Chapter 7
Chapter 7 is here!
Chapter 7: Rave Rave Revolution
Tired from wearing and photographing costumes all day, it wasn't long before everyone else was asleep. I lay wide-awake, feeling absolutely nothing from the one glass of champagne. Outside, something was calling me. I could hear it bellowing in the night. I ignored it for a while until I could no longer resist the urge to climb out of my sleeping bag and go outside. Thus, off I went to check out the things that go "MARCO POLO!" in the night.
At first glance, the night convention largely resembled its daytime counterpart, but something was amiss. Fifteen year olds scampered everywhere, somehow convinced that a pervert convention would be the best place to get "OMG SO DRUNK LOL" for the first time. Underage girls in skimpy costumes could ask for liquor and lonely basement dwellers would happily drive out, deliver it, and be thrilled to have talked to something with boobs for an instant.
As an alternative to the fun of people watching, official activities hadn't yet ceased. The main ballroom was turned into another one of those lovely "anime rave" things. It was run by the exact same people as the one here in Orlando. I had to check it out at least briefly.
Edging past the glow stick salesdudes, I flashed my badge and entered. It was still the most horrifically banal, generic techno I'd heard since my last "Anime Sushi's Cyberia" event. The stage contained the usual "EVERYBODY SCREAM, OH YEAH. CAN YOU FEEL IT!!!" type hipster DJ, surrounded on both sides by pink-haired girls in cages. The usual strain of "white guy dancing" dominated the scene as people planted their feet and slightly jiggled back and forth to the god-awful beat. Second in popularity were the DDR-inspired, flailing their feet about wildly in every direction without regard to rhythm or remembering that most dancing also involves the rest of the body. Thirdly, people looking to get the most from their just-purchased glow sticks waved them randomly. It'd be difficult to move without getting hit by one if they weren't, you know, glowing.
Anime Rave
As an alternative to that madness, a smaller room was set up for a rave of a slightly different variety. The AMV Dance contained the same groups of people dancing, but this time with a screen showing anime music videos. If they were smart, they'd consider setting this up as a venue for less-suck music. Instead, they played only videos with equally suck soundtracks. So much for dancing!
I checked out the arcade for a few minutes. It contained each of the games that end in "Revolution" along with every imaginable spin-off. The smell of nerd sweat was so strong that you could catch a whiff merely by walking by. It didn't take long before my sinuses led me away.
My remaining choices were to watch regular anime I'd never heard of, Yaoi, or Yuri. Recall that yaoi is gay hentai. Yuri is lesbian hentai. I elected for the lesbians. Curiously, the convention's policy was that yaoi and regular hentai require 18+ ID checks at the door, but Yuri does not. Apparently, it doesn't qualify as porno unless it's full of cock-or they just decided that boobies should be shared with the underage masses. Obscenity policies are awesome. I went inside the dark room and had a seat, waiting for my eyes to adjust to the lack of light and for my mind to grasp whatever I might be about to see.
Chapter 7: Rave Rave Revolution
Tired from wearing and photographing costumes all day, it wasn't long before everyone else was asleep. I lay wide-awake, feeling absolutely nothing from the one glass of champagne. Outside, something was calling me. I could hear it bellowing in the night. I ignored it for a while until I could no longer resist the urge to climb out of my sleeping bag and go outside. Thus, off I went to check out the things that go "MARCO POLO!" in the night.
At first glance, the night convention largely resembled its daytime counterpart, but something was amiss. Fifteen year olds scampered everywhere, somehow convinced that a pervert convention would be the best place to get "OMG SO DRUNK LOL" for the first time. Underage girls in skimpy costumes could ask for liquor and lonely basement dwellers would happily drive out, deliver it, and be thrilled to have talked to something with boobs for an instant.
As an alternative to the fun of people watching, official activities hadn't yet ceased. The main ballroom was turned into another one of those lovely "anime rave" things. It was run by the exact same people as the one here in Orlando. I had to check it out at least briefly.
Edging past the glow stick salesdudes, I flashed my badge and entered. It was still the most horrifically banal, generic techno I'd heard since my last "Anime Sushi's Cyberia" event. The stage contained the usual "EVERYBODY SCREAM, OH YEAH. CAN YOU FEEL IT!!!" type hipster DJ, surrounded on both sides by pink-haired girls in cages. The usual strain of "white guy dancing" dominated the scene as people planted their feet and slightly jiggled back and forth to the god-awful beat. Second in popularity were the DDR-inspired, flailing their feet about wildly in every direction without regard to rhythm or remembering that most dancing also involves the rest of the body. Thirdly, people looking to get the most from their just-purchased glow sticks waved them randomly. It'd be difficult to move without getting hit by one if they weren't, you know, glowing.
Anime Rave
As an alternative to that madness, a smaller room was set up for a rave of a slightly different variety. The AMV Dance contained the same groups of people dancing, but this time with a screen showing anime music videos. If they were smart, they'd consider setting this up as a venue for less-suck music. Instead, they played only videos with equally suck soundtracks. So much for dancing!
I checked out the arcade for a few minutes. It contained each of the games that end in "Revolution" along with every imaginable spin-off. The smell of nerd sweat was so strong that you could catch a whiff merely by walking by. It didn't take long before my sinuses led me away.
My remaining choices were to watch regular anime I'd never heard of, Yaoi, or Yuri. Recall that yaoi is gay hentai. Yuri is lesbian hentai. I elected for the lesbians. Curiously, the convention's policy was that yaoi and regular hentai require 18+ ID checks at the door, but Yuri does not. Apparently, it doesn't qualify as porno unless it's full of cock-or they just decided that boobies should be shared with the underage masses. Obscenity policies are awesome. I went inside the dark room and had a seat, waiting for my eyes to adjust to the lack of light and for my mind to grasp whatever I might be about to see.