Anime Weekend Atlanta 2006 Con Report
BOHAHAHAHA! Less than a month, bitches! I ROCK YER FACE OFF.
So guess what I did on Friday YET AGAIN, folks? That's right. I stayed up practically ALL night trying to finish Lacus. I still can't believe I finished an entire costume in a WEEK. I usually spread out the process over MONTHS and months- even for really simple costumes! That's just how I roll.
Anyway, I sewed the final boot cover at 3am and went to bed, knowing full and well I had to get up at 6am to go to the little kid school with aiuchi that morning (she was going to teach. I was going to observe a classroom so I could write an English paper). The school thing turned out to be ALMOST a waste of time, as the bitch of a principal there was all "I don't KNOW you, and your teacher did not contact me, so you absolutely cannot go and observe a class." Well, fuck you, you snotty whore! So I sat on a bench outside the office and observed the children THAT way. BWUHAHAHA. They tried to make me leave, but I pulled the ";___; I don't have a ride..." and they stopped bothering me. And I DID manage to write my paper, but rather than writing it about little kids, I wrote it about how parents are clingy, overprotective, and stupid. W00t!
So after Mer was done teaching, we returned to my apartment, I finished packing, Silas dropped his brother, Matt, off at my place, and we were on our way to Atlanta!
I attempted a few times while in the car to catch up on some sleep, but to no avail. Boo. I also attempted to make a video con journal (NOT to be confused with a video blog! Those are GAYGAYGAY), but since Diana KEELED my video camera's life with her INCESSANT, chattering narration, I only managed to make 2 "entries" before Pana-chan (my Panasonic's new name) died. Boo. Oh, well. Expect those entries to be uploaded sometime soon, anyway.
After arriving at the con, Mer, Matt (the friend, not the fiance), and I all registered. I did walk-in. Line = ZERO. Mer did pre-registration in the N-Z line, thank GOODNESS, as the A-M line was MILES long. After that, we walked around a bit, grabbed some late lunch, and chilled. A girl on cosplay.com recognized me, though! It was so cool, guys! I was out of costume and everything, and she was like "Hey, I know you from cosplay.com! You're Katie!" It made my day. :D I also ran into floweryflowers and her impromptu Tales of Symphonia group. The Regal cosplayer she was with asked me if I was there for the con. XD I was carrying a program AND had just hugged a cosplayer, and he still wasn't sure I was a congoer! XD I was TRES COMPLIMENTED. ;D
I got in touch with azu79 and departed from Mer (never to see her again until Sunday~! ;______; ) to go up to the room and change into Bell. I was so excited I was finally going to get some pictures with Aimi's Skuld! She looked MARVELOUS! However, before I was finished getting into costume, I got a call from an anxious bride-to-be who needed her make-up artist STAT. Unfortunately, getting ready quickly is NOT one of my specialties, but somehow I managed to get there BEFORE the wedding started, which was a definite plus. ;D I'm DEFINITELY no make-up artist but I was still very proud of the finished make-up job. Jessica (sting_of_fate) looked BEAUTIFUL! (Which I'm sure was more her doing than my own.)
I do good, no?
After the wedding (which was adorable!), I received an invite to the reception! I was thrilled as that = HUGE, DELICIOUS, CATERED FREE DIN DIN! W00T! I also made the EASIEST $20 off Lionel EVER. BOHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Ask me about that one later. Good story.
Here's a picture of me at the wedding taken by Al. That's right. I said a picture of ME. ;DDD
Aside from the previous picture, this and the next shot are the ONLY 2 pictures of me taken at the wedding that I like. Moreso than the ones where I'm actually posing for MAB instead of Al.
Let us all weep for my lack of cuffs and poorly ironed costume! ;_;
After the gorgeous wedding and faaabulous reception, it was back to the con! Belldandy had given her goddess blessing to the happy couple so it was time to grab some photos with her kawaii~ imouto finally! I grabbed Aimi from the karaoke room (AGAIN, I forgot a karaoke CD so didn't get to do any songs as Belldandy. ;_;), and Al snapped a few shots of us. :D
http://images.cosplay.com/showphoto.php?photo=865724 - One I uploaded on cosplay.com- my favorite! :3
Yeah, I CGed my hand cuffs on. WHATCHU GONNA DO ABOUT IT?
After I got my shots with Aimi and was happy, I decided to wait to change into Commander Lacus AFTER Diana and Daisy got to the hotel. They finally made it, after much confusion and several weird directions from strangers. I ran up to the room with them and sewed myself into my mini-kimono. It was then onto meet lionboogy for a private photoshoot! Excuse, did I say "photoshoot"? I meant ANGST FEST. :D See for yourself! Of course, I also have to post a few of my favorites that Lionel didn't put up. ^^
Mmm, this my chair, bitch.
Too bad my skirt is all flipped up. Poop! (In case you're curious, yes, I WAS wearing shorts under there. I promise!)
And then we found this cool little executive meeting room!
Water?
So much to do, so little time. (Yes. Lacus writes with her pen's lid ON.)
OMG, I DO have boobs in this costume!! Somewhere!
I gave this picture a different orientation than the one Lionel posted so I could make it closer. ^^ If you use your imagination, this could AAAAAAAALMOST be PLANT! :D
LOLIHAVENONECK
Oh yeah, now I'm going to go back in time and post some of the shots that Al took!
I have decided that I want to make SWEET, SWEET LOVE to Daisy's Ariel wig. For eet eez HAWT. I put all of us through a "OMG, you all look DEAD" filter because we all looked... well... dead. :D My filters are aptly named.
BOOTY BOOTY BOOTY BOOTY ROCKIN EVERYWHERE
Wow, this pic is HUUUGE. I look retarded, but check out how BLUE my eyes are when I photoshop them! ;DDD I can't resiiist. It's not like it's hard. Because they're green, all it takes is a little strategic hue adjustment. :D
I need to stop stealing my poses from Sailor Moon.
And then there are the 4 pictures I already uploaded to cosplay.com. ^^ Here, here, here, and here.
Yaaay! By the end of the photoshoot, my camcorder's batteries had died. Waah. And I brought my charger... without the cord that plugs it into the wall. BRILLIANT, that Katie girl. So even though I wanted to make more "LOLAWACONJOURNAL" entries, I couldn't. But at least I had some amusing Diana narration to amuse me when I got home! We stood around and chatted with Lionel late into the night. Some random dude came up to us and essentially asked if he could jump into our somewhat private conversation. That didn't end well. Honestly, who does that? Sure, we're at a con, and we're all there to share our anime fandom, but... I dunno, man. It was just weird. Cosplayers = far superior to other congoers. LOL I'm j/k. On to Saturday, aka, Nothing-but-the-Costume Contest Day!
Diana and I woke up bright and early at the crack of noon to get into costume for the contest! Hahaha, I keed. We got up at 11. ;D I was under the impression that, like last year, we would just casually stroll into the costume contest line and there would be no problems. Yeah, wrong. When we got there, this dude at the door is like "It's over." And we're like "They've already reached the quota??" "We're not taking any more applicants." "So you've already reached the cut-off?" "No more entrants." "SO HAS THE 120-PERSON CAPACITY BEEN FILLED?" The dude totally kept avoiding the question. Diana and I thought our chance to get into the contest was gone, but through some miracle (and the kindness/sympathy of Jason R.) we managed to enter as the final Journeyman entry. (BOO! I'm a novice!! ;-; But I guess since Diana's at the Masters/Expert level, together we DO = a Journeyman group.) So then, Diana, Daisy, Aimi, Andrea, Clarke and myself all joined Lionel, Amanda and Allison for some good ole foodcourt lunch. Did I leave anybody out? o-O It's been too long. My memory is crapz0rz.
After that, I ran to go duct tape my wrist since I had once again lost another silver wrist band for Excel. Ahhh! The duct tape looked great in photos, though. You could barely tell it was tape at all. ^^ We then were judged, which went well. It might be because I knew 2/3 judges, but the atmosphere seemed totally different from usual. It was casual and laidback, and being able to talk about our costumes as much as we wanted was nice. I tried to get EVERYTHING, but I still managed to forget a few things I wanted to mention. Whatev, I don't think it would have made a difference. But I DID get to point out my CROTCH inseam splits! Hahaha, one of the weirdest aspects of Excel's costume. Along with the suggestive triangle crotch seams, football-player-like shoulder pads, and bra on the OUTSIDE look, this has to be the WEIRDEST costume design I've ever made. lol Anyway, after being judged, it was time for our private photoshoot with Lionel. That man has a VISION, lemme tell ya! The poses in his photos? All his idea (minus Captain Morgan, that was our own.) The faces? Again, Lionel. Witness his brilliance! Although Lionel posted almost every shot, he did leave out a few that I thought were worth posting- behold!
The faces in this one bring me much laughter. MMM, DIANA THIGH! ;D
THIS POSE IS FOR THE SAKE OF LORD ILLPALAZZOOOOOOO!
I don't look very Excel-like in this picture, but I like it anyway. XD Diana looks super pretty, too. "I only have one good angle" my ASS!!
The less-retarded-but-more-psycho version of the photo Lionel posted. XD
A more EPIC angle of the Captain Morgan pose.
I love this shot.
And Al took some awesome shots of us as well. :D
OH NOES, HYATT IS DEAD AGAIN!
Blood-hacking commence!
Al actually put us into this pose! ParaPara, I think? It's hard to believe that there's actually somewhere around a 6-inch height distance between Diana and myself. We are MASTERS OF ILLUSION, I SAY!
ACROSS got yo back, son!
Sore wa ai ja naiiiiiii~!
This is me doing a crappy job emulating that one icon I use. XD
SAKURA KISS, U GAIZ
We had been trying to hunt down this Ilpalazzo ALL DAY and when we found him, I was like "AL, PICSPLZKTHX!?!"
Close-up! Ilpalazzo needs a good brushin'! Ahh, boys and their lack of wig care! lol Velvy, you and this dude should hook up. Hahahahahahaha! SRSLY, though, his armor kicked ass.
Oh, noes, he's got a pulley rope! This does not bode well for Excel!
And there she goooooooes!
And also, Mab managed to snap a few candids and posed shots that I ADORE.
LOL CELL PHONE!
We all look so cute and happyyy! Well, I look kind of retarded.
ALL TOGETHER NOW: OH, DO, SHE DIDN'T!
HAY HYPER EXTENSION AND WTF THIGH!
DO NOT FEED THE EXCEL. And my skin in these pictures looks 3,000x better than in Mab's shot of me in Yoruichi and Ulala. THANK YOU, NEW, CHEAP POWDER! (In the Megacon photos it was like HAY PORES!!)
I look MUCH too innocent in this shot. Innocence = Hyatt's thing! Ironically, Diana looks somewhat coy. Haha! And oh, man, accuracy for the lose. >_> Those shorts appear in my nightmares. *shudder*
HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE. Pretend that my leg isn't affected by foreshortening, and that it really does look like that. HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE. You're laughing, too, right? Is it just me?? Check out the pile of blood I CGed next to Diana's head. rofl Yes, it IS supposed to look corny and fake.
OK, skipping ahead to save time, the costume contest was entertaining. The audience received us really well, because I mean, honestly, is it even possible to not like Excel Saga? If you disagree, we will throw down RIGHT now. I look freaking terrible in fansviews pictures of us onstage, so to SPARE YE EYES I shant be posting them. Unfortunately, no award was in our future, and thus, Diana's 2006 winning streak was ruined. Boo! Does it make me sound bitter when I say that not getting an award made entering the contest (which primarily CONSUMED our Saturday) feel pointless? If it does, that's because I am. :D AWA, you fail me again! This makes my current record 2 W, 4 L... though when I put it that way, I guess it doesn't seem too bad. ^^ You win some, you lose more. Hahaha! A few hours later, we were out of costume and all packed up, with several stomachs rumbling like CRAZY. Due to this fact, there was much agitation among our party. We managed to get to a Steak and Shake at like... 2am and FINALLY got some food in our bellies. When we got to the Double Tree, Andrea and Victoria were totally out of it. lol Turns out we missed the sexy, drunken, jacuzzi, bikini party, but our stomachs took precedence... and I also didn't bring a bikini, and as enjoyable as it would be to sit and watch, I'm really happiest when I'm in on the action (especially if it involves a jacuzzi and scantily-cladness W00T W00T!). Sooo I ate my cold-but-still-delicious Doubletree cookie (without sharing, for I am a greedy H0R), took a shower, kicked Diana out of her spot and into the middle of the bed (because I wasn't sleeping in the middle both nights, dammit!), and after much restlessness, finally fell asleep.
The next morning, I woke up later than I wanted to, as usual, and was about halfway into Belldandy when I called Lionel and he informed me that the weather outside was ugly and he and Al had an early afternoon flight out of Atlanta. Soooo with that knowledge, I changed out of Belldandy to roam the con as a NORMIE. The good that came out of getting partially into costume was that I FINALLY discovered how to make my Bell wig not slide back on my head! Can I get a HALLELUJAH?! So next time I wear her (who knows when), the wig will not be an incooperative hellian! And I'll have my remade, matching hand thingies! And the costume will be properly ironed! And the wig will have antennae that WORK! Pretty much everything will be better. Now to decide when in the world I'm actually going to rewear it... Diana wasn't feeling well, so she was in NORMIE mode along with me.
We FINALLY hit up the dealer's room where I made a few purchases that I'd be planning since D*C. I bought the first DVD of Princess Tutu. My goal is to hook everyone I know onto this show so they'll go out and buy it and ZOMG2NDSEASON!?! Then I purchased one of the Haros that comes with a mystery figurine inside. I reeeeeally wanted Lacus, but of course, I didn't get her. ;_; They should seriously just open up a few of the balls so people can buy with knowledge of what they're getting. I know that's not the point, but they'd seriously sell more that way, ya know?? ...They just might end up with a few that don't sell at all. But honestly, if a character isn't that popular, why make a figurine of him at all? Gaaah! Luckily, I got the next best thing, which is Kira. I told the seller that if I got Shinn, I would have SMASHED IT AGAINST THE WALL. (And demanded my money back for the faulty merchandise. ;D) My other goals for my dealer's room hunt was to find a figurine of Chidori WITH her school uniform ON HER BODY rather than falling off, but the only one I found was this small, expensive one that came with a Tessa for $65. Noooo thank you. I felt kinda bad, because this older guy from Japan like, lead me around trying to locate the exact spot where he had seen one, and then when he found it for me, I was like "Ahhh... so expensiiive..." so he pretty much wasted his time on me. :( Sorry, mister! I also searched hopelessly for milk chocolate/komugi haiga blend pocky to no avail. But thanks to everyone who helped me look for it. Except Clarke. I won't forgive you for tricking me. :P "THERE IT IS!" "WHERE?!?!?!?!" So with my purchases made, I got in touch with Meredith and FINALLY got to see her again for the first time since Friday. Never did get to see her in her Hachi dress of loooooove! Thank goodness she'll be rewearing it on Halloween! :3
Con summary: While this con wasn't exactly everything I was hoping it would be, it was still totally awesome to see everyone again (even though I had just seen most of them at Dragon*con less than a month earlier! XD) and talk to a few people that I only saw in passing at D*C. It was also great to EkuSa it out with Diana. I just made that term up now, you like? :3 It was also quite slendiferous to get 2 photoshoots with Lionel. I feel like such a hot shot now! ;D If you asked me if I would go to AWA next year again, given the chance, my answer would be yes, without hesitation. Unfortunately, though, I'm not sure I'll be in Auburn next semester, so it might be that I can only make it to either Dragon*con or AWA, and I'll probably go to whichever con my friends are going to... but it's way to early to decide any of that now. ^_^ I have time. Shout-outs, anyone?
adrianakalego - It was nice seeing ya again, Adrian! We didn't get to talk much, but that happens a lot at cons for me. At one point, I think I passed by you, your gf, Mab, and a bunch of other people from Florida, and I was like "HAY FLORIDA PEEPS" and you all were just kinda like "???/*ignore*" Either I didn't say it as loud as I thought I had, or you guys didn't recognize me out of costume and thought I was crazy. Either way, it made me laugh. XD
aiuchi - Maaaan, I totally wanted to see you in your Hachi dress! It is our lovechild! Next year, if I can get to AWA (*crosses fingers*) we must cosplay together so we have no choice but to spend the day together! :3 It shall be VAAANDERFUL!
animiko - Your sexiness outsexied AWA. Seriously, everytime I saw you, I was just like "WOAH TOO MUCH SEXY" I hereby dub you Queen of AWA. ;D
athena_chan - Your Setsuka was hella awesome all over, but I gotta say the part I liked the best was that freaking HIDDEN SWORD IN YOUR UMBRELLA, O.M.G. That ALONE deserved an award. Thank goodness you got one for the whole costume, though, as it pretty much kicked AWA's ass. lol But I've been meaning to ask, did you remember to have a LAZY EYE for photos? XDDD
azu79 - OMG, THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUICANNOTSAYTHISENOUGH! You totally saved mine, Diana's and Daisy's butts the first night (and most of Saturday) of the con by letting all 3 of us stay in your room. You're amaaaaazing! I'm super glad we got to hang out more at this year's AWA. :3 I'm also glad you and Andy came along on our late-night Steak 'n' Shake run. I'm ALSO glad that we got pictures of our goddess costumes together- you're pretty much a perfect Skuld! <3 I couldn't ask for a better little sister! ;D
c3rbera - It was super flippin sweet to hang out with Lt. Dangle and Lt. Clarke again. You're an awesome dude, even if you do HORRIBLE CRUEL THINGS INVOLVING POCKY AND TRICKERY to me in certain dealer's rooms. Oh, and you should never feel like you're bothering me by asking to hang out if you have nothing else to do. We're always willing to chill with ya, man! If anything, having a dude around is pretty helpful at cons, if ya know what I mean. ...Ok, even I don't know what I mean, because honestly, who would harass me? I'm a giant. BOHAHA!
cobheran - It was nice seeing ya, again, Kev! I still can't get over the fact that you were hanging out with a chick from Auburn named Katie. That was the greatest! "You go to Auburn? I go to Auburn! Your name's Katie? MY name's Katie!" Hahaha! I'll see you around at a lot more cons to come! ^^
darkfaeryqueen - Daisyyyyy! My love! You were just too adorable in all of your costumes! Your tiny waist in Ariel (did I tell you I decided that bright red wig is FTW for Ariel?? Because I did. It is decided.), your amazing sewing skills in that one costume who's name I can't remember that's based off of artwork by a guy I don't particularly like (;D), and the SJKDCBAJDFVBDFHVBIDfVKADNFVKJXness that is your Sakura-hime costume of WOOOOOOOOOOOAH! This girl's description sums it up for me, too. :3
diadiadia - EWWWW, DIAAAA. You won't see this, why should I bother? Probably because you're a damn cool person that I have the priveledge of knowing. THAT'S RIGHT. I know AWA's cosplay guest of HONUUUUR. I'm speshul. :D
eternitat - It was great meeting you at the wedding! You're totally a sweetheart! I'm sure I'll see you again at more cons! :)
faeriedust38 - Amandaaa! You looked hella sexy in Jade, as always. Sadness fills my soul that I only got to see you like, once, but at least we got to eat lunch together with everyone. ^^ That was a blast and must be repeated at other cons!
floweryflowers - Julie, can you just stop being so adorable, please? SRSLY. It's not fair. You need to share some of that adorableness with ME, I say! :\ lol We should exchange phone numbers so we can meet up and hang out at AX! Yay for Southern cosplayers like ourselves who make the pilgrimage out to AX every year! And while we're at it, we should chill more together at AWA next year, too. :oooo
ichigokitty - Ahhh, the hotness that is Andrea! It's a shame you didn't get into the con until Saturday, but holy crap, running on no sleep, you still looked AMAZING in Utena. That's just not right! I look like utter CRAP if I'm running on about HALF my normal sleep. I can't imagine what a mess I'd be on none. We must room together again sometime, I say!
jedibubbles - Allison! Where were you hiding, man? I barely got to see you or Amanda! ;_; I'm really glad we got to chat on Sunday, though. Twas VERY nice! Less WeGo4Kyo = more sadness in my life! T_T I died a little on the inside, I think. ;) It's a good thing that you guys are teaming up for Tutu SMEX at Acen. It is gonna be HOT.
keplilly - Even if it was only for a little bit, I'm so glad I got to see you again (and chat with you on the phone beforehand!) at AWA! You're such a doll! <3 I'll see you again next year at one/both of the Atlanta cons, right? :D
lionboogy - Duuuude, Lioneeeel! You totally made my weekend. Your photoshoot of Diana's and my Hyatt and Excel completely made up for the fact that we didn't get an award, and if it weren't for you and Al, I wouldn't have any shots period of Lacus. Thank you SO, so much for making time for me and Diana in your busy schedule. It means SO much to me.
ninjakitsune - WOAH, BUDDY. How many sentences did we exchange this time, man, like 8?! HOLY FREAKING CRAP. Next time, I shall have an essay/soliloquy/song and dance prepared for you in honor of kicking the ass of our Dragon*con record. It shall go something like this: "Look at this stuff! Isn't it neat? Wouldn't you think myyyy collection's complete?..." and so on. ;D
roxasandkairi - It was pretty awesome to be recognized out of costume by someone on cosplay.com. It really did make my day, so thank you!
star_gazer_021 - I'm so glad I ran into you this year! Your Lolita was SO FREAKING CUTE, OMG. I'm sad I never got to see your Paine in person, but I DID see pictures, and OMG. You looked AMAZING. Sometime this summer, you, me, and Suzanne MUST get together for YuRiPa pictures. I mean, holy crap, the fact that there are 3 FFX-2 cosplayers living so near each other in lower Alabama is kick ass enough, but we're also all super tall and in my opinion, do great justice to the costumes. :3 These facts together mean that I will not be satisfied until photos are taken of the 3 of us together!!
sting_of_fate - You were a GORGEOUS bride and I was so proud to be your make-up artist! I can't wait til one day when I can do your make-up as Lacus doing Lacus' make-up. rofl I'm super hopeful that that one day will = Megacon. :3 And if you can find some way that won't be going out of your way (because I don't want to do that to you! ^^;;;; ) to get me to Megacon, then pretty much, I'll be your slave for life. :3 But again, I emphasize the fact that since you no longer live in Atlanta, you REALLY aren't obligated to do so!
violet-lane - Ahhh, Diana, MY FIRST LOVE! (Hahahaha, I must say this in ALL your con shout-outs!) I am so utterly happy that I finally got to see you again. It has been WAY too long! I was heartbroken when I learned that you couldn't make it to D*C and I had prepped myself for a Diana-less AWA as well, so imagine how ecstatic/surprised I was when I found out you were going to be there! :O I couldn't have asked for a better Haatchan! Even if we didn't get an award in the costume contest, being able to Excel Saga it out with you all Saturday and then for Lionel's photoshoot made up for it completely. Costume contest? What costume contest? I guess my bad luck rubbed off on you, which is a shame because you made such a great good luck charm. ;D I can't wait to see you again at Mega, and hopefully, try again in another contest. :3
In other news, I ordered some blue contacts this weekend that I shall be able to use for a ton of my costumes. W00t! I can't believe I've only cosplayed TWO green-eyed characters. What the heck, Japan hates us. (And even though my eyes are green, I've still had people tell me I should get contacts for Rikku. Yeah, I realize I don't have CRAZY AL-BHED SPIRALS in my eyes, but I'm not about to get custom contacts for one of the few characters that's eye color is actually close to my own for once!) So now I won't have to photoshop my eyes in close-ups... which makes me kinda sad, I've gotten pretty good at it! ;D Too bad I'll only need to wear them 5 times next year for my cons since I probably won't be wearing Belldandy or Excel or Asuka (definitely not that last one!) any time soon. XD
In more... other news... I bought and paid for my Chidori bikini last night. I hope it gets here soon! :D I also picked up all the fabric (and then some!) that I need for my Chidori costume.
I've been going CRAZY due to not sewing anything since AWA. Not even a month and already having sewing withdrawals. XD So I started on the pleated skirt today. Let's hope my experimentation in not using a pattern on a pleated skirt for the first time is successful. *crosses fingers*
EDIT: THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU, BOB! (I was gonna say "BOOOOOOOOB!" but that looks like "boob," so "BOB!" will have to do. XD)
So guess what I did on Friday YET AGAIN, folks? That's right. I stayed up practically ALL night trying to finish Lacus. I still can't believe I finished an entire costume in a WEEK. I usually spread out the process over MONTHS and months- even for really simple costumes! That's just how I roll.
Anyway, I sewed the final boot cover at 3am and went to bed, knowing full and well I had to get up at 6am to go to the little kid school with aiuchi that morning (she was going to teach. I was going to observe a classroom so I could write an English paper). The school thing turned out to be ALMOST a waste of time, as the bitch of a principal there was all "I don't KNOW you, and your teacher did not contact me, so you absolutely cannot go and observe a class." Well, fuck you, you snotty whore! So I sat on a bench outside the office and observed the children THAT way. BWUHAHAHA. They tried to make me leave, but I pulled the ";___; I don't have a ride..." and they stopped bothering me. And I DID manage to write my paper, but rather than writing it about little kids, I wrote it about how parents are clingy, overprotective, and stupid. W00t!
So after Mer was done teaching, we returned to my apartment, I finished packing, Silas dropped his brother, Matt, off at my place, and we were on our way to Atlanta!
I attempted a few times while in the car to catch up on some sleep, but to no avail. Boo. I also attempted to make a video con journal (NOT to be confused with a video blog! Those are GAYGAYGAY), but since Diana KEELED my video camera's life with her INCESSANT, chattering narration, I only managed to make 2 "entries" before Pana-chan (my Panasonic's new name) died. Boo. Oh, well. Expect those entries to be uploaded sometime soon, anyway.
After arriving at the con, Mer, Matt (the friend, not the fiance), and I all registered. I did walk-in. Line = ZERO. Mer did pre-registration in the N-Z line, thank GOODNESS, as the A-M line was MILES long. After that, we walked around a bit, grabbed some late lunch, and chilled. A girl on cosplay.com recognized me, though! It was so cool, guys! I was out of costume and everything, and she was like "Hey, I know you from cosplay.com! You're Katie!" It made my day. :D I also ran into floweryflowers and her impromptu Tales of Symphonia group. The Regal cosplayer she was with asked me if I was there for the con. XD I was carrying a program AND had just hugged a cosplayer, and he still wasn't sure I was a congoer! XD I was TRES COMPLIMENTED. ;D
I got in touch with azu79 and departed from Mer (never to see her again until Sunday~! ;______; ) to go up to the room and change into Bell. I was so excited I was finally going to get some pictures with Aimi's Skuld! She looked MARVELOUS! However, before I was finished getting into costume, I got a call from an anxious bride-to-be who needed her make-up artist STAT. Unfortunately, getting ready quickly is NOT one of my specialties, but somehow I managed to get there BEFORE the wedding started, which was a definite plus. ;D I'm DEFINITELY no make-up artist but I was still very proud of the finished make-up job. Jessica (sting_of_fate) looked BEAUTIFUL! (Which I'm sure was more her doing than my own.)
I do good, no?
After the wedding (which was adorable!), I received an invite to the reception! I was thrilled as that = HUGE, DELICIOUS, CATERED FREE DIN DIN! W00T! I also made the EASIEST $20 off Lionel EVER. BOHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Ask me about that one later. Good story.
Here's a picture of me at the wedding taken by Al. That's right. I said a picture of ME. ;DDD
Aside from the previous picture, this and the next shot are the ONLY 2 pictures of me taken at the wedding that I like. Moreso than the ones where I'm actually posing for MAB instead of Al.
Let us all weep for my lack of cuffs and poorly ironed costume! ;_;
After the gorgeous wedding and faaabulous reception, it was back to the con! Belldandy had given her goddess blessing to the happy couple so it was time to grab some photos with her kawaii~ imouto finally! I grabbed Aimi from the karaoke room (AGAIN, I forgot a karaoke CD so didn't get to do any songs as Belldandy. ;_;), and Al snapped a few shots of us. :D
http://images.cosplay.com/showphoto.php?photo=865724 - One I uploaded on cosplay.com- my favorite! :3
Yeah, I CGed my hand cuffs on. WHATCHU GONNA DO ABOUT IT?
After I got my shots with Aimi and was happy, I decided to wait to change into Commander Lacus AFTER Diana and Daisy got to the hotel. They finally made it, after much confusion and several weird directions from strangers. I ran up to the room with them and sewed myself into my mini-kimono. It was then onto meet lionboogy for a private photoshoot! Excuse, did I say "photoshoot"? I meant ANGST FEST. :D See for yourself! Of course, I also have to post a few of my favorites that Lionel didn't put up. ^^
Mmm, this my chair, bitch.
Too bad my skirt is all flipped up. Poop! (In case you're curious, yes, I WAS wearing shorts under there. I promise!)
And then we found this cool little executive meeting room!
Water?
So much to do, so little time. (Yes. Lacus writes with her pen's lid ON.)
OMG, I DO have boobs in this costume!! Somewhere!
I gave this picture a different orientation than the one Lionel posted so I could make it closer. ^^ If you use your imagination, this could AAAAAAAALMOST be PLANT! :D
LOLIHAVENONECK
Oh yeah, now I'm going to go back in time and post some of the shots that Al took!
I have decided that I want to make SWEET, SWEET LOVE to Daisy's Ariel wig. For eet eez HAWT. I put all of us through a "OMG, you all look DEAD" filter because we all looked... well... dead. :D My filters are aptly named.
BOOTY BOOTY BOOTY BOOTY ROCKIN EVERYWHERE
Wow, this pic is HUUUGE. I look retarded, but check out how BLUE my eyes are when I photoshop them! ;DDD I can't resiiist. It's not like it's hard. Because they're green, all it takes is a little strategic hue adjustment. :D
I need to stop stealing my poses from Sailor Moon.
And then there are the 4 pictures I already uploaded to cosplay.com. ^^ Here, here, here, and here.
Yaaay! By the end of the photoshoot, my camcorder's batteries had died. Waah. And I brought my charger... without the cord that plugs it into the wall. BRILLIANT, that Katie girl. So even though I wanted to make more "LOLAWACONJOURNAL" entries, I couldn't. But at least I had some amusing Diana narration to amuse me when I got home! We stood around and chatted with Lionel late into the night. Some random dude came up to us and essentially asked if he could jump into our somewhat private conversation. That didn't end well. Honestly, who does that? Sure, we're at a con, and we're all there to share our anime fandom, but... I dunno, man. It was just weird. Cosplayers = far superior to other congoers. LOL I'm j/k. On to Saturday, aka, Nothing-but-the-Costume Contest Day!
Diana and I woke up bright and early at the crack of noon to get into costume for the contest! Hahaha, I keed. We got up at 11. ;D I was under the impression that, like last year, we would just casually stroll into the costume contest line and there would be no problems. Yeah, wrong. When we got there, this dude at the door is like "It's over." And we're like "They've already reached the quota??" "We're not taking any more applicants." "So you've already reached the cut-off?" "No more entrants." "SO HAS THE 120-PERSON CAPACITY BEEN FILLED?" The dude totally kept avoiding the question. Diana and I thought our chance to get into the contest was gone, but through some miracle (and the kindness/sympathy of Jason R.) we managed to enter as the final Journeyman entry. (BOO! I'm a novice!! ;-; But I guess since Diana's at the Masters/Expert level, together we DO = a Journeyman group.) So then, Diana, Daisy, Aimi, Andrea, Clarke and myself all joined Lionel, Amanda and Allison for some good ole foodcourt lunch. Did I leave anybody out? o-O It's been too long. My memory is crapz0rz.
After that, I ran to go duct tape my wrist since I had once again lost another silver wrist band for Excel. Ahhh! The duct tape looked great in photos, though. You could barely tell it was tape at all. ^^ We then were judged, which went well. It might be because I knew 2/3 judges, but the atmosphere seemed totally different from usual. It was casual and laidback, and being able to talk about our costumes as much as we wanted was nice. I tried to get EVERYTHING, but I still managed to forget a few things I wanted to mention. Whatev, I don't think it would have made a difference. But I DID get to point out my CROTCH inseam splits! Hahaha, one of the weirdest aspects of Excel's costume. Along with the suggestive triangle crotch seams, football-player-like shoulder pads, and bra on the OUTSIDE look, this has to be the WEIRDEST costume design I've ever made. lol Anyway, after being judged, it was time for our private photoshoot with Lionel. That man has a VISION, lemme tell ya! The poses in his photos? All his idea (minus Captain Morgan, that was our own.) The faces? Again, Lionel. Witness his brilliance! Although Lionel posted almost every shot, he did leave out a few that I thought were worth posting- behold!
The faces in this one bring me much laughter. MMM, DIANA THIGH! ;D
THIS POSE IS FOR THE SAKE OF LORD ILLPALAZZOOOOOOO!
I don't look very Excel-like in this picture, but I like it anyway. XD Diana looks super pretty, too. "I only have one good angle" my ASS!!
The less-retarded-but-more-psycho version of the photo Lionel posted. XD
A more EPIC angle of the Captain Morgan pose.
I love this shot.
And Al took some awesome shots of us as well. :D
OH NOES, HYATT IS DEAD AGAIN!
Blood-hacking commence!
Al actually put us into this pose! ParaPara, I think? It's hard to believe that there's actually somewhere around a 6-inch height distance between Diana and myself. We are MASTERS OF ILLUSION, I SAY!
ACROSS got yo back, son!
Sore wa ai ja naiiiiiii~!
This is me doing a crappy job emulating that one icon I use. XD
SAKURA KISS, U GAIZ
We had been trying to hunt down this Ilpalazzo ALL DAY and when we found him, I was like "AL, PICSPLZKTHX!?!"
Close-up! Ilpalazzo needs a good brushin'! Ahh, boys and their lack of wig care! lol Velvy, you and this dude should hook up. Hahahahahahaha! SRSLY, though, his armor kicked ass.
Oh, noes, he's got a pulley rope! This does not bode well for Excel!
And there she goooooooes!
And also, Mab managed to snap a few candids and posed shots that I ADORE.
LOL CELL PHONE!
We all look so cute and happyyy! Well, I look kind of retarded.
ALL TOGETHER NOW: OH, DO, SHE DIDN'T!
HAY HYPER EXTENSION AND WTF THIGH!
DO NOT FEED THE EXCEL. And my skin in these pictures looks 3,000x better than in Mab's shot of me in Yoruichi and Ulala. THANK YOU, NEW, CHEAP POWDER! (In the Megacon photos it was like HAY PORES!!)
I look MUCH too innocent in this shot. Innocence = Hyatt's thing! Ironically, Diana looks somewhat coy. Haha! And oh, man, accuracy for the lose. >_> Those shorts appear in my nightmares. *shudder*
HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE. Pretend that my leg isn't affected by foreshortening, and that it really does look like that. HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE. You're laughing, too, right? Is it just me?? Check out the pile of blood I CGed next to Diana's head. rofl Yes, it IS supposed to look corny and fake.
OK, skipping ahead to save time, the costume contest was entertaining. The audience received us really well, because I mean, honestly, is it even possible to not like Excel Saga? If you disagree, we will throw down RIGHT now. I look freaking terrible in fansviews pictures of us onstage, so to SPARE YE EYES I shant be posting them. Unfortunately, no award was in our future, and thus, Diana's 2006 winning streak was ruined. Boo! Does it make me sound bitter when I say that not getting an award made entering the contest (which primarily CONSUMED our Saturday) feel pointless? If it does, that's because I am. :D AWA, you fail me again! This makes my current record 2 W, 4 L... though when I put it that way, I guess it doesn't seem too bad. ^^ You win some, you lose more. Hahaha! A few hours later, we were out of costume and all packed up, with several stomachs rumbling like CRAZY. Due to this fact, there was much agitation among our party. We managed to get to a Steak and Shake at like... 2am and FINALLY got some food in our bellies. When we got to the Double Tree, Andrea and Victoria were totally out of it. lol Turns out we missed the sexy, drunken, jacuzzi, bikini party, but our stomachs took precedence... and I also didn't bring a bikini, and as enjoyable as it would be to sit and watch, I'm really happiest when I'm in on the action (especially if it involves a jacuzzi and scantily-cladness W00T W00T!). Sooo I ate my cold-but-still-delicious Doubletree cookie (without sharing, for I am a greedy H0R), took a shower, kicked Diana out of her spot and into the middle of the bed (because I wasn't sleeping in the middle both nights, dammit!), and after much restlessness, finally fell asleep.
The next morning, I woke up later than I wanted to, as usual, and was about halfway into Belldandy when I called Lionel and he informed me that the weather outside was ugly and he and Al had an early afternoon flight out of Atlanta. Soooo with that knowledge, I changed out of Belldandy to roam the con as a NORMIE. The good that came out of getting partially into costume was that I FINALLY discovered how to make my Bell wig not slide back on my head! Can I get a HALLELUJAH?! So next time I wear her (who knows when), the wig will not be an incooperative hellian! And I'll have my remade, matching hand thingies! And the costume will be properly ironed! And the wig will have antennae that WORK! Pretty much everything will be better. Now to decide when in the world I'm actually going to rewear it... Diana wasn't feeling well, so she was in NORMIE mode along with me.
We FINALLY hit up the dealer's room where I made a few purchases that I'd be planning since D*C. I bought the first DVD of Princess Tutu. My goal is to hook everyone I know onto this show so they'll go out and buy it and ZOMG2NDSEASON!?! Then I purchased one of the Haros that comes with a mystery figurine inside. I reeeeeally wanted Lacus, but of course, I didn't get her. ;_; They should seriously just open up a few of the balls so people can buy with knowledge of what they're getting. I know that's not the point, but they'd seriously sell more that way, ya know?? ...They just might end up with a few that don't sell at all. But honestly, if a character isn't that popular, why make a figurine of him at all? Gaaah! Luckily, I got the next best thing, which is Kira. I told the seller that if I got Shinn, I would have SMASHED IT AGAINST THE WALL. (And demanded my money back for the faulty merchandise. ;D) My other goals for my dealer's room hunt was to find a figurine of Chidori WITH her school uniform ON HER BODY rather than falling off, but the only one I found was this small, expensive one that came with a Tessa for $65. Noooo thank you. I felt kinda bad, because this older guy from Japan like, lead me around trying to locate the exact spot where he had seen one, and then when he found it for me, I was like "Ahhh... so expensiiive..." so he pretty much wasted his time on me. :( Sorry, mister! I also searched hopelessly for milk chocolate/komugi haiga blend pocky to no avail. But thanks to everyone who helped me look for it. Except Clarke. I won't forgive you for tricking me. :P "THERE IT IS!" "WHERE?!?!?!?!" So with my purchases made, I got in touch with Meredith and FINALLY got to see her again for the first time since Friday. Never did get to see her in her Hachi dress of loooooove! Thank goodness she'll be rewearing it on Halloween! :3
Con summary: While this con wasn't exactly everything I was hoping it would be, it was still totally awesome to see everyone again (even though I had just seen most of them at Dragon*con less than a month earlier! XD) and talk to a few people that I only saw in passing at D*C. It was also great to EkuSa it out with Diana. I just made that term up now, you like? :3 It was also quite slendiferous to get 2 photoshoots with Lionel. I feel like such a hot shot now! ;D If you asked me if I would go to AWA next year again, given the chance, my answer would be yes, without hesitation. Unfortunately, though, I'm not sure I'll be in Auburn next semester, so it might be that I can only make it to either Dragon*con or AWA, and I'll probably go to whichever con my friends are going to... but it's way to early to decide any of that now. ^_^ I have time. Shout-outs, anyone?
adrianakalego - It was nice seeing ya again, Adrian! We didn't get to talk much, but that happens a lot at cons for me. At one point, I think I passed by you, your gf, Mab, and a bunch of other people from Florida, and I was like "HAY FLORIDA PEEPS" and you all were just kinda like "???/*ignore*" Either I didn't say it as loud as I thought I had, or you guys didn't recognize me out of costume and thought I was crazy. Either way, it made me laugh. XD
aiuchi - Maaaan, I totally wanted to see you in your Hachi dress! It is our lovechild! Next year, if I can get to AWA (*crosses fingers*) we must cosplay together so we have no choice but to spend the day together! :3 It shall be VAAANDERFUL!
animiko - Your sexiness outsexied AWA. Seriously, everytime I saw you, I was just like "WOAH TOO MUCH SEXY" I hereby dub you Queen of AWA. ;D
athena_chan - Your Setsuka was hella awesome all over, but I gotta say the part I liked the best was that freaking HIDDEN SWORD IN YOUR UMBRELLA, O.M.G. That ALONE deserved an award. Thank goodness you got one for the whole costume, though, as it pretty much kicked AWA's ass. lol But I've been meaning to ask, did you remember to have a LAZY EYE for photos? XDDD
azu79 - OMG, THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUICANNOTSAYTHISENOUGH! You totally saved mine, Diana's and Daisy's butts the first night (and most of Saturday) of the con by letting all 3 of us stay in your room. You're amaaaaazing! I'm super glad we got to hang out more at this year's AWA. :3 I'm also glad you and Andy came along on our late-night Steak 'n' Shake run. I'm ALSO glad that we got pictures of our goddess costumes together- you're pretty much a perfect Skuld! <3 I couldn't ask for a better little sister! ;D
c3rbera - It was super flippin sweet to hang out with Lt. Dangle and Lt. Clarke again. You're an awesome dude, even if you do HORRIBLE CRUEL THINGS INVOLVING POCKY AND TRICKERY to me in certain dealer's rooms. Oh, and you should never feel like you're bothering me by asking to hang out if you have nothing else to do. We're always willing to chill with ya, man! If anything, having a dude around is pretty helpful at cons, if ya know what I mean. ...Ok, even I don't know what I mean, because honestly, who would harass me? I'm a giant. BOHAHA!
cobheran - It was nice seeing ya, again, Kev! I still can't get over the fact that you were hanging out with a chick from Auburn named Katie. That was the greatest! "You go to Auburn? I go to Auburn! Your name's Katie? MY name's Katie!" Hahaha! I'll see you around at a lot more cons to come! ^^
darkfaeryqueen - Daisyyyyy! My love! You were just too adorable in all of your costumes! Your tiny waist in Ariel (did I tell you I decided that bright red wig is FTW for Ariel?? Because I did. It is decided.), your amazing sewing skills in that one costume who's name I can't remember that's based off of artwork by a guy I don't particularly like (;D), and the SJKDCBAJDFVBDFHVBIDfVKADNFVKJXness that is your Sakura-hime costume of WOOOOOOOOOOOAH! This girl's description sums it up for me, too. :3
diadiadia - EWWWW, DIAAAA. You won't see this, why should I bother? Probably because you're a damn cool person that I have the priveledge of knowing. THAT'S RIGHT. I know AWA's cosplay guest of HONUUUUR. I'm speshul. :D
eternitat - It was great meeting you at the wedding! You're totally a sweetheart! I'm sure I'll see you again at more cons! :)
faeriedust38 - Amandaaa! You looked hella sexy in Jade, as always. Sadness fills my soul that I only got to see you like, once, but at least we got to eat lunch together with everyone. ^^ That was a blast and must be repeated at other cons!
floweryflowers - Julie, can you just stop being so adorable, please? SRSLY. It's not fair. You need to share some of that adorableness with ME, I say! :\ lol We should exchange phone numbers so we can meet up and hang out at AX! Yay for Southern cosplayers like ourselves who make the pilgrimage out to AX every year! And while we're at it, we should chill more together at AWA next year, too. :oooo
ichigokitty - Ahhh, the hotness that is Andrea! It's a shame you didn't get into the con until Saturday, but holy crap, running on no sleep, you still looked AMAZING in Utena. That's just not right! I look like utter CRAP if I'm running on about HALF my normal sleep. I can't imagine what a mess I'd be on none. We must room together again sometime, I say!
jedibubbles - Allison! Where were you hiding, man? I barely got to see you or Amanda! ;_; I'm really glad we got to chat on Sunday, though. Twas VERY nice! Less WeGo4Kyo = more sadness in my life! T_T I died a little on the inside, I think. ;) It's a good thing that you guys are teaming up for Tutu SMEX at Acen. It is gonna be HOT.
keplilly - Even if it was only for a little bit, I'm so glad I got to see you again (and chat with you on the phone beforehand!) at AWA! You're such a doll! <3 I'll see you again next year at one/both of the Atlanta cons, right? :D
lionboogy - Duuuude, Lioneeeel! You totally made my weekend. Your photoshoot of Diana's and my Hyatt and Excel completely made up for the fact that we didn't get an award, and if it weren't for you and Al, I wouldn't have any shots period of Lacus. Thank you SO, so much for making time for me and Diana in your busy schedule. It means SO much to me.
ninjakitsune - WOAH, BUDDY. How many sentences did we exchange this time, man, like 8?! HOLY FREAKING CRAP. Next time, I shall have an essay/soliloquy/song and dance prepared for you in honor of kicking the ass of our Dragon*con record. It shall go something like this: "Look at this stuff! Isn't it neat? Wouldn't you think myyyy collection's complete?..." and so on. ;D
roxasandkairi - It was pretty awesome to be recognized out of costume by someone on cosplay.com. It really did make my day, so thank you!
star_gazer_021 - I'm so glad I ran into you this year! Your Lolita was SO FREAKING CUTE, OMG. I'm sad I never got to see your Paine in person, but I DID see pictures, and OMG. You looked AMAZING. Sometime this summer, you, me, and Suzanne MUST get together for YuRiPa pictures. I mean, holy crap, the fact that there are 3 FFX-2 cosplayers living so near each other in lower Alabama is kick ass enough, but we're also all super tall and in my opinion, do great justice to the costumes. :3 These facts together mean that I will not be satisfied until photos are taken of the 3 of us together!!
sting_of_fate - You were a GORGEOUS bride and I was so proud to be your make-up artist! I can't wait til one day when I can do your make-up as Lacus doing Lacus' make-up. rofl I'm super hopeful that that one day will = Megacon. :3 And if you can find some way that won't be going out of your way (because I don't want to do that to you! ^^;;;; ) to get me to Megacon, then pretty much, I'll be your slave for life. :3 But again, I emphasize the fact that since you no longer live in Atlanta, you REALLY aren't obligated to do so!
violet-lane - Ahhh, Diana, MY FIRST LOVE! (Hahahaha, I must say this in ALL your con shout-outs!) I am so utterly happy that I finally got to see you again. It has been WAY too long! I was heartbroken when I learned that you couldn't make it to D*C and I had prepped myself for a Diana-less AWA as well, so imagine how ecstatic/surprised I was when I found out you were going to be there! :O I couldn't have asked for a better Haatchan! Even if we didn't get an award in the costume contest, being able to Excel Saga it out with you all Saturday and then for Lionel's photoshoot made up for it completely. Costume contest? What costume contest? I guess my bad luck rubbed off on you, which is a shame because you made such a great good luck charm. ;D I can't wait to see you again at Mega, and hopefully, try again in another contest. :3
In other news, I ordered some blue contacts this weekend that I shall be able to use for a ton of my costumes. W00t! I can't believe I've only cosplayed TWO green-eyed characters. What the heck, Japan hates us. (And even though my eyes are green, I've still had people tell me I should get contacts for Rikku. Yeah, I realize I don't have CRAZY AL-BHED SPIRALS in my eyes, but I'm not about to get custom contacts for one of the few characters that's eye color is actually close to my own for once!) So now I won't have to photoshop my eyes in close-ups... which makes me kinda sad, I've gotten pretty good at it! ;D Too bad I'll only need to wear them 5 times next year for my cons since I probably won't be wearing Belldandy or Excel or Asuka (definitely not that last one!) any time soon. XD
In more... other news... I bought and paid for my Chidori bikini last night. I hope it gets here soon! :D I also picked up all the fabric (and then some!) that I need for my Chidori costume.
I've been going CRAZY due to not sewing anything since AWA. Not even a month and already having sewing withdrawals. XD So I started on the pleated skirt today. Let's hope my experimentation in not using a pattern on a pleated skirt for the first time is successful. *crosses fingers*
EDIT: THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU, BOB! (I was gonna say "BOOOOOOOOB!" but that looks like "boob," so "BOB!" will have to do. XD)