No video because FACK YOU.
Because it'll come later, so shh.
So yeah, Youmacon. It came, it happened, it went. I knew it wasn't going to be as epically awesome as ACen was, but there were so many things about it that made it a grand ol' (and bad) time. And because I'll never be able to do it otherwise, I'm going to do a list.
Thursday
- I had a Music exam in the morning, so I had to do that before anything else. I could not sleep the night before, and kept cycling through phases of feeling nauseous and then excited and then worrying.
- Took the Music exam, then high-tailed it back to pack up my car, buy some lunch, and head off to Ryu's house.
- Got the Ryu, and at exactly noon, we were off. The only thing "bad" to happen was Chicago traffic, but we're used to it. I killed an Asian beetle on the dash, which turned out to be my first picture.
- Every time we passed a billboard for a strip club - sorry, "gentleman's club" - I'd have to say it aloud.
- Indiana is only good for being "America's crossroads".
- Switched at about three hours. Everything was nice and dandy until...we missed our exit because we were talking about what people from theO we'd like to meet. >_>
- That's only the beginning. Once we got our exit, Google Maps and the real world started to clash. One hour, two gas stations, and a hotel later, we found our hotel...and proceeded to be told I couldn't check in because I was 18. I call Hotwire, get put on hold for about ten minutes listening to smooth jazz, then am told "fax us this stuff but lol at you". Ryu drives the rest of the way because I am ready to kill things. I am left to wonder if I'll get my $189.61 back.
- Ryu says to me, "I feel sorry for the guys, especially Tom." I say, "Why Tom?" He says, "Uh, because of YOU." Yeaaaah...
- So we finally get to the Hyatt, then we decided to get the free room they had for the night. We learn that they had special hotel keys made for Youmacon, so we go back after asking for two to get four. >_>
- Me, Ryu, and Kastom go off on an adventure to get Nehs and, since we are hungry, we go and get food. We didn't even park the car for her - she just ran into the street and hopped in. When we got to the restaurant, I was so heavily assaulted by a hug that my left shoulder proceeded to hurt for the next day or two.
- I forgot that not every state is like Illinois, and smoking is still allowed in the restaurant. Random pictures from the 'straunt.
- Then we go to Meijer and fool around in the toy section. ...Nehs and I had fun. :P
Friday
- We get all dressed up and then clear out of the Hyatt before going to pick up Nehs. She takes us to a McDonalds, where leaving Ryu by himself means having random kids walk up to him and ask what's going on. Read the last chapter of FFO on the free wi-fi while eating my Mighty Kids meal because I wanted the Astro Boy toy. >_>
- Check in to our new home, the Red Roof Inn. We proceed to hang up the Gurren Lagann flag (later to be accompanied by the Merry Go flag) in the window.
- So then we get to the con and realize that...Friday is not very exciting. We went around the dealer's room, stopping by one booth in particular because they actually had stuff. The merchant was very good at observing his customers and tried to get me and Kastom to buy things for each other. He points out a Yoko figurine and says "You should get this!"
Kastom: Me or her?
Merchant: She should get it for you!
Kat: Tom, I like you. Do you want me to continue liking you?
- I don't even remember what we did on Friday. I don't recall going to any panels...Nehs and I once were hanging out in the hallway and had one of her friends and his dog come up to us. Finn was a great dog. (Nehs wrote his name with a dog bone on his badge.)
- I had, much to my despair, lost Plushie Forrester by leaving him in our room, so I asked the front desk if he had shown up. No such luck.
- Went to the mall food court for dinner, we all get Sbarro pizza. After that, we go back to the hotel and find Shrek to be on TV. Have a good time watching, then we go into Chat and fool around. There's a video of it, just chill out. Then we take Nehs home before calling it a night.
Saturday
- Wake up, get breakfast, cosplay it up, then head to the Hyatt. We got there at 9:45am, cutting to the head of the MST4K line because Nehs had been camping out there for a ridiculously long amount of time.
- MST4K was a blast. We watched the Chinese DragonBall movie and were entertained by these two guys whose names I forget and then That Guy With The Glasses and Linkara. Yeah, I was nerding pretty bad.
- Oh, and Plushie Forrester was returned to me. He was wrapped in a plastic bag. I was very very very very happy.
- Right after that panel, we went across the hall to the Gurren Lagann photoshoot. It was rather boring, so we cut a bit early and camped for Yu-Gi-Oh Abridged, again at the front of the line
- We were let into the panel a bit early, so me, Nehs, and Kastom got prime seats: third row, dead center to LittleKuriboh. He was right at it, talking in the voice of Yami Yugi and being entertaining. We were allowed to shoot off questions, and I, of course...
(Again, Nehs, I'm sorry I left you hanging. But I did give her one like five seconds later, so shh.)
- The panel was a-freaking-mazing. Team Four Star ate up more time than I would've liked with their intros, but LK always took the show back by being himself. Then we watched two new episodes, both to standing ovations.
- LK hijacked two cell phones and hilarity ensued.
- In conclusion: "Oh! Oh! Oh! Yes! You like me on top of you, don't you? ...Wake up honey. I made you breakfast in bed." [/Marik]
- After that, we killed some time before Hiko came and I proceeded to backhand him three times. And yeah, the spelling mistakes carry to real-life.
- Then we waited in line for the Whose Line panel. And that was...a huge disappointment. But we were stuck in the front so we couldn't leave. After that, we got dinner at the mall food court, wherein Ryu encountered Random Bruno. I proceed to make the "awkward turtle" hand motion at Hiko.
- And then we high-tailed it to Nehs's house to meet...the Captain. I instantly went up to him and gave him a hug, saying, "Hey Captain, I'm Katana...Kat." He goes "Oh!" and all is well.
- Then my inner ten-year-old comes out and I run around the yard, playing kung-fu with the Captain. He calls me Kat every time he needs to say something to me. My confidence on leaving a good impression on Nehs's mom steadily declines every time he says that.
- I introduce Plushie Forrester to the Captain, and thusly witness nine-year-old logic being applied to MST3K. Hint: it is amazing.
- We go back to the hotel, Ryu goes to party, I get toilet paper and an internet card. I find out Hotwire has returned me my $189.61. I am happy.
- Kastom and I fall asleep next to each other with the TV playing the Tom Cruise Mission: Impossible movies. I wake up to find the quilt throw on me with Kastom bundled up in the sheets. I am annoyed.
Sunday
- Get up, get dressed, eat, no cosplay. Go to the con. Don't do much. Kast and I get in line to see That Guy With The Glasses a tad too late. He pops out to tell us the panel will be split in half, we're later told it won't be. So we leave.
- Meet up with Ryu and Schultzie at the Potter Puppet Pals panel, which had cleared out after the performance so it was now a Q & A. My moment of shining was contributing "Word Disassociation" as Herminone's Lemon Demon theme song. I am proud.
- And that's about it. We did some conclusion videos before parting ways.
- I drove first. Ryu and I talk a lot about ACen, cosplay, things going on with theO and its people, saw a dude para sailing, and bitched a lot about Michigan.
- Kinda winged our way back after hitting Gary/Chicago, since we missed our original exit but knew what roads we needed to take.
- Drop off Ryu, head back to NIU. I am stuck behind a pick-up truck going 40 on a 60 road. A country road, mind you, with absolutely no traffic around us. When we get to the stoplight (a good while later) and we split, the kid (about my age, if not younger) in the passenger seat flicks me off. Without missing a beat, I do the same. :)
- Kimmeh, this picture's for you.
- In conclusion...
Dear Michigan:
Please make it so that your drivers' test involves more than walking into a building and includes an actual 'test' and a real motorized vehicle, not a tricycle. (If you use a tricycle, we ask that it has a bell.) We encourage your drivers to use turn signals a lot more often than they do, especially when changing lanes on busy highways going 70mph. Also, please consider redesigining your left-turn system, since it is really just an overly glorified right-turn.
Sincerely,
Concerned Illini drivers
