Cosplay Repair and Cosplay Photobooth
One of my favorite things about conventions is cosplay. Cosplay is a great way to express your love for your fandom (and hopefully meet other fans in the process). Yet, sometimes we may encounter wear and tear. Enter the Cosplay Repair Station. CTCon had a very simple set up. Hot glue, safety pins, bobby pins, and whatever else you needed to make a quick fix. I tend to forget to pack huge safety pins, so this was really helpful. The Cosplay Repair Station also had a photobooth done by a professional photographer where you can select backgrounds and do a free studio shoot. Later in the day, you could also pose with a life sized replica of the Tardis.

Fan Music Video Contest
I don't normally check out anime music video contests unless I'm with amv afficianados; they're typically late in the evening. However, this contest was in the morning. It was different from amv contests in that it was inclusive of all types of media. It was interesting seeing live action footage from recent sci fi and hero movies spliced together. However, while I did enjoy the breath of fresh air, I could have done without the dubstep. I did like a few of the finalists in the action and romance categories. There was a really cute Sword Art Online video; while I never seen the series, I could appreciate this video from a standalone perspective. Another memorable video was excerpts from a 1960s documentary about LSD set to Madoka. This was an entertaining music video contest and was not an event to be missed.

Disney Photoshoot
It was decided in late June that a Disney photoshoot was in order. Disney themed cosplayers gathered at the Marriott ballroom level to take photos while they were dressed as beloved Disney characters. While there was the typical Ariel and Belle, other unique characters included zombie Ariel (aka – what would happen if Ursula won), Mary Poppins (complete with the umbrella), Fairy Godmother, formal Gaston, and human Mrs. Potts. Jessica (Ariel) and I arranged this cosplay gathering less than a week before the con. Even though it was a bit last minute, the turn out was still pretty epic and people were pleased to grab photos and request different poses. Likewise, I had fun being a Disney villain!

Dealers Hall and Artist Colony
The dealers hall and artist tables were all in one exhibit hall space. There were artists from all types of mediums – graphic print and written. It was nice to peruse various tables to see what was out there. There were even a few guest tables where guests can sign autographs and do photo-ops. The dealers hall section was very impressive. Because of the ever growing popularity of the anime themed TCG game, Weiss Schwarz, there were a lot of dealers selling both English and Japanese cards from various series. There were repeat dealers from New York Comic Con and Anime Boston. Because I did not spend as much at Anime Expo, I did find a few dealers that had things I liked. I ended up getting more iDolm@ster figures, iDolm@ster papercraft, iDolm@ster posters, a Sailor Mars wallet, and a Sailor Mars mug. The dealers hall was not as crowded; you could really breathe and take your time looking around for something you really liked.

Doug Walker Q&A
Also known as the Nostalgia Critic! This is my second time seeing the Internet legend. However, I never seen him do a live panel at a con. Doug Walker had three main panels through the weekend. This was his general question and answer panel. Fans of Nostalgia Critic and That Guy With the Glasses can ask questions about the show and what's in store for That Guy With the Glasses. This was interesting to hear behind the series anecdotes from the Animaniacs episode and what lead up to "To Boldly Flee." I do admire Doug's transparency and humor about what goes on with That Guy With the Glasses. Of course, inside jokes were mentioned – particularly one lines from "The Room" and Doug's vehemence towards Michael Bay. This was a fun panel to enjoy front row and center. I'm very happy to see Doug in person again and this alone made CTCon worthwhile.

Cosplay Death Match
Since I heard about Cosplay Death Match at Another Anime Convention, I had to check it out. The title alone was very different than what cosplay events I'm used to seeing on the west coast. The west coast is much more known for the occasional masquerade and having cosplay reps at industry booths, but this event really put the "play" in cosplay. Essentially, cosplayers from different series would go head to head against each other (in stage combat). The audience decides who lives and who dies. Arena music plays as each contestant gets pummeled by the opponent. This filled up the main events hall. There were even people already filtering in during Doug Walker's panel to get the best seats for this event. The finalists included Slenderman, Deadpool, Kanti from FLCL, Link, Mew, and Cobra Commander. As each of the slain dropped dead, a barrage of zombies came to claim their flesh. Even Slenderman joined in on the zombie feast.

Manga Lounge
I don't normally check out manga lounges since I'm all over the place at cons, but this manga lounge was different from other manga lounges I've peeked my head into. There were a lot of out of print manga that you couldn't find on store shelves. It's as if someone donated their old manga collection to this vast library. Not only there were current and familiar titles from the Tokyo Pop heyday, there were trade editions of manga chapters from the 90s. I sat myself down and read Adventures of the Minigoddesses. While I have seen the TV series, this was different from the animation. Sometimes, you need a break from convention madness and give your senses a break. This was a nice way to have that breakaway from the shenanigans.

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