Ikano
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Posts posted by Ikano
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On 8/3/2022 at 6:05 PM, Photoshoot said:
We participated in the professional photo shoot offered at Oatakon Washington DC 2022 on July 30. Photos taken were amazing! We paid $70 for the high resolution package and was given a blue bracelet flash drive. Upon arriving home, the flash drive is empty. Tried on multiple computers and all state “this file is empty.” Did anyone else have this problem with the photos not uploading to the flash drive provided. I’m trying to find a way to contact anyone regarding this issue. I really want my photos.
Did you try going through Contact Us already? Try that if you haven't.
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On 8/1/2022 at 10:12 PM, TnAdct1 said:
BTW, did the Renaissance/Westin sell out already, or is that room block still being set up?
They appeared to be all there right at 12 (yes I did look)...though I'm sure more will drop later...
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Courtyard by Marriot (it's listed as "Courtyard Washington Downtown Convention Center" on the Hotels page)
It's literally just across the street from the L street doors/exit under the bridge. It's front door is also facing the back door of the Marriott Marquis (Otakon HQ Hotel) so, as long as it's not the wee hours of the night where the backdoor might be locked, you could technically go from the Courtyard straight into the Marquis to utilize the underground Connector entrance with minimal "walking outside" (I mean...you'd still need to walk outside more than if you actually bagged a Marquis room...)
Also, fun fact: Courtyard apparently shares the same building as Residence Inn. I do not know quite how rooms are arranged though with/in the building itself, ie: Residence Inn room VS Courtyard room, on different floors? I don't know...
Personally....we had some issues with the front desk staff this year when checking in (the tl;dr version is they said the room was ready but not "feather free" like we requested and the front desk staffer "pretended" to check on the status of the room when they didn't even pick up their phone to call/check....eventually found out the room had been "feather free" & ready the whole time)
But we had stayed in this hotel in 2021 and from what I recall they were VERY accommodating & nice and we didn't have any issues with the front desk staff that year [that I can recall]. So I presume we just lucked out...
The room in my opinion was, I guess average? We had a double bed room. It was not too big & you can walk around it but I think they might have gone a little overkill in chairs. There were two large 'couch-size' single chairs that took up one side of the room and a desk chair that is too big in that you can't really push into/under the desk.
I guess if you consider it floor space-wise it's a bit on the cramped side. Ignoring the closet you can maybe find floor space to lay down 3 large sized suitcases without causing other people needing to constantly push them out of the way or walk OVER them to move/access all parts of the the room.
Speaking of the closet, it's big enough that maybe 2 adults could walk into it at the same time (lol). The door swings open btw-- past hotels I've stayed in the closet has a sliding door instead or were more like cabinets so that seems like a difference point...
Wi-fi is free and I -personally- did not notice any issues with connecting to it nor it's speed...There's a mini fridge but has this feature I felt was annoying in that it's not really "on" unless you hit the "Quick Freeze" button where it turns on for only 2 hours at a time after which it seems like it's off. I know it's meant to save power but I never felt like it got really cold inside the thing (though I did somehow manage to freeze some Yogurt way in the back lol...) There is a standard coffeemaker (didn't use it though). There is no microwaves in the room, instead there is one downstairs in the "Marketplace" area (which contains some food/snacks/drinks that you can purchase). Used the microwave a few times--it was surprisingly clean considering it's a "public" one? The only thing that seriously bugged me about it was that it didn't have a turntable in it.
Anyhow, back in the room, there's a personal safe in one of the cabinets below the HDtv (the mini fridge being in the other "cabinet" under the tv).
The bathroom is pretty large considering the rest of the room feels small (based on my earlier estimate of how many suitcases you can lay on the floor without blocking walking area badly). You could literally have one person occupying the toilet, one person in the shower, and possibly another 2 people doing their business at the sink (although it's only 1 sink) and still have room to move around. Our only gripe is the sink pressure leaves something to be desired (it's a bit small/weak especially when we tried to wash/rinse an empty Chobani yogurt cup for instance.
Erm....can't think about anything else to add...if I had to give it rating out of 5 I'd maybe say...somewhere between 3.5-4 but we're going to stick with it for now just because of the location more than anything -and it's cheaper than Marquis or Renaissance- which is the two other hotels we've tried before for Otakon.
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7 hours ago, DeathJester said:
Clearly the Help Desk and Facebook messaging did not work in coordinating the Saturday entrances this year so Otakon needs a better system to rapidly address mass groups of attendees. It was a really bad look when all the convention socials were blowing up over the long lines and the only official word out of the Otakon Twitter was a scheduled post advertising the Masquerade happening in the evening. Having volunteers with megaphones trying to shout out up-to-date information can only go so far when everyone else is relaying unofficial info across socials. Even something as basic as the 2022 attendance figures- I got that info from Aresef tweeting from the closing ceremonies rather than any direct Otakon source (Luckily I know he is a trustworthy source).
If another entrance wait mishap happens again next year, does staff really want to field thousands of individual Facebook messages to answer the current queue line status updates? Also, the main Contact Us page: https://www.otakon.com/help/contact-us/ is not at all built to handle rapid at-con questions. I just worry that if Otakon themselves don't step up on the communication front (eg "We hear you, so therefore we have opened a No Bag line at L street for rapid entrance!"), then you will have a mess of unmoderated digital voices telling people to go to the wrong place, or worst case scenario telling people were the loopholes are ("the entrance at XYZ is unlocked and you can skip the queue there!").My post/thoughts earlier was aimed more towards BBS usage the rest of the year and not during Otakon weekend itself....
But thanks for your feedback. All I can say in regards to it (because my personal role is not related to Help Desk/Online Help Desk/communications/etc) is that it will be analyzed/looked into.
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My two cents/my opinion:
If you need a quick/rapid/personalized answer about a certain situation/question the better way would be through Help Desk or private messaging on Facebook (when prompted), etc. The BBS was always more for shall I say..."experienced" Otakon goers discuss/help/talk with/connect with "new" Otakon goers and/or just socializing.
Unfortunately over time most of that crowd has chosen to shift to the many social platforms that are now out there so obviously seems quiet in here, though staff do use the BBS for our own behind-the-scene purposes as well...
TL;DR: Not that I have any admin/technological say but I don't see this BBS all out disappearing anytime soon.
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Sorry for double post but just wanted to say (in case anyone is keeping track) Not planning on bringing that^ cosplay anymore. I was offered a "prize" to fix a different cosplay in less than 2 days out....let's just say, it's not really a small easy fix so good luck to me....*cue panic*
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On 7/22/2022 at 12:07 AM, Ikano said:
After some contemplating I think I'm only planning on bringing Sanae Y(Suikoden 3) cosplay to fit the "timeskip" theme cuz she's
- 2nd oldest "serious" (meaning I actually sewed it from scratch) cosplay I've ever made
- Closest thing to a kimono [while-not being a kimono--cuz I decided against bringing my actual kimono]
I might skimp out on the "props" tho because the upcoming weather and I didn't actually grow out my hair long enough in time (again cuz weather) so *shrug* yeahh...call me lazy...this cosplay always gets mistaken for Kikyou (from Inuyasha) anyway even with all the right props
Due to some unforseen circumstances with one of the pieces of this cosplay [That I've been trying to restore but it's still a bit fragile...] I might need to instead fall back on "The very first cosplay I've ever made from scratch" instead....Suikoden 2 Highland Jowy
....pending I can find the majority of the pieces intact somewhere....but I still ain't gonna bother with hair detail
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5 hours ago, Revan said:
- cold-eze (Ever since I started taking cold-eze and immune boosters, I having gotten even a whiff of con plague. Especially relevant nowadays.)
That reminds me I need to pack my nasal spray. I mean....I was suggested/prescribed it because I recently developed minor allergies but I read some studies that do say it blocks Covid particles to a certain degree....My co-workers don't believe it but I'm the only one who hasn't been out because of it yet *knocks on wood*
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After some contemplating I think I'm only planning on bringing Sanae Y(Suikoden 3) cosplay to fit the "timeskip" theme cuz she's
- 2nd oldest "serious" (meaning I actually sewed it from scratch) cosplay I've ever made
- Closest thing to a kimono [while-not being a kimono--cuz I decided against bringing my actual kimono]
I might skimp out on the "props" tho because the upcoming weather and I didn't actually grow out my hair long enough in time (again cuz weather) so *shrug* yeahh...call me lazy...this cosplay always gets mistaken for Kikyou (from Inuyasha) anyway even with all the right props
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7 hours ago, cards344 said:
Wasnt sure if it was a stadium thing or Maryland thing.
To me it sounds more like a Covid thing. There was an increase in "touchless payment" options this past year after all.
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Also adding
- Wallet (with monies)
- Some sort of picture ID
Personally some other things I'm packing:
- 'bathroom slippers' not afraid to get wet (for use in the hotel room)
- Game charger(/s)
- Watch/FitBit
I also using a bag (that I 'officially' started using last year) with general bathroom stuff...ie: toothbrush, toothpaste, etc. Includes travel size shampoo/soap cuz one fear I have is I get some weird skin reaction from the hotel provided soap/shampoo. (Hasn't happened to me yet but I've reacted to new stuff at home before)
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Personally I prefer BBS/Forums but....tend to lurk lately...
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Hmm...from what I understand from how it was explained to us (because this also applies to staff) it's 3 days before you "arrive on-site"
So for instance...if you get your badge mailed but don't plan to show up/go in until Sat it's 3 days prior to Sat.
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3 hours ago, CarolineAndJustine said:
Figured I'd kick this off since it didn't exist yet. Full disclosure, I co-ran three panels this year (Beyond Persona, Ace Attorney on Trial, and Sword Lesbians in Anime) so this is a tiny bit self-serving 🙃🙃🙃🙃
I had to leave when the Q+A started at the end but I was a bit sad you guys didn't mention Devil Survivor 2 in the "Beyond Persona" panel considering that it's way more popular (or at least appears more marketed) than Devil Survivor 1 (It-meaning DevSurv2- having a pretty good anime adaptation and all). Tho I guess that's a minor personal gripe... the rest of the presentation was great *claps*
Er...back on topic tho....unfortunately I didn't go to any other "panels" per say unless the Zen Garden workshop counts. I'll just say that...that was the first time I ever found time to go to a Shoestring Scientist hosted workshop/panel and I can't believe I've been missing out all this time.
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5 hours ago, Hainiryuun said:
- All the water fountains being turned off. I get covid and all that, but it would have at least been nice to have a place to fill up a water bottle.
There should have been "water coolers" spread throughout that are periodically refilled...
I didn't actively seek them all out but I know for sure there were 2 situated right outside of the "salon" that Registration sits in....
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On 7/18/2021 at 11:55 PM, Ikano said:
*cough*probably Fox (P5) and/or SMT: Devil Survivor 2
I'm scrapping the former cuz of...how the year's been y'know....and realized I technically never completed the latter mentioned outside of the jacket so guess what? I'm spending the weekend sewing together the missing pieces and MAYBE making a matching mask.....gotta love last second runs to the fabric store and last second sewing...on top of everything else.
Edit/aside: I could make my life easier and fall back on an old Minato cosplay I have lying around but 1) That also has an annoying amount of accessories that I don't feel like bringing just cuz....and 2) I LAUGH in the face of CHALLENGES. GAHAHAHAHA!
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14 minutes ago, Zeeba Neighba said:
Just curious: Did you skip mailing the lanyards for budget reasons?
In general heavier things do cost more to mail/ship.....
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*casts revive on thread*
After thinking about it...I'm going to be super lazy and bring a super simplified cosplay...of some old "costumes"
*cough*probably Fox (P5) and/or SMT: Devil Survivor 2
Technically I wasn't considering making new costumes anyway though I'm on the fence on making masks that "matches"...Not going to go super fancy with potential mask though so...procrastination sets in...
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43 minutes ago, Krabstarr said:
This isn't true. The Dealer Hall is open for 8 hours both Friday and Saturday. Typically 12PM to 8 PM Friday and 10AM to 6PM Saturday.
Well I did say "arguably"...you just cut that part off when you quoted me 😆
But thanks for the hours. Don't have the old schedules in front of me but it always feels longer on Sat lol.
That also proves that I know nothing 🤣
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Generally...(and this is more like "as an attendee for many years" response and not to be taken as a "staffer-in-the-know" response cuz I know nothing)
Friday is better day to look for things you think might be "limited"
Sunday is better day to look for things that might go on sale but not necessarily limited especially Manga or DVDs stuff, etc. cuz vendors rather bring/ship less back with them.
Saturday is kind of a "wild card"....since it's the longest day dealer's is open (arguably) I've seen some vendors in the past do "time limited" sales/giveaways/events at their booths throughout the day Sat. Also a few times I've seen [smaller] vendors not show up on Friday but they show only on Sat....I do not know if that's planned/intentional or not though...
EDIT: This is NOT to say they won't do "time limited" things on the other days...it's just cuz Sat is sort of "longer" they tend to do it on Sat...?
...again I stress that this is "from what I've seen in the past as an attendee"
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Can't wait to see how well their stock can hold up against con-weekend.
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The only other thing that I can think of that someone hasn't mentioned here before is you could offer to take COVID tests after con to prove you did or did not catch it...
I saw CVS selling two different rapid ones the other day in-store like...with over-the-counter medicine [no need for doc "prescription" or what have you to purchase the kits]....one seemed to give results in 15 minutes and it didn't appear like you had to send it in the lab somewhere...Though honestly I don't quite remember the details printed on the box since the price tag was not quite chump change in my book...
'Course she could always counter-argue that it gives you a false-negative, so I don't quite know how effective this would be...
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Speaking of Metro....This is posted in the "How to Get Here" page already but even I took a bit of time to notice it...
If you have a SmarTrip card issued prior to 2012 you need to arrange to get it replaced
TLDR; They're beginning to phase out the old fare machines this month. The new machines can't read the old SmarTrip cards.
I also want to add that if you try to do the mail-in option (which does grant you the $5 bonus credit into your already existing credit) The "mailed back within 10 business days" may be misleading. After support told us our family could mail back our 3 Smart Trip cards in one envelope (with 3 different forms corresponding to each one of course) it took them over 4 weeks worth of "business days" to mail us the new ones... (aka 28+ business days)
Granted mathematically it matches up w/ "10 business days per card" even though they received them at once...And in case you're wondering, no they came back to us in separate envelopes.
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Hotel Reviews
in Otakon 2023
Posted · Edited by Ikano
minor grammer/spelling
Anybody have any input/anything to say about Residence Inn? We are curious about it...
Well anyhow...We've been at this [after-mentioned] hotel the past few years but I guess I should try to stay on topic...
Courtyard Washington Downtown Convention Center
It's entrance is literally across the street from the Convention center (particularly if you exit from the doors under L street bridge then face the direction the Marquis sits you can see even before exiting). It actually shares the same "building" as Residence Inn so that may cause some confusion when you see the name above it's door. Honestly I'd argue that this hotel feels closer to the Convention center than the Marquis if you aren't afraid of "going outside"....but if you're comparing distance to the front door [and the added benefit Marquis has with the underground tunnel] then Marquis wins I guess...
We had a double-bed room. Average-size. Enough space to wheel in and place maybe...3-4 large suitcases without people tripping over them in a struggle to get around the room. The bathroom is decently large so -THEORETICALLY- 3 people could be using the bathroom at once: (ie: shower, toilet, using sink)....I said THEORETICALLY use at the same time....Closet is pretty good walk-in size....maybe 2 adults could hide in there if they were playing hide-and-seek (wait...do people even care about the closet like this? lol). I think the closet included iron + ironing board in there and maybe an extra comforter?....honestly I barely opened the closet besides throwing a rain poncho in there on day 0 then reclaiming said rain poncho when packing up to leave.
TV is flat screen mounted against wall. Our TV had issues so we had to call front desk but because I was trying to figure out what was wrong with it I found the TV can actually come out and swivel around to some degree plus HDMI ports. I probably could've easily plugged my gaming system in it for playing on the big screen. Well, I was too busy in the end to end up gaming anyway...
The room itself has various USB ports built in (though reliability is questionable like most public USB charge ports are) and outside of one long table/counter that extends in front of/below the tv that connects/merges into drawers etc. There's just one more coffee table and 2 sofa-chairs.
What bugged me the most is the two sofa-chairs are on the opposite sides of the small coffee table and then immediately next to coffee table is the bed. So basically one sofa-chair is trapped between the coffee table and the bed while the other sofa-chair (which are pretty heavy to move...I tried but I gave up) is opposite this sofa-chair but happens to be close to the "desk chair". It's a little hard to describe but basically there's 3 chairs in close proximity to each other in this one "corner" of the room while the other side of the room --which I expected would have a bench in any other hotel-- had nothing. It basically came down to making me look like I had a monopoly on all the rooms chairs since I claimed that side of the bed.
Um....other than that, room comes with a personal safe and a Refrigerator -which only stays on 2-hours at a time AT most every time you hit the button inside it SO if you have something that must stay cold all the time else it spoil quick- Good Luck. If you want to use a microwave there isn't actually one in the room BUT there's one in the main lobby behind the check-in counter on 1st floor (where they sell self-serve snacks)-- though I never see anyone else use so I wonder if it's mostly unknown.
Um...if anyone else has any other questions feel free to ask. Don't know what else to say...