Otakon 2013

DandelionsWish & myself

This was my forth year at Otakon. It has become a yearly tradition although I do not know if I will continue attending.

I had a good time but I find it is losing it luster. It may be because I flew down and with all the extra costs of travel  it doesn't seem worth the trouble, but I hope that when it moves to DC in 2017 it will give the con the boost it needs.

As usual, it was hot as hell outside and it was miserable to get food since there were lineups everywhere. Luckily I stayed at the Hilton which is connected to the convention center, however there were often lineups to get in or out of the skywalk.

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Thursday

I flew in Thursday with another local cosplayer, Skylar,  that I have known for years. I spotted her at the airport and it happened that we booked the same flight there and back. It's always nice to have company in the airport. We got in before noon and hoped a cab to the city.

I spent the day shopping by the habour and killing time until my roommates arrived. We had a lovely dinner at the Cheesecake Factory and we managed to get our badges before closing at 10. This was the first year I had to wait in line for longer than 5 minutes to get my badge.

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Friday

I got into Ms. Fortune first thing in the morning and rushed to a hoot with EleventhPhotograph at 11 by the outdoor fountains. After sweating it out for nice photos I went to visit the Crunchyroll booth to help out as an Ambassador and I got to meet fellow ambassador Dandelion'sWish. The rest of the day was spent meeting up with friends and browsing the dealer's room and artist alley.

The more you know #1: At the end of the day I managed to get into a CVS that was closing to get some nail polish remover to take off my fake nails. It turns out your need ID to buy it because acetone is used to make meth and the DEA keeps a record of all purchases. My ID was invalid, but luckily I found acetone free remover. If not I would be stuck with my claws. I couldn't even remove my braids with those things on. Oh America...

Saturday

I debuted Alicia from SAO/Alfheim Online. The first order of business was to attend/help out at the Crunchyroll panel in the morning. There were certainly some dedicated CR fans in the room.
I spent most of the day going back and forth from the con to my hotel room because I needed to a take a break in between photoshoots. I got to work with both Soulfire Photography and AshB for the first time. I also got in an sunset shoot with Anna Fischer.

The more you know #2: Do not venture away from the con centre area in a mildly revealing costume. I got harassed by at least 5 guys when I went for food in Alicia, including a guy with two kids. I was not impressed.

I had a yummy but late dinner at the Kona Grill and I highly recommend it. I almost fell asleep in our booth by the end of our visit. Luckily I managed to find some reserve energy to party till 3:30 in the morning.

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^ Here's a sneak peek of Alica ^

Sunday

Sunday was casual since I didn't want to bother with a costume. Most of my time was spent saying goodbye to friends. My roommates and I were supposed to go to the National Aquarium but they weren't selling tickets for immediate entry. I could not go because I had a flight to catch. Instead we did a victory lap of the dealer's room and Artist Alley.The flight home was hassle free and the flight attendant on my second flight was hilarious and full of sassy goodness.