Sailor Moon
I wanted to get up bright and early for the Sailor Moon panel. This was the first time I attended a Sailor Moon panel at a con since Sailor Jamboree's Sailor Moon cosplay panel back at Anime Expo 2001. Though I host Moon Prism Poptarts, it was really nice to see how other people do Sailor Moon panels. The format had the speaker talk about the different mediums and continuities in the Sailor Moon franchise from the original animated series to Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon. The panelist also covered the new merchandise that's quickly becoming collector items. Discussion on the delay of the new series was also discussed. The panelist also featured clips from live action fan made films including the New York based Sailor Moon short and the New Zealand trailer for the Dead Moon Circus arc (which totally looks more badass than the animated counterpart).


Team Four Star Q&A
One of the most revered abridged series, Dragonball Z Abridged by Team Four Star, was definitely represented at CTCon. The panelist featured three of the Team Four Star's creative talent. They have a huge fan following in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. They're almost local celebrities in their own right. Though this is a fan based production group not affiliated with Toei or Funimation, the abridged series pokes fun at the insanity and inside jokes in the Dragonball universe. This was mostly a Q&A for Team Four Star. I was hoping they would show an episode of Dragonball Z abridged, but the team also showed clips from other abridged projects they were involved in such as Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood and Jojo's Bizarre Adventures. While there was a line snaking around the Marriott of this Q&A, the room was about 75% full. This was pretty fun if you are into DBZ Abridged, but may be confusing if you weren't familiar with it. I was hoping they would show at least a clip from the parody series to make it familiar to people who may be new to it. However, it was filled with Nicholas Cage and Ghost Nappa impersonations.


Finding Photoshoot Locations
Sunday was your typical con Sunday, things were moving slow, but people were still making the best of it. You could see a crowd of 20 somethings bust out some music to a massive Carameldansen or shuffling to Party Rock Anthem. Don't be surprised if you hear "Gangnam Style" on loop. Ashley and I were looking for photoshoot locations around the convention center and the Marriott. Here were some choice locations.

Starbucks - if and when it is not crowded (good luck!), there are a few lounge chairs and living room decor that that is fairly versatile for BBC fandoms and even anime fandoms. The colors make for great contrast. Get the right lighting and you'll have a mighty fine private shoot.

The Bridge - this was outside the convention center. If you go up the stairs outside, there's a bridge that is right across from the Marriott and you also get a view of the Connecticut Science Center. If you're going for something modern and urban, this is a nice place to shoot.

The Bar - this is located on the second floor of the convention center. The set up is there, but it's practically empty. It's great for older, mature characters and perfect for bar room brawls.

The Pathway - the downside is that it gets crowded here during peak hours and this is where people smoke. I'm fine with smokers, but other people aren't as tolerant. There were benches and tressiles decked with florals. There is also a streetlamp. If you shoot in the early morning hours, before the rush to the dealers hall and the Homestuck invasions, you can get some really good photos here.

You can see more of Harmonycloud's private photoshoots at ConnectiCon right here.


The Road Home

Satisfied with our dealers hall purchases and panel hopping, it was just about time to hit the road home Ashley had to leave home for New York and I had to make my way towards Boston. Luckily, there was the free Star shuttle outside the Marriott to take me to the bus terminal in downtown Hartford. It was about a three hour ride, with traffic, back home. It was crazy to do Anime Expo and ConnectiCon back to back, but it was well worth it to have the best of both worlds.

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