OK, for COSTUME ONLY entries:
( 1 ) Go to cosplay premeeting (meet me!) and make sure that your info has been received and entered into my handy dandy database. If you email it to me now, you'll only have to confirm by asking me to show you the db record (this way you can be certain I spelled your name correctly...the spelling in the database will be used on the Prize Plaques). Receive your official entrant number. Sign up for a slot for Costume Judging (each person gets about 5 minutes for judging). Ensure your watch is synchronized with the OFFICIAL CLOCK, which the Cosplay Manager should have near her. If you've got questions, the premeeting is the time to ask them.
( 2 ) Near the time of your costume judging appointment, show up in the room designated for costume judging (I think that's going to be the room they've dubbed "Rounds"). I recommend you plan to show up several minutes early to ensure you don't miss your time (if you do - oops
- disqualified...so be CERTAIN you don't miss it). Naturally, one way to guarantee that you're on time is to just hang out in the room until it's your turn. If you're sufficiently early, have the photographer take your picture in a cool pose (otherwise, do it after your costume is judged). Someone will call for you when it's your turn - most likely by your entrant number. Go over to where the judges are. If you've got documentation (pictures from the actual anime/manga/game) showing what your character's costume should look like, hand the documents to the judges (the reason for documentation is that we judges haven't seen every anime/manga/game ever invented and even though you are familiar with your character, we may have not seen it or may have forgotten it. (quick, how many buttons does Vash have on his coat? Yeah, see what I mean...maybe 10% of us could answer that correctly)). Be prepared to talk about your costume - point out bits that were especially difficult to make, details that you noticed but not everyone did, special materials you selected for the costume, etc. The judges will probably ask you some questions and will certainly walk around you and take a close look at various parts of the costume. The timer will warn the judges if they're taking too long (the judges have been known to spend more than 5 minutes babbling about costuming and costumes with various interesting entrants...). Once the judges are finished with you, you can leave - be sure to grab your documentation if the judges forget to hand it back. If you didn't see the photographer, do so before leaving the room - we'll be showing your pictures at Closing ceremonies.
( 3 ) Green room opens about 1/2 hour prior to the start of Cosplay. You'll want to get there with plenty of time to do a last minute check on your costume, figure out where to stand, do some slow breathing to relax, and see the other entrants who have gathered. ***EDIT*** Be sure to be present at least 20 minutes prior to scheduled curtain time so that cosplay manager doesn't spaz out ***END EDIT*** Costume only entrants will be walking across stage first and then the skits will be presented. Once you've walked across the stage, you can either slip into the main events room to watch the cosplay live or wander off. I recommend staying since this year's list of entrants sounds especially interesting...
( 4 ) As soon as the last skit finishes, the Pocky Club will be giving a special performance while the judges compile the results. The judges will announce the winners of Costume Competition and then Winners of the skits competition. Each individual / group winner should come up on stage (another reason for hanging around to watch the rest of cosplay - so you can hear the results). We hope to have the plaques ready for that time, but if the printer betrays us as technology commonly does, you'll get a note card stating that you were a winner for a particular category and will be instructed where to go to pick up your official plaque and prizes (we expect to be supplied with some cool swag, but won't distribute that until later since we found that it took too long to figure out how to divide up the loot - it's better to announce the winnners and then do the figuring on what we really need for prizes).
** note: as part of the "introduction" costume only entrants should include a mention of which character they're dressed as (so the MC knows what to say...no one can correctly recognize ALL characters from every Anime, manga and Japanese game...)
