Following the leader... · 5:15pm Aug 28th, 2022

As Oscar Wilde once said, "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery." Let it not be said that I'm not a flatterer.

And thus - while I'm awake, sitting in a hotel room and with nothing else in particular going on, a brief recap of some convention experiences that did not physically involve being at the convention (since that will deserve a proper writeup later)

- I get off of the plane on Wednesday and spend some time looking for one of my con-roommates. One would think that A famous and talented author would be easy to recognize, but I have a real talent when it comes to not remembering names or faces. Apparently said author recognizes this fact, and decides to put his name on his shirt so i couldn't help but recognize it in a bold tactical maneuver. (Actually, to be fair, it was a shirt with Barry Allen on it instead, but the message was received nonetheless)

- The phone-camera comes out after a few hours of touching down and I'm already snapping photos. Of cosplayers? No. Decorations? No. Actually, it's just a really nice period of dusk, and I'm trying to get pictures of the skyline and the silhouettes of objects in the fading sun. Internally, I wonder how to turn the impressions that they give me into a story; late at night, just before falling asleep, i bemoan not coming up with an answer to that question.

- The woman behind the counter of the Subway that Flash, Wandy and I get dinner at has smooth jazz playing in the background. It's nice. Wandy looks unusually pensive for a bit, before abruptly looking like a child who's been told that he's just earned a bonus Christmas this year and cheerfully firing off a couple of questions at the counterwoman. Seconds after she confirms that it is, in fact, an album of jazz covers of different Studio Ghibli songs, I recognize the My Neighbor Totoro theme.

Mentally, I make a note that I like this city, and stash it with my other mental notes from last year saying the same thing. Any more of those, and I'll need to get a mental binder to organize them properly.

- Meet a couple of cool people during badge pickup on Thursday. One of them is operating in Incognito mode by disguising his fabulous facial hair. The other isn't particularly incognito, but my aforementioned crippling inability to recognize faces rears its head again, and it isn't until Wandy drops a half-dozen increasingly unsubtle hints does it become obvious that I'm standing in front of one of my writing idols. The effect is like realizing that you're not resting against a stone slab, you're actually resting against a speaker for a monumentally large sound system, and then someone starts up a Ponies at Dawn playlist with the bass boosted all the way up.

- A couple of brief reminders on the day before the con lead me to express that, no, I haven't finished Amphibia. Aghast, my friends ensure that I'm on my way to finishing up the series. While things are getting prepared, I point out where I'm at and mention how excited I am to see more of a character I've absolutely fallen in love with. They give me funny looks, and I try to justify why they're such a great character, but don't articulate it properly.

- Wait what's happening to-

- Oh no

- Oh god

- Well, at least things can't get worse for her, given what happened.

- Three hours later or so, things get worse. I make a note to myself that the show was written by vindictive bastards who want me, personally, to suffer.

- Lunchtime. A long and winding road through testaments to western commerce eventually leads to the second-best ramen place i've been to in my entire life. This is given that I spent three weeks in Japan right before COVID hit in 2020.

The best ramen place I've ever been to was also not from Japan. I have at least one friend who'd probably string me up by my toes if I ever told that to him. That said, I feel like it shouldn't be surprised that America - with its love for
heavy foods - would eventually learn how to whip up some damned fine Tonkotsu broths on their own.

Next up (at some indeterminate point in time in the future:) Other non-con-related stuff, and also con-related-stuff for a change.

Oh, and new story coming up in a couple hours.

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