: Hands down. I just had the greatest weekend of my life.
Animefest 2009 will go down in history as a con to remember - a con that literally will forever remind me why I love cons and why I keep going to cons.
What I needed now, more than anything else, was a new beginning. A chance to relax, to revitalize, to be free of all the emotional baggage that was weighing me down, to just enjoy myself. And I got it, along with everything that came with it!
Sure, there were moments when things went wrong. But something made them not so bad.
I lost the cosplay contest to another team of shinigami. (I mean really, That's 2 for 2. I think that costume's cursed.) But at the same time, they bumped me up into the Masters division, the division for the best cosplayers, so that was quite a compliment. My video lost too. But after I left, I learned that in the very end, they gave it an honorable mention. It was special, in and of itself. I didn't get to the auction in time to get the t-shirt I wanted... but I did get a bunch of books and a DVD. And my student, who borrowed my wig, made sure that it got returned to me... literally right as I walked off stage from the performance I needed it for. The timing was so hilarious, and in the end, it didn't really matter.
But what went right... went so very right.
So sayeth the con report:
Epic Costumes are Epic
At this con, I was THE Seto Kaiba. And not just because I dressed like him for the better part of every single day of the con, but for the original version I came up with. As I explained several times, the idea was born like this:
Me: I love doing my Mello makeup. Maybe I should use it for other characters too.
Friend: You should do it on Seto Kaiba.
Me: What would the excuse be? Blue Eyes White Dragons can't be housebroken?
Friend: OH MY GOD. DO IT!!!
Me: You dare me?
Friend: YES!!!
And I did. On Saturday and Sunday, I walked around as Seto Kaiba with burns on my face, my arm in a sling, bloody bandages hanging, and an epic sign that said 'FYI. Blue Eyes White Dragons can't be Housebroken.'
The reaction was incredible. And it was rather funny to watch too. There was a moment of thought that you could literally read in their faces. They'd read the sign, look at the burned Kaiba, think about it, and suddenly, about two to three seconds later, the light bulb would literally turn on, their face lit up, and they wanted a picture. I swear, so many people took pictures. Whether they loved Yugioh or hated Yugioh, they LOVED this costume, and I did too. Had I known it would have been so awesome, I would have worn it for the Cosplay Contest on Friday night instead of Ryuk.
Only once did someone from security ask me to put my sign away. But when I held it up and told them it was part of the costume, they said it was okay.
And the scar... oh my god... that was the BEST scar effect I have EVER made. It was gruesome, beautifully beautifully gruesome.
Anime Idol
I practiced for it. I trained for it. And in the end, I decided to say screw the rules, I'm just going to go out there and have fun. Well, all that hard work and fun paid off - I am the undisputed 1st place winner of 2009's Anime Idol.
Round 1, I entered as the beaten and burned Seto Kaiba, singing the Kaiba image song, 'I'm Back' from season 1 of Yugioh. I was nervous, but they thought it was pretty cool, very expressive... and one of the judges said I did a good job of being expressive my arm being "broken."
Round 2, I sang the ending theme to Abaranger, 'we are the one' while dressed as abare black. This round could have been the death of me for two reasons. (that had nothing to do with wigs.) One, I was moving a lot, and had been getting out of breath. Two, I forgot the weapon for my routine at home... and my routine was a weapons routine. Fortunately, I recovered from both! I told the audience that the con had taken my weapon, and that without it, I couldn't save the world... that I needed their help! And I taught them how to sing one line that repeats about a dozen times in the song. They did. I pointed the mic at them, they sang when they needed to, and I used those precious moments to move and catch my breath!! At the end, I congratulated them for saving the world... and I got moved to the next round!
Round 3... well, that's the doozy!
Being the adult that I am, and the risque costume I had planned... I went to check my rules out with the judges before the round would start. They were a little iffy, so they told me to check with Con Ops. I explained to Con Ops what I was going to do, and they told me no. I told them I respected that, and that I wanted to clear it with them before I did anything that would tarnish what's been the most amazing con I've ever been to. They were completely touched. And rather impressed that someone asked first...
The judges checked back in with me, and I told them Con Ops said no to my act. So of course, it was a complete surprise to them when I threw a chair on stage, sat in it, and leveled with the audience as Mello from Death Note. I told them that I hated being number 2 for anything, but that in order to be number 1, they had to cheer for me, very loudly. Then I told them that they wouldn't have to do it for free. That's not the way we do things in the mafia. If they cheered loud enough, I'd show them my strawberries. The judges eyes budged out of their heads, and they were waiting through the first two verses with baited breath.
At first, I was a little nervous. But I moved. I moved like I haven't ever moved before. And by the time I got into the song, I was just letting my body move to the music. I danced on the chair. I worked the stage. I took off the jacket, I threw it and it actually landed right on top of one of the judges' heads! Of course, underneath was the exercise bra I work out in... with two big plushie strawberries pinned to it. It was everything I wanted the performance to be and MORE!
And at the end of my routine, I leveled with the audience again. I told them that Con Ops found out about my performance, and I had to tone it down. But if they wanted to see the 'director's cut' of the performance, they could write their names down on this little notebook that Ops gave me, and we'd get it taken care of. At that point, I closed the Death Note and took a bow.
They got an added kick out of what I said off stage too... in a very meek, high pitched voice, 'Can I have my coat back? It's cold in here...'
They called my name for first place, and I was on top of the world! My prize... I got an XXXHolic wall scroll, a box set of an anime that apparently has Yaoi in it. A pin that said I'm the winner... (that I managed to lose...) And most importantly, I get to be a judge next year! I get to judge the next Anime Idol contest!
Sure... about an hour after the fact, the winner from last year's Anime Idol came up to me with a very snobbish retort of 'so, I heard you won, and you got there just because you showed your breasts.' and left. What an ass. I won because I did something I've always wanted to do, even though I was scared to do it, and I had fun with it. And you know what, I think the version I did on stage was better than anything I could have pulled off with the original costume design.
He's just jealous. Because, damn. That ROCKED!!
AnimeFest Resort. Appointment for Mr. Kaiba.
Maybe one of the reasons I was able to move so well on my performance was because I was so relaxed. I ran into one of the friends I've seen at several cons for the past couple of years, and he offered to give me a massage. Granted, most of the massages one gets at cons last for about five to ten minutes. I think over the course of the con, he worked on my back for about five hours.
I'm not entirely sure how this came about... it was probably a joke off my Kaiba costume - the hurt Kaiba needed physical therapy. But man... I'm glad the joke was made.
Those were the best five hours of my life... He worked out all the knots, so much so, that when he was done, I could hardly get up. I could lay down, flat on my back, without pain. I was so relaxed that it was like I was drunk, or even stoned. I was even mistaken for a drunk person by my own friends!! And when I finally stood up off the table, everyone swore that I had gotten about two inches taller. For the first time in years... maybe first time EVER... I think I stood up... perfectly straight!!!
It was so nice to find a friend who cared enough to do that. It really helped me relax, something I needed more than anything else. It made my convention weekend feel like a true vacation. I swear... Being in face down defense mode never felt so good!
I was high all right... high on LIFE!
And because of that, I don't think I went to bed until 2 or 2:30 a.m. the entire con...
And the hilarity, and thus the good times, ensued
Of course, this was a con, so almost everything that came out of someone's mouth was hilarious. Dirty sometimes, but most certainly hilarious. And part of that hilarity took place at the 18+ Anime Dating Game, where again, I dressed as Seto Kaiba. I didn't win, like at SakuraCon, but I think I'm a lot more happy with losing.
One of the lines I used - (the question involved video games) 'Well, I think it's obvious that I have a hard on for technology... I'll push your buttons if you'll fondle my joystick.' was repeated back, over and over again, at the con. And my performance in the dating game was so well known, it got laughs when I referenced it in round 3 of Anime Idol - when I teased them about showing off my strawberries, I also said 'and if you saw the dating game last night, you know I might actually do it.'
But it was the ending that was out of this world. Contestant number 3 was from Repo, the Genetic Opera. (I don't know much about this movie other than that it's a musical and that it's apparently awesome) And his final question involved singing something. Fortunately, he knew about every word from it. His character was GraveRobber, a drug dealer. It seemed to fit perfectly that I still had the burn makeup on. Because, at the end of his song, he jabbed the syringe at my neck, and I fell from the chair as though I had passed out. He carried me off stage.
Obviously, I lost because I was passed out. And I was apparently competing for three diva cheerleaders. So... I think I had the better end of the deal.
Everything sounds sexual after a version of the Anime Dating Game, I swear... whether it's a calm game of Taboo or a round of Seven Deadly Sins... Alas, you cannot unthink what you have thought. And as the weekend goes on, with less and less sleep, everything becomes hilarious in the end. Just another way to relax.
And I made sure to try new things. Lots of new things!!
For the first time, I went to one of the dances. Not the rave, but a semi-formal ball. My Seto Kaiba outfit was enough to get me through the door (Screw the dress code, I have money!) and I even tried my best to dance, with a variety of different people. It was out of my comfort zone, and I'll admit, I was a little frightened to do it, but I did it anyway. And I enjoyed myself a lot.
I went to an auction too. I've never been to one of those before. I even got to bid on something neat. It wasn't the exact object I was dying to own, but it's still pretty cool. And I'm glad I now own it.
I met a bunch of new people too. It was the first time in a long time that I didn't room with the same people I always room with. And the experience was different, but certainly a lot of fun. Hopefully some of the new people I met (or re-met, as con experience would have it) will become good friends.
Swag Report
I didn't buy a lot at the dealer's room. I was trying to conserve money. But I did end up with a few nice things. I bought four dollars worth of tokens on a Japanese slot machine and won a Kakashi key chain. I bought a DVD for $5, and then for another $5, I snagged a whole bag of Yugioh goodies from the charity auction. (I really wanted the shirt, though...) There's all the prizes from Anime Idol. And of course... the fan art!! I got awesome commissions from Dogmatix, as well as some of the other artists. This year, I had two things to commemorate - my amazing Kaiba costume idea and my victory at Anime Idol. And I made sure to get everything done in art - even the 'director's cut' of my Anime Idol costume.
Okay... so was there ANYTHING that sucked at the con?!
Don't you mean, anyONE?! ... dammit, my mind's still in the gutter...
Actually, in all seriousness, the worst part was when I went home. I had forgotten to empty the melting ice out of the ice chest and so it spilled in the bag... the same bag that contained my duel disk... And my entire deck, which was in the duel disk at the time...
My cards are now all drying out in face up attack mode on my bed. But the funny thing? All I can think of right now is how epic a fan art commission of that would be... Seto pulling out a wet duel disk from his luggage, with a sheepish Mokuba in the background.
And the moral of the story is...
The last thing I did at the con was have a tarot card reading done. It began with a combination of cards showing me shedding away past burdens, and moving forward in a passionate drive. But what struck me most was the card that represented my current place today. It was a negative card, a pessimistic card.
I just looked at her and said, 'I think this con just solved everything that card represents.' There must have been something so genuine about my smile, about my answer itself, that she paused for a minute... and she agreed with me.
Life, my friends, is what you choose to make of it. Attitude is everything. Relaxation... lo and behold, the elusive thing I've sought but never found, can indeed be captured. And when you love what you're doing, when you work hard and then step back, when you stop worrying about being perfect and just start having fun... your victory is assured. Nothing can go wrong, and no one can ever hold you back. Your destiny... is within you. And life... is meant to be lived.
May AnimeFest 2009 remind me of this - today, tomorrow and forever.
Current COSTUME: Seto Kaiba
Animefest 2009 will go down in history as a con to remember - a con that literally will forever remind me why I love cons and why I keep going to cons.
What I needed now, more than anything else, was a new beginning. A chance to relax, to revitalize, to be free of all the emotional baggage that was weighing me down, to just enjoy myself. And I got it, along with everything that came with it!
Sure, there were moments when things went wrong. But something made them not so bad.
I lost the cosplay contest to another team of shinigami. (I mean really, That's 2 for 2. I think that costume's cursed.) But at the same time, they bumped me up into the Masters division, the division for the best cosplayers, so that was quite a compliment. My video lost too. But after I left, I learned that in the very end, they gave it an honorable mention. It was special, in and of itself. I didn't get to the auction in time to get the t-shirt I wanted... but I did get a bunch of books and a DVD. And my student, who borrowed my wig, made sure that it got returned to me... literally right as I walked off stage from the performance I needed it for. The timing was so hilarious, and in the end, it didn't really matter.
But what went right... went so very right.
So sayeth the con report:
Epic Costumes are Epic
At this con, I was THE Seto Kaiba. And not just because I dressed like him for the better part of every single day of the con, but for the original version I came up with. As I explained several times, the idea was born like this:
Me: I love doing my Mello makeup. Maybe I should use it for other characters too.
Friend: You should do it on Seto Kaiba.
Me: What would the excuse be? Blue Eyes White Dragons can't be housebroken?
Friend: OH MY GOD. DO IT!!!
Me: You dare me?
Friend: YES!!!
And I did. On Saturday and Sunday, I walked around as Seto Kaiba with burns on my face, my arm in a sling, bloody bandages hanging, and an epic sign that said 'FYI. Blue Eyes White Dragons can't be Housebroken.'
The reaction was incredible. And it was rather funny to watch too. There was a moment of thought that you could literally read in their faces. They'd read the sign, look at the burned Kaiba, think about it, and suddenly, about two to three seconds later, the light bulb would literally turn on, their face lit up, and they wanted a picture. I swear, so many people took pictures. Whether they loved Yugioh or hated Yugioh, they LOVED this costume, and I did too. Had I known it would have been so awesome, I would have worn it for the Cosplay Contest on Friday night instead of Ryuk.
Only once did someone from security ask me to put my sign away. But when I held it up and told them it was part of the costume, they said it was okay.
And the scar... oh my god... that was the BEST scar effect I have EVER made. It was gruesome, beautifully beautifully gruesome.
Anime Idol
I practiced for it. I trained for it. And in the end, I decided to say screw the rules, I'm just going to go out there and have fun. Well, all that hard work and fun paid off - I am the undisputed 1st place winner of 2009's Anime Idol.
Round 1, I entered as the beaten and burned Seto Kaiba, singing the Kaiba image song, 'I'm Back' from season 1 of Yugioh. I was nervous, but they thought it was pretty cool, very expressive... and one of the judges said I did a good job of being expressive my arm being "broken."
Round 2, I sang the ending theme to Abaranger, 'we are the one' while dressed as abare black. This round could have been the death of me for two reasons. (that had nothing to do with wigs.) One, I was moving a lot, and had been getting out of breath. Two, I forgot the weapon for my routine at home... and my routine was a weapons routine. Fortunately, I recovered from both! I told the audience that the con had taken my weapon, and that without it, I couldn't save the world... that I needed their help! And I taught them how to sing one line that repeats about a dozen times in the song. They did. I pointed the mic at them, they sang when they needed to, and I used those precious moments to move and catch my breath!! At the end, I congratulated them for saving the world... and I got moved to the next round!
Round 3... well, that's the doozy!
Being the adult that I am, and the risque costume I had planned... I went to check my rules out with the judges before the round would start. They were a little iffy, so they told me to check with Con Ops. I explained to Con Ops what I was going to do, and they told me no. I told them I respected that, and that I wanted to clear it with them before I did anything that would tarnish what's been the most amazing con I've ever been to. They were completely touched. And rather impressed that someone asked first...
The judges checked back in with me, and I told them Con Ops said no to my act. So of course, it was a complete surprise to them when I threw a chair on stage, sat in it, and leveled with the audience as Mello from Death Note. I told them that I hated being number 2 for anything, but that in order to be number 1, they had to cheer for me, very loudly. Then I told them that they wouldn't have to do it for free. That's not the way we do things in the mafia. If they cheered loud enough, I'd show them my strawberries. The judges eyes budged out of their heads, and they were waiting through the first two verses with baited breath.
At first, I was a little nervous. But I moved. I moved like I haven't ever moved before. And by the time I got into the song, I was just letting my body move to the music. I danced on the chair. I worked the stage. I took off the jacket, I threw it and it actually landed right on top of one of the judges' heads! Of course, underneath was the exercise bra I work out in... with two big plushie strawberries pinned to it. It was everything I wanted the performance to be and MORE!
And at the end of my routine, I leveled with the audience again. I told them that Con Ops found out about my performance, and I had to tone it down. But if they wanted to see the 'director's cut' of the performance, they could write their names down on this little notebook that Ops gave me, and we'd get it taken care of. At that point, I closed the Death Note and took a bow.
They got an added kick out of what I said off stage too... in a very meek, high pitched voice, 'Can I have my coat back? It's cold in here...'
They called my name for first place, and I was on top of the world! My prize... I got an XXXHolic wall scroll, a box set of an anime that apparently has Yaoi in it. A pin that said I'm the winner... (that I managed to lose...) And most importantly, I get to be a judge next year! I get to judge the next Anime Idol contest!
Sure... about an hour after the fact, the winner from last year's Anime Idol came up to me with a very snobbish retort of 'so, I heard you won, and you got there just because you showed your breasts.' and left. What an ass. I won because I did something I've always wanted to do, even though I was scared to do it, and I had fun with it. And you know what, I think the version I did on stage was better than anything I could have pulled off with the original costume design.
He's just jealous. Because, damn. That ROCKED!!
AnimeFest Resort. Appointment for Mr. Kaiba.
Maybe one of the reasons I was able to move so well on my performance was because I was so relaxed. I ran into one of the friends I've seen at several cons for the past couple of years, and he offered to give me a massage. Granted, most of the massages one gets at cons last for about five to ten minutes. I think over the course of the con, he worked on my back for about five hours.
I'm not entirely sure how this came about... it was probably a joke off my Kaiba costume - the hurt Kaiba needed physical therapy. But man... I'm glad the joke was made.
Those were the best five hours of my life... He worked out all the knots, so much so, that when he was done, I could hardly get up. I could lay down, flat on my back, without pain. I was so relaxed that it was like I was drunk, or even stoned. I was even mistaken for a drunk person by my own friends!! And when I finally stood up off the table, everyone swore that I had gotten about two inches taller. For the first time in years... maybe first time EVER... I think I stood up... perfectly straight!!!
It was so nice to find a friend who cared enough to do that. It really helped me relax, something I needed more than anything else. It made my convention weekend feel like a true vacation. I swear... Being in face down defense mode never felt so good!
I was high all right... high on LIFE!
And because of that, I don't think I went to bed until 2 or 2:30 a.m. the entire con...
And the hilarity, and thus the good times, ensued
Of course, this was a con, so almost everything that came out of someone's mouth was hilarious. Dirty sometimes, but most certainly hilarious. And part of that hilarity took place at the 18+ Anime Dating Game, where again, I dressed as Seto Kaiba. I didn't win, like at SakuraCon, but I think I'm a lot more happy with losing.
One of the lines I used - (the question involved video games) 'Well, I think it's obvious that I have a hard on for technology... I'll push your buttons if you'll fondle my joystick.' was repeated back, over and over again, at the con. And my performance in the dating game was so well known, it got laughs when I referenced it in round 3 of Anime Idol - when I teased them about showing off my strawberries, I also said 'and if you saw the dating game last night, you know I might actually do it.'
But it was the ending that was out of this world. Contestant number 3 was from Repo, the Genetic Opera. (I don't know much about this movie other than that it's a musical and that it's apparently awesome) And his final question involved singing something. Fortunately, he knew about every word from it. His character was GraveRobber, a drug dealer. It seemed to fit perfectly that I still had the burn makeup on. Because, at the end of his song, he jabbed the syringe at my neck, and I fell from the chair as though I had passed out. He carried me off stage.
Obviously, I lost because I was passed out. And I was apparently competing for three diva cheerleaders. So... I think I had the better end of the deal.
Everything sounds sexual after a version of the Anime Dating Game, I swear... whether it's a calm game of Taboo or a round of Seven Deadly Sins... Alas, you cannot unthink what you have thought. And as the weekend goes on, with less and less sleep, everything becomes hilarious in the end. Just another way to relax.
And I made sure to try new things. Lots of new things!!
For the first time, I went to one of the dances. Not the rave, but a semi-formal ball. My Seto Kaiba outfit was enough to get me through the door (Screw the dress code, I have money!) and I even tried my best to dance, with a variety of different people. It was out of my comfort zone, and I'll admit, I was a little frightened to do it, but I did it anyway. And I enjoyed myself a lot.
I went to an auction too. I've never been to one of those before. I even got to bid on something neat. It wasn't the exact object I was dying to own, but it's still pretty cool. And I'm glad I now own it.
I met a bunch of new people too. It was the first time in a long time that I didn't room with the same people I always room with. And the experience was different, but certainly a lot of fun. Hopefully some of the new people I met (or re-met, as con experience would have it) will become good friends.
Swag Report
I didn't buy a lot at the dealer's room. I was trying to conserve money. But I did end up with a few nice things. I bought four dollars worth of tokens on a Japanese slot machine and won a Kakashi key chain. I bought a DVD for $5, and then for another $5, I snagged a whole bag of Yugioh goodies from the charity auction. (I really wanted the shirt, though...) There's all the prizes from Anime Idol. And of course... the fan art!! I got awesome commissions from Dogmatix, as well as some of the other artists. This year, I had two things to commemorate - my amazing Kaiba costume idea and my victory at Anime Idol. And I made sure to get everything done in art - even the 'director's cut' of my Anime Idol costume.
Okay... so was there ANYTHING that sucked at the con?!
Don't you mean, anyONE?! ... dammit, my mind's still in the gutter...
Actually, in all seriousness, the worst part was when I went home. I had forgotten to empty the melting ice out of the ice chest and so it spilled in the bag... the same bag that contained my duel disk... And my entire deck, which was in the duel disk at the time...
My cards are now all drying out in face up attack mode on my bed. But the funny thing? All I can think of right now is how epic a fan art commission of that would be... Seto pulling out a wet duel disk from his luggage, with a sheepish Mokuba in the background.
And the moral of the story is...
The last thing I did at the con was have a tarot card reading done. It began with a combination of cards showing me shedding away past burdens, and moving forward in a passionate drive. But what struck me most was the card that represented my current place today. It was a negative card, a pessimistic card.
I just looked at her and said, 'I think this con just solved everything that card represents.' There must have been something so genuine about my smile, about my answer itself, that she paused for a minute... and she agreed with me.
Life, my friends, is what you choose to make of it. Attitude is everything. Relaxation... lo and behold, the elusive thing I've sought but never found, can indeed be captured. And when you love what you're doing, when you work hard and then step back, when you stop worrying about being perfect and just start having fun... your victory is assured. Nothing can go wrong, and no one can ever hold you back. Your destiny... is within you. And life... is meant to be lived.
May AnimeFest 2009 remind me of this - today, tomorrow and forever.
Current COSTUME: Seto Kaiba
Current Mood: 
rejuvenated
rejuvenated