RPGLB2019

Uh hey uh I know this is pretty late lol. God where do I even start? This year was just one the best times I’ve ever had so far at any event and I don’t think I have enough words to accurately describe it. Apologies if I end up missing any names at all.
Shoutouts are at the bottom if you don’t want to read the essay this turned into.

I suppose I’ll start off from before I even got to the venue.

Coordinating rooming with the homies was especially easy this time of year. Having a returning roommate Lifafreeze was nice reassurance that things would go by a bit smoother than last year- and thankfully they did. Not too long after confirming Lifa was rooming, one of the peeps I had met last year at a concert in the area, Fon, had also reached out to me regarding rooming. I had a pretty good time getting to know him and hangout at the previous LB. Given his chill demeaner it was enough for me to trust him to join our squad. Easy to say I wouldn’t want to have anyone else. When we were in need of one more roommate, I had reached out to get the spot filled in and hoping it’d be a better choice than the alternatives, I had the pleasure of getting to know Traditionology along the way while finishing preparations for travel and the hotel.
Day 0: The night before we were supposed to depart, I had the idea of spending the night at an irl friend’s house to catch more z’s than I did last year. I did get there at the time I wanted to but I got about the same amount of sleep as the previous year. Strangely though I had felt energized as soon as I woke up and gotten on the road to go pick up Traditionology close by. In smaller exchanges before we all departed, we all had gotten everyone introduce each other before eventually meeting. Turns out most of us have a great interest in the same music- and boy did that make everything so much easier. I was expecting the 10 hour drive up to Salt Lake to be filled with a lot of vacant small talk and as well as frequent stops to just break the silence. Contrary to that expectation: I don’t think I could’ve asked for a better co-pilot for the ride. Literally the entire drive up we had been nerding out talking about music, games and speedruns, and then more music lol. Just from the first hour into our talks I knew it was going to be a wonderful week.
The drive was pretty easy the entire way as per usual. I would prefer to keep driving up there since the views and scenery you catch along the way are always so breathtaking, and quite literally, a breath of fresh air. Shoutouts to $4.30 gas right by Primm though :/ I am never forgiving that shit. Trad had taken many many pictures along the way when I couldn’t as I was occupied having my hands on the steering wheel. When we eventually got to the hotel and finally was able to check in we had gotten a bite to eat with Barbatos and Cinder we chilled for a bit before I had to go pick up Fon. Later in the room, we were all were pretty beat from the each other’s respective journeys and after introductions we all called it for the night.

Day 1 & 2 was a wonderful experience from the moment I woke up. Being able to sleep in a bed this year around was much needed and I will forever be grateful for my roommates allowing me to do that, as I prefer everyone else take a bed so they feel more at home. Starting the day off with breakfast was a wonderful start to the day. I was contemplating on whether I should bring one of the consoles I had brought up but decided against it as I didn’t want to lug around a precious item and not use it. Afterwards, the crew and I checked out the practice room and met up with friends we had been waiting all year to spend time with again. It was a lovely time catching up and also meeting some folks irl I had not previously before this time around. The practice room ended up being our main spot to spend time with friends the remainder of the week. Most of my free time was spent with the homies, memeing it up, throwing hands in smash or clone hero.
Being able to meet up with Finamenon, iGreany (wr), Kyos, Sloa, Daniel, Fox, Nahiri, Barbatos, Cinder, itsKasa, Tojju, AlecK47, Palmer, as well as a few people that I had the pleasure of meeting for the first time. Kyonlyon, Colin, Flutter, Fatmn, Rokilla, Malumick, Wah, Priya, as well as anyone else who I met Monday (or Tuesday, both days are kinda blended for me since I stayed up for so damn long lol.)  We also had a mini smash group a lot of the days and eventually a small tournament set up, which ended up being pretty lit with competition. Later in the night a few of us had gotten together and went to grab some ramen, and fuck was it good. Cozy little place in a slightly shadier part of town but regardless it was a fun night. iirc We ended up later hanging out in one of the rooms for a long while, and then moving to another to keep the party going. Endless laughs and a few hilarious group photos later most of us decided to chill for the night and prep for the next day… most of us.
Kasa and I had decided to throw down in some Mario Party 5 after everyone else went about their own bidness. It ended up being Kasa, Cereth, myself and Flutter joining in on a game of Mario party. It was a fun grudge match the entire time until I made the cocky decision to start some shit and duel Kasa for all of my coins- the rest is history. My rise to the top fell short there and spiraled down more and more as the game drew to a close. Kasa was #1 and I quickly dropped back into last lmao. Coming so close to victory and then losing everything was a good reminder of how quickly south Mario party games can go. Rip win streak. After that I went up to sleep. Fun note, apparently, I can’t get drunk off cheap sake.

Day 3 was a crazy one for sure. I had gotten up a little bit later than I wanted to but I was able to get some breakfast along with Trad. Meming around with some folks, later in the day sk84uhlivin shows up with some clone. Knowing Fon had been wanting to shred, I was also excited to get back into the swing of jamming out. I really surprised myself by how bad I actually was playing and I did not impress anyone watching me lmao. But even so I had tons of fun being able to jam out. And speaking of jamming out- Fon and I went to go see a fuckin stacked concert later that night. Unfortunately, it did cut into some of the runs I wanted to see live so we stuck around for an hour to catch Kyos’ run and then make our way over to the gig.
We had arrived at the perfect time too, just a couple minutes before Thousand Below had started with some great jams. Last year, I was able to catch Astronoid, TesseracT, and Plini had played at the same venue and I was excited for an even more stacked turnout. That night was full of diverse vibes, and respectfully so. Thousand Below, Covet, Hail the Sun, Don Broco, and Dance Gavin Dance were all there. It’s kinda difficult to say which one was my favorite performance. Thousand Below started off strong and I admired their set as some of their songs provoke a certain energy for me to sing my heart out
Covet was and will forever be one of my favorite bands in general and to see live. Yvette’s guitars and talent were a mesmerizing experience seeing how she played every note. Their drummer had smile on his face the entire time and their entire stage presence was wonderful and vibey, seeing how all of them were probably having as much fun as we were.
Hail the Sun played afterwards, this was another band I didn’t really know too much about aside from a few songs I happened to catch on my Spotify. Chaotic and had reminded me of some older prog bands I grew into. Closer to the end of their set the power had actually gone out, and it fooled me into thinking they ended off their set with such a crazy conclusion. Turns out it wasn’t, but the energy from the crowd kept everyone going. Chanting HAIL THE SUN shortly afterwards and then eventually getting the power back up to continue. Then the pits started opening up and the energy kept going up till their set was over.
Covet and DGD were already bands I had been excited for since I had gotten to see both of them at Swanfest. Don Broco was also there but I missed out on them as I had been on my feet all day and decided to take a break. I definitely had the most fun dancing and jumping around to Don Broco. I didn’t really know anything about them before Swanfest, and I was blown away by how uniquely exciting the energy they gave off of was for their mix of pop and metal. I haven’t had that much fun at a concert before and it put a smile on my face the entire way through, even if the thinner air was making me tired. Their singer greatly reminded me of an older 70’s disco/pop singer stuck in a 2019 metal band, which only added to their energy and stage presence. 10/10 dance again. Crowd surfing was there, some circle pits even. Fuck yeah, it was getting there.
GDG was a treat to see live again so soon after Swanfest. It ended up being the same setlist as they played then minus a few songs, however I enjoyed it much more this time due to the smaller crowd and being able to sing and experience it closer to Tillian. Lots of crowd surfing and a couple pits as their set went on. I think their diverse gig was well mixed cause even when I was out of breath from Don Broco, I still found myself singing and screaming my heart out the entire set. Easy to say my voice was kinda raw at the end of the night.
While Fon and I were waiting to grab some merch, I had noticed 3 of the members of Covet were standing next to their booth. I was excited at the possibility of getting a picture with them but the line was not moving as we later realized everyone in front of us was taking a picture with Don Broco. Fon and I decided we’d just try to swing in front to grab some merch since at this point Covet had left. Nobody else had come up to them beforehand and I was a little sad to see that. Shortly after we get back on the road with our Covet merch, we chatted a little bit with some friends in the practice room for a short while and then I win a game of Rock Paper Scissors and wash up first.

Oh my god I’m only halfway into the week.

Day 4: Grab some breakfast, head down to the practice room, meet up again with some of the homies. I catch up with some of the dudes and watch Daniel and Fon brush up on some Earthbound any% before Daniel’s run later that day, as well as some Super Metroid shenanigans. Around 3:00 rolls around it’s time to head over to Taco Night a la casa de Kyos. I was only a tiny bit bummed to not be able to see Daniel’s run and Fon’s commentary in person but I was able to catch it in its entirety through twitch.tv/rpglimitbreak 😉. Daniel fucking owning that run even when it did not want to give him what he wanted was a great time to watch, as well as seeing my homie Fon do some wonderful commentary too. Afterwards, the crew decided to play some jackbox games now that mostly everyone was in attendance and it was a great time. During that though I had to go outside to take a couple of calls. Between calls from family and potentially a new job I had learned that my cat was not doing so hot, as she has an overactive thyroid causing her to get lose too much weight and since she is getting older (11 going onto 12) she’s also losing her eyesight. (We got her meds though, and she’s doing much better now 😊.)
I had also planned to go visit my brother in then next town over for a couple days. I had also taken a call from him seeing if I could make it down that day and I made arrangements to do so. It was kind of an abrupt ending to some people that I had met earlier in the week who did not stay the full 7/8 days of the event- to which I apologize for. I wasn’t really expecting to go visit till the following day. I had felt a similar grief for leaving while packing my stuff for a couple days and I also wanted to just keep the fun going. But I had to shrug it off and march down to my brother’s place.
It was much needed family too, for both of us. Just being able to laugh like we hadn’t in so long was therapeutic to help relieve some of the stress we both were going through. We don’t operate like how other people do, we just let whatever is bothering us sit in the back of our minds and the crazy shit we do and laugh almost dissolves it away. Like it was never there in the first place. It’s something unique I’ve only ever experienced while spending time with my immediate family. We spent some time at the arcade, watched Detective Pikachu, marathoned some anime and played video games in the time we spent. Saying goodbye was hard and I stayed for as long as I could, but I had to go catch the end of the marathon.

Dawn of the final day: (more like afternoon)
I caught up with the people I found to still be around, caught up with a couple cool af individuals I didn’t get to meet earlier in the week, played some clone hero and sat down remember some rng manip for Oracle of Ages. Fast forward to the start of the Pidge’s, I was surprised I didn’t have to take a break throughout the whole run lol. I had a great time learning more of the run that had kept my interest for quite a while, seeing Pidge kill the run and having a legendary cast (Tojju, Daniel and V0oid.) I had a great time every second I sat there. No other way to really express it.

The finale was beautiful, seeing a lot of wonderful people from the community come up and share their stories and what they had on their mind. Very impactful and I’ll never forget it. I’ll have to remind myself to sign up to speak because there was something I wanted to say at the end. Thank you everyone who spoke, you’re stronger than you realize and you should never forget that. I think most of us can also say that we didn’t want that night to end as it meant we had to go back home. Even so, the memories we’ve made are forever cherished. There will always be next year, and you can bet that I will be there again. This event has quickly grown into something more than just another event for me. It’s closer to meeting up with family and more for a week just having a great time, and it only ever gets better as the week goes on.


With that out of the way, here are some shoutouts.

LifaFreeze: Thank you for being patient with me arriving that day, your easygoing and lightheartedness is a quality not many people I know have. It’s always been amazing to have you around, and thank you for putting up with my stupidity LMAO. You’re one of the most down to earth people I’ve met, I’d def would love to hangout again soon. Keep being you dude.

Fon: Getting to know you better this year has been amazing dude. It was awesome to share as many laughs as we did this time around, I had a great time just being able to shoot the shit and jam out with you. Looking forward to spend some time with one of the coolest people I’ve had the privilege to meet B)
Traditionology: Dude, prog? 👀 Seriously dude, as I said before I don’t think I could have asked for a better co-pilot to help me along the way to and from the event. Thank you for being as generous as you have been in the short while I’ve gotten to meet and know you. I won’t ever forget, and I def owe you at least a burger or something. I admire your ability to take a topic and run with it and go into as much detail as you do. It’s def something I will aim to work on as well.
To the three of you: I don’t think it could have been a better crew to room with. Everyone was super courteous with each other and I hope we can room have the same crew next year. I tried my best to make sure everyone felt comfortable with each other as well as make home away from home feel as that: home. I hope I did a good job. Thank you guys again for making this year something to remember forever.

Kyos and Shibbu: Getting to squat you, Kyos, this time around was a nice change from last year lmao, there were more than a few times that I had felt like I was out of place and didn’t belong in the communities I am apart of. Thank you for making me feel welcomed throughout the time spent there, and reminding me to pick my head up and take a look at all of the fucking wonderful people around me. You’re a cool homie to have around, till next time 👌.

Finamenon: Hope you had a great time for your first time around an event like this, it was always a good time to hangout with you in the short amount of time we did. Hope to see you next year!

Barbatos: I’ll be the Kirby to your Plant

Sloa: My dude it was a great time seeing you again, it was awesome to see you come alive when we hungout, throwing hands in smash and talking about other speedruns, and in general. Don’t ever change g

Daniel: Getting to know you a bit better was a cool experience, I strive to be as good as you are in games. Just seeing your skill and wisdom shine throughout the week was cool af to witness firsthand. Maybe one day I’ll get good enough to race/money match you mangoW

iGreany: Sorry we couldn’t get around to play some fatal frame, we’ll def hangout again sometime. Your high energy helped kept me to keep being social and just be myself even with the amount of people around.


Kasa, Tojju: A quick note but thanks for helping reignite my desire to speedrun again. I had been on the verge of quitting it entirely and retiring early but when you guys had asked me which runs I was going to learn I woke me up to the fact that I might enjoy putting in the work into another game as I did with FFX for so long. Hope to see you both next year around.

To V0oid, Kemi, Fox, Nahiri, Wah, Infinitefluff, Kyon, Colin, Cinder, Fatmn: It was great seeing you all, some for the first time, some again, but I wish we could’ve hungout a bit more than we did. All of you are wonderful company and cool af to chill with. Hope to see you guys again next year.

And lastly to everyone else who I got to hangout with in any capacity throughout this week: all of you contributed to the best week I’ve had in years. The laughs and memories we have shared will forever be cherished and kept close to my heart. I want you all to know that I appreciate you, your time and your friendships. Especially to those who I am close with. Thank you all. This event wouldn’t be the same without you guys. Hope we all can make it again next year. Cheers.
Lastly, thank you to the staff and volunteers for the magic you’ve helped turn this event into, as well as NAMI for continuiong to do amazing things.

Y’all are cool af and I appreciate you.
Stay you, live fast, eat ass.

CrystalS1n