Banzaicon: Columbia, SC

(note: this is a repost from my personal blog)

Banzai was a first-year con up in Columbia this past weekend. Originally I was only going to go up for Saturday, but after some cajoling from friends and a free pass thanks to Nashicon I went the whole weekend. 

Friday I worked until 4pm, then bopped on up with Owen. We got there about 7 due to some CRAZY traffic. Three accidents on the interstate all within a mile of each other. Feh. Anyway, after a quick unload we headed to the room only to find our roomies were out at dinner. >_< Thankfully some sweetie friends let us stash our stuff until later. I claimed my badge, regged for the costume contest, then hung out with my beloved Owen and some friends at The Whig. It's a cool dive bar that in an old underground bank. We somehow scored seats in the Vault. It took me a second to realize it was an old vault, but the door was a dead giveaway. XD The food was good, Shirley kept me in booze (apparently I'm quite entertaining when drunk), and I had an amazing time with my friends. 

Saturday dawned awkwardly (surprise guy in underwear O_O), but I ponied up and put on Pinkie for the Ask-A-Pony panel. I took with me a giant bowl of candy and yelled 'Trick or Treat!' every time I saw someone. It worked really well till someone took the entire bowl. *le sigh* I got most of it back, but after that I wasn't too keen on continuing. Moving on. I had lunch with Ally, Kat, and Tohma in the hotel bar/grill. It was funny because we were sitting in front of the glass wall that opens to the con floor, and since we were all in costume it felt like we were on display. lol! During lunch Ally and I traded stickers from the ooold Sailor Moon pull packs we both bought in the Dealer's Room. They even had these long bookmark-ish ones that I'd never seen before. It was a bit of a shame to open them, but we're both the kind of collectors who buy for own enjoyment. ^_^ I also snagged a NRFB SMR Jupiter from the Bandai Asia line for $35. Squee!! 

(note: The costume I won with is Telma, pictured a few posts earlier)

(Skipping the pre-judging shenanigans) The contest started promptly at 7. I was hella nervous. It's been a looooong time since I'd been on this side of things, however I knew going in that I had a snowball's chance at winning anything. I was seated with the Beginners. I entered in that category, but I also told the judges they can bump me up if needed. The stage walk-on was very easy. They kept us to 30 seconds and three poses, which worked out well. Then came time for the awards. I knew I only qualified for a few so when those passed and I wasn't called out I started to calm down a bit. Again, I really didn't think I was going to get anything, but goodness knows we all get that little adrenaline push when the time comes. :) So next was the Advanced winners. John (wearing a GORGEOUS Sailor Cosmos fuku with staff) won Runner Up. I remember thinking this odd, but didn't have a chance to ponder it further because the judges were announcing the winner of Advanced. It took me a second to realize that they were possibly talking about me, but my brain kept going 'nopenopenope'. There's no way! I was completely and totally wrong. 

To say I was shocked would be an understatement. It took me FOREVER to get to the stage because I was too surprised to move quickly and it's kind of hard to see where you're going when you're crying lol. I do remember Matt saying 'I think we broke her' to the audience, lots of cheering and hugging the judges. On my way back to my seat there were even more hugs, fistbumps, and so many of my friends congratulating me. It took me a good 20 minutes to stop sniffling. :)

After a quick change I headed out with the Girls (and Owen) to the Ramen House a few blocks from the hotel. Much deliciousness was obtained. Then it was back to the hotel bar for BOOZE. Shirley kept me quite lubricated. Hehe! We played Cards Against Humanity until about 1am. Then it was bedtime for me because I was 100% wiped out. 

Sunday was mellow. More hugs, nummy crepes (thanks Shirley!!), and good-byes. We were home by 3 and napping by 4. :D

Overall it was a good con with good friends. TBH the con was really just an excuse to see my besties. I can't remember the last time I had this much fun at a con! Almost no stress and unlimited hangout time with my friends. Can't be beat! Although I did have a WTF moment involving Vic Mangina. We were waiting for an elevator right after the contest. He happened to be coming down/out. We didn't even move to get in (because hey we all know elevator etiquette damnit) but his PA threw out her elbows and started saying loudly "Let us through!" as if we were mobbing the man. *rolls eyes* Yes we were totally throwing ourselves at him. *facepalm* Oh! Bonus! Sunday morning Owen was waiting for me outside the restrooms. Apparently Vic was in there as well because his PA asked Owen if he wanted an autograph. I guess she assumed Owen was stalking Vic. O_o Talk about ego! 

The End. <3

Has it really been 4 months since I posted?

Wow, yes it has been. Woops!

Sorry for the stoppage folks. After ConTemporal things really kicked into high gear for me. I had 4 cons in 4 months so I haven't had much to talk about. However now that my season is over I'm hoping to get a few silly projects cleared up and posted here.

I did want to tell you that I've won my first award at a costume contest! It was at Banzaicon in Columbia, SC this past weekend, and I won for Best Advanced. I'll do a full write-up soon, but I wanted to share that at least.

<3