-Added a disclaimer in light of recent events
UPDATED August 16, 2015
-That TV show is divisive, and it took a post by Yaya on FB for me to admit it.
UPDATED July 27, 2015
-Chapter 2: That is a river, Jack.
-Chapter 5: Added link to magazine website
UPDATED July 26, 2015
-Chapter 6 updated in light of the events on July 25, 2015
-Chapters 3, 7, and 8 updated for clarification
-Web links underlined to mitigate red-text confusion.
-Chapter 4: Added newscast link
-Chapter 7: Fixed a typo
ADVISORIES:
ALL DEBRIEFINGS PUBLISHED BEFORE JUNE 2014 ARE OUT OF DATE.
There is a zero-tolerance policy in effect for this blog.
This blog post uses pictures. Click on one to see a larger view.
As usual, all names have been replaced by codenames or other terms to protect the innocent.
This post assumes you've read the original 2014 debriefings for [5161814], for its August 31 pin update, and for [5161814]: overtime. Click "read more" to begin, or select a chapter.
Contents:
51515-1. Introduction51515-2. New Otafest pins
51515-3. Autographs, 2015: Mascots and special guests
51515-4. The ten incentive-strikes, 1-5
51515-5. The ten incentive-strikes, 6-10
51515-6. The five lights all shine in the darkness: with new info regarding July 25
51515-7. Darkness after the mission: May 21 and 24, and June 14, 2015
51515-8. The chaotic remnant on the hill, July 11, 2015
51515-9. In the future?
51515-1. Introduction
 |
| The poster concept design featured on my superslinger2007 website. |
Let's get this out of the way. I'm sorry for everything that's happened, and I hereby forgive the people I've met for everything that went wrong between us, especially if we can no longer talk to each other.
The events of this year began when I tried to come up with ten reasons for me to go back. Or, as I called it, ten "strikes", which I was later advised to refer to as "incentive-strikes". Then it was a matter of tying available factors to the incentives. After that, I had to deal with readjusting back to the atmosphere of the event, after once again considering the negative ideas I thought I'd have once I was there. That included me claiming I'd become someone I'm not.
Aside from my misidentified nervous exhilaration, the sore throat I had, and more frustration with runaways, I had another great time at Otafest 2015. The weekend of May 15-17, 2015, which I nicknamed code51515, turned out to be another resounding success.
Sure, code51515 had its own issues with special guests who were technically in shows and games I know of. But considering the lucky vigilance in the encounters I had that weekend, I can say that code51515 was what last year's [5161814] should have been.
But the events of mid-May didn't stop there.
I'll tell you all about it, but first I'll tell you about the Otafest pins I got this year, and the autographs I got from both the voice actors/actresses and the mascots.
51515-2. New Otafest pins
"One chance for life is all you get, so pick your sides and place your bets."The theme of Otafest 2015 was centred around space. Its accompanying cosplay-stage-play story was a continuation of the one for Aurora 2014 last November. The way I see it, the theme is more around royals fighting space pirates (Not those space pirates, I know.) for a stolen treasure and to seek out another legendary treasure before the pirates do.
-Lostprophets, "Bring 'Em Down"
Also, there's who I believe is an interventionary person in the middle of the chaos.
 |
| Twinkle-Wing |
 |
| Pirate Seph |
Anyway, in the theme story, Seph was the Captain of the Love Pirates. That's... just in the theme story, right? I don't think Seph's nice-girl demeanour would really conflict with her roles in any way, even when taking down those who deserve it.
 |
| Captain Aurora |
Now, I might be guessing here, but Aurora may have been trying very hard to avoid looking confused around me. That's probably why she didn't scowl at me like her demeanour would suggest... Must have been because her debut was on the day I was supposed to unleash my first severe fatal decision back in 2012.
 |
| First Mate Mio |
An Angel of Energy who's energetic enough to make people have second thoughts about even approaching her, Mio had a role in the theme story on Seph's side of their apparent conflict. At least, I hope that's just in terms of being in-character and not in relations with others. Look, she struck me very hard over these past six months, okay?
I'm gonna mention that Mio is holding a treasure map here, the kind you'd see in pirate stories where an X marks the spot. However, unlike in the website's artwork, the X on the map did not come out as red. That's probably because the line art on pins must be of the pin's metal, and only the filled shapes can be colored.
Okay, she's nice once you get to know her, but even I'm uncertain about this statement; clearly she and the others are higher-ups to a lowly fugitive... and she has indeed noticed him, thank you very much.
 |
| Admiral June |
 |
| Lost in Space (Vari) |
The new mascot and the Angel of Space, Vari was found by the other mascots floating aimlessly in space.
However, once she woke, she probably sensed a person in the universe who was way worse than any of the pirates and royal forces right then and there. And he happened to be so bad that Vari began to have an undying hatred for whoever that person was for the next 1½ months--
Ok, I made it all up. Vari is not Ultron. She's apparently way nicer! And from what I've been recently told, Vari loves everyone and doesn't hate anyone at all, and I shouldn't worry about it. But they claimed her presence caused a great danger to others. Yeah, no kidding.
A more rational guess would be that Vari will get the four others to cooperate and that'll be the end of it. Who knows? The story just ends in a cliffhanger right now.
Here are the pin designs centred around the space theme for this Otafest. And beginning this year, the snaps that went on the pin's back were changed to "rubber stoppers" for the most part. Of course, there were designs that focused around other themes.
 |
| Calgary Seph |
This pin is in fact one of the brass-gold variants, which I traded a regular version for. However, I did this on July 11. I kept the rubber stoppers for this one probably because the regular version of the pin was the first kind I got.
 |
| Calgary Aurora |
I think these pins have more of a Western and Stampede-feel to them, as Calgary, Alberta is known for these kinds of things. That is all I will say about that due to recent events, but talking about this served to remind me that Seph and Aurora had a private Western-themed photoshoot last year. I only know about this because it made it onto Facebook, if I'm not mistaken.
 |
| Angel of Energy (Mio) |
Here's a new look at the brass-gold pins I now have. Ok, so Starlight is still a rose-gold pin, but still.
Now, obviously since I have way more than two pins, they don't really serve as "book ends" of the first and last times I went to Otafest, since I've been claiming it was my final time there for who-knows-how-long now. Still, they could represent most of the post-fatal-decision missions/outings I've gone to.
- Cheerleader Seph, released in May 2013
- Starlight (bottom), revealed in Dec. 2013 and released Jan. 18, 2014
- Angel of Time (June), depicts a then-upcoming character design but released as early as Jan. 18, 2014
- White Swan Aurora, character design for Nov. 30, 2013 but released May 2014
- Royal Flush, Seph and Aurora pin released in Nov. 2014
- Calgary Seph, released in May 2015
- Angel of Energy (Mio), connected to Nov. 29, 2014 but received on July 11, 2015
 |
| Full view. |
 |
| Left view. |
 |
| Centre view. |
 |
| Right view. |
Yes, I'm aware they did the whole 100th-pin-design thing this May. But the availability times conflicted so much with my code51515 tasks, so I didn't bother to go for it. Furthermore, on July 11, some older pin designs were re-released as gun-metal gray pins. Ultimately, I decided not to trade for any of them despite a re-release of a pin design I already had.
There was also the whole pin-sacrifice thing I kept talking about on Twitter. You'll have to keep reading to find out more about that.
Also, can I "Minecraft" the 16-bit pin designs now?
51515-3. Autographs, 2015
Mascots and special guests
"They say we are what we are, but we don't have to be. I'm bad behavior, but I do it in the best way."
-Fall Out Boy, "Immortals"
"Realize in a moment my ambition is a curse, 'cause it hides all the best in me, but shows the worst."Before I talk about the special guests, let's continue with the topic of the mascots.
- Hoobastank, "The Fallen"
I'm not gonna elaborate about the whole secret-identity business, but I can say that Seph, Aurora, and Mio returned during the May weekend, alongside the new mascot Vari. Of course, the usual stuff happened: I got them to wave, and they got to sign my books. Good thing I was prepared with metallic silver permanent-markers.
 |
| The Otafest 2015 guidebook. |
 |
| A reasonably closer look at the signatures. |
However, maybe I should have remembered the words of Chii Sakurabi last year: she did not sign the CD's cover because it was glossy. And the cover of this guidebook is glossy, so that led to issues with some of the marker ink rubbing off that night. I tried to redraw some of the lines once I found out then, but it's just not the same. Good thing a lucky vigilant encounter on May 16 let me have the mascots redraw their signatures.
 |
| The Otafest 2015 program guide. |
 |
| A closer look at the signatures. |
This is where the guidebook's autograph pages come in.
 |
| They added back the autograph pages this year. |
 |
| A newscast was not involved in this decision... right? |
On May 16, I came up with an impromptu task. It involved me getting my liaison friend to promise to write something in a card and give it back to me. I figured, with me giving all those thank-you cards and holiday cards to others over the past few years, I wanted something in return for myself.
I cannot show you the card here because it's personal, but once I got the card back on May 17 and saw that June also wrote in it while I was out and about, I managed to get Seph, Aurora, Mio, and Vari to write in the card, too. I'm just a guy who expects stuff and is pretty much all-or-nothing, you know.
Let's move on.
I made a big deal about wanting to see special guests who've been in shows I watched, games I've played; well, anything I know of personally. The guests this year technically do fit this criteria, if you count games and shows I only know of, even more childhood shows, and a particular non-anime show I did watch in 2014.
 |
| Tsubasa season 1 DVD. |
 |
| Tsubasa season 2 DVD. |
Unfortunately, conditions at the autograph panel were less than favorable. The signing was organized in a way that contradicted how they've always been: people were only allowed to have one thing signed.
I know, right?!
 |
| Yui Makino's autograph on the season 1 cover. |
 |
| Her autograph on the season 2 cover. |
The next autograph stop happened to be for the North American voice actors. Thankfully, their signing that same night hadn't yet ended by the time I arrived.
 |
| Quinton Flynn's autograph across both pages. |
 |
| Publicity poster featuring various characters. |
I also made a private recording involving Axel and the above guidebook autograph. Per Quinton's request, I cannot post it.
 |
| Linda Ballantyne's autograph. |
 |
| Toby Proctor's autograph. |
On that note, I can't really blame Wicked for wanting to seek a personal advantage in something like a legitimate broom-selling business she had in one episode.
 |
| Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask poster. |
I'll be going a bit out of order with these next autographs.
 |
| The Wallflower anime DVD. |
 |
| Nabeshin's autograph on the cover. |
During the signing, Shinichi noticed the lightsaber toy I carried around with me and told me (via interpreters) that he liked it, so I flicked out the lightsaber blade for him to see.
 |
| Meg Turney's autograph. |
Since she was a high-profile cosplayer, she went as Captain Toad during that panel. And then that night, I found out AllieRX linked to her photos on Facebook... Anyway, next up:
 |
| Jessica Merizan's autograph. |
So during the discussion, despite my utter nervousness, I stepped up to get Ms. Merizan to-- of course-- tell me where to check out her work and to wave at the camera for another private recording, albeit with a very strained voice due to my sore throat. That was when I learned she streamed on Twitch and worked with Geek and Sundry on their own Tuesday streams. (And more recently, on their Monday streams, as well.)
Being another high-profile cosplayer, Ms. Merizan was in a lolita costume at the time. She did speak of putting on wearing a sheep kigurumi later that weekend, which I later found out may have been featured in one of her mail-unboxing videos.
I don't know if Ms. Merizan streams her "Marzipals" chats on Wednesdays anymore since she got a job at Legendary Pictures, but I'll keep checking. She does post on Twitter when she does stream on Twitch, though.
Speaking of autographs in general, I also brought with me something else I had someone sign. But that's more to do with the five lights in the darkness, which I talk about later.
51515-4. The ten incentive-strikes, 1-5
"Curiosity got the best of me this time, but it won't shake my destiny."The trouble with going back to a convention I was supposed to have voluntarily left forever twice was finding reasons for me to go back. Because I tend to use strong words, the ten codenames I came up with for code51515 reflected that aspect of my personality. As I've stated before, some codenames use negative-seeming words for ideas that could otherwise be simple.
-Hugh Dillon, "Surface of the Sun"
Ultimately, only nine of the ten strikes came into effect once May 15 arrived. Nevertheless, I will list them and try to describe what went on in my head at the time.
1. Revolt
I was under the impression that there was a constant revolt against my ideals, especially by the six known Otafest mascots at the time. Despite this, I wanted to meet up with them again, even if I'd end up missing them after the convention ended. And Twitter chats were not going to help me with this one.The idea of the mascots revolting against me escalated into another paranoid idea after the fact, but more on that later.
2. Admiration
There would always be people going as characters I knew of or like. It didn't matter which ones, just as long as I met up with them and had them wave and everything. And this is only about characters. Much like last November, I wanted to see those from Team Fortress 2 and Madoka Magica, though there were quite a few others, such as from Steins;Gate, Death Note, Sword Art Online, Big Hero 6, Free!, Final Fantasy, Danganronpa... There was a lot going on.It's a matter of rotating interests (i.e. shows, movies, games) I've known over the years. I chose to bring some of my Disney Infinity figures (from the first game) as well as my Projection Baymax toy for others to hold while they waved at the camera. I even brought my small Lego Death Star toy in case I encountered a Higurashi no Naku Koro ni character (just because of an old storyline that resurfaced in Opposition/Resurrection), as well as several Pocky boxes to once again give to several Kyoko Sakura cosplayers. There were no more papercrafts, by the way.
And yes, there were some people I saw at the Calgary Expo Parade of Wonders who I met up with at Otafest, including someone in an impressive armored-Baymax costume. Yes, he was featured in a Gil Tucker newscast on the day of the Parade. Yes, he said Baymax's fist-bump speech.
3. Desperation
I expect stuff, so I often feel like I have to get something done or I'd punish myself, for example, by punching myself in the forehead. In this case, the something I felt I had to get done was to catch the alleged runaways who got away from me last year. And I did. Since they represented two of the lights in the darkness, I'll talk more about this later.Sure, there were other alleged runaways who accidentally took advantage of my facial recognition problems. I've since given up on them.
4. Sacrifice
I kept blabbing about sacrificing pins over Twitter, so I think you oughta know. I'm sure you know there was one person I used to be deathly afraid of; I refer to her as Person A. I wanted to get some Otafest pins for her because I forgot to give her the pre-reg pin last November.Sure enough, I ended up getting her a few pins, but I'd better elaborate on this later, in the "lights in the darkness" chapter.
5. Courage
To overcome rashness was an obstacle for me, because for the past year or so, I kept begrudging someone I met over the years. And then I promised I'd stop by to watch her Adventure Time panel. And then we met on the pre-reg pickup day.Speaking of the panel, some of the hosts had to leave for other panels in the middle of the one they were hosting. Again. Like last year. Thankfully, I was vigilant, and I got them to wave before they had to rush.
But for that weekend, things went well with that someone. She got to wave several times, in fact.
Now, if only Mami Tomoe could back out of that pact we caught her signing this month, because it doesn't look good for her right now.
51515-5. The ten incentive strikes, 6-10
"Deafening sound of rain, it's not enough to drown my thoughts or ease the pain."
-Hoobastank, "Tears of Yesterday"
6. Disbelief
For a period of nearly four months, I was fooled by someone with the same name as the vendor-room coordinator. Thankfully, my friendly liaison made it very clear that the other person wasn't the vendor coordinator, allowing me to cut off ties with the one who fooled me. However, despite fooling me, the other person let me know of a Canadian magazine called Cos Culture Magazine.And it turned out that someone else who I last saw in November got featured in the magazine. I can't wait to tell you about that light in the darkness.
7. Reluctancy
Is there anyone who's been in shows that I knew of? Or rather, that I cared enough about? Turns out the answer was yes. I mean, I did get the guests to autograph the stuff I brought over... I gave them a chance, and that matters, right? I mean, this incentive-strike could have been named "Enthusiasm".8. Pursuit
Sometimes, there would be two cosplay characters on opposite ends of the hall or on the field... Despite my insistence, I'd sometimes get so nervously indecisive on who I'd go for that I get completely stuck. It could also be the fact that I didn't want runaway situations.The fact of the matter was that there were still characters I knew of or liked, and I coaxed myself to catch up with them, no matter what. Don't worry, I asked first.
9. Allegiance
This one wasn't really thought-out very well. It was either going to be between mascots and the theme conflict between the pirates and the royal forces, or between Madoka and Homura in terms of Madoka Magica: Rebellion and the film's implications.In terms of what did happen, there was no real conflict between the mascots (it was just a story), and I ended up encountering more Homuras than I did Madoka (the one who was supposed to be Madoka had to change out because something happened to her costume).
10. Surrender
This was the only incentive-strike that did NOT activate.If things went horrifically wrong with no chance of a turnaround, I was going to surrender to the liaison and the rest of the staff. Fortunately for all of us, my lucky vigilance throughout the weekend meant I didn't have to go for an unconditional surrender.
Man, I went all dark in the spring months. But there were five lights that kept me as happy as possible.
51515-6. The five lights all shine in the darkness
with new info regarding July 25
"I'm still comparing your past to my future."Back on May 18, 2014 during [5161814], I posted a 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."
-Fall Out Boy, "Immortals"
I then added two more lights to this metaphor: the fourth light was also bright in May 2014, while the fifth light would remain lost in the darkness until Nov. 29, 2014.
So that left the second and third lights of this metaphor puzzle that weren't shining in the darkness. Until code51515, that is.
Let's begin with Person E, the fifth light in my metaphor, who I last caught up with on Nov. 29, 2014. I was talking about Cos Culture Magazine issue 2 and said that she got featured in it. So, on May 15, at the Artist Alley area (which, along with the vendor room, opened on the day-1 Friday for the first time), I got her to sign the cover of one of my two copies, as well as the two-page spread that preceded her interview article. And yes, after she waved while showing the two-page spread, I got a segment filmed where I got in front of the camera and we held up peace signs with our hands.
I did ask her about the magazine; she said she would get it at Anime North. I assume this was because the copies that were out had printout quality problems. Although I didn't see any improvement in both of my copies, I didn't really care about the printout issues that much; I was going to leave one of my copies unsigned anyway.
I did point out the mention of Person A; Person E said Person A got the magazine already. Yes, I did have weird thoughts about giving Person A my spare copy if that wasn't the case. But I did forgive Person E for everything that happened.
Moving on with Person D, the fourth light and someone I also last met with on Nov. 29, 2014. Yes, she was in different costumes for each of the three days. But the fact of the matter was I managed to recognize and meet up with her on May 15 as she left the panel that Quinton Flynn, Linda Ballantyne, and Toby Proctor were at. Other than getting Person D to wave at the camera on May 15 and 16, I can't really say anything else.
If only Squid Girl could back out of that pact we caught her signing...
However, in regards to July 25, maybe it's unhealthy to jump to conclusions. During a related event on July 25 at about 7:10 pm, I met up with Person D once more and finally profusely apologized to and forgave her for everything that's happened. Because I became painfully quiet and almost went deathly afraid that evening, mainly because she was having a long conversation with several others in a room (something to do with two of the characters she went as over the past few years, probably), I apologized and forgave her again right as the event ended. And clearly, games like Werewolf are a very poor fit for my demeanour (consider this a clue), because I tend to take things very personally and start getting... ideas about others. My vigilance does have a tipping point, and being too pushy while trying to be vigilant is clearly unhealthy for me.
Ok, to be clear, the fourth light flickered a bit on July 11, and it's my fault. However, because I profusely apologized to her on July 25, the light can now shine brightly in the darkness once again.
Now, Person C, the third light in the metaphor, was someone I hadn't met up with since 2012. She was deemed to be an alleged runaway during [5161814] because I couldn't recognize anyone in the closing ceremony lineup. However, code51515 changed that completely. On May 16, she got to wave at the camera and got to write something encouraging on my 2014 "stability papers".
Person C was going as the same character I first met her as back in Nov. 2011... Cue some statement about two Serahs running around, something I used to always blab about.
So the third light began shining in the darkness once more. Maybe Serah Farron will think twice about slapping people in Op/Res from now on.
Person B, the second light, was a major player during my experiences over the years. I used to be afraid of her for some reason and there was a situation in 2014 where she managed to get away from me because I forgot to check an autograph lineup. But this year was different.
It was on May 16. Whether it's due to luck or because I actually bothered to check the Shinichi Watanabe autograph line I was waiting in, I managed to recognize and catch up with Person B. She was in yet another costume that actually seemed very reminiscent of the one from 2011-2013. I finally gave her the chance to "go ahead, do whatever" in front of the camera, because she seemed to love doing random poses. Although I had an issue with my camera where I thought some files got glitched (when it was actually a malfunctioning mode-select switch), I got a segment filmed where I went in front of the camera and held up peace signs and waved alongside Person B.
She finally got to write on my 2014 "stability papers" and I finally got to give her a thank-you card while I told her that some of the characters she went as would soon join the good guys, and I forgave her for everything that happened.
It wasn't the only time we met up, though. Because of my sore throat, I decided to avoid the ballroom dance that night. And sure enough, Person B was in the Synaptic Chaos Theatre lineup.... That's when I told her about Opposition/Resurrection... and I apologized and forgave her again.
Nevertheless, the second light began to shine bright in the darkness. Things did work out after all.
And finally, we have Person A, the one I used to be most deathly afraid of, and the first light in the metaphor. I didn't expect to see her until May 17, which was the day of the panel she hosted. However, luck was on my side on May 16, as she actually sought me out and said hi to me. Instead of freaking out, I felt glad, and of course as nervous as ever. It was good to see her one day before I was supposed to.
I brought up the Op/Res story once more, and chose to sacrifice my spare pins right then and there. In other words, not only did I give the spare pre-reg Twinkle-Wing to her, but I also gave some Seph and Aurora pins. We had another hug that day, but she chose not to go in costume this year, saying she wanted to be an observer.
And on May 17, Person A found me outside a few hours before her panel. Just another stroke of luck. She was still not in a costume, and was going around with a GoPro camera. But it was then that I showed her a music video that I made with my Otafest recordings throughout the years. The music video, which I gave the name of "[DECLASSIFIED]", used Fall Out Boy's "Immortals", and the May 14, 2012 Global Calgary newscast as a framing device. That newscast, nicknamed "Infamous Newscast Mk I", changed my way of thinking forever.
So yes, I did go to her panel at 1:00 pm, but not without a dramatic entrance involving the Big Hero 6 musical score. After the panel, I gave Person A another thank-you card, albeit one that was quite different, as well as some printouts I made of some spoilery Op/Res material. And yes, I did go in front of the camera beside Person A for one of my recordings. We waved and actually did the heart-hands thing...
But around that point, she told us that she was getting married on May 29. So I claimed, "You're better off with your husband than a fugitive like me", before I talked about Person E's appearance in Cos Culture Magazine and Person A's mention. After I got Person A to sign next to her Facebook cosplay page's address, we said our goodbyes and shared another final hug in what was sure to be a final farewell for a very long time.
With code51515, major personal conflicts were resolved. But I knew that my lucky vigilance would run out.
51515-7. Darkness after the mission
May 21 and 24, and June 14, 2015
"No regret for the confidence betrayed."Right after Otafest and code51515, I decided to carefully peel off my wristband instead of trying to keep it on for 48 or 75 days.
-Linkin Park, "Victimized"
I soon learned about an event that would take place on May 21. It was supposed to be a cosplay dance party of sorts. I only knew about it because Kieran Strange spoke of it on Facebook and Twitter.
Unfortunately, on the morning of May 21, Kieran fell ill and had to cancel her appearance. One of her staff members told me personally. Whether it's because of the cancelled appearance or something else, the event turned out to be a major bust. However, some people did show up in costume, so of course I got them to do the usual and wave at the camera. I was at least satisfied with that.
It got worse.
As the week went on, I found some posts on Twitter that aggravated me.
Eventually, on May 24, it went to the point where I rewatched a CTV Calgary newscast from May 14, 2015, took a mental note of the artist who made an appearance, had a very close look at the Otafest guidebook, and in a moment of realization, proceeded to let my anger go for one last roar.
I lashed out at the artist over Twitter for not telling me she was one of the mascots.
My friendly liaison found out that week and had a very important talk with me. Nevertheless, I started having... ideas.
The new mascot and the Angel of Space, Vari was found by the other mascots floating aimlessly in space.
However, once she woke, she probably sensed a person in the universe who was way worse than any of the pirates and royal forces right then and there. And he happened to be so bad that Vari began to have an undying hatred for whoever that person was for the next 1½ months. Vari knew she would be able to track that person down immediately, seek him out, head straight for him, and strike him down with his own weapon!
For once, a mascot was actually having a revolt against me.
My thoughts would still be at unease for the next month and a half...
Especially on June 14. While watching the Nintendo World Championships and the crazy Super Mario Maker levels, a Rock the Hill event was suddenly announced for July 11.
It didn't help that I would go on another round of fatal decision suicide-propaganda during my birthday week of June 22-26, 2015.
Seriously, removing a birthday tweet to me? Not cool. Can Mami back out of that secret pact she has with someone already?
Instead of getting excited for July 11, I was scared.
And instead of thinking of the day as a chance for me to apologize and forgive the artist, I wanted the artist to hit me with my lightsaber toy.
51515-8. The chaotic remnant on the hill
July 11, 2015
"There's nowhere else I'd rather be, the moonlight blankets me, the stars will be my company tonight."The only sleep I had was a nap just before I headed over to the Rock the Hill event. I'm not sure if that clouded my judgment, but I managed to get others to wave at the camera just fine. That included some people I last met on May 2013 and on Oct. 4, 2014, as well as an old classmate from junior high who had since been working with Safewalk at the university.
-Hoobastank, "No Destination"
When I recognized the artist, I felt it was time to seal my fate. I got out my lightsaber toy and insisted that she hit me with it. She refused each time, preferring to do a knighting instead (which I felt I didn't deserve). By then, I started freaking out about how Vari wanted me dead and everything, to which the artist insisted that Vari did not hate me at all. I finally apologized to the artist.
It was then that I filmed another cosplay recording. During the recording, she made her affirmations clear as I apologized again for lashing out. After she got to wave at the camera... with Mio also joining in, I finally forgave the artist for everything that happened.
Vari loves everyone and doesn't hate anyone at all, and I shouldn't worry about it.
A few hours, a just-for-fun knighting I received in Vari's name, and some camera-waves later, I managed to show Mio, the artist, and the liaison a remixed version of my "[DECLASSIFIED]" music video. The day went well and I resolved more personal conflicts, even though I went a bit hyperactive despite being sleep-deprived.
It was great to see people again, even though I couldn't say that myself.
But it won't be the same to see someone else going as Vari.
51515-9. In the future?
"So what's it going to take for you to realize it all could go away in one blink of an eye?"Otafest 2015, or code51515, was another victorious success. Lucky vigilance on my side in terms of seeing people I've met meant that it was indeed what [5161814] really should have been.
-Hoobastank, "If I Were You"
But we know it's time to move on to something new. Otafest is moving away from the University of Calgary, and they announced it with an overwhelmingly heartwarming announcement video. They presented it as a sort of scrapbook/flashback kind of video. But they just so happened to feature... something... in the 2012 segment, which I cannot elaborate on due to major spoilers. I would tell you to look the video up, but I already just went through nearly 2 months of delusional fears, so I can't say much.
Even I can't believe that I got angry after another Otafest event. But the 1½ month wait for Rock the Hill paid off, allowing me to resolve more conflicts and declare this event another victorious success.
But if it's true that it takes the mind 6-8 months to accept forgiveness, then I still have a long time to wait.
Frankly, I'm just too aggressive and negative on Twitter. Things are always setting me off when I'm on there, and there's no way for me to tell if someone's making a crude joke or not. And then that makes me say things I don't mean myself. This war of emotion just... does things to me.
With the counter I set up on my website's front page, I have a feeling that I might voluntarily skip Otafest Aurora for once. 14 months is an awfully long time to wait.
And if I did choose to go next July (no error here), there will be three returning guests who definitely are in anime I've watched or know about. I could bring that Haruhi DVD box I had Michelle Ruff sign because the character Itsuki Koizumi is also on it, as well as my Otafest 2010 guidebook for a retroactive autograph regarding the year my identity first got COMPROMISED. But there's still the matter of bringing something other than Steins;Gate.
And so that does it for the code51515 debriefings. Thank you very much for reading this, and maybe I'll see you soon, as long as I remain at peace. This is Jack, signing off.
"We could be immortals, immortals, just not for long, for long..."
-Fall Out Boy, "Immortals"
