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Unimaginative title: Animethon - Saturday
I haven't updated for a while! Sorry about that, guys. I thought I'd just share my day at Animethon. :) It's a medium-sized anime convention held every hear at Grant MacEwan College in Edmonton. It's not spectacular - especially not in comparison with the Japan Expo in Paris that I attended in 2008 - but it's remarkable for me because I know so many people who go to it. It's one of the only chances I get to see them all in once place... frequently in awesome costumes.
I don't really buy much from the dealer's room anymore. Nothing so far yet this year. I mostly just take photographs of awesome cosplayers.
This year, I decided to go as Rip Van Winkle from the Hellsing series. Essentially, I'm one of those villains that gets killed off by book four. (I was torn to piece!) I'm a part of a group; my friend Ashley has been making progressively more awesome costumes for a character from the same series, Seras Victoria, and has convinced her boyfriend to go as Alucard. We may also have a Pip. We didn't get any group photos done today, but we probably will tomorrow.
I did see many friends, and hung out with Cassidy all day (she was wearing a cute pink lolita dress). I met a nice girl from Calgary dressed as another Seras, and there was another Rip Van Winkle, a man. I think that I looked a little more polished, but, of course, I also had a prop: a really epic musket. I helped my dad make it, but he did much of the work. I did do a lot of sanding and staining and painting for it, and worked for five hours straight with him on it to finish it a week and a half ago. The barrel itself is an old broomstick, spraypainted silver. The trigger and trigger guard are from a "build your own fur trading musket" kit my dad has had kicking around since the 1980s, and we made it so the trigger won't physically be capable of moving.
Still, I was worried that my musket may be confiscated by the weapon's check. It LOOKS like a real rifle, you see (dad has made gun stocks before, and that's what this one essentially is), and it's made of wood heavy enough to be used as a club.They were really strict last year about weapons. My brother's wooden sword was almost confiscated, and he was told he should tie it or glue it into it's sheathe. My little brother is a second degree blackbelt in karate, and is fairly advanced in kobudo, or japanese weapon's training. If he wanted to hurt or kill you, he wouldn't use a prop sword. :P It was getting kind of ridiculous. One of my friends saw a Cardcaptor Sakura plastic star wand behind the weapon's check counter last year.
I suppose they got a lot of complaints, and anyway there were more security officers walking around this year, because the weapon's check people barely glanced at my gun before asking me where I wanted the "approved" sticky tape put on it. :3 Huzzah!
I should mention that when I left the house this morning, I had it wrapped in a long pillowcase (leopard spotted). I also had a little lunchbox that looked like a biohazard container (inside was chip dip that needed to be refrigerated). So, dressed a professional-looking (and perhaps sinister) black suit (with red tie), I had a suspiciously gun-shaped package, thinly disguised, and a "biohazard" container. I can only wonder what the neighbours would have thought had they actually seen me going to the car. ;)
I also want to mention this awesome pair of cosplayers that I met. A woman and a man (a couple? just friends?) were dressed as Vash and Wolfwood, respectively, from the Trigun series. That was my first anime love, aside from, of course, Sailor Moon and Pokémon as a child. I wanted to get a photograph with (or at least OF) the epic pair, but the Wolfwood approached me first. Somewhat shyly, he told me that the Hellsing series had been HIS first anime love, and he had had a childhood crush on Rip Van Winkle, my character, and he asked if he could have a photo with me. And afterwards, he asked for a hug! :) It was epic. Here's a photo:
Vash and Wolfwood
Myself (and the musket) on the right, of course.
Vash, Wolfwood, myself, and my friend Cassidy (and the musket)
The gun is passed around and discussed.
BONUS CASSIDY WITH BIG GUN
That will be all. For now. I'll post links to the rest of the photographs, as archived on facebook, later. Also, I should probably post links to the rest of the photographs from the trip to the British Isles, shouldn't I? That will be in an update soon enough!
The gun is passed around and discussed.
BONUS CASSIDY WITH BIG GUN
That will be all. For now. I'll post links to the rest of the photographs, as archived on facebook, later. Also, I should probably post links to the rest of the photographs from the trip to the British Isles, shouldn't I? That will be in an update soon enough!
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THAT GUN IS AWESOME. It looks so smooth and snazzy :) The Vash and Wolfwood costumes are pretty nice too.
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