AWA 2016
For me AWA started on Wednesday. I had bought a Six Flags membership which would get me into Six Flags or White Water whenever I wanted. When I went up for 4th of July, White Water was packed and I couldn’t do very many of the rides so I decided to go back. I left a day early so Thursday I could go to White Water. Wednesday night I drove to Seth and Amber’s and we went out for ramen. I’d never had it before and I don’t know how legit it was but I wasn’t in love. I could eat it but it wasn’t my favorite. Seth treated me, which was nice of him. After that we just chilled at their place. They still had a little bit of coswork left to do and I helped out a bit. Thursday at White Water it was a little cool and some of the body flumes were closed but for the most part it was great. The lines were very short and I did several of them more than once. After that I changed and met Reba and Jennifer at World of Coca-Cola. I had never been before so I was happy to get a chance. It was pretty interesting seeing the process and seeing ads and exhibits based around coke. They give you a coke at the beginning of the tour and you can pick up one at the end as well. My favorite part was probably the area where you could try coke beverages from around the world. After that I went to Johnny Rocket’s to get a shake. It was right around the corner (I’d passed it on the way) and I hadn’t had one in a while since there’s not a Johnny Rocket’s around here. Then I went to Panera to get my free bagel then headed on to the con. I was afraid I had gotten there too late and the line would be long but fortunately it didn’t take me more than 10 minutes. Far cry from the 2 hours of the previous year. While I was waiting for Jon who was in charge of the room at the Sheraton (never staying there again) I ran into Seth and them and met their photographer friend Eurobeat Photography. He offered to take pics of our Lodoss costumes. When Jon showed up he helped me get my stuff in the room. With Deedlit’s armor box, I couldn’t carry all of it by myself. After I went to the Super Happy Fun Sell. I bought a Black Butler holographic print, a Gundam Seed Best of CD, Eureka 7 Best of CD, and a CardCaptor Sakura clear file. Someone was selling a Parn figure but it was $60 and not even one of the nice ones. After that I realized I had to move my car. The parking situation was stupid. Couldn’t park at the Sheraton without paying money and couldn’t park and the Cumberland Mall which would have been pretty convenient since it’s behind the Sheraton. I had to park at the Galleria. I met with Reba and Jennifer after and was hanging out in their room for a bit. I almost fell asleep. Jennifer is really warm and I got cold so I curled up against her under the covers and dozed off. I shook myself awake and headed back to my room.
Friday
I slept in as much as I could but my roommates weren’t sleeping in and weren’t keeping their voices down. Ear plugs didn’t help a bit. So I got up and slowly put Deedlit on. I started to go hang out with Reba and Jenn but Seth texted me saying Eurobeat wanted pics, so I headed outside. We got pictures and at some point I met up with Reba and Jenn. They hadn’t gotten their other costume done so they didn’t cosplay on Friday. They hit up the dealers room while I was getting ready. We went to the iDOLs of Cosplay meet up and they sat in the grass enjoying the weather. Mike took some pictures and a little video footage. I got him to take some pictures of my Deedlit while I was there. After that I dropped off my shoulders of doom in Jenn’s room and we went to the dealers room. We started out in artists alley and I kept losing them cuz they kept sprinting through there. I decided I would have to come back by myself. I scoped out the dealers room before buying anything, keeping a look out for that Makoto figure since I had decided to get it. Later I got a text from Seth. We had been waiting for another person to show up and join our Lodoss group so I borrowed Reba’s key card and picked up my armor before heading to Seth’s room. We got more pictures and I can’t wait to see them! I think at that point I was ready to get out of Deedlit. I made the long walk back to the Sheraton and ate and rested for a bit. I had a headache so I just wanted to sit for a little. Jon and I talked while he was changing and he seems like a pretty good guy. Anyone who likes Percy Jackson is A-OK in my book. I changed into Bellatrix and Seth texted me looking for me but when I texted him back he didn’t answer so I went to the lobby and wandered outside, then finally found him. We were immediately thrown in front of lights and a camera. Was not ready for that, lol. Rather I just didn’t realize they had a photographer. We wandered around together and had quite a few people take pictures. They went to eat at Big Chow but I had already eaten so I went to the Jin-Machine concert. I was watching the line go in, waiting for an opening when I saw Shanna and Patrick so I jumped in line with them. They were entertaining and cute, despite being visual kei. They did this one bit when they introduced the guitarist and did super Mario bros. The vocalist reminded me a bit of Camus from Uta-Pri because of his blonde hair and uniform. The drummer reminded me of Chosakabe from Sengoku Basara because of his hair and eye patch. The basist reminded me of Ai from Uta-Pri because of his hairstyle, though it was raspberry colored instead of aqua. They got out of the restaurant about the same time the concert ended so that was good timing. We wandered around the lobby some more before retreating to Seth’s room and Seth and I watched the latest Naruto on his phone. One less thing for me to catch up on, lol.
Saturday
First I put on retro Sailor Jupiter and met up with the other girls to have our little photo shoot with Eurobeat again. He’s really nice to work with. Quick, knows what he wants, and directs you to the best place/position. I saw some of the pictures and I love them. Can’t wait for Deedlit! I went to the fashion show after that. It was so cold in there, I was glad I had a sweater. I thought I was in the wrong place at first because a local brand, 50% Dangerous, was kind of a warm-up act, I supposed. The fashion was interesting and Jez Roth and Vic Mignona both modeled in it. I think in between is when Peachy Parade came out and performed. Once they were done the Metamorphose Lolita brand started their show. Ariyana and Margaret were some of the first ones out. They were adorable, of course, and I loved Margaret’s dress. She later told me she just handed them her credit card to buy it and didn’t ask how much it was. My phone’s camera decided to act up when Margaret was on stage and I had to restart my phone to get it to work. I missed her, but got some pictures when everyone came out on stage again at the end. I wandered into the dealers room for a bit, trying to finish scoping it out. I bought the Makoto figure and most of the other things I wanted, like another Love Live artbook (it had the celestial outfits in them and that was all I needed to see) and a Free! doujinshi. I dropped the stuff off in my room and changed into Cute High. I met up with Jenn and Reba who’d been in them for a while and we met up with Mike to get some pictures. Good thing we did that first because I had malfunctions after that. The weight of the bow caused the snap keeping the shirt closed to pull open, my loveracelet fell apart, and one of my shoes came unglued. They changed but I wanted to keep wearing it for a little while. They got to be my handlers lol. We stopped at the cosplay repair shop but they were out of super glue so I tried tacky glue but it wouldn’t dry. I finally used hot glue even though I thought it would pop apart later but it held together. We walked around the dealers room and Reba and I bought Cute High charms and then we walked to the Cumberland Mall to eat. Chickfila and a milkshake, yum. We went back to the Sheraton so I could change and I grabbed my Deedlit armor box so I could go ahead and put it in my car. It made me miss the beginning of the Garnidelia concert and the Kill la Kill song unfortunately. They were selling CDs after and they both bought them but I hadn’t gone through artist alley yet and I didn’t have much money left so I didn’t get one, even though I think I would’ve liked it. We went to the Otome game panel which was pretty well run. I learned more about otome games (since I don’t really play them but like the idea) and got some animes based on them to watch. I had run into Margaret earlier and she offered her Free! Crunchy Roll bag to me cuz she didn’t want it. So on the way up to Jenn’s room, I stopped at Margaret’s and hung out with her and Ariyana for a bit and picked up the bag. Ariyana had already gotten ready for bed and kept hiding her face under a blanket. She’s cute even when she thinks she’s not. I went up to Jenn and Reba’s and hung out for a bit before Seth texted me, telling me to come play a drinking game. We didn’t even drink that much. We kind of gave up after a bit and just hung out. Not for long thought cuz we were all tired. I went back to my room and got most of my stuff packed up. I had lost my room key and knocked and the past two nights my roommates were drinking and talking but not tonight. They weren’t quite asleep but were quiet.
Sunday
I got dressed in Shimizu from Haikyuu which is like the most comfortable “costume” ever. Simple to put on too. Got my stuff packed and headed down. I should’ve gotten up early though. Everyone else was trying to check out and while I’m used to waiting for an elevator, this was ridiculous. The stairs (except for emergency ones) only went down to the 3rd floor. I thought they might open that door like they had done one time in the past but no. I even heard someone calling about it but they wouldn’t do it. I walked down to the 3rd floor from the 8th floor and almost couldn’t get back in because I didn’t have my room key and you needed it. Fortunately someone came up behind me and let me in. Everyone else had had the same idea and it took forever to get on one. They almost didn’t let me on (I did have to let one pass because of “capacity”) but people had gotten off and I wasn’t about to let it go. I finally got downstairs and had to walk all the way over to the Galleria where my car was so I could pack it. My shoulders and back hurt quite a bit after that. I really should work out to make my back stronger. Anyway, once that was done I wandered around artists alley and bought a few prints and ran into Patrick about the time I was heading to meet with Reba and Jenn. We talked for a bit and I tried to show him a figure I saw but couldn’t find it and gave up. I wandered around with Jenn and Reba, looking for some Voltron prints I’d seen earlier but Reba didn’t have enough money to get them at this point. I’d just about given up on them though. Eventually it was time to say goodbye and I found Margaret and Ariyana before I left. Then I got Subway for lunch and got to my car. I called Mama to tell her I was leaving, only to realize I had forgotten my purse. Thank goodness I realized before I started driving home. I went back to Sheraton, which was a task in of itself because I couldn’t go straight across to it. I did get to it and the man at the counter gave me two room keys to get back in my room. I was surprised because I’d done that before and they had to check my ID and talk to Tom before they would let me in the room. I went up there but housekeeping had already been in there and it was gone. I’d passed a maid on the way there so went back to her to ask if she’d seen it and she had my purse. Crisis averted! I got gas and headed back home. I only filled up halfway though since it was so expensive and filled up again in Montgomery. Rest of the trip was pretty uneventful, thankfully.
Overall I had a lot of fun hanging out with everyone, no drama occurred and costumes went over well with only slight malfunctions. I just wish I could’ve run into Alex. I saw Nichole 3 times but for some reason, Alex was never with her.
Friday
I slept in as much as I could but my roommates weren’t sleeping in and weren’t keeping their voices down. Ear plugs didn’t help a bit. So I got up and slowly put Deedlit on. I started to go hang out with Reba and Jenn but Seth texted me saying Eurobeat wanted pics, so I headed outside. We got pictures and at some point I met up with Reba and Jenn. They hadn’t gotten their other costume done so they didn’t cosplay on Friday. They hit up the dealers room while I was getting ready. We went to the iDOLs of Cosplay meet up and they sat in the grass enjoying the weather. Mike took some pictures and a little video footage. I got him to take some pictures of my Deedlit while I was there. After that I dropped off my shoulders of doom in Jenn’s room and we went to the dealers room. We started out in artists alley and I kept losing them cuz they kept sprinting through there. I decided I would have to come back by myself. I scoped out the dealers room before buying anything, keeping a look out for that Makoto figure since I had decided to get it. Later I got a text from Seth. We had been waiting for another person to show up and join our Lodoss group so I borrowed Reba’s key card and picked up my armor before heading to Seth’s room. We got more pictures and I can’t wait to see them! I think at that point I was ready to get out of Deedlit. I made the long walk back to the Sheraton and ate and rested for a bit. I had a headache so I just wanted to sit for a little. Jon and I talked while he was changing and he seems like a pretty good guy. Anyone who likes Percy Jackson is A-OK in my book. I changed into Bellatrix and Seth texted me looking for me but when I texted him back he didn’t answer so I went to the lobby and wandered outside, then finally found him. We were immediately thrown in front of lights and a camera. Was not ready for that, lol. Rather I just didn’t realize they had a photographer. We wandered around together and had quite a few people take pictures. They went to eat at Big Chow but I had already eaten so I went to the Jin-Machine concert. I was watching the line go in, waiting for an opening when I saw Shanna and Patrick so I jumped in line with them. They were entertaining and cute, despite being visual kei. They did this one bit when they introduced the guitarist and did super Mario bros. The vocalist reminded me a bit of Camus from Uta-Pri because of his blonde hair and uniform. The drummer reminded me of Chosakabe from Sengoku Basara because of his hair and eye patch. The basist reminded me of Ai from Uta-Pri because of his hairstyle, though it was raspberry colored instead of aqua. They got out of the restaurant about the same time the concert ended so that was good timing. We wandered around the lobby some more before retreating to Seth’s room and Seth and I watched the latest Naruto on his phone. One less thing for me to catch up on, lol.
Saturday
First I put on retro Sailor Jupiter and met up with the other girls to have our little photo shoot with Eurobeat again. He’s really nice to work with. Quick, knows what he wants, and directs you to the best place/position. I saw some of the pictures and I love them. Can’t wait for Deedlit! I went to the fashion show after that. It was so cold in there, I was glad I had a sweater. I thought I was in the wrong place at first because a local brand, 50% Dangerous, was kind of a warm-up act, I supposed. The fashion was interesting and Jez Roth and Vic Mignona both modeled in it. I think in between is when Peachy Parade came out and performed. Once they were done the Metamorphose Lolita brand started their show. Ariyana and Margaret were some of the first ones out. They were adorable, of course, and I loved Margaret’s dress. She later told me she just handed them her credit card to buy it and didn’t ask how much it was. My phone’s camera decided to act up when Margaret was on stage and I had to restart my phone to get it to work. I missed her, but got some pictures when everyone came out on stage again at the end. I wandered into the dealers room for a bit, trying to finish scoping it out. I bought the Makoto figure and most of the other things I wanted, like another Love Live artbook (it had the celestial outfits in them and that was all I needed to see) and a Free! doujinshi. I dropped the stuff off in my room and changed into Cute High. I met up with Jenn and Reba who’d been in them for a while and we met up with Mike to get some pictures. Good thing we did that first because I had malfunctions after that. The weight of the bow caused the snap keeping the shirt closed to pull open, my loveracelet fell apart, and one of my shoes came unglued. They changed but I wanted to keep wearing it for a little while. They got to be my handlers lol. We stopped at the cosplay repair shop but they were out of super glue so I tried tacky glue but it wouldn’t dry. I finally used hot glue even though I thought it would pop apart later but it held together. We walked around the dealers room and Reba and I bought Cute High charms and then we walked to the Cumberland Mall to eat. Chickfila and a milkshake, yum. We went back to the Sheraton so I could change and I grabbed my Deedlit armor box so I could go ahead and put it in my car. It made me miss the beginning of the Garnidelia concert and the Kill la Kill song unfortunately. They were selling CDs after and they both bought them but I hadn’t gone through artist alley yet and I didn’t have much money left so I didn’t get one, even though I think I would’ve liked it. We went to the Otome game panel which was pretty well run. I learned more about otome games (since I don’t really play them but like the idea) and got some animes based on them to watch. I had run into Margaret earlier and she offered her Free! Crunchy Roll bag to me cuz she didn’t want it. So on the way up to Jenn’s room, I stopped at Margaret’s and hung out with her and Ariyana for a bit and picked up the bag. Ariyana had already gotten ready for bed and kept hiding her face under a blanket. She’s cute even when she thinks she’s not. I went up to Jenn and Reba’s and hung out for a bit before Seth texted me, telling me to come play a drinking game. We didn’t even drink that much. We kind of gave up after a bit and just hung out. Not for long thought cuz we were all tired. I went back to my room and got most of my stuff packed up. I had lost my room key and knocked and the past two nights my roommates were drinking and talking but not tonight. They weren’t quite asleep but were quiet.
Sunday
I got dressed in Shimizu from Haikyuu which is like the most comfortable “costume” ever. Simple to put on too. Got my stuff packed and headed down. I should’ve gotten up early though. Everyone else was trying to check out and while I’m used to waiting for an elevator, this was ridiculous. The stairs (except for emergency ones) only went down to the 3rd floor. I thought they might open that door like they had done one time in the past but no. I even heard someone calling about it but they wouldn’t do it. I walked down to the 3rd floor from the 8th floor and almost couldn’t get back in because I didn’t have my room key and you needed it. Fortunately someone came up behind me and let me in. Everyone else had had the same idea and it took forever to get on one. They almost didn’t let me on (I did have to let one pass because of “capacity”) but people had gotten off and I wasn’t about to let it go. I finally got downstairs and had to walk all the way over to the Galleria where my car was so I could pack it. My shoulders and back hurt quite a bit after that. I really should work out to make my back stronger. Anyway, once that was done I wandered around artists alley and bought a few prints and ran into Patrick about the time I was heading to meet with Reba and Jenn. We talked for a bit and I tried to show him a figure I saw but couldn’t find it and gave up. I wandered around with Jenn and Reba, looking for some Voltron prints I’d seen earlier but Reba didn’t have enough money to get them at this point. I’d just about given up on them though. Eventually it was time to say goodbye and I found Margaret and Ariyana before I left. Then I got Subway for lunch and got to my car. I called Mama to tell her I was leaving, only to realize I had forgotten my purse. Thank goodness I realized before I started driving home. I went back to Sheraton, which was a task in of itself because I couldn’t go straight across to it. I did get to it and the man at the counter gave me two room keys to get back in my room. I was surprised because I’d done that before and they had to check my ID and talk to Tom before they would let me in the room. I went up there but housekeeping had already been in there and it was gone. I’d passed a maid on the way there so went back to her to ask if she’d seen it and she had my purse. Crisis averted! I got gas and headed back home. I only filled up halfway though since it was so expensive and filled up again in Montgomery. Rest of the trip was pretty uneventful, thankfully.
Overall I had a lot of fun hanging out with everyone, no drama occurred and costumes went over well with only slight malfunctions. I just wish I could’ve run into Alex. I saw Nichole 3 times but for some reason, Alex was never with her.