Con Report 2012 (Tekko X) - Part 5: Sunday/End

I was originally planning on going back to the con on Sunday for once, because I really didn't want to miss the Lolita 101 panel ("lace, frills, and petticoats") that was scheduled for that day. And since my schedule was adjusted such that getting up in the morning was actually normal for me, it would be much less of an effort to get out there to the con on what is usually more of a non-day (at least compared to Friday and Saturday). However, after staying out till 3am Saturday night, I was willing to bet that most of the Lolita 101 panel would be a rehash of stuff I've heard or read before. So we stayed home.

But I'm not complaining. In spite of the emergency our group had, I had lots of fun at the con this year. Maybe as much as I've ever had at a con. Maybe. Certainly I was at least as excited about my cosplay this year as last, if not more. And I'm so buzzed on cosplay right now that I'm already thinking ahead to next year. I want to do another version of Chii, because she's sort of become my trademark cosplay, and she has so many various outfits to wear. It's going to be an incredible challenge, but I'm really dedicated to doing a "Chii in bandages" cosplay (like so). Getting the clouds in my Sexy no Jutsu cosplay to work was tough, but I think this will be even tougher. But if we can figure out a way to make it work, it'll be so totally worth it. The other cosplay I'm considering is a sexy Pikachu. My seamstress thinks that's a boring idea, but I'm not bothered by cliches. I've seen some sexy female pikachus in my day, and like the Misty cosplay, I'll never get tired of seeing them. So it'd be fun to do a sexy male Pikachu once. Or hell, even a sexy female Pikachu crossplay. But there's still lots of time to change my mind before next year.

I was less proactive in taking pictures of other cosplayers this year, but I'm not gonna beat myself up about that since I put so much emphasis on my own cosplays (and I got lots of great pictures of those, which I'm still working on putting up). Anyway I did get some, so I can be happy about that. I was excited to get to do a couple things this year I'd been meaning to for years; namely, get to the AMV contest, and take in some 18+ programming. On the other hand, I started wondering how come I never pay attention to the bands that play at these cons. It's probably because I'm not familiar with them, so they're easy to ignore, but as a musician and a music fan, I should really look into attending some of these concerts. I might like them. And if I don't, I can always walk out.

I didn't even look at the video gaming rooms this year, as I think they were stuck up on the fourth floor, and I didn't have any real reason to go up there. It's okay, though, I'm not really into communal video gaming - even in the video game club I attended in college, I went mostly for the atmosphere, and when it came to playing games, it was something off in a side room by myself or with close friends. Plus, with all those people looking to play, how can you even really get into a game? Well, I know a lot of people like playing games at cons, I guess I'm just not one of them. But that doesn't bother me.

I had one other thought about attending conventions this year, and that was the possibility of hosting my own panel for a future con. I've seen several panels by now, and the quality varies greatly. I certainly have the skill and talent to produce an adequate Powerpoint presentation, if my high school and college experience is worth anything (sometimes I wonder...). And given my experience both as an anime fan and as a student of Japanese language and culture (I know most American anime fans have atrocious Japanese pronunciation, but you'd expect a little better from someone so versed in a section of Japanese fandom as to have the desire and the ability to host a panel at a convention - well, at least I would), I'd like to believe that I could be at least an adequate presenter of some facet of the fandom.

Of course, the question is what facet - and whether it's not already covered by someone more versed than I am. Actually, that's not the problem, as it's what gave me the idea of doing a panel in the first place, as I had perceived an opening, an omission that seemed (to me) to desire filling. And one that has a particular appeal for me. Unfortunately, though, it's a pretty fringe and highly controversial aspect of the fandom, so I doubt it would ever be accepted by the convention. Nevertheless, I think I'm gonna work on it anyway, for my own benefit if noone else's. And I'd like to tell you what it is, but I don't want to open myself up for misinterpretation. So feel free to speculate instead. :p

Or, distract yourself with pictures from this year's con. I'll be back shortly (a few days at the most), with links to my pictures taken at the con, both of my cosplays and of the other people's cosplays that I got pictures of. Plus, I'll probably have some links to some pictures of me that other people have taken, if I can find many. Look forward to it!