Kicking Ass At PAX East: End of Line

It’s been an incredible PAX. I’ll have a lot more to say on it later – likely tomorrow – but I really did have a blast, and I have a lot of people to thank for it. But to end the suspense here and now, I’m sorry to report that I didn’t win the Omegathon, and barring one hell of a long shot in the random selection, I won’t be returning to the competition next year.

That’s not to say I feel like I failed. I’m disappointed that I didn’t make it to the finals, but here’s the thing: one of my New Year’s resolution was to do everything I could to win the Omegathon. Not to win, per se, but to put up the hardest fight I could. And I and my teammate Ross effing brought it. The second round, where I ultimately lost at Zip-It, was incredibly close. We were down to the last point, I was down to my last letter, and my opponent finished just a split second before me. Ross and I made them fight tooth and nail for every inch, and we gave as good as we got. We may have been defeated, but I’m proud of what we did nonetheless.

And I’m still proud of what we did last year. I was the first woman to ever make the Omegathon finals – hell, I was the first woman to make the concert round. Ross is a three-time Omeganaut, and if anyone else can say that, well…it’s a pretty select crowd. Our story was epic. But here’s the thing: much as we want it to be, life isn’t a story. You can have an epic tale end in disappointment. It would have been amazing to make that comeback and claim that victory. But that’s not how it fell out. Such is life.

I am happy to report that I’m not the only member of the female Omegathon finalist club anymore – my fellow Omeganaut Tina, a.k.a. PorkBuns, made the finals this year and came really, really close to claiming final victory on an absolutely ridiculous tabletop game. She and her teammate also effing brought it, and while they ultimately lost, it wasn’t for lack of trying. The torch is officially passed: assuming she’s returning to PAX East next year, well, maybe she’ll take that grand prize. Maybe it’ll be another female Omeganaut. Only time will tell.

I do know this: victory is inevitable. Someday a woman will win the Omegathon. I know a whole lot of you were rooting for me, and I’m sorry I couldn’t make a little more history. But I tried. In the words of someone I should probably be embarrassed to quote, I tried so hard, and got so far, and in the end…wait, you know what, in the end, it did matter. It mattered to so many of you. It mattered to me. And I am honored by your support, and incredibly grateful for it. Thank you all.

Kicking Ass At PAX East: Your Support Means The World

Well, here we are – Thursday, April 5th. PAX East Eve. Between the Omeganaut dinner I had earlier this evening and the industry party I just got back from, my weekend has honestly already started…but the Omegathon itself still lies ahead.

I am seriously in awe of how much this means to people. How incredibly happy so many of my fellow gamers were to see me make the finals last year. How many people have told me that they’re rooting for me to win this year. And I want to take this opportunity to thank you all, and to ask you to keep the good vibes coming.

Some of you were generous enough to donate to me directly, making sure I’d be able to get stuff to eat and pick up various supplies for the con. I want to take a moment here to thank you personally – Ross, Sarah, Jeanne, and my anonymous donors…thank you, honestly, so very much. That money’s helped a hell of a lot.

But more than that…it really, really helps to know that so many people have my back. Even if you weren’t able to donate, your support really does mean the world to me. And if you find me at the con, and I’m still in the competition at that point…a kind word really will go a long way. You’ve all done so much already that I hesitate to ask for anything more, even a show of solidarity, but it helps. It really does.

You are all amazing. And I hope to do you proud. See you at the con (or, if you’re not going, on the Internet, or around Boston, or whatever). Wish me luck. You all have my love, my best wishes, and my eternal gratitude.

– Themiscyra

Kicking Ass At PAX East: The Campaign Continues

TL;DR: I’VE GOTTEN SOME VERY GENEROUS DONATIONS, BUT I COULD STILL USE HELP! PLEASE CLICK HERE TO DONATE!

I have some good news, some great news, and some complicated news. The good news is that I got some really generous donations last week from people like fellow Omeganauts Ross and Sophia, and friends and fans like Nate, Jeanne and Sarah, and I’m already over halfway to my original goal! The GREAT news is that I’m set to start a new job after PAX East – I’m not going to say where just yet, but I’m very excited. And the complicated news…well, the complicated news is that expenses have come up and are still coming up in relation to all this, and I could still use your help.

Since I’m going to be working regularly as of next month, I’ll need to get myself a monthly T pass rather than the weekly one. I could use some new shoes and I need to replace my watch strap, which is about to fall apart completely. That’s in addition to the various con expenses I’m still worrying about. So I’ve revised my target amount to $500, and yeah, I could still use some help.

Let me be clear: the initial deal still stands. It wouldn’t be fair to move the football when people have started kicking, so I’ll honor everything I said before. If I hit my original target of $400, I’ll tweet and blog live from the convention center. At higher goals, I’ll add video to the deal. And hell, I’ll tell you what: if I hit $1000 in the next week, I’ll drop all my inhibitions and cosplay every day of the con. During the Omegathon rounds themselves, I have to wear the Omeganaut t-shirt and all, of course, but I’ll make it work outside of Omegathon events. If you’d like to see me wandering around the convention as Jean Grey, Batgirl, and Wonder Woman, well, you know my price.

I’ll also see if I can do something nice for everyone who’s donated. Maybe you’ll get medals. I’ll come up with something when I see the final total.

If you want to help, but you can’t really give money right now – that’s perfectly okay. I get it. Retweeting or blogging about this would be a huge help. The more people I reach out to, the better chance I have of making my goals. Or, if you prefer, you can find me and help me out at the con itself. I may have trouble finding time to eat, so you know what – a candy bar, some chips (I love Lay’s Sour Cream & Onion and Pringles Ranch), a sandwich (I don’t like tomatoes or lettuce, but I really like chicken salad, egg salad, tuna salad, onion, mozzarella and/or pepper jack) or a Diet Mountain Dew could be HUGE to me at the right moment. Find me and feed me and I’ll be grateful. 🙂 As a huge fan of The Hunger Games, I also wouldn’t say no to a mockingjay pin for luck, say. 😉

Your support – in whatever form it takes – means a great deal to me. If you can help me in any way, I’ll be very, very grateful. If all you can offer is moral support, I’ll take that, too. I am genuinely in awe of all of you. I am stunned each and every time I discover another fan. Thank you all. Each and every one of you. Keep your fingers crossed.