Hoo boy, I'm still in disbelief I was actually there this past weekend. With that being said, I have the most wonderful time. Meeting the various artists, animators, programmers, musicians, etc whose work I highly respect and even new ones I wasn't aware of was a dream come true. one of the most mind blowing parts was how nice and down to earth everyone was! Sure, there were some people who were shy, a little awkward too, but no one was an asshole! That was mind blowing in itself.
Before I continue, I have to give a shoutout to @RealFaction and @coolboyman for allowing me to room with them and to my boy Veritas (not on NG just so you know) for loaning me some cash to catch the bus. If it wasn't for those three, I would not have been able to attend. So, huge fucking shout out to those three.
I might be gushing here, but getting out of the Lyft driver's car and approaching the Newgrounds building filled me with a sense of wonder as if I was a child again. I try to keep the childlike wonder in my life anyway, so this just added to that. Stepping inside the building and seeing all these other people who were there for the same reason I was added to the surrealness of it all. I looked for a bit just to see if I recognized anyone by their face and if memory serves correct I turned around and saw @Luis and introduced myself to him. Funny thing about that is he knew who I was because he came to my city a year or two ago for our music festival and I said I would buy him a drink but wasn't able to! He recognized my name and even made a jab at me about the drink. Luis then asked if I had been upstairs yet and said he'd give me a tour. So I followed him to the upstairs. He was very welcoming. Don't worry, I still will buy you that drink one day bro. :P
Upstairs was even more majestic. More people were about. I talked to Luis a bit more before he split off to talk to others. I can't hardly remember the order of things because it was so crazy.
Up here I got to meet Rob and Dave from Cyanide and Happiness which really fucking surprised me seeing them two there. They were very nice as well. Oh and I met one of the guys they work with for the C&H cartoon, @Phobotech . Fuck man, everyone was so damn nice, I just can't get over it. I could cry or something, but that's not um, manly, right? Ha.
I eventually met Nikki, talked to her for a bit, then @psychicpebbles slid over with his cool-ass shades and jacket, wrapped his arm around her, looked at me like the red-head clown I am, and called me a Pennywise wannabe. Seriously though, I introduced myself and we shook hands, etc. They were both very nice. Met @TheShadling later on(not in that order, orders don't matter) and of course he was in his signature gear. Cool Shades and jacket, face mask, etc. I met @CatFat as well which hell, I didn't even know who he was when he walked up. I have to thank the very nice @Sabtastic for that knowledge while we were discussing a cartoon, my background mainly and how Kentucky sucks and we discussed Canada for a bit and her teaching degree and how teachers should be paid more and whathaveyou and what her plans are.
Let's see. I met @oney and he was nice too, though we didn't get to really chat. Which is okay. He didn't punch me in the stomach and that means he's A-OK in my book. His buddy @CryBurger materialized around the same time. Shook hands, etc. @Krinkels and @The-Swain were there showing off their game Project Nexus 2(looks great of course) and I talked to them a bit and they were nice as well, even if they're both fucking super cut able to instill fear into the bravest man, haha.
Meeting @Spazkid was kind of funny. Introduced myself, he hugged me and shit which was cool even though I dont' think he realized who I was at the time (until later via twitter).
Okay, this is getting a little long and I've only have 5 hours of sleep and its past 2am.
Meeting @RicePirate and @Stamper was awesome. Stamper truly has that knack for making you feel like youv'e been friends for years. When I was leaving and said bye he kissed me on the cheek, hugged me and mentioned something about masturbating (I still want to see video proof btw). As soon as I introduced myself to Ricepriate he recognzied my name immediately, hugged me. We didn't get to chat too much (he does seem to get everyone vying for his attention of course) but the couple times we did get to chat were great.
@TopSpinTheFuzzy and his majestic hair was nice too, though we didn't get to chat very long. Oh and his pal AnnStann(not sure if she has a NG account) was very nice too! Oh and Barry was cool too. Everytime I spoke to him he was more and more drunk and it was great hilarious! Nice blokes, the three.
There are plenty of more I met and I cannot remember everyone which I do feel bad about. If we met and chatted, PLEASE LET ME KNOW IN THE COMMENTS! And to those I didn't get to chat with, I am so sorry. Sometimes I get shy and awkward and at party situations, I like to look around and just observe what's going on. I like watching everyone having a good time. Next year though I plan on staying even longer! Maybe I'll drink more than one beer! I sometimes do this thing where while looking around I'll look at the same people repeatedly. I guess it gets to a point there's only so many people you can look at in a single room. Or maybe its just some human-nature thing where we are drawn to things we know or find pleasing or something?
Before I end this, I have to say a big thank you to @TomFulp for inviting me. When I saw you and introduced myself to you, I pretty much didn't know what to say. I know you're just a normal guy like the the majority of us, but you, you created this thing that is Newgrounds and its a huge part of our lives. If it weren't for Newgrounds, I honestly don't know what the hell I would be doing. Sorry to be gushing like a shitty fruitsnack but its the truth.
Though my only regret was not taking a single fucking picture! There's only one photo I've been in and it was during premiere. If someone has any photos that I just so happened to be in, let me know! I am the guy with red hair, glasses, about 6'3 and I was wearing a Marvel Zombies hoodie!
But yeah, thank you everyone for being kind and welcoming and I can't wait for next year!
PS: I'll see if I am able to edit this post and add in the people I may remember later on when I'm not so tired.
