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argurotoxosKun and I began Wednesday by meeting Tomo for breakfast as Mary Ann's, a 1950's-style diner. I would say it was good, but I honestly can't remember what I ate.
After we finished eating, Tomo came back to Kun's house to hang out with us until he had to leave for work around 4 PM. Kun, Chris, and Kesley wanted more photos of them in their Neuro cosplays, which led to the Neuro photoshoot. Not to be left out, I decided to change into my L cosplay. Tomo also decided to join the fun and brought out his drag clothes and make-up for his transformation into Regina. (His disclaimer was that he only spent half an hour getting ready instead of his usual three hours, so please forgive his rushed make-up job.)
I was the main camera man for the Neuro photoshoot, which was lots of fun. Chris was the first one ready, hence why the first group of photos are just him. He also had to leave before Tomo did, which is why Neuro disappears part-way through the shoot. There's really not much else I have to say about Neuro that the photos don't . . .
After Tomo left, Kun and Kelsey encouraged me to do a short Death Note photoshoot. Kun offered to cosplay Light for me - she had almost everything needed for Light's outfit because of other cosplays - but she would have had to get her hair cut first. Not wanting to put her at any trouble, the photoshoot consisted solely of myself as L. I would link to the photos, but I'm not sure who has them or if they're uploaded yet.
(As it turns out, it was best that we didn't try to do a dual Light/L photoshoot; Kun and I had planned to get our hair cut the next week, but we didn't feel like leaving the house on the first day and Kun realized shortly after that she needed to keep her hair long for Yoh until she and Kelsey had time to do a Shaman King photoshoot.)
Now, with only Kun, Kelsey, and myself left, Kun started going through her cosplays and seeing which outfits she still needed photos of. One of the outfits on her list was her Watari cosplay, which she had worn to PortCon 2005, but hadn't gotten very many pictures of. I quickly volunteered to cosplay Hisoka with her and, running to take off my L eyeliner, began changing into that treasured, familiar denim and orange.
Not to be left out, Kelsey had brought her Riku cosplay with her and we decided to make it a dual Yami no Matsuei/Kingdom Hearts photoshoot.
By this point, Kun and I have a rather long history of cosplaying Yami no Matsuei together. From our Yami no Matsuei photoshoot in Winter 2004, which was done just shortly after we first met face-to-face, to Sunday of PortConMaine 2005, to Sunday of AnimeBoston 2006, to now. Even though I have cosplayed other characters from Yami no Matsuei - I've been Tsuzuki and have a slowly ongoing Kurikara cosplay in the works - I've always been Hisoka with her. And up to this photoshoot, and except for PortCon 2005, Kun's always been Tsuzuki.
It's little wonder, then, that we have some inside dialogue when it comes to Yami no Matsuei. Such as casually asking Kun: "Do you want to scar me?"
Kelsey, who was sitting on the futon at the time, looked up at me with a mixture of confusion and shock. We explained that it had become something of a tradition, ever since PortCon 2005, for Kun to draw the scarring Hisoka had received from Muraki on my arms.
After we were all in cosplay, there was a short debate over whether we should start the photoshoot inside or outside and who should go first. Kelsey said that she didn't mind having the Riku photos taken in the dark, so Kun and I went first as Watari and Hisoka. We had lots of fun, though it was difficult trying to come up with poses since Watari and Hisoka don't interact very often. The part I enjoyed most was when we decided to do a quick skit and take a video of it. Instead of taking the time to write one, I suggested we improvise one, which worked surprisingly well. I was rather proud of the results, although I didn't realize at the time that I wasn't projecting my voice as well as I should have. Again, I would post a link to it, but I'm not sure who has it or if it's uploaded yet.
Once we were finished with the outdoors Yami no Matsuei photos, it was Kelsey's turn. The sky had been dark with thick, ominous clouds during our shoot, but during Kelsey's, it started thundering and we were nervous about it raining while our props and cameras were still outside. Fortunately, we were able to finish Kelsey's Riku photoshoot just as Kun's father called us inside because of the weather.
Once indoors, we took a few more photos of Kun as Watari before the photoshoots were officially over. Kun and Kelsey changed out of their cosplays, but I stayed in my Hisoka outfit; it's one of the most comfortable and comforting things I have.
I can't remember what we did for dinner that night, nor what we did between the end of the photoshoots and 10 PM. I know we showed Kelsey the Gundam Wing episode where Quatre goes crazy at one point, but that might have been on Sunday right after PortCon. In any case, it was around 10 PM that our Yami no Matsuei adventure started. Kelsey said she'd be interested in watching the series and so we popped the first DVD in.
There's a scene in the second episode where Watari uses a device called 'Jason-kun' to cut what looks like pound cake into slices. "Mmm, pound cake. I haven't had that in a while." "It looks so good." "Well then, why don't we go get some?"
And so, at almost 11 at night, we drove out to buy a pound cake.
Despite the earlier clouds, it hadn't rained more than a light drizzle. We managed to procure a frozen pound cake at a local convenience store, which we heated up and brought upstairs with us to eat while watching the rest of the episode.
At the end of the second episode, someone commented that we could finish the entire anime series if we stayed up to 3 AM. We laughed at first, but then decided to take on the challenge and watched the next eleven episodes straight through.
Seeing Yami no Matsuei all in one sitting does make a difference; the characters grow right before your eyes and the impact and tension leading up to the final episode is that much more intense. Without spoiling, the Tsuzuki/Hisoka scene in the last episode had all three of us in tears. It was the first time I had cried during it since I had first seen Kyoto arc.
Kun commented afterwards that she had forgotten how good Yami no Matsuei was and I agree. Seeing the anime again made me want to re-read the manga and I can easily see myself getting sucked back into the Yami no Matsuei fandom. Unlike some of my older fandoms, I always retained a deep fondness for Yami no Matsuei and carried a part of it with me.
Since Kun was now in a crying, bittersweet mood, she brought out her Return of the King DVD set and we watched the scene where Frodo says goodbye to Sam, Merry, and Pippin before leaving for the Grey Havens, which led to more tears. (I told Kun afterwards while she was at it, she should have put in the last Spock scene from Star Trek II.)
By this point, it was almost 3:30 AM and I was starting to feel tired. Kelsey and Kun both seemed to be fairing better than I, however, and we decided to watch a Nightcrawler-centric episode from X-Men: Evolution. Even though I prefer the original X-Men cartoon, Nightcrawler's my favourite X-Man, but even that wasn't enough to keep me awake and I ended up drifting into a light sleep with my head nestled on Kelsey's shoulder. And in that light sleep, the kind where you can head what's happening around you but are too somnolent to respond to it, I heard Kun and Kelsey discussing the sleeping situation. In the end, Kelsey and I slept on the futon while Kun slept in her bedroom.
Shortly after that, I fell unconscious, but woke about a hour later. Kelsey and I were curled around each other and she was trying to turn away from the morning light coming through the window that rests above Kun's desk. "That damn window. It's too early."
Both of us were restless, constantly rearranging ourselves but never letting go of each other, until around 10 in the morning, when I finally fell fast asleep.
Next: 05 - Thursday, 28 June through Tuesday, 3 July
(I also apologize for the relatively sloppy narration; I wanted to into more detail and with more style, but at this point I think I'm just trying to get down as much as I can as quickly as I can before I forget any more.)
After we finished eating, Tomo came back to Kun's house to hang out with us until he had to leave for work around 4 PM. Kun, Chris, and Kesley wanted more photos of them in their Neuro cosplays, which led to the Neuro photoshoot. Not to be left out, I decided to change into my L cosplay. Tomo also decided to join the fun and brought out his drag clothes and make-up for his transformation into Regina. (His disclaimer was that he only spent half an hour getting ready instead of his usual three hours, so please forgive his rushed make-up job.)
I was the main camera man for the Neuro photoshoot, which was lots of fun. Chris was the first one ready, hence why the first group of photos are just him. He also had to leave before Tomo did, which is why Neuro disappears part-way through the shoot. There's really not much else I have to say about Neuro that the photos don't . . .
After Tomo left, Kun and Kelsey encouraged me to do a short Death Note photoshoot. Kun offered to cosplay Light for me - she had almost everything needed for Light's outfit because of other cosplays - but she would have had to get her hair cut first. Not wanting to put her at any trouble, the photoshoot consisted solely of myself as L. I would link to the photos, but I'm not sure who has them or if they're uploaded yet.
(As it turns out, it was best that we didn't try to do a dual Light/L photoshoot; Kun and I had planned to get our hair cut the next week, but we didn't feel like leaving the house on the first day and Kun realized shortly after that she needed to keep her hair long for Yoh until she and Kelsey had time to do a Shaman King photoshoot.)
Now, with only Kun, Kelsey, and myself left, Kun started going through her cosplays and seeing which outfits she still needed photos of. One of the outfits on her list was her Watari cosplay, which she had worn to PortCon 2005, but hadn't gotten very many pictures of. I quickly volunteered to cosplay Hisoka with her and, running to take off my L eyeliner, began changing into that treasured, familiar denim and orange.
Not to be left out, Kelsey had brought her Riku cosplay with her and we decided to make it a dual Yami no Matsuei/Kingdom Hearts photoshoot.
By this point, Kun and I have a rather long history of cosplaying Yami no Matsuei together. From our Yami no Matsuei photoshoot in Winter 2004, which was done just shortly after we first met face-to-face, to Sunday of PortConMaine 2005, to Sunday of AnimeBoston 2006, to now. Even though I have cosplayed other characters from Yami no Matsuei - I've been Tsuzuki and have a slowly ongoing Kurikara cosplay in the works - I've always been Hisoka with her. And up to this photoshoot, and except for PortCon 2005, Kun's always been Tsuzuki.
It's little wonder, then, that we have some inside dialogue when it comes to Yami no Matsuei. Such as casually asking Kun: "Do you want to scar me?"
Kelsey, who was sitting on the futon at the time, looked up at me with a mixture of confusion and shock. We explained that it had become something of a tradition, ever since PortCon 2005, for Kun to draw the scarring Hisoka had received from Muraki on my arms.
After we were all in cosplay, there was a short debate over whether we should start the photoshoot inside or outside and who should go first. Kelsey said that she didn't mind having the Riku photos taken in the dark, so Kun and I went first as Watari and Hisoka. We had lots of fun, though it was difficult trying to come up with poses since Watari and Hisoka don't interact very often. The part I enjoyed most was when we decided to do a quick skit and take a video of it. Instead of taking the time to write one, I suggested we improvise one, which worked surprisingly well. I was rather proud of the results, although I didn't realize at the time that I wasn't projecting my voice as well as I should have. Again, I would post a link to it, but I'm not sure who has it or if it's uploaded yet.
Once we were finished with the outdoors Yami no Matsuei photos, it was Kelsey's turn. The sky had been dark with thick, ominous clouds during our shoot, but during Kelsey's, it started thundering and we were nervous about it raining while our props and cameras were still outside. Fortunately, we were able to finish Kelsey's Riku photoshoot just as Kun's father called us inside because of the weather.
Once indoors, we took a few more photos of Kun as Watari before the photoshoots were officially over. Kun and Kelsey changed out of their cosplays, but I stayed in my Hisoka outfit; it's one of the most comfortable and comforting things I have.
I can't remember what we did for dinner that night, nor what we did between the end of the photoshoots and 10 PM. I know we showed Kelsey the Gundam Wing episode where Quatre goes crazy at one point, but that might have been on Sunday right after PortCon. In any case, it was around 10 PM that our Yami no Matsuei adventure started. Kelsey said she'd be interested in watching the series and so we popped the first DVD in.
There's a scene in the second episode where Watari uses a device called 'Jason-kun' to cut what looks like pound cake into slices. "Mmm, pound cake. I haven't had that in a while." "It looks so good." "Well then, why don't we go get some?"
And so, at almost 11 at night, we drove out to buy a pound cake.
Despite the earlier clouds, it hadn't rained more than a light drizzle. We managed to procure a frozen pound cake at a local convenience store, which we heated up and brought upstairs with us to eat while watching the rest of the episode.
At the end of the second episode, someone commented that we could finish the entire anime series if we stayed up to 3 AM. We laughed at first, but then decided to take on the challenge and watched the next eleven episodes straight through.
Seeing Yami no Matsuei all in one sitting does make a difference; the characters grow right before your eyes and the impact and tension leading up to the final episode is that much more intense. Without spoiling, the Tsuzuki/Hisoka scene in the last episode had all three of us in tears. It was the first time I had cried during it since I had first seen Kyoto arc.
Kun commented afterwards that she had forgotten how good Yami no Matsuei was and I agree. Seeing the anime again made me want to re-read the manga and I can easily see myself getting sucked back into the Yami no Matsuei fandom. Unlike some of my older fandoms, I always retained a deep fondness for Yami no Matsuei and carried a part of it with me.
Since Kun was now in a crying, bittersweet mood, she brought out her Return of the King DVD set and we watched the scene where Frodo says goodbye to Sam, Merry, and Pippin before leaving for the Grey Havens, which led to more tears. (I told Kun afterwards while she was at it, she should have put in the last Spock scene from Star Trek II.)
By this point, it was almost 3:30 AM and I was starting to feel tired. Kelsey and Kun both seemed to be fairing better than I, however, and we decided to watch a Nightcrawler-centric episode from X-Men: Evolution. Even though I prefer the original X-Men cartoon, Nightcrawler's my favourite X-Man, but even that wasn't enough to keep me awake and I ended up drifting into a light sleep with my head nestled on Kelsey's shoulder. And in that light sleep, the kind where you can head what's happening around you but are too somnolent to respond to it, I heard Kun and Kelsey discussing the sleeping situation. In the end, Kelsey and I slept on the futon while Kun slept in her bedroom.
Shortly after that, I fell unconscious, but woke about a hour later. Kelsey and I were curled around each other and she was trying to turn away from the morning light coming through the window that rests above Kun's desk. "That damn window. It's too early."
Both of us were restless, constantly rearranging ourselves but never letting go of each other, until around 10 in the morning, when I finally fell fast asleep.
Next: 05 - Thursday, 28 June through Tuesday, 3 July
(I also apologize for the relatively sloppy narration; I wanted to into more detail and with more style, but at this point I think I'm just trying to get down as much as I can as quickly as I can before I forget any more.)
