superslinger2007: Otafest debriefings REDUX [5161814]

Chapters 15-20

Web links underlined on July 26, 2015 to mitigate red-text confusion.

Newscast video link (15. Potential cosplay character targets and honourable mentions) added on July 26, 2015. Card and papercraft update info (16. The lights that shine brightly) UPDATED on August 25, 2014.
Sentence clarified (15. Potential cosplay character targets and honourable mentions) and new character status info (19. The future of Opposition/Resurrection) UPDATED on October 5, 2014.

ADVISORIES:
ALL PREVIOUS DEBRIEFINGS ARE NOW OUT OF DATE.
There is a zero-tolerance policy in effect for this blog.
I am very sorry for the things I reveal here. Also, this extremely long blog has been split into sections, as marked in the contents list, so please bear with me. There is also a rant near the very end, but I've tried to restrain myself.

15. Potential cosplay character targets and honourable mentions

[5161814] - May 16-18, 2014

"The fears that once controlled me can't get to me at all."

-Elsa, Frozen

The final [5161814] mission at Otafest 2014 was split into three phases:
-May 16 (phase 1): "Dawn of the fallen"
-May 17 (phase 2): "No more delusion"
-May 18 (phase 3): "Exact time to failure".

With the multitude of cosplay encounters and sightings during [5161814], of course I took notes as to which characters I saw, and most of them ended up waving at the camera and writing encouraging stuff. However, there were certain characters I was personally expecting during this final mission.

First of all, I was looking for someone going as Elsa from Frozen. In terms of first-encounters, on May 16, 2014, Elsa was also with Jack Frost from Rise of the Guardians. A cosplayer going as Anna from Frozen showed up soon after. All three characters waved at the camera and wrote stuff. I felt a bit inclusive; there was also a Kristoff cosplayer who was with Anna, and I had him wave at the camera, too.

And of course, Anna and Elsa weren't the only Anna and Elsa I encountered during the weekend. On May 18, just before "the one mandatory objective", the cosplayers I was with found someone hiding in a huge cardboard box and suddenly broke into song; they were singing "Do You Want to Build a Snowman?". I managed to get them to wave before they had to rush.

I figured that a theatre showing of AnoHana: The Movie would become connected to Otafest 2014, similar to Doctor Who: "The Day of the Doctor" and Madoka Magica: Rebellion. I encountered two cosplayer duos of Menma and Jinta. Both times, I had them wave at the camera for private cosplay segments. However, the cosplayer duo of Menma and Jinta who gave me that round flowery candy were the first-encounters and allowed to sign my book.

After previously unexpectedly meeting someone going as Vanellope von Schweetz from Wreck-It-Ralph (which I saw in theatres five times), I prepared for another proper and fully expected encounter this year. Sure enough, it happened on May 18, and this time, when I had her write on my book, she actually spelled Vanellope's name right. Vanellope is a tough name to spell.

Here's an honourable mention. I wanted to find this one particular character from a new show called Kill la Kill. I had to settle for cosplay encounters with people going as Ryuko, Mako, and Satsuki. As a first-encounter, I let the first Ryuko cosplayer I met write encouraging stuff. It didn't stop me from filming more cosplay segments with all three cosplay characters, especially those where most of the multiple Ryuko cosplayers pointed their Scissor Blade props at the camera... while waving.

Another honourable mention is, of course, the Madoka Magica characters. On January 18, 2014, a Mami Tomoe cosplayer told me that we met before while she was Haruhi in 2012 (I may have sighted her on Nov. 12, 2011 as well). After waving at the camera (of course) in a private cosplay segment, she also told me that she was about to be in a cosplay group; this group happened to run a Q&A panel on May 17, 2014. I saw her again on May 16.

Now, the Q&A panel on May 17 was also hosted by people going as Kyubey, Madoka, and Homura. Oh, and Nagisa, too. I asked Nagisa about a well-known spoiler from episode 3, and I presented it as "Nagisa, have you had nightmares about that?", taking into effect a transformation that Nagisa could willingly use during Madoka: Rebellion. She said she would never turn on Mami Tomoe, but... you know.

And then I shook things up by asking Homura and Nagisa about an Opposition/Resurrection plot point: What if I took my own life in a previous alternate timeline and a second Homura showed up, as depicted in Op/Res episode 3? They were uncertain about how that could work, and claim that they would all lose their heads in confusion over seeing a second Homura. It's too bad Nagisa had to frigging run away before I could get the remaining four to wave at the camera. (...That just sounds horrible.)

On May 18, I met up with Mami and Homura again. I had them both say certain things for more private cosplay segments, relating to the stuff we talked about during their Q&A panel, and then wave at the camera again, and that was pretty much it for them.

There were others throughout the weekend going as Mami, Madoka, and Homura... and Nagisa, as well as Sayaka and Kyoko... and Charlotte. Someone I met up with on May 19, 2012 as Mami Tomoe, when I went brutal, changed her version of her costume into a walking spoiler on May 18, 2014. At least, I think that was the same person.

A third honourable mention is, of course, a cosplay character I'd been looking for ever since a November 30, 2013 failure: Serah Farron. Too bad there weren't two Serahs running around, and too bad post-final mission stuff happened-- more on that later-- but on May 17, I had her write encouraging stuff, and of course I had her and another cosplay character I won't mention here wave at the camera.

Of course, the three Otafest mascots, Sephonie, Aurora, and June, were cosplay encounter objectives as well, especially since Global TV made a new newscast on May 16, 2014. Luckily, it wasn't as intense as the infamous newscast from May 14, 2012.

I had the mascots write stuff in the guidebook on May 16 and May 18.
On May 16, they emerged from the crowd. I learned from my mistake the year before and after hearing that they were right outside the opening ceremony room, I decided to have them wave at the camera straight away on day 1. Then I basically told the mascots I was on my final mission.
On May 18, after waiting for them to finish whatever, I was able to meet up with the mascots once more after the closing ceremonies. I had them give out a cheer for another private cosplay segment because I didn't fail my mission. However, I withheld, and eventually broke, the bad news that it was my final time there.

Speaking of not failing my final mission, I'm gonna talk about my riddle about the lights in the darkness.

16. The lights that shine brightly

"Every time you fight, the scars are gonna heal, but they're never gonna go away."

-Simple Plan, "No Love"

Throughout May 18, 2014, I posted a clue drop riddle online: "One light is shining brightly. The other has been lost to the darkness. Now, there's a third light flickering, but its centre is pitch-black."

Little did I know there was a fourth light shining just as brightly as the first one, and a previously unseen fifth light that also fell to the darkness. Due to the "now-or-never" nature of this final [5161814] mission, I felt that certain meetups were very critical. Unfortunately, it was not to be.

On May 18, I followed the Anna and Elsa cosplayers who broke into song into the Science building. While I moped in front of ST140, Person A arrived, and I could recognize her just fine despite my facial-recognition issues. This guaranteed "the one mandatory objective", which I publicly announced on social media at 2:05 PM while I was checking elsewhere for cosplayers.

"The one mandatory objective", however, had a scheduling conflict with an autograph session, but I figured making amends was more important.
I'm not gonna say what Person A featured this year. After her panel, I said I'm sorry for everything, again. We talked about a few personal things, and I gave Person A a thank-you card for being awesome. Of course, she wrote encouraging statements in return, and I filmed more private recordings. And finally, like on a fateful encounter at a train station on December 16, 2012 (the day after I supposed to end my own life), she and I had a final hug together on May 18, 2014 (the final day of this final mission). I finally had a sense of closure.

And speaking of someone I could recognize just fine, Person D had been in a different costume for each of the three days. In fact, on May 16, 2014, she was in the same costume I saw her in back in May 2012, the year I went brutal. Of course, a bunch of private cosplay segments were filmed, and I had Person D write an encouraging statement once again, in terms of first-encounters, that is. Man, if I wasn't so busy preparing for [5161814], I could have also built a Squid Girl papercraft (also designed by poppaper.net) and given it to Person D. So if she wants it, she better show up at the next pin trading party! (It took me a while, but I'll revisit this topic in the overtime debriefing.)

In a similar encounter not related to these lights in the darkness, there was one other person, an Otafest staff member, who was guaranteed to be at the vendor room entrance during the main Otafest convention. I gave her a thank-you card for being awesome, too, since she didn't show up to receive a holiday card during fear/survival mission: overtime on November 30, 2013. And yes, there was a cosplay segment recording once more.

I did arrange for a third thank-you "for being awesome" card to be delivered to the good friend in the Otafest staff for the assistance he provided over these years. I am not holding out hope for this one, though. Paranoia's telling me anything could have happened to that card.

UPDATE: As implied by a recent FugitiveStatus report, on August 23, I stopped by a Japanese Omatsuri Festival partially because the Otafest staff was there, including the good friend in the staff. I basically requested an update, and he told me he finally received it around June or July 2014. So that's a relief. Doesn't make me any less afraid to ask the whoevers about the papercrafts I gave them...

Oh wait. I also asked Kieran Strange about her Companion Cube papercraft (once again, designed by Mike Carson) at the August 18 concert; she said it's safe at home. So there you go.

17. The lights that fell to the darkness

"What the hell's going on? Have you gone undercover?"

-Simple Plan, "Freaking Me Out"

This part's gonna sound angry, but please hear me out.

Two separate times, I happened to be in the same room as someone else who waved at the camera before. Both times we were kept apart by long lineups. Both times, I was obligated to stay in my seat, as I was still a fugitive. And both times, the other person was blissfully unaware of the fugitive's presence. They are Person B and Person C.

I know, on May 17, I should have checked the autograph lineup, but my facial-recognition issues wouldn't have helped, even after the good friend gave me intel as to what she switched her cosplay character to. In the autograph room, once I saw Person B in front of me, I was chanting "break break break". I was beating up my mind so hard that I was left depressed. This forced me to loophole my own mission objectives so that "the one mandatory objective" with Person A the next day would be the only thing keeping me from failing this final mission.

On May 18, I made sure to check the closing ceremony lineup. I saw a bunch of other cosplayers, including those I'd already met throughout the weekend. I barely recognized anyone else, and I only knew of Person C's presence when she won one of the runner-up cosplay showcase prizes. I don't even know what light-blue-haired character Person C was (and thankfully for you, people, I still don't know). She ran away from the room before I even knew it!

It only got worse. On June 2, long after my final mission had ended, a Tumblr post I found indicated that Person E had returned to Otafest as a character from a show that I heard of, but never even considered watching.

18. So, am I okay!?

"Where did we go wrong, and what did we not see?"

-Black Tide, "Honest Eyes"

That didn't make any sense. Why could I recognize Persons A and D, but not Persons B, C, or E?

Is it because I was compelled to move the infamous newscast video, in which Persons A, B, and E appeared, out of my PSP?

Is it because Persons A and D both showed up at fear/survival mission: overtime at Otafest Aurora 2013?

Have I shut out Persons B, C, and E from my mind so hard that I can no longer recognize them ever again for the rest of my life?

Or is it because all three of them went undercover as totally different characters so a fugitive wouldn't recognize them? No wait. That's paranoia talking...

This is like finding out that an "Expo fan" in a Vegeta costume is actually a high-profile cosplayer.
No, wait.

This is like finding out too late that a high-profile singer was performing alongside street buskers...
No, even worse.

This is like finding out that a random guy in a Bart Simpson mask was actually a high-profile actor! You'd be beating up your own mind and kicking yourself, too!
I admit, though, this kind of stuff is out of anyone's control.

Granted, you could use the "book ends" theory, where some things end the way they begin, to argue that I never knowingly met up with any of these five in 2010, either...

But it is not going to help. I was on a final mission. I wanted total closure.

Since the dark times, Persons A and D waved and saluted to the camera multiple times and wrote stuff to keep me in check. So those two are still as awesome as ever.

And in terms of Persons B, C, and E, these three also waved at the camera, even if only during the dark times. I gotta admit: Person B is actually better off than Persons C and E, because Person B was the only one of these three who got the privilege to write encouraging stuff in my books. Persons C and E never got that privilege, because when I last met up with them in May 2012, I didn't know I'd try to end my own life months later and therefore propose that people write stuff to cheer me up.

So, while the lights for Persons A and D remain shining brightly, the lights for Persons B and E have been lost to the darkness. However, like I said, Person B is still better off. And even though Person C's light was left flickering after I avoided total failure, its centre has gone pitch black. I don't even care that Persons C and E were potentially the two Serah Farrons running around in 2012 anymore, and... Why do I keep talking about two Serahs running around? I already found one Serah this year. It's enough.

Because of all these missed encounters and the fact I'm leaving Otafest forever, there is only one thing left that I am personally in control of....

19. The future of Opposition/Resurrection

"Another day, another casualty."

-Simple Plan, "When I'm Gone"

As a result of those three lights going dark like this, I made sure to end Opposition/Resurrection episode 3 the way I intended half a year ago, although with one minor revision. Two characters have begun to show signs of hostility toward the Resurrection Movement.

Someone out there is to blame; she wasn't going to slap Homura before...
Screenshot from Opposition/Resurrection episode 3.
Models by Alfia and Pucaroo16

...One character slaps Homura in the face. The revision comes into play when the other character suddenly arrives and outright tackles Homura as well.

And that's not all. In an upcoming episode of Op/Res, one of the unrevealed Opposition members will incapacitate one of the characters by sniping them. Head shot. The character is gonna be stuck in a coma for the rest of the story. The Opposition member may also be in league with a newly arriving character who has also gone hostile as well.

I am not gonna give out spoilers. You'll just have to see what happens.

The interventionary character... waving at the camera.
Screenshot from Opposition/Resurrection episode 3.
Model by M0fD.

Just... be thankful that this character right here is not an Opposition member or a hostile character in Op/Res. You'll be glad you did.

UPDATE
I understand there's not supposed to be (much) friendly teamwork between Mami Tomoe and Homura Akemi. However, due to cosplayer encounters on October 4 with the same people I met back in May (see chapter 15), I've decided that, as long as Opposition members remain active, Mami and Homura are also immune to going hostile or defecting to the Opposition.

20. Conclusion

"I'm jaded, I'm hated, you're the only friend of mine. Pleased to meet you; hello, Goodbye."

-Live on Arrival (Robb Nash), "Hello Goodbye"

In the end, my experiences at Otafest worked out... for the most part (like I always say). The [5161814] final mission ended in a final victory. But this victory came at a cost. I am still very sorry for the horrible things that happened over the years, even to this day. However, this year, paranoia tells me I've been neglected. Rationality would argue, however, that the encouraging and motivational statements in my books can serve as evidence to disprove that paranoia.

Back on January 18, 2014, someone else in the Otafest staff, who saw me moping in front of ST140 on May 16, 2014, told me that people would have let go of the past by now. And on May 17, 2014, I admit the good friend in the staff gave me a fair warning about missed encounters. I should have taken the advice of these two awesome men to heart during [5161814], because right now, there may be "no more delusion", but closure and resentment are all that remain.

However, there appears to be plans for another pin trading event like the one that ran on January 18, 2014. I am not holding out hope for this one. Also, I could be under house arrest again and I won't even know. But if this runaway fugitive shows up at this event, do not call it a comeback. It will never count as a comeback unless every single frigging loose end is tied up properly. And that is never gonna happen anymore.

And so, that does it for the Otafest debriefings REDUX. Thank you for reading this. Even though I said multiple times I wouldn't be going back to Otafest before, I think I really do mean it this time....

But if I change my mind, I'm sure that only the mascots would love to see me back.

This is Jack, signing off, and if I ever see you again, I'll see you when I see you. Thanks again, people.

See the overtime debriefing by clicking here.

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Sunday, June 29, 2014

Otafest debriefings REDUX [5161814] - PART 3