4463: The Land of Remembrance

[jen_aside]

C and I just got back threefour* hours ago from MAGFest, which was nearly what I expected it to be... I say "nearly" because a few unexpected things got in the way of the fantasy.
*GAG this is taking forEVAR to write for a not-really-in-depth con report... I'd spoiler-cut it, but I'm too tired, and I'd rather you skim anyway

1. The Hotel
   Our biggest complaint is the quality of the room. While it's kinda funny in an anecdotal way that the room's prior occupant(s) apparently exploded the room with a shit ton of GLITTER such that housekeeping is STILL vacuuming it all up [under the beds, between the doors for the adjoining room, in the bathroom...!], neither of us got much in the way of sleep at ALL. The room was always slightly cold and drafty, even after adjusting the thermostat a couple of degrees, and we were only given a light blanket on each bed, but four(!) thick-assed feather pillows per bed, plus extras in the closet. The pillows plus the peculiar mattress quality meant I was sort of stiff Friday night [Saturday morning] and actually pulled something in my neck/shoulders when I settled in Saturday night [this morning]. I had been taking ibuprofen all weekend for unrelated pains, but nothing seemed to help the latest strain, with the result that I still feel pretty wasted for someone who doesn't drink or do a lot of strenuous activities [the most for this weekend being the running back and forth between car and room or room and arcade, plus a single round of In The Groove I managed to get in before an infinite queue formed].
   
   Although I want to give them a MAD PLUS for COMPLETELY COINCIDENTALLY giving metalfox the adjoining room to ours =D [hence finding the glitter between doors] but we really didn't have any opportunity to abuse that, other than a "Hey, while you're here, check this out" moment. So, could've been cool but con too short.
   
   
2. Cosplaying
   When I determined I couldn't finish the project I'd wanted to finish "on time" last year, I busted my butt to instead fix up my Dust costume for MAGFest, with similar results [not quite done for various reasons]. I debated whether to wear it anyway--just the hat, for instance--and took along the materials so I could finish up in the odd event I was too disinterested in the main attractions to keep myself occupied. Friday, as a trial run, I ended up wearing the hat and tail, plus carrying around Fidget-cosplay Reynardine and a crude foam-core Blade of Ahrah on a keychain. It took a bit, but a group of maybe four people started yelling, "DUST! DUST!" at me and came over to congratulate me on my [horribly incomplete but pioneering] costume. I was all pumped up to demonstrate my Real-Life Dust Storm and started swinging Ahrah around...
   
   ...when the keyring came detached and blade went flying D=
   
   First public demonstration, and I botched it! Argh. Also, one of the group asked if I was supposed to be Okami \='
   
   Saturday was slightly better, as I braved putting on the rest of the workable costume [pants, cape, boots--though, as I had feared, the pants are currently too short to tuck into the boots like I'd thought I could], and I got two photo requests--the first from someone who asked, "Hey, can I take your picture?! ...who're you supposed to be?" =/ and the second from... I *think* she's a Pidgeotto, but maybe some other video game owl? [Legend of Zelda? I haven't played since Link to the Past...] Or, I guess three requests, but the would-be first was from someone who asked if I was a Pokémon, 'cause he was trying to collect them all... ¬_¬
   
   Today, there was NOBODY, so while I did get some props [a high-five and a "Dust, I love you!" guy], it just felt like a lot of effort for diminishing rewards. At least I had gotten the walk to the game room down pat so I didn't have to look up when I walked [so to keep in "can't see my eyes" character]. I guess that kinda makes Dust an ideal introvert's cosplay... Also, as I mentioned to C, if I did another one, I do kinda like the having an "option" [Fidget], so the next one I do [other than the one I started and would have finished but I'm not looking forward to doing the headgear] would have to have another such mascot--even one like the Companion Cube.
   
   My one regret specific to dressing up is not wearing the Cabinet Member shirt on Saturday instead, since that's when the highest volume of people who'd get it would see it [not to mention it'd be in those photos of me], but I'd gotten two so C and I could wear them TOGETHER, and he insisted on Ikaruga for Saturday =/ I *guess* I should be taking my own photos ANYWAY, like proper Tumblr cosplayers 9_9 but I wanted to figure out how I'll do v3.0 before I start chronicling it all.
   
   Got some confirmation that I definitely seem to be the first Dust, though! Which gives me the impression of cosplay = faux celebrity status, at least from my experiences on both sides of the spectrum [however limited from this side]: I became "Dust" to people, even with a partial costume, and other cosplayers became those characters to me, particularly as costume quality improved. I caught myself trying to "steal" photos [because I'm too shy to ask for other people's time], then realizing that more and better photos are most likely already on Google Image Search =p Contrarily, I found myself caught off-guard--sometimes bothered--by people trying to get my attention [C had to tell me about Pidgeotto, 'cause I didn't hear her "paging" me], which I knew I should've expected but still felt intruded upon, like, "I don't know you, why are you talking to me?"
   
   So I do see the appeal of cosplay now--you can say I've validated it, even--but ah gag is it DRAINING =( Definitely not for introverts, though I'm trying to write it into my calendar as socialization therapy =/ [along with getting receptionist-ing duty dumped upon me]
   
   ...as an aside, I feel like cosplay is a kind of "cheating" celebrity status, because it's getting attention ENTIRELY based on looks [that's the POINT] and recognition of another person's IP, UNLESS it's your own original character [and I don't know as many creators who cosplay their own characters, though I've certainly looked for some of my own's clothing]. Except for... well, FURRIES... I don't know any cosplayers' real names, and I'm not counting fursuiting as cosplay because the majority of that is either original IP or mascoting [the latter of which I've thought about but dismissed the idea of a Darkwing cosplay--all I'd have to do is work for Disney, eh?]. I don't think this says anything about cosplaying so much as about me, mind you, but this is what occurred to me.
   
   
3. Illness
   Not us, specifically, though [as I mentioned before] I felt nauseated from unrelated things, but it seems like most of the people we knew got food poisoning or SOMETHING. I wouldn't be surprised if our immune systems took a beating, though, which is why I plan to go to bed fairly soon... Monday does not look like fun times ahead, to be certain =_=
   
   
4. Peeps
   ...nowhere to be found! =/ Well, obviously we found metalfox [briefly], but for the most part we didn't really see most of the folks we knew, despite the 24-hour arcade being the biggest draw for the convention. It felt like the only way to see anyone was to stay in the arcade pretty much overnight [not doable even on Friday evening, for a number of reasons], and while I was tempted to do that for Saturday before I started feeling sleepy after cleaning up, I was really not looking forward to the prospect of being no-sleep sick all today [which, at least for now, hasn't seem to have happened quite to the degree to which I was fearing].

...OTHERWISE, I enjoyed myself D= I found and played the FUCK out of Qix, though at a handicap because the cab only had one button [so, no "slow draw" = SIGNIFICANT missed opportunities for points], and otherwise I tried [yet failed] to finally get a grasp of Mr. Do =p Photos when I feel like it, likely at my decoy FB page [so my boss can find THAT account instead].