Musings
an Online Journal of Sorts

By Alyce Wilson

Fluid Movement, in action

After I got back to my hotel room on Saturday at Otakon, I changed into a pair of khaki pants, a teal V-neck wrap shirt over a black camisole, and a one-button short-sleeved brown jacket, with chocolate brown strappy wedges.

I also wore the new necklace I'd bought that day in the dealer's room. I stuck my wallet and a few essentials in a metallic clutch, and I was ready to go.

I walked past the BCC via Sharp Street, looking for a cab, and flagged one down, telling him I needed to go to the Riverside Park Pool. This was where the benefit performance of Fluid Movement's "War and Fleas" was taking place.

I'd tried to convince other Otakon staffers and friends to attend with me, but the timing just wasn't right. So I'd made plans with my friend The Artist and her husband, along with some other State College friends, and a friend I'll call The Drummer and his fiancée. I'd meet them for dinner afterwards.

The taxi driver couldn't drop me off right in front of the pool, which was in the middle of the park, but I didn't have far to walk to get to it. As I got close, I could see a small crowd gathering and went up to the table at the front where they were selling merchandise and tickets. I told them that I had a ticket waiting for me. They asked my name, checked me off the list and gave me a stamp on my right hand, which was a pair of lips.

Until the pool opened for seating, I made a couple more phone calls and text messages, trying to set up the rest of the evening. I'd been hoping to connect with my friend The Poet and his girlfriend, maybe have them join the rest of us for dinner. But they were going to a free Artscape event and bowed out.

When they let us in, I saw rows of seats arranged around one end of the pool. I asked the woman who gave me a program where a good place to sit would be. She said you could get a good view from any seat in the front row. Few of them were open, but I found one at the far end of the pool from where they'd set up their scenery/dressing area, which was sort of a rectangular box with a painted facade.

There was nothing to do, then, but wait. I took a couple pictures of the empty pool and looked through the program.

Eventually, the warm sun and my sleep deprivation caught up with me, and I had to fight to stay awake. I remembered that The Water Ballerina said another Otakon staffer was coming, and sure enough, I saw a guy in a staff shirt sitting at the far end of the pool, dozing with his mouth open. Turns out, ironically enough, it was the same staffer I'd asked for information outside of a panel room on behalf of my friends earlier that day.

About 20 minutes late, the MC got the event rolling, first with a performance by a Girl Scout troop who were learning how to do water ballet. Then finally, the main event got underway.

Now, I've never read War and Peace, so I have no idea how close the adaptation matched the book. It started with the Fabulous Flying Basenjis, a group of dogs who did tricks, such as juggling and hula hoops. As with all the subsequent scenes, they started out with a performance outside the pool before getting in. Everything was narrated by two large fleas.

The next scene was Doggie Day Care, where privileged dogs enjoy posh surroundings. This was the one my friend, The Water Ballerina, was in. Though I tried desperately to find her in the group, I wasn't sure, so I took as many group shots as I could. It was hard because a couple women had a similar body type to her, and with her hair pulled under a swim cap, along with goggles and makeup, I just couldn't figure out who was who.

In this scene we're introduced to Fifi, an exotic pink poodle, who would vie for the love of the main character, Pierre, against the homeless Natasha.

Next, we were introduced to the squirrels, a proud race with fluffy tails and French accents. They were hilarious, acting very squirrel-like, just as the dogs before them had imitated the movements of dogs.

Their leader was a squirrel Napoleon, who floated across the pool in a boat as they did a water ballet with large acorns.

Inevitably, the dogs and the squirrels went to war over possession of the park.

In the battle, our hero, Pierre, is gravely wounded, and dreams and nightmares fight over control of his psyche.

When Pierre recovers, he gets back together with Natasha, his first love. Fifi, meanwhile, finds love with Napoleon. They all get married and live happily, one would presume, every after. There is a big celebratory dance in the pool.

Something tells me War and Peace didn't end quite like that.

Overall, the performance was very fun, very campy. Very Baltimore. It was a community production with all different levels of ability and experience, with all different body types, ages and both genders. I loved it.

The MC announced we could walk over to the pavilion in the park, where the hot dog and beer benefit party would take place. I walked up to the other Otakon staffer and said hi, telling him that The Water Ballerina had told me he'd be there. We walked to the pavilion together.

First, we got in line for the microbrewed beer we'd been promised, and then we waited in line for hot dogs. Fortunately, they had veggie dogs, so I could have one. By this time it was getting close to 8, and even though I was going to eat later, I wanted to take the edge of my hunger.

Turns out that he'd also had trouble spotting The Water Ballerina, and considering he's her roommate, I felt better about it. He told me about other Fluid Movement productions he'd seen, such as one based on the theories of Darwin. Seems like they always tackle interesting topics.

Before long, the performers arrived, after having cleaned up and changed. We saw The Water Ballerina, walking with a determined stride, carrying her blue waterproof IKEA bag, which all the performers use. We waited in line with her to get some food.

I happened to congratulate one of the performers, recognizing him as such by the IKEA bag, and he told me that he'd played Fifi!

"Well, I thought she was awfully tall," I said, with a laugh.

We took seats on a bench and enjoyed our food, and then The Water Ballerina and her roommate got some ice cream sandwiches.

The Water Ballerina asked me if I watched Ace of Cakes on the Food Network, which I do. She pointed out one of the Charm City Cakes employees, Sherry, a blonde, curvy woman who was wearing a vintage '70s peach polyester dress. She led the way over to her and introduced me.

Now, I was not only sleep-deprived but, lightweight that I am, had already drunk half a beer. So I guess I gushed a little, telling her that my fiancée and I loved the show and watch it all the time. She mentioned that it was her wedding that had just been on the season opener.

She brought up Mary Alice, one of her co-workers who often speaks on camera, summing up events, and I noted that they seem to use her comments a lot to "put a cap on a scene." Then, just as I was going to ask her what it was like being on a reality show, another friend of hers came up, and The Water Ballerina quietly drew me away.

Later, she told me that I'd "gone all fangirl" on her, talking about Mary Alice as a character. I didn't think it was quite so bad, but then again I hadn't exactly been at top form at the time, so I suppose I might have seemed a little fangirl-ish.

We chatted for a while with the guy who'd played Napoleon, and I stuck my foot in it again. He told me that a friend of a friend of his had been a voice in a very popular anime fan parody, This is Otakudom. I thought he meant that he'd been in it, and I tried to encourage him to contact Otakon Panels and ask to participate in next year's fan-based panels.

When I finally figured it out, I apologized for the mistake, but he didn't seem to mind, as he rocked back on his heels drinking his free beer and making easy conversation.

The Water Ballerina had offered to give me a ride back to the Inner Harbor, and since her car could only carry one passenger, her roommate had already started hoofing it back. I followed her to her car, which was a spiffy new technological wonder. You didn't even need to put a key in the ignition to start it, as long as the key was in your purse. She also had a GPS system, which she demonstrated as we drove.

The reason the car couldn't fit more than one, though, was because she was in the process of moving, I believe, between two offices. The back seat was piled high with boxes, and a stack of papers littered the passenger side floor. I took my shoes off when I get in, just so I wouldn't damage anything.

Meanwhile, I'd called The Artist and told her I was heading back, and she offered to pick me up from in front of my hotel. I only had to wait a couple minutes for them, and then I saw The Drummer striding across the parking lot, followed by his fiancée. I hugged him, hugged The Artist and her husband, and said hello to the fiancée.

This was the first time I'd met her, and she was just as beautiful and just as nice as my sister had described her to me.

As we were driving to the sushi restaurant where The Artist wanted to eat, I got a call from The Gryphon, who told me we'd been invited to an informal party in the Guest Suite, for Guest Relations staffers and Otakon guests. He told me to meet him at the BCC at quarter of 11 to attend.

While it was a privilege to be asked, it's sort of like being asked to hang out with your boss. You know that you've still got to act businesslike and maintain a sense of decorum. This put the kibosh on going out to a club with The Artist and her friends after dinner, but they said they understood.

The sushi place was very popular, and it was a seat yourself operation. After sending in the men to look, we learned there was just no easy place to sit five people. So we walked, instead, to a Thai place The Artist and her husband knew.

I recognized the neighborhood as the one where The Poet had lived up until recently, as we passed familiar streets like Eager Street and St. Paul's. He was probably somewhere nearby enjoying Artscape activities.

Luckily, the Thai place could seat us in about 15 minutes, so we waited outside. The weather was warm but not terribly humid, so it was actually pleasant. As we waited, an IKEA truck drove by, with an inventive display, showing a bedroom.

If I didn't know any better, I'd think that IKEA had been doing some sort of guerrilla marketing with me that evening. First the water ballerinas' blue IKEA bags, then the truck!

I also got a candid shot of the group hanging out in front of the restaurant, which I thought was a great natural moment.

The Drummer's fiancée, I learned, used to be a model and still does some modeling. I asked her for tips to use on my wedding day, and she said to do facial exercises to relax my face muscles and then to simply think of something that makes me happy.

I asked how she and The Drummer had met, and they told me that he'd been playing drums for a singer friend of hers. She'd gone to the performance and they hit it off right away. They also share career interests, as he's a lawyer and she's a paralegal.

Inside, we were seated on the second floor by some dragon statues, which flanked The Drummer's fiancée so that it looked like a throne. The Artist got a picture.

At dinner, we talked a lot about wedding planning. The Artist and her husband shared their experiences from planning two weddings: one following his family's Indian traditions and another following her family's Catholic traditions.

Then there's me who, of course, is planning a wedding with The Gryphon for the end of September. And of course, The Drummer and his fiancée are just beginning their plans. She told me that they're having a small wedding at an indoor garden and are hoping to create a beach feel. Sort of like a destination wedding without the airfare!

As we finished our food, I looked at my cell phone and saw that it was time to head back to the BCC, so I left them my money for the bill, and The Artist walked me down to catch a cab. I was glad I got to spend at least a little time with them.

The cabbie was particularly chatty, a Nigerian who bewailed what he thought was the cultural decadence of America, including teenage pregnancy. I tried to stay noncommittal, but when we neared the BCC and saw a traffic jam, due to some emergency vehicles pulling up front, I handed him my money and got out in the middle of traffic.

I happened to have brought my staff badge, just in case, so I could enter the BCC with no trouble. I headed straight for Con Ops, where I was supposed to meet The Gryphon, who was already there. We were waiting for the head of Industry, Doc the Stampede, so I took a moment to photograph an amusing tape outline that had manifested in front of the main Con Ops desk.

Whatever tragedy had happened here, the Otakon staffers seemed unconcerned.

When we were ready, we all walked over to the Guest Suite, which was in one of the nearby hotels. As we arrived in the room, only Guest Relations staffers were present, gathered on couches and standing, talking softly.

One of the translators was serving as a bar tender, mixing drinks for people from a ready supply of alcohol and mixers. The beer had worn off, so I asked for a vodka tonic. After that initial drink, though, I stuck with club soda. I really am a lightweight, and I wanted to avoid further embarrassing incidents.

I talked to another Otakon staffer, who's assisting his girlfriend, a translator. He has a great knowledge of the Baltimore area, which makes him invaluable for helping our guests get around. He said that they formed a good team together and told me about how they'd first met, at another convention.

I also spoke with Otakon's lawyer, who was there for a short while before turning in, having an early day ahead of him. And I spoke with The Cosplayer, who was the assistant this year for The Godfather, the head of Guest Relations and former Otakon con chair.

She and I discussed how we'd initially been worried that Doc and The Gryphon, both hardworking people, wouldn't take care of themselves if they were running a department together. But it turns out they're both good about paying attention to other people's needs, so they seemed to be keeping each other on track as far as making sure they had enough food and rest.

Eventually, the guests started to drift into the suite, and conversations ensued over such things as fine wine (one of the guests is actually also a sommelier). As the room filled up and the evening wore on, I got The Gryphon's attention and suggested we leave. I had one last stop to make before the night was over.

Our friend Batman was hosting a get-together with friends in his room, which is something he does every Saturday night at Otakon. I had promised to drop in, so we walked back to the hotel.

The room was already filled with a group of Batman's friends, most of them from LARP. Some of them I recognized from meeting them previous years, such as his best friend from high school. Others I recognized from my visits to LARP this year, including the guy who'd played a French clown. He gladly consented to perform the voice for us all, to my great amusement.

Eventually, The Dormouse and The White Rabbit joined the get-together, as well. It was nice to see them in a relaxed setting. The Dormouse, I thought wryly, was still surrounded by LARPers, but at least now they weren't asking him questions.

We joined in the conversation, which mostly revolved around Otakon and about pop culture. Over the course of the evening, the subject of cosplay came up, and Batman had me try on a cape he'd made, from a soft white material with a silky purple lining.

In a way, it seemed to symbolize the social journey I'd just undertaken.

More on Alyce's Otakon Experiences:

Musings on Alyce's Otakon Experiences

Copyright 2006 by Alyce Wilson

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