Sakura-Con 2009

Sakura-Con 2009

Presented by the Asia Northwest Cultural Education Association, Sakura-Con is the oldest and most well attended anime convention in the Pacific Northwest . Member attendance for Sakura-Con 2008 was over 13,000 individuals; with most members attending all three days (for a potential turnstile count of over 40,000)!

Please join us for Sakura-Con 2009 as we celebrate our 12th amazing year. All the excellent programming you've come to expect will be back in abundance. Anime theaters, gaming, cosplay, cultural panels, dances, concerts, art contests, AMV's, industry guests, over 100,000 square feet of exhibits hall, guests of honor and more!

Pre-Register now and save substantially versus at door prices. Remember that pre-registration helps ANCEA, a state and federal non-profit organization, put on the best Sakura-Con possible!

SonofV and I went to this event last year and had a ball! This year was our second Con, and I have already cleared my calendar for next year. What a blast!

There was soooo much to do, if you were six people living on Ding Dongs and Butterfingers with a Red Bull iv drip, you couldn't take it all in. Just. Too. Much. Good. Stuff. Still, we wanted to, or at least die trying. I'm still not completely recovered, but I wanted to give you all a little taste of the milieu we immersed ourselves in.

Here is a small sampling of the characters we encountered.

So that's what the sewing was about. The result looks good. :thumb:

very cool.

I love the way everyone strikes a pose in your pictures...its really quaint.

Wait a second... are you Jet from Cowboy Bebop?!

thanks V

That's really cool that you and SonOfV can enjoy that together.

Chocolatl;556623 wrote:

Wait a second... are you Jet from Cowboy Bebop?!

YES!!

I'm flattered you noticed!

Very cool, V!

Excellent! You look great.

Nice costumes, BigV. I recognize you as Jet, but what character is your kiddo? I'm not as up on my current anime as I should be...

NOW the head-shaving makes sense! Love it!

Well done V !!!!
And I see you got Pic with one of the Edwards !!

Clodfobble;556693 wrote:

Nice costumes, BigV. I recognize you as Jet, but what character is your kiddo? I'm not as up on my current anime as I should be...

Lelouch Lamerouge, as Zero, from Code Geass, Lelouch of the Rebellion.

He was incredibly popular with the girls. The real girls at the Con... They would squeal "ZERO!!" and run up and ask for a picture with him. It was awesome. (Dad note here... I told SonofV that next year, we're picking a costume where I can see his face. I have only a couple where you can see him smiling....). In some of the pictures with him and one or two or three or more girls, I would take the picture, but none of them are looking at me. They're all looking at *their* photograper. So much fun.

And hugs. Did I mention the hugs? I was asked for pictures ... at approximately the same rate as Zero. But the girls just loved to hug Zero. OMG. And not just in the glomp game. Just walking around. Mostly asking for permission first, but not always. Incredible.

And Clodfobble, thanks for recognizing me!

Wow it looks like you had fun! I would have loved to have hugged you all big tall and cartoon characterish...:p

And you found what I take to be a Rozen Maiden too -- in the off-ivory/sort-of-gold dress. Bikini girls with machine guns... Cons are marvelous, aren't they?

well, looks like this thread's been idle a while...

We went in 2009, of course, but we also attended in 2010, and again this year 2011.

I'll catch up with some of the funner pixors later but I wanted to share a couple with you I was reminded of when Flint and I connected recently.

Here's one of Flint in costume and me with Flint!

Soooo much fun!!!!!!!!

New update to old thread

As you can see SonofV and I started attending Sakura-Con in 2008. This year marks our tenth consecutive Sakura-Con. Here are some picture from the journey.

2008

SonofV was in middle school and I knew very little about anime and this convention. As a result, he went in costume and I went in my street clothes. Booooyyyy, did I feel out of place.


Here is (a much younger and smaller) SonofV in his full regalia as Jiro Mochizuki. He looks good, this is our first con and the costume turned out pretty good.
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Here's one of the very few pictures of us together this year. I learned my lesson, I took more pictures in subsequent years.
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Of course, there's more to do than just look at the costumes on all the people, like video games. This was a big draw for him. He played guitar hero and countless other console games.
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The con is held at the the Washington State Convention Center, appropriately enough. It seems to land on Easter weekend each year, and as you can see, the blossoming cherry trees celebrate too.
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New year, new characters, new costumes!


Lelouch Lamperouge from Code Geass was the subject of his second SakuraCon. Here's a nice glamour shot we used a reference making his costume.
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I chose Jet from Cowboy Bebop. Many images are available, this is a good start. I dyed my hair and beard and then shaved the top of my head to resemble my tonsured muse.
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SonofV as Zero
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Me as Jet with some of SonofV's school friends.
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At the actual con, Zero was very popular with the ladies.
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This happened all day.
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Not that I'm complaining, Jet attracted attention too. :)
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Other new (to us) this year is the Glomp game. Zero had a good time here. The mask was not an impediment.
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Must be something about a man in uniform...
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I mean, really. I culled these pictures. I'm holdin back.
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Rrrroowwwrrrr!
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Another new event attended, the rave. Hangry, Angry and LOUD.
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2010, Our new projects!


SonofV chose Rorschach from Watchmen. Strictly speaking Watchmen isn't an anime, but who's counting? He drew inspiration from a variety of sources in the years to come, and he had a lot of company in that approach.

Not sure who the cutie in yellow is, but the green guy is almost certainly from Halo, a video game, a rich source of ideas to come. You'll see him again.
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I chose a YouTube video called In Memory of Soldier A as my inspiration. Soldier A looks good fresh from central casting next to Jet Black, circa 2010.
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My favorite part was the big yellow arrow I made that followed me around (being stuck down my shirt). I was easy to find in a crowd.
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10E
This was the first time my costume changed over the three day convention, just as that poor bastard in the video shows his wear.
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Glomping works a little like mass spin-the-bottle. Where your bottle points, you walk until you reach someone on the outer ring, hug each other, and trade places. They go to the center and find a bottle and you wait on the outside to get pointed at and hugged. This game is a lot of fun, and SonofV played it until they closed due to darkness and attrition (about midnight).
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Another fun game is Cosplay Chess. On the left is black with a couple of Team Rocket pawns nearest the camera. The other characters are also well chosen re: good vs evil. When they come into the same square, they battle. I didn't get up to speed on all the rules, it was a little overwhelming.
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Happy New Year! Guess who!

SakuraCon 2011


11A
This year I wanted to be the guy on the cover of Fallout New Vegas, but I bit off more than I could chew. I made a coat and I scored some interesting goggles, and then omg, the con is here. Oops.
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SonofV went as Leatherface. I made him a creepy leather mask and he took it from there.
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This young lady put a lot more effort into her Fallout New Vegas costume than I managed.
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Oh, look, it's me and Flint! ps, I know this one is a repeat.
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2012

SonofV chose early this year giving us time to make his costume. His character was of Castlevania, the video game.
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I picked a video game charater this year too, [url=https://www.mariowiki.com/Shy_Guy]Shy Guy from the Nintendo canon. I liked this costume, fun and easy to make including the metal mask, comfortable to wear, well known character. Obviously, my face doesn't show up in any in costume picture. Oh well.
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We have arrived! Let the glomping commence!
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Let the glomping continue...
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Into the night...
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There's a lot of love in the room tonight.
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Oooo shiny lights!
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Must pause to pose!
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Back to the game.
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I was busy hanging out with my own people in my own universe.
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When I wasn't admiring my own shy self.
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Sleepwalking home.... serenaded by SonofV's ocarina stylings of the Nintendo Legend of Zelda canon.
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Guess what? Nope, not a chicken butt. A new year for new cosplay!!!

2013


I chose the character Ginko from the anime Mushi-shi. I must have been feeling rich, because I'm at the hairdresser having my wig styled. WTF?
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Ok, how do I look? (Just lie if you feel the need.)
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Parking downtown is a giant expensive hassle. Let's just take a care we can drop off (in a tiny spot).
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Westward, HO!
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Once we arrived, I was startstruck by the appearance of one of my favorite characters, Columbia, from The Rocky Horror Picture Show{/url]! Turns out, she's a cast member of the [url=http://www.thezenroom.com/]Vicarious Theater Company that performs RHPS regularly. We've gone to the Muppet Edition and the BDSM Edition (it's been awhile...
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Oh, yeah. SonofV. Right, right. He's dressed up this year as Beat from Jet Set Radio Future. He turned out pretty cool!
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I met Macklemore too!
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Go Beat!
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Rock on Beat! They're functional headphones with the headband and external ear covers that light up. I embellished them with the antennae. They really look good in the dark.
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Beat's a skater, and a punk at that. Boy, he caught hell regularly for his skates, which were a no-no at the con. We crippled them with the wood block, but The Man was a dick about it several times.
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Suprise, surprise, there's a Glomp game going on. Hug, hug.
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Wait, wait.
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Back to the circle.
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Sometimes everybody can't wait all at the same time. GROUP HUG!
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Sometimes waiting is cool.
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Happy Beat!
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Hey, Mario!
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Glomp glomp glomp.
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Gratutitous fanboy shot of King Arthur and his trusty steed Patsy.
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I played the game a little, but I liked taking pictures more.
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And when I tired of that, I retired to the AMV theater, where what to my wondering eyes should appear, but Ginko. Nice, he looks good, I like his backpack better than mine.
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This is just one title card of one of the winners, recorded for my own reference, though I encourage you to watch this winner too, it's good. RadioAkshun, full screen, full volume, full effect.
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2014
A new year for cosplay and a new low level of achievement for me. :(


Booker DeWitt from BioShock. Hector in the middle there, Iron Man. The mug on the right? I have no idea. I was trying for something specific, I have on a striped "vest" that used to be a shirt, minus the sleeves. I was specifically trying for a striped vest. Beyond that, dunno. My badge reads my name. I don't recognize the character. Maybe I'm undercover. Maybe I didn't try very hard. Maybe I was abducted by aliens the week before the con. I don't remember.
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More Booker DeWitt
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He looks like he could casually kill a monster, don'cha think?
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Part of the fun is seeing other people in costumes of characters and shows you like. I like Spirited Away. The little Soot Sprites are cute in the story and this little kid *killed* it. Can I take a picture with you? (after I checked with her parents.) Sure! and she promptly plopped down on the floor and pulled the costume over her head. Nailed it!
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I've seen a lot of weird stuff at SakuraCon. This qualifies.
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This isn't weird, it's just a couple characters from a weird (really weird) anime, FLCL. You've been warned. This is Haruko Haruhara and Canti. Just watch it.
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Glomp glomp glomp glomp
glomp glomp glomp glomp

GROUP HUG!
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2015
I definitely got into SakuraCon this year. You've heard of Bronies, yeah? Now you're hearing *from* one.


This year I got in touch with my inner Pinkie Pie.
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This is what she looks like in the "real world".
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SonofV was channeling Dante from Devil May Cry,
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who looks like this.
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Ah, Sakura-Con
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This time of year makes us happy and excited. I'm wearing the hat that became the base of teh wig I made, but I can't tell you what's going on with SonofV's eye makeup. Smoky eye gone horribly wrong? Dunno.
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Pinkie Pie has a pet, that means I have a prop. His name is Gummy, he's a toothless alligator (question, Gummy's a toothless, obligate carnivore--does that mean Pinkie Pie chews his meat for him?) Anyway, here is the before shot.
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And here he is after. I added a pink mouth, with some magnets inside to let him clamp his mouth shut, and some dazzling purple eyes. He wore a leash at SakuraCon and he was a big hit.
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Pinkie Pie loves Gummy.
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I love Gummy and SonofV/Dante.
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The wig was another story. Gawd, what a hassle. This is the finished product, cause I quit.
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I got to the con and in the exhibition hall I found I could have bought a cap/wig. Lesson learned, filed that away for laterz.
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Also, I found I wasn't the only one with pink hair. In the exhibition hall were cute little kids with pink hair and protective mothers and fathers.
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And orange hair wearers who needed no protection.
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And the Good Doctor!
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And K-9!
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Cute dead girls.
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Cute death-dealing, bad girls.
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Cute live girls, not bad, just drawn that way.
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Cute happy MLP fangirls, happy to see a Brony and proud of it. Pinkie Pie is my spirit animated-anthropomorphized-horse character.
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Honestly, I think some cosplayers take it too far. I'm all in when it comes to sacrificing for your art, but at a convention, there has to be a certain level of practicality. This guy? I don't think he's ever gonna get his soft drink.
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When I tired of spending my money in the exhibition hall, I went to the--you guessed it--AMV theater. This is just one screengrab I made, and it's a fine, fine example of the art. Just Funkin' Dandy.
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I made my way outside to the glomp game, guess who I found.
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Guess what he was spending his time doing. Yep, GlompGlompGlomp!
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Welcome to 2016!

Another fun year, I found character I liked and I thought I could carry off, and create the costume for. SonofV had a great time too!

This year I chose as my model Klaus V Reinherz from Blood Blockade Battlefront. He's a badass good guy.
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What *he* looks like.
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SonofV chose the Plague Knight from the game Shovel Knight. Whimsical, easy to make, easy to wear. Plus, there's a lot of this color paint in town.
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Boogie down, Plague Knight!
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This is the kind of look he imagines himself to present.
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Here's a guy that had a different mask. The masks are coooool, and I'm sure SonofV and I will return to this design to make some of our own.
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This one this year was really fun, but not super durable.
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Testing out the fur foxskin on your noggin, you know, research.
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A few shots of the mask / costume contstruction process. Mask plus beak.
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Paper mache, lighter is better.
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Goofy glasses.
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Sewing the cloak.
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Klaus was something of a ladykiller. One gal actually wanted our picture to be an action shot where I was punching her. Weirdos.
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Yep, this is where I spent a lot of time this year. Shocker, right? Fun topic this hour!
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Hey look! Ginko from Mushisi, my character from last year (or that other year, they kinda blur together.)
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And Zero from Year Two!
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Some people pick a character to dress up as because they already have the hair, I guess.
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Yeah, wigs are hot at SakuraCon.
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Some others are in the hair lifestyle, 24x7x365. Super impressive.
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Some other people don't want you to see their hair.
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Some traveled with entourages.
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Group costumes are popular.
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Some were just cool all by their damn selves.
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WTF? She spent the whole con being hauled around? Dedication.
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Oh, wait. *THIS* is Wtf, the element of surprise. Lots of clever, cool tshirts.
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Some were more laid back.
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And some only needed One Punch, Man.
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And come with their own AMV. Singular Strike Gentleman. Yeah, back in the theater. Naturally.
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This year SonofV provided the suggestion for the subject of my cosplay efforts: Sir Crocodile of One Piece. "Please be aware, before progressing any further, that this site contains heavy SPOILERS"
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SonofV chose to be a Spider Splicer. This isn't a screengrab, but it's a good sample of what he was shooting for.
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We're not really mortal enemies. :)
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There's some variation among the details of the source images for each character. I chose a white fur collar and my shoes didn't have buckles, nor did I wear the costume jewelry rings I bought.
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SonofV's mask didn't have bunny ears or a bird's beak, but plenty of blood. Really, a lot of blood.
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A sample of his hooks.
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An early pre-release version of my hook. First year each character featured hooks--coincidence.
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My choice this year was very popular (Thanks son!). It also helped that the anime has been running for several years and has many friends. (Cosplay) friends of mine I was just meeting.
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SonofV had his usual good time out at the Glomp court.
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Outside I encountered many people who wanted their picture with me.
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And inside too. This last guy was so cool, he's from a band, Mystery Skulls.
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Some of the people inside were just cool cosplayers. Lots of people like having their picture taken with Master Chief, just like SonofV from 2010.
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And the twins from Ouran High School Host Club, serious comedy. This pair has brought them to life.
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I really don't know what character she's portraying, but her makeup is flawless.
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Some of them just wanted *my* picture, I stole this from they guy's facebook feed after SonofV alerted me to having been tagged in an adjacent picture by one of his friends. I feel so famous.
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Now there were a lot of people also cosplaying characters from One Piece. I was greeted by many of them as they knew me far more often than I recognized them.
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Eventually I was invited to a group picture with the many One Piece cosplayers. I was very flattered. "One of us!". This young lady was playing Luffy, the central character of the whole show. She guided me to this mob.
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Some groups from specific story arcs.
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Really, there were a *lot* of One Piece-ers. I had a wonderful time. By the way, I'm in this picture taken by SonofV who had climbed to the top of the fountain to take this picture.
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Wow, V. Those are some elaborate costumes!

BigV;987732 wrote:

2010, Our new projects!


SonofV chose Rorschach from Watchmen. Strictly speaking Watchmen isn't an anime, but who's counting? He drew inspiration from a variety of sources in the years to come, and he had a lot of company in that approach.

Not sure who the cutie in yellow is...

That's Silk Spectre, also from Watchmen.

Very cool, overall!

BigV;987732 wrote:

2010, Our new projects!


SonofV chose Rorschach from Watchmen. Strictly speaking Watchmen isn't an anime, but who's counting? He drew inspiration from a variety of sources in the years to come, and he had a lot of company in that approach.

Not sure who the cutie in yellow is, but the green guy is almost certainly from Halo, a video game, a rich source of ideas to come. You'll see him again.
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I'd say the woman in yellow is the original Silk Spectre, Sally Juspeczyk ( Sally Jupiter), also a Watchmen character

Ah, Beest. :beer::sniff:

It's Sakura Con time again!

This year, SonofV and I are going as a team, Jay and Silent Bob.

SonofV dyed his hair, well, went to the beauty shop to have his hair bleached. The intention was to dye it silver to look like Vicious from Cowboy Bebop, which would have been cool. But Twil noticed the resemblance to Jay and a new plan was born.

Pics later, have to go get our badges now. (insert stinking badges joke here)