ACEN

Melissa and I are nerds. We're nerds because we enjoy subculture and juvenile humor over what most 30 year olds consider culture and humor. Melissa and I are so nerdy that we attend two conventions that are cesspools for nerd-dom. The first convention we hit (almost to commemorate the end of the school year for me) is a little thing called ACEN (click on the blue links for more information). ACEN is an annual convention that celebrates Japanese Anime and Manga culture, but it also transcends those lines into the realms of video games and other popular genres associated.

We knew that Violet was going to be with us when we ordered are passes this year for ACEN, and we joked about the prospect of bringing her along and having her cosplay. Well, as ACEN crept ever forward, I put the pressure on Melissa to make Violet a costume for ACEN to commemorate her first, and certainly not her last, visit to ACEN. Armed with her astounding creativity and artistic skills, Melissa churned out a Moogle costume for Violet (see above illustration). As she was working on the piece she would send me updates on the progress and my heart would melt. Little did we know that our reaction to our baby moogle would not only be matched, but multiplied exponentially when we exposed Violet to the denizens of the con.

We couldn't take more than ten steps without hearing someone (male or female) pause and swoon with a heart-wrenching "awwwwww" followed by a few small crowds and lots of pictures. Violet was a star of ACEN in her own right and was frequently brought up on the ACEN forums.

Violet handled all three days at the con with speed and grace. We also had to attend a wedding that Sunday evening and she was fine there too. She had only one small meltdown due to over stimulation as we were leaving the house for the reception, but other than that... she was an angel.

Violet continues to amaze and challenge us. Her calm moments are filled with smiles, gurgling noises, vomit, and chubby cheeks. I think Melissa and I have it pretty good. Hopefully Violet feels the same about us.

Now. On to the pics:


That's not a look of apprehension. Well, at least
we didn't think it was.


The costume is more visible in this pic.
This was taken by someone at the con and then
posted on the forums.


Please excuse the quality. This was taken by a gaggle
of ACEN goers with a cellphone. This was also found on
the forums.


We ran into this cosplayer in the lobby of the Hyatt. Underneath the costume is a 40 year old woman. She asked if she could hold Violet for a pic. Melissa and I bristled at the idea at first, but once She told us that she's a mother of 4... we decided it would be ok.


The response to this pic was amazing. Not only did we draw a crowd, three people went into diabetic shock because of the astounding sweetness.


These two can sleep through a nuclear holocaust. Especially
after a busy weekend.


"Where the hell is my coffee?"



So it begins. It's only a matter of time before I hear:
"Dad, What's Kotaku?"