The Game Expo 2010: Photo & toilet rant!
Finally my TGX entry! Apologies for the slow update *sigh*. Despite my hardwork it still feels like an endless chase of entries update that I'm falling desperately behind.
My head and wig looks weird=_=
I rewore my Makoto Kikuchi costume along with Noshuu who was my kawaii Yukiho. Cosplaying at TGX was impromptu, as usual. Noshuu and I were thinking of possibly rushing out Kiddy Grade for day one but in the end we couldn't and decided to shelve it and re-wear iMas instead. Much thanks to Noshuu for going along with my last minute suggestion >.< !
I'm gonna pimp photos as i ramble on.
So like I briefly mentioned in my other post about public misconceptions and media stuffs. TGX gave us both a pretty different but bad experience.
Event hall itself was boring. Without the usual 'Suntec' public crowd, the event was as happening as an old folks home. Making the booths looks sparse and lonely. We all agreed that even though it was a great cosplay location, expo definitely didn't do much to help the event. We did enjoyed f&n's free drinks and polaroid though :D
big ass pimps of Lenneth cos she is a friend and she’s lovely!
I arrived late due to some lousy preplanning and Noshuu had to wait for me x.x gomen! And in search of a spacious toilet, we all had to walk to the extreme end of expo.
It was a long walk but the toilet was really spacious and we were overjoyed. But we hadn't had more than 20mins before the staff and cleaners came. They insisted we leave asap and stayed to stare at us pack so they can lock up. Needless to say, I was feeling kind of put off but thankfully, managed to keep my calm.
I was in the middle of doing my fake lashes when they came, talk about bad timing! The staffs muttered some unclear reason about needing to close the toilets because there are no events in this area of the building and instead of abbreviating more on the reason. They choose to direct the question back to us and started asking who we are. In which, we gave them a queer stare (Like obviously we were here for the ONLY games and cosplay event at Expo, isn’t it obvious?! ) and explained we are the event attendees.
And they went on to say something like we should use the toilet THERE instead.
Jesuke with her fans. xD
Now, I’m sure they are closing the toilets to probably save electrical and maintenance (cleaning) cost. But it just felt so wrong to be doing that just for that reason when it was a Saturday and Expo is an exhibition building with many concurrent events running.
If the toilet was already open, why did they have to go to the extend of closing it again? What does that mean?
After walking from the entrance to the end of Expo (which mind you, is a lonnng walk) , I can’t say I was really happy to handle this ‘rejection’ =_=. Of course there’s no fighting it, and after I was done with my lashes, we grudgingly packed up and left for another toilet.
This incident was not the first for me. But I guess because of the fact that I was half-done when they shooed us out, this incident really left a deep impression. And really got me started on thinking about the logistic negligence many event organisers are committing. Especially for Cosplay Events where the attendees WILL almost definitely have bulky belongings. I talked briefly about this on one of my previous entry and everyone responded heartedly.
Lawliet and ?? as Kaito & Miku (Canterella version). They both looked really good :D
I think Cosplay or Animanga/Games event organisers should really take these logistic details into consideration in the future. Like what Min and many other friends who have been to Cosplay events in Japan mentioned, events over there have designated changing rooms for cosplayers. How cool would that be ?
Absolutely Kawaii Sheryl & Ranka pair by Yuanie and Ruby
The only other event I attended that has that considerate arrangement in Singapore this year was Soy’B. A cosplay/animanga event held by a bunch of polytechnic students.
Alien torturing is prohibited!
Yeayea, blame me for being critical. But NONE of those commercial events, even those that boasted in their official promotional publications that “Cosplayers will be there too” has anything like that for us. Yes, I do understand that every inch of land in Suntec and Expo is precious hence the lack of space for cosplayers to dupe their belongs/change. Or maybe they are afraid of terrorists disguising as cosplayers LOL. Don’t say I don’t understand because I do.
Jesuke…still clunching the beanie veryyyy tightly LOL
Yuanie as Sheryl nome
But despite that, I’d STILL like to have a dedicated changing room for cosplayers. Simply because if we don’t turn to the event organisers, there’s no one else that we can turn to!! And so the only thing we can do is 1)get a car or a friend attending the event with a car so we can dump our belongings into the car 2) leave it lying around and possibly get stolen 3) Leave them at home. But we know this is not an option otherwise we wouldn’t be discussing about this topic in length already.
And it got me thinking about this silly idea I thought of long ago while doing private shoots. A mobile dressing room! how cool would it be if we have a device something like that capsule in DragonBall.
Long ago I toyed with the idea of doing up a long black tube with covered and round wired top to bring to outdoor private shoots. How the invention works is simple, just put the ‘sock’ over the human head and the human will start changing inside.
Even though I think its an awesomely simple and easy invention, I guess I really can’t imagine anyone doing that at public events like Suntec or Expo hahaha!
Photo pimp and long rant about another incident to come soon (i hope)! Lots more awesome and candid photos to share =)
PS: I realise I ‘ve been talking a lot recently. Do you guys actually wanna read all my rambles D:? Or do you think I should just photo pimp? Comment and lemme know!
Comments
The idea works in Japan, where everyone is well-trained to give as little trouble to the next person as possible, and in a country where you have onsens and stuff and girls are not exactly that shy about changing in front of each other. And the pure fact that it's so frowned upon to wear any part of your costume (including wig, but maybe can wear makeup) outside of the event hall, that it NECESSITATES a room for cosplayers only. It's partially for the cosplayers, but also because there's just no other way the cosplayers can possibly use a toilet that's open to other people, since it's so publicly taboo for them.
Why do I think a changing room idea won't work in Singapore? Because we're actually so "spoiled" by changing in toilets. Where we have our own cubicle, we strip in private, there's a large span of mirror in the toilet with running water and dustbins where you throw anything and everything. Changing rooms in Japan for cosplayers (at least for the two events I went to, and Reiko seems to suggest this is the norm) is really just a room. The cosplayers are packed in as tight as they can space themselves out, sitting on the bare floor. You change there and then, in front of all the other cosplayers, strangers and all (though in Japan nobody blinks at this), and I do mean change as in down to underwear and stuff. And then you sit down and put on your wig and your makeup. If you're lucky, the room will have a mirror, if not, the Japanese balance standing table mirrors on top of their rolling trolleys and just do their makeup and hair that way. Oh, and you HAVE to take off your shoes and leave them outside. A lot of this works because most Japanese are well-trained to survive in small cramped spaces without causing problems for other people around them, but I am somewhat dubious a similar idea can work for Singaporeans. Unfortunately, I don't have a very good impression of some of the more inconsiderate local cosplayers around.
Of course, the organisers can always attempt to emulate a changing room with private mobile changing "rooms" and a mirror, or take over certain toilets, but given how we need our space and hog the mirror, there's never going to be enough space to contain all the cosplayers. I do agree though, that not arranging with the location people about the toilets is an oversight. I just doubt that following the japanese system will be such a miracle cure...
The thing is here in Canada we have to change in cubicles...because the idiot architect over here never thought to put a door...to the entrance of womens washroom...instead it's an open space...and the cubicles are our only..safety zone. I wouldn't mind changing outside of a cubicle..if the actual womens washroom had doors 8(
Maybe one day you should invent that changing room capsule...I'd definitely line up to buy one...or 10 =D
But yeah, you are right about the logistical issues that you have brought up. It's a hassle esp for cosplayers when they can't find decent places to store their items + change into their costumes.
美亜: Sucks to be at an event location that has such open concept toilets o_o
Hexlord: wahlao........=X Please share your serious thoughts!
Some conventions here, which last more than 1 day have so called "floor lodging"(I used dictionary, guess we can call it like that haha). Practically event organisers have rented some big place which is near the convention place, like school's gym etc. and people who don't have place to stay at night during the event/enough money to go to a hotel can pay couple euros to get a place to sleep there. Of course you need to get your own sleeping bag etc. but it's still cheap. Usually you can go to those places already day before convention, which is great because that way you get more time on morning to put on your costume and make up. You can also keep your bags and stuff at there, because those places are locked on daytime.
These are our so called 'changing rooms' but like I said, if we could have some REAL changing rooms at the convention place, not so many people would use them. Our cosplay events are usually held in places where's no 'other people' around us, so it's kinda natural that we also use all the toilets etc. at the event place.
Looking your text I really can understand that 'cosplayers need changing rooms' thing. Why to organize a convention where you also want to get cosplayers, if you can't bring some proper things to there what cosplayers really need? It's not natural for everybody/everywhere to dress up at home, and if many cosplayers start to use public toilets to put on their costumes and make up, organizers really should start to think what to do for that(I'm also thinking about those people who don't even know what cosplay is atm. is it fun to wait an hour to get to a toilet just because there is bunch of cosplayers? no, not really.).