Project A-Kon 20
Kapoor attended Project A-Kon 20 in Dallas, along with the Red Princess, Miz Eva, and QT. Kapoor did the driving to get himself and the Redhead to QT/Eva's place, and along the way exposed her to his execrable taste in music: A homemade CD set on random tracks, playing from a selection of DDR tunes, Gorillaz songs, Caramelldansen, Move Your Dead Bones, J-pop tune Street Story by Okinawan band HY, Kam Ne Khalia Maas by bhangra group The Safri Boys, and others.
On arrival, there was the opportunity to relax for a few hours in QT's company. Kapoor talked him and the Redhead into playtesting character creation for Kapoor's homegrown RPG and got valuable notes on how to improve the process and the choices. After that came a quick trip to fetch Miz Eva, and then badge pickup.
Badge pickup did not go as planned. It was really easy! All of us were out of there in under half an hour. Then it was back to the apartment to play some Left 4 Dead and watch Invader Zim. We went to bed early so that we could rise early. Mmmmm. Sleeping with the Redhead is always a highlight of the trip.
As usual, the viewing schedules were thrown together at the last minute. If Kapoor could improve one thing about A-Kon, it would be the viewings - they're poorly organized, poorly promoted, and haphazardly arranged. If Kapoor were in charge, he'd put new anime in the large room, less-new but notable anime in the medium-sized room, and classic anime (or at least anime more than 10 years old) in the smallest room; he'd also coordinate with dealers so that what's shown could be in their inventory when they arrive. Kapoor would also organize slates of programming: Mecha Mornings, for example, or Fantasy Friday, or something like that. Of course, there might be something that makes the process inherently difficult to organize, but no one has ever explained it to Kapoor's satisfaction.
The only new anime Kapoor saw was Baccano, a story about immortals and others in 1930 New York. The immortals, a group of 18th-century alchemists, have reunited to face a threat to their existence. Throw in some bank robbers and young gangsters and you've got an interesting mix. Kapoor talked the Redhead into seeing Ninja Nonsense, a silly anime with really lowbrow humor. She liked it; she laughed so hard at one point it reduced her to tears.
The writing panel track was much the same as last year, so Kapoor skipped a couple of them. He attended a panel on heroines in fantasy. It's surprising to think that just forty years ago the publishing industry was hostile to female fantasy authors and to female protagonists. Authors had to hide behind gender-ambiguous pseudonyms, and female fantasy characters were either screamers or Conan with boobs.
Kapoor was going to attend the A-Kon writers workshop with the Red Princess, but she made him late with her shopping. Kapoor planned to punish her by buying a maid costume (three dealers had'em!) and making her wear it, but she refused to do so unless Kapoor wore it first. Bah! Who in their right mind would want to see Kapoor in a maid outfit?
Speaking of gender ambiguity, there seemed to be more traps at A-Kon this year than in previous years. It makes Kapoor think that some cultural critical mass has been reached, and female characters in anime and games are now presented so favorably that teens and twentysomethings of both genders have no problem costuming as them. When Kapoor was a young schoolvixen schoolboy, even girls didn't want to play female characters because those characters were teh lame.
Speaking of cosplay, Kapoor completed the Rose Bride costume for Miz Eva. She had an Utena to pal around with as well. Kapoor himself went as Xelloss and the Redhead as Filia from Slayers Try, but Kapoor had a wardrobe malfunction when his clasp came unglued. As usual, the Redhead was a hawt Filia; some pinks just go really well with her complexion. I need to make something for QT next year so he can join in. We tried slapping dragon wings and a tail on him, and due to all the traps kept offering him the schoolgirl outfit, but I fear we came across as bullying, so he quite reasonably declined.
Memo to self: Don't bully friends.
In the end, it was hanging out with friends that made this A-Kon work. Playing Ironclaw in the hall on Friday, talking games at the game shop outside the dealers room (Kapoor picked up World of Darkness), random chatter over meals. The panels Kapoor wanted to attend were all on Friday and Sunday, and Kapoor had to go home on Sunday before them.
So, less fun than A-Kon 19, but fun enough to have me looking ahead to A-Kon 21!
On arrival, there was the opportunity to relax for a few hours in QT's company. Kapoor talked him and the Redhead into playtesting character creation for Kapoor's homegrown RPG and got valuable notes on how to improve the process and the choices. After that came a quick trip to fetch Miz Eva, and then badge pickup.
Badge pickup did not go as planned. It was really easy! All of us were out of there in under half an hour. Then it was back to the apartment to play some Left 4 Dead and watch Invader Zim. We went to bed early so that we could rise early. Mmmmm. Sleeping with the Redhead is always a highlight of the trip.
As usual, the viewing schedules were thrown together at the last minute. If Kapoor could improve one thing about A-Kon, it would be the viewings - they're poorly organized, poorly promoted, and haphazardly arranged. If Kapoor were in charge, he'd put new anime in the large room, less-new but notable anime in the medium-sized room, and classic anime (or at least anime more than 10 years old) in the smallest room; he'd also coordinate with dealers so that what's shown could be in their inventory when they arrive. Kapoor would also organize slates of programming: Mecha Mornings, for example, or Fantasy Friday, or something like that. Of course, there might be something that makes the process inherently difficult to organize, but no one has ever explained it to Kapoor's satisfaction.
The only new anime Kapoor saw was Baccano, a story about immortals and others in 1930 New York. The immortals, a group of 18th-century alchemists, have reunited to face a threat to their existence. Throw in some bank robbers and young gangsters and you've got an interesting mix. Kapoor talked the Redhead into seeing Ninja Nonsense, a silly anime with really lowbrow humor. She liked it; she laughed so hard at one point it reduced her to tears.
The writing panel track was much the same as last year, so Kapoor skipped a couple of them. He attended a panel on heroines in fantasy. It's surprising to think that just forty years ago the publishing industry was hostile to female fantasy authors and to female protagonists. Authors had to hide behind gender-ambiguous pseudonyms, and female fantasy characters were either screamers or Conan with boobs.
Kapoor was going to attend the A-Kon writers workshop with the Red Princess, but she made him late with her shopping. Kapoor planned to punish her by buying a maid costume (three dealers had'em!) and making her wear it, but she refused to do so unless Kapoor wore it first. Bah! Who in their right mind would want to see Kapoor in a maid outfit?
Speaking of gender ambiguity, there seemed to be more traps at A-Kon this year than in previous years. It makes Kapoor think that some cultural critical mass has been reached, and female characters in anime and games are now presented so favorably that teens and twentysomethings of both genders have no problem costuming as them. When Kapoor was a young schoolvixen schoolboy, even girls didn't want to play female characters because those characters were teh lame.
Speaking of cosplay, Kapoor completed the Rose Bride costume for Miz Eva. She had an Utena to pal around with as well. Kapoor himself went as Xelloss and the Redhead as Filia from Slayers Try, but Kapoor had a wardrobe malfunction when his clasp came unglued. As usual, the Redhead was a hawt Filia; some pinks just go really well with her complexion. I need to make something for QT next year so he can join in. We tried slapping dragon wings and a tail on him, and due to all the traps kept offering him the schoolgirl outfit, but I fear we came across as bullying, so he quite reasonably declined.
Memo to self: Don't bully friends.
In the end, it was hanging out with friends that made this A-Kon work. Playing Ironclaw in the hall on Friday, talking games at the game shop outside the dealers room (Kapoor picked up World of Darkness), random chatter over meals. The panels Kapoor wanted to attend were all on Friday and Sunday, and Kapoor had to go home on Sunday before them.
So, less fun than A-Kon 19, but fun enough to have me looking ahead to A-Kon 21!