SoCal 2008 - my 10 cents

really nice meeting you Tony... you def. made me feel welcome just an hour or so into my visit.. helped me relax a little bit. haha.

 

Hey guys, that gathering was a blast as usual! Before I have to do this assignment, here are my shoutouts:

LA Akira - Thanks for having Steph and I over again! We always feel so welcomed each time we're there. Everytime we come down, there's always something cool you show us, and your crazy new cab was it! It felt exactly like the Lindenberg in Japan, no one can top off that dedication.

Adam - The main man of the gathering. Congratulations each tourney, your Jeffry was wayyyyyy too hard to hit. Your defense is solid as hell. I never ate so many knees in my life! Wish we could have played more, looking forward to it next time!

Flash - Always cool seeing you man. Your Wolf is so monstourous with your new setups and PGS'es. All that stuff was too funny at Gerald's, and thanks for showing me that Wolf stuff. Get that rooftop gathering on!

Goat - The Sarah monster. Great playing you again man, I ate like 8 Dragon Cannons in a match each time we played, haha. Your spacing with it and in depth knowledge of her and the game can't compare to any other Sarahs out there. We'll play more next time!

Dennis - Hope you come up to SF to play! Your movement with Akira was awesome. When you come up, let me know, I'll ask the others to join in. You have my number!

KrsJin - Nice meeting you. Your Jacky was solid and we have some good games throughout the gathering. We definitely need to play more! I'm going to copy those stance dependant 33p CH combos you were doing...

Ladon - Great seeing you again. Your Blaze is definitely the strongest one I've played. Your flashiness was executed 100% and worked each time to get people afraid of even figeting. Wish we could have played more, hope you guys can arrange something in Florida.

Tony - My Brad bro. Good meeting you, I learned some stuff from your Brad. You have your own original style and your offense with Phasing Turn was crazy. We got some crazy games in on the last night, send them to me!

s_aki and Bigboi - The top chefs of the gatherings. Thanks for the food guys, always a pleasure to eat your creations, those eggs benedict were too good!
Bigboi; Your impressions and jokes made me laugh almost everyday I was there, man. Your Lau leveled up 100x from the last time, and now I know the fear vs Lau.
S_aki; Cool seeing the chef in action again man. Thanks for showing me the food chemistry and information. I didn't know most of that stuff, was pretty interesting. Too bad we didn't get to play, I wanted to play vs your Akira since we didn't get to that much last time.

Incident - Good seeing you again man. It's been like almost a year? I didn't know you play all these characters now. Good games we had...and of course I know Violence Fight! Let's play some Akatsuki next time, that game gets mroe interesting eeach time I see it.

DRE - Cool meeting you man. Your defense and throw escapes were top notch and I had a blast playing with you. I didn't know you used almost everyone in the game, I was glad to have that experience. We should get in more games!

Oioron - Almost a year also too man. Thanks for showing me that stuff with Kage. I didn't know most of that stuff. We need to play more. Dash up DPoD FTW!

Smurf - Good games we got in. I couldn't keep track of the Yohos that hit me each time I played you, haha. We should play more next time!

Llanfair - Nice meeting you. Although we didn't play much, it was fun watching your Pai. Next time, let's play!

Shag - Our match was one of the most intense matches I ever had. Each time I play you, I always want to play it more safe than usual or else I'd eat those fieldgoals and get thrown like 10 times in a row...your Goh is the best I've ever played.

Konjou - Nice seeing you again man, ever since the Lan tourney. Your Akira was crazy at defense and execution, it kept me on my toes each time. Roscoes was top tier!

Jared - Cool seeing that you're still into the game. Those DoA matches were fun, but I think Talis and Catherine ight have to burn down the tv after that, haha. Thanks for showing me that stuff in DoA, I didn't know most of that guaranteed stuff.

KoD - Great seeing you again man, ever since the last gathering. I didn't know you played Jeffry now...where's Pai? We definitely need to play more, your Jeffry was Splash Mountaining me like at least twice per round @_@

Pinetree - Nice meeting you. Great to see another Brad player. Keep on playing, you're doing good for the amount of time you've been playing.

Willie - Don't tase me bro! LMAO that thing was so funny. We should play next time, I'm interested in Aoi now...

Plague and Catherine - Last but not least, thanks for hosting this again. Too bad we like played only once each time. Friscos was def a different experience, you guys weren't kidding, haha. Each time we come down it gets better. Looking forward to the next one!

NorCal - Good rep this gathering. We'll level up more and next time we'll do much better. Let's get these gatherings on!

 

Goodies left at my house...

Cellphone (shipped this week)
Cellphone charger (also, shipped this week)
Black EDWIN jacket (<s>will check brand later tonight</s>)
XBOX 360 Hard Drive (I can't believe no one has missed this, yet)
USB iPod charger (possibly Ladon's, or part of LA_Akira's)

 

oioron what kind of cam was that?
(i bet its not sexier than my Rebel XTI )

 

Same one from the E3 meeting?

---

Goodwill!

 

Nah - that's the Prada jacket. Belongs to kai. He hasn't claimed it.

 

Richard told me last night that he left his hard drive. We'll gladly pay for shipping if necessary. Thanks Plague!

 

plague & catherine - thank you so much for housing me for the remainder of my vacation. you guys have really outdone yourselves this time around. friscos was really "eye candy." them hoes were on point! /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/laugh.gif talis, my vacation couldn't have ended on a better note. the conversation we had as we got hammered was truly something. i will never forget it. SAPHIRE GIN FTW! /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/laugh.gif

la_akira - your new cab is simply amazing. goes to show just how much dedication you put into building such a jaw-dropping piece and VF in general. thanks for housing rodney and i that one night, and many thanx for showing us around hollywood. that bboy street show was too funny! ROSCOES CHICKEN AND WAFFLES IS THE SHIT!!! such an odd combination, but who woulda thought it would work that GOOD!

goatcheeseblues - always a pleasure to play you sir. it is because of you that i trained myself to hit check counter hit. thanx for stopping by even with your busy schedule. hope to see you again soon bro!

krsjin - yo man, yous one cool cat. i swear, if i lived near you, i'd prolly be chillin with yo ass all the time! your jacky fundamentals are strong, and i can see the fire in your eyes bro. keep up the good work!

kod - ABE LINCOLN! how much did your beard cost in quest mode bro??!?! /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/laugh.gif ok, that joke just got played out. anyways, it was awesome to finally meet you man! your jeff has really improved since we first met online! im sure, with your enthusiasm about the game, that you will be a formidable foe at the next major gathering.

llanfair - dude, the fuckin motel room would NOT have been the same without you! you are just WAAAY too funny bro. also, it was amazing how fast you apply knowledge man. during ur matches in the singles tourney, rodney and i watched and we were like, "wooooow, HE JUST LEARNED THAT LAST NIGHT!!!" glad to have you back in the scene my friend!

renzo - ur brad is definitely strong. i finally got the chance to talk to you, and you're a pretty cool guy. our discussion about OM was mind boggling. if you ever decide to get a 360, gimme a holla!

stephanie - seeing you play jeffry was pretty interesting. trust me, people will look at you and say, "she's definitely a pai player." then bust out with that jeff and all you'll see is ! /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/laugh.gif it's too bad we didn't get to play each other...

scrubbadubC - i only call you this because your personality is, well........"BUBBLY!" /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/laugh.gif hahaha! anyways, glad to finally meet you as well. it's good to see your passion for the game. just keep it up, and improvement is just around the corner. /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif

fred and richared - seeing you two always puts a smile on my face. if i ever go to a gathering without seeing one or the other, i would definitely feel like something is missing. the gumbo you guys cooked was simply to DIE for! hangin out with you guys was awesome!

silly willy - thanx for sticking around for as long as you could bro. part of the socal experience is definitely your charm and your sense of humor. in addition, you are a fast learner! just practice what we went over, and you'll be beatin down kids in no time!

001 - thank you very much for taking the time to mod my stick! i greatly appreciate it. even though the stick had some technical difficulties, i am sure that when i get it back, it will be perfect. /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wink.gif

pinetree - hahaha, i can't believe you scored a phone number from friscos. not bad bro....not bad at all. /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif

tonyfamilia, ladon, and incident - one the things i was real excited for was: meeting tonyfamilia and ladon! and you guys did not dissapoint. tony, fun laughs bro. we needa hang out again, and SOON! ladon, for some reason, before i met you, i expected you to be shorter! but on the real tho, you guys are fun to hang out with. now i know who to holla if i decide to go to florida! /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif

dennis0201 - you are awesome! i love your approach to life man....always smiling and having fun. also, you're very humble and never scared to ask questions which explains your rapid improvement. hopefully, we get to see each other again soon! /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif

haunts - we needa cypher next time we meet! /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/laugh.gif

dre - mah nigga! yo man, ur input skills is straight up beastly bro! our matches were dope.

smurf - back from the grave and still kickin ass. for someone who rarely plays VF, your skills are quite impressive! next time im in NYC, we gotta hang out man.

rodney, adam, monty - thank you for allowing me to join the motel room with you guys. i wouldn't have had it any other way. im sure i will be seeing you guys again real soon! /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif rodney, again thanx for all the priceless advice.

 

<span style='font-size: 20pt'><span style='font-family: Arial Black'>HOUSE PARTY VID!</span></span>

 

Well it looks like it's my turn up to bat. VF events usually take a lot out of me mentally and often by the time I recover, I feel like it's to late to post. But, this event was so awesome I had to put in a little extra effort.

Plague - You are the man... no the King of the VF community. Thank you so much for throwing these events and for always giving myself and the rest of the NYC players a warm welcome. You can count me in on the next one giving that I receive proper notice.

Catherine - I honestly do not have words to describe your passion for VF. You are just simply amazing as a player and as a woman. I strongly envy Talis for having such fine Queen beside him. Hats off to you and your growth with Pai. I'll be gunning for you right off the plane at the next one.

LA_Akira - Gerald thank you so much for showing us around Hollywood. Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles was just to much for my stomach. The food from that place is just heavenly. I definitely want to go back there next time. The bboys performing on the street was so awesome. Also many, many thanks for letting us break in your new cab. Christ I want one of those things. If your a gamer who truly loves fighting games then that thing is a must. I really enjoyed all of the matches we played. I wish we could have played under better conditions though. Playing at like 3-4AM didn't do our skills much justice, but still somehow we found a way to make the matches fun and exciting. I can't wait to chill with you again bro. Thank your wife also for the warm hospitality.

Goatcheeseblues - Not much to say since I didn't get to play with you. I can't believe we didn't get 1 player match in. How the F*$K did that happen? We did share a few good times though being team mates for the Team Battle Tourney. /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif

Krsjin - Dude you are such a awesome person. I was so impressed by your ability to level up your Jacky after just 1 conversation with me. WOW! Keep up the good work man and if you need help feel free to ask. If you are ever in Omaha again or you have the chance to meet Datrick, please introduce yourself man. He is such an awesome guy. You will not regret being friends with a guy like him.

KOD - hahahah the Jeff Vs. Wolf match was a lot of fun. You have a lot of VF knowledge, but you are such a soft spoken guy, so a lot of people wouldn't know. Your Jeff has definitely grown since last time and I am sure it will continue to grow. The only thing you are missing is just experience, but we all know that that is the hardest ingredient to get in terms of VF due to the fact that all the players are spread so wide apart. Keep pushing forward homie you are not that far off from making that break through that will make your Jeff excel to the next level. Maybe a little 2K+G might do the trick. /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif

llanfair - Owen thanks a bunch for opening up your hotel room to myself and the NYC peeps. Hanging in that room totally reminded me of the old days at Adam's dad's motel where we would have our circle jerk parties analysing the competition and coming up with strats. It's funny how time stood still for us all these years and we were able to just jump right back into those times. It's also great to see that your passion for VF did not dwindle away. I hope all the advice you gathered from myself, Adam, Flash, Monty, and everyone else helps you get back into the swing of things. I would like to apologize though for kind of over loading you with information. I look forward to the next time we meet and hopefully we can get some games in online so I can test out that new Pai of yours when you are ready. Also thanks a bunch for opening up to us and sharing the stories about how you met your wife. Awesome story man and is proof that somewhere out there is a perfect person for everyone. We just have to take our blinders off and catch sight of them before it's to late.

renzo - The only thing I can say is that out of all the matches I played and lost, the lost to you in the singleman tourney was the best. I have no complaints, no regrets. I simply got out played! A great show of fundamentals and how bringing the game back to it's roots is sometimes the only ingredients you need to win. I knew back then you were strong, but I had no clue you would have grown this much. Hats off to you man and next time lets do a best out of 10 or 20? Lastly I would like to add that I always thought Smurf had the best hairdo, but I think you have dethrowned him. hahahaha awesome hair style man. It totally fits your character and style.

Stephanie - It sucks we didn't get to play any matches. During casual play and the tournaments, I had so much fun watching your Pai. You have really good knowledge of the game and what to do in most situations. I do not know if this all came from Renzo's teachings, but it's obvious you are a natural in some sense. I hope you continue to play and grow. Next time lets definitely play some games.

DubC - I don't know what to say man. It's hard to be 100% honest with someone like you, because I honestly think you don't take critism very well. It's hard to just make a normal statement to you that you will just accept, analyse it, learn from it, and move on. Instead we are forced to get a reason why for everything. Your Akira is very good and has good fundamentals, but it's obvious you just need more experience which I can say I am happy to see you are trying to aquire by going to VF gatherings. We will most likely be throwing a NYC gathering shortly, so I hope you will take the time out to attend. The only advice I can offer to you at this point is to try and be a little more humble and to really explore more Akira's moves so you can create more options. You have a good ability at guessing, so imagine how well your guessing would be if you created more options to K.O. your opponent. Hit me up if you need help, just leave the tournament style play at home please. /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif Online it's just to much work due to the 2-5 frame loss that randomly occurs.

Fred and Richared - It's always a pleasure to see you guys man. I really admire how you two have been homies for so long and have found a way to make it work. It's really hard to find true friends nowadays. Thanks again for all the cooking you guys did that weekend. Fred hit me up online sometime and Richard PM me that gamertag fool. Don't make me come down there!

Silly Willy - Dude you better not change for anyone. Next time I really have to sit down and share a few drinks with you. You always have fun things to talk about and a moment with you is never dull. See you soon homie!

Jay(Akuma001) - I don't know how much you play VF, but your blaze is really exciting to watch. You bring so much creativity into a match. You also adjust to your opponent really well. Like most though it seems like you just lack experience. Unlike other games, experience in terms of VF is always the killing factor in players continuing to play the game. People often get frustrated because they feel like they hit a wall and can't move forward. Well, I hope you don't give up man because I am sure there will be great things to come from you. Even though you have not done a mod for me yet, I still want to say thank you for taking the time out for helping the community. Now that I have buttered you up be prepared to put lots of attention in my custom stick. /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif LOL! Hope to see you at the next one bro!

Pinetree - Thanks for being my team mate bro and I hope you take the time out to learn brad. Hey, if you need help handling that phone number you scored, don't be shy... uncle Konjou would be more than happy to help you out! *giggles*

Florida Crew(Tonyfamilia, Ladon, and Incident) - It was really awesome to finally meet you guys. Well I had the pleasure of chilling with Ladon before. You guys represented well and definitely showed that Florida knows how to throw down. I noticed Tony absorbing some fundamental knowledge from Flash. I thought that was so awesome to see Flash taking the time out to teach and Tony being a good sameritan and just absorbing the knowledge even if it might have been something he already knows. Good stuff guys. Ladon fun matches, my apoligies for boring you for the first half hour. Yeah I can't play with a stick on my lap. Well, if it's Akira I can't do it because of all the constant buffering required. I was glad we were able to find a common ground and then produce some awesome matches. Good stuff was coming from you. I loved the mix ups and can't wait to play with you again. Incident, strong Jacky you have there. Your style is so unpredicatable and I guess that's what makes it strong. I am sure team Florida will continue to grow so I promise never to take you guys lightly.

Dennis0201 - It was really awesome to finally meet you man and put a face behind the name. You character as a person and a player is just incredible. You are so humble about your skills. It's weird but I think most people have to aquire things in terms of VF, but then their are players like you who just have the hands of god himself and are a natural at command input, etc. in VF. I envy you for having this talent. I think if you are shown the correct way to play VF and apply your talent you will definitely rise to be one of North Americans strongest players. The only problem is there are many correct ways to play VF, so it's a matter of finding the one that works for you. I strongly recommend that you find a character that you like and can connect with and play that character as a main to stengthen your fundamentals and learn the VF5 system. Learn how to punish guaranteed situations and such. Please contact me if you need any help. I always enjoy our matches and I honestly feel that there is tons I can learn from you. I hope you get your Xbox back soon.

Dre - All I can say is 'FUCK'. Dude your command input is just sick and your skills is just impressive. I was shaking so much in our last match. I can't wait till those get posted, not to toot my own horn but I think our matches were the most exciting through out the whole singles tournament. I was shaking so much I could hear my balls ringing like little bells in my head. Damn you guess well motherfucker. Next time... DEATH MATCH MOTHERFUCKER! LOL!

Smurf - my homie! Dude it was awesome to see you and that wacky hairdo that you rock. So much improvement from you across the board. Sorry for all the grief I was giving you, but that's our love hate relationship I guess. hahahaha definitely more love than hate though. It's getting warmer homie and you know it's become custom for us to do movie runs in the summer so make sure you come chill sometimes fool.

Monty- Thanks for taking all these awesome pictures man. You and smurf really did an awesome job capturing things. Impressive play during the team battle tournament. I was so proud and couldn't believe the level of creativity coming from you... man it was awesome to watch. Your mental stamina has definitely leveled up. Keep up the good work bro and good luck at WCG. I hope every person in the NYC crew and make it to the finals.

Adam - hhhmm what can I say... lol pretty much nothing since we talk to each other on almost a daily basis. Long time rival and good friend. Thanks for making me mentally stronger and accept one of my greatest flaws in terms of gaming and life. Awesome first match in the singles tournament. I am so pissed I tried to throw. I know better fucking better, but like a dummy I went for it. /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/cry.gif Then second match I guess I had already mentally given up and you just raped! LMAO! No regrets though! You totally deserved the win! *chant* 2K+G ~ 2K+G ~ 2K+G *end chant*

Shag - Christ your Goh has leveled up. You sure all you doing is just hiting dojo mode? Dude next time you gotta hit up Roscoe's with me, flash, gerald and anyone else who is down. Trust me you want to try that chicken.

Flash - I don't think I really need to say much. We both fully understand how we feel about each other in terms of VF and life. Don't ever change for no one home! You have a great character and anyone who gets to know you is blessed. I bought the Studio 11 capture device so soon I am going to need your help with making my vid homie. I'll hit you up when i'm ready.

To everyone else that I may have forgotten, I just want to say thank you and it was awesome to meet you. Please continue to support the VF community and go to these rare gatherings. There is so much to learn from them in terms of VF and life. You meet so many people from different walks of life and sometimes you may even find a friend or build a relationship with someone that will last for life. This is the main reason I travel to these things. Yes I am a competitive person, but I am not a kid anymore so the dream of trying to be a professional gamer is over. So now I travel for other reason. I want to thank everyone who shared there views on VF with me and especially thank the few who shared personal events about there life with me. I hope to see all of you again in the near futre.

 

Plague I am speech less man. The part where you go into that room and then when you exit all the players are there was such a fucking awesome touch. Damn I gotta use that in a future home vid I make. Awesome effect!

 

richard's gamer tag (& handle here as of this week) is rjsicklau.

shout out posts are awesome btw

 

<span style='font-family: Arial Black'> </span> WOW

 

Hey Plague,

I'm sorry again that I couldn't make it.

 

Hi everyone who saw me. Sorry this is long overdue but I dislike doing shoutouts. But much thanks to Plague and HBS for their hospitality and general awesomeness. I'm so glad I've got the drive to play VF again. Though I still don't know which character, LOL.

To everyone I met thanks much and I hope to see you again soon. Thanks to everyone who's given me a shoutout so far.

 

Thanks to Plague and Catherine for setting things up. This was the best event yet. All I heard was loud chanting when I walked into the room, so this thing started out insane from the beginning. /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/shocked.gif It was so great!

NYC crew it's been a long time since we last met. Smurfu it was good seeing you again. We played some fun games man good stuff. Also Oioron nice to meet you and play a few matches as well. Adam, Rodney and Shag you guys are all strong as usual so that shouldn't be a shock to anyone. Congrats to Adam on the victory. We need to get some more casual matches next time. The few games we had were definitely off the scale in terms of intensity. Rodney we need to play some more online, but my connection isn't that great anymore since I'm using DSL right now. I'm moving soon, so hopefully I'll switch to a better ISP and I can play everyone with a good connection again.

Chief Flash our matches were pretty intense man. You should move out here or something so you can deathmatch with us nonstop. /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif

Renzo your Brad is really strong. You and Tonyfamilia are keeping the tradition alive since I hardly see anyone playing him for some reason.

Llanfair it was nice to finally meet you! Now I can finally put a face to the name. We'll meet up again I'm sure. I liked the advice you were giving to the guys too. Good stuff.

Fred & Richard it's been two major gatherings ago since I was able to attend and see you guys. We never got a chance to play but it was cool to hang out anyway and joke around.

Dennis good games! Nice to meet you man. Our matches were crazy fun. We'll play online again soon.

Socal crew I was excited to finally make it to one of these things again. Big shoutouts to Willy, Goatcheeseblues and Gerald. Let's do this again! Also, to everyone else I met KOD, 001, Incident, Stephanie and Ladon it was nice to meet you too. We never really had a chance to play, but I'll see you next time.

 

I'm kinda late for this, but might as well put in my "10 cents." Just got back from over a week of vacation in SoCal for spring break, it was great. I'm sorta hesitant to do shout-outs as I'll probably forget a few people and even mix up some names, but everyone was great and it was nice meeting and playing with all of you, and hope to do it again soon.

First off as some of you already said, a big special thanks to Plague and HowBoutSum for hosting and sporting an event like this. Both of you provided an awesome experience that made me wish I could stay longer. /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif

A little background about me and VF:
I've never been to an event like this, and have minimal experience with VF5. In fact, I'm so new to VF that I've yet to play offline with people, this event was my first time playing people without lag. Not only that, I didn't even realize that VF is played with only 3 buttons, and the brief time I've spent playing I got used to using all 6 buttons on my stick, which made it difficult for me to adjust as I was playing over there. I'm gonna have to readjust and play with the normal 3 button set-up from now, lol. I also know nothing about frames, so when people were like "this move is 12 frames so you wanna do this.." The whole time I'm like ???, haha. My whole skill is based on 'feel', and after this event I'm sure to level up like crazy. It was definitely worth it!!

As my first event of this kind, you can imagine how my cousin and I felt as we drove from Arizona to randomly show up to some guys house and play with people I've never seen before. I remember walking up to knock on the door and having mixed feelings on whether I was doing the right thing. Thankfully I was immediately welcomed and felt comfortable in no time which was great.

OK, now for some shout-outs! (If I forget to mention you or mix up your name sorry!!)

Plague + HowBoutSum - Again, you guys are the best. Great meeting both of you, and good games and talks. Hosting this must have taken a lot of time and effort, thank you, thank you, thank you!! When you do something like this again, let me know so I can try to make it, and possibly even help out. That drive around that mountain was sick Plague...and extremely intense! My cousin snapped a few pics, I'll post when I get them uploaded.

LA_Akira - Thanks for letting all of us go to your pad and playing on your cabinet set-ups! That new one is absolutely amazing, and makes me want to build one if I ever get the chance. Your house is pretty cool too, all Japanese decked out, everything spot-clean, keypad locked gate...dang...everything about you says "contract kil..." haha, j/k!! You were great man, it was nice meeting you.

Tonyfamilia + Renzo - The other Brad players, it was great seeing some good Brad skills from you guys. Gives me inspiration to step up my game and learn more. I learned a lot from watching and playing you guys, thanks. If you play online make sure to add me so we can get some matches going on. Tonyfamilia, you were really funny the whole time and during that trip back from LA, don't forget to eat the chicken last...

Adam Yuki - The best player at the event in my opinion, untouchable the majority of the time. Your skill is amazing, and your Jeffry is straight out insane. Watching you play was great. You're so patient yet you know what to do every time regardless of what's going on. you make it seem too easy. I'm still shocked I was able to pull a win from you, just letting you know that was all skill baby, that's right, "You catching some zzz's down there??" haha j/k!

001 - Thanks again for modding my stick, it works great and seeing some other sticks having issues I feel kinda lucky mine plays perfect. You did a really great job! I don't think we played some matches but you're a cool guy and enjoyed the talk we had in the van. I remember asking "so who's 001 or jay?" at Plague's house, and it was you right next to me, haha. Thanks again for the smoke at Friscos, without you I probably wouldn't have gotten that waitress number, that's right people. Jay here is the man for helping me get the digit's...he knows what's up.

Stephanie - It was really nice meeting you too! Good talks and games we played. With the same skill you beat me on the singles, so I guess that makes you better than me?? Make sure to add me when you get your xbox so we can level up. I'm thinking of creative ways to integrate VF into the classroom lectures, lol. Scratch n Sniff stickers are on the way for the next exam! Remember what I told you about getting the job you want, it' all about networking!!

Konjou_Akira - I was actually surprised the first time I saw you. I was like "so this is the great Konjou on the forums." Really nice to meet you in person and play. Great skills and appreciate the tips you gave me on the game. Nice of you to pick me on the team tourney, did I have the "fire in the eyes" as you were proclaiming when trying to pick your team?? haha. So uncle Konjou wants the girl's number eh? haha, well i'll explain at the end...

KoD - When you told me your age and that you had a kid and stuff I was shocked, lol. We had some good games, and yeah I still feel lucky for pulling in that win during the team tourney against you. BTW, when you spent the night in our room did my cousin wake you from his insanely loud snoring?? cause that kid drives me mad sometimes...lol.

Chief_Flash - good games, and awesome of you to try to teach me fundamentals that one day although I have to admit I'm barely getting used to frames and stuff. I'll get better with that for sure. Your wolf is awesome, seriously. Don't be surprised I got a girl's number from Friscos...what can I say? I'm Brad in real life baby....haha. You influenced my cousin to say "that's wassup yo!"

KrsJin - also good games. Yeah, kinda funny how you popped out of nowhere that morning when we were checking out of the motel and you scored a ride with us. Just as you mentioned, I've never played anyone offline and have little experience, next time we meet I'll be much better (hopefully...)

Shag - your stick was pretty crazy. Your goh is really good and we had some good games. Nice talk about NY during Friscos, and + 1 for being a Daft Punk fan! I was actually listening to the Alive album on my way from Arizona.

Big Boy and Sanjuro - that 'gumbo' soup was pretty good, really enjoyed it. I don't think I got some games with you Sanjuro but remember playing Big Boy's Lau, good games. Your story about the hotel break-in was crazy!

SillyWilly - you were the funniest guy there! Always messing around with my cousin about not playing and being on myspace the whole day, freaking hilarious. My cuz was like "what's up with this dude?" Don't tase me bro! I gotta get that song remix man...song of the year!

Smurf - you were pretty cool, and good games. How'd you like that ride through the mountains in the WRX? Pretty freaking intense man...my cousin was freaking out telling me to slow down and i was going like 40 mph, haha

Goatcheeseblues - my other team member during the tourney, thanks for the advice while i was playing, i don't think we played but your sarah is rock solid, hope to play you someday, you came off as a really nice guy, it was nice meeting you

OK, I'm starting to forget names and stuff. Incident, CaliJared, Haunts, Ken, Oioron, Dennis, Jared, and everyone else I didn't mention, everyone there was equally awesome so don't think I didn't like ya cause I didn't give you a shout-out, everyone was cool and the event was awesome.

Before I go, quite a few people were 'surprised' that PINETREE here got a number from a waitress from Friscos, and wanted to know how I did it, so I thought I'd explain. I may not be highly skilled in VF guys, but when it comes to the ladies...just think of me as Brad in real life! haha...so this is what happened for all you guys who were constantly asking me about it.

We were all at Friscos enjoying our meals. Then a waitress that wasn't part of the two serving us comes up to us as a group and says how she's a gamer and plays, works at gamestop, etc. Nothing much comes out of it, but as everyone was leaving this girl comes up to me and asks for a smoke and how it's inappropriate and stuff to ask me but yeah she wants a cigarette. I don't smoke so I politely tell her that, but she insists. I'm like what the heck, I go outside and ask Jay (001) for a smoke, he hesitates but hands me his last one (what a guy...).

I go back in, give this girl her cig and ask her for her gamertag on xbox so we can play some games since she plays. She then says "how bout I give you my number instead?" so yeah pretty easy, and I don't even know this chick's name yet. She writes it down (Jamie), but I'm from Arizona so I tell her I'm not gonna be around. She didn't mind and says she found me 'interesting' and for me to call her when I'm around in Cali.

I honestly didn't think much about it. We talked about it in the van on the way to LA_Akira's house and that was that. Then at his house people heard about what happened and were complimenting me about it, and all of a sudden I'm this pimp now and stuff, haha!

I then waited a day (always wait guys...) to call this girl. Her reception was really crappy so we can barely hear each other, we basically said hi and I was gonna ask her out and for her to hang out at Plague's house to check it out, but it was cutting off and she said she would call me later that day. Well just my luck my cell phone batter dies a couple hours later so I never get the call. I had to wait till I charged my phone again which was the next day. So who knows if she called or not. Unfortunately the event at Plague's house was over and I was on my way back so there was not much point in calling her again. BTW, I was gonna hook-up Chief Flash with that asian chick, but no dice.

Well that was pretty much it, maybe I'll call her again, who knows. I was thinking of posting her digits up and have you guys call her, but that would be kinda creepy and mean no? lol!

Thanks Plauge and HowBoutSum for the event again, and see you guys online!

 

Call her? 1000 times yes. Post her number? (?!) 1000 times NO. That's just... no (I know you're joking... still... no) /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/crazy.gif .

 

remember, kids . . .

<span style='font-size: 23pt'>ALWAYS BRING EARPLUGS TO A SOCAL GATHERING</span>

 

Sorry that I'm only getting to this now! Hopefully you guys see it! I had a lot of shout outs that I want to make, and damn it... I'm not going to let the fact that this thread is dead ruin my shout out.

This event was a total blast because of the people I met and the fun we had; that more than made up for any frustration I had towards not being able to play up to my normal capacity. Seriously! And sorry to anyone I miss... IT WAS A REAL PLEASURE MEETING EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU! I wouldn't trade any moment of this event for anything in the world.

Llanfair- The first person I played when I entered Plague's and Catherine's house on Thursday, and I could tell right off the bat that it would be a very competitive weekend. Your Pai was loaded with mind games, and I really like your play style. The 8 matches or so we had where you were focused on defense were a lot of fun! That, and listening to you play guitar, along with your sharp sense of humor... lots of fun man. It was a pleasure meeting you!

Shag- Great to see you again man! Having played your Goh again makes me want to mess with him again; what a fun character, haha. Thanks for the Zombie too! It's too bad we didn't get to talk much, but the time we had was great. Looking forward to seeing you again soon!

LA_Akira- dude, that mask is incredible!! I have it adorning one of my walls, haha! Thanks a TON for everything, the high level gameplay discussions, Shun strats, your beautiful home & VF cabinets, and the cool comraderie. It's sad that we didn't get a chance to throw down, but hopefully by the next time we meet I'll be better with the stick and so give you an honest fight! ;D

Silly Willy- just want to say, you're awesome. That breakfast burrito from Farmboys is still on my mind! Besides that though, just hanging out with you and talking with you was great. It's sad that I didn't get to play you at any point through the weekend, even though I CLEARLY saw just how much you improved over the weekend. I definitely got to know you better this time that last year, and it was totally worth it. Thanks! AND PLAY DRAGON QUARTER!!

Bigboy and s_aki- You guys are incredible. Your humor just lifted me up every time, your food was downright incredible (I've had eggs benedict once since then... and yeah. NO comparison ;D), every moment with either one or both of you guys was an absolute treat. LANdo CALrissian! Bigboy, It's unfortunate that we didn't get to play at through the weekend, I'm sure that would have been a lot of fun! You're a hilarious guy, and being there when you and Willie would go off was a riot. And Fred, your humor and general personality, along with your stories, I must say that it was a real pleasure to talk with you, and occasionally jump into conversation you were having with other people... lol. If I ever find myself in the Bayou, you can count on me checking out you restaurant!!

KrsJin- What can I say? Right away I could tell that you were one cool cat. I was REALLY suprirsed to see how you act (and PLAY!) since, I admit, I had a VERY different impression of you from reading the boards. Nothing could have prepared me for the laid back, witty joker, haha. It was a lot of fun hanging out with you and Tony, I admit! Take care bro, looking forward to seeing you again (and who knows, maybe online too!).

Konjou- So, how many elbows would you give me? /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/laugh.gif Just make sure you shine them up REALLL good, you hear? haha, but seriously, it's always alotta fun when you're around. You bring an intensity that's palpable, along with such a genuine happiness that it's always so awesome to see you around. And no, you weren't boring me <u>at all</u> in the beginning matches... I was worried about the opposite! "Geez, is my game so weak that he's BORED playing me?" I though, haha. Believe me, it was good to hear it wasn't! Though I would have believed it; you could IMAGINE the number of corners I had to cut from my gameplay to manage on stuck. But dude, regardless- it was awesome to see you again, and awesome to see you do your thing. Looking forward to the announcement of you New York thing!!

Chief Flash- Ah, the intensity. I think you, more than anyone else, I wanted to beat that weekend. I won't simply blame the stick though- you honestly got me with a lot of well timed, well though out, fantastically executed stuff. Come to think of it, I don't think it was a desire to beat you, but rather to play you at my normal level. I should have taken you up on the PS3 thing, but damn... no time! lol and man, you are cool as hell, you had me rolling more than a few times. We need to meet up again - East Coast baby! /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/laugh.gif And we'll grab some onion rings when we do!! ;D

GoatCheeseBlues- Brian, you are still one really cool guy. Sorry if I came off a little stiff during the singles tourney; I desperately wanted to give you a good fight, and it's hard for me to do that if I get distracted... even if it's compliments and smiles that are doing the distracting, haha. I would have loved to have played more casuals with you, and talk strats and gameplay, but alas that one weekend wasn't enough. SOON THOUGH!! Take care bro!!

Tony- I still have that picture of you and Willie on my phone. Soon, the world shall know of it. You sicko.

AdamYUKI- Dude, that first to 20 was awesome. My only regret about it was that we never played EARLIER in the weekend because of that looming deathmatch, lol. But besides the fun games, you were so cool to be around and talk to. The Jeffrey and Brad quotes were awesome, and also how Tony and I had you going, just in general it was awesome meeting you, and I totally see why Llanfair felt the way he did. I'm honestly looking forward to the New York thing! And when I do... ANOTHER DEATHMATCH!!!! (j/k ;D)

DubC- Our matches were pleasantly intense, with a "no-holds-barred-must-win-win-win" that I hadn't really seen in SoCal, and in a way reminded me of myself /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/laugh.gif they were fun matches definitely. Oh, and I tried that two-handed fret-press for the fast parts in Guitar Hero... yeah. CRAZY hard to do! keep training; watch out when I get better on the stick! ;D

Ken_I- Our matches were a lot of fun, I felt. How you were up 6 in a row, then I was up 6 in a row, then you got 4 in a row, then I did too... a hell of a lot of fun. It was also cool when I sat with you and Renzo at Frisco's. You're usually such a quiet guy it's hard for me to get a gist of your personality, but seeing you two hang out and interact was pretty damn neat. You're a cool guy Ken, seriously; it was a lot of fun!

KoD- Ah, my VF mindmeld. I still haven't sent you that PM regarding the controller/stick thing! We gotta discuss, haha. Well, what can I say bro? Always a blast. I love your Jeff, and I'm so glad you took my advice from last year to start rocking the world with him (even though that might not have been why you picked him up, i know, haha). But hey... maybe you should start tearing shit up with Vanessa! It sucks that we won't really get to hang or anything for another YEAR... but then again... who knows right? We'll be in touch about the stick, that's for sure!

001- WHY DID WE NOT SAVE THOSE MATCHES?? haha, I don't think there's a damn thing I saved throughout the whole time I was there, But hey, I totally learned some cool stuff from your Blaze (3K=G > Deja Vu rocks my socks), and I'm glad I was able to help yous also! If you want any thoughts on what you saw me doing or whatever, by all means ask. I want you to strike FEAR into California.. with your invincibility! (that goes beyond the imagination!) and your body! (as the unstoppable weapon it is!)! But also man, it was cool to hang out with you. We gotta do it more next time!

Renzo- I don't believe we talked at ALL last year. I don't even know if we PLAYED last year! but hey, I'm glad we were able to this year, seriously. Silent Library was CRAZY awesome. And your Brad had me so confused, lol; I'm so used to playing Tony's Brad that I was whiffing stuff left and right and kept doing tons of failed evades!! I wish we could have played more though. And you are a really cool and down to earth guy, which is awesome. It was nice to finally meet(?) you, haha!

Stephanie- I gotta say, it was a lot of fun hangin out and talking the bit that we did. Your Pai made my jaw drop with all the baiting, set-ups, and traps you skillfully implemented. And for never having played Jeff, you got me with some solid stuff too! Sorry we didn't get to chat more about Shadow Hearts, I was busy arguing with Willie over Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter (from whence my avatar comes, after all ;]). If we had talked about it though, I'm sure it would have been a lot of fun; I LOVE that game (and so does INCIDENT!). Who know, maybe next time right? And I'm glad I was able to help a bit; good luck to you guys~ It was an awesome pleasure to meet you... just keep an eye on your man!!! ;D

Catherine/HowBoutSum- Or should I say, "HowBoutYouComeGetSum"? j/k ;D It was a lot of fun just talking the bits we did. Make sure you remind Willie that I do NOT have a creepy stare! Your hospitality was phenomenal, and your tournament prepping skills are top notch... along with your Pai! Fantastic buffering and rushdowns; just too many missed opportunities, I feel. Play Plague less and Quest more! ^^ THANKS SO MUCH!!

Plague- Man, what can I say that hasn't been said? INCREDIBLE hospitality, INCREDIBLE organization, MIND BOGGLING coordination, and just downright FANTASTIC attentiveness. Everything worked out wonderfully, from the restaurant, to Frisco's, and beyond. Just... there aren't words, man. And how you saved my ass by driving me to LAX... I cannot express my gratitude enough. You are the end-all host of VF gatherings, and it was an HONOR to be a part of this event. Thank you, thank you, thank you, and thank you! Oh, and your dogs are cute too ;D

Srider- ;_;