The Definitive Project Messiah aftermath writeup.
Yes, yesterday Project Messiah actually happened, and can be judged a sucess. I suggest you check out the original node for a contrast between the plans and what actually happened....
Who?
In no especially good order,
Where?
Well, Winchester obviously, but we moved around quite a lot, taking in a fair amount of both scenery and alcohol. Winchester College, where the Messiah concert actually took place was understandably an attraction, but Winchester Castle was also an interesting visit. We didn't go in the cathedral, but passed by it on our way to places such as The Eclipse Inn and The Old Vine. Unfortunately myself and Hamsterman also spent rather a lot of time running in between these locations and the train station.
So what actually happened?
After a rushed lunch at my nearby house I went into Winchester, to find Hamsterman, BaronWR and the Birmingham 3 (which sounds rather criminal) lunching in The Eclipse Inn, a rather traditionally generic British Pub.
After a tentative start we were thrown right into a complex discussion, no element of which was understood by three or more people. There were many conspiratorial looks, especially when Hamsterman presented a scar faery with a gift box, which I accused of containing crack. After dodo37's arrival, and the proud display of the "node cup" (ideal for holding Node Soup!) we left to more fully explore the town.
Oddly enough, despite having gone to school there for three years few of the E2 Wykhamists had ever seen the castle, so after a brief tour of the college we headed back into town. The castle was pretty impressive, but perhaps the most unusual feature was a piece of lichen-y wall, with a perspex covering. Theories suggest that this may have been the original instance of the colour green, grass until that point having been yellow! The arthurian round table was suitably large and round, but to everyone's consternation one of the knight's names appeared to be Sir Wikiwiki.
Alas, pedrolio was stuck in his bedsit, suffering from a vile wasting disease, and we felt honour bound to greet him. Entry to the house was a rather less subtle affair than originally intended, as after climbing a rear perimeter wall Hamsterman and myself found it impossible to secure keys with which to enter. Thus, we found ourselves simply walking in through the front door, horribly paranoid of what the demonic "Sid" (no, not the noder) might say about there being actual females in his house. Thankfully he was nowhere to be seen, and after a brief stopover in pedrolio's bedsit (which he informed us is usually much tidier) we ran for it...
At this point everything got a little split up. purple curtain, so save me and a scar faery went to watch the final rehersal of the Messiah, with which Hamsterman was involved, and the rest of us went our seperate ways.
I spent the next hour or so wasting time as I usually do, and when the rehearsal had finished it was time to collect Tiefling and nine9 from the station, which was unfortunately distance. Being the glutton that I am I went to house supper, and thus had to run up the hill to the station, getting there just after the train did.
nine9's map of Winchester had the college in completely the wrong place, but thankfully it was good enough for him to find his hotel. The E2 WAP protocol deserves a far lesser amount of praise for being terminally unwieldly. Soon afterwards, and not entirely unexpectedly I found myself sitting in a pub. Of course just after I'd consumed my first pint I had to run all the way back up the hill to collect Oolong and diotina. After another quick drink we realised that the Messiah concert was much too soon, and having said farewell to the Birmingham noders we proceeded with all due speed to the venue.
Having a slight aversion to classical music in large quantities I declined to watch the Messiah concert, but those that did go seemed far from disappointed, which must indicate something considering the lenghts to which they went to attend. nine9 and diotina had even flown down from Edinburgh.
Unfortunately, by that point it was rather late, and Hamsterman had to accompany Oolong and diotina back to the station. Since it was about 9.45 I had to tell my housemaster a mild white lie in order to be allowed to go and search for food with Tiefling and nine9. After nine9 had turned his nose up at the first few options we ended up in an Ask Pizza and Pasta restaurant. Despite being an A level theology student some of the discussion at the dinner table went over my head, but when the topic turned to RPGs I managed to recruit nine9 as the newest member of RPGers.
I bid everyone farewell, and that should have been the end of it, apart from the fact that I got locked out of the school due to the codes on all the gates being changed, and it took two phone calls to get back inside.