SGDQ 2018 Overview

The last week of my life was amazing, simply put.

I first met my roommates for the week (Waldens, Dajman and Beckworth) once I got to Minnesota at around midnight CST. We roomed at a BnB about 20 minutes to the event since it was a lot cheaper than staying at the actual hotel. The place was comfy, and about what you'd expect for the low price (there were the occasional bugs in the basement since I roomed on the bottom floor, but that wasn't a big issue). We commuted about 40 minutes every day (going to and from the event at the start/end of the day respectively) and spent a great deal of time in the venue, as well as the local places such as nearby restaurants and the Mall of America.

It didn't take long to meet up with the other community members of the Kingdom Hearts Speedrunning community, as well as a few faces I've seen in a few other communities to boot. We did everything at the venue from playing at the arcade, playing board games, Mario party, Sm4sh, going to the Mall of America and of course some Kingdom Hearts shenanigans in the casual gaming rooms. In the background I was putting in work for my run with practice runs of level 1 any% from start to finish. There was always an underlying tone in my body telling me that I wasn't going to put on a good performance (despite the amount of hours of prep I put into this). I never showed this, but I started to doubt myself when I actually got to the event.

I started to question myself with my run at the actual event coming up so soon. You all gave me significant support and reassurance that I wouldn't just handle it, but I would excel when the time came. I got into my element after the initial 20 minutes or so of my run and I just rode with it to the very end, never losing that confidence. I'm very proud of the run I was able to demonstrate (despite it not being that great of a run for my standards, but that's not important). I wouldn't have wanted it to go any other way. I'm honored GDQ accepted me and this is something I will take with me for the rest of my life.

I want to give a big thanks to my commentators Bizkit047, SpikeVegeta and JHobz for being there when I needed serious focus time in what is a very volatile run almost the entire way through. Technical explanations were done very professionally, and some humor thrown in from all of us kept it very lively the whole 3 hours that KH1 was showcased. Of course I also want to thank Xem92, ItsKasa and KungFuFruitCup for putting on an incredible performance during the Disney Song donation incentives. You all blow me away with just how talented you all are.

All good things come to an end sadly, and departing was extremely difficult for me. I've never been great at goodbyes (you can tell because I said bye to everyone about 10 times before going). This was only the second ever GDQ that I have been to, and it was way better than the first one I went to. I felt so much more in touch with everything since I had the prior experience from my last GQD. To be 100% honest, I felt so out of place my entire stay during AGDQ 2016 that it turned me off from going to another GDQ for the longest time. There was a time I almost didn't even consider going to SGDQ this year and that would have been one of the biggest mistakes of my life.

A few highlights for me outside of my run include the following:

- Mario Party/Melee with roommates
- Placing 3rd in the first KH Community Sm4sh Tournament (there was a second one, but I didn't participate)
- Mini-golf and Arcade at the Mall of America with Waldens, Dajman, Beckworth and KHFan.
- Multiple board games with the KH Speedrun Community (Bang and Jenga particularly)
- Tetris at the arcade with Waldens, Dajman, Beckworth, Crispy and Kasa
- Bishi Bashi at the arcade with Beckworth and Dajman
- Huge Dinner after party with KH Speedrun Community members after my marathon run
- 2-Player-1-Controller 1FM Beginner Any% with ViolinGamer
- Cuphead Co-op with Dashaque (I'm going to buy that game soon)
- Meeting up with various Zelda Speedrun Community members such as Samplename, Pheenoh, XXShawn and HumanProtractor
- Having an amazing send off with virtually everyone I wanted to meet on the last day of the event (you all know who you are <3)

If I didn't mention your name specifically, don't think for a second I didn't appreciate your company. I made sure to tell you face-to-face how nice it was to see you! It's just that there are so many other people I want to name, that I don't want to leave anyone out. D:

I learned a lot more about me as a person on the back of SGQD this year. I don't really socialize that much with people in my personal life. Exceptions would be the general workers you'd meet at a store when you're doing errands. I finally found that connection that I lost prior to coming here, and I'm excited to start shaping myself into the person I truly want to be. I'm determined to get in better shape both physically and mentally, since I've been very lackadaisical in regards to both. I initially got on a good schedule with a healthy diet and regular gym visits while maintaining streams, but that fell off about 8 months ago due to personal life stuff. I am going to be more strict and seriously push myself over the next six months, since I intend on going to AGDQ 2019 and seeing you all again. I want to be the best person I can possibly be, and you're all helping me get there.

In the end, I just want to say thank you for making this last week one of the best experiences of my life. We aren't just community members who got acquainted; we are legitimate close friends. I loved meeting all of you whether it was the first or second time I've seen you. I hope to see you all again (and even more wonderful people) come AGDQ 2019.

Thanks for everything,

Mist.

P.S - Fuck flight delays.