D*C 08, part 1
So the Queen of Hearts is hanging out with Sweeney Todd at the lobby of the Marriott, when the Quidditch player and the Joker show up, and serial killer picslash ensues...
Yeah, only at Dragon*Con...
(Where are those pictures, btw?)
Martha (one of my D*con roommates) is an amazing cosplayer. First Dragon*Con, who'd believe it? Her Zoe outfit was a hit, especially when the other Zoes wanted to know where she got her holster (she made it). The Queen of Hearts took an about hour to walk from one hotel to another, on account of getting stopped for pictures every ten paces or so. And the "Not Elizabeth Swann" won Best in Show at the Pirate Party.
Speaking of which, Sunday was really hectic for me also. I had that funky not-really-a-costume outfit for the Pirate party, which came right after the Hogwarts uniform for the Yule Ball... and then there was that Sweeney guy....
"... heard music that nobody heard..." *check*
"... seldom laughed but often smiled..." *check* (ok, not "often", but... yeah...)
My con experience, like a lot of my travel, tends to become an exercise in introspection. Left to my own devices (which happens often), my mind has a tendency to turn inward and set up shop for a few hours. Weirdness ensues.
The Sweeney experience was, to summarize it... deliciously freaky. (Freakishly delicious? Dunno, you pick...)
A few interesting things happened as soon as I finished getting ready and took the first look in the mirror...
* My smile disappeared; and stayed hidden for a long time...
* The pitch of my voice dropped noticeably; although I didn't actually notice it until it was pointed out to me. I was returning a phone call from Laitaine, and she asked me if I had a sore throat. I didn't. The realization made me smile (almost involuntarily) at the person in the mirror. The smile that came back wasn't my own anymore...
My head started playing the melody of the opening title as soon as I stepped out the door. The clipped four-four beat accentuated each step I took down the hallway.
Like Sweeney denying Benjamin Barker, I became increasingly short-tempered at being addressed by my real name (sorry about that, elvishtard. Really didn't mean to bark at you like that...)
Strangely enough, walking around nearly-blind made the whole thing even easier. [That's right--I wasn't actively ignoring anyone, nor trying to look menacing or anything of the sort. I don't have contact lenses, so I could just barely see where I was going.] Not seeing people's reactions actually helped. That way, if anyone laughed, I didn't feel self-conscious because I didn't see it. :)
[Especially with the male Sweeneys towering over me by at least a foot. Although usually groups get more attention than single cosplayers anyway--well, except for the Queen of Hearts, that is...:) ]
Anyway, my friends liked my costume, and that really made my day. Then again, these are my friends we're talking about, so... (sorry, couldn't help it...)
It was sort of... liberating... empowering, in some surreal way. I didn't even notice until after the fact, that the only people wanting to take pictures were people I knew. The one person I didn't know wanted a picture of the costume, as opposed to me in costume. Perhaps it was a good thing my costume didn't have props...
Detaching myself from Sweeney at the end of the day was almost depressing.
I don't know what that says about me... and I probably shouldn't ask... :D
Pictures
Yeah, only at Dragon*Con...
(Where are those pictures, btw?)
Martha (one of my D*con roommates) is an amazing cosplayer. First Dragon*Con, who'd believe it? Her Zoe outfit was a hit, especially when the other Zoes wanted to know where she got her holster (she made it). The Queen of Hearts took an about hour to walk from one hotel to another, on account of getting stopped for pictures every ten paces or so. And the "Not Elizabeth Swann" won Best in Show at the Pirate Party.
Speaking of which, Sunday was really hectic for me also. I had that funky not-really-a-costume outfit for the Pirate party, which came right after the Hogwarts uniform for the Yule Ball... and then there was that Sweeney guy....
"... heard music that nobody heard..." *check*
"... seldom laughed but often smiled..." *check* (ok, not "often", but... yeah...)
My con experience, like a lot of my travel, tends to become an exercise in introspection. Left to my own devices (which happens often), my mind has a tendency to turn inward and set up shop for a few hours. Weirdness ensues.
The Sweeney experience was, to summarize it... deliciously freaky. (Freakishly delicious? Dunno, you pick...)
A few interesting things happened as soon as I finished getting ready and took the first look in the mirror...
* My smile disappeared; and stayed hidden for a long time...
* The pitch of my voice dropped noticeably; although I didn't actually notice it until it was pointed out to me. I was returning a phone call from Laitaine, and she asked me if I had a sore throat. I didn't. The realization made me smile (almost involuntarily) at the person in the mirror. The smile that came back wasn't my own anymore...
My head started playing the melody of the opening title as soon as I stepped out the door. The clipped four-four beat accentuated each step I took down the hallway.
Like Sweeney denying Benjamin Barker, I became increasingly short-tempered at being addressed by my real name (sorry about that, elvishtard. Really didn't mean to bark at you like that...)
Strangely enough, walking around nearly-blind made the whole thing even easier. [That's right--I wasn't actively ignoring anyone, nor trying to look menacing or anything of the sort. I don't have contact lenses, so I could just barely see where I was going.] Not seeing people's reactions actually helped. That way, if anyone laughed, I didn't feel self-conscious because I didn't see it. :)
[Especially with the male Sweeneys towering over me by at least a foot. Although usually groups get more attention than single cosplayers anyway--well, except for the Queen of Hearts, that is...:) ]
Anyway, my friends liked my costume, and that really made my day. Then again, these are my friends we're talking about, so... (sorry, couldn't help it...)
It was sort of... liberating... empowering, in some surreal way. I didn't even notice until after the fact, that the only people wanting to take pictures were people I knew. The one person I didn't know wanted a picture of the costume, as opposed to me in costume. Perhaps it was a good thing my costume didn't have props...
Detaching myself from Sweeney at the end of the day was almost depressing.
I don't know what that says about me... and I probably shouldn't ask... :D
Pictures