[Report] Yes.
-= Ansem Fanimecon 2009 Report =-
Fair Warning: I'm going to spam you guys with words, so if you want to stay away from it, then skip over the entry. This probably doesn't peak too much interest. If not, then you are free to read my wonderful reporting skills of doom. Other than that, I'm just going to be a jerk and write about the fun, crazy and 'what the' moments that fit into the convention scene. Whatever details I can remember, that is. Thaaaat's right. Your choice completely.*
*YOU CAN STILL RUN. RIGHT NOW. OH - TOO LATE.
THURSDAY: Around 9 AM, Jen and her caravan (the truck gang) arrived to pick us up for the trip north. Once things were thrown into the truck, we all headed over to Kara's place. Her stuff was also chucked into the truck before she slipped into the car. From this point onward, it became EPIC DISNEY MUSIC TIME. Extra note: The 5 NEVER ENDS. At least, it sort of feels that way. I've heard many stories about it; this was the first time I've ever been on that stretch. A vast, open view of...NOTHING. It was the stuff I saw in pictures and film! Awesome.
Cows, rocks, rocks, more rocks, endless farmland, filled up on gas, had a drive-thru lunch, saw cows, saw more cows, more rocks, dead groves, "Congress created the dust bowl" signs, "Cheeries," more cows, horses, garlic scents, and a quick stop at Walmart for some things. We actually made it to San Jose around 4 in the afternoon. It wasn't too bad of a trip. Checked into the hotel, got our luggage from the truck, and we pretty much took a short breather before being told the pre-reg line was open. Da Ninja and I stood in said line with Kara, Zully, and one other person (I forgot her name AGH I'M SORRY) for a certain period of time.
...Just being there reminded me how much I don't click with much of the con scene.
Although drained, and with a sudden dissing to my 8-Bit Theater Fighter shirt, the badge was acquired and we all headed out to eat some food. Da Ninja and I went with Jen and Panda to Original Joe's. The meatballs in the meatball sandwich were massive. Then it was back to the hotel for sleep and something. Oh - it was midnight swap meet and arcade times! Para para para para. Then sleep. Yes.
FRIDAY: The real first day of the con itself. I...totally forgot what happene- oh, wait. Kara jumped on the bed as soon as I was awake. Urgh, sunshine happiness packed into one person. While the others got ready for cosplay times, Todd and I sorta ducked out to go wander. Sudden realization: nothing was open in the morning. Everything started in the afternoon. So a bunch of people were milling about the con halls not doing much or waiting in more lines for certain areas to open. Saw people from Oregon/Upper Cali (YES I'M GROUPING YOU ALL I'M LAZY) and other peoples, walked some more, went back to the hotel to wait around again. Took pictures, went to Johnny Rocket's for lunchings, back to the Quetzalcoatl statue for more pictures, and then back into the con center and hotel for a pause. I just felt exhausted. So instead of joining Da Ninja and Todd to romp around the Dealer's Hall, I stayed in the room. I dozed in between text messages. We headed out again later for dinner stuffs at Pizza My Heart. And thennnn back to the hotel room and sleep.
SATURDAY: Seriously, it was only the second day and I felt like it was taking too long to pass. This time I went to see what was all going down in the Dealer's Hall. Lots of looking. I did buy some things, but it wasn't too much to lug back. Went back and forth from Artist's Alley and other various places around the con before we all tried to attempt a group meeting for lunch things. Yeah, it took a while. Still, we headed out to the Asian-y Chinese fast food restaurant and sat outside on a bench. Right next to the railway tracks. It was amusing to watch a piece of orange chicken disappear as the train came and went. It wasn't fun when I pretty much got the last part of my meal stuck in my throat. Minor setback.
Waited around some more before it came time for the Fanime Cosplay Spectacular! I really didn't feel like going in the first place, but I didn't know what else to do. As expected, people were loud inside the auditorium. Skits were either a hit or miss; one person's sense of humor is less than or equal to another person's, anyway. We sat through some walk-ons and got to cosplay group number 31 before my headache got to me. I still like how Jen's cosplay group did. You guys did great even if you didn't get anything for it. People liked it, I'm sure. We went back to the hotel before heading back out to hit the Jack-in-a-Box down the street. Mmm, chicken strips. On the way back, I gave a homeless man some money. I hope he got food or something. Hotel room and sleep. I think.
SUNDAY: This was the one day I actually cosplayed. Yes. After going out to locate the hidden 7-Eleven (which should be closer to the con center and not the university), we went back and forth in the convention halls before heading back to the room.
It was Jolteon time.
AGH I WAS SO YELLOW. More yellow, jaundiced even! But not really! The costume came together. It was a lot better than I thought it would be, but as soon as I wore it, I was already picking at certain details. Eh. Since my ears weren't sewn onto the wig, they kept falling out for the first short interval. Van Gogh pokemon moment. *sob* But they stayed in the rest of the time. I went with the rest of the Eevee pack and we were attacked by pokeballs and people. Lots of photos. We even got invited to do a photo shoot with the other poke gijinka things at the park. After that, we went back to the con and wandered some more. At one point, Da Ninja (as Glaceon) and I got hugged by a little boy. The same boy kissed both of us on the cheek. However, it seemed he was going for the lips on poor Glaceon. The kid's gonna be a player when he grows up.
Anyway - we changed out of that and then headed out to the Ringer Hut or whatever the name was. It was Japanese food! I was sad they had no sashimi, but that has been rectified today. Mm. And then we all came back and stayed up for a while, talking. Of course it'd be on the night before we had to check out. Sleep was had, however.
MONDAY: Things were packed already, so we were pretty much ready. Kara, who was feeling sick the night before, somehow diseased Jen that morning. We helped Bruce pack up the remaining stuff in Jen's room when she went to take Keeley back to the airport. More check outs, and then we all headed down for one last round of Dealer's Hall and Artist Alley things. Then the party dwindled some more before we headed off to...
THE WINCHESTER MYSTERY HOUSE. *INSERT SPOOKY SOUND EFFECTS*
It was a very nice house. Jen gave us a very nice introduction before we went to get tickets for the tour. Kara didn't want to go in, so we left her in the cafe. Sad. The tour wasn't scary, though - it was just neat to go through the house and see all of the strange architecture and details which lived up to its name. Sure, the lady was crazy, but she had good taste! I wanted several of the rooms in there. :| I also charged through the last set of easy risers (little stairs) on the tour and was disappointed by how short the flight was. You guys followed me, you all could've gone up the regular staircase. MMhm. After the tour was done, we sat in the cafe with Kara to eat some food. From there, we split ways with Todd and headed back to the 5. MORE MUSIC TIMES, MOVING COWS, and we hit traffic right when we were getting to the Magic Mountain point. Still, we all made it back to Los Angeles. Home, sweet home, with helicopter spotlights and everything. I missed it. Kara was dropped off first, and then we also were brought back home around 10 or 11 at night. Thankfully, Jen and Bruce made it back home safe, too.
IN SHORT:
Number of times "KINGDOM HEAAAAAARTS" mentioned: ???
Number of catgirls/boys around the con: More than necessary
Number of free hugs wanted/offered around the con: Enough to invoke violence
Number of HUGS and LAHV within friends: Countless AGH THE LOVE IT BURNS
Number of times I lost/won: Varying
Number of hours spent walking: Indefinite
Main Con Soundtrack: Kingdom Hearts BGM
Personal "Nerd" Level: Still Intermediate
Personal "Cool" Level: Wait, what?
Acquired Ailments: Slight epidermic deterioration, gum sensitivity, mild nausea, slight fatigue, mild headache (sensitivity to noise), overly-fluffed hair
To all the people I met and re-met and etc.: I MISS YOU. Even though I don't show it, it's true!!! Argh, we also need to work on intros/re-intros blahblah. D: BUT STILL WE HAD FUN, RIGHT? RIGHT!?
ALSO: I did enjoy myself, don't get me wrong. There were just certain points of each day in which I was wondering why it dragged so much. Gah, I was being frumpy and srs dork most of the time anyway. But it was good. First Fanime, and it was good.
I'm sure we'll try finding random pictures and getting the ones we did take up online soon. I'll try unlazying myself for that. Oof.
Fair Warning: I'm going to spam you guys with words, so if you want to stay away from it, then skip over the entry. This probably doesn't peak too much interest. If not, then you are free to read my wonderful reporting skills of doom. Other than that, I'm just going to be a jerk and write about the fun, crazy and 'what the' moments that fit into the convention scene. Whatever details I can remember, that is. Thaaaat's right. Your choice completely.*
*YOU CAN STILL RUN. RIGHT NOW. OH - TOO LATE.
THURSDAY: Around 9 AM, Jen and her caravan (the truck gang) arrived to pick us up for the trip north. Once things were thrown into the truck, we all headed over to Kara's place. Her stuff was also chucked into the truck before she slipped into the car. From this point onward, it became EPIC DISNEY MUSIC TIME. Extra note: The 5 NEVER ENDS. At least, it sort of feels that way. I've heard many stories about it; this was the first time I've ever been on that stretch. A vast, open view of...NOTHING. It was the stuff I saw in pictures and film! Awesome.
Cows, rocks, rocks, more rocks, endless farmland, filled up on gas, had a drive-thru lunch, saw cows, saw more cows, more rocks, dead groves, "Congress created the dust bowl" signs, "Cheeries," more cows, horses, garlic scents, and a quick stop at Walmart for some things. We actually made it to San Jose around 4 in the afternoon. It wasn't too bad of a trip. Checked into the hotel, got our luggage from the truck, and we pretty much took a short breather before being told the pre-reg line was open. Da Ninja and I stood in said line with Kara, Zully, and one other person (I forgot her name AGH I'M SORRY) for a certain period of time.
...Just being there reminded me how much I don't click with much of the con scene.
Although drained, and with a sudden dissing to my 8-Bit Theater Fighter shirt, the badge was acquired and we all headed out to eat some food. Da Ninja and I went with Jen and Panda to Original Joe's. The meatballs in the meatball sandwich were massive. Then it was back to the hotel for sleep and something. Oh - it was midnight swap meet and arcade times! Para para para para. Then sleep. Yes.
FRIDAY: The real first day of the con itself. I...totally forgot what happene- oh, wait. Kara jumped on the bed as soon as I was awake. Urgh, sunshine happiness packed into one person. While the others got ready for cosplay times, Todd and I sorta ducked out to go wander. Sudden realization: nothing was open in the morning. Everything started in the afternoon. So a bunch of people were milling about the con halls not doing much or waiting in more lines for certain areas to open. Saw people from Oregon/Upper Cali (YES I'M GROUPING YOU ALL I'M LAZY) and other peoples, walked some more, went back to the hotel to wait around again. Took pictures, went to Johnny Rocket's for lunchings, back to the Quetzalcoatl statue for more pictures, and then back into the con center and hotel for a pause. I just felt exhausted. So instead of joining Da Ninja and Todd to romp around the Dealer's Hall, I stayed in the room. I dozed in between text messages. We headed out again later for dinner stuffs at Pizza My Heart. And thennnn back to the hotel room and sleep.
SATURDAY: Seriously, it was only the second day and I felt like it was taking too long to pass. This time I went to see what was all going down in the Dealer's Hall. Lots of looking. I did buy some things, but it wasn't too much to lug back. Went back and forth from Artist's Alley and other various places around the con before we all tried to attempt a group meeting for lunch things. Yeah, it took a while. Still, we headed out to the Asian-y Chinese fast food restaurant and sat outside on a bench. Right next to the railway tracks. It was amusing to watch a piece of orange chicken disappear as the train came and went. It wasn't fun when I pretty much got the last part of my meal stuck in my throat. Minor setback.
Waited around some more before it came time for the Fanime Cosplay Spectacular! I really didn't feel like going in the first place, but I didn't know what else to do. As expected, people were loud inside the auditorium. Skits were either a hit or miss; one person's sense of humor is less than or equal to another person's, anyway. We sat through some walk-ons and got to cosplay group number 31 before my headache got to me. I still like how Jen's cosplay group did. You guys did great even if you didn't get anything for it. People liked it, I'm sure. We went back to the hotel before heading back out to hit the Jack-in-a-Box down the street. Mmm, chicken strips. On the way back, I gave a homeless man some money. I hope he got food or something. Hotel room and sleep. I think.
SUNDAY: This was the one day I actually cosplayed. Yes. After going out to locate the hidden 7-Eleven (which should be closer to the con center and not the university), we went back and forth in the convention halls before heading back to the room.
It was Jolteon time.
AGH I WAS SO YELLOW. More yellow, jaundiced even! But not really! The costume came together. It was a lot better than I thought it would be, but as soon as I wore it, I was already picking at certain details. Eh. Since my ears weren't sewn onto the wig, they kept falling out for the first short interval. Van Gogh pokemon moment. *sob* But they stayed in the rest of the time. I went with the rest of the Eevee pack and we were attacked by pokeballs and people. Lots of photos. We even got invited to do a photo shoot with the other poke gijinka things at the park. After that, we went back to the con and wandered some more. At one point, Da Ninja (as Glaceon) and I got hugged by a little boy. The same boy kissed both of us on the cheek. However, it seemed he was going for the lips on poor Glaceon. The kid's gonna be a player when he grows up.
Anyway - we changed out of that and then headed out to the Ringer Hut or whatever the name was. It was Japanese food! I was sad they had no sashimi, but that has been rectified today. Mm. And then we all came back and stayed up for a while, talking. Of course it'd be on the night before we had to check out. Sleep was had, however.
MONDAY: Things were packed already, so we were pretty much ready. Kara, who was feeling sick the night before, somehow diseased Jen that morning. We helped Bruce pack up the remaining stuff in Jen's room when she went to take Keeley back to the airport. More check outs, and then we all headed down for one last round of Dealer's Hall and Artist Alley things. Then the party dwindled some more before we headed off to...
THE WINCHESTER MYSTERY HOUSE. *INSERT SPOOKY SOUND EFFECTS*
It was a very nice house. Jen gave us a very nice introduction before we went to get tickets for the tour. Kara didn't want to go in, so we left her in the cafe. Sad. The tour wasn't scary, though - it was just neat to go through the house and see all of the strange architecture and details which lived up to its name. Sure, the lady was crazy, but she had good taste! I wanted several of the rooms in there. :| I also charged through the last set of easy risers (little stairs) on the tour and was disappointed by how short the flight was. You guys followed me, you all could've gone up the regular staircase. MMhm. After the tour was done, we sat in the cafe with Kara to eat some food. From there, we split ways with Todd and headed back to the 5. MORE MUSIC TIMES, MOVING COWS, and we hit traffic right when we were getting to the Magic Mountain point. Still, we all made it back to Los Angeles. Home, sweet home, with helicopter spotlights and everything. I missed it. Kara was dropped off first, and then we also were brought back home around 10 or 11 at night. Thankfully, Jen and Bruce made it back home safe, too.
IN SHORT:
Number of times "KINGDOM HEAAAAAARTS" mentioned: ???
Number of catgirls/boys around the con: More than necessary
Number of free hugs wanted/offered around the con: Enough to invoke violence
Number of HUGS and LAHV within friends: Countless AGH THE LOVE IT BURNS
Number of times I lost/won: Varying
Number of hours spent walking: Indefinite
Main Con Soundtrack: Kingdom Hearts BGM
Personal "Nerd" Level: Still Intermediate
Personal "Cool" Level: Wait, what?
Acquired Ailments: Slight epidermic deterioration, gum sensitivity, mild nausea, slight fatigue, mild headache (sensitivity to noise), overly-fluffed hair
To all the people I met and re-met and etc.: I MISS YOU. Even though I don't show it, it's true!!! Argh, we also need to work on intros/re-intros blahblah. D: BUT STILL WE HAD FUN, RIGHT? RIGHT!?
ALSO: I did enjoy myself, don't get me wrong. There were just certain points of each day in which I was wondering why it dragged so much. Gah, I was being frumpy and srs dork most of the time anyway. But it was good. First Fanime, and it was good.
I'm sure we'll try finding random pictures and getting the ones we did take up online soon. I'll try unlazying myself for that. Oof.