The question of what to wear for Sunday had been up in the air for a while prior to Otakon. I always have older costumes I can wear, of course, but we had been kicking around the idea of doing some casual Magic Knight Rayearth costumes, similar to what the girls wear in the very last scene of the manga. The week before the convention we agreed that's what we would do, so I packed my green EGL dress for Lady Terentia, and threw some clothes from my closet into my suitcase for me.I didn't think anyone would know who I was, unless I was with Chris (who was being a casual version of Ferio) and Teren, but at least I'd be comfortable!

I had managed to catch Doc when most of the irons he had in the fire were beginning to cool down, so we decided to make the most of it, and continue our "sight-seeing" from the night before. Doc wanted to check out the art auction, both to show me the beautiful pieces that were available (seriously, most of the people who submitted works are so talented that it made me ashamed of Crimson Sky Creations), and to check on a canvas he had been interested in. I had never watched a real auction before, and while the auctioneer didn't have that old-timey "auction chant" thing going on, he still kept the bids moving along quickly. I have to admit I was pretty surprised on how many people were interested in bidding on what was mostly fanart!

Afterwards we decided to check out the Dealer's Room, because while I had been in it the day before, I had done a lot more running around than actually shopping. There was something Doc had wanted to get at the Otakon merch booth, and as we made our way over, I asked him if they had ever gotten around to making mass-produced plushie versions of the Otakon mascot, Crabby (Doc had one of the prototypes, and had allowed me to pose with him before.) "Oh, yeah," Doc said. "They're ready for sale this year!"

WHY WAS I NOT NOTIFIED OF THIS DEVELOPMENT? Seriously, this should've been hung on a friggen banner that greeted you as you walked in: "Welcome to Otakon! You can now own your very own Crabby!" Once I knew, nothing would do but for me to buy my very own Crabby. And I have to tell you, Crabby is just about *the* happiest stuffed animal I have ever owned (which is why I bought the large Crabby over the smaller Crabby. The larger Crabby is somehow even happier.) However they did the eyes-to-mouth ratio or whatever, that little guy somehow manages to have an infectious smile. I leave him laying around my apartment, and sometimes I'll run into him and he just makes me laugh. I was grinning for most of the rest of the day.

Not long afterwards, the girls of OPIB and Chris came into the Dealer's Room as well, both to shop, and because Lady Terentia was doing a separate scavenger hunt in the Artist's Alley, because a webcomic she reads was participating. I shopped for a few Sailor Moon gifts to buy as souveniers for the girls--we all went home with cell phone charms of the senshi we cosplay most--and tried to help Terentia find the booths she needed for her hunt. Let me just say again, while I bemoan not having enough money to buy all the Sailor Moon stuff I want, it's such a nice change from the dearth of merchandise in so many of the years gone by. Even if I can't afford to buy, I so love to look!

While passing by the Viz booth, we noticed that some of the volunteers were conducting interviews of "old school anime fans". Hey! We're old school anime fans! Seeing that Chris, Teren, and I were dressed as Ferio, Fuu, and Umi, they put us on camera and asked us what older anime we're fans of, what it's meant to us in our lives, and all that jazz. I know this doesn't apply to everybody, but in my circle it certainly does apply to a large portion, but have you ever thought to yourself how many people in your life you wouldn't have met if it hadn't been for Sailor Moon? Never mind cosplaying at conventions, it would have changed at least one bridal party! And as for Magic Knight Rayearth, if we hadn't dressed as the girls in 2008, we never would have met Chris! I can't count the number of wonderful things that this fandom has brought to me. It's really amazing when you think about it. I was also glad to be able to say a quick hi to Tristen Citrine (I always want to hang out with her, but I never want to take her away from her duties--I really have to make time to hang out with her the next time she's in New York City!)

Linwood joined us soon after we were done with our interview, and not long after that Reinii's boyfriend and his friends showed up, so we had quite a group going. The girls realized we hadn't taken our classic "OPIB" sign language pic yet, so we decided to make use of the beautiful Sailor Moon Crystal poster for the R season as a background, and take not only that one, but a few of us just horsing around and generally just being ijits--Avi being terribly inappropriate, Reinii going along with it, me acting like a child, Teren laughing hysterically at all of us, herself included. I also got a few more messages written in my cosplay decadebook!

The girls had to get ready to leave, so we left the dealer's room, and took some time to say goodbye to Dave and to Gala properly--over the years Dave has tried multiple times to play happy pranks on us, but this was his most successful and most epic ever! The worst thing about this fandom is how it brings people together from all over not only the nation but the world, which seems like a good thing, until you realize how difficult it is to get together in person. But I know we'll get to hang out again sooner rather than later!

We had to head back to the Marriott (Outer Power) Inner Harbor; in the continuing trend of Murphy's Law, Lady Terentia's car had decided to "pine for the fjords" right before the convention, and she had to arrange for her father--who luckily works in Baltimore anyway--to give her a ride to and from the con. I decided to walk back with her; I had met Avi's and Reinii's parents two years before at Avi's wedding, and I had met Teren's mom at a previous Otakon, so her dad was the only one left. I used to make a notoriously bad impression on parents back when I was a teenager (I'm a little bit too much of a smart aleck--not to other parents, of course, I was raised better than that, but to my own), I can only hope I'm a little better at a woman approaching middle age! (God I'm old.)

On the plus side, the walk back to the hotel meant I got to see Avi's brother Josh and their cousin Mackenzie, both who I had also met at Avi's May The Forth Be With You wedding--in fact, Josh had been "my" groomsman! If I had known he had been at the con all weekend (which I would have if I had been on social media, which I would have been if my heart and mind hadn't been so disturbed the week before, but nevermind) I would have made sure I ran into him sooner, Avi's brothers (in fact her entire family) crack me up. I kidded around with Josh (I'll resist the obvious pun) while Linwood and Chris helped Terentia bring her bags to the car.

People were trickling out by this point, and I had a long drive ahead of me, so I figured I ought to get going while the going was good myself. After we saw Lady Terentia off safely, I said goodbye to Avi and Josh and Mackenzie, and Reinii and Andy and Peter and Austin, and started back to my own hotel. Linwood and Chris, ever the gentlemen, decided to accompany me. I had stowed all of my bags with the check-in service in the lobby, and I had paid for valet parking with the hotel (which is pretty expensive, but *so* convenient it's worth it), so in a matter of no time I had my own bags in the trunk and Crabby on the back ledge (which reminded me of the signs you used to see in cars going to cons in the past; they've gone out of vogue now, but there used to be a lot of "Otakon or Bust!" signs in rearview windows. I said goodbye to my gallant escorts, and promised to let them know when I was safely in my own house. Throughout the drive, I got notifications from each of the girls in turn as they did the same.

As I was driving away, I stopped at a red light right at the corner of the convention center. I happened to glance to my right, and I saw a large group of people--they looked young, although I'm not great at guessing people's ages even when I meet them face-to-face, never mind from yards away--posing for a group photo outside. Some of them were in costume, and some of them weren't, and their skin colors were every gradient of the flesh-toned rainbow; they looked like a United Colors of Beneton Cosplay ad. They looked so happy together, and it seemed to me that if I had to choose one photo, from all the ones I've posed for over the years, from all the ones I've taken myself, to really sum up what convention weekends are all about, this one of complete strangers somehow encompasses it all for me. There's such joy, such love, such a feeling of camaraderie, and that's what keeps us coming back, year after year.

The trip back went pretty well, all the way up until the exit for the Holland Tunnel: I was literally less than a mile away, when a horrific accident put that entire section of highway into absolutely standstill gridlock. It was maddening to be so close to my exit and yet spend over an hour without moving...but when you think about *why* there was gridlock, really, I knew I had no right to complain. As it was I was still home in plenty of time to get to bed and go to work the next day.

So, in retrospect, did I do right to go to Otakon? Perhaps it's easier to write this, knowing that Grandpa's going to be okay, but yes: as I put it the day afterwards, going to Otakon that weekend was like taking an Advil; it didn’t cure anything, what was wrong was still there the whole time I was there as well as when I got back...but it did temporarily make me feel better. And that was *entirely* due to the people I saw there, the friends who were there with me, and for me. As Stephen King has often put it, a little light, and a little love. Sometimes, that's all you need.

Is it sad that we already know what we're cosplaying together next year? (Answer: NOPE! In fact, it's pretty much the best thing ever.)

"See you next time!"

Utena

Tiny Sailor Moon!

Yep, seems about right.

O-P-I-B!

Doing the Crystal poses.

Picnicing in Cephiro.

Umi's a bit of an ice princess.

I love Chris's face in this one!

That prom pose.

We're all bad influences on each other. (Well, maybe not Terentia.)

Imma bite her bow!

We do love each other, though.

Hey Peter!

Peter and Andy

I acquire a Crabby.

He is now my Crabby, and he is the best Crabby in the world.

THEY'RE ALL SO PRETTY!

Don't mind if I gush; it's just as I said, I love them so.

I'm pretty fond of our fellas, too.

And any faces I make to the contrary are strictly in character.

And sometimes I don't know what the heck I'm doing with my face.

This one's pretty good though.

I still miss my old wig, but the length on this one is pretty good.

I LOOK LIKE I'M TRYING TO INHALE MY FRIENDS.

Nope. Just happy.