(Originally posted on FA on July 4th)

This signals the start of a new chapter in my life, and the end of the time of my life where I felt I could only sit aside and watch my dreams turn into dust.

This convention was without a doubt the most fun I have ever had in the life I have known! I never realized until now just how much is involved in cosplaying, from the amount of imagination that's involved, to the sheer dedication it takes to bring it to life. I've had many accounts from my friends about it, but I wanted to see it for myself before I stepped in. This'll be the only occasion in which I don't cosplay; I have every intention of returning, and now that I've had a closer look, I will cosplay in every visit from the next time onwards, having sent an order through for two separate costumes during the event. Now, my desire to further involve myself in the cosplaying that the anime and Furry communities have to offer is unstoppable, and that is the main aspiration in my life now. <3

On the first day, I tuned into several anime screenings, played several games on the older consoles that were being showcased, saw The Kut live, and attended a seminar with none other than Lord Zedd, where he discussed the process of recording and timing voice acting when putting together animated series. I also met a Furry vendor from Fffur on my way to another event, and noticed he was selling a tail that looked just like Wesley's. I bought it. ^^ The second day would see me attend further anime screenings and enter a Super Smash Bros. Melee tournament. I'm not as good at gaming as I used to be; despite reaching the Semi Finals of the TF2 tournament I took part in last year, I lost in the first round in this one. >.> Following that, most of the day was spent at the cosplay stage (though I briefly came back to the gaming stage for a few noisy games of Quake), where tutorials on Live Action Roleplays, photography and costume making were shown, ending with live performances from OC Remix, Genjitsu No Sekai and Jollyboat, and a Baka Punk Party. The last day was fullest of all, with me again staying for the cosplay tutorials; I had a DTD of my torso made (which will come in handy when I buy my second Fursuit), learned of the right way to approach cosplaying and what to do when money is limited, and even got a chance to attend a cat/fox ear workshop. I even paid two artists for four images, and both have given me their kind permission to upload them, so look out for them soon. :3 The closing ceremony even involved a charity auction, before which was a cosplay burlesque event. Throughout, I snapped as many photos as I could, and I still haven't wound down from this yet.

There are large gaps in my knowledge of anime and video games, but I came to this convention to learn. And I intend to fill as many of those gaps as I can between now and the next convention I go to. I've already ordered two separate outfits. ^^ I'm never going to forget this first visit, and I wish I had started doing this years ago instead of wasting my life in TF2. I implore, no beg, all of you who read this journal to go to an anime convention at some point in your lives. It doesn't matter what country - you will not regret one second of it!

BKT