Messages

I hope so too! It'll be lots of fun. ^_^

Hi everyone! My name's kate and I'm in need of a hotel room for Fanime. I'm 18, and I get along with just about everyone. I'm hoping to find a room for Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night. I don't mind sleeping on the floor, and I don't care much about the ages or genders of whoever I'd be sharing a room with. I don't plan to be in the room at all aside from changing costumes or sleeping.

My biggest issue is money. I can pitch in 40-50 dollars or so. I know that's not much, but I'd be willing to bring food for everyone. I also know how to style wigs and fix/finish costumes/props really well, so I'd be happy to help with something like that too. I'd prefer to room with cosplayers, but since it's close to con time, I'm really just needing a room in general.

So, with that said, is there anyone out there who'd be willing to help me out? Oh, it would also have to be a hotel within a block or two from the convention since I need to go back and forth to cange in and out of costumes like twice a day.

Thanks in advance for any repsonses, please PM me!

-Kate

Ah, you sure have lots of questions. I feel all intimidated now, lol. I try to check the forums as often as possible, and reply asap. I was at school, so that's why I'm only getting back to you now. Yeah, lots and lots of youtube. but if you think about it, 10 conventions and about 20 skits per convention is already 200. I attend a lot of smaller cons, and I youtube masquerades from large conventions all around the world, including the Cosplay World Summit. 1999? Wow! You're definitely more qualified than me to talk about this stuff then! I'm 18, and I've been cosplaying/attending conventions since 2006, so not too long, though I've youtubed skits from earlier than 2000. I plan on watching a whole lot more while deciding what important stuff to talk about during my panel. I don't think I'll have any masquerade winners presenting stuff at my panel because it's only an hour long. Since this is my first time giving the panel, it'll be really low key. If it gets a good response, maybe I'll try for a two hour panel with some masquerade winners giving their opinions, maybe even some judges if I can find any who'd like to talk about judging experiences. As for masquerades I've been in, I've participated in ever Sac-Anime masquerade since 2006, some AOD masquerades, JTAF, and smaller events such as Japan Town festivals and Cosplay Gatherings. I have to admit I don't always perform in the bets of skits, but my ideas are endless, as are my observations. I have won an Honorable Mention Best Presentation at Sac-Anime my very first time at the con, and a Best Presentation award with my current cosplay group. Fanime will actually be the first large scale convention I attend, but I like coming into things with a bang, thus the panels. I'll also be performing in this year's masquerade. Any more questions? I'm having fun answering them! Though I'm starting to feel so unworthy of this panel, lol.

I'll do my best to answer your questions!
1. This panel will cover it all. I'll talk both about how to make a skit that has a higher chance of winning, or a skit that's made not to reahc for the top prize, but just to entertain the audience. I'll spend some time talking about performing in both groups and alone. When it comes to costumes and props, I'll cover a little on the topic, but this panel is based more on the presentation/skit aspect.
2. This panel will have both fact and opinion, and I will be sure to state which is which during my panel. I've looked at many convention skits both in person and on YouTube, and noted what the winners did, and what skits had the biggest audience reaction, and other things of that nature. But yes, there will be opinion too, but I suppose you could say it's opinion based on observation.
3. This will be my first time giving a panel, and I've never been a judge so I suppose my qualifications aren't incredible, however I've been to over ten masqurades (And participtaed in most of them), and watched over 300 skits both at conventions and online. I've spoken with a few judges form different events as well, and I'll try to get some comments from a few more before Fanime.

One of my friends, Sarah, has a Pluto costume. I'll have a talk with her and ask if she's interesting in coming. A jupiter....I know one of those as well, but I'm not sure if she's coming to fanime. I'll ask. Anyone else you want me to round up for you?

[*Be aware that I'm not sure if this time/place is finalized. It may change. If it does, I'll let you know. I have no idea what goes on in the minds of the panel Gods.*]

Name: A Cosplay Just for You
Time: Sunday, 5pm-6pm
Location: Mariott Hotel, Salon I and II

*Be aware that I'm not sure if this time/place is finalized. It may change. If it does, I'll let you know. I have no idea what goes on in the minds of the panel Gods.*

This panel will consist of two parts. During part one, I will talk about how to pick the cosplay most suited for you. Not just by how you look, but by what you wnat in a cosplay. Is looking like the character more important? Or is having their attitude? Perhaps you wnats to cosplay a character that will recieve many glomps, or perhaps one that gets none. What's more important to you, comfort or accuracy? Cute or Scary? When you leave the panel, no doubt you'll be eager to start your search for the perfect cosplay. This panel is great both for those new to the cosplay world, and those that are seasoned cosplayers. Part two will be a little more fun. I'll ask people to stand up and tell me in a few sentences what they want in a cosplay character. Then, I'll go through my hundreds of pictures on my laptop, and give each person who asks a few suggestions.

Anyone have any questions/comments/suggestions? If you plan on going, post here so I have a small idea of how many people I should expect.

Thanks everyone!
-Kiara

[*Be aware that I'm not sure if this time/place is finalized. It may change. If it does, I'll let you know. I have no idea what goes on in the minds of the panel Gods.*]

Name: Genres of Anime
Time: Monday, 1pm-2pm
Location: Mariott Hotel, Salon III

*Be aware that I'm not sure if this time/place is finalized. It may change. If it does, I'll let you know. I have no idea what goes on in the minds of the panel Gods.*

This is actually a panel my friend wants to run, but I'm going to be her helper. Since I don't believe she has a forum account, I'm the one posting this. We'll show you all the different Genres of anime, and give you a few examples. If you're unsure what kind of Anime someone would like, come to this panel! Also, have you ever wanted to get your parents into anime? I know I sure did! So we'll be giving you some advice on a few great anime series that might get your parents interested. Or your friends. Or your siblings. Or just about anyone. We'll cover as many genres as we can in a one hour period. This panel is on Monday, and there's not much to do on Monday, but come to our panel, we'll make your day more fun! (I might have a little quiz at the end of the panel based on what was covered, and there will be prizes! That is just a maybe though, gotta ask my friend who's in charge of this one.

Anyone have any questions/comments/suggestions? If you plan on going, post here so I have a small idea of how many people I should expect.

Thanks everyone!
-Kiara

[*Be aware that I'm not sure if this time/place is finalized. It may change. If it does, I'll let you know. I have no idea what goes on in the minds of the panel Gods.*]

Name: The Art of the Masquerade
Time: Friday, 6pm-7pm
Location: Mariott Hotel, Salon III

*Be aware that I'm not sure if this time/place is finalized. It may change. If it does, I'll let you know. I have no idea what goes on in the minds of the panel Gods.*

I'll be talking about how to make a successful masquerade skit. Is music a good idea? The ups and downs of pre-recording? Little ways to make your skit so much more impressive? I've got it all. I'll also talk about what NOT to do at masquerades. And of course, I'll spend some time talking about how to come up with a skit in 30 minutes. I tend to be good at that, so hopefully I can show some other people the tricks of the trade. I'll also talk about different types of awards, and what your skit should contain based on which award you're aiming for. Not everyone can grab the Best in Show spot, but with a few tips, anyone can snatch up a lower prize. There will be a question and answer period at the end too.

Anyone have any questions/comments/suggestions? If you plan on going, post here so I have a small idea of how many people I should expect.

Thanks everyone!
-Kiara

Of course I rememeber you! And yaaaay! See you there then! I'll probably sneak off for a few minutes over to the shounen jump gathering, just to take some pictures of Sniper and Kuronue.

Okay, I've thought about it long and hard, and decided that although I do want to attend the Shounen Jump Gathering, it'll be really big, and this gathering is smaller thus most likely more fun. I'll be here as Galaxia. And sinc eI see you have no saturn yet, I'll have my friend wear my Saturn Costume for the gathering. At least, I'll ask her if she's willing to.

Please note that costumes purchased or rented from a costume shop, designer direct, eBay, Yahoo Auctions, Yahoo Japan Auctions, Cospa, any other costume store or online resource, or any costumes made for you by a designer or seamstress, are prohibited. Ignoring this rule will negate your eligibility (and your group's eligibility; even if only one person in the group has a disqualified costume) to participate in Cosplay Spectacular and will also disqualify you for any performance and/or craftsmanship awards. Honesty is always the best policy; tell us if one person in your group made all the costumes. That person (as long as they are a member of your group) is still eligible for a Design Award (see the Awards section for more details). There are two notable exceptions to the "purchased or rented" policy:

(Cause I was freaking out about the costume thing)

[even if only one person in the group has a disqualified costume]

I have a question. I assumed this year would be like previous years, but then I read the cosplay masqurade rules over, and started freaking out. It says that:

Costumes purchased or rented from a costume shop, designer direct, eBay, Yahoo Auctions, Yahoo Japan Auctions, Cospa, any other costume store or online resource, or any costumes made for you by a designer or seamstress, are prohibited. Ignoring this rule will negate your eligibility (and your group's eligibility; even if only one person in the group has a disqualified costume) to participate in Cosplay Spectacular and will also disqualify you for any performance and/or craftsmanship awards.

In my group, 5 of us made our costumes and 3 bought them. Does that mean we cannot participate in the masqurade at all? Or does that just make us ineligable to win a craftsmanship award? I know in previous years people had bought their costumes and still performed, so I'm wondering if this is a new rule, or if I'm just misunderstanding it.

questions real quick.

i have never been in the parade before. this is my first time. i know where we're supposed to meet up/end and stuff but...

if you have like bags/purses/stuff, where do we put it before we march? im pretty sure we're not supposed to carry extra stuff while we're on display.

maybe the best thing is to have a another friend whose watching start and end with you on the sidewalk so they can carry your stuff?  

In past years, the cosplayers have just carried their stuff. If you don't want to carry your stuff, then getting someone not in the parade to carry it is a great idea, I did that last year. But I don't believe there's a rule against it. At least, there never has been in the past.

*waves hands* Hiiii! Yay, more Contra Costa anime fans! I live in Walnut Creek. Just thought I'd say hi, though I can't go to the movie with you since this weekend is cherry blossom festival.

Platinum stars, is that their name? My memory fails me at times. I hope their panels gets approved! I'd totally go.

Thanks for all the info, but I'm still alittle confused. Early Reg? Pre Reg? What's the cutoff dates for all of those? is it too late to Pre Reg? Is only early Reg open now? both? I'm confuuuused.

Sorry it's taken a while for me to get back to you all. Thanks so much for the input! I'm going to send an e-mail to a few of the departments and hope I can join one of them. Thanks a bunch!

Count me in! By 4pm, I'll have to be in the masqurade meeting area, but I'll play during the day itself. I'll be Sesshoumaru....

This may seem like a silly question, but I thought it wouldn't hurt to ask, especially if it means I might be able to be a staff member. I live in Walnut Creek, therefore attending the meetings in San Jose is almost impossible for me since I do not drive. Is it possible to be a staff member if I cannot attend the staff meetings? Or if perhaps, I can attend only one meeting? Thank you in advance for any helpful answers!

I might attend as cissnei. Depend son the time/day of the gathering.