Just Lauren

PAX was a variety of emotions and experiences. We landed in Seattle Thursday night where Lydia picked us up, we met up with Elisabeth, and we ate delicious vegetarian food for dinner. Then Friday dawned and PAX began.

The best parts of Friday were the three panels we went to: Scott Kurtz playing Table Titans with his friends and family, Chris Perkins talking about being a dungeon master and all around geek, and Patrick Rothfuss answering questions and being funny. Those names probably don’t mean much to most of you, but to my world, and to me, these people are celebrities and I adore them. Chris Perkins even walked over to Elisabeth and Sidney and SPOKE TO THEM and gave them a pin. It was awesome. I just stood there staring, in awe. Chris Perkins is my new favorite person (just read his twitter and you’ll see how nice he is). I know these people are just people but these people have done things that are truly impressive and inspiring that being in the same room as them fills me with wonder and happiness. It’s an amazing feeling.

On Saturday, Elisabeth and I dressed up as Mabel and Dipper, the main characters from Gravity Falls. While we were waiting in our first line, a couple next to us asked to take our pictures! Made me super happy that someone recognized who we were. I also got to hang out with Katie and Mitchell that day, which was lovely. I love hanging out with those two.

The three of us played Machi Koro, a game I had been interested in playing ever since Sidney played it one game night. It was pretty fun even though it took me a few turns to realize how the game worked. We then walked over to Mitchell’s work where I was treated to an AMAZINGLY GORGEOUS and most beautiful view of Seattle I have ever seen (the one picture I took DID NOT do the view justice). They then walked me to my next stop where we parted ways. I met up with Sidney, Elisabeth, and Gene where we listened to the Acquisitions Inc group (Dungeons and Dragons group) answer questions. More fun and happiness.

Sunday we all wore our B-Pod Campaign shirts as an homage to our D&D days at Central Washington University as this was the day Acquisitions Inc had a session! In the morning we painted a mini. It was my first time painting one and I quite enjoyed it. I then proceeded to buy two more minis to represent Pidget, my gnome wizard, and Eberk, Gene’s dwarf cleric. Now that we’re going to be playing D&D IN REAL LIFE (can you tell I’m excited?!) I figured we should have our own minis instead of using small stars and turtles to represent ourselves.

We didn’t do much on Sunday as we wanted to get a good spot in the Acq. Inc line. So we waited in line for a little over two hours before they let us sit in the theater. It was totally worth it as the show was amazing. I screamed so much that I started to get light headed. I don’t get that excited about many things (although I do get excited about a lot of stuff). I felt such warmth and love from the audience and the players, it was so great. I was with my people that night.

Monday was a little more laid back. We played Dungeons and Dragons with Steve, Gene’s friend since middle school, and a random guy. It was fun, even though the DM wasn’t that great. I played a wizard, like my current character, which was a bit of a bummer but I had different spells than Pidget’s so that was nice. I used my magic to perform tricks for sprites! We chilled out after that, mainly walking around until later in the afternoon when we played Pathfinder, the card game Sidney, Gene, and I have been playing the past few months. This game was a new adventure that hasn’t come out yet, so that was cool to experience. We got to take a card from the new adventure and roll a d20 for a chance to win another prize. Elisabeth won a pack of Goblin cards while Sidney and I got minis!

The day ended with Katie and Mitchell picking us up and bringing us to a delicious Italian restaurant where Lydia and Donny met up with us. I love seeing all of these people. Not only do I enjoy spending time with them but they are all so accommodating and nice. I mean, these people drove to come see us, it’s very heartwarming. We hung out a bit before heading to our hotel for our last night in Seattle. The next morning we had breakfast with Lydia and Donny and then walked around a nearby lake. We saw a turtle under the water strolling along, being chill. I liked watching him. It was soon time to say goodbye though and so Lydia and Donny dropped us off at the airport where we got on the plane and took off back to Denver.

I keep trying to think about my favorite part of the weekend or even my favorite day and I just can’t choose. I complain about crowds and waiting in the line and the colder weather but when it comes down to it, I had a wonderful time. So many things happened, I can’t include them all in this post or it would be unbearable to read. The camaraderie that I felt at PAX was amazing. Being surrounded by Dungeons and Dragons and people that love the game, I was filled with a sense of rejuvenation and invigoration. I have energy now that I’m not quite sure what to do with yet. Thanks PAX for a lovely four days, perhaps I’ll see you again next year.