It’s been a long, amazing weekend of seeing friends and experiencing my age-old hangout: Otakon! While it’s changed quite a bit over the years, it’s still a fun experience. The crowds were amazing, and there was so much ambient positivity and support everywhere. For the first time in ages, I didn’t sell anything (and there’s a good chance I wont booth at a con ever again; I think that ship has sailed). Instead, I cosplayed with the group and wandered around.
First and foremost: I got to experience driving in downtown DC in the worst of ways.
Yes, that’s how long it took me to drive that far. I still can’t believe it.
We all arrived on Thursday, many of us not having seen each other in months. I finally got to meet the elusive Pickles within our friend group (check out their artwork – they’re stunningly talented!) We settled into our respected hotels, then wandered out to a place they frequented in previous years called Farmers and Distillers.
Friday and Saturday were the big cosplay days. Several of us, veterans of cosplaying in hot environments in late summer, decided we were all too old for such things and came up with a comfortable and fun way to cosplay: Vacation versions of our characters! We all dressed up as various characters from Final Fantasy XIV, all decked out and ready for their ‘vacations’ in the latest expansion released earlier this month: Dawntrail. I played the part of Thancred, and I may have gone slightly overboard with it, but I regret NOTHING. The fans and fellow cosplayers loved our group (especially Zaff’s cursed Hades shirt), and I received a lot of compliments on my Dadcred.
Both photoshoots, Friday and Saturday, were a ton of fun for me. And of course, all the random cosplayers we met along the way.
Another highlight of the weekend: I got to meet the voice actors for Alisaie, Alphinaud, and Thancred. I made sure Peter Bramhill signed my gunblade! He loved all our cosplays.
Sunday was a little different. We dodged into the convention for a short while to make one last run on the Dealer’s Room and Artist Alley, then me and several other members of team AFAB donned our nicest clothes and headed over to the Watergate Hotel for a fancy tea service. I got the Lavender White Tea, and it was a full pot, served in a fancy teapot! The entire experience was surreal and everything tasted SUPERB. We barely finished everything! Well worth every penny. The hotel was really fancy, and the bathroom was stunningly beautiful. Great for selfies!
Afterwards, we met up with the rest of our group at the Smithsonian Natural History museum, and spent some time wandering around. Mostly, I hung out with Pickles and admired geology. Apparently they’re a self-taught geologist, and quite knowledgeable about how various minerals and gemstones are formed! I learned a lot, and got treated to a fun moment of watching them go feral through a large container of polished stones. We also got caught by a busker outside selling hats. Not sure if we were scammed or not, but we all appreciate the hustle and the guy was really nice and polite. I now have a touristy souvenir!
However, at the end of Sunday, it was time for me to say my goodbyes. I drove in, and I enjoy long night-drives, so I decided to hit the road around 11pm, making back to my home in time to see the sun rise. It was an amazing experience, and it was great getting to see my friends. If nothing else, being around so many artists really made me want to get back into doing my artwork again. I have missed it.
