Otakon 2011 Report Part 2
Continued from Part 1...
This part finishes up with the Distant Worlds concert and Sunday. It might seem a little awkward just 'cause I wrote the report as one entire thing and couldn't find a good place to cut it off at. XD;
Saturday: (continued...)
So sadly I spent too long talking to people and realized I had to get changed NOW AND FAST if I wanted to make it in time for the Final Fantasy: Distant Worlds concert. So rushed to the room, changed out quickly, sadly had no time for shower which sucked because my hair was a total wreck. Met Courtney in the lobby and we grabbed a taxi 'cause we figured the lightrail might take too long and we were getting periously close to the concert starting time. And then our taxi totally missed the right turn and had to turn around. x_x But he didn't charge us for that extra bit as it was his fault that he forgot that the next street was a one-way only as he thought he could turn down that one and get us closer than the first turn. But we still made it in time. Actually was pretty funny going in as we could like see all the geeks from a distance. XD Even though most of them were dressed up nicely, you could still tell they were geeks. Haha. I was pretty impressed how many people actually went out of their way to dress up nicely (I felt way under-dressed 'cause my only dress pants were the ones I wore for Leo and they got stained so I had to just wear my jeans and the dress shirt I brought...I realized too late doesn't fit anymore. Pfft). This was also my first time being in a concert hall actually. Since I had only been in theaters before then. So was pretty psyched and awed by everything. XD
Got to our seats and were pretty surprised by how good our seats were considering we paid one of the cheaper rates for them. But we were really close and had a GREAT view.
LOL Everyone we saw was also taking photos from their seats as soon as they sat down. XD Though as more people came in, people were being told not to take any photos. Oops. Though I think we were still ok since we took ours before anyone was really on stage. I think they just stopped people at that point 'cause a lot of the orchestra was beginning to set up.
So OMG the concert was soooooooo worth it! I'm so glad I went and I know I would have really regretted not going (I had considered not going for a bit 'cause i didn't want to miss stuff at the con and 'cause Tohma's Togainu shoot was during that time but I wasn't able to fix up Kurosuke anyways and pfft this concert ended up being like the best part of the con for me in the end). Arnie Roth, the conductor, was really adorable in the sense that he was REALLY into it and so excited. XD And then he welcomes Nobuo as the guest for the night and we're all expecting him to come out onto the stage and say something and then probably go to a special box seat. No. He comes out the side door on OUR SIDE and walks through the audience around our side and everyone is getting up and applauding him as he passes them. And then he sits in one of the center side seats...only a few feet away from where we were sitting. So both of us are like "Are you serious?! He's going to sit RIGHT THERE! Holy shit!" XD Then the concert began and oh man just hearing the music live was so amazing. I'm said on here before how I really get into my music and I've always been such a huge fan of FF music. I even like a lot of the music from the games I don't like or haven't even played. They started with Prelude, of course, and then did Liberi Fatali which I think is just like the perfect opening piece in general. I mean hey, I don't even like VIII but I like a lot of the music and even I felt really nostalgic watching the old game play they showed on the screen when they did the FFVIII battle music. I got really excited when they did You're Not Alone from IX 'cause that one isn't on either of the CDs so I didn't even know they had that one in their line-up. Though he said it was an old one they haven't done in a long time, which surprised me as I thought it was new. But I guess the CDs don't include everything they do. Hope that means they'll make another one with the rest.
And oh god the Opera! I was soooo hoping they would do that one and they did and it was just as amazing as I thought it would be. Ah man the one part where the tenor and the bass are singing "Maria!" together always gets to me. Its just such a beautiful chord. And the singers were so proper and professional (though wonder if they know what they're singing is form a videogame lol). And on the screen they showed some of the footage from the scene in VI and it was just like "Waaaai~!" XD Everyone couldn't help but laugh at how old and cheesy the scene is, especially when they fight on stage. Also loved how they showed the game orchestra playing when the real orchestra started at the beginning. And I thought it was pretty nice how they didn't have any video showing whenever the soloists were singing as that was definitely nice and respectful to them.
Was very surprised by how many fans were cheering REALLY loudly for the XI piece. I guess there are lot more XI fans than I thought. O_o And they introduced a new piece, which he said was actually the most popular FF piece in Japan, "Battle on the Big Bridge" from FFV which both Courtney and I were like "...huh?" lol but a lot of the audience seemed excited. But then they started playing it and I was like "...I know this. Why do I know this? I've never even played V." But realize now that I probably know it from hearing it in Dissidia. XD Though I still feel like I've heard it elsewhere before, like in IV or VI. Or maybe the music is just very similar to the boss fight music? I dunno and its bothering me. lol Where do I know this music from?! Courtney said she knows it too but she hasn't played Dissidia. Anywho. I of course got the most excited when they did the Opening/Bombing Mission from FFVII. ^.^ That one is just soooo cool to hear played by a full orchestra in my opinion. Def one of my favs from the concert. They also did 2 pieces from XIII that were new to their line-up. Courtney said she heard the drummer mess up a few times in Blinded by Light but I think I was too preoccupied starring at the prettiness on the screen ('cause damn that game is pretty, as many issues I have with it, I love how pretty it is and I love Lightning so much) to notice. They did one from XIV too of course and meh, the graphicis do look nice but it just seems so pointless making another MMO for the series. Then during the Chocobo theme, they started out with a little of the XIV version before going into Swing de Chocobo and omg the video they played for it was adorable and amazing! XD They went through like all the different versions of Chocobos through all the games and it was timed very nicely to the music and of course included a lot of footage of the baby Chocobo from XIII because that thing is just too damn cute.
Then they played Terra's theme for the ending and I felt that was a pretty appropriate piece, even though inside I was feeling slighty miffed that they didn't do One Winged Angel but figured they probably were getting tired of doing that one. They had the footage from the opening of VI (as in the SNES version, not the PS1 one I'm used to) play and intead of the game opening credits, they had credits for the concert showing and I thought that was really cool. ^^ Done in the old game style of course. And I found it amusing how like everyone clapped really loudly for Nobuo's name and for Amano and Nomura but not for all the other guys who nobody cares about involved in FF. lmao. Then after that Arnie invited Nobuo on stage and they talked for a bit (I was surprised as to how good Nobuo's English was. They talked about the band he's going to be plaiyng with in like Philly...or was it Boston? lol I have no idea. But that sounded interesting and had no idea he was doing that. Guess he's really gotten into American music. But anywho, Arnie asked him if he waould sing for us so Nobuo jokingly whistled the Fanfare into the mic. XD And well I figured that would be it. But then he goes over and joins the choir and we're like "...wait...he's going to really sing?! What?!" And Arnie gives us this whole "haha, fooled you didn't we?" look and winks and tells us all that we should sing along because he knows we all know this one. "One Winged Angel" and of course the audience explodes. XDXD Hahaha...I probably should have known they wouldn't end it without doing it. So yeah, I know, most of you are sick of that song, but I still love it and it was just so cool seeing Nobuo sing it. I mean you could actually hear him pretty well because he was very Japanese sounding compared to the rest of the choir. XDXD Ah man it was amazing and the perfect way to end it! And oh man my hands were red from all the clapping at the end. Like to the point where they were starting to itch. hahaha XD But kept clapping anyways!
But here's the full list (as far as I can remember it, some of this might be out of order) of what they perfomed:
Prelude
FFVIII - Liberi Fatali
FFVIII - Don't Be Afraid
FFIX - You're Not Alone
FFIV - Theme of Love
FFVII - JENVOA
FFX - To Zanarkand
FFVIII - Fisherman's Horizon
FFVI - Opera "Maria and Draco"
FFVII - Opening/Bombing Mission
FFXI - Memoro de la Stono
FFV - Battle on the Big Bridge
FFVII - Main Theme
FFXIII - The Promise
FFXIII - Blinded by Light (I think...or was it Defiers of Fate? lol They're pretty much the same thing...)
FFXIV - Twilight Over Thanalan
FF - Swing de Chocobo
FF - Fanfare (lol even if it was only like 10 seconds long XD though I forget if this came before or after Chocobo)
FFVI - Terra's theme
FFVII - One Winged Angel
Originally we thought we'd try to find some place to eat around the concert hall so we wouldn't have to try to brave the mad rush of taxis and lightrail of people going back to the con and not have to deal with having a hard time finding food at the con. But we really couldn't find anything and the area was starting to look sketchy the more we walked. There was a formal Squall and his girl (not a formal Rinoa oddly enough) walking a bit ahead of us so I jokingly said "...Squall will protect us. Pffft." Courtney: "By dancing awkwardly in front of them while some weird chick calls him over and then he magically suddenly knows how to dance? Suuure." XDXD And this is why I like hanging with her. But yeah we gave up but then noticed people waiting at a stop for the Purple Line as the bus is coming over and Courtney is all "hey that's the bus that shuttles from my hotel to the con. Its free. We should just get on that!" So we ran across the street, hoping not to die, lol, and caught the bus just in time. lol If we had known it went there we could have just taken it to the concert. Oh well. Though wow was the bus ride back EXTREMLY GEEKY. The whole bus was packed with geeks from the concert and it was kinda...awkward 'cause I'm used to being quiet and polite on buses and ya know, stay out of people's personal spaces. But they were all really loud and all over the place. lol I think we were the only two geeks trying to act like normal bus riders. Felt so bad for the few people who weren't con-goers on it.
We get back to the con and then realize that oh right the restaurant right next to the Days Inn is a sports bar which means it would still be open at this late hour! Thank god! As we were both INSANELY hungry at this point since neither got a chance to eat before the concert. And there wasn't a wait and not many people there so we didn't have to wait long at all. I also found it amusing how much that place now caters to the con. Our waitress had cat ears on for crying aloud. We get the menus and I'm like "Food. They'll ask what I want and I'll just be like "...Yes." "...what?" "Just give me food. Whatever takes the shortest amount of tiem to make." XD So Courtney decided on chicken fingers and fries and I decided on Quesidillas and sure enough was out pretty fast and we fucking devoured that stuff. Oh god we were so hungry. Haha! Though while we were eating, I kept checking my phone for texts 'cause I figured the Masquerade should be over by now and I told Lex and them to message me if I won anything. And well it wasn't like I was really expecting anything but its always a bit nerve-wrecking not knowing. And I was a bit dismayed the later it got, thinking it meant I just didn't win anything because surely by now SOMEONE would have told me. So I go back to the room after we part ways and Laura is right there at the door and first thing out of her mouth "So did you win anything?" and I'm like "Uhhh you tell me?" lol. "Oh right. We were supposed to find out...oops. We kinda left and totally forgot til afterw we were gone that we were supposed to wait." Pffft so had noooo clue. XD But I figured I'd just check the room the next morning as they usually post the winners there but I always feel awkward doing that, especially if it turns out I didn't win anything. lol
So then pretty much everyone in the rooms goes out to watch a panel and I decided to just die in the room. Though in the end kinda regretted not going with them 'cause I was really bored and Val was busy reading and not up for much conversation so I just texted people and played with my Star Driver figures (lol I'm such a kid but they really made me happy). But I know their panel was an 18+ and I hadn't gotten one of the bracelets for that and also really was pretty tired. But wasn't sure where the air mattress was nor how to hook it up. But then Laura came back early by herself 'cause there were some really rude folks who wouldn't shut up during the panel and it pissed her off so she left but everyone else stayed. So while that sucked, was kinda glad to have her around so I wouldn't die of boredom. We put out the air mattress, Lex came in and went to bed and we chatted for a little til the rest of the room came back and shared epic stories about this panel and how Dani finally told the rude folks to shut the fuck up (which I kinda wish I had been there JUST to see that, it sounded hilarious). And the panel itself sounded really good so maybe one of these days I'll actually go to these late night panels with them 'cause sounds like they're actually worth going to. Especially as this one contained a lot of old school stuff. But eventually I was too tired to chat anymore so went to bed. And this time I finally slept well. Or well at least better than the previous nights.
Sunday:
Got up, got into Teito, and then played the try-to-get-down-the-elevator game. I forgot my straightner at home so I had to deal with my curly hair and it sucked especially with the hot weather making it impossible to not have my hair super curl up. x_x And I look a million times better in that costume with my hair straightened. Blah. While packing up the cars, I suddenly ran into people I hadn't seen ALL weekend, wtf. XD Finally saw skyrat13 and genuinelie as they too were packing up. And also ran into Angie on the elevator. She had stayed for the awards at the Masq but said she didn't remember seeing me in the photos on the screen or hearing my name. So guess I hadn't won anything. Oh well. So figured there was no point in checking the list anymore. Finished putting my stuff in Lex's car for storage til I got picked up by my parents then headed over to the con. Went to the artist alley to finally give Sarah her patch I kept forgetting to give her all con. And chilled out for a bit in AA. Then went over to the fountains when it got closer to the time fo the 07-Ghost gathering. But on my way I get stopped by Nami and Tara who are both all "Congratulations!" and I'm like "...for what?" "You won didn't you?" "Uhhh, beats me? I don't know but my friend said she didn't hear my name so I don't think I did." "No you totally did. We're friends with one of the judges and we asked her and she said your name." So I was like "...oh. Well. uh guess I'll look then. o_o"
So I make a beeline over there and sure enough, there's my name under "Best Friday Craftsman". So ya know, going from thinking you didn't win anything to finding out you won a pretty big award...is kinda an odd sensation. lol I was honestly pretty shocked that it took a while to set in that I actually DID win. Went in to claim my prizes and was pretty happy to see they had plaques this year (they usually only have paper certificates despite how big Ota is) so that made me a little giddy. And instead of random anime crap, they gave me a bunch of Otakon merchandise which actually is more likely for me to keep than what I've gotten in the past. lol Though one of the t-shirts is a 2XL. PFFFFT. I don't even know anyone that size so I guess I might look around the Ota community to see if anyone wants it. At least the other shirt is a small and I think its big enough for me to fit in (I'm usually a medium but I can fit some smalls sometimes). Also got the shot glass and a keychain but really none of that mattered compared to my shiny plaque. XD I only have ever gotten one trophy before. The rest were all paper so this is a lot easier to show off in my room. After that ran over to where we were starting to meet up for the gathering. I was pretty excited to see a Hakuren already there so plopped down next to her and found it rather amusing that our priests were sitting on the fountain with us students on the floor. I was like "is this story time? Tell us a story Frau~" and The Hakuren was so cute and joined in. XD So Lauren started some stupid little story but then stopped mid sentence and just looks past us and Corey is like "Lyn. Turn. Around." And I do and see this cosplayer...
I freaking flipped. Ok, so those that don't know 07-Ghost probably have no idea why but basically she's cosplaying the character I made the plushie of. (I try to be as vague as possible when saying the plushie's real name as its a bit of spoiler so thus why I use the codename for him instead normally.) And as you can see I immediately handed over my plushie for her to hold for this photo. XD She was so freaking cute.
Then we waited a little longer to see if others would show up. We actually had a pretty good turn out for a series that is rarely cosplayed. We had Jon as Ayanami, Corey as Castor (she was going to do Lance but couldn't figure out the wig), Lauren as Frau from the recent chapters (when he's dyed his hair black and is having scythe issues XD), two Hakurens, "Burupya", and three Teitos (2 of us doing the mourning outfit and 1 doing the military uniform).
This gathering was actually probably the best one I went to the whole con. It was a lot of fun and a great way to end the con. ^^ ...even if my hair did look stupid and incorrect without it being straight. Pffft. And my Baskule broke but really it was only a matter of time before it did since I made it out of 2 pieces of plastic styrene instead of just one full piece (I didn't have a long enough piece left to make it 1 piece sadly when I made it right before Zenkai) so was always worried it'd be weak at the point between the two pieces. And sure enough, that's where it broke. But I've already glued it back together and it seems fine. Not a big loss if it doesn't stay together now 'cause I made it pretty fast and its not very well made. XD Its not even the right size.
One of the other Teitos had the official Burupya plushie with them so I just had to steal it for a bit to do this...
lol Everyone saw me do this and there was this loud "AWWWW!" XD;
Gathering died down and it was time to say goodbyes to quite a few people. I then had a wrap from the concession stand because there wasn't enough time to get anything else before the time I told my parents to pick me up at. And the price on that wasn't as bad as most of the other food at least. Sat down with Lauren and ate it and then went to try to find Dar at closing ceremonies...only to realize the room was packed. Which was odd as I remember in previous years just being able to walk in and sit with them as it finished up. But then found out only Dar went to it and everyone else was already in the lobby so went over there and got my stuff. XD My parents had perfect timing and arrived just after Lex had brought the car around into a parking space and the spot next to us just happened to be open (and I had just been thinking of maybe standing in the spot to try to reserve it for them lol) so that made life easier. Packed up and left the con.
Rest of my photos can be seen here: http://lyn.houjun.com/otakon11.html
~Lyn
This part finishes up with the Distant Worlds concert and Sunday. It might seem a little awkward just 'cause I wrote the report as one entire thing and couldn't find a good place to cut it off at. XD;
Saturday: (continued...)
So sadly I spent too long talking to people and realized I had to get changed NOW AND FAST if I wanted to make it in time for the Final Fantasy: Distant Worlds concert. So rushed to the room, changed out quickly, sadly had no time for shower which sucked because my hair was a total wreck. Met Courtney in the lobby and we grabbed a taxi 'cause we figured the lightrail might take too long and we were getting periously close to the concert starting time. And then our taxi totally missed the right turn and had to turn around. x_x But he didn't charge us for that extra bit as it was his fault that he forgot that the next street was a one-way only as he thought he could turn down that one and get us closer than the first turn. But we still made it in time. Actually was pretty funny going in as we could like see all the geeks from a distance. XD Even though most of them were dressed up nicely, you could still tell they were geeks. Haha. I was pretty impressed how many people actually went out of their way to dress up nicely (I felt way under-dressed 'cause my only dress pants were the ones I wore for Leo and they got stained so I had to just wear my jeans and the dress shirt I brought...I realized too late doesn't fit anymore. Pfft). This was also my first time being in a concert hall actually. Since I had only been in theaters before then. So was pretty psyched and awed by everything. XD
Got to our seats and were pretty surprised by how good our seats were considering we paid one of the cheaper rates for them. But we were really close and had a GREAT view.
LOL Everyone we saw was also taking photos from their seats as soon as they sat down. XD Though as more people came in, people were being told not to take any photos. Oops. Though I think we were still ok since we took ours before anyone was really on stage. I think they just stopped people at that point 'cause a lot of the orchestra was beginning to set up.
So OMG the concert was soooooooo worth it! I'm so glad I went and I know I would have really regretted not going (I had considered not going for a bit 'cause i didn't want to miss stuff at the con and 'cause Tohma's Togainu shoot was during that time but I wasn't able to fix up Kurosuke anyways and pfft this concert ended up being like the best part of the con for me in the end). Arnie Roth, the conductor, was really adorable in the sense that he was REALLY into it and so excited. XD And then he welcomes Nobuo as the guest for the night and we're all expecting him to come out onto the stage and say something and then probably go to a special box seat. No. He comes out the side door on OUR SIDE and walks through the audience around our side and everyone is getting up and applauding him as he passes them. And then he sits in one of the center side seats...only a few feet away from where we were sitting. So both of us are like "Are you serious?! He's going to sit RIGHT THERE! Holy shit!" XD Then the concert began and oh man just hearing the music live was so amazing. I'm said on here before how I really get into my music and I've always been such a huge fan of FF music. I even like a lot of the music from the games I don't like or haven't even played. They started with Prelude, of course, and then did Liberi Fatali which I think is just like the perfect opening piece in general. I mean hey, I don't even like VIII but I like a lot of the music and even I felt really nostalgic watching the old game play they showed on the screen when they did the FFVIII battle music. I got really excited when they did You're Not Alone from IX 'cause that one isn't on either of the CDs so I didn't even know they had that one in their line-up. Though he said it was an old one they haven't done in a long time, which surprised me as I thought it was new. But I guess the CDs don't include everything they do. Hope that means they'll make another one with the rest.
And oh god the Opera! I was soooo hoping they would do that one and they did and it was just as amazing as I thought it would be. Ah man the one part where the tenor and the bass are singing "Maria!" together always gets to me. Its just such a beautiful chord. And the singers were so proper and professional (though wonder if they know what they're singing is form a videogame lol). And on the screen they showed some of the footage from the scene in VI and it was just like "Waaaai~!" XD Everyone couldn't help but laugh at how old and cheesy the scene is, especially when they fight on stage. Also loved how they showed the game orchestra playing when the real orchestra started at the beginning. And I thought it was pretty nice how they didn't have any video showing whenever the soloists were singing as that was definitely nice and respectful to them.
Was very surprised by how many fans were cheering REALLY loudly for the XI piece. I guess there are lot more XI fans than I thought. O_o And they introduced a new piece, which he said was actually the most popular FF piece in Japan, "Battle on the Big Bridge" from FFV which both Courtney and I were like "...huh?" lol but a lot of the audience seemed excited. But then they started playing it and I was like "...I know this. Why do I know this? I've never even played V." But realize now that I probably know it from hearing it in Dissidia. XD Though I still feel like I've heard it elsewhere before, like in IV or VI. Or maybe the music is just very similar to the boss fight music? I dunno and its bothering me. lol Where do I know this music from?! Courtney said she knows it too but she hasn't played Dissidia. Anywho. I of course got the most excited when they did the Opening/Bombing Mission from FFVII. ^.^ That one is just soooo cool to hear played by a full orchestra in my opinion. Def one of my favs from the concert. They also did 2 pieces from XIII that were new to their line-up. Courtney said she heard the drummer mess up a few times in Blinded by Light but I think I was too preoccupied starring at the prettiness on the screen ('cause damn that game is pretty, as many issues I have with it, I love how pretty it is and I love Lightning so much) to notice. They did one from XIV too of course and meh, the graphicis do look nice but it just seems so pointless making another MMO for the series. Then during the Chocobo theme, they started out with a little of the XIV version before going into Swing de Chocobo and omg the video they played for it was adorable and amazing! XD They went through like all the different versions of Chocobos through all the games and it was timed very nicely to the music and of course included a lot of footage of the baby Chocobo from XIII because that thing is just too damn cute.
Then they played Terra's theme for the ending and I felt that was a pretty appropriate piece, even though inside I was feeling slighty miffed that they didn't do One Winged Angel but figured they probably were getting tired of doing that one. They had the footage from the opening of VI (as in the SNES version, not the PS1 one I'm used to) play and intead of the game opening credits, they had credits for the concert showing and I thought that was really cool. ^^ Done in the old game style of course. And I found it amusing how like everyone clapped really loudly for Nobuo's name and for Amano and Nomura but not for all the other guys who nobody cares about involved in FF. lmao. Then after that Arnie invited Nobuo on stage and they talked for a bit (I was surprised as to how good Nobuo's English was. They talked about the band he's going to be plaiyng with in like Philly...or was it Boston? lol I have no idea. But that sounded interesting and had no idea he was doing that. Guess he's really gotten into American music. But anywho, Arnie asked him if he waould sing for us so Nobuo jokingly whistled the Fanfare into the mic. XD And well I figured that would be it. But then he goes over and joins the choir and we're like "...wait...he's going to really sing?! What?!" And Arnie gives us this whole "haha, fooled you didn't we?" look and winks and tells us all that we should sing along because he knows we all know this one. "One Winged Angel" and of course the audience explodes. XDXD Hahaha...I probably should have known they wouldn't end it without doing it. So yeah, I know, most of you are sick of that song, but I still love it and it was just so cool seeing Nobuo sing it. I mean you could actually hear him pretty well because he was very Japanese sounding compared to the rest of the choir. XDXD Ah man it was amazing and the perfect way to end it! And oh man my hands were red from all the clapping at the end. Like to the point where they were starting to itch. hahaha XD But kept clapping anyways!
But here's the full list (as far as I can remember it, some of this might be out of order) of what they perfomed:
Prelude
FFVIII - Liberi Fatali
FFVIII - Don't Be Afraid
FFIX - You're Not Alone
FFIV - Theme of Love
FFVII - JENVOA
FFX - To Zanarkand
FFVIII - Fisherman's Horizon
FFVI - Opera "Maria and Draco"
FFVII - Opening/Bombing Mission
FFXI - Memoro de la Stono
FFV - Battle on the Big Bridge
FFVII - Main Theme
FFXIII - The Promise
FFXIII - Blinded by Light (I think...or was it Defiers of Fate? lol They're pretty much the same thing...)
FFXIV - Twilight Over Thanalan
FF - Swing de Chocobo
FF - Fanfare (lol even if it was only like 10 seconds long XD though I forget if this came before or after Chocobo)
FFVI - Terra's theme
FFVII - One Winged Angel
Originally we thought we'd try to find some place to eat around the concert hall so we wouldn't have to try to brave the mad rush of taxis and lightrail of people going back to the con and not have to deal with having a hard time finding food at the con. But we really couldn't find anything and the area was starting to look sketchy the more we walked. There was a formal Squall and his girl (not a formal Rinoa oddly enough) walking a bit ahead of us so I jokingly said "...Squall will protect us. Pffft." Courtney: "By dancing awkwardly in front of them while some weird chick calls him over and then he magically suddenly knows how to dance? Suuure." XDXD And this is why I like hanging with her. But yeah we gave up but then noticed people waiting at a stop for the Purple Line as the bus is coming over and Courtney is all "hey that's the bus that shuttles from my hotel to the con. Its free. We should just get on that!" So we ran across the street, hoping not to die, lol, and caught the bus just in time. lol If we had known it went there we could have just taken it to the concert. Oh well. Though wow was the bus ride back EXTREMLY GEEKY. The whole bus was packed with geeks from the concert and it was kinda...awkward 'cause I'm used to being quiet and polite on buses and ya know, stay out of people's personal spaces. But they were all really loud and all over the place. lol I think we were the only two geeks trying to act like normal bus riders. Felt so bad for the few people who weren't con-goers on it.
We get back to the con and then realize that oh right the restaurant right next to the Days Inn is a sports bar which means it would still be open at this late hour! Thank god! As we were both INSANELY hungry at this point since neither got a chance to eat before the concert. And there wasn't a wait and not many people there so we didn't have to wait long at all. I also found it amusing how much that place now caters to the con. Our waitress had cat ears on for crying aloud. We get the menus and I'm like "Food. They'll ask what I want and I'll just be like "...Yes." "...what?" "Just give me food. Whatever takes the shortest amount of tiem to make." XD So Courtney decided on chicken fingers and fries and I decided on Quesidillas and sure enough was out pretty fast and we fucking devoured that stuff. Oh god we were so hungry. Haha! Though while we were eating, I kept checking my phone for texts 'cause I figured the Masquerade should be over by now and I told Lex and them to message me if I won anything. And well it wasn't like I was really expecting anything but its always a bit nerve-wrecking not knowing. And I was a bit dismayed the later it got, thinking it meant I just didn't win anything because surely by now SOMEONE would have told me. So I go back to the room after we part ways and Laura is right there at the door and first thing out of her mouth "So did you win anything?" and I'm like "Uhhh you tell me?" lol. "Oh right. We were supposed to find out...oops. We kinda left and totally forgot til afterw we were gone that we were supposed to wait." Pffft so had noooo clue. XD But I figured I'd just check the room the next morning as they usually post the winners there but I always feel awkward doing that, especially if it turns out I didn't win anything. lol
So then pretty much everyone in the rooms goes out to watch a panel and I decided to just die in the room. Though in the end kinda regretted not going with them 'cause I was really bored and Val was busy reading and not up for much conversation so I just texted people and played with my Star Driver figures (lol I'm such a kid but they really made me happy). But I know their panel was an 18+ and I hadn't gotten one of the bracelets for that and also really was pretty tired. But wasn't sure where the air mattress was nor how to hook it up. But then Laura came back early by herself 'cause there were some really rude folks who wouldn't shut up during the panel and it pissed her off so she left but everyone else stayed. So while that sucked, was kinda glad to have her around so I wouldn't die of boredom. We put out the air mattress, Lex came in and went to bed and we chatted for a little til the rest of the room came back and shared epic stories about this panel and how Dani finally told the rude folks to shut the fuck up (which I kinda wish I had been there JUST to see that, it sounded hilarious). And the panel itself sounded really good so maybe one of these days I'll actually go to these late night panels with them 'cause sounds like they're actually worth going to. Especially as this one contained a lot of old school stuff. But eventually I was too tired to chat anymore so went to bed. And this time I finally slept well. Or well at least better than the previous nights.
Sunday:
Got up, got into Teito, and then played the try-to-get-down-the-elevator game. I forgot my straightner at home so I had to deal with my curly hair and it sucked especially with the hot weather making it impossible to not have my hair super curl up. x_x And I look a million times better in that costume with my hair straightened. Blah. While packing up the cars, I suddenly ran into people I hadn't seen ALL weekend, wtf. XD Finally saw skyrat13 and genuinelie as they too were packing up. And also ran into Angie on the elevator. She had stayed for the awards at the Masq but said she didn't remember seeing me in the photos on the screen or hearing my name. So guess I hadn't won anything. Oh well. So figured there was no point in checking the list anymore. Finished putting my stuff in Lex's car for storage til I got picked up by my parents then headed over to the con. Went to the artist alley to finally give Sarah her patch I kept forgetting to give her all con. And chilled out for a bit in AA. Then went over to the fountains when it got closer to the time fo the 07-Ghost gathering. But on my way I get stopped by Nami and Tara who are both all "Congratulations!" and I'm like "...for what?" "You won didn't you?" "Uhhh, beats me? I don't know but my friend said she didn't hear my name so I don't think I did." "No you totally did. We're friends with one of the judges and we asked her and she said your name." So I was like "...oh. Well. uh guess I'll look then. o_o"
So I make a beeline over there and sure enough, there's my name under "Best Friday Craftsman". So ya know, going from thinking you didn't win anything to finding out you won a pretty big award...is kinda an odd sensation. lol I was honestly pretty shocked that it took a while to set in that I actually DID win. Went in to claim my prizes and was pretty happy to see they had plaques this year (they usually only have paper certificates despite how big Ota is) so that made me a little giddy. And instead of random anime crap, they gave me a bunch of Otakon merchandise which actually is more likely for me to keep than what I've gotten in the past. lol Though one of the t-shirts is a 2XL. PFFFFT. I don't even know anyone that size so I guess I might look around the Ota community to see if anyone wants it. At least the other shirt is a small and I think its big enough for me to fit in (I'm usually a medium but I can fit some smalls sometimes). Also got the shot glass and a keychain but really none of that mattered compared to my shiny plaque. XD I only have ever gotten one trophy before. The rest were all paper so this is a lot easier to show off in my room. After that ran over to where we were starting to meet up for the gathering. I was pretty excited to see a Hakuren already there so plopped down next to her and found it rather amusing that our priests were sitting on the fountain with us students on the floor. I was like "is this story time? Tell us a story Frau~" and The Hakuren was so cute and joined in. XD So Lauren started some stupid little story but then stopped mid sentence and just looks past us and Corey is like "Lyn. Turn. Around." And I do and see this cosplayer...
I freaking flipped. Ok, so those that don't know 07-Ghost probably have no idea why but basically she's cosplaying the character I made the plushie of. (I try to be as vague as possible when saying the plushie's real name as its a bit of spoiler so thus why I use the codename for him instead normally.) And as you can see I immediately handed over my plushie for her to hold for this photo. XD She was so freaking cute.
Then we waited a little longer to see if others would show up. We actually had a pretty good turn out for a series that is rarely cosplayed. We had Jon as Ayanami, Corey as Castor (she was going to do Lance but couldn't figure out the wig), Lauren as Frau from the recent chapters (when he's dyed his hair black and is having scythe issues XD), two Hakurens, "Burupya", and three Teitos (2 of us doing the mourning outfit and 1 doing the military uniform).
This gathering was actually probably the best one I went to the whole con. It was a lot of fun and a great way to end the con. ^^ ...even if my hair did look stupid and incorrect without it being straight. Pffft. And my Baskule broke but really it was only a matter of time before it did since I made it out of 2 pieces of plastic styrene instead of just one full piece (I didn't have a long enough piece left to make it 1 piece sadly when I made it right before Zenkai) so was always worried it'd be weak at the point between the two pieces. And sure enough, that's where it broke. But I've already glued it back together and it seems fine. Not a big loss if it doesn't stay together now 'cause I made it pretty fast and its not very well made. XD Its not even the right size.
One of the other Teitos had the official Burupya plushie with them so I just had to steal it for a bit to do this...
lol Everyone saw me do this and there was this loud "AWWWW!" XD;
Gathering died down and it was time to say goodbyes to quite a few people. I then had a wrap from the concession stand because there wasn't enough time to get anything else before the time I told my parents to pick me up at. And the price on that wasn't as bad as most of the other food at least. Sat down with Lauren and ate it and then went to try to find Dar at closing ceremonies...only to realize the room was packed. Which was odd as I remember in previous years just being able to walk in and sit with them as it finished up. But then found out only Dar went to it and everyone else was already in the lobby so went over there and got my stuff. XD My parents had perfect timing and arrived just after Lex had brought the car around into a parking space and the spot next to us just happened to be open (and I had just been thinking of maybe standing in the spot to try to reserve it for them lol) so that made life easier. Packed up and left the con.
Rest of my photos can be seen here: http://lyn.houjun.com/otakon11.html
~Lyn