Theme: "Timeless"/"a shell, or what's left behind"
Date: Saturday, July 19th
Time: Start gathering at noon
Location: Lincoln Park, West Seattle
About the location:
Address: 8011 Fauntleroy Way SW
Site:
http://www.seattle.gov/parks/park_detail.asp?ID=460About the theme:
I'd like to stress that it can be ignored at will. Seriously. Don't feel the need to make a new costume or anything *looks at about a third of the regular attendees*
Anyway, the theme is basically a way for those of us who have multiple costumes to pick something, and to inspire group cosplay and photo ideas. This time around, it's "Timeless" (evokes "emotion" or "feeling", mood setter) and "a shell, or what's left behind" (sub-theme, prop-oriented but can also be interpreted less literally).
For example:
Timeless
Immortal characters (time has no meaning); classic series like Sailor Moon (the series itself is timeless); series setting is kind of ambiguous as to its time period (Naruto); time-traveling characters
a shell
Literal: Bring a shell as a photo prop. Since we're going to be at the beach, a seashell would be ideal. But you can get creative with the interpretation.
Metaphorical: Your character is a shell of their former self. Something happened to them that has drastically changed them physically, mentally, or emotionally.
...or what's left behind
Literal: Well, a shell is left behind when the animal inside moves on to something bigger and better (or dies, yay happy thoughts! ^^) Here's where you get to be creative. What else is shed or left behind when we move on, change, or upgrade to something better? Think of it from your character's mindset, with a mind to what would make good, thought-provoking, humorous, or sad photos. I think our theme this time lends itself to some melancholy interpretations.
Slightly less proppy-literal: People are also left behind when we change and move on. Good for choosing groups; not everyone in a series is involved in the same changes/power-ups, but those characters who are abandoned are still important to the series (and the main character's) development. Sometimes it's not the main characters who do the leaving, but are the ones who are abandoned. Which sucks, but hey, angst makes for awesome photos!
On scheduling conflicts...
Keep in mind that it's not possible for us to always avoid every local event. This especially holds true during the busy summer months (it's con season, one of the reasons I considered going bimonthly; kinda got shot down on that count.) There will be scheduling conflicts from time to time, and in that case it's up to you as an individual which one you chose. Friendly reminder: most of that other stuff happens once a year. We're monthly.
