(Cross-posted from Tumblr)

Monday:
After a harrowing and anxiety-inducing car ride, we got to our hotel nice and early. We headed over pretty quickly and looked around while most of the shops were still setting up. At 3 we headed over to a SPG fan meetup and met some really cool people.

Later Kristin and I headed over to the photo op and met Syrenemyst and family on the line and had a really neat conversation with them, despite me getting dizzy a few times from lack of sleep/food lol.

When we finally got to the merch room in front of the photo op room and I started tearing up, and then I peeked in the door and saw Hatchy and started sobbing, and then stepped a little closer and peeked in again and saw Rabbit and completely lost my shit XD The door guard and people around us in line were like coaching me through breathing and everything, it was terrible XD And then once we got in the room I hadn’t stopped crying yet so Rabbit and Hatchy hugged me and told me it was okay (and I got a wonderful face full of Bunny Boob and I have never been so happy to be 4’11”). We gave Hatchy a sign that said “Hello Ari!” because Ari couldn’t come with us but she adores Hatchy, and he said “I begrudgingly accept this task” and then made the “hello darkness my old friend face” that ARI DOES ALL THE FREAKING TIME. Beth snapped the photo and Rabbit gave me a little “beep beep” squeeze on the shoulders it was so cuuute. And then I got another hug from Rabbit and Hatchy and then turned to The Spine, and he like leaned back and held his arms out and did The David Face and I just laughed and hugged him (and holy crap he gives the best super tight hugs like wow). And on our way out they were like “See you guys later!” and then Kristin and I stopped in the hallway and just sobbed for a few minutes. A few people passing us in the hallway stopped and asked if we were okay lol

I also spent all my money at Leather Lair because their sales girls were way too fucking good at their job lol. May or may not still end up having to sell the coat, not sure yet. But for now it looks most excellent with my pirate hat and I could probably work it into some kind of old-timey Grim Reaper sort of costume with the skull mask I have.

Later that night my group split up for a bit, until I got a text from my friend saying the band was in the Embassy cafe. I have never packed a bag so quickly before in my life. My sneakers, socks, and jeans were completely soaked from the knee down by the time we got there BUT I DIDN’T CARE. We were trying not to creep too hard because it was the VIP dinner and like…they paid for it, so we felt bad interrupting that. So we just kinda stood up on the balcony and watched from a distance, until the fans got shooed out to give the band some time to themselves. Then we joined that group of fans and got a quick hi from the band after all. I apologized to Hatchy for crying all over him and he was like “Oh that’s okay. WAIT. Are you done now? You’re done? Okay.”

*Saturday: *
Oh man it was insane. We just kinda walked around for a while since most of us were out of money (damn Leather Lair lol). I got a text from Nevask with a picture of Steve working the soundbench so Katie and I headed over to go see. By the time we got there he was no longer working (I’m guessing he had to take a break because there was a little dance event going on in the tent) and talking to fans instead (including @celosia, who Tumblr won’t let me mention but was super nice) so we went over to say hi. We got pictures with him and then Katie showed him the picture I did of Rabbit and he asked to flip through the rest of the book. Of course i said yes, but he stopped and went “Wait, is there any of me in here?” and i said no, and goes “Oh then it’s all crap!” XD And then he opened to the first page, which was one of my Mass Effect drawings, points to Wrex and goes “Oh so you DO have me in here!” and then he complimented me as well XD I told em I’d draw him something that night, and then we left because we didn’t want to take up too much of his time.

So we wandered some more and tried to hunt down the SPG merch table, which let me tell you was like finding a needle in a haystack, except the needle had legs and wouldn’t stay still, and all the strands of hay thought they saw it in different places XD Anyway Jordi, Nev and I were tired so we sat in an empty panel room (well sort of empty, there was like maybe 30 people and someone was playing Happy Wheels on the projector lol) and Kristin and Katie to go find the table and let us know when they did. We were sitting there doodling and whatnot when I looked over and saw a lady in a blue shirt and short black hair come in and hug some little girls, but her back was to us and I only got a quick glimpse of her face. I turned to Nev and was like “omg I thought that was Bunny for a second” and we both just kind of looked at her and then she turned around and IT WAS HER. And then we realized this was the panel she was doing about gender and oh my god what a perfect accident. Our friends came back in right after that so we stayed and moved our seats as close as possible. The panel was so fantastic and funny (and seeing Sanji educate Bunny on asexuality and Bunny being like “huh, learn something new every day” was really cute). Jeff Mach mentioned that next year they’re going to try to get gender neutral bathrooms so FUCK YES YOU SHOULD ALL SEND HIM MESSAGES PUSHING FOR THAT. When they opened for questions, I was the first one they called (and….I think the only one to raise their hand lol). First I told Bunny what an inspiration she’s been (she brought it up in her introduction thingy) and promptly started crying again, and then asked her (and the rest of the panel) how they go about correcting people’s pronouns. It was really great.

After that we FINALLY found the merch table, which was not where anyone told us it would actually be, but right next to the stage where they were gonna perform XD Jordi was super nice and bought me some pins and a bracelet and I got an absolutely stunning print of Rabbit too. While we were browsing we realized David was right behind us, out of costume and talking to fans. So we finished up real quick and got on line for that. Kristin got him to sign the drawing I did for her for Christmas, and he said I was really talented w I mentioned my friend Treasure to him, because she knows him and Gabi, and he was like “Oh yeah! I know her! I like Treasure!” and he asked how we knew each other and whatnot. And then I said I was sorry I cried on him too and that I was too short for hugs and he gave me another one and we took a selfie :D

After that we just kinda camped out in the parking lot in hopes of getting up close for the show. We drew some, got Wendy’s, bullshitted, were found by my freshman and his crew, it was awesome. We saw the burlesque show, which was really fun, and then got shooed out of the tent so SPG could set up.

Unfortunately a good 200 people or so either refused to back up or snuck in from the sides and cut off all the people who were at the front of the line but actually did what they were told. We were thoroughly displeased with them. But we still managed to get into the front row, thanks to one fan who told us to join their mom (shortness wins again!). I was all the way in the corner, which was kind of annoying, but I was RIGHT UP FRONT so I can’t complain too much.
The show was absolutely phenomenal. It was funnier than a lot of the ones I’ve seen online (Spine dropping his water bottle, Steve giving them voice commands during their language malfunction, and sooooo many subtle and not-so-subtle sex jokes; I’m still demanding video of the torque skit lol). I almost got to shake The Spine’s hand during Go Spine Go but he got the person to my left and then turned back. After the show we sat back in the parking lot for a few minutes to tame our feels and our boners and then headed back to the room. I finished the Steam Powered Derps and drew a thing for Steve like I promised. I couldn’t sleep until about 6 in the morning….

Sunday:
….and then got up at 7 lol. I was soooo tired but the excitement of meeting the band again kept me awake. We got on line for the autographs as soon as we got there, and ended up right in front of Syrenemyst again! So we talked some more about the concert and how they went to the VIP meets. Definitely going to have to do that this time.

When we got to the table I ACTUALLY MANAGED NOT TO CRY! I said that and Sam was like “We live on your tears. You cry them into our eye sockets and it gives us life.” I gave Bunny the print to sign first and then the drawing. Oh my god she loved it so much! She was like “Oh, wow, this is beautiful!” and asked me to email her a copy of it. When she put the marker down to the paper, Sam goes “I can smell the pencil on it” and she goes “Yeah, I was gonna say, this feels like actual colored pencil. I thought it was a print…” and then David mentioned that he remembered the one Kristin had him sign yesterday. Talk about starstruck, omg. That was like the biggest compliment any of them could have given. When I got to David I meant to say “You almost shook my hand last night” but I accidentally said “You almost signed my hand last night”, and when my friend corrected me, David shook my hand and then signed it XD We sat out in the hallway for a few more hours in hopes that they’d come out to hang with the fans a little (they didn’t, oh well) and I almost started crying again but I didn’t XD

While we were sitting after the autographs, Jeff Mach, the owner of the convention, came over and randomly shook our hands. I mentioned we were at the gender panel (he was one of the panelists) and that I was the one who cried XD He asked if I was going to be joining them at the NYC Pride March, and I said probably not because I couldn’t afford it. And he went “Oh, one moment, maybe we can help with that!” and ran off, and then came back with a little card thing and he said “Think about it, and if you can’t do it, message me and we’ll see if we can help you get a ticket.”

Like oh my god what a sweetheart! I still dunno if I’ll be able to afford transportation and all that, but it was still a really awesome gesture and definitely an honor!

And then we packed up, had an awesome lunch at Applebee’s and talked about the weekend, and then took a long, much less terrifying drive home, where I promptly fell asleep XD

It was such a fucking amazing weekend, although a bit of an emotional roller coaster lol (I left out all the anxiety XD)