The Wrath of (Sakura-)Con

 

Welcome to another installment of Benjamin Fischberg’s Con-Blog!  The adventure this time: Sakura-Con in Seattle!

In all seriousness: yes, this is another blog post about a convention I went to.  What can I say?  Cons are a load of fun!  And I don’t have a lot of other things to write about because of confidentiality and the world is generally a s****y dumpster fire these days, but yeah!  The con this time was Sakura-Con, one of the largest anime conventions in the Pacific Northwest, which I have heard about from a few friends.  Pokémon and Cowboy Bebop aside, I’m not that much of an anime viewer.  However, anime conventions tend to attract all types of gaming fans and provide great cosplay opportunities, so this was a great opportunity to take a break and have some fun out of town.  Unlike the recent Emerald City Comic Con, I was in town for all 3 days, so I was going to squeeze every drop of fun possible and take my time.  The result was a weekend equal parts excellent, tiring, and completely insane. :)

The day before Sakura-Con, I drove down to Seattle with Cthulhu (you didn’t think I was going to convention by myself, did you?).  As far as long, caffeine-fueled road trips go, it went smoothly, as did checking into the hotel.  The only snag that day was that I forgot some of the components of a cosplay I had been brainstorming; fortunately, I had a reliable backup ready (my Pokémon trainer cosplay from a few previous cons), so I slept soundly that night.  Day 1 of Sakura-Con was a fun way to kick things off…in the afternoon.  The line to pick up tickets (which had all been sold online this year) was over 2 hours long, so there was a whole lot of standing around and admiring everyone else’s getup throughout the morning.  Nonetheless, once the tickets were secure, the afternoon offered plenty of opportunities to admire cosplays, attend panels (I had particular fun at a voice acting one) and get a feel of the scene for the rest of the weekend.  Here are some of the highlights:

Day 2 got really dramatic really fast; after attending a Final Fantasy-themed panel (giving advice to anyone who has never played the games…like me), the entire building was suddenly evacuated, causing everyone to go to the convention’s other building (the Seattle Convention Center has 2 buildings that are about a block away from each other).  During the walk, I saw more fire trucks in a 2-block radius than I have seen in my entire life (please note that I lived in New York City from 1993 to 2004; I’ve seen a lot of them).  There was a lot of rumors swirling around, but I gradually figured out the situation from word of mouth and social media press releases.  It turns out that a neighboring closed-down Cheesecake Factory had a grease fire break out, which caused smoke to flood nearby buildings.  Thankfully, nobody was hurt, and the building was reopened to the public later in the afternoon (where I later spent the early evening attending panels and checking out Artist Alley, where merch and fanart is for sale and tends to be a major draw at conventions).  While waiting, I spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon in the other building, all the while attending panels, resting in a manga library (which was set up in a quiet room all three days and where I went to read and relax anytime I felt overwhelmed by the crowds), and admiring more cosplay:

The Seattle Fire Department shows up in force.

Most people took the incident with some humor, like this plucky artist who sold/gave these drawings later that afternoon.

(I started getting arty with camera angles around here, as I attended a panel explaining how playing with angles can enhance convention photography.)

In case it isn't evident, Pokémon onesies were really popular here.

Here, I can be seen conducting an unorthodox kind of legal research.

I slightly changed my dress for an Ace Attorney panel.

Day 3 was filled with fun events (including a panel on building armor for cosplay and a Dungeons & Dragons improv show that made constant references to the fire), but I did my best to take things easy, enjoying my time at Artist Alley, the manga library, and anywhere I saw more cosplay:

And that was Sakura-Con 2025!  A long caffeine-fueled drive back and a whole lot of sleep later, I’m back in the swing of being a lawyer.  I’m not quite as apt with getting back to blogging; I meant to write this entry a week ago, but a trial and some new cases kept me busy.  Since I know this post has been a little light on content (I usually let photos do the talking in con-related blog posts), I’ve got a little treat.  Without further ado, I present:

 

GREAT MOMENTS IN TILLAMOOK JURISPRUDENCE

*insert sophisticated music*

Episode VIII: Mr. Mime

[during in-custody arraignment, defendant pantomimes holding a gun towards the camera/video screen with the judge’s face]

Judge: [Defendant], can you hear me?

Defendant: [launches string of profanities]

[court mutes defendant’s video feed from the jail]

J: *nonchalantly* . . . For the record, [defendant] has been muted due to using inappropriate language.  [Defendant] also appears to be pantomiming holding a gun.

[arraignment is set over due to defendant’s inability to participate]