Boston Masquerade Cosplay Ball was held on January 11, 2014 at the MidTown Hotel in downtown Boston. The second inagural event took place earlier in the year. The event moved from the red line to the green line just off the Symphony stop. There was much more space and more places to do anything after the ball. Cosplayers Ball can be best described as a formal attire cosplay meet up. While there is much dancing - a mix variety of ballroom style music from anime and video games (and the occasional Gangnam Style) - there was also mingling, private photoshoots, and panels. Scarlet attended as Princess K (World Ends With You) and Jared (aka Mister 714) just went in suit and scarf.

We were invited to run our infamous "Convention War Stories" panel for the first time on the east coast. Convention War Stories tells tales of survival at the con. This covered akwaward roommate situations from the stinky to the salicious. Though we only had half an hour to run war stories. Unfortunately, panels were moved to the registration lobby providing not as much space or accoustics. However, we just went with the flow - the original panel room had some needed maitenence. It was really great to share this panel with the east coast. And remember, "We're not banned, we're frowned upon."

The ballroom dance took place downstairs in the basement level. DJ Iron Man played familiar tunes. We had a mash up of "Call Me Maybe" and "Gangnam Style." To our surprise, "Never Gonna Give You Up" was played. We also had other tunes that got everyone on the floor - "Cotton Eye Joe" to name one. (I never knew this had a dance routine attached to it) The dance floor can get a little muggy - you can see a veil of sweat in the air. There was also an unlimited supply of sanwich fixings. Admission meant food - sandwiches that you can make, a side of salad, chips, sassuage, and more.

Other panels included "History of Anime and Manga" in which a speaker went in depth about publishing styles in various Japanese historical periods and talked about the early days of anime and animation studios in Japan. This was done to Japanese classical music. There was also the Dating Game in which one lucky bachelor or bachelorette asks questions from potential dates. Later on in the evening was Pokemon Death Match in which trainers and their respected Pokemon duke it out.

The ball was very social - there was a lot of people to chat and catch up with. Some of us on the introverted side of things went to the hotel lobby away from the noise. Other event highlights was a raffle with prizes sponsored by Anime Zakka.

Many thanks to Fox Project Events, Ratchet Cosplay, Candy Jam Cosplay, and Marmalade Sky Photography for coordinating this event. It was a great way to kick off the new year. We really appreciated how accomodating and how much they valued the safety and security of cosplayers. Scarlet Rhapsody has high hopes for this local event and we look forward to 2015.

Boston Masquerade Cosplay Ball 2014 Gallery

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