Sydney Main Animania 2009 (Sept 5+6)
Ignoring the fact that this report is now 4 weeks late, here's my whirlwind one day trip to Sydney for Animania! It was reaaal short notice with me booking tickets on the Wednesday before the week-end of the con, but sooo SO absolutely worth it. Despite the "DID NOT KNOW YOU WERE COMING D:" from people, it was awesome to see so many people from Manifest et al again. Much love to you all <3
So I guess that SydMania started on Wednesday for me with driving up to Hope/charliequinn , Luka/
silvite_rewrite , Aly/cielrose and K/
k_chan009 's place to aid in finishing/supplying sustinence for K and Aly's awesome WCS entry. So so so much win and awesome! Sadly couldn't make it up to Sydney to see the WCS 2010 Australian Finals on Saturday because of a Calisthenics competition, so next best thing was a day trip on Sunday, and that's how it went! Re-wore Chrome from Manifest on promises or reprising our Reborn group...also because it's the only costume I own that travels/wears easily nevermind that I had to section up the trident's pole to fit in my carry on luggage. Decided to be the biggest dork in existence and take the plane wearing a mafia 'suit', with a zig zag part, purple eyebrows, Chrome makeup (complete with one false eyelash) and Mist ring. Character faggotry is serious business! But also practical considering I only had to get changed once in Sydney XD
Sunrise over Melbourne on the way to the airport! It was so pretty, and I really do love sunrises...when I'm ever actually up early enough to catch them is an entirely different matter. Got to the airport with I would say *seconds* to spare - they were just doing the last call for check in on my flight...I don't even want to think of many ways and times I would've died if I'd done a repeat of AVCon. x__x The only *slight* trouble was that I didn't know/think to know that lid-less aerosols wouldn't be allowed in carry on luggage (fuckers took my hairspray AND my deodorant D<) and I had no idea those X-ray machines showed shit up so well...my pole for Chrome's trident was in screw-in parts so the lady was all "....what is that? A walking stick?" "Uuh...yes..." "Can I see?" *takes out* "Well you see it's just a pole that screws together for part of a propOH GOD PLEASE LET ME IN MY FUCKING COATHANGER IS POINTIER THAN THAT."
Turned out to be alright...and sitting next to two boys talking about how 'Jay Z is the best most refreshing thing to happen to the hip hop scene' was...well...it could've been worse? Flight landed early at 8:25am, and sitting up the front meant I got out ahead of everyone else - I hate getting caught up in airplane crowds D; Navigating to the taxi rank, I think I got the most awesome driver ever: "Do you mind if I go a bit faster? I need to be back at the airport in 20 minutes" "SURE FINE! Makes my fare less 8D" Getting dropped off at Jess and Tess' Hotel where K and Aly were staying, it was time to give the most mafia-licious/concerned for state of healths wake up call ever...well, maybe not because I was still kinda sleepy .__.; After changing, and Jin/Tess making tea for Chrome, it was to Animania in K's caravan of cosplay!
The layout was different from last year, and definitely an improvement. Easy to navigate, things were set out well and there were so many wonderful people <3 But a coplayer's first stop at a con? THE BATHROOM!
Why is the best photo the one where Jess is naked? =____='
Bathroom shot of me, Jess as Rachel and Tess as Jin from BlazBlue! I missed these girls so much! So wonderful to see them again ;0; <3 Bathroomings consisted of me being insanely impressed with my purple contacts, gropings, sticking on bunny ears, gropings, putting eyelashes on Jess with the most severe optical handicap evaaar and yes, more gropings.
Mukuro-sama get! ;000000; Aaw, I love me some 106996 <333 This guy was so lovely wanting a photo, and being patient whilst I was running around trying to get ready <3
It's probably around about here that Tess was running around trying to on-the-day register her and Tess, as well as me, to do a walk-on for the cosplay comp. Unfortunately, after socialisings (going backstage to meet/catch up with Rinne, Jill, cattypatra and tsubakichan <33), we managed to get to the Cosplay desk at 12:30...when registering ended at 12. Cue frantic phonecalls to Kenny, and we managed to get slotted in! So so last minute, (remember this detail for later) and I didn't even care about competing --> WTB! Solo on-stage experience for Madman!
After the insanity of last minute phonecalls for the win, sustience was definitely required! And here is Kenny's family's bakery...oh god, I'm getting more food-gasms just looking at it! They had sooo so many fantastically, amazing and delicious pastires and pies and ohtheylookedallsogood. I wish they were in Melbourne too ;____; Oh! It was also here that I finally met Christie/moonblader , the Sydney finalist for Madman! She's so much videotastic fun and awesome! <3
After sitting down with our noms, it was time to go backstage for marshalling for the cosplay comp. Everything was a bit insane...but in a good way! Stuff was under controll, cosplayers were everywhere, and there was a TV backstage like last year. Still got a few nerves waiting behind the screen/stage, but not nearly as bad as I have been in the past. Being on stage was great, getting cheers was awesome (thank-you ravient and Bubble/Gokudera and Ryohei! X3 <333), and I don't think I made too much of a fool of myself XD I also now know and understand that when on stage, I just have to own and fill it and MAKE THAT FUCKING STAGE WORK FOR ME >O That's all there is to it. Thank God for levelling up in stage pressense/ability to hold poses.
I left backstage near the end of the comp to fit in some con shopping before bumping into Gamma/minhhhhh stalking the Mario Kart consoles and dragging him away with me to K and Aly's cosplay make-up panel!
N'aaaaaaaaaaaw. Minh as Gamma and Jill as the. fucking. cutest. Uni-sama. ever. ;___; <333 Cosplaying to the extreme is hard work!
Gamma eats n00bs when he isn't busy losing battles. He won it from the Mario Kart comp XD
Commemorative shot with Christie for all the awesome fun and win that she is <3 Madman's going to be bursting with sex and molestations! So wonderful to meet her and hang out and *explodes* Cannot wait until November! No wait, my costumes' not done. Yes I can.
Aaaand commerorative shot with Jill as well! She's so cute and lovely and.....lives so far away ;___; I think it was around about here that we were sitting at one of the food tables chillaxing when Bubble came running up screaming "SIERA. YOU WON RUNNER UP BEST FEMALE. COME ON!" And what did she get? The most wtf reaction ever! XD This was the most un-expected cosplay win EVER....seriously, EVER. WTF Animania judging?! XD So we ran to the main stage and got up on stage and...turns out the MCs accidently gave my prize out to a previous group XD; All got patched up eventually, and then Jess and Tess got announced for winning Runner Up Best Group, and it was *my* turn to go running back to our chill-out table with "OMGJESSTESSYOUWONBESTGROUPCOMMOOOON!".
Seriously, 12:30pm phone calls to enter the cosplay comp for. the fucking. WIN.
After the awards presentation, the main stage screened footage and skits from WCS this year and I'm still completely amazed and blown away by it. Jill was so cute making us sit down for it! And I'm so glad she did. Though I've come to the definite conclusion that there is absolutely no way in the world that my costumes/self/anything is ready or to the standard of WCS yet. Because if nothing else, one thing that I majorly realised is that there is a huge difference between making costumes for cons, and accuracy and shoots and all, but making them for stage is really very different thing (not to mention insanely advanced! D:). And it's here that I'm really grateful for the Madman competition, which was really lovely to hear people talking about and supporting and I'm so happy to be a part of it - thank-you slykura !
This just about wrapped up the days events, I went back stage and changed into suit-ish!Chrome, and compiled/organised all of my stuff before a lot of "but...I won't want to leave you guys! D:" unfortunately I eventually did to catch a taxi back to the airport, however, this got shared with the lovely Bryan/floatyman and Luke, much love for cab sharing!
Getting through airport security this time was...pretty loltastic now that I look back on it. Putting my bags through the machine, I got beeped when I walked through, so I took off my medal and went through. BEEP. Took off my boot (covers) even though they're insaaanely difficult to get on/off and went through again. BEEP. Then came the realisation that I had my phone in my pocket. Nice one Siera, nice one. Then I dropped my boarding pass, then my bags were piling up, and then inbetween trying to sort myself out and put my shoes back on - GUESS WHO GETS A RANDOM AIRPORT DRUG AND EXPLOSIVES SCREENING. Oh yes, I was laughing at myself by now. Chrome = terrorist. Lol.
After that hassel and loss of brain, there was still a tonne of time to catch a hot chocolate before my flight home. But it bought back a lot of fond memories - the last time I was at this terminal, I was dropping through on my way home from Singapore back in January <3
The plane was late getting in, late boarding, and late everything else. I ended up sitting next to this really lovely Indian guy who was quite chatty and really nice and just lovely - though I am really glad that he knew that closed eyes = no more talking now. Because as nice as he was, I'd been up since 4:30 and didn't really have much energy left .__.; And it's about here that I realise how fucking HUGE Sydney airport is. You know how planes taxi around to get into the take off strip? Yeah, we were doing that for, I shit you not, 20 minutes. It got a bit insane by the end of it - we must've been taking the runway in Sydney airport's back paddock/alleyway/where all the hobos sleep.
The city was so pretty on take off! Though I always feel kind of cheated when I go to Sydney and don't see the Harbour Bridge. And the last funny story is that halfway through the flight, I saw this strange light out the window and thought it really odd that there would be a helicoptor following us. But just 'meh-ed' and figured there'd be some reason for it. This continued the whole flight, and it wasn't until we were landing that I realised what was going on - it was a reflection of a light from inside the plane =____=; I did take a picture of it, but now I'm too embarassed to post it.
And I think that was about all! I've probably left out a million points, but in wrap up, fucking fantastic to see/meet Jess, Tess, K, Aly, Yumi, Chan, Marie, Catty, Tsubaki, Rinne, Jill, Will, Ravi, Bubble, Minh, Christie, Asham, Sly, Widya and Bryan! OhgodIbetIleftsomeoneout.
Oh, also! Lastly, for those who didn't look through their issue of Anime Update at Manifest/SydMania ;D
So I guess that SydMania started on Wednesday for me with driving up to Hope/charliequinn , Luka/
silvite_rewrite , Aly/cielrose and K/
k_chan009 's place to aid in finishing/supplying sustinence for K and Aly's awesome WCS entry. So so so much win and awesome! Sadly couldn't make it up to Sydney to see the WCS 2010 Australian Finals on Saturday because of a Calisthenics competition, so next best thing was a day trip on Sunday, and that's how it went! Re-wore Chrome from Manifest on promises or reprising our Reborn group...also because it's the only costume I own that travels/wears easily nevermind that I had to section up the trident's pole to fit in my carry on luggage. Decided to be the biggest dork in existence and take the plane wearing a mafia 'suit', with a zig zag part, purple eyebrows, Chrome makeup (complete with one false eyelash) and Mist ring. Character faggotry is serious business! But also practical considering I only had to get changed once in Sydney XD
Sunrise over Melbourne on the way to the airport! It was so pretty, and I really do love sunrises...when I'm ever actually up early enough to catch them is an entirely different matter. Got to the airport with I would say *seconds* to spare - they were just doing the last call for check in on my flight...I don't even want to think of many ways and times I would've died if I'd done a repeat of AVCon. x__x The only *slight* trouble was that I didn't know/think to know that lid-less aerosols wouldn't be allowed in carry on luggage (fuckers took my hairspray AND my deodorant D<) and I had no idea those X-ray machines showed shit up so well...my pole for Chrome's trident was in screw-in parts so the lady was all "....what is that? A walking stick?" "Uuh...yes..." "Can I see?" *takes out* "Well you see it's just a pole that screws together for part of a propOH GOD PLEASE LET ME IN MY FUCKING COATHANGER IS POINTIER THAN THAT."
Turned out to be alright...and sitting next to two boys talking about how 'Jay Z is the best most refreshing thing to happen to the hip hop scene' was...well...it could've been worse? Flight landed early at 8:25am, and sitting up the front meant I got out ahead of everyone else - I hate getting caught up in airplane crowds D; Navigating to the taxi rank, I think I got the most awesome driver ever: "Do you mind if I go a bit faster? I need to be back at the airport in 20 minutes" "SURE FINE! Makes my fare less 8D" Getting dropped off at Jess and Tess' Hotel where K and Aly were staying, it was time to give the most mafia-licious/concerned for state of healths wake up call ever...well, maybe not because I was still kinda sleepy .__.; After changing, and Jin/Tess making tea for Chrome, it was to Animania in K's caravan of cosplay!
The layout was different from last year, and definitely an improvement. Easy to navigate, things were set out well and there were so many wonderful people <3 But a coplayer's first stop at a con? THE BATHROOM!
Why is the best photo the one where Jess is naked? =____='
Bathroom shot of me, Jess as Rachel and Tess as Jin from BlazBlue! I missed these girls so much! So wonderful to see them again ;0; <3 Bathroomings consisted of me being insanely impressed with my purple contacts, gropings, sticking on bunny ears, gropings, putting eyelashes on Jess with the most severe optical handicap evaaar and yes, more gropings.
Mukuro-sama get! ;000000; Aaw, I love me some 106996 <333 This guy was so lovely wanting a photo, and being patient whilst I was running around trying to get ready <3
It's probably around about here that Tess was running around trying to on-the-day register her and Tess, as well as me, to do a walk-on for the cosplay comp. Unfortunately, after socialisings (going backstage to meet/catch up with Rinne, Jill, cattypatra and tsubakichan <33), we managed to get to the Cosplay desk at 12:30...when registering ended at 12. Cue frantic phonecalls to Kenny, and we managed to get slotted in! So so last minute, (remember this detail for later) and I didn't even care about competing --> WTB! Solo on-stage experience for Madman!
After the insanity of last minute phonecalls for the win, sustience was definitely required! And here is Kenny's family's bakery...oh god, I'm getting more food-gasms just looking at it! They had sooo so many fantastically, amazing and delicious pastires and pies and ohtheylookedallsogood. I wish they were in Melbourne too ;____; Oh! It was also here that I finally met Christie/moonblader , the Sydney finalist for Madman! She's so much videotastic fun and awesome! <3
After sitting down with our noms, it was time to go backstage for marshalling for the cosplay comp. Everything was a bit insane...but in a good way! Stuff was under controll, cosplayers were everywhere, and there was a TV backstage like last year. Still got a few nerves waiting behind the screen/stage, but not nearly as bad as I have been in the past. Being on stage was great, getting cheers was awesome (thank-you ravient and Bubble/Gokudera and Ryohei! X3 <333), and I don't think I made too much of a fool of myself XD I also now know and understand that when on stage, I just have to own and fill it and MAKE THAT FUCKING STAGE WORK FOR ME >O That's all there is to it. Thank God for levelling up in stage pressense/ability to hold poses.
I left backstage near the end of the comp to fit in some con shopping before bumping into Gamma/minhhhhh stalking the Mario Kart consoles and dragging him away with me to K and Aly's cosplay make-up panel!
N'aaaaaaaaaaaw. Minh as Gamma and Jill as the. fucking. cutest. Uni-sama. ever. ;___; <333 Cosplaying to the extreme is hard work!
Gamma eats n00bs when he isn't busy losing battles. He won it from the Mario Kart comp XD
Commemorative shot with Christie for all the awesome fun and win that she is <3 Madman's going to be bursting with sex and molestations! So wonderful to meet her and hang out and *explodes* Cannot wait until November! No wait, my costumes' not done. Yes I can.
Aaaand commerorative shot with Jill as well! She's so cute and lovely and.....lives so far away ;___; I think it was around about here that we were sitting at one of the food tables chillaxing when Bubble came running up screaming "SIERA. YOU WON RUNNER UP BEST FEMALE. COME ON!" And what did she get? The most wtf reaction ever! XD This was the most un-expected cosplay win EVER....seriously, EVER. WTF Animania judging?! XD So we ran to the main stage and got up on stage and...turns out the MCs accidently gave my prize out to a previous group XD; All got patched up eventually, and then Jess and Tess got announced for winning Runner Up Best Group, and it was *my* turn to go running back to our chill-out table with "OMGJESSTESSYOUWONBESTGROUPCOMMOOOON!".
Seriously, 12:30pm phone calls to enter the cosplay comp for. the fucking. WIN.
After the awards presentation, the main stage screened footage and skits from WCS this year and I'm still completely amazed and blown away by it. Jill was so cute making us sit down for it! And I'm so glad she did. Though I've come to the definite conclusion that there is absolutely no way in the world that my costumes/self/anything is ready or to the standard of WCS yet. Because if nothing else, one thing that I majorly realised is that there is a huge difference between making costumes for cons, and accuracy and shoots and all, but making them for stage is really very different thing (not to mention insanely advanced! D:). And it's here that I'm really grateful for the Madman competition, which was really lovely to hear people talking about and supporting and I'm so happy to be a part of it - thank-you slykura !
This just about wrapped up the days events, I went back stage and changed into suit-ish!Chrome, and compiled/organised all of my stuff before a lot of "but...I won't want to leave you guys! D:" unfortunately I eventually did to catch a taxi back to the airport, however, this got shared with the lovely Bryan/floatyman and Luke, much love for cab sharing!
Getting through airport security this time was...pretty loltastic now that I look back on it. Putting my bags through the machine, I got beeped when I walked through, so I took off my medal and went through. BEEP. Took off my boot (covers) even though they're insaaanely difficult to get on/off and went through again. BEEP. Then came the realisation that I had my phone in my pocket. Nice one Siera, nice one. Then I dropped my boarding pass, then my bags were piling up, and then inbetween trying to sort myself out and put my shoes back on - GUESS WHO GETS A RANDOM AIRPORT DRUG AND EXPLOSIVES SCREENING. Oh yes, I was laughing at myself by now. Chrome = terrorist. Lol.
After that hassel and loss of brain, there was still a tonne of time to catch a hot chocolate before my flight home. But it bought back a lot of fond memories - the last time I was at this terminal, I was dropping through on my way home from Singapore back in January <3
The plane was late getting in, late boarding, and late everything else. I ended up sitting next to this really lovely Indian guy who was quite chatty and really nice and just lovely - though I am really glad that he knew that closed eyes = no more talking now. Because as nice as he was, I'd been up since 4:30 and didn't really have much energy left .__.; And it's about here that I realise how fucking HUGE Sydney airport is. You know how planes taxi around to get into the take off strip? Yeah, we were doing that for, I shit you not, 20 minutes. It got a bit insane by the end of it - we must've been taking the runway in Sydney airport's back paddock/alleyway/where all the hobos sleep.
The city was so pretty on take off! Though I always feel kind of cheated when I go to Sydney and don't see the Harbour Bridge. And the last funny story is that halfway through the flight, I saw this strange light out the window and thought it really odd that there would be a helicoptor following us. But just 'meh-ed' and figured there'd be some reason for it. This continued the whole flight, and it wasn't until we were landing that I realised what was going on - it was a reflection of a light from inside the plane =____=; I did take a picture of it, but now I'm too embarassed to post it.
And I think that was about all! I've probably left out a million points, but in wrap up, fucking fantastic to see/meet Jess, Tess, K, Aly, Yumi, Chan, Marie, Catty, Tsubaki, Rinne, Jill, Will, Ravi, Bubble, Minh, Christie, Asham, Sly, Widya and Bryan! OhgodIbetIleftsomeoneout.
Oh, also! Lastly, for those who didn't look through their issue of Anime Update at Manifest/SydMania ;D