'Remember my pillow? I'm driving that pillow.' by Kara
Wednesday, April 16, 2008 at 6:13 AM

Gots my return.

Roundabout $500.

I think that'll be going towards the Sileighty. Don't you?

Someone brought a pair of YouTube videos to my attention long ago ... I'm not gonna post 'em here, partly because I want to spare you all, partly because I didn't bookmark it and have no desire to search for them, but mostly because I didn't feel like giving them any more traffic.

The videos depicted a pair of Naruto cosplayers pulling various rather obnoxious stunts at the most recent AWA. I didn't watch the entirety of the second one as it was fairly long, but I saw these pinnacles of human evolution chuck a hot dog off a balcony at someone, dip a tampon in ketchup and wing it off the same balcony, and do 'emo cutting' in front of the med staff room (it was 'in the style of' some character, but I really don't care which).

For whatever reason, these teenagers (because sorry, I've noticed that that is indeed the majority of the age group) believe that anime cons exist in this little isolated bubble of anarchy -- since they are now in a 'closed-off' setting filled with people belonging to a subculture, people weird enough to dress up as cartoon characters and buy expensive Japanese goods and do things they would not otherwise do in normal company, they are no longer required to follow any sort of guidelines of common sense.

And there is some sort of fascination with 'being weird.' The generally odder they are -- or rather, sprain their kidneys trying to be -- the cooler they are. Surely. Honestly, there is a difference between being naturally and rather humourously tweaked, and just being a teenager off its leash.

I have a few tips for these kids:

1. Don't pull such cockery.

2. If for some reason you simply can't resist doing so, don't put it up on YouTube.

I probably sound like a fogey, but honestly it's not about being boring and law-abiding. It's about having fun without having your fun taken away. Maybe your parents and teachers aren't around, but there are still people there who can kick your arse (metaphorically). You are in a building owned by other people, and in which other people occasionally come and go over the course of that weekend. You may be throwing various gross items at your friend Kawaii-Neko-Megami-sama down in the food court, but you may just as easily hit a paying mundane in the head. Or hotel security. I'm not asking you to care about nongoers. I'm just wondering if you honestly think you're gonna be allowed to stay at that hotel or convention centre if your aim is a little off.

Oh, and never mind that plenty of cons have been kicked out of very nice hotels because people like you wanted to graffiti the walls and stick sofas and shopping carts in the lifts. Again, I don't expect you to give a toss about 'The Man,' because you're never gonna believe they're not here with the sole intent of spoiling your fun. I'd just make sure you're not overly fond of that hotel before you do.

I understand ... I used to be the little wide-eyed congoer on her first weekend out, being fascinated by the fact that I wasn't alone in wanting to dress up like Rei Ayanami and gawking at famous people and HOLY CRAP YOU CAN BUY POCKY AND LAMUNE HERE. Eight years up the road (which either makes me a baby or an old lady in con years, depending on whom I'm sitting next to at any given time), I'm mostly past that, but I will admit to random bouts of dumbery.

However, what I have learned is that you don't have to get yourself in trouble with con staff or hotel security to get attention. Dressing up in next to nothing and singing in Japanese tends to do the trick for me. There are plenty of things to participate in (they spend a bit of time working on programming, you know), and there's plenty of silliness you can pull without getting yourself in a whopping great bit of trouble.

Oh, incidentally, those AWA kids? Thanks for allowing yourselves to be so easily identified. Apparently a friend of mine reported you after showing me the vids. I dunno if I would've taken that kind of initiative, but I will laugh.

If you have been, it's hot!