Ok, first, an explanation of that title… The con was defiantly bigger this year! Even with the larger Hilton the crowds were huge! No, I’m not complaining, that was a very good thing! Better? Well, last year I went to many more panels because the anime titles being shown weren’t that interesting to me… but this year to my mixed emotions) though there were some cool sounding panels I’d have loved to see, there was some amazing anime titles that I wanted to see even more! (More on that later) Longer? Well, that’s just because last year I came with my mother who didn’t want to wait until the end of the con to leave -_-* And Uncut? I was 18 last year, but my friend Kristina wasn’t… but this year she was and we were able to scour all the adult sections to our hentai hearts content!

So I should say that for me, the con began at 10:30 on Friday. That is when I woke up and called Kristina to get her butt over here so we could finish up her costume. After doing some last minute surgery using black electrical tape on her Yohji costume (which turned out amazing!!!) we went in search of candy cigarettes. Yohji smokes. We don’t. After sitting through 30 minutes of rambling from the old man who works at the penny candy store we got two packs for 30 cents... not too bad! We zipped back to my place for food and she went home to grab her bags and stuff.

After killing time watching Dungeons and Dragons on my computer, we decided it was time to try and sleep. Try being the key word for me. I’ve been staying up until 3 and sleeping till noon all summer! And we were planning on waking up at 4. You see my dilemma, ne? Needless to say, I didn’t get any sleep.

So we gathered up all our stuff and set off on the open road. After driving 2 and a half hours and getting lost a minimum of two times, we reached the Hilton. We stashed the car in the parking lot and grabbed the bags before making a mad dash to registration.

We found out that my room key was waiting for me, just like Shelby had said and things were looking up! So we signed up for the weekend and found out it was Shelby at the table! Yeay meeting our first friend!

So we went up to the room after leaving a note for Akane Saotome and Byrum to get in touch with us. Kristina transformed into Yohji and we went back to salvage the food from our car. Pictures we taken and I was feeling good!! Then I found out that I was one of about a hundred Duos… oh well ^_^*

We went to the third floor where everything was… this was where the panels and where the dealer’s room was. The place was amazingly crowded and it took me a minute to realize that it was the line for the dealer’s room!!!! 0_0 we decided to hold off on getting into that monster line for a while.

We ran into a few more people who wanted pictures before meeting a few girls cosplaying as people from Eva and talked with them about fics and pairings. The one girl was very very vocal about Omi being paired with anyone but Nagi. Very vocal. We got told to be quiet by Katchan! Wow that beat my record of last year. I had lasted until the Shounen Ai marathon before getting told to be quiet.

Went to the Con opening and met up with Himechan from the 1x2ml!!! YEAY my first person from a list!! She was very cool and we would talk again.

First thing we did was view Blue Green Years on Shelby’s recommendation… eel, it wasn’t what she thought it was, but it was still cute and good. But immediately afterward was the bishounen packed “Kaikan Phrase”!! Woah. Very good. Totally drool worthy and I can’t wait to get my hands on some!

Then we went to the fanfiction panel! Tzigane, Julie Farel and Yoiko were there! Yeay! They remembered me!! >^_^< Also on the panel was Zazriel(I’m not sure about how to spell her name! Sorry!), Whizbang, Natalie Ban, and again moderating it: Erica Friedman. The panel was great but I think that the best part happened even before it began- I met Jana from the 1x2x1ml!!!

It was this big squeal fest for me- totally being surprised and bowled over! I didn’t get her response that she was going & so when someone called me Aaeth I was surprised, but when she introduced herself as Jana I was floored!!!

I also met Sharon form the 1x2ml, but she is pretty much silent, answering questions and giving C&C. She also runs Shinigami’s Recommendations. Needless to say, I was in heaven and wanted nothing more than to continue talking… but the panel must begin.

Soon Jana had to leave, and I forgot to have her sign my doujinshi!!! I’ve gotten it signed by Tzigane, Yoiko, Julie Farel, and Akane Saotome! Now I had the chance to get Jana’s signature and I forget! -_-*

After that I tried to talk to Julie Farel, but she got monopolized by some guy who was irate about people getting mad after getting C&C…

I was on my way to Angel Sanctuary when I got nabbed by a few of the other Duos! They wanted to sign up for the costume contest as a group. I agreed and found out it was a group of about 4 Duos and 1 Treize.

Treize was awesome!! Her costume rocked!!!!! OK, first w sign up and then they tell me we have to do some skit thing! I had no clue and neither did they.. there was talk of going on to the song “The real Slim Shady” and changing it to “The real Duo Maxwell”.

Treize had a great Idea for choosing the real Duo- she walks up to the best Duo among us & stage kiss her and proclaim the real Duo… (stage kiss- wrapping the arm around the shoulders enough so the hand of the kisser covers the lips of the kissee)

Unfortunately the Duo she wanted to kiss and call the real Duo didn’t like Shounen Ai & thought her father in the audience would freak… *sigh* It would have been soooo cool!

I ended up leading someone to the “Worst semes and Ukes panel” I thought I knew where it was but I asked an official looking person sitting outside the panel rooms if I was right (I didn’t want to lead the girl wrong… but I also had to hurry back to the Duo brigade as I dubbed us. I asked if this was the Ukes and Semes panel whereupon she replied. “There is a board over there.” In a very mean and sarcastic way.

Ok, I’m trying not to be mad as I write this… maybe she was asked the same exact question 30 times in the past second… but is the effort it takes to say “yes” or “no” more so than it takes to be mean? I also think that this was the same girl who last year told me to shut up in the Shounn Ai marathon... yeah I was talking some… but it was during Bronze at 3 in the morning and it was raw. I was trying to stay awake. Apparently she was trying to listen to the Japanese. **raises doubtful eyebrow** All in all, I’ve probably gotten a bad impression of her because the two times I’ve encountered her she was well… unpleasant. I just have to keep reminding myself that she is probably really nice, I just haven’t seen her at her best... or I just have the talent to annoy the hell out of her. Ok ok enough ranting.

So I hurried back to the Duos. They eliminated the skit… so we would go on all by ourselves. I decided in the end to skip out and watch the whole thing with Kristina, who also decided not to sign up.

Now it was back to the video rooms!! Yami no Matsuei! WOW!!! This anime rocks!!! A Shinigami with violet eyes… hehehe lots of bishounen and a good plot too!!! After that it was the Shounen Ai marathon.

I got to sit next to Tzigane for a while... actually it was cool! Here I was sitting beside Tzigane and pretty much surrounded by other amazing writers! They even shared thier pocky with Kristina and I!! I don't know about her, but I was ravenous. ^_^* Hehehe I was in heaven!

The list shown was: Be-Boy Kidnappin Idol, Kizuna 1-3, After School in the teachers lounge, Kusatta Kyoushi no Houteishiki, ZetsuAi & BRONZE, Boku no Sexual Harrassment, and Ai no Kusabi.

Kidnappin Idol, Kizuna, Kusatta Kyoushi no Houteishiki, ZetsuAi & BRONZE, Boku no Sexual Harrassment are great!! I totally recommend them! Some are heavy Yaoi... others sweet Shounen Ai.

We watched to the end of Boku no S.H. and then went to bed. I got 2 ½ hours of sleep before taking the bags to the car and checking out. That done I hit the dealers table for the second time.. I forget the first time I did. I ended up with 4 new doujinshi and lucked out as all are very nice art and heavy sex.

We caught the Guys like Shoujo too! Panel that pretty much degenerated into a “we hate subs” rant… then it was off to Patariro!!! Then we went to the second showing of Yami no Matsuei. More very nice Shinigami with the violet eyes.

Finally it was Gravitation!!! WOW! This series was absolutely beautiful! Done by a woman who started out doing Gundam Wing Doujinshi there was a Quatre look alike who had the same voice actress… A Duo look alike… an Omi with purple hair… and plenty of other eye candy.. what ould be better??? It was Sounen Ai! Heck it was practically yaoi!!! Very sweet and well done I’m keeping my eyes open for more!!!

And that was the end of the con… but not the end of my adventure.

We realized during Patariro that we would need to pay for parking and that we had about 3 dollars to our name.. it would cost us 6. So after begging Shelby for money we got the 6. We found out that Kristina misplaced the parking ticket thing until we found it in her purse. We go and find the cashier who says that it has expired and we’ll have a lot more to pay than 6.

So now we’re panicking cuz they won’t take a credit card or check, and I don’t feel like whoring myself on the streets of East Brunswick. We go to the front desk where they said we could pay them there & take this piece of paper to the cashier lady and she’ll let us go… ok!

So we go back and I give her everything… and she asks for the bill. I had given her everything the guy gave me… so she called the desk. And after a few tense moments where Kristina and I were sure we’d end up having to run the barricade she said she’d let us go.

After a few minutes of getting lost in the parking garage we were on our way home!

It was a great con! I cannot wait to go next year! That is unless there are pictures of me posted with a “Do not admit” note attached. ^_^

I made lots of new friends and saw sooo many cool costumes!

I think my personal faves were the cast of Trigun… The two groups who dressed as Clover, the group that dressed like Angel Sanctuary, and the two people dressed as Mana-sama!!!!!

There were also two Toshiyas, and lots of Hotohoris… during the costume show a Hotohori and Chichiri came out.. Chichiri goes “Fan Service, no da!” Walks to Hotohori, Pulls “his” hair out of the little hat thing and kissed him! *LOL* it was great!

I also really loved the girl dressed as Treize! It was a great costume!

There was also a guy dressed like a sailor starlight… and Ryan was dressed as Toby the con mascot…

Kristina loved the people dressed as Trunks, even though she forgot to ask where they got the hair dye…

We decided that next year we would spend much more time and effort on our own costumes!

Ok now I’m off to work on a costume!!! -Aaeth