and world to attend this convention and contest. I also had a lot more to do as a contestant and needed a lot more assistance - thus Sir and our Steel-Toed Boot Black Mare both stepping up to be runners for the contest.

IML was something I wasn't prepared for, even after attending IMsL.
The attendance was even larger, there were 51 men running for the IML title alone; the vendor market was huge, and the atmosphere was one of excitement and fun as well as a certain level of sexuality that I'd never encountered at a leather contest. Guys were cruising left, right, center, top and bottom (yes I intended the pun).
I arrived Friday morning and immediately was on the go, running to make sure things were where they needed to be and, despite a few small mishaps over the weekend, we were able to get everything handled pretty easily. and I was even able to pick up a volunteer shift!

But on to the really important (to me) part of the event : the contest.
Sir had his interview bright and early Friday and this was closed to the public so I could not be there to see it. He felt that it went well and the questions that were asked were both in-depth and specific to him and his journey into leather. It was a wonderful experience for him and I was very happy to hear that he felt the interview went well. That night was the opening ceremonies, I didn't get the chance to make it to that doing prep and whatnot so I can't attest to that portion of the event but heard that it was interesting though very low key in some ways. (now I wish I had had a chance to go!)
Saturday, I got everything packed for the day, we had lunch, and then it was time for him to go rehearse so I got the rest of the items lined up for Sunday and got ready to go over myself to the event. I've never been to such a large contest and was amazed by how long it simply took to run through all the contestants. 51 men is a lot of man-meat, if you know what I'm saying! The pop questions were good, although some of them were really tough - and I was disappointed by how many contestants didn't actually answer the questions they were asked.
After the Pecs & Personalities portion of the contest (Saturday night), we took the shuttles back to the host hotel and wouldn't you know it, apparently I was quite interesting to all the leathermen out there. Apparently a leathergirl with attitude is unusual but I am a drag queen at heart, and therefore prone to fierceness in heels, so it was quite fun for me! We spent hours just socializing, talking and getting to know other attendees and (well, I was finally able to get to know) other contestants. Finally, it was time for bed, and I was quite happy to be off my feet.
Sexiness can be quite painful when it's in the form of 4 1/2" stilettos. Just saying.

Sunday dawned earlier than I wanted it to, but how could I complain when I was curled up next to Sir all night, warm and snuggled? We were invited to a brunch hosted by another of the other contestants, and after that, Sir would be gone all day prepping for the final night. So as a result, there was more mad packing before heading down for a light breakfast and mimosas.
Then I had a few hours before my volunteer shift, so I ran a few last minute errands, wandered the vendor market (both floors, it was huge!) and eventually headed back up to the room to get ready for my shift. I was fortunate enough to get a security shift at the event so I'd be able to keep half an eye on the contest during the night and the crowd - though large - was amazingly well behaved so I was able to enjoy a decent bit of the night even though I kept an eye out for any needs or issues (we had none in my section, and none I am aware of). I was disappointed that Sir did not make Top 20, although we found out later he was very close and had done a wonderful job the entire weekend; but I couldn't be prouder of him because he was such a great representation of our community here in Washington and he was true to himself above all else.

A huge congratulations is in order to the new title holders :
International Mr. Leather 2013 : Andy Cross - Mr. San Francisco Leather 2013
International Mr. Boot Black 2013 : Oiltan Sam - Oregon State Boot Black 2012

We were both exhausted after the contest so we stayed at the hotel, visited with some new and some old friends for a while before heading to bed and just curling up. As I had to fly out Monday, it was an early morning of packing and then re-packing and then re-re-packing as needed get everything tidily on it's way home. Sir and I were sad to part again, even for just a day, but off to the airport I went while he stayed with his class brothers for a final day of events and bonding.

He arrived home safely last night (Tuesday) and now it's back to life as usual.
The agenda : a few days off and starting the game of looking for a place to move.

Leather - A Community of Respect or Ego?

I've been fiddling with this post in my head all weekend; albeit only in my head as I was elbow deep in polish, wax, oil, boots, chaps, pants, shirts and gloves all weekend and had no time to sit down and write. Still, though, the topic of leather is never far from my mind and when working on leather, my passion really gets all fired up.

Recently I was criticized for saying that "leather is much more than just a material" and chastised that leather is not, in fact, a material. I'm not going to name names, but if you're reading this and you told me that, I'm calling you out because you are wrong about that.
Leather is a material as a material is any product or item that can be used to build/make anything. Leather is a material like wood, rubber or cotton is a material. Leather is not a fabric.

Meriam-Webster's dictionary defines leather, material and fabric as follows.
Leather (noun) 1. animal skin dressed for use; 2. animal skin that is chemically treated to preserve it and that is used in making clothes, shoes, furniture, etc.
Material (noun) 1. The matter from which a thing is or can be made. 2. (adj) Denoting or consisting of physical objects rather than the mind or spirit. Synonym: (noun) matter - fabric - substance - cloth
Fabric (noun) 1. cloth; 1. a material that resembles cloth.

I am honestly not sure why some people seem to be so freaking butt-hurt over this sort of thing; quite honestly everyone's going to identify and define leather (and pretty much everything else) as it applies to them and telling a person they are wrong really only works to piss them off and get posts like this one out there in the world wherein we point out that we're not wrong, you just see it differently than I do. This is neither wrong nor right, it is life and humanity at work. So remember, firstly, to be nice and respectful to those around you so you don't get ranted at by folks.

But this just leads into the bigger issue: respect vs ego.
Our community is blessed to still have folks with us today who remember when the community was so deep underground that it wasn't even a community yet but rather a very cautious network of men and a few women living out lifestyles that weren't just unsafe but in almost all areas illegal. Today, we live in a world where persecution, prosecution and social repercussions are much lessened (though they still exist) for our lifestyle and life-choices. Instead of embracing this difference, rejoicing in it, all too often we are tragically guilty of judging our brothers and sisters and considering ourselves better prepared or educated or skilled.

So my question then is : are we a community of respect - treating each other as human beings first and foremost and equals in that regard above all else, or are we a community of ego - serving our own interests regardless of the needs of the community around us or at large?

Stepped down, not out. (aka I'm not your fucking wuzzie)

Allow me to be clear in what I say next : While I appreciate the sentiment of those who have supported and use the term to show respect, I find it wholly offensive and dismissive and do not now nor ever have found the term even mildly appropriate.

Yes, I have stepped down and am no longer the active Washington State Ms Leather.
No, you are not able or allowed to take Washington State Ms Leather 2012 away from me. My board didn't do it - didn't see a need or a point to do so, so you sure as hell can't. I will not allow you to do so.

I realize I am beginning this post in an almost rant, but I want to be clear. I am not angry, just disturbed by the flippant disrespect we show our title holders after a year of hard work by simply dismissing them as "used to be's" - we worked hard, godsdamnit and you of our community for whom we worked so hard, for whom we wept and sweat and bled for - you are not allowed to just consider us to be nothing more than a has-been all because we've stepped down. Some of us will, by all rights and for all intents and purposes, vanish at the end of our year and yes, they who do so may even chose to call themselves "wuzzies" but I won't. I disagree with the term and the sentiment it bears.

Running for Washington State was one of the most meaningful things I have done in my lifetime albeit one of the most difficult decisions I ever made to run when I did - and I could not have been rewarded more greatly by the community with advice and support, stories and lessons, love and help and a sense of family far greater than I had ever imagined. Holding the title and working on behalf of my wonderful community has been one of the hardest but most amazing experiences I have ever had and I would not trade a moment of it. Not to be taken lightly, I was both blessed and challenged to share the title year with my DaddySir as my sash-husband but we were granted the opportunity to challenge the opinion that partners can't serve together without it ending poorly for all involved - we had a great year and our relationship is as strong or stronger than before we chose to run and took the titles. It was our honor and joy to provide an example of partners working together for the betterment of the community. Stepping down was hard, not because I felt I deserved more time but because I felt there was still so much to be done. I had ideas, dreams, hopes, plans and goals which I realized I'd still be able to accomplish but would I still be seen as representing the Community I was so proud of - so grateful for - or would it be seen as me seeking to accomplish these things for myself?
It is unbearably difficult - almost heart breaking - when you work and you plan and you simply run out of time, to be instantly dismissed by the people who you were working so hard for. If that is the treatment we give our title holders, do we even deserve them? I don't think that we do, if we so quickly dismiss them as soon as they're not wearing the sash anymore.

So let me say it again: I stepped down, not out.
I am not going anywhere.
I am not finished.
I am not slowing down.
I have work to do, ideas to seed, connections to make, networks to work within and along with. There is never an end to the opportunities available and unlike many who see the title as limelight and attention, I used the title of Washington State Ms Leather 2012 as a business card. It was a foot in the door with groups who don't usually interact with the Leather contingent because we can be a little bit intimidating. Being young, energetic and friendly, it was easy to let them see that the Leather community isn't all about pain and control - we're human and we're people and we like to laugh just as much as the next group.
The title of Washington State Ms Leather 2012 was a fantastic tool and I used it every time I had need of it to help bridge gaps and pave the way; but I do not need it to move forward. Still, that doesn't mean I will let anyone else strip it from me. I am so much more than a four-digit number: I am a person, I am a leather woman, I am a title holder and I am committed to my family, friends and community.

What I'm trying to say, I suppose, is that if you discount me then you're going to be blindsided when I go and do what I've already said I'm doing and not stopping. That means representing, educating, organizing; it means progress and challenges, thinking outside the box and sometimes facing obstacles in fabulous shoes with reckless abandon. Having or not having a sash isn't a part of it and frankly, I don't need or want one, what I did during my title year wasn't because I was a title holder, it simply was easier to get off the ground because the title gave me a head start.
Like many other title holders, stepping down is the act of passing the torch to the next figure head for our community; but a figure head needs a neck, a back, arms and legs, a heart and soul and those things don't come from the title holder, they come from the community. So while I am no longer a figure of prominence, it is not time to disappear but merely to shift into a new role and the new role I choose is that of community activist - a proponent and a voice when needed, but more the legs, the arms, the hands and back and heart whenever and wherever needed.

I am Nyx.
I am the punky leather pixie puff.
I am a boot blacking, puppy handling, pony-in-the-making, Goldilocks leather girl.
I am Washington State Ms Leather 2012.
I am an organizer and co-host for OutWest Leather Night.
I am a co-founder and organizer of A Taste of Kink Productions.
I am a co-founder and Secretary of the Board of Northwest Iron Dom, Titanium Sub, Steel-Toed Boot Black contest.
And I am not done yet.

International Ms Leather 2013 Speech

My name is Nyx; I am a Leathergirl and I love my Community!

I knew I was on the right path the first night that I walked into the Center for Sex Positive Culture - it was a Thanksgiving night and talk about a reason to be thankful, I just discovered I was kinky! Years later, I would meet my partner there, and we would embark on a wondrous journey together; introducing me to Leather as not just a fetish but a Lifestyle and Identity. Young, naive and eager as I was, the Community welcomed me in with strong, sure arms and I was home!

In the years since I found this Community, you have become my family and I could not ask for a better one. You have taught me the importance of respect for not only others but for myself; and I have learned that service and boots sometimes DO go hand-in-hand. As Washington State Ms Leather 2012, it was my goal to promote cooperation between groups and organizations, to encourage tolerance and acceptance of all, and to to be an easily visible and accessible spokesperson for the Community. We had our successes :  President Obama declared June "National Gay Pride Month" and we saw Washington, Maine and Maryland vote to recognize the right to marry for same-sex couples. We also saw struggles with equality within our own ranks.

I want to be International Ms Leather 2013 to continue these efforts to encourage the young and the hungry to engage and be involved, and our more seasoned members to welcome and teach them. All the while asking the hard but equally needed questions such as "are we truly treating our brothers and sisters as equals?", "is this foundation solid, to grow with a changing world or must we adapt?" and of course "can we as a Community grow and progress while remembering our history?"

I look forward to seeing the answers my Community comes to, and I want to be your International Ms Leather 2013!
Thank you.

International Ms Leather 2013

Stepping down from Washington State Ms Leather 2012 was hard, like anything you put a year of your life and energy into, I mourned for the sudden lack of this thing in my life. Not for the sash itself, mind you, the sash was a very nice piece of leather but it was never mine and it was no longer my right to wear it. But after a year of dedication to my community, I was lost for a few days despite the knowledge that I would be in San Francisco less than 4 weeks later to compete for International Ms Leather 2013.

Which is not to say I hadn't been preparing in what spare time I could find before step-down but I suddenly had more time after step-down to the surprise of nobody, I'm sure. Prep was hard work - as it always is - with lots of homework, research, and consideration as to the implications of the information and facts. Still and all, it was good to refresh my memory on some of the information and to have the excuse to research some events and people more than I ever had previously.

After weeks of prep and planning, panic and mad flailing like a crazy woman, it was time to fly to San Francisco. We arrived a day in advance of the events on the 17th and took the day to just walk around and enjoy the sunny weather. We took the trolley to the water front, stopped by Boudin and shared a bread bowl and then finally opted to head back to the hotel to check in. While waiting for our room, we had the fortune of meeting a lovely woman from Wales who turned out to be the wife of one of the judges for the contest. She was quite interesting and I loved the chance to speak with somebody from an area I've never had the chance to visit at all.

After we got into our room, it was time to unpack - I took the opportunity to strip before unpacking - and sorted through all my outfits so that everything was neatly organized by likelihood of being worn or scheduled to be worn on a certain day or for a certain look once the contest got started. Then we decided to grab dinner and head over to the Eagle for the SHEagle event to meet as many of the other contestants as possible. I should also point out that Sir & I intentionally used the public transit options whenever/wherever possible while out of town as it's not only more cost effective but usually pretty easy to sort out.
Anyway, that was Wednesday and while it doesn't sound too busy, it was really nice to have a day to acclimate before starting the actual contest.

Thursday dawned sinfully bright and it was warm by 10am; not that I really noticed as I was in the process of finding my way to orientation and introduction with the other contestants and crew. After orientation, we signed about a million (100) posters and then we were introduced to the choreographer for our opening number. At first, it was a tangle of people, limbs, chairs as any new routine always starts out. By the end of the first rehearsal, we had a vaguely decent idea of what we were in store for. After that, we headed up to the top suites and met with all the producers and organizers to meet them and to be assigned our contestant number which would tell us where in the order we would be for each portion of the contest.
After that, we had a few minutes to change and then the contestants got to take a tour of San Francisco - we stopped at the Golden Gate Bridge, at Ghirardelli Square where we walked down to the Trolley carousel, to Mr. S Leather for the meet and greet where we got to meet some of our judges and most of the media covering the event. From there we then went on to visit an adult novelty shop and then on to grab dinner at a pizza & pasta place (though I got sick from their food, which was not very fun at all). After dinner, it was back to our rooms to change for Seduction - which was fun, although very loud and the ballroom was just a tad chilly for a little gal like me; but hey, I had a blast before it was curfew and time to slip out to bed.
Of course, I didn't just go to sleep - nope, I had to finish coloring my hair and that meant a second bleach application to get the copper tones gone.

Friday arrived even earlier and if possible, more sunny and lovely - which made the injustice of being inside just that more ironic. After our morning rehearsal - which went quite well, we'd all picked up where we needed to be and what we wanted to do - we were split into groups of those who had interviews first and those who had stage rehearsal for their fantasies. I was assigned Contestant #2 which meant I was the second interview but the seventh rehearsal, so up to my room to change into my interview outfit it was.
Speaking on the interview, I know that Tyesha of Leatherati posted the questions each contestant was asked so if you're interested in seeing the questions asked (but not the answers sadly) then definitely go check out that post of hers. I personally found the interview to be none-too-painful or anything although I think everyone gets all wound up about the "OMG IT'S GOING TO BE HORRIBLE AND THEY'RE GOING TO HATE ME" fears that happen when you're sitting in front of a group of folks all staring at you and writing down notes that you can't see. But at the end of it, I felt good about the answers I'd given and the questions I'd been asked.
My fantasy rehearsal went well later in the day and by the end of the day, I was back to my good old silly self.

When the doors opened for the night, I was the 2nd IMsL speech and boy was I nervous! I've never given a speech in so large a venue and while I tried to joke that it would all be well when I stepped on stage, it was very difficult to remember anything other than how to walk in my boots. Bless him, Sir must have known I was having nerves because he barked - yes he barked - and (bless them) the pups and handlers sitting behind him barked too. Which was just the little jolt out of my own head that I needed. My speech went well and - despite shaking like a leaf when I got backstage again - and although I took a small amount of time to get my nerves under control, I soon was sitting beside Sir and listening to the other speeches of the IMsL Class of 2013.
Upon the completion of the speeches and contest wrap-up for the night, I slipped back up to the room and changed for the Uniform Party which turned out to be a lot of fun but very very loud. After a while, it was curfew time again so we went up to see Sarha and try some of the meats she'd brought with her all the way from Alaska. I now really want to try more Moose and Reindeer, and I still want to try Carribou!
Once curfew rolled around, back to my room we went and I pulled out packages of color and proceeded to go from platinum to the finished project of sapphire blue and teal - I wanted to go with a peacock kind of coloring or at the very least, open ocean tones. All blue and green.

Saturday morning, I woke up early and dressed, pulling a bandana around my hair to carefully hide what we'd done as it was going to be a big reveal that night - much to the frustration of at least a few people who wanted spoilers. I was too nervous to eat and was having anxiety about the contest that night but after a stern look from not two but three elders in the community, I shut up and tried my best to eat a bit of breakfast. After that, it was down to rehearse the opening number again; the difference was that this time, we got it down so well that we wrapped almost an HOUR early. Shortly thereafter, I had my final rehearsal for my fantasy and then we adjourned up to the room for a little more work before deciding that it was as good as it was going to get (which is to say, awesome).

Before it was time to go down and get ready for the show to start, we had a good little nap break and I had a few minutes to center; then it was time to go down. I snuck down incognito, deciding that I'd have a big reveal for the hair and quickly enough managed to get backstage and get myself sorted. As we waited for the opening number to start, the room was very tense and you could taste how nervous most of us were. For what it's worth, I doubt anybody else knew any of us weren't professional stage performers because when those lights came up, we were spot-fricking-on. It was a great number and I had a lot of fun with my part in it.

After the opening number, we were all introduced again (and my blue/green hair was called out which made me laugh) before being sent back to get ready for the next portions of the night. At this point, the back stage sort of blew up in chaos as half of us scrambled into our fantasy outfits while the other half changed into their sexy/cruise looks and prepped for pop questions. I was the third person, and the second fantasy, of the night so my fantasy was early on in the evening; fortunately, I think that played well as it got the "hard" part out of the way early. After this, I had the rest of the night to wait as my pop question was third from the end so I tried to help wherever needed and otherwise just enjoyed the time to breathe and tried to entertain/distract the other girls from their stress.

After intermission, and most of the other girls were finished, it was finally time for my sexy look and pop question - fortunately, my pop question came up and was something I actually had a clue about because a few of questions that the other contestants I had no idea about. And I got to make a couple people blush, because well I'm like that.

Finally, after all that, the contest was over - it was time to change into my formal leather gown and we were all announced one last time onto the stage for the announcemetns of the Heart and Sole and the new IMsL and IMsBB 2013.

IMsL Heart and Soul : Minion

IMsBB Heart and Soul : Bootblack Bella

IMsBB 2013 : Bootblack Bella

IMsL Runner Up : Youkali Youkali (there was some confusion with the announcement unfortunately but congrats to Youkali!)

IMsL 2013 : Sarha Shaubach

It was a great run, an amazing contest, a wonderful experience.

I am grateful to my Community for the chance to represent you for a year; I am honored to have represented at IMsL. Thank you all for your support, your faith and your big hugs when I got home.

To my IMsL Class-sisters, thank you for the experience and for the lessons you taught, for the time you shared and the dedication and passion you shone with.

Washington State Ms Leather 2012 - A Year's review, a new contest, step down and such

What could I possibly say that I haven't said a thousand times before about our title year?

In this post, I will also reference my sash-husband, partner and Daddy Sir - Colby Adam, Washington State Mr Leather 2012. We are going to discuss our year and review the important/highlights of the year.

March was a short month, seeing as we were sashed on the 3rd weekend of the month but we started strong, stepping up and assisting Seattle Leather Daddy & Daddy's Boy with the Bunny Brigade fundraiser to benefit the Life Long AIDs Alliance Chicken Soup Brigade. Oh what fun it is to hop...

April was our ramp up month; We attended the SML leather socials, the sheep shearing & bonfire hosted by Daddy Wendell & Hobbit, the API Council fundraiser at Jai Thai, I attended the Organizing meeting for the SLW - sadly, this group did not manage to found and last, we stopped into the 50th Anniversary of Duct Tape and stayed for the Cuff's Gear Night.
It wasn't all fun and leather though; shortly after our step up, a friend and community member passed away and we felt it was important to show our respects and represent the community at large by attending his memorial & wake. I feel that one of the hardest things we chose to do as title holders was to be part of not just the joyful and fun parts of the community but to also be involved in the hard parts. Loss and mourning are part of life and part of our community, and we need title holders who will not just acknowledge but be involved when there is a loss so that we can help support our community with empathy and compassion.

We started May by attending the Super Happy Fun Hour hosted by Mr & Miss Gay Seattle (Donna Tella & Alex) and were thrilled to assist in raising funds for supporting R74. We followed up the very next night by hitting the Imperial Court of Seattle's Prince/Princess step down & ball (Gays Gone Wild) which was quite fun indeed! (let's face it, glitter rocks) There were the SML leather socials as well of course.
We attended the first meeting for SEA-PAH, and later that night went to the Knights of Mantra Annual Awards ball; we also hit the Seattle Imperial Court's Closet Ball (wherein I was suicided but had a lot of fun anyway). We were invited to the Kitsap ACES for their first open house and (thanks to a heads up from my sister, I brought my boot black kit and was able to talk to them about boot blacking as they didn't have a single boot black in ACES - now, they do though I'd love to get a boot blacking workshop lined up for them this summer).

June was our Pride Trip and travel month; we started in Seattle and drove to Spokane where we partied hard with the Spokane Court and marched with Inland BDSM Group during pride - we were even invited to  a private play party that night and I got my first taste of wax play. From Spokane, we drove (taking the scenic route) to Boise, ID and spent a week working there with the Imperial Court of Idaho and the Leather Community out there to raise awareness and support for our brothers and sisters. Leaving Boise was heart breaking, we had so many new friends and I didn't want to leave knowing that I didn't know when I'd be able to make it out again.
Upon our return, there was a puppy mosh with SEA-PAH and then there was Seattle's Pride parade - wherein I got my first scooter ride! We managed to get to some of the SML events but it was a very busy month.

July started with Bellingham's Pride, then Tacoma, and we wrapped up the Pride tour with Kitsap - all in all, it was 6 prides in 7 weeks! We attended the SML invasion of Diesel and then we surprised our Northwest Leather Sir/Leather boy and Community Bootblack when we flew to San Francisco for the ILSb/ICBB to support our NW title holders who were competing. What a wonderful choice, we were thrilled to see Ruin take ICBB and she's been a fantastic representative of not just the Bootblack community but the NW community as well! And after that, we went to our first Dore Alley festival.

August started with a trip to Portland for the Oregon State Leather competition for the new Mr, Ms and Bootblack for 2012. We joined SML to invade Linda's Tavern and SEA-PAH invading the SML Leather Social & Cuff Gear Night. I attended my first Diva Stomp and while it looks like a good event, definitely not my cup of tea - too loud and crowded. (said by the girl who hangs out at drag shows on the weekend)

To roll in September, we were asked to be a part of the Northwest Leather Weekend wherein Sir & I reinacted my Goldilocks fantasy along with our friends Orry & Texas Johnny to round out the 3 Bears.
Then it was time for the 2nd annual Seattle Slut Walk, a puppy mosh, and back to San Fransisco for Folsom - which was amazing, and crazy busy. Back in Seattle, we managed to make it to the Empress' Express show (and talk about a SHOW!)

In October, we rolled out our OutWest Leather Night and were thrilled when SML invaded to support. There were the SML events and socials as well as a few Bear events that this little Goldilocks may or may not have snuck off to. Sir meanwhile found himself heading to some of the men's only events like Tribal and Cock Circus at the CSPC.

We were honored to attend a very small and very kinky wedding at the start of November followed by the Tacoma step down and show for the Tacoma Imperial Court. The next week was Election Day and not only did we see President Obama re-instated for his second term, but Washington saw R74 pass to recognize the right to marry for same-sex couples. Our second OutWest Leather Night was invaded by the SEA-PAH group - and I can't say too many times how much I love puppy invasions.
We also attended and participated at Seattle's Emperor's Turnabout wherein Sir and I both performed. In mid-November, I had the opportunity to meet up and pick the brain of Toni Solenne (Mid Atlantic Leather Woman 2012) before she hosted a Leather Women's Round-table discussion group; we attended the King County Youth Development Fundraiser and were invited to attend the next board meeting in December.
My brother got married and we managed to get from that to Seattle Leather Daddy & Daddy's boy contest without mishap and closed out the month by attending the SML holiday party.

December started bright and early with a Leather Swap wherein I scored a new-to-me leather jacket; our first King County Youth Development Fund board meeting went smoothly. That weekend, Sir and I assisted with Pictures with Santa wherein we were helpful elves (and one of us wore rather less than the weather called for). Our LeatherNight was very laid back and mellow, which is what just happens right around the holidays but that was sort of nice in and of itself - as was the SML brunch and socials for the month.
Just in time for the holidays, I had a little fall and the resulting injury kept me pretty inactive for the remainder of the year.

We started the year quietly, attending SML socials and events throughout the month of January and I had the chance to get some photos taken for a new "look" to submit for IMsL. More on that later though.
We had the next Youth Development Fund board meeting, a lively OutWest LeatherNight, and of course the Pageant of the 2013 Mr&Miss Gay Seattle. There was also a SEA-PAH mosh, the introduction of the candidates for Seattle Emperor&Empress, and the Knights of Mantra Beggar's Feast.

February was a month of work; we had made the decision to hold fundraisers at the end of our year so that we had made plenty of connections and networked to try and host successful and interesting events - on top of that, we also felt that it was best to use each fundraiser to benefit a group or organization in the area we hosted the fundraiser.
We started with the Youth Development Fund board meeting, our OutWest Leather night, and the SML Gear Night; my first fundraiser was at Changes in Wallingford and was a fundraiser for the King County Youth Development Fund. After that, it was a photo shoot for our Taste of Kink tour; Seattle Coronation, the SML brunch, then a photo shoot for NW Iron Dom/Titanium Sub/Steel-Toed Boot Black and then the end of the month was upon us and we were driving across the state to visit Spokane.
The first Taste of Kink event in Spokane went fabulously and the funds we raised went to SAN - Spokane AIDs Network, and we were also graced with the opportunity to participate in a Court of Spokane event where they even asked me to step in and boot black as there are no public boot blacks out there. Before we left, we were honored with the title of Leather Ambassador for the Court of Spokane. We finished with an SML social just for good measure.

March was by far the busiest month for us : We hosted the Everett Taste Kink event which went amazingly and the funds we raised went to Cocoon House, Sir attended the Youth Development Fund board meeting while I took a much-needed night off, this it was time for our OutWest LeatherNight, the Tacoma Taste of Kink fundraiser which, as I've said as lately as yesterday went amazingly - and the funds raised went to Oasis Youth Center. With nary a breath (ok, we took a day to recover), it was on to NW Iron Dom/Titanium Sub/Steel-Toed Bootblack! The post(er)s were up, we had contestants for all categories and more interest daily; and the event itself was absolutely wonderful to be a part of. I actually can't wait for next year!
The next day was the SML Dinner & Annual Meeting, Sir was voted as a member of the board. We attended Arnie's St Patty's Day show at the Cuff and I won a giftcard to EQC, a coupon for a haircut with Lancer Lott at Emerson Salon and a duffel bag from the Cuff Complex. Our last week, we took a little easier by hitting the leather tag sale (DaddySir scored me a pair of awesome chaps), the WSMLO meet & greet before heading to my birthday dinner, and then Saturday was the day.

Our step down was packed with so many familiar faces; the Courts of Seattle and Tacoma, Everett (and I think I even saw some of our girls from Bellingham, if I remember correctly); there were Sisters of both Houses; leather men, women, boys, bois and girls; puppies, bears, and some of our friends who don't call themselves leather but supported us without hesitation all year. The contest itself was good, despite only having one contestant for Mr and Ms each, they really did bring it on stage.

True to our ways, we had decided to give our step down speech - just as we had given our crowning speech a year before - together. We talked about many of the things I touched on in this post, and more; and we were thrilled to present our Emerald Awards to Panther Berg (my award) and "Texas Johnny" Offut (his award) for all their support and guidance, plus being sounding boards for us each. After which it was time to introduce the new title holders.

Washington State Mr Leather 2013 Ryan Smith
Washington State Ms Leather 2013 Danelle King