Katsucon 2017

22/2/2017

I thoroughly enjoyed Katsu this year. I decided not to push myself too hard and only booked one shoot per day and left the rest of my schedule open for quick shoots and hanging out with friends. I wasn't able to finish my big showstopper costume (Lilith - Reference here) due to health reasons. In the end it didn't bother me that much. In the past it would have bummed me out for the entire weekend which is an unhealthy habit. Instead I had fun. Here's what happened over the weekend.

Day 0 - Thursday

The Gazebo!

I got up at the ungodly hour of 3:45am after 3 hours of sleep - not because of con crunch, thankfully, instead because of my normal sleep schedule. I ran into some trouble checking-in even though I confirmed my information with United beforehand :( It wasn't as bad as the the royal screw-up at the airport 2 years prior when returning from Katsucon 2014. Anyways. I made to Washington by eleven after booking it to catch my connection in Newark. I was able to check into the hotel extremely early, and on the 3rd floor which is convenient, then spent the rest of the day hanging out with friends.

Day 0 is so quiet in comparison to the rest of the con. I wish I had the energy to throw on a costume and shoot because it was one of those rare times you could shoot at whichever location without lining-up. Maybe next year. I got to hang out with friends and do some strange things like define my brows in the lobby bar with Stella. You know, normal con stuff. The rest of the day was low key. I grabbed dinner at Chipotle with my roomie Vicky and chilled in the room.

Day 1 - Friday

I followed a great strategy this year which was to book shoots at noon or later. Boy did it pay off by the end of the weekend. I had all the time I needed to get ready in the morning. I wore my Sakizou Mousse costume and shot with MH Photography for the first time on Friday. I then wandered the con floor catching up with friends then snapping a few pics with Anna and Kay #beyondpremium. Once my feet started to hurt, I got out of costume then went to grab some food. I almost wasted away the rest of the evening since my food included things my stomach could not tolerate [Shout-out to all my peeps with allergies and food intolerances]. Luckily I noticed after the first bite and got away with mild symptoms.

Overnight, I spent some time at the hotel bar catching up with friends then up to the hotel club POSE to meet up with even more people. I managed to meet some new people and have some conversations through the bustle of the nightclub. Although I enjoy the club I had a hard time stomaching $11 mixed drinks... which is close to $15 Canadian. Ouch!

Day 2 - Saturday

After months of planning and anticipation I finally got to wear my Sawsbuck costume. I finished the winter variation just in time for Katsu - although I need to alter the corset since it's a little large up top. It was my first time trying everything on and doing the makeup so I was nervous but I couldn't be happier with the result. One thing I didn't anticipate was my cape creating such a static charge that it clingned heavily to my skirt. Additionally, I expected some snow on the ground which was a little disappointing considering my home city is buried in snow. Thank you kind souls who complimented my costume, I was overwhelmed by the positive feedback. <3

On the docket for the day was a shoot with Erik Paredes. The last time we worked together was at Montreal ComicCon where we shot Sivir. We ventured outside because the weather was wonderful. The weekend was greatly improved by the fact that people could leave the building to shoot outside so crowding was not as much of a problem. Crowds and photoshoot spots are recurring problems at Katsucon. I also got in some brief photos with EBK and whoever I ran into at the waterfront. I also got to catch up with people that I haven't seen in years, so overall it was a good day.

The night was also great for meeting new people and catching up with friends yet again. People were definitely partying hard that night and since I'm not the type to get wasted it definitely gives you a different perspective on the evening since you can observe from a step back. I also learned my lesson and saved my wallet some pain by having my drinks before going to the club.

Day 3 - Sunday

One things that I despise is getting ready in the morning with the deadline of checking out looming over your shoulder. Once I got into Ducklett on Sunday, I rushed my bag over to friend's room, only to forget my winter jacket in the closet. You always forget something. Strangely, the elevators were moving smoothly that morning so it wasn't hard to get around. Like most other cons, Sunday is spent saying goodbye to friends. I also got into an in depth conversation about the policies of masquerades in Canada vs Minnesota. Fascinating!

That afternoon I shot with UV Photography, who also shot my Swanna at ColossalCon. Now I will have a complete set of the evolution o the Pokemon! They shut down the gazebo area for a wedding int eh afternoon so I hung around the atrium level saying goodbye to friends until I hopped the most interesting Uber of my life. Check out @uberdancingqueen and you won't regret it.

I ran into even more issues at the airport on my return trip but I made it home in one piece with all my luggage so I can't complain too much. I just find that airports are stressful when things don't go as planned.