I first heard about Arisia Con through word of mouth in the Boston cosplay circuit. I was not sure of what to make of the science fiction and fantasy con. I came from a world of anime cons bursting with younger cosplayers, but at the same time, I was not impressed with the science fiction and fantasy circuit in my hometown back in Los Angeles. I decided to keep an open mind. People my age were suggesting I should check out Arisia in January. I literally decided to do the full weekend at the very last possible second. After being wiped from the previous con I attended, I decided that I could use a refresher. I was Arisia bound.

Registration

I entered the Boston Westin Waterfront at arond 5PM. I just came back from a Lolita tea party at Cafe Fleuri. Dolled up in Angelic Pretty's pink Vanilla-chan jumper skirt, I felt like a frilly Mary Tyler Moore in a brand new world. Registration was easy to find. I ended up purchasing my badge through a resale on livejournal. Unfortunately, there were issues in the badge transfer. Luckily, I had a copy of the original email for the badge transfer. The registration team was able to hand this issue and I was on my way to the con.

Anime Cons Behind the Scenes

Unfortunately, I missed the Sailor Moon panel. However, I decided to drop by the Anime Cons panel. Hosted by East Coast convention veterans, this panel consisted of how to get involved in your local anime convention. As the title implies, the panelists talk about what goes into organizing an anime convention. However, the best part of the panel was the convention horror stories. People from the audience shared their horror stories. I also chimed in and talked about the Anime Vegas 2010 disaster. One of the heads of NautiCon was intrigued that it took place a a roach motel. Otherwise, we also had some stories about guest pick up confusion and just the fact that when you're part of the convention organizer aspect of fandom, you become one big family.

Self Objectification and the Geeky Girl

I was intrigued that this convention had several panels on nerd sociology. This is very different from anime conventions. The title alone almost reads like a byline for a Jezebel editorial. However, what took place was a very interesting discourse on dressing sexy at conventions - empowerment and consequences. The panelists were women employed in nuclear science, counseling, publishing, and professional costuming. Not only these were veterans of the convention circuit, but also had professional lives outside of it. One of the popular discourses is why women were interested in cosplaying as the slave bikini version of Princess Leia than her other variations. The rape counselor replied, "It's prettier." However, the publisher talked about the context of why Princess Leia was wearing the slave outfit in the first place. The panel briefly touched on the Fake Geek Girl debate, but it also touched on veteran cosplayers feeling left out because cosplay models are recieving more press and attention. This was a really good conversation and I think more conventions need to have these discussions taking place.

Con Suite

Like most science fiction and fantasy cons, there's a con suite to feed the mouths of every geek. The con suite had a dystopian theme - I was feeling Borderlands when I entered the Con Suite area. While I understood what the con was going for, the area did not look too presentable for food servery. However, I did appreciate the free food. We had some little surprises through the weekend - meatballs, bowls of cereal, salsa, mozerrella sticks, etc. Sodas were a plenty. It is very respectable that Arisia cares enough for their attendees that they have enough food supply to take care of everyone.

NautiCon Room Party

Science fiction conventions are known for having some of the best room parties ever. Rooms will be themed up and there are drinks all around. Some are public and some are invite only. I thought about going up to the Brony Room party to see how that went. However, I recieved an invitation from NautiCon to check out their party. While Arisia is an all ages event, by this time in the evening, the kids are tucked into bed and the adults can enjoy the night life. No one does it like these guys. What I like about the room parties is that they do check for ID. This way, it keeps underage people from giving reason for any liability. Some parties also give out ribbons that you can decorate your badge with.

The NautiCon party shared space with the World Con bid for Orlando. People were generally nice. It was not as wild as a Freshmen dorm party - the type of partying I'm used to seeing at anime conventions. It was held by people who actually knew their drinks. The room was decorated to the theme of NautiCon - very Pacific islander-esque with Don Hoe playing in the background. I donated $5 for an official NautiCon shotglass. People were very classy and there was nothing too wild. I liked that Arisia had guidelines on how to throw a succesful room party. I do beleive that my generation of anime convention goers can learn from this.

Overall, it was an amazing first night at the convention. Though I was only there for half a day, I was already impressed on what Arisia had to offer. South Station was a very quick 10 minute walk from the Westin Waterfront. It was a generally safe walk and a few convention goers were going home in that direction. I arrived home and prepared to get ready for masquerade.

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