questions for future me: responses !

 hello hello, im back from my trip!  its now time for me to answer all the questions i left for future me- who is now.. current me? whatever, im sure you get it lmao  

"What was getting to the hotel like? Was the hotel room nice? How was your experience with having to shower/getting dressed/waking up in a new room with two other people nearby?"

 getting to the hotel was pretty simple. my friend got us an uber, and we almost immediately checked in around 10am; we were pretty lucky, actually- checking in wasn't typically before 3pm, but they let us in early since no one was in the room!  the hotel room was about standard, but still very nice!

i did notice there was both a bible and a book of mormon in the nightstand.. while i do my best to respect everyones beliefs (so long as they dont hurt others,) id be lying if i said i didnt have a bit of extra disdain for mormonism's teachings  that didnt ruin any of the niceties of the room, though!

 as for going to bed and getting up, it was a bit nervewracking; i prefer sleeping in only my underwear, but didnt feel comfortable showing my moobs to either of them (and i dont think theyd wanna see that, either !! at least i hope not ) i opted for a robe to cover myself, but the constant moving i do in my sleep would leave my chest exposed anyways.. at least i always woke up before them, so i had time to adjust myself before they saw  it wasnt too bad once i showered and changed into normal clothing, at least!

"One of your friend's friends stayed in the hotel with y'all; what was she like? Was she kind? Could y'all connect, or were y'alls interactions mostly awkward?"

on a scale of 1 to 10 (1 being "genuinely horrendous" and 10 being "a real-life saint who has graced my life,") she was about a 4.5/10.

it feels a bit mean to say that, but there were moments where she did make me kind of uncomfortable and/or upset.. she would ask kinda intrusive questions out of nowhere, and joked about calling someone a slur she couldn't reclaim in a derogative manner  however, i could tell it didnt come from a place of intentional malice- it was more that she lacked proper understanding of her words' weight. it reminded me of a younger version of me, before i became more "woke" and socially aware.. i wish i did more to tell her why it was wrong to say that, or that her intrusive questions made me uncomfortable, but i was scared of starting a fight in front of a friend i really care about (esp one who seemed just as taken aback when she said those things.)

im not sure if we could fully connect; even if she isnt a bad person, she just doesnt seem like someone i would want to be friends with, personally. and thats okay ! not everyone needs to be my friend, and i may not like someone just because my friend does  im a little worried she doesnt realize that, though.. if she tries to get really close to me, ill have to tell her; and i hate letting people down

"Were you able to see all the events/panels you wanted to see? Were any of them better/more boring then expected? Who won the big Cosplay Contest on Saturday, and what were they cosplaying as?"

we saw most of them, yeah !  we ended up missing one on the first day bc we wanted to relax instead, and one of the second day (third day? it was supposed to start around midnight) events ended up being cancelled, sadly.. but all the ones we did go to were fun (only one really disappointed me, but not because it was bad; it was just a topic i preferred to read about, rather then listen to someone tell me about !) it was an amazing time, and i even won a couple of prizes!!!

i was one of 5 winners in the very first panel we attended.. it was a "hear me out" panel, and my pick was the furnace from minecraft ! (yes im objectum, how can u tell lol)

i came second place in the last panel we went to on day 2- a "waifu/husbando war" panel..... i was up against my friend, and i lost to her pick of laios from dungeon meshi

 as for the cosplay contest, the winner was a duo pair ! i unfortunately dont remember their names, but it was a couple cosplaying as rarity and applejack from MLP:FIM !  i actually ended up on an elevator ride with them after the contest was over (i had a killer headache and had to grab some aspirin from the in-hotel store- note to self, bring aspirin if i go to another con ) they were both super kind and super stoked about their win, teehee

"Did you buy anything at the artist's alley? If so, what did you buy? (Shopping haul pics are highly encouraged.)"

yes, in fact i did ! i was really nervous being in there, at first- i felt like a horrible person for passing by stalls without buying anything....  once i was able to get my bearings and remind myself that i was not, in fact, obligated to buy from every stall ('lest i be some evil horrible freak who should die,) i felt way more comfortable and bought a TON stuff (mostly stickers, heehee )

my day 1 haul- i was still kind of nervous to talk to the vendors, so i only went to the ones i really liked

little day 1 bonus- i didnt realize this was on the back of the bulborb keychain, and it made me laugh out loud when i saw it

my day 2 haul- i was a lot more comfortable since i knew what was going on ! (excuse the blurriness, i was tired lol)

 "How was being without your parents in a public space like? Were there any moments you wished they were there to comfort/guide you, or were you relieved to be more free?"

like i briefly mentioned in the previous question, i was a bit nervous at first since i was worried about how i looked to others.. but, even when i was scared, i didnt really feel like i needed my parents to guide me ?  on one hand, of course i knew i didnt need them, because i am fully capable when i try. but, on the other.. i guess im just used to having that guidance, so some doubtful part of me was surprised when i was just fine  i barely even thought of them outside of reminding myself to update them on where i was, every few hours.. the only person i thought of often and wasnt there was my spouse (who i am def taking with me next time i do something like this!!!!!!! i need to experience everything with my beautiful angel )

"Last- but not least, did you have fun? Would you wanna go again, in the future?"

 one word: yes!!! yes, a million times over, yes !!!!!!! it was so nice to be surrounded by people i knew were also massive nerds.. the energy was so much kinder, so much more connected and happy then anything ive felt in recent years  i cant wait for the next time i get to go to something as lovely as that- i NEED to experience it with my spouse, i want to show them to every single thing that makes me happy  it was magical, and i hope i get another experience like that soon..