Bowser Pirate Sets Sail

It’s Labour Day Weekend! Get out and do something! Go to the Ren Faire or geek out on vigigames like League of Legends!  (I’m a LoL newb, so if you play all weekend you can kick my butt.  Note me for my summoner name!)

I’ll fill you all in on my weekend adventures on the flip side, but for now, this art adorns my bedroom wall, along with Catbus.  Slimu pwns!

DistrictGeek’s post-Otakon Report 2011, Part II!

And now, part two of my Otakon 2011 venture! (Otakon 2011 Part I is here)

EAR! OMNOMNOM!

Saturday

Brookshire suites has a Shark Mascot and a free buffet breakfast which drew me in.  After our impromptu photo shoot, I wolfed down some grease and spent the day in my Gatomon (Digimon) costume.  Predictably, the first thing I did back at the con was to queue once more.  This time it was for a Baby, The Stars Shine Bright (BTSSB) and Alice and the Pirates fashion show, which featured Japanese Lolita fashion.  I met more local Lolis there, and they convinced me that Lolita is a branch of costuming that I would like to venture down.

I then made time in my schedule to visit the dealers hall by skipping the showing of Trigun: Badlands Rumble.  Afterwards, I joined in a fur-meet (to show off my catgirl outfit) and visited a Lolita clothing swap.  It was at that point that I realized I hadn’t eaten in eight hours.  I dashed off to my hotel for a bite and then it was back to queue for the US Premiere of Fullmetal Alchemist: the Sacred Star of Milos.  In contrast to Shamballa, this movie was exciting, fit well with FMA: Brotherhood, and cued a lot of insane cheering when certain well-loved characters appeared.  The action, though repetitive (and becoming a lot like Harry Potter) was exciting and gory.  I would highly recommend seeing it when Funimation releases it to US theatres.

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(For those interested, a good SPOILER-full review of Otakon FMA Milos is here.)

The Masquerade literally fills the lower level of Baltimore’s sports arena as costumed otaku hold their talent show.  This event can be awesome, but also sometimes awful.  Hence, I allowed it to pass without me.  Instead I decided to hit the rave again.

At 10pm I queued for a Midnight Burlesque show.  It was a packed house; the combination of anime cosplay and a peep show was distinctive and worth the wait.

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Sunday

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The final morning of Otakon always has a bit of a slower pace, and the halls are lined with people wanting hugs.  There are still panels and a replay of the Anime Music Video contest, but I managed to miss everything either because the venue was full (damn thinking I didn’t need to queue Sunday!) and picking up my art from the show.  I sold 6 of 9 pieces, at a net loss of $10, but I found it an educational experience for my first entry.  I then got sucked into the art auction, where the most successful pieces in the art show were sold.  To the chagrin of many competing otaku, I kept my hand up for one piece.  Now, I have a Catbus Sleeping on telephone wires above my bed.

Mineeee<3333333

I made my way out at 1pm, with the auction still in full swing.  It’s always a bit of a downer to go, but as I looked back at all that I saw and did, all who I met and how much money I spent, and I was content.  I did all I wanted to and started some great friendships which I hope will continue.  One unique thing about conventions is that even if you only ever see your con buddies the following year, you still know that you’ll have some great people to hang out with next time.  In the meantime, the interwebz is always here.

Kawaii Cubes

I found an epic video from Kotaku on a wicked Minecraft setup made by team Oz Workshop.  This thing is massive, and includes not just buildings but entire towns from Miyazaki’s Studio Ghibli films!  If you have not seen all the Studio Ghibli films, you really should.  Each one has its own oddities (read: some have crack as a key ingredient), but they also have charm and confer poignant lessons that can leave your soul satisfied.

I especially adore Laputa: Castle in the Sky, whose interior appears to be as creepy and massive as the movie was (might there be old freaky robots on that thing?).   Also, the interior of Howl’s Moving Castle is so perfect! I half want to see the fire talk to me! ❤

Such a cute fire demon! (via and everything nice)

Plus, there’s a catbus and Totoro too! Squee!  Minecraft’s infinite potential shines through in this one.  Way to go, Oz Workshop!