Any convention veteran knows that the last day is when everything winds down. The last day took place on Martin Luther King Day. Most of the city had the day off. Luckily, the commuter rail was up. Therefore, it cut my travel time in half and I was able to make it to the Westin Waterfront bright and early. I was able to pick up my awards from masquerade and my video camera. Addtionally, the masquerade team also had some pumpkin spice baked treats. Talk about a masquerade worth entering in! However, this gave me time to explore more panels and do last minute shopping.

Bullying in Fandom

Yet, one of the many fandom sociology panels at this convention. This panel treaded a very sensitive, yet poignant topic in fandom communities. Not only this differentiated harrassment from then and compared it to now, it talked about topics that are often not discussed at the typical conventions I attend. Most of the focus was on online bullying and harrassment towards women and the LGBTQ community. What I also found interesting was pepole from fandoms being not being warm to new people and how that can turn off fans of the series from the fandom and how the fandom can loose out on someone who can contribute positivity to the fandom. This topic hit home with me because I've often felt left out in the Boston Whovian and DC fandom communities when I first moved here. Other interesting topics were fundamental Athiests ("some, but not all") hating on people who have beliefs (not limited to Judeo Christianity). Of course, there was a huge chunk of discussion aimed at Tony Harris and the "fake geek girl" contreversy of last year. I actually talked to the panelists after the presentation and expressed my disdain for homophobic slang used among peers to "change the meaning" and justified that "if South Park says it's okay, then it's okay." What followed was a very interesting discussion on how certain words just need to die. I'm very glad Arisia has open discussion forums for sensitive topics because I feel that we all need a safe place to vent and share.

Art Show

Arisia had an art show that was right next door to the dealer's hall. You could spend about an hour or two just perusing through crafts and paintings Arisia patrons are putting up for bidding. One of my favorite displays were ceramic Japanese tea sets. Typical display pieces included paintings based on popular media were posted all around the artshow. However, the craft pieces were really interesting to look at and observe. This is a great place to find something one of a kind for your geeky household.

Dealers Hall

The dealers hall was small, yet it had a very nice variety. There was something for everyone. As an otaku who has a soft spot for magical girl anime, I was surprised to find one vendor selling Pretty Cure figures. For the most part, there was an immense amount of corset and bodice dealers. My favorite out of that bunch was the Lady and the Leopard. While I was ready to buy a bodice, they did not have the style I was looking for. However, the downside to Lady and the Leopard is that they only make sales in person because of bodice fit. I will keep them in mind for future bodice purposes.

I also stopped by a place that sold custom Lolita tiny top hats. These were really cute and I custom ordered a tiny hat that had a San Francisco Niners motif to it. The top hat bursted of red and gold frillyness. Another dealer that I really liked was Tea and Absinthe. I picked up a lacey parasol (great for Lolita) and a red bolero (great for everything). Other vendors sold books and steampunk accessories and the occasional plush Dalek.

Convention Feedback

Like any convention that I stick around for, I decided to attend convention feedback just to listen in what Arisia did right and wrong. I thought it was interesting they had someone from Westin Waterfront to address hotel issues. It seemed there were issues regarding hotel elevators and access. Other gripes included panels that were held back to back that seemed repetitive. Cheers and jeers were passed along. What I liked about this feedback session is that the Arisia committee listened; they did not give any excuses or cheap explainations.

Moving Forward

There was another panel I wanted to try out - Flying Your Geek Flag. It had an interesting concept - how much or how little you should show your fandom in real life. Coming from the anime community, I've noticed a lot of hipstser driven self loathing for fandom in public spaces. The panel was held during the time I was jonesing for lunch. I was about ready to leave Arisia with good memories and just the fact that I have found my home here in the New England fan community.

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