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<.<  >.>  <.<  I'm not staff, but I can share personal experience from last year.

A) The rules are based on judgement, and everyone's judgement is different--and sometimes the same person will change their mind from year to year based on what they've seen happen.

B) My friend was last year's most popular Sephiroth. ^_^ (it's the wig, I tell you!)  He had a 6 foot real sword and was made to tie it to his back as well as the regular zip-ties.  It messed up his costume and made walking awkward, especially since the sword is longer than he is tall, but it was the only way they'd let him carry it around.  He once drew it, out in front, to help make a video, but since got in mass tons of trouble because that violates California law.

C) I also saw ten-foot cardboard Inuyasha swords. :D  Honestly, how can you secure that to a costume?  It's huge!  But they were still peace-bonded to remind the owners not to bop people on the head with them.

D) Last year I carried a wooden baseball bat... That's a weapon, my friends, 3-4 feet long.  They peace-bonded it only after a lively debate among the staff and a LOT of questions about whether I could possibly, in any way at all, wear it as a costume piece instead of carrying it.  I think the deciding factor was that I have a bad leg and mostly use it as a cane. XP  Not sure if they'll let me do that two years in a row (which would suck, because I'd have to use the stupid crutches, but there you have it).

A lot of people just love making costumes, as a hobby, and that's cool.

Me, I spent a year compiling my character's costume, and figured I'd just wear it on the Saturday and not bother for the rest of the con, but truly... if you're going to be there the whole time, can you really settle for just one day of cosplay?  So I discovered that most of my costume could also be found in white and gray... some of which I already had for one reason or another.  What I couldn't get perfect, I got approximate, so now A.C. has two "alternate" costumes--like in Street Fighter!  Or Soul Caliber 2, I loved that game.  I'll probably go in those three costumes for the three main days of every con I ever go to.  I loved it last year. ^_^  Why come up with new stuff when I love what I already have?  By Monday I'm too exhausted to mess with it, and on Thursday I just come as I am, with small flourishes.  If I ever want to add one, I'll go gray on the Thursday and play the new on on Friday.  But I don't think so.

*tilts head*  The first year I went, I had no costume.  This year I think I'll do the exact same thing I did last year:

Thursday: skip changing clothes, come as Nameless Soldier Y (I can probably find a stocky guy and a tall guy to play X and Z, it's fun. ^_^  Bunch of people from DLI go to this.)
Friday: A.C. the Gray (in complete gray)
Saturday: A.C. the Black (with the camera in the black camera bag, because it's Saturday! :D)
Sunday: A.C. the White (switch the knife pendant for a cross)
Monday: A.C. the very tired con-goer who's out of costumes. ;)

Ahh, the formula of con-going... I may never go to another Fanime (soldier, we move a lot), but I'll probably do this at every con.

I loved the Black and White last year, but the room really was too small.  It got hot in there very quickly, and the only room to dance was in the back corner to one side of the stage--just close enough to the speakers to deafen yourself. :D  I was glad I went as Black A.C. instead of White A.C., or I'd have had to change costumes immediately afterwards.

Also, very few people attended the dance lessons, due to scheduling.  Is it possible to get several times scheduled?  Most people went Rave in there because they didn't know how else to do it.

That said... I LOVED IT! ;D

[tomorrow.]

*laughs* So I finally remember to check the Fanime site and register for this year, and I find out that the next staff meeting is tomorrow.  *laughs some more*  Guess I'll have to go to the next one--I have to go buy my car still (I'm getting my first car!  Yay!), and it's a little late to rent one for the weekend.  Ah, the joys of logistics...

yes, along with Chuck Norris.

We can't do that.  A con in Hiroshima had him as a guest, and things didn't look well afterwards.

Why? What happend there? A swarm of fans?

ROFL.  I, too, want to hear this. :D

Bleh.  I'm 20, I picked up drawing back in November.  I've drawn maybe a hundred characters (most of them GaiaOnline avatars, freebie art), and I've seen significant improvement in my own work, despite having to stop dead for a week or two here and there because my hand is messed up.  Practice is the only way to improve consistently, no two ways about it.  I picked up a couple manga art books (how to draw women, and how to draw men), which has also helped, but you still have to practice to remember all the details.  I still use the eraser a lot before inking.

On Akiha, I'd say the arm is a bit malformed.  The size of the hand is more male than female, yes, but the forearm could use some more work, too.  You have it bulging suddenly toward the elbow after being straight, the straight part should be more angled. :D  And instead of bulging both above and below, chose one.  Try looking in the mirror, posing your own arm that way, to see how it looks.  You'll still have to adjust how you draw it, if you're drawing a female character (smaller, softer, probably thinner and definitely rounder), but it will give you a better idea.  Maybe you have a sister or female friend you can ask to pose for you?  I'm learning to draw guys, and I'll be honest--<.<  >.>  <.<--I use pictures of my boyfriend to help.  It makes a big difference, even though he looks nothing like the guys I'm trying to draw, simply because he's the right gender.

:o  I don't even know where to begin.  Could you post some example prices?  What you would charge for each of those pieces in the pictures, for example?