This year's AX.

[sakon76]

Friday. Having picked up various friends from the airport the day before (and having given up on pre-reg in favor of more costume work, we spent the morning packing and sewing. Wonderful Husband and hoshikage went to pick up her brother from the airport and see about checking into rooms. This took hours. She checked us in for Masquerade at the same time. It was, however, 2pm by the time they got back and we went to borrow my mother’s Highlander to transport everyone plus luggage, costumes, and wings to the hotel. My mother gets off work at 3pm. We were not able to return the Highlander to her until about 5pm. She was not happy. I was not happy. Registration happened around 6pm, by which point the lines were fortunately gone, as did hooking up with the last of our roommates (nine people in two rooms). More sewing, closing the gold trim on gloves and thigh-highs

Saturday. Having only a few hours before I had to go to work, I wanted to get into my Cardgirl costume and attend one of the hour-long Japanese dance sessions. I was overruled in favor of more sewing. Wonderful Husband ran (yet again) to JoAnn’s for us. The needle on Lilo 2 broke—-fortunately just after we really finished needing to use a machine. I took sewing with me to work as well and attached gold to my bodice for hours. After coming back from an eight-hour workday and thus feeling remarkably antisocial, I got to do more sewing. Minor panic when we discovered the leather for the bodice "feathers" hadn’t been brought with us. More gold substituted in their place. I’ll correct it eventually. Finished sewing around 2am, went to sleep.

Sunday. Day of the Masquerade. We got dressed and made up in our Clover costumes, which was no mean feat in hoshikage’s case, as she had to paint herself gray and stone-like. I, meanwhile, was getting vines and leaves and red berries painted on me. Unfortunately, the makeup we used on me smeared and cracked a little so next time I may just go for henna. So we missed the Clamp gathering, but made it to the Masquerade check-in (there were musical ninjas playing in the elevator on our way! ^_^) and got our first glance at other costumes, or, in my case, of the con period. We discovered that hoshikage indeed had no chance of getting up the stairs with her wings on. Fortunately prior arrangements had been made for that which included our going first and the skills and talents of Wonderful Husband as our very own Stage Ninja. We got to break while the Novice and Intermediate classes were being judged, and finally practice our skit, as well as have some pictures taken of us. It was quite amusing, when we went outside of the convention center a bit away from the main cosplay photo area, to have a large section of the photographers immediately head for us. Then we went into the backstage waiting area to get judged. We actually didn’t get nearly the shaft that the first two classes did. But looking around the room later, at the RayEarth group, the two Tsubasa groups, the two Petshop of Horrors groups, and the Rose of Versailles group, my thought was "We are so dead. No way are we going to win anything." So, after delays and food and more waiting, we finally got onstage, performed well enough, and got off. My costume was actually rather cold (me being bare from rackchest up) so Wonderful Husband went back to the room and got the sushi blanket we’d brought with us. This apparently confused some people ("I was wondering what that had to do with your costume.") and delighted others ("I wish we’d brought a blanket—-I’m freezing.") We got to watch most of the skits, most of which were rather good this year, and then, after the judging was finished (no AMVs! Why didn’t they play AMVs during the break?! I didn't get to see them at all. *cries*) we ended up with Best Group Craftsmanship, which was what we’d been hoping for, and an additional award to hoshikage for Runner-Up Individual, Expert Class. Then more pictures, then back to the room and bed.

Monday. Mostly packing, but I finally got to the Dealer’s Room and most specifically to the Nene Thomas booth, where I got to meet the woman herself and buy several unmatted prints. There really wasn’t much else I wanted—seven idol cards and I was clear of the room. I also bought three of Yaya Han’s sketches in Artist’s Alley. One of my friends, alas, got outbid on Yaya’s Suu/Oruha/Fairy Park Statue in the art auction. I got to see a bit of the charity auction, then off I went to work. About eleven of my friends came in to the restaurant that night for dinner.

Yesterday and today have been airports, train stations, and Disneyland, but now everyone is gone home and all that’s left is cleaning the house to look like it did before, and then AX will be over until next year.