Not Dead, But It's Close
Jun. 25th, 2008 05:24 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
effexAm sicker then I have been in years and years and *years* - was hit last *Tuesday* (like a goddamn fish to the head, delivered by a ninja in the night) with a full bout of influenza, am still not well enough to make it to the goddamn mailbox and back. Am lucky am a freelancer, am lucky I blocked off the week for a family visit. I hear they're having a very good time. Have spent my time watching far, far too much teevee, much of it Disney (Darkwing Duck!), which has lead to shenanigans. More on that later.
In the meantime, it is 5:30 am! I can not sleep! It's time for that A-Kon report!
Friday:
Having gotten in from our drive up to Michigan and back the night before (another fun story), My brother and I headed down to Dallas on Very Little Sleep. Which is how you're supposed to do cons, so. I had pre-registered and ended up waiting in that noble line for a *very* long time - my bother, who did not pre-reg, got his badge a good 45 minutes before I did. But *he* did not get a bag of swag.
Wandered the Artist's Alley, which was fantastic - had a chance to stop by the Studio Zoe and meet Josh Lesnick, author of Girly and other fine comics (Josh is very tall and kinda shy in person, it was great to meet him), picked up the first issue of Doctor Voluptua and a small book of random comics (I already, uh, owned everything else he was selling...). Then dropped off the Back Up (![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
backupproject) stickers and fliers at ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
telophase's table.
And then there were a variety of panels to attend, most of them art related (A-Kon panels are very workshop-oriented, it seems), but my Very Favorite was a panel with Peter Beagle. He was running late, so we watched the extras from the Last Unicorn DVD and played the trivia game - tons of fun. And then he got there and spent 20 minutes just... telling stories. Stories about writing, stories about the actors in the movie, stories about his cat - it was *fantastic.* I mean, I really liked him when I saw him on a panel at Comic Con 2006, and this totally sealed him as one of my favorite people ever. His *voice,* folks.
We stayed for the amateur AMV contest (amateur for a reason, but still fun), and then headed home.
Saturday:
There were many panels, Saturday, I'm sure of it, but the only one I remember is "Anime and Literacy," which was a blast (and surprisingly well attended). Also made a point of attending the expert AMV contest, which was *amazing* - let me point you towards Code Monkey (by KagatoAMV), Beautiful Stranger (by Trilaan), and Rainbow Revolution (by Vellure) as particularly fine examples (the contest's official results can be found here).
Sunday:
Sunday, Brother and I went with K, who had never been to an anime con before - she was wide eyed and bouncy and just generally thrilled (also 15, but that had little to do with it), her enthusiasm was enough to make a rather slow day a fun one.
Highlight of the day was the Dolfie panel - we'd seen the dolls around all weekend and were itching (the brother in particular) to see some up close. The panel was *packed* - more then 50 people in one little room and easily as many dolls. We watched a video about Volks and Ball Jointed Dolls, had a couple speakers talk about the different doll types and the Den of Angels forum, and participated in the raffle. Where we *cleaned up,* folks, I shit you not - I won the very first prize, an Obitsu 21cm doll with a wig and clothes (and stickers for eyes - I plan to take 'em off and paint her some new ones), and my brother one the very last one, a Ciao Bella head from Bambi Crony, complete with faceup (she's *darling*). He's totally into it, he's already ordered her a body and attended two local doll meet-ups, plus has planned out her wardrobe (he's a theatrical costume minor and, yes, he's the *straight* sibling). Has also promised to make me clothes for that Apollo doll I still really want.
In closing, A-Kon was a total blast - the cosplay was fantastic (and everywhere, omg, something like 1/3 of the attendees were dressed up. And 1/5 of *those* were L. L was *everywhere*) there was so much *diversity* - ethnic, gender expression, racial, age, you name it. SO COOL.
Next year, we have decided, we are going as members of a steampunk airship transport service. I get to be captain, it'll be awesome.
In the meantime, it is 5:30 am! I can not sleep! It's time for that A-Kon report!
Friday:
Having gotten in from our drive up to Michigan and back the night before (another fun story), My brother and I headed down to Dallas on Very Little Sleep. Which is how you're supposed to do cons, so. I had pre-registered and ended up waiting in that noble line for a *very* long time - my bother, who did not pre-reg, got his badge a good 45 minutes before I did. But *he* did not get a bag of swag.
Wandered the Artist's Alley, which was fantastic - had a chance to stop by the Studio Zoe and meet Josh Lesnick, author of Girly and other fine comics (Josh is very tall and kinda shy in person, it was great to meet him), picked up the first issue of Doctor Voluptua and a small book of random comics (I already, uh, owned everything else he was selling...). Then dropped off the Back Up (
backupproject) stickers and fliers at telophase's table. And then there were a variety of panels to attend, most of them art related (A-Kon panels are very workshop-oriented, it seems), but my Very Favorite was a panel with Peter Beagle. He was running late, so we watched the extras from the Last Unicorn DVD and played the trivia game - tons of fun. And then he got there and spent 20 minutes just... telling stories. Stories about writing, stories about the actors in the movie, stories about his cat - it was *fantastic.* I mean, I really liked him when I saw him on a panel at Comic Con 2006, and this totally sealed him as one of my favorite people ever. His *voice,* folks.
We stayed for the amateur AMV contest (amateur for a reason, but still fun), and then headed home.
Saturday:
There were many panels, Saturday, I'm sure of it, but the only one I remember is "Anime and Literacy," which was a blast (and surprisingly well attended). Also made a point of attending the expert AMV contest, which was *amazing* - let me point you towards Code Monkey (by KagatoAMV), Beautiful Stranger (by Trilaan), and Rainbow Revolution (by Vellure) as particularly fine examples (the contest's official results can be found here).
Sunday:
Sunday, Brother and I went with K, who had never been to an anime con before - she was wide eyed and bouncy and just generally thrilled (also 15, but that had little to do with it), her enthusiasm was enough to make a rather slow day a fun one.
Highlight of the day was the Dolfie panel - we'd seen the dolls around all weekend and were itching (the brother in particular) to see some up close. The panel was *packed* - more then 50 people in one little room and easily as many dolls. We watched a video about Volks and Ball Jointed Dolls, had a couple speakers talk about the different doll types and the Den of Angels forum, and participated in the raffle. Where we *cleaned up,* folks, I shit you not - I won the very first prize, an Obitsu 21cm doll with a wig and clothes (and stickers for eyes - I plan to take 'em off and paint her some new ones), and my brother one the very last one, a Ciao Bella head from Bambi Crony, complete with faceup (she's *darling*). He's totally into it, he's already ordered her a body and attended two local doll meet-ups, plus has planned out her wardrobe (he's a theatrical costume minor and, yes, he's the *straight* sibling). Has also promised to make me clothes for that Apollo doll I still really want.
In closing, A-Kon was a total blast - the cosplay was fantastic (and everywhere, omg, something like 1/3 of the attendees were dressed up. And 1/5 of *those* were L. L was *everywhere*) there was so much *diversity* - ethnic, gender expression, racial, age, you name it. SO COOL.
Next year, we have decided, we are going as members of a steampunk airship transport service. I get to be captain, it'll be awesome.
