Everfree Northwest 2018: Friends, Magic and Connections - Day 4 - Monday & Finale! · 4:02pm May 29th, 2018
...I finally slept past 7:15.
Rejoice!
Still couldn’t wake up, even with a Venti London Fog. I almost got another! A lot of people got a late start, but I remember hanging out with Corejo, RedSquirrel (I think), Furled Scroll, but that was after saying goodbye to Hap!
Left to Right: Myself, Corejo (Background), Hap (Foreground), Fourths (Background), Arcshod (Foreground).
We hung out, I flailed a lot like Kermit. I barely could even sit in my chair right We had to break apart briefly when we found out that checkout time was fast approaching and Mono wasn’t quite awake yet. I did get to say goodbye to Shimmercoat though, though sadly, I missed Heartshine.
Corejo joined me to chat for a bit as I finished packing my room. A few people joined us, like Swan, Autumn, Fourths and Arc. By then, we just hung out until Scroll was kind enough to let us stow our luggage in her room until it was time to go.
Then, we all went down for lunch. I believe Ebon eventually joined us. He was pretty late though, but it was only later that Ebon and Heart had a super-late date that evening! SQUEEEEEE!!!!
...anyway they weren’t up any time soon (no, not like that, silly).
Of course, I had to take a picture of the girls (Front Page guest starring from my bag)
We ended up wandering down to the bar for one last lunch together.
A Very Tired Lunch
We were all pretty much half (or more) dead, but we still managed to have a good time here. And the curry there had quite the kick. Or I’m a wuss for heat. One or the other.
From Far Left: Corejo (Background), Fourths (Foreground), Arcshod (Foreground), Furled Scroll (Background), Mono (Background), lilfunkman (Background), Swan Song (Foreground) and Autumn (Head of Table)
Eventually, we moved up to Ebon’s room to relax for a bit. We talked about all sorts of things, from Austeroah to Wavelengths, to the panels to… okay, let’s just be honest here. I was giggly as hell the entire time, thinking everything was hysterical. It got to the point where Ebon warned me if I went through security at the airport like this, I might get pulled aside, I assured him there was nothing to worry about though, but I could turn it off when I really needed to.
But I didn’t need to then. I was with my friends, so I decided to just be goofy ol’ me.
A Fourths randomly appears!
We passed a lot of time in there just hanging out and chatting. About everything and anything. I don’t remember most of it. Ask the others! They might! (And they’ll kill me if I ask them for even more information!).
We all said goodbye to Mono (I think). Jyki had to leave the previous afternoon to get home in time so he could graduate from Cal State LA! Pretty good reason, I think.
A Panicked Flight!
Finally, Arcshod was kind enough to offer Fourths and I a ride to the airport. There was a bit of trouble getting his car out of the lot (more trouble trying to get our bags in with all the Nerf weaponry! But he definitely got us there.
Except for one tiny mistake on my part.
...I got my departure time mixed up. By the time I got to the airport, it would be boarding in 35 minutes. Now, if I was at John Wayne Airport, this actually wouldn’t be a huge problem. It would be tight, but not terrible. You see, the lines at John Wayne are usually only 20-40 people long.
SeaTac, the main Seattle airport… is a different story altogether!
There were hundreds, if not thousands of people coming through. Seriously, I was having panic attacks in line, terrified I wouldn’t make my flight! For the love of Pete, I have to take a light rail just to make it to the right terminal! They started boarding when I wasn’t even though the metal detectors!
I sprinted across half the airport, gasping for breath (and I was also very annoyed I couldn’t refill my water), soaked in sweat when I stumbled in a few minutes after the last boarding call. I got to my seat and collapsed. It was a close call. A crazy close call.
The girls right before taking off (I was still gasping for breath)
God, Seattle’s gorgeous from the air…
On the flight home, I enjoyed the end of The Twilight Enigma and them decided to continue on with Corejo’s Into the Dark (which I finished the next day with tears in my ears and a smile on my face). I could have passed out, but my brain wouldn’t let me.
Heading down into the cloud cover above Orange County!
Seriously, flying through clouds is the most surreal and awesome thing…
And home…
A Warm Welcome
But the best part… when the kids finally saw me after coming off the flight (and sadly, I don’t have a picture of this)...
They actually ran to meet me. Yeah, just like all of those Hollywood shows. They actually did it. Did you know that last year, I don’t think they did that once? That was a special moment for me. But of course, things got a little crazy as they decided to tell me every second of every day I’d been gone. Heh.
We stopped by Chick-Fil-A on the way home for dinner (hadn’t had a chance before I got on the flight, obviously) and Caitlyn gave me this:
We finally got the kids in bed, Painted and I curled up on the couch for a single episode of Psych… and then we crashed hard.
Until Next Year!
And that was EFNW 2018! The whole thing! I know this has been a massive Retrospective and if you’ve actually gotten this far, kudos to you! I know this was half Retrospective, half personal journal, half rambling and half interview (I’m tired, don’t bug me about math), but it was critical for me to capture these moments. As I’ve said many times, I have a terrible memory and I wanted to make sure I got this one right.
I know there are things I forgot and spaced on. People have already added new thoughts and lines, for example, I remember meeting Czar_Yoshi at one point and introducing him as the “guy who always disagrees with me!” which got a good laugh out of everyone (and for the record, this is more about writing discipline than anything huge).
I apologize for any inaccuracies, but please believe me when I say I did my best!!!
For all of those got to enjoy EFNW with me, I hope you enjoyed it just as much.
Collaboration Thanks!
So, time for a few special thanks. I’m fairly sure this is the longest and most exhaustive EFNW 2018 Blog on FimFiction, as it clocks in at 23,297 words!
Still, I could have never done this retrospective without the help of all these amazing people:
The Albinocorn
Oroboro
Corejo
Fourths
EbonQull
Adge (Little-Tweenframes)
Monochromatic
Bookish Delight
Swan Song
Autumn Rush
Below_Depth
Jamie (Joules)
Sam Rose
Arcshod
DrakeyC
Bubblegum Bomb (Shimmercoat)
Heartshine
Lovely Laughter
Titanium Dragon
Jeryn
RedSquirrel456
The EFNW EqD Crew
Winston
Sun Sage
Sylvian
BlazzingInferno
Epic Yarn
Loofa
Hap
Gara-The-Author
Czar_Yoshi
Justice3442
Many of them have done their own EFNW blogs, so make sure to go check them out!
And finally, one more very special thanks to EbonQuill, without whom this entire experience would have never happened!
Thank you all for such an epic time! You’re all fantastic!
Bonus Pictures!
i]Rainbow Dash’s Parents (Okay, fine, their VAs)
I was asked by Arcshod (who I believe is under the blanket) to post this. I have no idea why.
Hap’s commission of Dawnfire of Derpy Witch Mercy!
The Jurists!
Looking forward to doing it all again with you guys next year.
I already miss the Mocha Sunrise
. I think I bought five of them in three days.
4872293
Same... and next year I'm getting there earlier and leaving later.
And just think, Novel, now you can rest! Except for all that other stuff on your plate.
An amazing convention this year! Here's hoping next year us just as good!
4872296
Amen. Planning to leave Sunday was a big mistake
4872293
Me, too! I also look forward to dragging along into social times! Just ask Albi how subtle I am about it!
4872296
This year, I intentionally arrived early Thursday morning and left late Monday night to maximize my time.
...and no, I don't get to rest. There's always something else. ALWAYS.
4872297
It will be! As soon as the Con Heads finally admit that Writing is the BIGGEST THING EVER, we'll own the place!
Love Swan's sense of style. White always looks good on him.
The guy in those shorts in the first picture... that takes courage. Everybody else has done EFNW blogs and I'm still sorting photos. Yea team?
4872340
I knew that the longer I waited, the more memories would slip through. If you have any pictures of the writing panels, be sure to share them!
4872336
Writing is the biggest thing ever! Because seriously we did need a bigger room for panels.
4872348 Heck, I was busy forgetting names *while* I was talking with people. Thank God for nametags.
4872522
Amen to that! Seriously, I was thrilled anyone had a big custom badge. Easier to remember.
4872569 Well, I had to keep looking at it. "Hi, I'm... Georg! Yes, I'm Georg."
Reading these blogs has been like reliving the weekend all over again. Thanks for that!
I'm quite certain I know who that tantabus cosplayer is
4872730
I only know I've seen them at other cons... feel like sharing?
Wow. I feel like I've just been to the con myself, which is perfect as I've had to miss attending it for the last two years. This retrospective was excellent and I feel it captured all the glorious insanity and heartfelt connections that truly represent the experience. Thank you for the time and effort it took to pull all of this together.
4872862
Thank you! More hours than I can count went into this and if you say it captures the very essence of the con, then I consider my mission accomplished!