Katsu: The Writeup
As promised!
Thursday
* J picked me up at around 6:30, and we picked up Mith and Linden from the Megabus stop a bit later. I-95 was free of both traffic and ice, and we made good time.
* There was no prereg line, since the badges hadn't yet arrived, so we met up with Mullenkamp and Akatonbo, who were staying two rooms over, and rehearsed skit-things.
* Mith had a nasty cough, but managed to build Russia and China's (period-appropriate! well kinda China didn't really HAVE a flag in 1940, but) flags. (I threaded needles!) We sat out in the hallway while she hemmed, and it was kind of relaxing, for definitions of relaxing that involve needles.
* We slept at a reasonable hour, as we wanted to avoid lines and pick up our badges early.
Friday
* Woke up bright and early to beat the at-door reg lines and donned Watanuki. (Good thing about cosplaying dudes in the winter: I was warm. O, sweet blissful warmth.)
* The at-door reg line was not actually a line at all, and I breezed through in about five minutes. Score!
* Faffed about with J for a bit before meeting back up with Mith and Linden, who were Yuuko and Himawari respectively.
* Lots of photos! Shoots with PopeCerebus and EBK, and the ACP and Refractor guys tagged us, too, and more people whose cards are currently stuffed in my wallet. When those photos get online, we will show you them.
* Oh, and posing as Watanuki? SO MUCH FUN.
See?
* The Gaylord is gorgeous. I cannot say that enough. The atrium was just stunning -- it was laid out like an old-fashioned town square with a fountain at the center and there were Real Live Green Things and it was all under a glass roof -- and there were so many great places for photos. Much better locale than Crystal City for Katsu; I don't know how con attendance was this year, what with Snowpocalypse, but it just felt like there was more space, and the hotel staff was incredibly gracious, too. Of course, with great class comes great prices, but we managed to subsist on cookies and challah and coffee and fruit for most of the convention.
* Pit stop in drugstore, where we picked up Advil and decongestants for Mith and not-torn stockings for Linden. We also saw lots of Revolutionary War memorabilia-type things on the walls, which made Mith and I decide that we were definitely breaking those costumes out. (There was even a store called Stars and Stripes! Socute.)
* I'd borrowed Linden's binding shirt, but that turned out not to be such a good idea, since I got a sharp shooting pain in my chest at around eleven. I stuck with a sports bra after that, because it's not like I have all that much to compress, anyway.
* I wanted to scope out the dealer's room early in case I found good Hetalia doujinshi, and I did: Love Me Tender, an America/Lithuania book by Asaboshi and Trompe L'oeil (IT WAS AMERICA/LITHUANIA I DO NOT NEED MUCH MORE JUSTIFICATION OKAY), and Body Language, which is one of my favorite Hoshitamago books out there. Kyaa. ♥ Seriously, the only way I'd have been happier would be if I'd found XOXO in there. There was some other stuff that looked decent, but nothing that screamed omgmusthave to me.
I shouldn't have waited until Sunday to ask about the Claymore yuri, though. Woe.
* Linden got some great photos of mullenkamp and akatonbo, who were adorable in their GetBackers cosplay, and considerably more comfortable than either Linden (in miniskirt) or Mith (in four-or-five-inch heels and not a whole lot else).
* So we headed back to the room, with akatonbo in tow, and ordered pizza and played the Inglourious Basterds game.
* A bit more faffing about downstairs, ducking up to take a break from shoes, and then once more into the breach for...
* Hall Cosplay! Linden and I were mostly there to keep Mith company, though we also brought along America's jacket so she wouldn't get too cold. The line moved slowly, but we played the Inglourious Basterds game again with an adorable Kobato, and it wasn't too bad.
* Skit rehearsal one last time, after which the three of us were pretty much wiped, and scuttled plans to spend the evening in Revolutionary War America and England. Mith was fairly sick that evening, but we all eventually got to sleep. More or less.
Saturday
* Another bright and early morning! (Well, I think I got up at 7:30 that time, so it was a little later than Friday's had been.) We threw on enough to make ourselves presentable, put the costumes in bags, and ran downstairs to the check-in and rehearsal, where we saw many of our fellow cosplayers similarly disattired.
* Thankfully, rehearsal started on time this year. Our skit was sixteenth or so, so we had a bit of downtime, during which I schmoozed a little but mostly napped. I did out with grommeting the flags, though, when we decided we might as well work on them while we waited.
* With rehearsal concluded, we headed back up to the rooms to get properly Hetaliattired.
* ...and were promptly mobbed when we got downstairs. I'm so glad Mullenkamp came up with the flag idea, because they were such fun props, and we got to do silly things on fountains. I always have a blast cosplaying England, but Saturday was a real standout. It was different not to have Mith's America to bounce off of, but not bad different.
* Had world summit-y lunch at the Italian buffet, which was very expensive but at least gave you lots of food.
* Headed in for craftsmanship judging at 3:30, which did not actually take place at 3:30 for us -- we were a bit confused and panicked about whether or not we'd get judged, but we did, though in true America fashion, Akatonbo was in the bathroom at the time. Hee.
* Hung out with lots of great people backstage, including sangogrl41 and her Pandora Hearts group, and the Sakura whose handle I can't recall, orz.
* The skit itself was a blast, and the audience seemed pretty into us -- they definitely got a kick out of meltedpeep's drawings. The video's up on ACP, and when ACP puts it on YouTube, Mith or I will let y'all know. We didn't win, but the group that beat us totally deserved to, because they used Twilight and YGO Abridged to make fun of Tsubasa.
* Also, MITH IS A CRAFTSMAN NAO. It's a little scary to be competing at that level, but you know, I think we can hack it.
* After reveling for a while, Mith and I changed into Revolutionary War America and Redcoat England, respectively, and puttered about the hotel while Linden took pictures. We got some good ones, including a ~*sexy photoshoot*~ on a golden couch.
* As a side note, Revolutionary America really seems to bring out the patriotism in people, especially with a Redcoat in close proximity. Can't count the number of times Mith was saluted with some form of "WE WON!"
* There was also a military ball there that evening for decorated veterans.
Recall Mith's and my uniforms. Cue the awkward. (Though thank god Mith and Linden were no longer in Red Army and Maoist uniforms, respectively. That would have been Un!Comfortable!)
Actually, the military guys got a kick out of us, and lots of them asked if they could take pictures. Some of the conversations we had with them were touching, and some were a little awkward, but I kept my damn mouth shut for once. Mostly I was just relieved that they didn't think we were being horribly disrespectful. Hey, at least we weren't letting our flags drag on the ground.
I hate it when Hetalia cosplayers do that.
* Back to the room for good, where Mith finally slept. Huzzah!
Sunday
* Slept in until nine!
* Mith and Linden decided to spend the day in casual clothes, but I hate wearing street clothes at con, so I donned Lithuania, complete with feather duster.
* Gathered up our things, stashed them in J's car.
* We had a chat with a hotel manager-type-person while we got coffee and hot chocolate, and he was quite receptive.
* Meandered about the Dealer's Room and Artist Alley, again, but refrained from making purchases, though I was sorely tempted by some of the One Coin figures. At least the good doujinshi was gone by then?
* Mullenkamp, Akatonbo, Mith, Linden, and I headed to a nearby restaurant for lunch, which had a mechanical bull. There is video of Mullenkamp, as Japan, riding the mechanical bull. It is kind of brilliant.
* We said our farewells, the three of us piled into J's car, and J dropped me back off at campus, where I have been ever since.
* Overall, Sunday was pretty low-key, as Sundays at con tend to be, but it was certainly not a bad Valentine's Day. ♥ (Though I wish I could've had more time with Mith.)
Verdict: good con. Most of the people we met were very sweet -- I think we only ran into a few obnoxious fans, and hopefully fans will continue this nice trend of asking people before they hug them, and also of distributing candy. I didn't check out the panels, so I can't say much for them, but Katsu's panels haven't really grabbed me in the past, so eh. Masquerade was run much better than last year, and we had a blast performing. I hope Katsu sticks with the Gaylord, because it's a gorgeous venue.
And I got to spend time with some of my favorite people, which is never a bad thing. ♥
Thursday
* J picked me up at around 6:30, and we picked up Mith and Linden from the Megabus stop a bit later. I-95 was free of both traffic and ice, and we made good time.
* There was no prereg line, since the badges hadn't yet arrived, so we met up with Mullenkamp and Akatonbo, who were staying two rooms over, and rehearsed skit-things.
* Mith had a nasty cough, but managed to build Russia and China's (period-appropriate! well kinda China didn't really HAVE a flag in 1940, but) flags. (I threaded needles!) We sat out in the hallway while she hemmed, and it was kind of relaxing, for definitions of relaxing that involve needles.
* We slept at a reasonable hour, as we wanted to avoid lines and pick up our badges early.
Friday
* Woke up bright and early to beat the at-door reg lines and donned Watanuki. (Good thing about cosplaying dudes in the winter: I was warm. O, sweet blissful warmth.)
* The at-door reg line was not actually a line at all, and I breezed through in about five minutes. Score!
* Faffed about with J for a bit before meeting back up with Mith and Linden, who were Yuuko and Himawari respectively.
* Lots of photos! Shoots with PopeCerebus and EBK, and the ACP and Refractor guys tagged us, too, and more people whose cards are currently stuffed in my wallet. When those photos get online, we will show you them.
* Oh, and posing as Watanuki? SO MUCH FUN.
See?
* The Gaylord is gorgeous. I cannot say that enough. The atrium was just stunning -- it was laid out like an old-fashioned town square with a fountain at the center and there were Real Live Green Things and it was all under a glass roof -- and there were so many great places for photos. Much better locale than Crystal City for Katsu; I don't know how con attendance was this year, what with Snowpocalypse, but it just felt like there was more space, and the hotel staff was incredibly gracious, too. Of course, with great class comes great prices, but we managed to subsist on cookies and challah and coffee and fruit for most of the convention.
* Pit stop in drugstore, where we picked up Advil and decongestants for Mith and not-torn stockings for Linden. We also saw lots of Revolutionary War memorabilia-type things on the walls, which made Mith and I decide that we were definitely breaking those costumes out. (There was even a store called Stars and Stripes! Socute.)
* I'd borrowed Linden's binding shirt, but that turned out not to be such a good idea, since I got a sharp shooting pain in my chest at around eleven. I stuck with a sports bra after that, because it's not like I have all that much to compress, anyway.
* I wanted to scope out the dealer's room early in case I found good Hetalia doujinshi, and I did: Love Me Tender, an America/Lithuania book by Asaboshi and Trompe L'oeil (IT WAS AMERICA/LITHUANIA I DO NOT NEED MUCH MORE JUSTIFICATION OKAY), and Body Language, which is one of my favorite Hoshitamago books out there. Kyaa. ♥ Seriously, the only way I'd have been happier would be if I'd found XOXO in there. There was some other stuff that looked decent, but nothing that screamed omgmusthave to me.
I shouldn't have waited until Sunday to ask about the Claymore yuri, though. Woe.
* Linden got some great photos of mullenkamp and akatonbo, who were adorable in their GetBackers cosplay, and considerably more comfortable than either Linden (in miniskirt) or Mith (in four-or-five-inch heels and not a whole lot else).
* So we headed back to the room, with akatonbo in tow, and ordered pizza and played the Inglourious Basterds game.
* A bit more faffing about downstairs, ducking up to take a break from shoes, and then once more into the breach for...
* Hall Cosplay! Linden and I were mostly there to keep Mith company, though we also brought along America's jacket so she wouldn't get too cold. The line moved slowly, but we played the Inglourious Basterds game again with an adorable Kobato, and it wasn't too bad.
* Skit rehearsal one last time, after which the three of us were pretty much wiped, and scuttled plans to spend the evening in Revolutionary War America and England. Mith was fairly sick that evening, but we all eventually got to sleep. More or less.
Saturday
* Another bright and early morning! (Well, I think I got up at 7:30 that time, so it was a little later than Friday's had been.) We threw on enough to make ourselves presentable, put the costumes in bags, and ran downstairs to the check-in and rehearsal, where we saw many of our fellow cosplayers similarly disattired.
* Thankfully, rehearsal started on time this year. Our skit was sixteenth or so, so we had a bit of downtime, during which I schmoozed a little but mostly napped. I did out with grommeting the flags, though, when we decided we might as well work on them while we waited.
* With rehearsal concluded, we headed back up to the rooms to get properly Hetaliattired.
* ...and were promptly mobbed when we got downstairs. I'm so glad Mullenkamp came up with the flag idea, because they were such fun props, and we got to do silly things on fountains. I always have a blast cosplaying England, but Saturday was a real standout. It was different not to have Mith's America to bounce off of, but not bad different.
* Had world summit-y lunch at the Italian buffet, which was very expensive but at least gave you lots of food.
* Headed in for craftsmanship judging at 3:30, which did not actually take place at 3:30 for us -- we were a bit confused and panicked about whether or not we'd get judged, but we did, though in true America fashion, Akatonbo was in the bathroom at the time. Hee.
* Hung out with lots of great people backstage, including sangogrl41 and her Pandora Hearts group, and the Sakura whose handle I can't recall, orz.
* The skit itself was a blast, and the audience seemed pretty into us -- they definitely got a kick out of meltedpeep's drawings. The video's up on ACP, and when ACP puts it on YouTube, Mith or I will let y'all know. We didn't win, but the group that beat us totally deserved to, because they used Twilight and YGO Abridged to make fun of Tsubasa.
* Also, MITH IS A CRAFTSMAN NAO. It's a little scary to be competing at that level, but you know, I think we can hack it.
* After reveling for a while, Mith and I changed into Revolutionary War America and Redcoat England, respectively, and puttered about the hotel while Linden took pictures. We got some good ones, including a ~*sexy photoshoot*~ on a golden couch.
* As a side note, Revolutionary America really seems to bring out the patriotism in people, especially with a Redcoat in close proximity. Can't count the number of times Mith was saluted with some form of "WE WON!"
* There was also a military ball there that evening for decorated veterans.
Recall Mith's and my uniforms. Cue the awkward. (Though thank god Mith and Linden were no longer in Red Army and Maoist uniforms, respectively. That would have been Un!Comfortable!)
Actually, the military guys got a kick out of us, and lots of them asked if they could take pictures. Some of the conversations we had with them were touching, and some were a little awkward, but I kept my damn mouth shut for once. Mostly I was just relieved that they didn't think we were being horribly disrespectful. Hey, at least we weren't letting our flags drag on the ground.
I hate it when Hetalia cosplayers do that.
* Back to the room for good, where Mith finally slept. Huzzah!
Sunday
* Slept in until nine!
* Mith and Linden decided to spend the day in casual clothes, but I hate wearing street clothes at con, so I donned Lithuania, complete with feather duster.
* Gathered up our things, stashed them in J's car.
* We had a chat with a hotel manager-type-person while we got coffee and hot chocolate, and he was quite receptive.
* Meandered about the Dealer's Room and Artist Alley, again, but refrained from making purchases, though I was sorely tempted by some of the One Coin figures. At least the good doujinshi was gone by then?
* Mullenkamp, Akatonbo, Mith, Linden, and I headed to a nearby restaurant for lunch, which had a mechanical bull. There is video of Mullenkamp, as Japan, riding the mechanical bull. It is kind of brilliant.
* We said our farewells, the three of us piled into J's car, and J dropped me back off at campus, where I have been ever since.
* Overall, Sunday was pretty low-key, as Sundays at con tend to be, but it was certainly not a bad Valentine's Day. ♥ (Though I wish I could've had more time with Mith.)
Verdict: good con. Most of the people we met were very sweet -- I think we only ran into a few obnoxious fans, and hopefully fans will continue this nice trend of asking people before they hug them, and also of distributing candy. I didn't check out the panels, so I can't say much for them, but Katsu's panels haven't really grabbed me in the past, so eh. Masquerade was run much better than last year, and we had a blast performing. I hope Katsu sticks with the Gaylord, because it's a gorgeous venue.
And I got to spend time with some of my favorite people, which is never a bad thing. ♥