Arisia Was.

[ladysprite]

So. That about sums it up, actually.

Okay, that's exaggerating. But not by much. There was a con. It wasn't bad; it wasn't great. Most of this was because I was stressed and anxious about non-con-related stuff, leaving me predisposed to anxiety and social issues beforehand, but the end result was that, while I mostly avoided spectacular meltdowns and panic attacks, at any given point in time I was expending at least some effort to stay that way.

On the other hand, in spite of that I managed to have a mostly-good time. The panels I was on were interesting, and I managed to make at least a couple of good points on each of them. I got to dress up in fun costumes, leading to my favorite moment of the weekend (walking down the hallway dressed up as Poison Ivy, and almost walking into Harley Quinn and the Joker as Batman approached from the other end of the hallway. Spontaneous awesome roleplay and photo session ensued.). I got to spend at least some time chatting with folks I don't get to see too often, and danced with several of my favorite partners.

I even splurged and bought myself a couple of completely frivolous items, which I don't do too often - a miniature top hat decorated with peach ribbons and beads and feathers, and an utterly gorgeous silk scarf for middle eastern dance. I'm hoping to start getting back into middle eastern dance soon; one of the more surreal moments of the con for me was watching the Belly Dance Show and realizing that, for at least one of the performances, I could do that. I still tend to think of myself as a rank beginner, not good enough to even join a jam session, but... apparently I know more than I think I do.

I will be glad when the con moves, though - much of the stress that happened external to my own brain was due to being in a small, crowded space with a large number of people with variable social skills and little to no easily accessible good, hot food. And ultimately, for all the rough spots, there was fun. And there were cool people who kept me company and gave me nice surprises. And that should be enough for any weekend.

Comments

[dagibbs.livejournal.com]

It was awesome to spend more time with you, and I enjoyed the dancing.

[ladysprite.livejournal.com]

Likewise - getting to see you was one of the high points of my weekend. :)

[dagibbs.livejournal.com]

:)

[crash-mccormick.livejournal.com]

Sounds excelent. Pictures?

[scifantasy.livejournal.com]

much of the stress that happened external to my own brain was due to being in a small, crowded space with a large number of people with variable social skills and little to no easily accessible good, hot food.

Something to be said for that, yeah...

[redfishie.livejournal.com]

"I will be glad when the con moves, though - much of the stress that happened external to my own brain was due to being in a small, crowded space with a large number of people with variable social skills and little to no easily accessible good, hot food."

This is actually pretty much why I avoid Arisia. Maybe I'll give it another go when it moves. Glad you had some fun during it.

[ladymondegreen.livejournal.com]

Definitely.

[alexx-kay.livejournal.com]

"Spontaneous awesome roleplay and photo session ensued."

So, pictures exist? Want!

"a miniature top hat decorated with ... ribbons ... and feathers"

I noticed that these appeared to be very In this year. Do you happen to know if this is random fashion fluctuation, or does it have a particular source?

[ladysprite.livejournal.com]

Some guy who was with Batman took pictures; I don't have a copy, but I do have a card with an email address - I'll see what I can scare up. :)

I think the current obsession with steampunk and, from there, any fashion that can be even vaguely called Victorian, is responsible for the Tiny Hat Trend. And while my inner oddball is crying at hopping on the trend bandwagon.... it's just adorable, and I couldn't say no.

[alexx-kay.livejournal.com]

I have seen lots of full-size hats following that general fashion in Victorian material, so I definitely get the steampunk connection. But I don't recall seeing the *tiny* versions before, well, last month. Admittedly, I'm hardly a follower of fashion, so I could easily have missed them earlier -- but I suspect they're a 21st century innovation.

[alexx-kay.livejournal.com]

Obsession having set in, I went to google. While the particular decorative styles I saw at Arisia seem to be pretty new, the "tiny top hat" idea itself appears to have originated in that source of almost all modern strange fashion, Japanese gothic lolita.

[new-man.livejournal.com]

Tain't so, McGee. Those really were Victorian riding fashion. Well... the ridiculously tiny ones come from clowns... but besides that.

[mermaidlady]

Like this or this perhaps?

[eclecticmagpie.livejournal.com]

Yes, well, note that those aren't *tiny*.

[jducoeur]

one of the more surreal moments of the con for me was watching the Belly Dance Show and realizing that, for at least one of the performances, I could do that.

Yaas. I suspect I know which one: there was one where I had exactly the same thought. (That you could do it better, that is, not me.)

And it was good getting to dance with you a bit on Saturday evening. (I kind of blew out my foot, but it was well worth it...)