#and the ONLY other logon is when i got a new phone in december

[cliveguy]

honestly i feel . violated lol

[squeemcsquee]

Prose and Cons: Ideal Anime Zap! 2018 Schedule

Ideal, because, well, every year something goes wonky.  I’m not including panel times/rooms - this is everything I’m hoping to stop in and see...but things like food, friends, fun, and sleep take priority! Plus, this is a winter con - who knows what the weather will be?

So, one thing Anime Zap does if you want to customize your schedule (because it’s either through their site or a physical copy) is to offer it two ways: You can either have the schedule grid be highlighted, like this:

Or you can go to the “list” option and mark it with a black star, like this:

The downside is that you need to make sure the Zap site works on your phone, remember your logon for the Zap site, and need to remain logged in to see it. I’d love to see the AnimeCons.Org group look into something like the Guidebook app, rather than trying to use the mobile version of their website.

BUT! There is one awesome thing! You can click on an item and leave feedback on it! I must remember to use this power for good..yes, only for good...

And here we go with my hopeful schedule, with my thoughts on each item. Gonna break this puppy into each day. I’m about to horribly embarrass myself with my panel choices, aren’t I? Oh well...

Friday

Opening Ceremonies - I go to this if I get to the con on time. I really haven’t been to many opening ceremonies, regardless of the con. I’m usually taking photos or in a panel already, if I’m there. Zap does have photoshoots going on at this time, so depending how quickly the ceremonies are done - or how boring they are - I might wander by the photoshoots, too.

Swim Trunks, and Ravers, and Bears - Oh My!! (An Hour With Greg Ayres) - Greg Ayres is always entertaining. But this will be my 4th year seeing him, I think? So if I miss this, I won’t be heartbroken.

Fatal Frame: Mask of the Loon - YES! Fatal Frame! I’m chicken when it comes to actually playing through the games myself, though I do own them. But I love talking about them!

Role-Playing Games: East and West - @lechevaliermalfet is co-running this one. He technically gave me permission to duck out if I want, but why would I do that?

Autographs: Greg Ayres, Shinichi Watanabe - I’ve got almost every Greg Ayres thing I have autographed by now, I think. But I don’t have anything autographed by Nabeshin, and that could be cool. It does conflict with something else at that time, though, which I’ve listed next.

Autism in the Fan Community: An Overview - I attended this one the first time the panelist went for it, and it was interesting. I’d like to check in on it if I get done with the autograph lines in time.

A Brief History of Ys - @lechevaliermalfet  has this other panel. It’s his 3rd year with it, and he keeps getting better!

Dice Roll Live (18+) - To be honest, I don’t know anything about Comcade and this was just the panel of theirs I thought I most likely had a chance to get to. I like checking out groups I don’t know, and seeing if they interest me.

After Hours Love Advice with D.C. Douglas (18+) - I’ve enjoyed his panels in the past, so I expect I’ll enjoy this.

Forbidden Fandom Dames - A Nerdlesque Adventure - I know nothing about burlesque, really. I know last year’s burlesque show (not sure if same group) set off the con fire alarms!

The Fandom Knight 2018 Panel (18+) - It’s fun listening to these guys. Shame their panels aren’t better attended.

Saturday

Let’s Get Tied by Nabeshin (18+) -  To clarify, this would be in the wee morning hours of Saturday, when sensible folk are snoozing. Yes, this is exactly what you think it is - dirty jokes, discussion of Japanese bondage, and ridiculousness. @lechevaliermalfet and I actually went to this panel at Anime Central 2017 without knowing that’s what we were getting into. It was fun - and don’t worry! Everyone stays fully clothed and all volunteers are willing. Not for the faint of heart, perhaps, but for those interested for research, kink info, or just watching people get embarrassed at one Japanese director’s sense of humor...it was definitely an entertaining way to pass the time then and I imagine this would be no different at Zap.

Teaching Disability Awareness Through Anime - I really hope this one turns out well.

Welcome to Idol Hell - I wouldn’t say I’ve really fallen into the depths of Idol Hell, but I definitely am getting more curious about the idol culture in Japan. And I rather adore Love Live!

Whose Line Is It Anime? - I keep hearing about this being one of Zap’s best events, and I never go to it. So, I’m going to try to fix that this year.

Bad Music Videos with V is For Villains - If Whose Line isn’t what it’s cracked up to be, this or the It Gets Better - Anime Con Edition with Greg Ayres are my second choices.

Conspiracy Theories - Because why not? I might learn some new ones!

Kid Yuki and the Otakus Concert - I think they’ve been to Zap before but either when I wasn’t going or when I wasn’t paying attention. So I’m curious to hear them.

DC Douglas’ Erotic Fanfiction Reading Panel  - Been to this before and LOVED it.

Let’s Get Tied Harder by Nabeshin - Maybe? Depends how brave I am. Bondage isn’t really my thing - I’m there for the perverse humor, and so, kinda depends. I figure the humor might be more in the first panel.

Sunday

Meet Chuck Huber - Because meet VA panels always have great stories, and I’ve only seen Chuck Huber once before. Plus, it’s the only thing going on in that time slot.

The Singing Showdown - I’m hoping I can observe. Competitive karaoke sounds like it would be fun to watch. I’m not sure anyone would want to hear me compete, though.

The Mini Cosplay Circus - I haven’t seen these guys before, so I’m curious.

Evenings with Isabelle -  Animal Crossing? Yeah! Discussions about mental health and gaming? Yeah!

Crossplay Goes Both Ways - Always full of useful, practical tips and info I try to keep in my head for when I feel confident enough to try crossplay.

Closing Ceremonies - Maybe. I don’t go to many of these, either.

And that’s that! It’s actually nice to see that Anime Zap has expanded the variety of panels this time around. At the last Zap, I was able to guess what about 85% of the panel content would be, based on the previous years. I won’t be going to some of my tried-and-true standbys, like the My Little Pony history panel, or the Tales panel. But that’s good! It means I’m testing new waters and (hopefully) learning new things!

It’s December 28 as I write this. Zap is a week away from tomorrow, the 29th. I’m definitely excited, and I’m looking forward to improving my writing skills when it comes to covering convention topics.