#and i should be packing for the convention weekend and checking on all my cosplay stuff

[yuniemaki]

oh hello so i made a sortable list of my fics so far for y'all to find something that tickles your fancy! or just watch fancy animations, idk

play with it here!

theme: prehistoric by southcodes

[dropintomanga]

Anime NYC 2022 - New York Be Back, Y’All~

What a return. What. A. Full-fledged. Return.

After last year’s chaotic line mess, Anime NYC returned with a new panel queue system and revamped health check. This year's event was a possible glimpse of a full-on NYC anime convention would be like, post-pandemic emergency times. They were front-loaded with guests from top to bottom - one of which was the creator of Attack on Titan, Hajime Isayama.

While it’s impossible to check out everything, I had a fun time.

Friday was somewhat chill as I got to avoid the line for regular pass holders. It sounded like a bit of a mess from what I heard, but things apparently got better as the day went on. After the Press check-in, I went up to check out the riichi mahjong gaming area held by Riichi Nomi NYC and bought a lanyard from them that matched my now-mahjong state of mind. I did play with the group for a little bit before heading down to the Exhibit Hall.

At the Exhibit Hall, I bought some manga from Denpa Books and checked out their panel. What’s nice this year about the Denpa panel was the promotion of the BL imprint, KUMA. So not only it was Ed Chavez of Denpa fame talking, but also Andrea Donohue, the head of KUMA, who promoted a good amount of BL titles that I actually want to take an interest in. Especially a title called Crappy Happy Life because a gag BL manga is something I would eat up in a hurry. Ed would then talk about current and upcoming Denpa releases like the final volume of Inside Mari, the first volume of Under Ninja, TabeGirl: The Art of JUN, and the first volume of March Comes in Like a Lion. What really impressed me the most is the community that supports Denpa and I noticed how excited fans at the panel were about their books. There’s something else that happened there that I want to talk about, but that will be the main topic of a later post.

I also checked out the return of Anime for Humanity, the anime-centered mental health NPO that I volunteered for back in 2019. They got a booth this year and were still giving out Anime Therapy Kits. I caught up with the main guy I worked with there and talked about many things, anime and manga-related. I would see them through the whole weekend and donated to them as well. It was good to see AFH back.

After that, I just straight up left the convention because I wanted to go home and get my Kaname Date (AI: The Somnium Files, a game franchise which I wrote about) cosplay ready for Saturday and Sunday. While the Exhibitors’ Hall was packed, I never felt that it was congested as in years past.

Anyway, on to Saturday, busy, busy day. I went to my first ever Yen Press panel! It was nice to see the a good sized crowd show up and even writer TurtleMe (of The Beginning of the End fame) stopped by to talk about himself for a bit. There’s way too many books Yen Press announced and I won’t mention them all here. But Yen Press did mention an upcoming Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun box set and they licensed the Elden Ring gag manga that I heard about, so now I’m intrigued. I also wish them luck for their print release of Oshi no Ko.

I later checked out a Yakuza/Like a Dragon/Ryu ga Gotoku Studio meetup and it continues to amaze me to see how much the franchise has blown up since 2017. As a fan of the franchise before it became mainstream, I think Westerners like myself are super-spoiled with what’s to come. I don’t think it’s a bad thing because I think everyone should play RGG Studio games.

I next went to the Dark Horse Manga Panel. And they really did not disappoint. The big news was that Innocent by Shin’ichi Sakamoto is coming to the U.S. around Fall 2023. I would have never foreseen the day that this work would get licensed here. There’s a really good video of Sakomoto and his thought process on Archipel. He has made an emphasis on promoting about the value of manga despite Japanese readers treating it as “one and done” most of the time. Also, Carl Horn (who I love hearing talk about comics) mentioned how much manga has made a significant impact in America. He talked about how he brought a group of Japanese manga editors to a Barnes & Noble bookstore one time to check out its manga section. The editors were amazed that manga had its own unique section in a store that’s known for Western-centered material. It’s funny because a month ago, a friend and I were at a Barnes & Noble checking out the huge manga shelves on display. We had a conversation about how different it was back in 2009-2010 for manga fans like us in terms of promotion (Spoiler: it was dark times). To see how far we’ve come, it’s a bit surreal. We don’t get every manga licensed, but damn, the Americans who appreciate manga and work in promoting it know how to give the titles we do get the spotlight they deserve.

I also won a free NieR: Automata artbook at the panel too! I was the 1st winner out of 6!

I would later take part in a Zero Escape/AI: The Somnium Files meetup. There weren’t many people sadly including myself, but we all made the most of it. I was also amazed at the amount of people who recognized me as Date at the con. I’m so glad that there were fans who have played the Somnium Files games and I will always recommend the franchise whenever the games are on sale.

I did find out what happened in the Hajime Isayama panel that I didn’t get into. I heard that fans at the panel had a positive reception to Isayama ending Attack on Titan the way he did and that their reaction almost made him cry. Isayama wrote a message on Kodansha’s website prior to the event saying he knew the ending was controversial and that people should be kind to him. I wish he didn’t had to write that because the internet isn’t always real life despite what social media says otherwise. But I do get that for every few positive comments that get you hyped, there’s always that one nagging negative comment that overshadows all the positive ones. I’m glad that Isayama got a chance to meet people from the one country that really ate Attack on Titan up when it became mainstream.

Finally, as I left for the day, Saturday night was banging with DJs blasting hip-hop and fans dancing in front of the main exhibit hall entrance. I even recorded a video looking from above and it was, as the kids say, lit.

So onto Sunday. I went up to where the Community Stage was for the “Defending Manga” panel hosted by the brain behind Manga in Libraries, Jillian Rudes (who I finally got a chance to talk to in person at the Dark Horse panel). Unfortunately, it got canceled. I was really looking forward to seeing it too. It’s possible that someone might have gotten sick and given that COVID/RSV/cold/flu cases in the U.S. have gone up the last few weeks, it’s understandable to not let something spread at the con. I gave up on going to the Kodansha USA panel due to mental exhaustion, though I did hear what they announced and Witch Hat Atelier Kitchen, The Darwin Incident (I’m interested in this one the most), My Lovesick Life As a ‘90s Otaku, Limbo the King, a Magic Knight Rayearth paperback release and an upcoming Blue Period box-set stand out to me.

So I just decided to play mahjong with the Riichi Nomi NYC gang. Originally formed in 2020 by a small group of passionate New Yorkers interested in riichi mahjong, they have become a juggernaut in the North American riichi mahjong scene. Ever since I became a part of the club in the summer of 2021, Riichi Nomi NYC has gone from doing organized meetups to hosting multiple tournaments at their leader’s apartment and running a huge 2-day tournament of 70+ players in NYC in July 2022. They also made their anime convention debuts in 2022 at Anime Boston and Otakon with huge positive reception by both convention fans and staff. I felt that Anime NYC would be the perfect way to end the year for Riichi Nomi NYC and the culmination of all their 2022 success. This was the also the first time Anime NYC ever officially had mahjong in all of its 5 years of existence. 

Riichi Nomi NYC absolutely killed it. They ran a 12-person tournament on Friday and a 16-person tournament on Saturday with little-to-no problems all while teaching newcomers and selling great merchandise. The gang did an excellent job in ensuring beginners weren’t frightened and that players already skilled in the game had a great time. I got a chance to play with 2 Cantonese-speaking players and I got a chance to show off my Cantonese outside of talking to family. We all felt a sense of communal/cultural pride that was wonderful and only something I could experience via mahjong, so huge props right there. I’m so proud of what Riichi Nomi NYC has accomplished and I’m looking forward to see what they do next year!

I finally went to Artists’ Alley and got some Spy x Family and Chainsaw Man goodies. The crowd over there wasn’t super-packed like last year’s. I also got a chance to check out the big Hajime Isayama “Thank You” message wall at Kodansha’s booth and I wrote something too.

Overall, I thought Anime NYC was fine for the most part. They really addressed the line problems last year to check-in at the con and for panels. The staff enforced an attendance cap for all 3 days and it showed. With only 4,500 3-Day passes sold, it wasn’t crowded to the point of being super-congested. I got to walk around crowds with little to no problems. I also liked how bag checks were replaced with walkthrough scanners unlike in previous years. Mask enforcement was hit and miss for the most part, but I felt comfortable because I wore a KN95 mask the whole time I was there, kept to myself a bunch, and was in parts of the convention center that were well-ventilated. I think the last part is key here because I honestly think great indoor ventilation on par with outdoor air levels makes going mask-less bearable in my opinion. Let’s not have the Anime Expo 2022 Artist Alley mess here.

I do notice that the Anime NYC panel lottery now makes panel hopping not as hyped as before. I know people sneaking into the biggest and coolest panels even when they were jam-packed was a thing and it was great. Those days might be over for the most part. But I do wonder about the after-effect since lines for other panels might become jam-packed as fans want to see what other options are there. However, I haven’t heard anything of that sort at all. I might be talking out of my butt here. I think the Community Stage helps to alleviate concerns and having panels there is refreshing. They provide a more fan-perspective view that’s needed and is sometimes missing in a industry-focused con such as Anime NYC.

I’m also now curious about Anime NYC’s continued co-existence with New York Comic-Con. This year’s NYCC gave a huge spotlight to anime and manga - arguably the best ever. VIZ Media did show up at Anime NYC, but there were really no manga promotions from them. Those seemed to be now saved for New York Comic-Con. I don’t think NYCC will supplant Anime NYC with regards to anime-related experiences, but I will admit that there’s things about NYCC on the manga side of things I want to check out now compared to Anime NYC.

Yet I will say, after cosplaying as Kaname Date, I still think Anime NYC is a good spot for underrepresented Japanese-related series. I found a small group of fans for AI: The Somnium Files (which wasn’t a hugely marketed franchise) somehow. Anime NYC still has some issues, but for me, it was worth going. The experience I had this year was far better than last year’s and this was due to all of the various people I connected with and the friends I already made who showed up.

So much love to the Anime NYC staff and here’s to 2023!

I will have a follow-up post (if anyone is interested) about a fan Q&A moment at the con that made think and reflect, so that will be up soon.

[qnewsau]

Everyone is welcome at the PAX Together Lounge this weekend

New Post has been published on https://qnews.com.au/everyone-is-welcome-at-the-pax-together-lounge-this-weekend/

Everyone is welcome at the PAX Together Lounge this weekend

Over 3 days this weekend, PAX Aus celebrates gaming and gaming culture as the PAX Together Lounge returns bigger than ever – because games are for everyone.

The expo has panels, tournaments, demos, and more under one roof at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.

It’s a chance for people to interact with game developers, publishers and brands, but also make friends and connections.

Now in its tenth year, the PAX Together Lounge is a gaming space that celebrates various backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences within gaming, especially from minority groups.

“We had one very small room which was less than half the size of our current lounge in our first year.” Alice Clarke told us.

“We had the community rooms, did the panels, had the board games and the video games. But it was small.”

“When we had talks we had about 50 people outside in the hallway because there physically wasn’t enough space to stand in that room.”

“Now we’ve got the community booths in a large area kind of outside the lounge.”

“Our lounge is more than double the size of the old lounge and we’ve got our separate theatre.”

The PAX Together Lounge is located on the second floor of the Convention Centre near the Cosplay Lounge.

“I’m proud that we’re able to create a space that people seem to be responding to enough that we can expand on it and make it be what it is,” Alice said.

“The community creates this space with us, and I feel so lucky I get to be a part of it.”

Supplied aus.paxsite.com

A place to find your community

Games should be for everyone and also made by anyone.

Whether your game of choice is board, card, console or computer, there is a place for all at PAX Together.

With organisations like Transgender Victoria, Melbourne Gaymers and Checkpoint in the Community Lounge, PAX Together has also become a place for connection and information.

“I love how many parents come with their kids, whether they’ve kids recently come out and the parents are trying to wrap their heads around it,” Alice told us.

“Coming to the Lounge with their kids has also become a way that parents can make sure they let them know that they’re supported and have this community.”

“Having organisations like Transgender Victoria lets them know they are supported and safe and there are other people like them.”

“Now that I’m a mother, I’m excited that my daughter gets to grow up around this community and meet these people and know that she’s a part of so many more things.”

“You can experience so many different stories and so many different lives through gaming in ways that you just can’t in any other mediums.”

The Meet up Schedule at the Lounge is huge.

There is a place and space for every game and gaming tribe.

Where you can play along, learn something new or just find your people.

A packed schedule of gaming fun

From meet-ups to a host of talks and conversations, games and more, there is something for everyone as part of the PAX Together schedule.

“I’m excited about the whole program.”

“We have a lip sync roulette drag show on Friday night which will be pretty spectacular.”

“On Saturday, DJ Matt Frequencies is doing an RPG DJ show where everybody in the room is playing and you determine what happens to the music and the story.

“On a personal note, I’m posting the 10th edition of our Xena Nintendo 64 Fighting Game tournament.”

“It is the worst fighting game of all time in the best possible way, and I’ve gone massively overboard in the prizes this year, so  show up early so you can be a part of that.”

“And we are hosting Nerd Quiz again, which is always one of my highlights.”

“It’s a queer comedy trivia show which has segments such as ‘dead, evil, pregnant’.”

“It’s a mash-up of the queer female character and the trope she ended up in.”

You can check out the full schedule here.

Whether you’re heading to PAX  to meet old friends or find new favs there is something for all.

Be sure to check out PAX Together, which celebrates a space where everyone can be their authentic self when it comes to games and gaming.

Find out more about the PAX Together Lounge here.

For the latest LGBTIQA+ Sister Girl and Brother Boy news, entertainment, and community stories in Australia, visit qnews.com.au. Check out our latest magazines or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

[shootingstarrae]

Hi! I’ve been to many cons over the years (both big and small) and will be attending GalaxyCon this coming weekend. I ended up with many pieces of advice that I thought would be helpful for anyone else attending their first con.

1. If available, look at the schedule at least a few days before attending.

If the con has a schedule app, download it and start adding what events are must-see. Don’t expect to be able to walk into a con and just go to every event without a plan, especially for a big con. Trust me, I got overwhelmed at my first con (Tekko, over 10 years ago) and barely did anything for the day.

2. If planning on buying anything, bring some cash.

This is super important if you plan on buying merch, autographs or even food. Most vendors will accept credit card/PayPal/Venmo, but not all. Especially for the smaller vendors and artists who are doing this as a side gig. Plus, convention hall WiFi can be spotty, which means card reading devices can be slowed down. So having cash can speed up the process. And, personally speaking, it helps me budget how much I am willing to spend at each con.

3. If you are going with a group of friends or family, stick together and have a plan if you separate.

This one is pretty obvious, but it’s something that, as we rely more on our phones, it can be easy to forget. If you are going with a group, try to do some things together and have a meet-up spot if you want to do other things on your own or get separated accidentally. As I said early, WiFi and cell reception can be super spotty within various convention halls and hotels, so it can be hard to get in contact with someone using your phone. This is also super important if you are going to a con with large crowds.

4. Wear comfortable clothes.

Again, this might be obvious, but super important, especially for anyone cosplaying. Consider what shoes you feel comfortable walking in and, if you are cosplaying, if you should consider bringing a change of clothes. If you are staying at a hotel that’s close to where the con is being held, this can be an easy addition to your schedule to allow a costume change. Trust me, I cosplayed as Lio from Promare for a con that took place on a hot weekend in May…it was awful.

5. Drink lots of water and eat!

Again, obvious. But as you go to a lot of panels, meet guests and other people, you’re expelling a lot of energy. Make sure to take the time to drink water and eat decent food when you’re hungry. Some times, I will bring protein bars if I plan on staying at the con for the whole day. It really helps to avoid the usually expensive and always greasy convention center food that never fully satisfies.

6. Take your meds and pack any emergency supplies you’ll need.

Again, another obvious one. But, as someone who has asthma, I cannot count how many times that having my rescue inhaler on me has helped me. Take your meds and bring your emergency supply!!

7. Wash your hands, bring hand sanitizer, wear a mask if possible.

Again, it’s obvious, but super important. There’s a thing called “the con crud” that seems to rear its ugly head after a weekend of nerdy fun. Essentially, a weekend of little sleep, eating poorly, lots of walking and being in the thick of humanity makes it easy for you to get sick with anything (common cold, COVID, flu, etc.). So if you plan on going to a con, but especially a fall/winter con where most activity will be indoors, take your proper precautions. Wash your hands, don’t touch your face, wear a mask if you are able to.

8. Take lots of photos, but ask for permission!

Always ask for someone’s permission to take a photo, especially for cosplayers. But make sure to take lots of photos if you like to look back at pictures from events. For me personally, I always regret not taking enough pictures of the cons we go to.

9. If you are staying at a hotel, check for bed bugs and bring whatever you need to be comfortable.

Again, another obvious one, but also very important. If you are staying at a hotel, any hotel, always check for bed bugs. Pull up the fitted sheet and look at each corner of the mattress. You can also check the sides of any picture frames, but they will only be visible there if the infestation is really bad. If the room looks clean, but you are unsure, put all of your bags in the bathroom and leave all lights on when you sleep. Bed bugs only come out at night/in the dark and avoid tiled surfaces, so this might prevent you from experiencing bed bugs. Key word here is might, but it’s better than nothing. For the second part, this can mean whatever you need to sleep comfortably, wake up comfortably or any beauty products you need. For me, I have super sensitive skin and have to bring my own shampoo, conditioner and lotion to prevent any eczema/rash outbreaks. I also bring some loose leaf tea and a strainer to use via the room’s Keurig since I don’t drink coffee. This helps me fully wake up and get ready for the day.

Sorry for the long list. I just thought of all the things I wish I knew when first going to cons and here we are.

Advice on going to my first con?

[braincoins]

“Come on, it’ll be fun.”

“I don’t know...”

“Please?”

“Okay, but... in costume? You’re sure?”

“Trust me.”

Technically, Lance was here to cover it for the site. 

I love my job so much.

He was getting paid to attend the first Starlight Con, where the geeks of the city could pay honor and homage to their superhero. And he had a press pass to get him into basically any and every event he could want to attend! 

Cosplayers were everywhere, most as Starlight, but he caught a few Paladins wandering around. The dealer’s room was packed with superhero-related RPGs, CCGs, video games, and comics. 

Lance spent a good chunk of time in the artist’s alley, which was full to bursting with fanartists, fanfic writers, and a slew of fancomics. These were the hardcore fans (aside from the cosplayers), and he interviewed a few (and let them promo their stuff in return).

“Starlight does so much for this city, and she really captures the imagination!”

“I think it’s important for my daughters to see a strong black woman hero. She’s their idol - and mine, too.”

“I just think she’s super hot.” Because of course the fanboy contingent was out in spades. Lance drummed up some controversy asking their opinions on Paladin, and there was almost a literal fistfight between two fans when one said he thought Paladin and Starlight should hook up and the other said that Starlight didn’t need a man. Convention Center security was right on that, thankfully. Lance quietly decided not to publish the video he got of the fight; it’d just be embarrassing for them both, and “nerds fight over their opinions” wasn’t exactly newsworthy.

He was taking a lunch break when he saw two people stroll in wearing the best costumes he’d seen yet. They were Starlight and Paladin, of course, and they were almost immediately thronged by con-goers eager for pictures. 

The Starlight cosplayer seemed a little anxious, but her partner whispered something in her ear, then grinned and posed for the cameras. She copied him somewhat uncertainly and everyone snapped away and thanked them. Huh, first time cosplaying, maybe? Well, hers, for sure. He snapped a couple pics as they walked by and went back to eating his overpriced hot dog. Lunchtime was sacred. Hopefully he could catch up with them later.

There was a panel starting at 1 PM about the need for superheroes in this day and age. Lance got there early for some good crowd shots, recorded the whole thing, and got some interviews with the panelists afterwards. There was a police representative who gave the standard “vigilante” line, of course. One of the panelists said she was a cop but stressed that her opinions were her own and not representative of the city PD before saying that she loved Starlight and was glad she was out there, but that she didn’t want normal civilians trying to do what Starlight - and this new one, Paladin - were out there doing. “They’re... unique. Let them do the dangerous stuff. There are so many other ways of being a hero: adopting a pet from the shelter, or adopting a child from foster care! Donating time and money to a soup kitchen or homeless shelter. Taking a moment out of your day to do something nice for someone else.” Lance got every word she said... but didn’t get her number sadly. Oh well; can’t blame a guy for trying.

Coming out of the panel, he ran into the super-good cosplayers again, but they were thronged by other cosplayers asking about how they made their outfits. “Starlight” was uncomfortable with all the attention and questions; “Paladin” seemed to be enjoying himself, saying it was a “trade secret” and he could tell them but then he’d have to kill them and making everyone laugh. Lance let them be for now.

He prowled around the dealer’s room some more. There were some modern day snake oil salesmen here, of course, claiming that their smoothies or drink powders or “super foods” would make you healthy and strong just like Starlight! Lance tucked his press ID into his shirt; they’d pounce on him if they saw a chance for free advertising. He did take free samples though; most of them tasted kind of chemical-y, but there was some sort of granola crunchie thing that was actually pretty good. Might not make me a superhero, but at least it doesn’t taste like cardboard dipped in paint thinner. 

The con organizers seemed to have segregated the wackos into one area. Most of them were obvious nutjobs, but there was one, run by what looked like a high school girl, that made a pretty compelling case for Starlight being an extra-terrestrial. “It explains her gadgets!” the girl declared. “Super advanced tech, like nothing anyone’s ever seen!” She leaned close to Lance to confide, “And I think her ears are actually pointed. I mean, what point in making them look like that otherwise? It’s not like pointed ears are a necessary part of a ‘starlight’ themed aesthetic, y’know?”

“You think Starlight’s a space elf?” he asked skeptically.

She frowned as she straightened up and folded her arms. “That’s reductive. I think she’s an alien who happens to have pointed ears. ‘Space elf’ is just silly.”

“Oh, sorry, of course. Thanks for the food for thought, though.” But, it was a good point: why did Starlight want her ears to look like they were pointed?

Most people weren’t interested in looking too deep into the gift horse’s mouth. They were just happy Starlight existed and was willing to help out. There was another panel at 3 of people who had been saved by Starlight. Lance had to run and it took a flash of his press pass to get in since they’d just closed the doors.

Heh, I wonder if Shiro’ll be here. Everyone at the paper knew that Shiro’d been saved by Starlight hundreds of times, probably. He was probably her #1 Most Rescued or something.

But, alas, no sign of his colleague. Some of the “panelists” were mundane - “Starlight helped me carry my groceries” - but there were some more exciting ones. One guy had been part of a small crowd evacuated from a Planned Parenthood when a wackjob had threatened to blow it up.

“I tripped and fell and I could feel my ankle give. Probably wasn’t broken, I thought - and I was right, as it turned out - but I didn’t think I was going to hobble out of there in time. But then Starlight showed up, picked me up, and ran out of the building.

“You all probably know the rest of the story: the bomb did blow, but it didn’t have enough force to do more than knock out some windows. Made a mess of the waiting room, though. And that was where I tripped. It might have killed me, or at least injured me a lot more.”

A woman saved from her abusive partner. A group of kids who’d not only been saved in the moment from a drive-by shooting but who had thereafter dedicated themselves to making their neighborhood safer, following Starlight’s example. A teenager who said he’d never met Starlight or seen her in person, but that following her crime-fighting career gave him a reason to keep going every day despite the bullying he endured for being trans. “She’s black, like me. When she’s not wearing the mask, I bet she has to put up with bullshit all the time. But she doesn’t let it beat her down. She keeps going out there and saving people. Knowing she’s out there lets me know the world’s not as bad a place as it seems sometimes.”

Lance interviewed every single one of them afterwards, even the little old lady with the groceries. No task too small for our hero, he thought with a satisfied smile.

He was about to leave for the day - the con went all weekend, and he wanted to file the report soon so maybe more people would come tomorrow - when he came across the couple with the awesome costumes again. Last chance! He called out, “Hey, Starlight! Paladin!” and jogged up to them.

They turned towards him; Paladin smiled widely but Starlight just groaned, “Oh my god.”

“Fantastic costumes! Can I get a picture? I work for the online version of The Daily World, and you’d be a great cover image for the story!”

“Anything for one of the citizens of our fair city,” Paladin said in a deep voice. I love it when they’re in character, Lance thought. 

“This is too much,” Starlight protested, doing a spot on impression of that weird, British-y accent of hers. “In the paper? Are you kidding me?”

“Really, you’re a knockout, both of you!” Lance assured her. “Best costumes I’ve seen!”

“It’s important to have only the very best equipment when you’re fighting crime,” Paladin agreed.

“You’re loving this,” she accused him.

“I absolutely am,” he replied with a wide grin. “Come on, Starlight. It’s for the paper.”

She sighed. “Oh, very well. I suppose it will look nice.”

“You gotta pose,” he told her, striking his own ‘Valiant Defender of the City’ pose in demonstration.

“Oh, this is ridiculous.” But she did her own pose anyway.

Lance snapped a few pics. “Perfect! Fantastic! I swear if I didn’t know better, I’d think you two were really them!”

Paladin started laughing, but then Starlight grabbed his arm. “Okay, that’s it, we’re leaving.”

“Aww! We’ve only been here a few hours!”

“That’s more than enough. Besides, if we’re too tired, we won’t be having any fun tonight.”

“Fun or fun?” he asked her.

“Either.”

“Okay, we’re leaving.” He waved at Lance. “Take care, citizen!”

“You too!” Lance said with a laugh as Starlight hauled him towards the exit. He checked his photos of them, which were all excellent, of course, chuckled, and headed out as well. He had a story to write.

{The Adventures of Starlight & Paladin}

[lycanguts]

CALLOUT POST FOR A PAST ABUSER/MANIPULATOR

So this is definitely not my usual type of content, I don’t like causing unnecessary drama but this is inexcusable. It's probably weird seeing this in a fandom tag but these are his main interests and if it could be boosted in this communities it might save some people.

Tumblr user @yucee is a terrible person both in how he acts and how he treats other people, he’s manipulative, quick to deflect blame and never takes responsibility for his actions. As if that wasn’t bad enough he's also a pedophile.

This post will not only contain my testimonial but the testimonials of two others who also met him.

This one is a doozy but I recommend reading it, I want as many people as possible to see his true nature (especially anyone >22 years old).

I would like make it known that he loves to play the victim in any scenario regardless of whose fault it actually is (most of the time it’s his however, he has a real hard time accepting blame for anything).

While my trauma is not as severe as others who have come in contact with him he ruined what was supposed to be a fun weekend with my friends as well as our first meeting which should’ve been something amazing.

Unfortunately I deleted our conversations on Discord as I didn’t think when I did I would be making this type of post, thankfully his tumblr messenger is still open to me as well as a few text messages post-meetup. Most things that revealed his true nature were said during voice chat so most of these messages are only a small glimpse at what an awful person he is.

My Testimonial:

Hello my name is Anthony, I'm 22 years old and I had met yucee three years back when we had a mutual friend. While we didn’t have much in common he seemed like a nice enough guy and someone I’d like to befriend. We had similar tastes in pokemon as well as similar music tastes, and while we had known each other for three years we hadn’t really talked consistently until mid 2017. It was around the latter half of this year that I had developed feelings for him and after a few weeks of hesitation I asked him out and was excited when he said “yes”. Had third been months ago I’d say our relationship was a good one, he accepted me for who I was and I was just happy to find another trans guy with no interest in anything sexual.

However looking back now I realize not only was Yucee extremely self centered but he made sure to link me to his “coping” fic every other day expecting me to read he one sentence he had added while when I would send him my art it was a 50/50 chance I would ever receive good feedback if any at all (his comments were either “cute” or “gay”, sometimes he would just ignore it altogether).

Did I mention he also invited himself to the convention I attended this summer? Around mid March I had planned on asking him as I was going to test the waters and see if by describing my con experiences it would be something he would be interested in attending possibly next year, however as soon as I brought up I was going to a convention he chirped in with “I want to go too!”. He was excited, I was too, and we soon began to make plans to meet each other. During this time let me point out how he would say things like “are we going to be around your friends the entire convention?” and “since you always get to see your friends can I have you to myself?” And “next year, if you still like me then, I want to go to MTAC, just you and me I don’t want your friends there.” And other things of this nature. At first I thought he was just joking around but it became evident to me after the fact that he was becoming extremely possessive of me to the point he was already picking out what costume I would wear for MTAC. Not only this but when he learned me and my friends had already planned a cosplay group he became upset because we were dating so we should’ve had matching costumes. Again this was mid March and the convention was early in early June, I had been working on what costumes I had since December. He was dead set on cosplaying persona characters and while I liked persona I didn’t think I’d have enough time to throw a costume together. Eventually he seemed pleased enough I’d be cosplaying Akira Fudo while he cosplayed Akira from persona, but he still complained that me and my friend were acting more like a couple than he and I were because I had a matching cosplay with her, “we’re boyfriends we should be matching he’d say”. Again, my friends plan our convention going experience well in advance, Yucee had pushed himself into our plans and was upset that nothing was going his way 100%, and that reflected in his behavior at the convention (we’ll get to that shitshow soon enough).

So it’s planning time, we have a few months, I tell him what kinds of things he can buy in the vendor hall and he starts buying his costumes and he estimates he’ll be able to save at least $800 of his SSI checks up to the point, but him being the impulsive man he is he had barely $300. He didn’t even buy his own ticket, he had spent all of his check from May on even more akeshu prints and costume stuff so he didn’t have enough to pay for a preregistration ticket (these closed on may 31st), so I offered to buy his ticket if he paid me back when I came to get him.

When it came to the issue of how he was going to get to my home I of course offered to drive him as long as he helped with gas and such.

Many, many times I assured him I would come and get him, I even had my car worked on just so I could be confident it would make the trip, but every so often he would say things like “I shouldn’t even be planning this, none of my plans ever work out.”

Every time this came up I assured him that it wouldn’t be an issue, while I had never made a trip this long by myself before I was more than willing.

Whenever I picked him up he gave me $50 for gas when he should’ve given me $150 ($100 for gas there and back, $50 for the ticket). But if we wanna get technical he also owed me an extra $50 on top of this, money he said he’d pay me during the convention (he didn’t). I had bought him a pair of shoes for a costume he didn’t wear (because he was too busy wearing my Guzma shoes) and two face products he used twice but stopped using after it didn’t work fast enough for his liking.

The $50 he had given me however was money he had guilted his dad into giving him, his dad couldn’t meet me halfway because he had stomach issues and was worried he wouldn’t be able to make the trip, which I was fine with, but he had told me he would ask his dad for more money from his monthly check because it was “his [dad’s] fault” I would have to drive the whole way. Also when I first was introduced to his father he introduced me as his boyfriend when I had made it VERY clear that I wanted to be introduced as only a friend, so he outted me without even considering my feelings.

For most of the car ride back he complained constantly about the heat, I had warned him my A/C was on the fritz but he continuously brought t up ever few minutes that he was hot. It was a four hour car ride.

As for the convention itself I will condense it to bullets because there’s a LOT to dive into.

June 7th (Day Before Con)

-I had warned him that he would have to come to work with me when he stayed at my house, since he was unaccustomed to waking up early I offered to wake him twenty minutes before I left (8:00 AM). The moment he woke up he didn’t wish me a happy birthday, the first words out of his mouth were “what are we doing for breakfast?” When I offered him one of my protein bars he made he comment how that wouldn’t fill him up and how he needed something with sodium, he then proceeded to try to get me to cook him a can of soup. This was five minutes before I was supposed to leave to pick up my friend/coworker. I made him a peanut butter sandwich because peanut butter is filling and added a bit of salt because salty peanut butter is good. He didn’t even finish the sandwich, handed it back to me with two bites out of it and continued to complain about being hungry until lunch time.

-When my friend was talking about how shitty her parent was Yucee responded with “if that was my dad I would just stand up to him” without realizing that my friend’s parent is verbally and emotionally abusive to her, unlike his dad who I assume just doesn’t coddle him like his mom did. He would say often how his dad was a terrible person and then turn around and say he couldn't wait for his dad to get a settlement (which he intended to give Yucee a good part of). His dad is also accepting of him and supportive of him to the point he even is helping fund his T shots/top surgery. When I told him that my friend's parent was not his father he immediately fired back with "Oh well you can't compare suffering."

You're probably wondering why I referred to my friend's parent as her parent as opposed to her "mother", well about that...

This is in his about. We’ll get into this later.

-We’re short staffed at work, he offered to help. He refused to do litterboxes because of the smell, it took three times of asking him to sweep for me to eventually hand him the broom to sweep, he proceeded to wildly rock the broom back and fourth saying he didn’t know how to sweep, I then asked him to do dishes since he didn’t know how to sweep (he didn’t do the dishes).

-Asked me if he could wear my new pair of shoes because he didn’t have the foresight to pack a comfortable pair of shoes that weren’t for a costume ; whined when I said no because as I said these were my new shoes and a birthday present, continued to complain about how much his feet hurt in my old pair of work shoes I lent him.

-Did I mention he constantly stated that the government pays him to not know anything, and that was one of his many excuses on how he didn’t know how to do even simple tasks like sweep? Other excuses were “I didn’t know that” or “I’m autistic I can’t help it” or “I’ve never done this before.”

-Went into a frenzy when my friends went over a couple of aisles in a very small dollar store, “you guys were going to leave me!” he growled. We assured him we wouldn’t do that countless times after this, this would not be the first occurrence.

-we arrive at my Dad’s house where we would be staying for the convention. Yucee’s frantic squeaking of a toy he had caught the attention of my sister’s lab puppy, thinking Yucee wanted to play he grabbed the toy with his mouth earning a scream followed by a backhand from Yucee. He never apologized. While on the topic of animal abuse: Yucee is extremely neglectful of the three cats he owns. One is covered so badly in flea bites and scabs chunks of his fur are missing and the table on which they eat was covered in vomit and old food, plus they don’t have a litter box so they have to go outside to use the bathroom despite him living near a busy road. Yet he continuously says he wants more cats.

-Whined that his wig didn’t look -exactly- like the picture and proceeded to throw it on the ground, no one noticed him do this as we were busy with our own things. He came out after about a minute and shouted at us “Did no one see me throw my wig down?!” When my friend Seth apologized and pointed out we were all busy he verbally said “sigh”.

June 8th (Day 1 of the con)

-morning time, we’re all getting dressed in our cosplays, Yucee takes the longest despite having the simplest costume and demands that we show him how to apply makeup/put on a wig, after showing him a few times already the night before. he also asks us to do the tasks for him, including putting on his makeup and even partially dressing him (made someone put on his suspenders for him without him even trying beforehand) “I’ve never cosplayed before.” he would say. His outfit was a shirt, pants and a pair of suspenders, he wasn’t even wearing his wig.

-as for my birthday present from him: in the vendor hall he buys me three tiny buttons, $1 each, two buttons that have lgbt+ pride things on them, both of which I can’t wear in my daily life. He also buys me s hat that he didn’t ask if I wanted, especially since the only kind of hats I wear are baseball hats. You might think I’m just mad that I didn’t get presents I wanted, I’m usually the thought that counts type of guy, but he made it quite clear what he wanted for his birthday that was a month away while we were in the vendor hall, he kept making remarks how he wanted a commission done of his favorite persona character, he wanted multiple commissions, and he made it clear he wanted me to buy them. He still hasn’t wished me a happy birthday.

-me and my two friends have had a few pictures of us requested at this point , Yucee gets angry that no one recognizes his Ryuji cosplay and how no one had asked for a picture. Thirty minutes after this exchange someone asks for his picture, he declines saying he’s a “disgusting gross frog man”. Soon after he again complains about this issue.

-complained, constantly, every five minutes it was either asking me when we were going home or how there were no persona cosplayers (there were, plenty) or how he was so nasty and had to go home and shower/wash his clothes (he showered at least three times a day).

-pulled me away from activities with my friends because he wanted me to take him home to shower/wash his clothes (where we were staying was roughly 20 minutes from the convention center and it took him thirty minutes each time).

-straight up insulted cosplayers because they didn’t pick the outfit he liked for the character they were portraying or said he didn’t like the costume because they were acting “too straight”.

-got jealous because me and my friend were “acting more like a couple” than me and him were. My friend and I were Pipimi and Popuko from popteamepic, canonically they are girlfriends and the most my friend and I did was hold hands while skipping and playfully call each other “darling”. I didn’t want to hold hands with Yucee, I didn’t even want to touch him.

-reason I wouldn’t hold hands or even touch Yucee? He had broken many of my boundaries in a short span of time, while it was was wrong of me to not communicate this to him he still continued to push when I was visibly uncomfortable. A ten year friendship had lot less boundaries than a three year friendship/seven month relationship (that I had just met in person two days earlier). Yucee would constantly rub his hands over the back of my neck, he would constantly slap my arm and eventually did it in for me was when he snuck up behind me and angrily slammed his hand on my shoulder because me and my friends had “left” him. I nearly had a panic attack before I realized it was him. He never apologized.

-would go into a frenzy if my group travelled ahead without him, even if we were in sight and only a few feet away he would cry about how we were leaving him behind. Every time I assured him we wouldn’t leave him and he could call me should we get separated.

June 9th (Day 2 of the con)

-Morning routine similar to day one, complete with him still making someone else do his makeup for him

-Said “not all of us having living mothers” rather annoyingly when someone was complaining about their mom. This person didn’t know Yucee had “ptsd” and wasn’t even talking to him but rather to my friend. He sounded more annoyed than about to have a panic attack, he even said what was supposed to be his trigger word.

-Did have a “breakdown” however because we walked a few feet away from him, we were still in eyesight, he didn’t even attempt to keep up with us. Went to the nearest booth where he knew he’d get sympathy, a booth that he knew was run by someone’s MOTHER. Made the comment afterwards that he wished she would adopt him.

-Tried to guilt me should I be thinking about breaking up with him.

-Constantly says that he should’ve never of come and how he just wants to go home, even asks if I or my grandma can drive him home on day three.

So the convention dance party rolls around, which is basically just a clean rave, I’m hyped because this is the first time I’m actually going to break out of my comfort zone and attend it. Yucee wanted to go to as he said he had always wanted to see what a rave was like, the moment we step in he goes to sit in the corner by himself. I told him I’ll come check on him every few minutes, I left my phone with him to prove that would come back for him. A few minutes pass and I go to check on him, he says he’s going outside the door for a second to get some air, so I think nothing of it. I see that they’re selling light up face masks so I had to run to my car to get cash, a trip that’ll take me about ten minutes. I tell my friends where I’m going and that Yucee said he’d be right outside. Halfway on my trip back from the car I’m alerted that my friends can’t find Yucee. I start to panic and practically run back to where the dance party is, I meet up with my friends and we split up to look for him. It doesn’t take me long to find him because I look in the area where he said he was going: outside on the balcony. I look around and there’s a lot of people out there, none Yucee, but upon further inspection I see he’s all the way on the other end of the balcony where no one else is. I lose it because he didn’t tell anyone he was going over there, we all assumed outside on the balcony meant with the rest of the people taking a break, not wedged in a corner out of anyone’s sight line. That’s when I decide it’s time someone has a talking to with him. I ask my friend to tell him why what he did wasn’t okay while I go grab a cup of water, when I return to them my friend makes it clear it’s my turn to talk to him. That’s when I decide to break up with him, not because of his “break down” but because of his disregard of anyone else’s feelings that weekend. While I was considering it I was going to think it over after the convention and make my decision in the future, he twisted my arm for the last time though. 

-Yucee blames my friend Boo for the reason we broke up despite me clarifying that it was 100% my decision

-Also blamed her for being the reason he had a breakdown, because she didn’t coddle him like everyone else. Didn't even bother to apologize for the two breakdowns he had caused her, when I brought it up he would always go through me to do it.

-so after I gave him my two cents I let him stew in a safe space while I tried to enjoy the remainder of the day with my friends (it was 12 am at this point and the con center closed at 1 am). We went to the game room (which I told him about) and not ten minutes go by he’s spamming me with texts and calls to tell me this is why he has “trust issues”.

-We get home and he goes immediately to bed without a word to any of us

June 10th (Final day of the con)

-Stayed in my dad’s basement all day by request, barely paid me half of the convention ticket money he owed me because he had spent it all on merch

I didn't hear from him all day, didn't even acknowledge us when we returned to start packing up.

-when we arrived at my home after leaving my dad’s he locked himself away all night, I didn’t see him until the next morning when I drove him home. (which he didn't provide me gas for, didn't even say one word to me).

I was lucky that my friend Boo tagged along when I took him home because she is one of the best friends I have had or will ever have and despite Yucee's hatred of her he could actually learn a LOT from her about being a good person.

I did have some contact with him post convention which is outlined in most of these messages, but for about the past month I have not contacted him out of one anon (see end of this post).

So just keep in mind that when he says his convention experience was awful that he’s the reason for a good portion of it going bad, he didn’t even bother apologizing to my friends once for ruining their convention, a convention that we all look forward to a year in advance.

Now I believe my friend's deserve to have their voices heard.

Boo’s Testimonial:

(This one’s a bit messy thanks to tumblr’s image limit)

Seth’s Testimonial:

In summary: yucee aka Jamie/Mike McCarver is a lazy, manipulative, self centered man. He’s a 27 year old who acts like he’s a child and plays up his problems for sympathy, he refuses to ever take blame or apologize for anything because how could he do wrong when he’s autistic/disabled. If he ever does apologize he never says it directly to the person, rather he goes for a general apology. He also says he’s learned from his mistakes but it’s obvious that he’s just saying that in an attempt to placate those he’s wronged or save face.

He’s also known to twist words to garner sympathy, what a shocker:

I sent him an anon as bait because I knew he’d twist the words. But I never said he didn’t deserve testosterone, and he knows that’s not what I meant, by not publishing the ask he can twist the words how he likes, which he likes to do a lot.

The anon read “If you paint a piece of shit gold it’s still a piece of shit. I’m not sure what you think you learned from your experience but it doesn’t change that you’re a pedophile. You were old enough to know what you were doing was wrong, in the end you hurt someone and if your not man enough to just issue an apology to them you’re a coward and no amount of testosterone will make you a real man. Your mother and father would be ashamed.”

Oh, and don’t forget about him being a pedophile.

Yucee was/is a sexually aggressive pedophile who refuses to acknowledge that he’s mentally messed up someone so bad that it’s still affecting them to this day and doesn’t even bother to apologize to them because he thinks they’ve traumatized him too. They were 14 years old, he was 22. He seems to have made it his mission to demonize his victim when his victim has not even made contact with him in three years. He says he’s changed but continues to befriend people at least five years younger than him, while they still are legal adults it’s still creepy considering the past he’s had with younger individuals.

And Yucee if you’re reading this: Your victim has not sent you any anons, you know exactly who has because you’ve told me before you know it’s her. 

Please boost this, do NOT interact with this user to send hate, and PLEASE stay safe.

[templeofgeek]

What makes Gallifrey One so special? What makes it the hot ticket for Whovians and DWeeks? We are going to give you a general overview about what Gallifrey One is, what you can expect there and tips on how to get your hands on these hard to get tickets!

Gallifrey One is the world’s largest and longest-running annual Doctor Who fan convention. It is a fully non-profit event founded in 1989 by active fans in local Los Angeles science fiction fandom. Gallifrey One boasts some of the best Doctor Who celebrity guests while still maintaining its small con feel. This convention is completely fan run. It features one of kind panels, guest from all walks of science fiction and the non fiction science community, not just the Doctor Who universe. Taking place every February over Presidents’ Day Weekend at the Marriott Los Angeles Airport Hotel, this con is an experience not to be missed.

2018 Highlights: 

Gally (as it is often called) is one of those cons that have a jammed packed schedule. Programming goes from 10:00 am until 10:00 pm. And even after there are after parties, screenings, dances, masquerades, karaoke events and so much more. There is probably way more that went on at the 2018 event than I could possibly list. I recommend checking out the 2018 Gallifrey One Wrap Up on the convention website. But for now, here are some attendee photos of some of the guest highlights from the con!

The Great Steven Moffat. Showrunner for #DoctorWho, #Sherlock and soon #Dracula. Still highly passionate about his work and at times combative. Struggling mightily against those who might accuse him of writing the same female characters over and over again and promoting a false image of sexism against the first Doctor. An extremely entertaining panel. #whovian #scifi #timelord #tardis #gallifreyone #thedoctor #gally1

A post shared by Ming (@franklin778) on Mar 21, 2018 at 3:27pm PDT

The beautiful #JemmaRedgrave #KateLethbridgeStewart enjoying herself at #Gallifreyone #DoctorWho #tardis #Timelord #whovian #brigadier #zygons #gally1

A post shared by Ming (@franklin778) on Mar 20, 2018 at 6:03pm PDT

#RachelTalalay speaking on #metoo #DoctorWho her work with #CW shows and her desire to helm a #Starwars film. Always generous and wonderful and such a pleasure to have at #Gallifreyone #gally1 #drwho #sherlock #supernaturaltv

A post shared by Ming (@franklin778) on Mar 17, 2018 at 1:41pm PDT

Beware when #DavidBradley shows up to your event especially if it’s a wedding. Here at #gallifreyone talking about his experience portraying the first #DoctorWho. No thoughts on #WalderFrey and #GameOfThrones. Spoke about his early days acting and meeting the family of #WillaimHartnell before he portrayed him. The great fun they had with the humorous cutting banter at the beginning of #TwiceUponATime #Tardis #gally1 #Timelord

A post shared by Ming (@franklin778) on Mar 18, 2018 at 3:48pm PDT

Sophie and Sylvester. ❤️❤️ • • • #doctorwho #gally1 #photography #portraitphotography #seventhdoctor #ace #sylvestermccoy #sophiealdred

A post shared by Katie Be (@katiebe_photography) on Mar 2, 2018 at 9:21am PST

Frazer Hines (Jamie McCrimmon) was impressed with my Cyberman. I think he’s seen one or two in his lifetime.

A post shared by Rick Callender (@rickamplified) on Mar 3, 2018 at 8:21pm PST

OMG, I'M SO HAPPY RIGHT NOW YOU GUYS!!! xD ———- Gallifrey One: Day 3 ———- #drwho #doctorwho #twelfthdoctor #12thdoctor #firstdoctormarkii #petercapaldi #claraoswald #jennacoleman #billpotts #pearlmackie #nardole #mattlucas #nardolecosplay #dwcosplay #doctorwhocosplay #cosplay #screenaccurate #replica #tardis #whovian #whovians #gally1 #gallifreyone #gallifreyone2018

A post shared by #DoctorWho – The Doctor (@doc_in_the_box) on Feb 18, 2018 at 3:26pm PST

  I had the absolute pleasure to shoot with @BigFinishprod writers Matt Fitton and John Dorney while running around #GallifreyOne last weekend. Matt and John were the highlight on the panels they were featured and as you can see above, they brought their unique brand of mirth to these portraits! Be sure to check out their work by supporting #BigFinishProductions and a HUGE THANK YOU to both John and Matt for taking the time to work with me. • • • #mattfitton #johndorney #portraitphotographer #writersofinstagram #bigfinish #portraitphotographer #gally1 #doctorwho

A post shared by Katie Be (@katiebe_photography) on Feb 23, 2018 at 9:33am PST

Outside the Con: 

The convention is held at the Marriott Los Angeles Airport Hotel. It is just steps from LAX international airport. There are plenty of hotels in the area, as well as a variety of places to eat within walking distance.

  Child Friendly: 

This is probably the most child friendly convention I have come across. There is a ton of children’s programming available as well as babysitting available.  Children programming does fill up quickly, so I suggest keeping signing up as soon as the programming is announced. There is a courtyard just outside of the convention floor that gives children some room to run around and wind down a bit. There are plenty of food options available at the convention as well as in the nearby neighborhoods. I was able to find food options for even the pickiest of eaters.

Pros of this Con: 

There is so much great programming that there really is something for everyone. There are guest from the audio series, from the comic book creators, there are even guests from other fandoms. If you are interested in cosplay, there are panels on cosplay as well. There are writing workshops, discussion groups, ribbon trading, meet ups of all types. There is a bar and lounge area on the main floor of the hotel that is lovingly referred to as “Lobby Con”.  At this 2018 Convention Steven Moffat and Sylvester McCoy were both spotted in the lobby with fans, interacting and hanging out with fans. The con takes place in the same hotel that many of the guest stay in, so seeing the guest walk around is very common. They are not guarded by security like they are at larger conventions. This gives the convention a more intimate feeling and allows for experiences that would not normally happen at other conventions. One of the benefits of a convention that is specifically geared towards Doctor Who fans is that everyone at the convention is a Doctor Who fan. You are in a safe place to express your total love for Doctor Who. It creates a very welcoming and open environment. You are all there to celebrate the thing that you all have in common. The thing that you all love.

#Gally1 nights

A post shared by Monica Duarte (@thisdorkynerdgirl) on Feb 17, 2018 at 11:23pm PST

Cons of this Con: 

The Vendor/Dealer’s room at Gallifrey One is pretty small compared to most Southern California conventions. It boast only a few rows of vendors. It seems fine for a convention that holds less than 4,000 attendees and despite being small you can still find some truly unique merchandise that you wont find anywhere else, but it would be nice to see an artist alley with a nice variety of Doctor Who art for sale. The con takes place during a holiday weekend and it takes place at the same time as a gaming con in a neighboring hotel. This can make it difficult and pricey to find both room accommodations and parking. If you plan to stay at the hotel from Thursday until Sunday night, be prepared to spend upwards of $800 for the 4 days, 3 night stay.

A fullsize volunteer owned TARDIS on display at the end of the Dealers Room.

Rubber Toe Replica Booth at Gallifrey One 2018

Cosplay: 

The Cosplay is pretty top notch at Gallifrey One. The fun thing about cosplay at this convention as opposed to other pop culture conventions, is that because it all centers around one fandom, you find some of the most clever, creative and even obscure cosplays. At any given time you can fins cosplayers portraying characters from all walks of the Doctor Who universe. You can find cosplays from Torchwood, Sarah Jane Adventures, Class and even the Big Finish Audio Series (yes, they even cosplay from audio cover art).

Con Costs: 

$110.00 Adult Full Weekend $50.00 Teen Full Weekend (Ages 12-16) $20.00 Child Full Weekend (Ages 3-11) Note that the above prices do not include a small EventBrite processing fee, which will be added to each order ($6.22 per adult ticket, less for the others).

Gallifrey One only sells weekend badges. Single day passes are no available.

Parking for locals: 

Parking can be reserved in advance  (AND YOU SHOULD). Parking ranges anywhere from $15 a day to $35 a day. General airport parking lots are available within walking distance of the convention. Arriving early is highly recommened.

Hotel Accommodations: 

Hotel rooms at the Marriott are in high demand and are filled up almost immediately after reservations open. There are many hotels within walking distance near by.  *See YouTube Video Below*

Pro-tip: 

We recommend turning on post notifications for the Gallifrey One Twitter and Facebook accounts so that you stay up to date on hotel announcements, ticket sales, guest announcements and programming information. If you are trying to get tickets or hotel room accommodations on the day they go live, don’t give up on the first sold out screen. try again for the first 20 minutes. Many times the systems just need to refresh and catch up, and you may be able to score the tickets/room that you need.

Overall Impression: It can probably best be explained in this quote from veteran Con-goer and Temple of Geek photographer, Nathaniel Peinado, “Gally isn’t just a convention experience. It’s a family. A yearly reunion, if you will. A chance to see your closest friends that come from distant places, and an opportunity to make new ones. It’s a place where everyone and everything is celebrated and it doesn’t matter if you’re there in an old TARDIS t-shirt or a screen accurate costume. The amount of joy and love you receive from this convention will leave you wishing the next one wasn’t another year away. It’s definitely an experience that makes you believe things really are bigger on the inside.”

My babies ❤

A post shared by Monica Duarte (@thisdorkynerdgirl) on Feb 17, 2018 at 12:28pm PST

Gallifrey One RETURNS February 14, 2019 – February 17, 2019. Tickets go on sale April 14th, 12:00 PM PST! 

How to get tickets? 

Check out our pro-tips from our whovian friend, Lady Of Time Cosplay. She gives a really great and really informative review on how to get tickets to Gallifrey One. If you are a first timer to Gallifrey One and serious about getting tickets, the video is worth the 15 min watch.

https://twitter.com/gallifreyone/status/983380455838793728

https://www.facebook.com/events/169029780387728/

  Unless otherwise stated, photos provided by Temple of Geek photographers Monica Duarte and Nathaniel “Doc In The Box” Peinado 

Gallifrey One: The Ultimate Whovian Convention What makes Gallifrey One so special? What makes it the hot ticket for Whovians and DWeeks? We are going to give you a general overview about what Gallifrey One is, what you can expect there and tips on how to get your hands on these hard to get tickets!

[toastydoodles]

(Art Blog) | (Twitter) | (Instagram) | (Storenvy)

((Had to get in one last post before the new year!))

I HAD THE MOST STRESSFUL FUN THIS OCTOBER doing these three conventions three weeks in a row, not to mention doing multi-day conventions for the first time! There were ups and downs but I had so much fun and by the end of my con season my brain was utterly fried!!

Thank you so so much to everyone who stopped by, and to those who followed me here sometime in the past couple months: Hello!! Thank you for supporting my art and I hope you enjoy your stay!!

That said, I’m gonna talk a bit about this con season. GET COMFY, ITS LONG

So con prep started in late August when I learned that I actually got into Kumori after having been on their waitlist for a while. I knew then that I REALLY had to kick my ass into gear lol

At this point, I was still in the middle of my 40 hr (+ 12 hr travel time) a week summer internship, so I didn’t have all day to work on my prints until the weekend, but my weekends were usually taken up spending time with loved ones and friends. Or gaming, since I didn’t have the time during the weekdays >_>

Then college came back around, giving me 4 classes, a student job doing graphic design, and club activities + homework! When I thought I’d have more free time, I actually had less! But with cons approaching, I drew more than I would have if I didn’t have cons AND found myself improving when it came to doing prints again.

The biggest issue popped up a week before BCC. LONG story short, I suddenly did not have a button maker to borrow anymore. I weighed my options: either lose money on potential button sales (which made up most of my sales in previous years) and shelf my button designs, or drop $500 on a button maker set to make them in time for Kumori and Jet City. This is also keeping in mind that I might not be able to do too many cons in the future.

I bought the button maker. But, since I am the luckiest daughter in the world, my parents swooped in to pay for it as an early Christmas present. I will be making so many wearable memes with this gift and I am GRATEFUL.

Another issue I ran into the WHOLE MONTH was not being able to take card. I’m forever rejected from Square (tl;dr, my phone glitched during signup and shredded through all the signup attempts I can possibly have. Customer service basically said “welp, sorry!”) and Paypal Here was entirely unhelpful, so I had to go the season as cash only. I won’t actually know how much this hurt sales, but it definitely hurt turning down some big purchases because I was one of the few vendors that didn’t take card!

I’ll definitely be looking into the alternatives for card readers soon! There’s a lot out there.

This year, I kept track of my sales and stock with excel sheets with formulas! It definitely kept things organized and helped me keep track of stock and see where patterns were, if any. It wasn’t perfect, but it helped immensely. I also kept very VERY close track of what my spending was like. 

I’m spoiling it before the end, but I was about $200 from breaking even. Luckily I’m not in a position where this loss impacts significantly, but it still stings! It could have been a result of multiple things, such as the hotel for Kumori being 1/3rd of my expenses ALONE, my choice of products/fandoms, not having ability to take card, and general attendee interest.

Let’s take a brief look at each con!

Bellingham Comicon

Glad to be back!

Bellingham Comicon has once again, been a joy. It’s a small convention but excited attendees pack the place and sales were good. A couple people recognized me from last year and I recognized a couple people too! I didn’t have my button maker yet but perlers seemed to be decently popular. I even made a custom Witch Mercy perler that sold 40 MINUTES INTO THE CONVENTION. It sold so quick that I didn’t even get to take a table picture until after I sold it! (I will say, when I put up that custom Sentai Genji, I upped the price a bit lmao)

I met a lot of amazing artists and got to do a bunch of art trades as well, something I haven’t really done in previous years! I was happy to see a couple familiar faces and meet some new artists too!! BCC is small enough that walking around and chatting to other artists and vendors is on the easier side.

I got a couple weird looks dressed as IT Damien from Dream Daddy, but was glad some people recognized me! I made some first impressions on some very cool artists in that cosplay haHA

While BCC is a comic convention, I didn’t feel out of place. There were lots of attendees that I would consider in my target audience and I didn’t feel like it was taking away from business. BCC is very much a comic and pop culture convention, with fans looking for all sorts of things!

Kumoricon

GOD WHAT AN ADVENTURE

Kumori was my first multi-day convention, and the farthest I’ve travelled for a con! Needless to say, I was anticipating this con since August, but didn’t know AT ALL what to expect.

We ended up driving down on Thursday and setting up that night, which definitely took a lot of the stress away. I also managed to compact my table and merch into a single tote, a print box, a bag to hold the wire cubes, + personal bags for miscellaneous stuff. So that was less stressful too.

Friday came and I was cosplaying Taako (which, as I found out, is 150% more fun to wear than IT Damien oops). The day was on the slower side, and some of my friends came by to say hi and ended up helping out at my table, giving me time to check out the artist alley!

Kumori’s artist alley was HUGE. And even more jarring: so many of the artists I follow on twitter/insta/etc were there. Somehow. Good lord, how many of you live in the PNW that I didn’t know about? I recognized an artist who’s art I love in line while waiting for badges and almost had a heart attack. Over the weekend, I met a lot of artists but it was only a fraction of the entire artist alley. I didn’t even get to meet all the artists I recognized!

So. Profit-wise, the con was kind of a disappointment. Oh boy, here’s a stat: I made about as much at BCC as I did at Kumori. In three days.

Again, this could’ve been a number of things. A lot of artists (many more experienced than me!), general interest, things I chose to sell, etc. But even so, many of the returning artists I talked to said it was slower than last year and some said the con is usually pretty dang slow.

But the con was fantastic in other ways. It gave me valuable big-con experience, some new art friends/mutuals, a fun time at the con and in Portland (good food!), and again, my favorite part, meeting a ton of cool, amazing artists and being able to make some art trades or to buy from them!

I definitely needed rest after this one. My brain was absolutely FRIED by the time we finally got back home and ate a late dinner at Shari’s.

Jet City Comic Show

Not even gonna lie, it was EMPTY most of the weekend!

I ended up having to table by myself, which wasn’t a problem with how lax it was. I even had time to doodle as well as finish a pen drawing! And I live pretty close to the show, so I could just head home once the days ended.

My table neighbor was super cool and I met a bunch of cool artists from all over the artist alley as well! This alley was pretty massive too, so I didn’t get to check out all of them. Being a comic convention, most of the artists were comic-based, with maybe a hand full of anime-styled artist from what I could see.

Many artists had their own published comics, and I enjoyed listening to their pitches (and took some comics home too!!).

My row didn’t seem to get a lot of foot traffic, but neither did the majority of the artist alley. And Sunday was even slower! Talking to other vendors, I found out Jet City is usually slow, but this year was slower than the last.

All in all, it was a nice quiet weekend and I was happy to meet more amazing artists at this con, as well as happy to get home and REST!

Overall...

This season was rewarding. Not in the money way, unfortunately. I’m lucky to be a position where it doesn’t affect me in a major way. But I’m always so excited to go to cons, and just being around fellow fans and creative minds is rewarding in it’s own way. I’ve also learned what to do and what not to do for future conventions should I continue to do them!

the real profit was the artists we met along the way

[recentanimenews]

Virtual Crunchyroll Expo TIPS: How to Make the Most of the Weekend

  Crunchyroll recently revealed the full show schedule for Virtual Crunchyroll Expo 2020, which will light up the Internet with a packed lineup over the September 4-6 weekend. Definitely check it out and plan accordingly if you haven’t already! With so much going on over the course of just a few days—some of which is scheduled concurrently—you might be wondering how you’ll be able to experience it all without some serious screen management. 

  Thankfully, we have no shortage of experts involved in the event itself to turn to for some much-needed insider tips. If you find yourself torn between two panels, or trying to figure out when you could possibly fit in a solid hour of chill time at Yuzu’s Cat Café, consider this your strategy guide! 

    Getting the Most Out of V-CRX

  Throughout Virtual Crunchyroll Expo, everything from fan panels to special industry guests, and even concerts, will be available across four different stages: Crunchyroll Stage, Hime Stage, Yuzu Stage, and Sudachi Stage. And that’s just the Theater District! What are you, made of eyeballs? No worries, because V-CRX On Demand is here to save the day. Learn more about V-CRX On Demand and other insider tips to get the most out of the weekend, straight from the pros. 

  Mary Franklin, Head of Events

  At first glance, it might seem daunting that Virtual Crunchyroll Expo has four concurrent livestreams. To help you avoid missing amazing contente we created V-CRX On Demand. Once the show starts, fans can enter V-CRX On Demand through a portal in the Theater District. We’ll open the show with some content already pre-loaded there, then throughout the weekend content will be added after it has played in the streams. Almost all the weekend’s content will be available in V-CRX On Demand. Insider’s Tip: V-CRX On Demand runs 24 hours per day, from 10:00 am Pacific Friday, September 4 until 10:00 am Pacific Monday, September 7.

  While our headline guests and great programming deserve a lot of attention, don’t forget that Virtual Crunchyroll Expo has four districts to explore. One that’s worth extra time is the New Crunchy City Anime Arts District, with a curated selection of anime artists from a number of countries, many of whom ship anywhere. The Super Arcade District features exclusive galleries created just for V-CRX, plus free show giveaways, cosplay backgrounds, and a real live (virtual) kitten adoption café, Yuzu’s Cat Café.

  Adam Sheehan, Director of Events

  With so much programming, I recommend everyone look over the schedule in advance to determine what panels to watch as they premiere, as well as any conflicting panels to note for watching when it is added to V-CRX On Demand later that day. Oh, and don't miss watching Crunchyroll-Hime's Cosplay Cup live on Saturday night! Outside of that, I would encourage everyone to explore around the Virtual Crunchyroll Expo site to see everything there is to offer over the weekend. I'm betting they will find a surprise or two by doing this.

  Stacy Burt, Senior Marketing Manager

  Plan ahead! With so much to see right out of the gate on September 4, you'll want to make sure you're ready to fully enjoy the weekend. This means registering ahead of time and activating your badge before the convention starts (this will allow you to take part in activities like the Onyx Equinox scavenger hunt), planning your streaming schedule (and making room for breaks — I recommend some time in one of our Quiet Rooms for a moment of anime zen), and making a list of artists and exhibitors you want to check back on for show specials.

  Lauren Stevens, Events Manager

  The biggest key is probably planning ahead and checking out the website now. Just like your first time at a new convention, it’s helpful to get the lay of the land, and figure out where the panels, exhibitors, and artists are located. The schedule is packed and instead of long lines waiting for food, I can plan my con menu early, so I don’t miss a beat. Super Arcade is like the home to all extras, and who doesn’t love more stuff at an anime con? I can’t wait to see it all live.

  Ricky Resurreccion, Crunchyroll Expo Events Director

  The amount of V-CRX content and features can be overwhelming. Like being in a theme park for the first time, the best first step is to plan ahead. Once you have familiarized yourself with the schedule, have made plans for which activities and the panels you want to attend, be a power V-CRX attendee by accessing certain items directly. We have provided multiple areas in the site where fans can access direct links to specific activities: Use any of the four buttons of our STAGES to access a panel directly.  Want to watch panels you missed? We have provided two direct access points to the V-CRX On Demand area on the homepage and the site navigation bar. Need to check the schedule? Easy! We have a button in the middle of the homepage or a section in the nav bar for that.   

  Here's another cool tip—Make the companion app work for you. Once the app is released before the show, mark your favorite panel or the artists and exhibitors you wish to check out to your "FAVORITES." This will make it easier to revisit or re-access them!

    Enjoying the Unexpected

  All the planning in the world can’t keep you from missing out on something you didn’t even know you wanted in the first place. Virtual Crunchyroll Expo is a 24-hour experience—and on top of the Theater District there’s the Anime Arts District, Central Shopping District, and Super Arcade to visit—so there’s bound to be something that flies under the radar over the weekend. With that in mind, we turned to our insiders for some advice on catching those hidden gems you might have otherwise missed. 

  Mary Franklin, Head of Events

  There’s so much programming it’s easy to miss hidden gems. One of my personal favorites is a panel from Okitsugu Kado, who practices and teaches the traditional, ancient Japanese art of Mukimono, carving vegetables into decorative characters, dishes, and décor for the dining table. You’ll find Oki-san’s panel on the Yuzu Stage Friday, and then in the V-CRX On Demand section of the show after that.

  Another exclusive V-CRX feature that I’m eager to spend more time with on the show weekend is the V-CRX Gallery Tour Featuring MAPPA. With artwork from series like ZOMBIE LAND SAGA and The God of High School, as well as audio commentary from creators, this will be worth a much closer study than I’ve been able to give it so far!

  Adam Sheehan, Director of Events

  As I mentioned with encouraging exploring around the V-CRX website, there is a lot to enjoy.  I know fans are missing all that free schwag they would get at the Crunchyroll booth and other booths at cons so I would say they should be sure to check out the Virtual Schwag area in the Super Arcade district on the site to help alleviate the need for free stuff!

  Stacy Burt, Senior Marketing Manager

  For any K-pop fans out there, you won't want to miss the panel "K-pop and Anime: When Two Worlds Collide” on Friday, September 4 at 6:00pm PT on the Crunchyroll Stage. I can't give too much away, but there will be a few familiar faces making special appearances. 

For fellow artist alley patreons, the Anime Arts District is a must. Artists from around the world have been setting up their virtual booths (many you can check out now) and will be unveiling show specials during V-CRX. Remember to give artists you shop some love on social! 

  Lauren Stevens, Events Manager

  There’s definitely a lot going on at V-CRX, so it is a good thing it is three days! I’d make sure to check out the Super Arcade between panels. Between the galleries, Quiet Rooms, and Yuzu’s Cat Café, there’s a lot more stuff than just the ‘standard show floor.’ I’ve also been eagerly waiting to try out the Onyx Equinox Scavenger Hunt. Get the V-CRX app ready once it’s live before the show, then find all those codes!

  Ricky Resurreccion, Crunchyroll Expo Events Director

  While the main action happens on the main V-CRX website, play around with some of the cool functionalities of our V-CRX app (coming soon!). Aside from the Onyx Equinox Scavenger Hunt, another awesome app feature is the Crunchy Cam. It's essentially a selfie feature where users choose V-CRX stickers to apply on their photo. I like to keep memorabilia from cons I attend and this is a neat little feature that also serves as a nice souvenir from your V-CRX weekend.

  Locking in the Fun

  Beyond these tips, the only major thing to keep in mind is that you need to register! Doing so is totally free, so sign up on the official Virtual Crunchyroll Expo 2020 website today and start planning your jam-packed September 4-6 weekend. 

  By: news+feed@crunchyroll.com

[therothwoman]

SO YES I MET SEB THIS WEEKEND HOLY SHIT

I almost wanted to equate this with my trip to Awesome Con last year to meet Peter Capaldi, but that venture had way more build-up and outside narrative to go with it (my emotional journey through season 9, rediscovering the Doctor in a time of need, that whole saga with the fan letter, the months of waiting, etc). But either way, I declare my trip out to Rhode Island Comic Con a solid Worth It.

Actually getting into the con was a bit of a nightmare, since the Saturday line stretched out and wound around for several blocks (and it was Cold), but mercifully we hit a stride of the-line-is-moving-forward-pretty-regularly and I chatted with my line-neighbors in the meantime (one of whom had an amazing Assassin’s Creed cosplay going on). My photo op was about an hour later, so after reorganizing all my stuff WHY DID THIS CONVENTION NOT HAVE A COAT-CHECK OR ANYTHING I made it to the line (and yes there were We’re At The End Of The Line jokes aplenty) and things chugged along except for that one part where the power went out for a few minutes and “have you tried turning the convention off and then back on again?”

And eventually I made it to the front of the line and holy shit he’s actually Right There In Person and my brain neglected to Words, which was made worse by the fact that I rarely do photo ops at conventions and have basically no practice in the art of Pose Suggesting (I was going to ask to do a Metal Arm Fist-Bump but things moved too fast, and also I had to take my glasses off and put my bags down and yeah). But I was planning to save the proper Saying Words part for the autograph session. Also the picture came out pretty great anyway :)

For Round 2, I had my starting art from the @capreversebb for him to sign and also some Super Hero Squad Online cards to give him (because some of them had BuckyCap on them, with Falcon and Black Widow thrown in for good measure). For an hour or so, it was the usual gig of waiting in line for things to start and chatting with my linemates in the meantime, but then He Arrived and Things Got Underway and it might be best to describe the actual encounter in the mush of stream-of-consciousness that my brain went through:

Okay okay I’m all set I’ve got the cards I’ve got the art okay we’re moving down the table I’M NEXT

Seb: *reading the art caption aloud* “It’s a long story...” *with amused sarcasm* “Thanks.”

Me: [insert some jumbled 5-second explanation of the RBB here while he signs]

Seb: “Yeah, I appreciate anything with Anthony Mackie in it!”

okay now I just need to oh wait they’re moving the line along I need to give him the cards I need tO SAY MY THING D: oh god now I’m just hovering at the end of the table awkwardly this probably doesn’t look good on me okay I just need to get a quick word in edgewise when he finishes with this next fan aw bless he signed for her birthday :D right okay nOW

Me: *still unable to Word properly* “Oh also I need to give you the BuckyCap cards!”

Seb: “The BuckyCap cards! Where are these coming from...?” *looks the pack over*

Me: “It was a thing from 2012 and I thought you should have some AND ALSO THANK YOU FOR BEING BUCKY WHEN I NEEDED ONE mylifewasfallingapartwhencivilwarcameoutandIsawitand thought Hey if Bucky can rebuild a new life after All That then so can I! soTHAnk! you!”

Seb: *had fully settled into one of his affectionate fan-feels smiles by this point* (and I honestly forget exactly what he said to me here but it was Good Vibes and he leaned over to give me an over-the-table hug that my backpack probably got kinda in the way of and my brain was singing and I probably thanked him like three more times, and as the hug broke he told me “Keep going, never stop!”)

Thank you, Sebastian. I’ll certainly try <3

[hornyfishprince]

Tell me some of your favorite stories with your friends. I need good vibes my way!

Hey! Sorry this took a couple days to get to, but let’s see here… This is a very long story, and I apologize in advance.

A couple years ago, I went to my first anime convention with CactusoftheNight and yurukiturah (Cas and Cat respectively; try not get them mixed up). The three of us often refer to that event as “The No Chill Weekend” because shit just… kept happening.

Now, before this, I had never met either of them in real life, but Cas and I had met online a few years prior, and he’s known Cat since gradeschool. Cas and I were (and still are) way too into homestuck for our own good at the time, and while he’d been to this particular convention in Dallas, Texas numerous times neither of us had ever cosplayed. As you can imagine, our stars were aligned. Months of planning and prep, measuring, cutting, sewing, fabric paint, body paint, makeup, arm socks, paper clay, broken horns, a broken wand, experimenting with everything! Mistakes were made. Money was wasted. This is all before the actual convention weekend. We had no idea what we were in for. 

Summer arrived, and it was finally time. I took a bus 800 miles from my sleepy little hometown in Illinois all the way to Dallas. It was my first time taking a bus, and my first time traveling alone. My bags had been packed meticulously carefully with all of my cosplay supplies, and I was a paranoid wreck whenever my luggage wasn’t gripped in my hands. Luckily the trip down was relatively uneventful. I rode overnight and arrived early in the morning, dazed from lack of sleep, but excited beyond belief.

Cas and his mom picked me up from the bus station and treated me to a nice breakfast at IHOP. I stayed at Cas’s place for the next two days while we did our final prep work for the con. We should’ve known then that it was going to be an interesting weekend. Neither of us had finished our armsocks (a crucial piece of costuming for any looking to transform into one of those candycorn motherfuckers), so it was now a race to get them done. We listened to Nightvale while we sewed, and that was about all we did for those days. It was hard work, but we didn’t care. We were going to be stepping into the skins of our favorite homestuck trolls (I was going as Eridan, and Cas was going as Gamzee), and we were high on the excitement of it all.

Then it was time to meet up with Cat. For the rest of the con weekend, we were staying in her dad’s condo, because it was the closest place we could stay to the convention without renting a hotel room (which we had no money for). The day before the con officially started people could come in and do their registration and then stay for a masquerade ball, which is exactly what we did. Cas and I had originally planned on cosplaying that night as well, just fancied up, but we didn’t have enough time to fuck around with all that facepaint. Also we still hadn’t finished the armsocks. I still wore my cape.

The cape was a mistake.

The chain holding it closed about my neck was flimsier than I had realized, and it snapped while we were trying to dance (badly, I might add, because we missed the dancing lessons they were supposed to hold earlier that day). The combination of a broken costume piece, a crowded ballroom, nothing to do, and my crippling anxiety issues led to us leaving early. We managed to fix my cape well enough that it would mostly hold together, but it still gave me grief for the rest of the weekend. We spent the rest of the night relaxing and playing CAH, and we still didn’t get our armsocks finished.

The next morning, we started the rush to get in costume. It took hours and a metric fuckton of baby powder, but our paint looked perfect and was sealed. Cas and I had only half of our armsocks done and since his arms were going to be more uncovered, we had to cut each of the finished arms into long gloves for him to wear, and then I got to paint my hands.

We had to take a few buses and then a train down to the hotel where the convention was being held, and then there was still a bit of walking to do on the way. I should mention at this point that Cat was in a long, black, leather trench coat - the garb of Org XIII from the Kingdom Hearts series. Cat is also very tall. Like a foot taller than Cas and I. We were a sight to behold. And behold us they did. You’d honestly be surprised how many people who don’t live immediately next to the hotel don’t know about the convention. Incredulous looks and questions abound.

On our way between the bus and the train, we stopped for a snowcone. An older gentleman questioned all three of us about our costumes, but he seemed the most enamored by mine, kept asking what I was supposed to be.

“A fish,” I replied simply, not knowing how else to explain (homestuck cannot be explained).

“Oh!” he responded, excitedly. “Well, swim all over me!”

The three of us laughed awkwardly and then our next bus arrived. I don’t think we’ll ever forget the “swim all over me” guy.

That first day was amazing. A-kon is the oldest anime convention in the united states, and it shows. Until recently, it was held at the Hilton-Anatole in Dallas, which is where we were that weekend, and it is a beautiful event. So many people in so many fandoms coming together in one spot. The dealer’s room and artist alley had so much to display you could hardly get through it all. We didn’t go to any panels, but everything we did do was worth the time we spent.

The first two days were busy and tiring, but fun, and not a disaster. But on the night of the second day, things took a turn. It started when Cas and I decided to stay for a panel that was being held a bit late. Unfortunately this meant we missed the Rocky Horror showing, but they do that every year and we planned on being back, so we figured we weren’t missing too much. In the interest of not dragging out this story anymore than it already is, I’ll spare the details on the panel we went to, but know that Cat couldn’t go with us because she wasn’t old enough at the time. This left her alone, and it was getting late before the panel ended, so eventually Cas and I had to rejoin her so we could head home before the trains stopped running.

Nerves were already a bit frayed at this point, as we were all sore and tired, and the walk to the train station was not a short one. When we made it to the ticket kiosk, the train was already pulling in and stopping. In our rush to get our tickets and get on the train, Cas’s backpack was left open and several things fell out. We realized this after another passenger handed him his phone charger. I had Cas check for my wallet (I had no pockets that could hold it) and sure enough it was gone.

Panic set in.

At the train’s next stop, a few blocks down the road, we got off and before we could so much as think, Cas was handing me his backpack and sprinting off back to the other station. I was still freaking out, and took off after him without thinking. Poor Cat stayed behind, alone again (I am still so sorry about that, oh my god). I wasn’t fast enough to keep up and soon lost sight of him, but continued on at a walking pace, knowing I would catch up eventually.

Meanwhile, Cas was running on. If you’ve never seen a chubby alien juggalo running straight at you with a look of sheer determination on their face, you can’t really know exactly how the people downtown felt when they saw Cas approaching that night. He searched all over the platform. He asked everyone who happened to be there waiting for the train if they had seen my wallet. They all stammered and shook their heads, perplexed by the urgent request from the strange grey man. “Was that Satan?!” Cas heard one of them exclaim as he was leaving them to ask the next bystander.

I was still on my way, alone, in a city I’d never known. I was constantly looking over my shoulder, but too scared to turn back at this point. A stranger spoke up from the darkness behind me, and I nearly jumped out of my shitty painted shoes. Luckily he was nice, and apologized for scaring me. He walked with me to the train stop, asking me about my costume and why I was out dressed like that so late. I gave him a brief rundown.

Just before making it to the train station, Cas crossed the street and met up with us, defeat and physical exertion coloring his face. We both had tears in our eyes at this point, and now we had to get back to Cat and figure out what to do. The stranger walked with us for a bit longer to make sure we would be okay before parting ways.

We eventually made it back. Cas called my dad for me and I explained through shaking sobs what had happened. My driver’s license, my debit card, and about $60 cash were now gone, and I was a 19-year-old in a city far from home. Anything worse that had ever happened to me before had involved physical injury. My dad agreed to call the bank asap and cancel my debit, and then we’d have to figure out my driver’s license when I got back. Cat called her parents, and they reimbursed me for the lost cash.

The three of us stood and waited for the next train. Some rando with a skateboard walked by and shouted at us something along the lines of “You guys wanna fuck me? I’d fuck me!” Still not sure if he was high as shit or just weird, but you gotta be pretty brave to solicit what appear to be a dark sorceress and the demons she summoned. At the time, we were too stressed to be amused by this, and if he hadn’t shut up and gone away, I honestly think we would’ve thrown down.

So the train arrives and we board. I’m still drying my eyes, and my two friends are doing a good job trying to calm me down. Eventually the train picks up some more passengers and we’re treated to a lovely conversation with some very drunk girls (and one guy, who happened to look like Matt Smith) who had just gotten back from a country music concert. They told us all how nice our costumes were, and we explained about the convention and how I’d lost my wallet. We showed them some cool stuff we’d bought at the con, including an Ouran Highschool Host Club poster I got, which, after seeing, they proceeded to tell Cat she looked like Honey. Drunk girls who go out of their way to be friendly and cheer you up give me life, tbh.

But eventually we get to our stop. And by now the buses have stopped running, as we knew they would, so now we have to walk. Unfortunately, Cat underestimated the distance from the train station to her dad’s condo. It was about 4 miles. I once walked about 3 miles for a school event once, and, as someone who doesn’t walk regularly, it was rough. There was nothing for it, though; we had to walk.

My heels were already starting to blister just from all the walking we’d done at the con. Cas was in mostly the same boat. Our shoes were not good for this at all. On top of it all, we were hungry, thirsty, and our bladders were full. There were no sidewalks for most of the trip, so we had to keep to the side and stay vigilant for cars. And even with light pollution and nearby buildings, I realized that night just how unnervingly dark a street with no street lights can get. People talk about liminal spaces on this site a lot, and I can tell you that entire night felt liminal.

Eventually we decided we needed to stop the first chance we got, and that came in the form of a gas station. Let me set the scene. It was on a corner, as gas stations tend to be. By this time we had made it to a small business district. There were definitely other buildings around, I think we even passed a Jack In The Box or similar establishment shortly before, but as I recall this, the gas station, the lot it was on, the road, and the cemetery (I’m not making this up) on the side of the road we were on all felt alone in an abyss of night.

I feel I should reiterate at this point exactly what we all looked like to set up this next part. Cat is 6 feet tall and mostly just looks like herself, but she is wearing a long, black leather trenchcoat. Cas and I are both roughly one foot shorter. We’re both painted grey and have yellow-orange horns on our heads. And Cas has his face painted white over the grey in a clown-makeup patter. Oh, and he has deep purple claw marks painted on over that. We’ve been walking for a while and we’ve been through some shit tonight, so we look a little disheveled. Did I mention we’re approaching out of the dark from the direction of a cemetery?

We cross the road, relieved that all the lights are on and it looks like we’re going to get to use the bathroom and have a little snack to keep us going for the last leg of the journey. We cross the lot and go and into the store, only to find… No one is there.

“Hello?” We call out. “Is anyone here? Are you open?”

From the back hallway we hear some movement, and out come two young adults, a man and a woman, probably only a year or two older than us. If I remember right, one of them was holding a broom. Fear was plain on their faces.

“Y’all scared us!” They said.

Oh my god… they thought we were demons.

We quickly apologized and asked if they had a bathroom. They were too stunned at first to really register what we were asking for, and just kept prodding us with questions. “What’re y’all doin out here?” “Is your skin really grey????” “Why are you dressed like that?”

We did our best to answer quickly and politely, but Cas and I were nearly bursting at this point, so we reiterated that a bathroom was urgently needed. They showed us the one bathroom in the place. It was small, and cramped, and the “door” was basically a piece of plywood you had to pick up and slide out of the way, which technically had a functioning lock… in theory at least. We did our business quickly, me first and then Cas, and while one relieved themselves, the other two stayed out and talked to the workers, trying our best to calm them down and assure them that no, we aren’t actually demons, they’re just costumes, there’s a convention in town.

We finished up, got our snacks (I think I got a snickers bar and a cherry pepsi), and then went on our way. We got back to Cat’s place without much more fuss and promptly passed out. The next morning we still got up and cosplayed for the last day of the convention. Cas’s horns broke, and we spent the last of our time at the con hanging out with some other homestucks who tried (to no avail) to help us fix them.

Then Cas and I went back to his place, we packed our stuff, and then he went back up to Illinois with me for a little less than a week. We started dating that summer. It’s been almost two and a half years since that weekend and we just got married at the end of October.

And that’s one of the best stories of my friends that I have.

I am so sorry this couldn’t have been shorter. Thank you for the ask!

[zwei-the-penguin-with-a-pen]

‘Stars’

So, this one isn't going to be much of a narrative story, really, just an account of my experiences meeting the cast of RWBY at NebKon. I'll try and make an actual story out of it, but no promises. You guys know, ZweI is a bit of a spazz when it comes to stuff like this.

ANYWAY, two days before the Kon our saga begins!

"ZWEI!" I hear after roaming the bus station for more than a few minutes. I look across the street and lay my eyes on Regular-Sized Jimmy. I say 'regular-sized' because in some circles I'm known as Little Jimmy. This Jimmy doesn't actually know me by either of those names and calls me my real one, but that isn't really anyone's business but mine.

So I grab my bag and haul across the street once the crosswalk lights permit me, and before I can even get in the car Jimmy begins to complain. This, that or the other, just general Kon stuff and things. This wouldn't be a problem if we hadn't had to drive all around Omaha during high-ish traffic and do fifty thousand errands even though one of us just got off a damned day-long bus ride.

RSJ's errands include picking up the Bobb, one of the housemates, bringing her to Omaha Oriental THE COOLEST SHOP KNOWN TO MAN BY THE WAY IF YOU EVER FIND YOURSELF IN OMAHA YOU SHOULD MAKE THE SCENE so she can acquire Kon supplies, a phrase which here means 'all manner of Asian junk food', and stopping at Lowe's for something or other for RSJ to finish his cosplay.

Finally, we make it to their house. My bestie is still at work, most unfortunately, but the wonderful Mick is home. She'd stayed home sick from work, which is never a good thing to have to do, but she felt better by the Kon. Good times to be had by all. After a hug and a few words, I go straight to 'my room' which is in disarray because it's only a storage area.

Mick apologizes for not having the room cleaned and ready for me, and I tell her to do no such thing. Also, I have just realized, as in just now at the time of this writing, that I'm writing in present tense. It fits well, even though I don't like the style, so I guess I'll keep it just this time.

Around 11, my bestie texts me that his occupational imprisonment has ended. I'm so glad he'll be home soon. Once he makes the scene he knocks on my door and proceeds to crash into my bed. Hang time ensues, as it's easier to stay awake with him talking to me. The rest of the roomies are quieter than I'm used to, so I had been dozing off here and there.

DAY BEFORE CON! RSJ works frantically to finish his cosplay, enlisting much help from Mick and at one point trying to recruit me. I inform him that I'm terrible with a paintbrush and would do more harm than good. Ooh, did I mention the Bobb bought takoyaki and shared with us? Good stuff, as far as fried balls of cabbage and octopus go. That was the night before. Anywho...

I try and get a jump on my writing challenge, knowing full well the Kon will swallow all my time the next three days. Bestie has work again because EFF BUCKY AND HIS CONVENIENCE STORE I mean what? I said no such thing! How dare you incinerate that I can't use big words!!

Sorry... not sorry at all. WAHAHAHAHA

FRIDAY, FIRST DAY OF CON!!!

Get packed, stop for breakfast at two in the afternoon, and suddenly we're at the Kon.

And I see cosplay before we ever even park the car. A Garnet from Steven Universe walks by us and we cheer for them. A Doctor Mercy, like from Overwatch but not in her battle gear, parks next to us.

We finally make it into the hotel and I'm completely mystified. There's cosplay everywhere. Did I mention this was my first nerd convention? I go to the check-in area and show my three-day pass to acquire my t-shirt. Then, whatever my bestie and I try to do after that repeatedly becomes entirely derailed as I become enamored with every other cosplayer that walked by me.

RWBY cosplayers seem to be the order of the weekend. I see more Noras and Yangs and Rubys than anything, but there are Torchwicks and Neos and even the occasional Adam. As the Kon goes on I see more Blakes, which is never a bad thing as she's my fave, and Jaunes and Rens and PYRRHAS. I miss my waifu. It's a shame she was murdered, but it was destiny or something.

She was based on Achilles...

Bestie and I make a couple of panels, including 'Walking in Godzilla's Footsteps' which is basically constructing a city out of cardboard boxes and destroying it over an over again. We meet Avatar Aang and Toph Beifong as well as Lord Raiden and even the real Nora Valkyrie. She worked on the Kon staff and was ALWAYS in character. Someone even asked me if she was Samantha Ireland because she had the voice down so well

She wasn't. I tell you, SHE WAS THE REAL NORA! She escaped into our world and wreaked havoc upon us. Unfortunately, she didn't break my legs. Oh well, maybe next time.

Next panel we make is Voice Acting 101, featuring Erica Lindbeck and Arryn Zech. MY BAE IS IN THE SAME ROOM AS ME YOU GUYS! And she's talking to Barbie, apparently. Yep, Erica Lindbeck is the voice actor for Barbie. Every time you see those Target holiday commercials, THAT'S MY GIRL! Also, we find out that Arryn is a massive Digimon fan. Ah, can I count the reasons I love this woman?

The first RWBY signing is right after this panel. We make the scene to find that the line has wrapped around two hallways. After nearly two hours of waiting they close the door on us. We never even got close. Good thing they were signing all three days.

Bestie and I make a short trip to Runza. Good eats, by the way. 12/10 would recommend. When we get back, we finally go to the hotel room and release most of the stuff we've been carrying and decide what we're to do next. I decide to take a rest before whatever the next panel I'm interested in, and I ended up crashing until after midnight and missing it. I catch up with bestie around 1:30, and we make the IT'S 2 AM AND WE'RE STILL GOING panel.

We roam around a bit longer after that before retiring to the room for all of two to three hours of sleep.

SATURDAY! The RWBY signing for this day is stupid early, so we leave the room by 8 and make the scene, and there's already a bit of a line. We end up in line behind a Penny, a Nora and a Ruby that are all friends. This Nora becomes known as 'Nora with the Hammer' because she had a Magnhild prop that was twice her height. Also, I need a title to differentiate from Duct Tape Nora who I met the day before and had an incredible cosplay.

Behind us are a couple fellow muggle folks, and Bestie gets to talking with them about My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. I pop in and out until they start talking about RWBY, at which point I spazz. Naturally. Oh yeah, the line finally starts moving, and before long we can see the doors of the room. Omaha D was the room in question.

Sometime during this wait, I see two professional cosplayers dressed as Ren and Pyrrha and beg for their picture. This happens a lot with different cosplays. Before much longer we're in the room and I can hardly contain myself.

Lindsay Jones notices my bestie's Rainbow Dash shirt and proclaims for the whole room to hear that RAINBOW DASH IS BEST PONY! Bestie warns her that she's in a gigantic den of nerds and that saying such things could start a rumble. She's Lindsay, though, so she should be fine.

I come next, and she thanks me for supporting the show. I tell her it's shaping up to be my favorite anime but that it will be tough to top Yu Yu Hakusho. "Excellent choice! I love Kuwabara!"

"HE'S ON YOUR SHOW NOW! OF COURSE, YOU LOVE HIM!!" I shriek as she signs my sketchbook and the poster for my niblings.

Kara comes next, and I mispronounce her name. She says nothing about it, instead lightly complaining about how the staff wants the signees to cut conversations with the guests short and that her favorite part of signings is the talking.

I'm swiftly approaching my bae, you guys. I'm shook that I'm this close to her. I'm clutching my drawing of her for dear life. Bestie mentions that we went to the VA 101 panel, and she apologizes. He goes on to mention the Digimon thing, saying that he's also a superfan.

"Ooh, Bob's Burgers!" Is the first thing Arryn says to me, noticing my favorite shirt. She asks where I got it after she signs my things, and even asks for a picture of it. THERE'S A PICTURE OF ME ON ARRYN ZECH'S PHONE YOU GUYS!! I'm still shook.

She mentions her boyfriend, as his name is Bob, and I say that I used to watch his show, The 100, but I lost track of it because I'm terrible at watching shows. "So, I made you something..." I say, passing her the picture.

SHE WIGS OUT THAT I DREW HER! "WHOA! SHUT UP! THAT'S SO SWEET OF YOU!"

"I'm sorry I made your eyelash game so strong, but I'm glad you like it!" And then I ask her for a picture. And my soul leaves my body as I snap the photograph.

On to Barbara, still buzzing hard from Arryn. Barb makes puns at my bestie, as he made a joke about the Yang cosplayer a few people in front of us. "DUDE, YANG'S ABOUT TO MEET YANG! tHE UNIVERSE WILL IMPLODE!"

"Yeah, especially if they start cracking jokes..." I mention. Barb signs us and makes puns at us. Lovely times.

And finally, we reach Elizabeth Maxwell. In addition to Winter Schnee, we find out that she voiced Lady Urbosa from Breath of the Wild. Bestie tells her that she's her favorite Gerudo. I get an Urbosa poster for her to sign, planning to give it to Bestie. She notices my shirt and we talk Bob's for a minute.

And our mission is complete, so we make our way to the nearest eats we can find. After filling our faces we find our way to the vendors' block and proceed to spend more money than is humanly necessary. Soon we catch up with RSJ and Mick at a panel on cosplay fabrics. Later we catch the RWBY Q&A, and times are great until that business with that one guy that is not our friend.

We also see Her Majesty the King leaving the bar as we're heading into the jam with Bard and friends. THE BARD LET ME PLAY HIS GUITAR! WE JAMMED SO HARD YOU GUYS! So did everyone in the place. It was a beautiful time, it really was.

On Sunday, Bestie got signed by Todd Haberkorn for a friend of ours, and as he waited he found a Weird Al cosplayer WITH AN ACCORDION! Dance party shenanigans ensue, naturally.

We catch up again later and make the 'How'd We Do' review panel and Closing Ceremonies. We're super bummed that the Kon has just ended. We eventually make it back home, and I crash on his floor before I realize what's going on. The next afternoon I catch a bus back to Louisiana, still spinning from everything.

So yeah, that's how Remnant was made... or something.

I CAN'T BELIEVE I MET MY BAE!!!

*makes heart eyes for forever and a week*

\/\/\/\/\/

\/\/\/\/\/

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Day 18: A VA dressed as their character

For once, I have more than a rant for this day. XD

But yeah, meeting them all was glorious.

Oh yeah, i’m finally caught up. Well, i will be when I finished the next fic. Formal wear. Hmm...

[chibbycookie-cosplay]

Anime Expo Tips!!!

Hello everyone! It's 1 week to AX, and I just wanted to give everyone some helpful tips! I've been going regularly to AX since 2011, and since then I've complied a list of things that can be super helpful!!! (Sorry that it is so long!!!) ~-Day 0 Tips-~ Day zero is honestly a must in my book (if you are able to, of course). Basically, it's a day you go to just to pick up your badge (I think there are some small panels and such as well on those days, but usually it's just a day spent waiting in line and spent hanging around the area) This year there is also Day -1 on Thursday when you can also pick up your badge I think, so honestly if you can go either day to pick up your badge, you really should! So for some tips for the day(s) I suggest -dress comfortably, the lines will be outside and the wait can be long at points -wear sunscreen, especially if you are fairer skinned, the sun is a deadly laser -bring lots of water bottles -bring snacks! -go with other people if you can! Make the day fun! -if you need to get out of line to walk around if you don't like standing, there are a few places within walking distance (there is a Starbucks near the Ritz Carlton that I always go to) so have a friend save your place and go! -bring your 3DS or something! It's always a good idea to have something to keep you busy! -don't be afraid to talk to people! The lines are a great place to make new friends! ~-General AX Tips-~ Anime Expo is a very big con and it can be very overwhelming at times, but remember that we are all just a bunch of nerds getting together to enjoy what we love! So as long as you have a good time, the con is a success!! -Be flexible with scheduling. Sometimes a panel isn't going to start or end when it says, or you might not make the panel you want to go to. Just go with the flow and you'll have a better time! -line up early for panels! If you want to go to a panel you know will be crowded, get there 1 hr+ early! -keep cool! The AC at the convention center works really really well, but some cosplay meet ups and lines and other things are outside. Luckily the weather app says it will be within the high 70s over the weekend (which is rare, as the last couple years have been almost unbearably hot) but always drink tons of water, and I also recommend bringing a small handheld fan or something of the like -Bring snacks!!! Food in and around the convention center can be expensive, and sometimes you and your friends will get so caught up in the excitement of everything that you'll forget to eat! That's why snacks are so important, to make sure that you at least have something in your system -Eat breakfast! This might seem weird but honestly having a good breakfast in the morning is super important when you're planning on running around all day. I'm a con-muter so I drive to the convention center with friends, and usually we either stop at a jack in the box, bakers, or Starbucks on the way, just to make sure our stomachs are nice and prepared for the day ahead! -Get some sleep! I know it's hard when you want to go to all sorts of events and panels and everything, but it's not going to be fun if you're walking around like a zombie! If you have a hotel room or have a friend who would let you sleep in a room of theirs, go take a nap. Or go into one of the programming rooms where they are showing an anime and sleep in the nice dark room. Usually what I do though is just rest a bit on the floor of one of the larger areas where everyone sits and just take a small power nap if I need. -know the layout of the center. If it's your first time going to AX, take some time to get acquainted with where everything is! Look at the maps online, look around when you get there! The convention center is pretty big, but I'm sure you'll figure out where everything is in no time! -have a meeting spot! With almost everyone having cell phones, most of the time if you lose your friends you can always just text them, but in case something happens (a phone dies, gets lost, etc) you should always set up an easy to find meeting spot! -bring chargers! This one is super important. If you are like me, you take tons of photographs of cosplayers on your phone and live blog your days at cons, and likely you'll run down your battery quick! So make sure you bring a charger for anything you bring with you!!! -REMEMBER TO ASK BEFORE TAKING PHOTOS OF COSPLAYERS! This is in caps because it is very very important. ~-Cosplayer Tips-~ As a cosplayer myself, I like to make sure that my fellow cosplayers have a fun Convention experience!! -bring extra clothes! This might sound like a no-brainer, but I failed to do this last year and had multiple cosplay malfunctions happen..... so extra clothes in the case of emergency is super important -bring a cosplay repair kit! In recent years, the cosplay repair station has really stepped up its game in what it provides for cosplayers, but I still recommend bringing your own pack of things, just in case! My pack usually includes: •hot glue gun •needle and thread •scissors •makeup •cosplay-specific items (spirit gum, latex,etc) -know when and where gatherings are! The gathering locations are listed on the website, as well as the times! Make sure you check in advance so you have time to get to where you are going -go early if you have a prop to peace bond! The peacebonding stations are usually near the entrances and they tend to be kinda crowded in the mornings (especially on day 1) if you have any sort of prop weapons you have to get the peacebonded! (I think the peacebonding stations are open on day 0 as well, so if you want to get some of those out of the way that is also an option) -try not to stand in high traffic areas for photos! This means: •in the middle of the hallways (off to the side is good, and the hallways at the LACC are really wide so there is room to take pictures on the sides and people can still walk) •inside booths in the exhibit hall (unless there is a specific photo op station) •in the aisles of artist alley (this is a major one, those get super crowded!!!) So this is all for my tips! I'm sorry that it is so long! If I missed any, feel free to add your own tips! Remember to have fun and stay safe at AX! This year is going to be a great one! And if you see me feel free to say hi, I might have treats to give out!!!!

[50-shades-of-blue-eyes]

I like the ability to go to a lot of panels and play games made easy by smaller cons but i always wanted to experience more from a bigger con, any tips for someone who never been to a big convention.?

I’d love to give you some tips for bigger cons 💙 There are probably a lot I’m leaving out, but these are for sure some of the most important (in my opinion):

The first is to try not to be overwhelmed. This is probably the hardest to do, and I’m sure you will be for a first timer, but just take it easy and relax if you need to. There are tons of people and it can get hectic, and there’s so much to see. Finding tables will be nearly impossible, but there will be areas you can go to cool down and get a break if things get too much. For people with anxiety, it’s helpful to step aside for a little bit– and if you’re someone like me who doesn’t have problems with crowds, it’s still a nice break to step aside and catch a breath.

If you’re a cosplayer, I’d say for your first big con, try and wear something comfortable. (If you’re not cosplaying, I recommend the same!) It will be very, very hot and crowded, and you’ll likely be standing most of the day– so comfy shoes are a must. I usually end up putting soft inserts into my Kaiba boots for support at the bigger cons, otherwise my feet are killing me by the end of the day.

Always know where the closest food/water stations are– and don’t forget to stay hydrated and eat! Bigger cons sometimes charge way more than they should for these things, but please make sure you constantly have access to water and are drinking, and make sure you eat throughout the day. With the heat and crowds, the last thing you want is to pass out.

I know I’m prone to headaches from crowds / excitement the bigger cons bring, so I usually pack some migraine medication and pain killers with me to be safe. I recommend bringing it along just in case!

When it comes to being at the con itself, I recommend taking it slow. There’s so much to do and see, and even if you’re there the whole weekend, I assure you you probably won’t see everything. Get a con map if you can and write down all the places and things you definitely want to do / see and get them done first. Some of the bigger cons have everything ahead of time on their website, so checking it out beforehand is a good idea.

Always get to events you want to do early, too! Unlike smaller cons where the lines are moderate and you’re pretty much guaranteed a spot in your panel or special event, the big cons fill up fast. When we auditioned for the DSoD movie last year at NYCC, we sat in line for close to 4 hours to be guaranteed a spot. I’m not much of a panel person since I have a lot more going on at cons, but from what I’ve seen and heard, a lot of the con for those who do panels is waiting in line. Which, may not always be a bad thing since you can usually sit on line and get a nice break! But patience is a virtue.

Bring an empty bag of some sort if you can (backpack if it’s allowed, canvas bag, etc.) to put your con buys in. The most annoying thing at bigger cons is carrying a ton of bags you get from vendors and artists and trying not to forget any of them. If you use a bag of your own, you can fit more in there and not worry about leaving anything behind.

If you can, also try and have a con buddy with you. This way, if you need someone to hold your buys while you’re buying food or using the bathroom, you have someone. And, if you get lost at the con, it’s good to be lost with someone– haha. And helps you be less overwhelmed. (Bonus points if they’re a big con veteran!)

Since I brought bathrooms up, too… The lines are INSANE. Always know where all bathrooms are and try and go before you leave for con and whenever you see a break in a line. The last thing you want to wait for is when you really need to go and you have a half hour wait!

Depending on your badge type, too, you may have a very long wait to get inside. I typically get into the big cons with a guest badge, so I’m in before the crowds show up. But if you have a general admission badge, be prepared to wait in line for a long time. The earlier you show up, the faster you get in! But be aware of the temperature and weather when attending a con and waiting in line: if it’s hot, bring water and wear something cool ; if it’s cold, make sure you have a coat ; and if it’s raining, please remember an umbrella.

I’m sure there are many more things I’m not thinking of at the moment… but these are most definitely the important ones that come to mind for me! Be early, eat and stay hydrated, be aware of the bathrooms, make your schedule ahead of time, and try not to be too overwhelmed.

But really, the most important: have fun! While they can be big and scary at first, I promise that a big con is going to be one of the best con experiences you’ll have, and will be the most memorable. And it’s a great place to make friends.

Good luck at your big con! If you have any more specific questions about them, please don’t hesitate to ask. I’d be happy to answer any con related questions 😊

[plaidstiel-wormstache]

Asylum18

My Experience at MY FIRST EVER CON!

Hey all,

So I’ve been away a few weeks, but now I’m back! And this past weekend (12-14 May) I was at Asylum 18 in Blackpool with my supernatural family!

It was an epic adventure and I loved every second of it!

If you’d like to read about it - click on keep reading, if not, and you just want photos, I’ll create another post! Just FYI - it’s flippin long, I do apologise.

THURSDAY I woke up, pumped, tired, but pumped, and picked up my hire car. Headed to the airport to pick up the first member of the fambam! She’d arrived from Germany and was overwhelmed! It was an easy 1hr and a bit drive to our hotel - where we did end up parking in the wrong area, but ... adventures! Then I ferried more of my family from the station to the hotel, in two lots. Now we’re all together, all checked in. Blah blah - met up with more family, had fish and chips for tea and just chatted about how excited we were for our weekend to start.

FRIDAY We had more family arrive, and now our group was complete. Today was registration, lots of lines, lots of waiting, perfecting the art of snake queues and figuring out where each member of the group were. By the time me and twinsie (a lady named Carolyn who thinks a little too much like me!) passed through registration, added extras and picked up our pre-orders - we’d probably passed 3 or more hours. Rookie moves were made by not packing water, so we then indulged in slushee’s after we’d passed out the other end of that mammoth queue. She checked in to her room, and we were taking a breather when we got the tweet - autos were happening. ARGH! So we met back up and headed straight to autos. I have a pillow case that I was getting signed - we started with Mark P (who was lovely and the only person who commented on the badges on my jacket - he liked). Moved on to Kim - the loveliest person ever, she looked stunned when I told her to have a good day, she told me to have a good one too! Then Lauren, who is just so precious. She thought I’d made the pillow case and was saying how smart and talented I am ... bless her, I had to say I’d clicked a button online and it showed up on my doorstep! Katherine Ramdeen was oh so sweet, had me wishing I had bought an op with her, she was so nice and genuine. The line for Briana and Osric were very long, so we went over to Chad, he was quirky, very sweet and kind though. Then we went to the line for Briana, and they closed the doors for autos, so phew we’d got in in time. Briana was oh so special! She told me to enjoy myself, and we’d moved on by the time I could think, and oh what a thought - kicking myself I didn’t say “often do!” And last but definitely not least, Osric. He was all smiles and happiness and the sun just shines outta that man. He was sweet AF, liked the pillow case and said he hoped I enjoyed the weekend, as I had wished him a fun one. That night most of us had dinner together, then separated and washed up for “the party” that night. Twinsie and I cosplayed (my first ever). We dressed as Howard and Bernadette from The Big Bang Theory - made funnier by the fact that I was taller than her and the blonde wig was just ... wigging me out! Everyone loved our costumes! But it was an early night as we were tired from queuing all day.

SATURDAY! I was up early at 0630 and showered and ready for breakfast by 0745. I went down the hall to a friends room and we had breakfast together in the hotel. Then stood in the queue (oh yes, another) for the main hall where the panel would take place. Myself and two new friends followed Jensen (no, not that Jensen. Yes, it was fun yelling his name and watching people turn round so fast whiplash was inevitable) into the hall, then realised he was up with the diamonds, and we were the cheapies. So we found seats at the back and got comfy for the rest of the day, practically! - First up with their panel was Kim and Briana - Adam Rose and Chris Gauthier were our co-hosts. The ladies were inspiring and brilliant and had alot to say about their characters, how they wished we would get to see more of them - so to keep an eye out for an upcoming side work! And Kim was very clear that Jodie was hers whilst she was in front of a camera, when she had a script, but then Jodie became ours to do what we will with her, that she supports all the creativity and ideas people have about Jodie, and that she encourages us to keep going, and even send her stuff! - Fifteen min break, then Adam and David - our beloved BMoL men. They said they were nervous but they looked like they were in their element. There were times where they would both keep saying “I’m sure this is boring, but I gotta tell ya real quick...” bless them - nothing you say will bore us! One of the questions was about their most embarassing job they’d ever taken. Adam said his had to be a stage play where he had the role of a gay male, had nude scenes and there was a lot of kissing the same sex. Apparently his sister was mortified when she went to see it and his Dad shook his hand and said “there was a lot of kissing in that!”, but his mum was proud. And David’s job was at a convention where he was dressed as a member of Devo and listened to Whip It nine hours straight for two days, and had to dance and stick stickers on people who came through the doors - he gave us a song and dance as example, much whistling happened! - Chad, Katherine Ramdeen, Chris and Adam Rose were up next. The boys were up there a while without Kat as she was still doing photo’s. I ran out to get Alaina’s auto at some point - SO SWEET, love her and she appreciated that I liked her daughters painting art that she posts on instagram. The four of them were actually quite interesting and sweet, although when I came back in Kat was talking about how she’d synced up with Kathryn on set, the boys then started making fun of her - not happy bout that, but there’s nothing I can do about that. - Misha ... and of course they posted a vague tweet about photo ops, maybe one I had, so I rushed out (knowing my seat was safe). Not my photo op, so I went back to my seat. Then Mark S autos were called, so I ran off again (my row is not too impressed by now). I get to autos and Mark is gone ... BUT Adam Rose and others were there and I have a ticket for him, so I text my friend with my bag, and ask her to pass back my wallet with all the tickets (as opposed to climbing back over everyone). David Haydn-Jones’s was very kind and said he was enjoying his second con so much and is impressed by all the love that this fandom has to offer and was surprised when I said I was from Aus but relieved when I said I’d moved so I hadn’t come up just for this! Adam Fergus didn’t have a lot of people at his table and he was brilliant, again enjoying his second con and loving the people he’s coming across. No one was at Adam’s desk so I got his autograph and got to have a lovely conversation with him. He was genuinely amazed that I had brought up his travels and loved following along on Insta and that I remembered that he had a dog and then we were talking about his pup, and then he said I should check out his youtube for more traveling. Then I was back to Misha’s panel. LUNCH (this is getting long, apologies, I’ll start paraphrasing). - So Osric and Lauren’s panel was first after lunch, but I was at Alaina’s photo op, again, she’s so sweet and said she hopped she got my request right - I’d asked for a raised eyebrow... she nailed it! Then returned to the LOsric panel, they are both darling. - Mark P and Alaina were up next, they were actually great up there together. Not a packed house, but a lot of questions and they had a great laugh together. - Mark S... he’s hilarious. He walked around the whole auditorium, he was rude and sassy and sarcastic and just brilliant. People were handing him chocolate bars and I was worrying cause I had Tim Tam’s for him (well his wife, heaven knows they didn’t get back to her!). He walked right behind me and was answering a question as I shook the packet at him. He smiled like it was christmas day and I’d given the best present. He then collected something else from the other side of the hall and went up to the stage, sat down and asked if there were any Aussie’s in the audience. I was the only WOO and he laughed, ripped into the Tim Tams, bit the top and bottom off one and picked up his tea. I was the only one to cheer, then he used it as a straw and then ate the whole thing. I screamed out “YOU’RE WELCOME”! That night my roomies were like - was that you? Yep uhuh thought so! - Hillywood were up next - but I was gone. I like their parody - but that’s all I’ve seen of them, and that’s not enough to keep me in my seat. Me and roomies got pizza, I drove out and picked it all up. Then I wandered down the hall to Jensen’s room to watch Eurovision. Jason Mann’s was performing that night and Briana made a surprise appearance (that Alaina pretty much said she was doing then sent her a text while in her panel). It was a fun night with a small room packed with nine people then eventually eleven.

SUNDAY Today was BUSY AF. I was back and forth and that hotel is spread out! Sat through the Mark P and Alaina panel to start my day then I went back to the room to get rid of some stuff out of my bag, use the loo, then as I reached the main hall Mark S was walking in front of me, he was slow and I wanted to go around him, but I was headed to his photo op, so why not stay behind him. But when I reached the room, they called all groups for Misha... - So in I go, Misha (it was go go go, I asked for an awkward prom photo, he spun me around and it turned into a weird pregnancy photo). - Had my Mark S photo, he was himself! But when I got up there with another packet of Tim Tams he smiled and said “I still have my other packet!” I said he better! And then explained I wanted to do it like a Tim Tam advert, he pulled me in close, it’s my fave picture. Then as I was leaving and after I’d said thank you, he said you better eat them and not share them! - Mark P was up next, I asked for a hug but with bunny ears, he was so tall I couldn’t reach, so it looks like I’m trying to grab his hair, but it’s a good photo. Left my copy there as the printers were jam packed, but headed over to... - Lauren and Osric, they were were the cutest and sweetest, and not many people were there for the duo so they were really taking their time with each person. I asked for an awkward family photo with the weird hands on hips and odd faces. Osric shotgunned back and Lauren was confused, but it’s my second fave photo, it turned out so well! - FINALLY got my Misha auto, I got to the desk and said “You’re doing an amazing job, not just here at con, but everywhere... in life.” And he looked at me as if I was the first person to ever tell him that and he said “Thank you so much.” Like it meant to world to him. And then I had to go and have a moment in my room (no not like that!) cause I didn’t expect for that to hit me like it did - but I could say that to you and I’d have the same reaction. (yeah YOU). Got changed, packed away the pillow case, reorganised my bag, went downstairs, got lunch (before the massive lines started) then joined my friends in the hall for Mark S’s panel - more walking around, more brutal than yesterday, just hilarious. LUNCH... - Had my Kim and Briana op, my friends (mum and daughter) in front of me had theirs first, they did the YMCA and it was BRILLIANT, Bri stood the wrong way round for the C then got it right, then was cautious to not have her arm in Dawn’s face. Then I asked for a sandwich but with faces that said someone smelt like BO - great photo! - Back to the hall to wait for my group to get called for Adam and David. Kat, Chad, Adam and Chris were up on stage when I got there, and only had two more people in line to ask questions and still had half an hour to go, so I thought I’d get up to save from being awward. I wrote out a question for Kat (as everyone had questions for Chad and Adam...) then Dawn said “ask them what their fave cheeses are”! A lot of waiting, i was last question, and just skipped the Kat question went right for the cheese. Kat was real animated cause I mentioned that she was Vegan so my friend Dawn was wondering ... it was a good last question, they all got a kick out of it! - THEN ADAM AND DAVID!!!! There was a long line, but they were giving each person a good amount of time with them, making them all feel special. I asked for a smushy hug, and it was heaven. You’ll see i got a little possessive. And David grabbed me at the end and looked in my eyes and said Thanks. And Adam was very thankful and sweet as well, wished me a good end of con, I said I hoped he’d enjoyed it. Then the steward was proper “MOVE” - doing their job! - Back to Panel’s, Kim and Briana, the goddesses that they are. And Kim talked about how much she’s learnt from her autistic daughter and that she’s realised she tried to mother everyone, now she just mother’s her child. Same for Bri, she’s more than happy to let her kid do whatever and figure it out for themselves cause they’ll never take you for your word. - Misha was last up, he was very grateful to everyone for coming along. Said how “nice blackpool” was (sarcasm - the venue was mediocre at best). He took of his jacket - the crowd went nuts as they do. He thanked the event organisers and just like that, an amazing weekend was over. - That night the few that remained played CAH and ate chicken meals, opting for an early-ish night before saying goodbye in the morning. I wouldn’t have traded a second of it for anything. It was a grand weekend, and amazing first con and I had an absolute blast meeting all those new people, meeting my family and seeing old faces. I can’t wait to go to another one!

Taking Pics Making Friends

[miya-k]

Katsucon Day 01

- friday after lunch. arrived at the Gaylord and it was huge and so pretty. I wanted to take unlimited photos and everything.

- changed and cosplayed into MC from Mystic Messenger. I think I got the whole outfit correct…maybe change the shoes coz I wasn’t too comfortable or atleast add some cushions on the soles. Need more research and practice on cosplay make up. Oh! I got my socks wrong….they weren’t the pair for each other….one was for volleyball haha! I got a few ppl to tell me I looked cute as MC and for those who doesn’t know Mystic Messenger they said they liked my attire! Except for my mom….she kinda sorta told me I look ugly when I took a selfie as MC. And how I take such a long time and effort on my face during cosplay…and that I should be using that time for something better (mood ruined for the most night because of the comment)

- Friday was mostly check out the artist alley for OW stuff for friends. I was totally biased and took so much pictures of OW characters. I did slowly start getting more comfortable to asking random strangers for pictures. I don’t know why I’m always getting shy after all these years of being a convention attendee haha.

Did find a few merch for friends and what I liked. Now if I can find a nice frame to frame up my posters and gifts from friends!

I liked the dealers room too but I was really picky on the merchs….as in do I really need them?? Or do I want them?? And considering the luggage space to take it back home to houston……and if ever I move out again, it’ll be just more stuff to pack. I totally did some number crunch on my head as I walk the merchant room haha.

I was feeling tired around 8pm coz I haven’t slept since thurs and the energy drink was wearing down. Around this time I separated myself from my mom so I can have a bit of me time during the weekend. I didn’t last long after coz I passed out early lmao. If I wanted to take advantage of this weekend getaway, I should get some sleep tonight and make it up next day!