A Bouquet of Memories

My, has it come and gone so fast~ I'm a bit sad that it's over but super happy about the wonderful experiences I had there! I haven't had a genuinely good time at a con in so long!! ;u;

First of all, I got to stay in my own hotel room for the first time ever which was simply divine~! >u< (Would have been even more if the room didn't reak of smoke, ew.) After picking up my pre-reg stuff (and getting a lot of attention from my casual Canada cosplay), I ran into my friend Raven whom I've been anticipating on meeting. It's cool because we stayed at the same hotel and our rooms were close to being above each others'! She introduced me to her sister who has never been to the states before since they live in BC; so that was cool! ^^ Anyway, we chatted briefly before I had to go and meet up with a friend.

Later on, I went back to my room and just relished the peaceful solitude. I kicked back on my bed and watched a marathon of That 70's Show while munching on the snacks my mom lovingly packed for me. It felt so nice!!!! <3

The next morning, I changed into my Child's Day!Canada and fortunately left my room at the same time as Raven did; so we (me as Canada and her as England, OTP ftw!!), along with her sister (Russia) and friend (Latvia) walked together to the con, and pretty much stuck together for the rest of the day (except Latvia kept wandering elsewhere, lol). We participated in the Hetalia photoshoot and afterwards, went to an Irish pub for lunch and drinks, and had a grand time~ I felt bad though because they insisted on treating me; so I didn't pay a penny for the meal! OTL They even invited me to stay up at their place anytime I wanted!! I couldn't believe their kindness!! ALKDSJGLSLSNH. QAQ

Later that evening, I changed into Rin and went to the rave with Raven who was dressed in a punk version of England, her friend who went as herself, and a Gakupo I already knew who was also staying at the same hotel as us. ^^ We raved hard and had fun but not as much as on the second day which was ten times better! I think I developed a new appreciation for the raves which I never really cared about until I got into it with Raven (she can really dance with those glowsticks!).

After that fun, we winded down and changed into our PJ's, and sat together outside on this open terrace along with other fellow cosplayers. We witnessed this fight of some sort happening at a nightclub right across from us. Then NINE (not exaggerating here) cop cars pulled into the street and were investigating the outbreak. It was quite a sight. o.o Gotta admire the Vancouver police for taking action like that! But yeah, we were goofing around the entire time like the sillies we were. (But I think Raven and I were the most closely sane ones out of the group.) xD

The next day didn't start out as awesome as the previous but I still enjoyed the rest of it nonetheless. For some reason, I woke up to the most terrifying high-pitched scream I've ever heard from this odd dream I had. That kept me on edge for the next ten minutes before looking over my schedule for the day and getting ready. I got into my fail!Maylene (couldn't make the dress on time) and headed on down to the Ouran Hosting Panel where I waited for about an hour in line. I thought I was running late too; so that goes to show how off-schedule they were. They didn't start until an hour later than they planned. (I was out of the line by then.) =u=; Luckily though, Fox happened to have been passing by and she invited me to chill in the Chibi room which she was in charge of; so I got to participate in making my own Japanese garden! That was way more fun than standing in line, plus I was happy to get to see her. ^u^ After that, I went to the Artist Alley to drop by Ellen's table where she gave me an England pillow she saved just for me! She's just too sweet!! I must do something for her in return!! ><

Shortly afterwards, I changed into my Sister Iceland and pretty much wandered around the con before heading to the second Hetalia photoshoot since there was supposed to be a Scandinavian and the World gathering after it. However, the heat was unbearable for me; especially since I was wearing a tight spandex top and a wig that was clinging to my skull and giving me a headache. Therefore, I ditched it and went to hang out some more with Raven and her sister who happened to have been watching the shoot at the time (lol, this con was full of conveniences!). We all agreed to head back to the hotel and just chill in their wonderfully cold room. xD

Not much happened after that (at least nothing that I can recall) but later in the evening, all four of us went out to dinner at the Hilton bistro. Since it was our last evening together (sniffle), we decided to go all out and have a full course meal! There, more shenanigans ensued and we had a great time and a lovely feast with Gelato for dessert! (I contributed to the check this time! >3) Then we (minus Raven's sister since she was the driver) went to the second rave which was an amazing turnout! The music was so much better (not repetitive like the first one) with remixes of well-known songs and harder beats that made us jump around and sing along! We were joined by other Hetalia cosplayers (I was Canada and Raven was England at the time) and we just had a blast with each other!! There was also a lonely America all by herself; so we went up and danced along with her. I'm glad we made her happy. ^U^

Afterwards, Raven and I went back to the hotel and hung out on the terrace again, soon followed by the same cosplayers we chatted with the other night. We were kind of hoping to have a more quiet time together but it wasn't too bad. (The guy next door brought out free pizza; so that was a score! Didn't eat any though.) xD So as it reached way past our bedtimes, we said our goodbyes since it was the last time we would see each other. ;_;

The next and last day had much sadness but also as much happiness. I was moping a bit as I was packing up all my stuff and changed into my casual Canada again. My train didn't leave until 5:20; so I had plenty of time to enjoy the remaining con where I took advantage of hanging out with Fox in the Chibi Room yet again (this time, she was teaching Basic Japanese! : D). Oh! I also bought this super adorable USCAN doujinshi in the dealer's hall! It's my current favorite out of my collection! I'm so glad I gave into the temptation of buying it! xD So, after some more wandering around and saying my farewells to the con, I spent the last minutes with Ellen and Fox in the staff room and finally left to catch my train. There were a few con-goers at the station and one of the girls said hi to me as Canada; so that was kind of cool. It was as if I never left. :3 I got a little teary-eyed after reading through my texts and reflecting back on all of the wonderful memories, haha.

(OMG I DID IT. I CAN BREATHE AGAIN. xD)