To borrow a page from the fangirl book, I have ALL THE FEELINGS about this convention. I can't even properly put down what all was so awesome. A few things at least, though:
* It was great to meet even more new faces; every year, more people take the plunge and come to MAG, and they're almost always there every year from then on. Lizz, Gario, GlobalTrance, Luke, Amphibious, Ben Briggs (BUY POWER STONE 2, DUDE)... it was awesome seeing you guys for real.
* More than 3 elevators was fantastic.
* Room blocks! Having nearly all the OCR folks 30 seconds or less away was brilliant, and made for some epic parties.
* Speaking of epic parties, Shariq and I successfully got a shitload of folks to watch tokusatsu in our room Saturday night, and they actually enjoyed it. Mission successful.
* THOSE CONCERTS. Armcannon (THUNDERCATS) and Metroid Metal (holy shit they played Tallon Overworld!) are always a good time. Hearing four Black Mages songs played live not less than 20 ft. away from me was almost a religious experience.
* I got my Final Fantasy II/IV SNES cartridge signed by Uematsu and his band. I can't help but wonder how much I could sell this for now, though I never ever ever ever ever ever will. This will go nicely on the shelf next to the Secret of Mana cartridge I got signed by Hiroki Kikuta at MAG 9.
* Thank you, Rama and Starla, for the Killer Studio Chops shirt. I will treasure this thing forever.
* The way the moshpit turned into a race track with everyone running in a massive circle when Armcannon played their F-Zero track was brilliant. Only at MAGFest, folks.
A few downsides though:
- Until this weekend, I didn't realize I snore like two chainsaws clashing against each other. Sounds like I need a legitimate doctor trip if it's that serious; sleep apnea can be fatal.
- Just like last year, I had no time whatsoever to hang out with my buds at the Metroid Metal forums, though I did have quick chats with most of them at least once over the weekend. A definite shame, cause I would've liked to have a taste of that 21 year old scotch they bought for Chunkstyle's birthday present.
Altogether, this was one of the best MAGs yet, and I'm already counting down the days to #11.