** Sin’s note: I keep writing and re-writing this post because everything that I write sounds like all smug and boastful. Please know that is not my intent. I am now on hour 14 of this post and, hopefully, I can convey just how humbled and grateful I am for my life and the way Eve Online has shaped it. That is all.**
Well, fam. By now, you’ve probably read quite a few Fanfest wrap-ups and other blogs detailing sights, sounds, and amazing goings-on of the spaceship nerd variety. You’ve seen pictures and heard some incredible stories– some of which I was a part of, but not too many. Everyone’s Fanfest experience is unique and awesome, but they all sound pretty similar if you think about it. Well, almost all of them. I think that mine might actually take the prize as “Most Ridiculously Epic and Fantastic Fanfest Experience” this year because it was one of the most amazing and surreal experiences of my life.
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My Tuesday started out just fine. I woke up, took kids to school, finished packing, cleaned a little bit. Around 11am, dear, sweet Bagehi and I decided NOT to go on our European vacation.
Wait… WHAT?????
There’s a lot about the last year that y’all don’t know. Maybe someday I’ll fill you in on the money, stress and illness that’s been plaguing RL, but today is not that day. This is a happy blog post.
Anyhoo, after several hours of debate and a very generous last-minute anniversary gift from my sister, it was decided that the show must go on. Bag and I loaded up the car, drove to Orlando and hopped on a plane to Iceland. The ride to Keflavik was surprisingly nice because not only did we have a wormhole dweller as our seatmate (I got to peek at his wallet– 400 BILLION. Clearly, I need to spend more time in wormholes!!!), but I also somehow MAGICALLY got to sleep for four hours on the plane.
I had been tipped off by a message from Guard that there may be a reception waiting upon arriving in Iceland, but it still didn’t prepare me for our welcome. Bag and I were greeted by CCP Foxfour, CCP Manifest, CCP Darwin, CCP Leeloo and a whole bunch of other devs waiting to whisk me and a bunch of my space nerd brethren off on a Flybus complete with an Eve Online skin. And beer. Lots of beer. Lots of “It’s-7-am-but-who-gives-a-fuck?” beer.
Word.
Getting a free ride from Keflavik to downtown may not seem like a whole lot yet, to me, it set the tone for the rest of the week. I had originally laid this shit out chronologically but once I reached 2000 words, I decided to dial it back a little. Instead, I’ma use my attitude of gratitude and make a list of things I’m grateful for.
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EveTV
Holy crap, you guys, what an experience. Not only was there a green room with couches, free coffee and food set up (swaggy) for us, but we also got the opportunity to be on the o7 set and interview some great guests. I got to interview the Project Nova team, the Project Discovery team (Professor Lundberg is one taaaaasty dish, y’all), some European Eve meet organizers (Evesterdam, WHAT??!?!), CCP Fozzie and CCP Larrikin. The way I describe it, it doesn’t sound that interesting, but to get to interview devs and guests and co-host a stream watched by thousands is just incredible.
This is Fanfest
There was a wonderful video that aired during the opening ceremony of Fanfest, aptly titled “This is Fanfest”. In it, a handful of players and devs sit down and talk about what Fanfest is to them and why it’s so important for players to go. I was delighted to get the invitation to participate in this project and happy that in the 10-minute recording I sent of me rambling, CCP Leeloo was able to get 30 seconds of usable footage. I call that a win for everyone. Haven’t seen it? I am a very gracious host, friends.
Hello World
I’ve been interviewed by various magazines and websites about a dozen times during my trips to Iceland. I mean, I’ve never had journalists following me around, chronicling my drunken debauchery, but I’ve talked to a dude or two about the awesomeness that is Eve Online and the fun I have writing songs about it. It’s always a strange experience because I don’t really think that I have a lot of interesting things to say. Granted, my “position” in this game is a little different than most people’s, so maybe that’s why people keep asking me the *hard* questions. When I was approached by Ashlee Vance via Twitter for a small interview, I didn’t think much of it. It wasn’t until I got home and started doing a little digging that I realized I’d been interviewed by the guy who wrote Elon Musk’s biography and been photographed for Bloomberg by a freaking Libyan war correspondent. I DIDN’T KNOW, FAM! PEOPLE LIKE THAT DON’T NORMALLY COME TO FANFEST!!!! Turns out, Mr. Vance has a show called Hello World! and he travels everywhere to talk about different cool technology– like VR. He was in Iceland for all the cool VR stuff, guys, NOT the drinking and rabble-rousing. SEE? THAT makes sense!
Anyhoo, that episode is due out this summer but I’m not gonna be more specific because he made me sing on camera and that’s just embarrassing. He did, howver, let me ramble on about The Angel Project and Broadcast4Reps, so there’s that.
Permaband
When CCP Guard sends you a message on Facebook, asking if you’d like to sing with Permaband at Fanfest, you say yes. Even if you don’t want to. And then you find a way to do it, even if you know you can’t afford to. And THEN you get your candy ass up onstage and sing EVEN IF CCP Logibro has to force-feed you water ahead of time to keep you from passing out. THAT IS WHAT YOU DO. Then, of course, you take pictures of the crowd before they kick you offstage after your kickass rendition of “Killing is Just a Means…” so that NO ONE can ever take it away from you.
. . . and if you’re really lucky? You get your husband to record the entire thing.
And finally . . .
Perhaps the most interesting development– and the one that caused the delay in this blog post– is the souvenir dear, sweet Bagehi and I brought back from Iceland. It is the most expensive, unique, and permanent souvenir you could ever hope to bring back from any amazing vacation. And in nine shorts months, you’ll be able to see just how wonderful this particular souvenir is. You know what this means, fam?
. . .
. . .
Yup. I can’t drink for awhile. Sucks, don’t it?
*sigh*
Oh, well. Still the best trip ever, and I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO GLAD I got to share it with so many of you. Until we meet again.
<3