#bay area anime conventions

[shannanigansart]

Summer 2023 convention lineup!! 🌸 I’m so excited to see everyone and hangout and chat with all you lovely beans!! 🥹💕💕💕

[failedbyfanime]

FanimeCon is in 40 days.

Where is the updated code of conduct they've promised?

Why are there still known harassers on staff?

Why is the Chair team focusing on a BALL PIT instead of supporting their volunteers?

[transit-fag]

The Bay Area is fascinating

The metro and Regional Rail Systems have a booth at an anime convention

[arimiadev]

(you can read this article down below or on my blog!)

How to Sell Visual Novels at Conventions

Or, “how do you table at an anime convention and actually get people to stop by your booth and actually get interested in visual novels????”

Picture this – me, someone who’s never been to California nor flown alone arrived to the Hyatt at the San Francisco Bay, being greeted by several online friends I’d known for years but never met in person. After a great time walking around the surrounding Burlingame area and meeting back up with the rest of our group, we had to actually put in some work for the day.

That is, setting up our booth for the convention starting the next day.

We unpacked box after box, taking turns standing around with our hands on our hips and heads tilted wondering “how the hell are we going to set all of this up?”. I decided to make it my job to set up our keychain display. All I had to do was get a copy of each keychain we had and pin them up – we even had a box from prior conventions that had a single copy of (most) of our keychains, for displaying. But as I opened more boxes, I found more and more keychains…

After threatening to change the password on their Vograce account, I found we had 10+ boxes of merchandise for niche visual novels that we were trying to sell at a vtuber convention. Not an anime convention, not a gaming convention, a vtuber convention! Going to bed that night, already tired, I was sure there was no way we would make a profit…..

…And yet, we made more on Friday than they had for the entire convention in 2023. By Sunday, we had made more than double that, having sold items to over 100 customers with most purchases around $40 each. We weren’t selling fanart, we were selling a majority completely original art.

We lived the dream of a lot of indie developers – we sold physicals of our indie games and people bought them. But how did we do it??

a little context

Some background – OffKai Expo is an annual vtuber-oriented convention in Burlingame, California, a suburb of San Francisco and just 15 minutes away from their airport. If you don’t know what a vtuber is, just go watch my oshi Gavis Bettel. In 2023, Studio Élan had a booth at the convention as it’s somewhat local to some of our members. We decided to have another booth at the convention for 2024 and I offered to work at it (what’s a booth without a marketer?).

The only anime convention I’ve ever been to was the local one in Memphis, namely Anime Blues Con, but those are….lacking, to say the least. Not much to do, very limited artist alley, waning attendance (which was already small to begin with), barely any new artists nor sights year after year… I’ve always wanted to go to a convention outside my area, to say the least.

But how did we manage to make the weekend successful?

conceits

What we did won’t be entirely replicable for most devs reading this, but there will be some insights and takeaways that I’ll highlight that are applicable to anyone wanting to table at conventions and sell their games.

Our table was for Studio Élan x VirPro – it was a joint table between our yuri visual novel studio and our indie vtuber friend streaming group, Virtuality Project. We sold some merch for VirPro, but I’d estimate that was no more than 20% of our sales – we still would have made a profit even if we weren’t selling that merch.

this table held our limited VirPro merch. we were able to hang our Élan prints on the wall behind it thanks to our friends at Studio Nekomata allowing us to tape our prints to the backside of their display. we also had a Miho cutout, but she didn’t want to stand up this weekend…

However, it is important to note that Studio Élan is not a new studio. We’ve been around for years, have 15k followers on Twitter, and have several visual novels released. We’re not extremely well known, as we are within a niche within a niche, but we aren’t unknown either. Some people actually cosplayed our characters at the convention! It’s definitely possible some locals came to OffKai Expo just to see our booth & panel (we also held a panel on Saturday where we announced 2 new games).

Another thing to note is that we have a stock of merch from running an online store and having held Kickstarters before. Specifically, we have physical copies of almost all of our games as well as artbooks, soundtracks, clothing, and more. We had tons of keychains and 11×17 prints, sure, but we also sold a lot of merch that is much harder and more expensive to produce.

So, tl;dr, things we had going for us:

We are established developers with a following & released games

We have a sizeable amount of merch already made for our online store, including physical games & artbooks

We were boothing with our indie vtuber friend group and selling their merch on the side

But our main problem:

We were boothing at a vtuber convention, not an anime or gaming convention

Now, with all of that out of the way….

convention standards

First off, let’s look at some basic things you can expect while tabling at a convention. (for the purposes of being specific to visual novels, when I say “convention” I’m only referring to anime & gaming-adjacent conventions—OffKai falls under this as vtubers are both anime & gaming-adjacent)

At a convention, you will typically be selling in either the artist alley or the dealer’s room, which are both referred to as the vendor’s hall. For small conventions, these two may be the same area. The artist alley is typically for artists selling keychains, prints, and more. The dealers room is for vendors that sell larger merch or have more items to sell – this can include artists but also includes people selling imported items (such as anime figures) and companies.

Conventions have a set amount of hours that the events go on and the vendor’s hall is usually not open the entire time. These rooms will usually open in the morning, around 10AM or so, and allow vendors an extra hour for fixing things before opening every day. For OffKai, we had to stay at our booth for about 8~ hours every day, except for Sunday. Sundays are always the shortest days for 3-day conventions, as the convention will usually wrap up around dinner time (if not earlier).

Vendors get time the night before the convention starts (usually Thursday night, with most conventions I’m referencing being Friday-Sunday events) to set up their booths. It took us around 3 hours to fully set up our booth, with 4 of us working on it. Setting up your booth will go a lot smoother if you do a trial run before the convention.

Every convention I’ve tabled at or known a vendor at provides vendors with at least 1 table and a chair. More chairs are usually easy to get, you just need to ask staff before the vendors hall opens up.

tip 1 – bring a friend

Conventions provide tables and chairs, but they don’t provide helping hands! You’re probably going to need help unpacking and setting up the table, but you’ll definitely need to take breaks during the convention for the bathroom, food, and more. You can’t just ask staff to sit at your table and you can’t just hide everything while you’re gone. Bring a friend to help out!

If you have to go alone, make friends with the people boothing next to you and ask them to watch over your table if need be. Be sure to keep your money and payment processors with you if you ever have to step away. And bring snacks & water!

our merch

Like I said, at Élan we have typical merchandise for our visual novels like keychains and acrylic standees, but we also have physical copies of our games for PC & consoles, artbooks, soundtracks, and more.

We had these types of merch:

Acrylic & wooden items

Keychains

Standees

Pins

Print media

PC discs

Console discs & cartridges (Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 & 5)

Artbooks (game artbooks, limited edition anniversary artbooks)

Soundtrack discs

4×6 prints (CGs, key artworks)

11×17 prints (key artworks, exclusive convention artworks)

Clothing & fabric

T-shirts (4 designs, 1 color each)

Hoodie (new collaboration design, for all of our games)

Scarf (new collaboration design, for 1 of our games)

Fabric flags (key visuals)

Misc.

Grab bag (misc small items)

$5 bin (misc small items)

Pencil bag

Mousepad

Enamel pin

Plushie (limited Makeship leftovers)

Some of these were items we’d never sold before such as the hoodie, scarf, and 11×17 prints. Some of them were also much more of a hassle than others.

In terms of storage and cheapness to make, prints and stickers are by far the winners (we didn’t sell stickers at OffKai but plan to in the future). Prints are basically the best thing you can sell for production cost:profit, as a 4×6 print can cost you $0.20 but sell for $5+ and an 11×17 print can cost $0.60 and sell for $15-20.

On the other hand, t-shirts can be some of the most difficult merch to work with. They take up a lot of room (we had at least 2 boxes of just shirts/hoodies) and require you to have multiple different sizes. The plushies were great & easy to sell, but at the same time they cost a lot per unit and take up even more space than shirts.

The physical copies sold great, but the cost to produce & room to store them makes them unwieldy for most developers. I would recommend them over more bespoke merch like clothing, though—several people came to our booth, having never heard of our games, and left with a physical game. CD discs rather than DVD cases are much easier to store and can be handmade, although ours are manufactured.

tip 2 – be selective with what merch you make & bring

Unless you’re lucky enough to have a convention down the street from you, chances are you’re going to have to travel to the convention. That means packing everything up, possibly shipping it, etc…. You need to be picky with what you bring if you don’t have multiple cars to throw it all in.

My merch recommendations:

4×6 prints

Ours were $4-5

Dirt cheap to print, easy to store

Easy for people to buy because of the low price point and ease of carrying

Idea – these are so cheap to print, at the very least print some of your key visual & logo to hand out to people for free

Stickers (die-cut or sticker sheets)

Dirt cheap to print, easy to store

Easy for people to buy because of the low price point and ease of carrying

Idea – some conventions won’t allow you to hand out free stickers. For conventions that don’t, I would sell either singular die-cut stickers or sell them in packs

Keychains

Ours were $12-15

Cheap to print, not very hard to store

At this price point people want to have an attachment to the characters before buying

Idea – if your game is relatively unknown but you still want to print keychains, consider packaging them with something else like the game or a sampler CD of the demo / soundtrack

Physical CD disc games

Ours were $30

Not cheap to print, not very hard to store

People will buy copies of games they’ve never heard of because it’s an interesting item to own and seen as more value than a digital copy (even if physical is more expensive)

Idea – it doesn’t cost much to get a 50 pack of CDs, the cost comes from the packaging and time to make the entire thing. If you don’t have a finished game yet, consider printing your demo out on CDs in paper slips to hand out for free

our booth

Now that I’ve talked about basics for conventions and what merch we sold, what did our booth actually look like?

We didn’t have a pre-convention trial run, so we were essentially winging it. With all of the merch I outlined, could you believe we crammed all of the display copies on 1 table, 2 shelves, and 1 clothing rack?!

Our main focus was making sure each of our physical games were visible. After all, we were at a vtuber convention where most attendees didn’t know us, so we wanted to have a way to show off our games. We spent a lot of real estate on showing individual game copies and having brochures spread out.

tip 3 – have an idea of how you’re going to display things before the convention

We also brought several items to display merch. For keychains & pins, we had a simple corkboard leaning on a photo stand / easel. For acrylic standees, we had a clear nail polish stand. For physical copies, we had photo stands and bookends. For clothes, we had a small clothing rack. For physicals, we had 3 small bookcases. These were all extremely helpful, but they are added costs and more things to carry to the convention.

here’s a better look at our 2 bookshelves. the purple ladder one was at the back of the booth highlighting some items and storing various artbooks & bundles and the smaller one was at the front left of the booth by the VirPro merch, basically in the walking aisle

The corkboard and various photo stands were must-haves, regardless of what you’re selling. A corkboard makes it easy to display anything on it, whether it’s keychains, stickers, mini-prints, announcements, posters, and more. Photo stands were also super helpful for propping our corkboard on but also showing off individual physical copies.

this was me trying to arrange the corkboard and acrylic stands. photo stands and art easels can in handy!

Along with the display stands, we also brought some decorative items like pink table clothes and flowers. These aren’t required, but help make your booth more noticeable.

A few miscellaneous items I plan on bringing to our next convention are a hand sanitizer dispenser, a small air purifier, and fliers. I always keep hand sanitizer on me, but it’s easier to use it when it’s in a convenient bottle and place. Several of us got sick after the convention (despite me wearing a mask), so I’m also bringing a small air purifier to keep some germs away from the table. I also want to bring small fliers for our upcoming games—while brochures are wonderful, I want something that’s easy (and cheap) to hand out to anyone who looks at our booth, not just the people we talk to.

tip 4 – be aware of merch thieves

We arranged our table in a way that we didn’t have to worry much about people stealing merch, though that is a problem at some conventions. As you might’ve noticed from the pictures, our smaller items like the keychains are at the far back of the booth, right beside where we sit. That allowed us to keep a better eye on it.

Rather than sitting behind our tables, we arranged our booth to be where people would walk inside it. This allowed us a way to talk to people easier. We also made sure to hide our card readers, phones, and more when any of us left the table, though this was easy because we almost always had 2-3 people at the booth at any time.

my advice

If I were an indie dev looking to booth at a convention and had the time and spare change, I would if it were close enough to drive to and the booth cost under $500. Unless you’re an established developer or have a popular artist working on your project, it’s hard to justify that cost.

tip 5 – don’t forget to budget for…

booth costs

extra badges (most booths come with 2 free badges)

hotel

travel

food

merchandise manufacturing

any shipping fees (your luggage, merch, etc.)

display items, extra things for your booth

While you may find a booth for $250, you also have to remember the travel fees, cost of food, all of the extra items you’ll need aside from merchandise, and more. A $250 booth for a 3-day convention could easily end up costing you $2,000+, and that’s if you don’t pay yourself or coworkers for their time at the booth!

If you’ve never been to a convention before then definitely go to one as an attendee before becoming a vendor. Get a feel for the place and have some fun, even if it means you won’t be able to booth there for months or a year.

tip 6 – be sure to bring…

Some kind of handout for people with your game & logo on it (fliers, business cards, brochures, etc.)

Small stationary merch for your game (4×6 prints, stickers, etc.)

Corkboard to display things on and something to prop it up

A way to take card payments and cash for change

Hand sanitizer

Pen/pencil and sticky notes

Clamps

Tape

this is the inside of our old brochure! it details our different games and highlights some upcoming titles

I’d also try putting your demo on CDs to hand out to people who seem really interested if you can. CDs are pretty cheap to get now, and even if you just get a 50 pack that can run you around $12, which ends up being $0.25/CD. Not a bad cost for getting a potential fan, if you hand them out only to people who are really interested or package them with other merch and sell them.

Your main effort if you’re not an established developer, however, will be awareness. Talk to the people who stop by your booth. Tell them hi and explain to them what you make. I had several people clearly not understand what visual novels were, but I had many more who became interested once I mentioned we made these games. “Wait, you actually made them?!”

tip 7 – talk to people!!!

People at conventions think art is cool. They think indie games are cool. Be honest with them and show them your hard work. Yeah, this means you have to put on your extrovert cap for the weekend. Just don’t treat it like you’re a car salesman—you’re a game dev first and foremost and enjoy this line of work so much you want to share it with strangers at conventions. Let that shine through in your words.

All in all, conventions are stressful, tiring, and a lot of fun when they’re run well. If any of this sounds interesting to you and you find a convention close enough to you or one that will be relatively cheap to attend, I recommend trying it out.

------------

OffKai Expo was so, so much fun and I’m so happy I was able to attend. It was a well run convention, our booth did amazing, I got to meet actual fans IRL, and I was able to finally see a lot of my online friends in person. I was scared leading up to it but I’m so glad I pushed myself to go. Having an in-person panel there where the room was almost full absolutely blew me away—I kept asking “do they know what room they’re in? Did they get lost?” If you came to our panel or booth, thank you!!

— Arimia

read more of my articles on tumblr here!

[love-and-deepspace-wiki]

Linkon City Area

Okay, this is going to be a long one because there so much in and around this city to cover.

Motto(s): "City of Innovation"

City Organization:

The locals divide the city into defined areas/districts/zones. Here are the ones I've found mention of:

Districts:

Bloomshore District: the administrative district

Central Business District: where Flux Arts is located

Empyreal Ring District 23: a residential area

Entertainment District: a short, hundred-meter street tightly ensconced by grand, imposing buildings. There's a dark alley behind it where shady business gathers.

No-Hunt Zones

Defined Areas:

Hat Island

Whitesand Bay

Landmarks, Streets, Etc.

Azure Square

Movere Bridge: Near the Hunter's Association building

Tide Street: Near Azure Square

Feyre Street

Linkon Bridge

General City Resources:

Animal Shelter

Aquarium

Akso Hospital/Linkon Central Hospital

Deepspace Hunter's Association - Linkon City Chapter

Linkon Airport

Linkon's Child Welfare Institute

Linkon City Convention Center and Exhibition Center

Linkon City Hall

Linkon City Park

Linkon Museum

Linkon Public Library

Linkon Tourism Bureau

Meteorological Museum

Ring Imperial Center

Silver Screen Hotel

University of Linkon

[justforbooks]

Trina Robbins

American cartoonist and author whose pioneering work in comics included being the first female artist to draw Wonder Woman

The American illustrator and writer Trina Robbins, who has died aged 85, began her career in comics in her native New York in the 1960s as a contributor to the counterculture newspaper East Village Other. She also drew and wrote strips for Gothic Blimp Works, an underground comic.

Then came comic strips, covers and spot illustrations for the underground publications Berkeley Tribe and It Ain’t Me, Babe, often described as the first feminist newspaper, before before she put together an all-women comic, It Ain’t Me, Babe Comix (1970), followed by the anthology All Girl Thrills (1971) and the solo comic Girl Fight Comics (1972).

Her black heroine, Fox, was serialised in Good Times (1971) and another of her characters, Panthea, who first appeared in Gothic Blimp Works (1969), was a regular in Comix Book (1974-76).

She also became one of the 10 founders of Wimmen’s Comix, an all-female underground comics anthology published from 1972 to 1992, and in the late 70s was a contributor to High Times, Heavy Metal, National Lampoon and Playboy.

Later she adapted the 1919 novel Dope, by Sax Rohmer, for Eclipse Comics (1981-83) and wrote and drew Meet Misty (1985-86) for Marvel. She was also the first woman to draw Wonder Woman, in The Legend of Wonder Woman (1986).

Robbins’ wider interest in the history of girls’ comics led her to co-write a book about the genre, Women and the Comics (1986), with Catherine Yronwode, and later A Century of Women Cartoonists (1993), followed by a number of biographies of female comic pioneers, including Nell Brinkley, Lily Renée, Gladys Parker and Tarpé Mills.

Born in Brooklyn, she grew up in Queens, where her mother, Bessie (nee Roseman) was a teacher. Her father, Max Perlson, was a tailor who later wrote for Yiddish-language newspapers and published a collection of stories, A Minyen Yidn (1938), that was turned by Trina into a comic anthology in 2017.

At the age of 10 she graduated from reading wholesome animal comics to Millie the Model, Patsy Walker and others with female protagonists. The Katy Keene comic was especially influential, as it encouraged Robbins to make paper dolls and design clothing for them. She was also a huge fan of the jungle adventuress Sheena.

Having discovered science fiction at 14, Robbins began attending conventions, and at one such gathering she met the short story writer Harlan Ellison. At 21 he was five years her senior, but they dated briefly and he later wrote her into his film The Oscar (1966) as Trina Yale, played by Edie Adams.

Trina attended Queens College before studying drawing at Cooper Union, although she dropped out after a year. In 1957 she married the cartoonist Art Castillo; they moved to the Bay area of Los Angeles until he disappeared to Mexico and the relationship ended.

Working for a time as a model for men’s magazines, she was a cinema usherette when she met Paul Robbins, whom she married in 1962 following Castillo’s death. Her new husband wrote for the LA Free Press, which gave her access to the Byrds, Bob Dylan and other musicians, and she began making clothing to sell to musician friends, including Mama Cass.

Returning alone to New York in 1966 (she and Robbins eventually divorced, in 1972), she opened a boutique called Broccoli on East 4th Street, making clothes for exotic customers and having flings with a number of them, including the Doors’ singer Jim Morrison and the activist Abbie Hoffman; she also had longer relationships with Paul Williams, editor of Crawdaddy magazine, and the cartoonist Kim Deitch, with whom she set up a cartoon art museum on East 9th Street.

Her clothes-making got her into a song by Joni Mitchell, who wrote in Ladies of the Canyon that “Trina wears her wampum beads / She fills her drawing book with line / Sewing lace on widows’ weeds / And filigree on leaf and vine”.

After she had sold her boutique in 1969 and began to make her living in comics, there was no looking back.

Apart from her writing and illustrating activities over the years, in 1994 she became one of the founders of Friends of Lulu, a US-based charity that promotes the reading of comic books by women and the participation of women in the comic book industry.

Her later work on the history of women in comics produced three further books, From Girls to Grrrlz (1996), The Great Women Cartoonists (2001) and Pretty in Ink (2013).

She also wrote a number of books for children, starting with Catswalk: The Growing of Girl (1990), and including the Chicagoland Detective Agency series (2010-14) of bizarre high school mystery adventures.

For adults she wrote The Great Women Superheroes (1996), Eternally Bad: Goddesses With Attitude (2001), Tender Murderers: Women Who Kill (2003) and Wild Irish Roses: Tales of Brigits, Kathleens and Warrior Queens (2004).

Her most recent comic was Won’t Back Down (2024), a pro-choice anthology.

She is survived by her partner, Steve Leialoha, a daughter, Casey, from her relationship with Dietch, and her sister Harriet.

🔔 Trina Robbins, writer and illustrator, born 17 August 1938; died 10 April 2024

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at Just for Books…?

[kylesvariouslistsandstuff]

"I miss the artier, experimental older days of Pixar!"

You mean when... They were just a small bunch of computer nerds - including an ex-Disney guy who left during the studio's stagnating years - in the Bay Area making weird and experimental little CG short films? *That* Pixar?

All joking aside, I love the apparent simplicity of the first four shorts made during this era of Pixar. Right after being spun off from Lucasfilm (formerly, they were known as the Graphics Group), right after Steve Jobs bought them for $5 million in early 1986... An era where they were not only playing with the technology, trying to see what computer-generated imagery could achieve in the realm of classic-style character animation and anthropomorphization, but also an era where they were making films that you weren't seeing in mainstream animation at the time.

It's often written that the 1970s and the majority of the 1980s were such a dire time for American animation, and while it was far from perfect, these kinds of quick reductive statements brush over a WHOLE ERA of experimental and underground work that was happening in the background. Where few were noticing it. A body of work that was bubbling under the surface, and it finally came to a boil when it broke into the mainstream, helping make the 2nd Golden Age of Animation the monolith era that it was... A field that early Pixar arguably was once part of, when their work was playing at places like SIGGRAPH and not in front of millions of eyeballs.

Whether it's the use of freeform jazz music in LUXO JR., or the surrealism and melancholy of RED'S DREAM, the kaiju-like juxtaposition of a toy and a baby in TIN TOY, or Bobby McFerrin's accappella in KNICK KNACK, there's something quite offbeat about these early John Lasseter-directed shorts... They're silent, yes, but there's a lyrical quality to them as well, that channel more early Disney than the talky screenplay-driven storytelling of the majority of their feature films.

Heck, one can mount a whole argument that Pixar stomped that all out after signing a feature film deal with The Walt Disney Company in 1991... And that they traded this kind of pseudo-avant garde experimentation for 80-minute Disney movies... Like TOY STORY, like A BUG'S LIFE, etc. etc. They went too mainstream, mannnn.

Of course, I don't think that at all. At least, not in such simplistic terms... But I do feel that there is some kind of truth to that sentiment, though some of the beloved Pixar feature films do - I feel - preserve some that early short film weirdness. At least one short made after the release of TOY STORY, such as 1997's GERI'S GAME, still did this kind of thing. A lot of the post-TOY STORY shorts are more just cute and fun than anything else, sometimes conventionally emotional and personal but in a small bite. SparkShorts kinda kept those weird-era quirks alive, I'd say. But barely.

In other words, whenever very-online people grouse about how Pixar has lost its touch or whatever... Whether it was during the early 2010s (CARS 2-to-MONSTERS U era) or now, I think back to these early shorts... This whole myth that Pixar was some arthouse studio above the rest, when I don't think that was ever true. At least, not with the features. TOY STORY was a blockbuster from the get-go, and the studio hadn't seen a financial failure until 20 years later (THE GOOD DINOSAUR). Some of the films made by their more esteemed directors, the ones that were allowed by leader John Lasseter to do what they wanted, did wear some experimental ideas and themes, yes? That halcyon magical stretch of movies; RATATOUILLE, WALL-E, UP, ya know? But even those movies are still quite conventional at the end of the day. WALL-E, for example, would've truly been an "arthouse"-style movie if it had stayed silent the whole time or if the space stuff was less "save the world". Like, it's very conventional and quite audience-friendly I'd argue. It ain't FANTASIA or BAMBI, that's for sure. I still really love that movie, but you catch my drift, right?

I feel the majority of Pixar's pre-2010s movies came out at a time when critics didn't find much to chew on with other animated movies, "other" animated movies that kids took with them into the future and have turned into cult classics. The likes of TITAN A.E. and ATLANTIS: THE LOST EMPIRE and THE ROAD TO EL DORADO and such. So, to them and several online movie "experts", the Pixar movies looked like the gold standard. Or even the only game in town. Which made the reveal that they were a studio just like any other movie production company... Very shocking!

But really, this idea that they were a mesh of arthouse-meets-commercial in the late 2000s, with RATATOUILLE, WALL-E, UP, etc.... And that they threw that all away and started sucking? I think it's bunk. You want "arthouse" Pixar? The early shorts are that.

[fleurcareil]

Nova Scotia: North and West shores

Before heading to Nova Scotia, I'm visiting the Hopewell Rocks which are at almost high tide this morning so that people kayak around the flowerpots rather than walk on the ocean floor. The Bay of Fundy is infamous for its fog so many viewpoints did not have much to show but the walk along the cliffs was still a great way to start the day!

After having rounded the end of the bay through Moncton (which I visited a few years ago but didn't find interesting), I dove into Acadian history at the Monument-Lefebvre National Historic Site in Memramcook and at the Fort Beauséjour – Fort Cumberland National Historic Site. The first time I had heard about the Acadian people and their horrible deportation by the English had been in Cape Breton many years ago, so I knew their story but it was interesting to learn more... many of the original settlers came apparently from the area of La Rochelle in France, which is close to where my grandparents lived! The Lefebvre monument is at the first French college in the Maritimes, which allowed Acadians to get educated in their own language, which in turn spearheaded efforts to reclaim their identity. It was also the location of the first Acadian Convention in 1881, which continues to be held every 5 years celebrating Acadian culture across the world. Driving along Nova Scotia's north and west shores, the display of the Acadian flag everywhere shows that people remain proud to this day! 👌 The visit to the fort gave pretty views over the bay but also sobering thoughts as this was the site where the English deported many Acadians after having taken over the fort from the French (who had forced the Acadians to fight with them despite having proclaimed neutrality) ... It makes me shudder to be reminded time & time again of how brutal humans can be against each other!

A completely different type of history is told at the Joggins Fossil Cliffs, which is a UNESCO world heritage site recognised for its preserved sequence of Carboniferous sediments and, due to the high tides continuously exposing more rock face, a tremendous collection of fossils from the Coal Age. Not only are there tons of fossilized trees (the 3 pics below are from left to right of the outer cast of a tree trunk, a tree root embedded in the rock, and a trunk that tumbled down from a rockslide), but it is here that a fossil was found of the first reptile which could reproduce on land and which therefore is the ancestor of all land-based animals, including the dinosaurs and ourselves 😃. A guided walk along the beach allowed us to pick up random rocks and ask whether it contained a fossil, and most of the time it did! 😁 It was a shame that we were not allowed to take anything home (I already have a little fossil collection from Oman), but that's what conservation is about.

Final activity of the day is setting up my tent at Five Islands Provincial Park, close to the highest tides in the world (up to 16 meters!) in the Minas Basin, where I arrived at low tide so that I could walk over the seafloor to the first of the islands and have a look at the magnificent red cliffs (that don't contain any fossils). No single mosquito meant that I could watch the sun set over the bay in peace 😊. Next morning, the usual fog wasn't too bad so that I still had a bit of a view over the rocks from up high on a hiking trail.

Driving around Minas Basin the next morning, I tried to see the tidal bore that happens when the high tide water rushes into a shallow river but missed it twice (at the first place in Truro I was an hour too early and at the next place along the Shubenacadie River it had just passed), but to watch the speed of the water coming in was impressive nevertheless (I had taken a video but sadly only one is allowed per post & I got a cooler one further down).

Having spent enough time on the high tides, I drove slightly more inland and had a great time wine tasting at Luckett Vineyards in the Annapolis Valley. Similar to around Niagara, this region has many different wineries who have tasting rooms, restaurants and little trails for visitors. The highlight here is the red telephone booth, from which you can call free to anywhere in North America, so I made a call to my colleague Kathryn who had recommended the place! 😍

Before leaving town, I also visited the Grand-Pré National Historic Site, which was the largest Acadian village before the deportation and where a statue of Evangeline graces the grounds in front of a memorial church. Evangeline was a fictious character from a poem that became to symbolize the Acadian plight so she's quite a heroine around here with streets, shops and everything in between named after her! The Celtic cross indicates the place where the villagers boarded the deportation ships before the town was burned down.

On that gloomy note, it started to rain and it didn't stop for two days 😒 the delicious chowder (seafood soup) at a harbour restaurant in Digby helped to warm up after which I was very happy having booked a hotel for 2 nights!

Despite the crappy weather I still had a great day at Digby Neck, which is a series of 2 islands jutting out into the Bay of Fundy, connected by two little ferries whose timetables are aligned so it's one drive through. I had however left an hour early so that I could hike to Balancing Rock on the first island, where a large piece of granite hangs precariously over the edge of the sea. It's a beautiful, rugged coastline and also the boardwalk to it (with big-leafed skunk cabbage around the trail) was pretty so well worth braving the rain!

And then I had the most awful but also the coolest whale watching tour I've done so far... we spent about 3 hours off the coast of Brier Island in the driving rain on an open boat on a rolling sea looking for whales and seabirds... About a 1/3 of the tourists vomited and although I kept it in and was warm & semi-dry due to my many layers, it sucked!! There was nothing to see for a long long time apart from a few swimming seals and shearwater birds so the mood wasn't great, until two humpback whales called Foton and Litte Spot (according to the marine biologist) showed up right next to us!! They kept coming close to the boat and flapped their pectoral flipper on & on the water for some 20 minutes...something I've never seen before, really special! Swimming so close by, you could see their massive, grooved bodies and ofcourse their tails when they were diving deeper. On the way back, when the rain briefly stopped & the waves subdued closer to the shore, everyone was smiling 😃 however never been so happy to sit dry in my car waiting for the ferry ;)

The next day there was rain nor fog (woohoo!) so had a pretty drive along the west shore, where there's mostly small Acadian villages, the bigger town of Yarmouth where I got some beers from the local microbrewery and many, many lighthouses of which I chose three to visit. The first one was at Gilbert's Cove where you can walk up a ladder to stand next to the old light (now decommissioned). Outside, there were male eider ducks close by the shore so that you could see how truly large they are.

The second lighthouse I visited was at Cape Saint Mary, a tiny square (still active) building that you can't enter, but which has impressive rocks around it. Nearby Mavillete beach has pretty dunes and would be a great place to chill if it were warmer!

The third lighthouse that I saw is at Cape Forchu, southwest of Yarmouth, which is called the "apple core light" because of its shape. I can't imagine living on such an outcrop during a winter storm!

On the final stretch to my camp cabin for the night, I passed through badly burned forest west of Shelburne, which had been doused only the week prior... The fire had grown to more than 235 square kilometres and forced more than 6,000 people from their homes, destroying over 200 houses and other structures. It was very sad to see the "apple green" trees turned into all this black, stinking mess... That night, the smoke alarm in the cabin went off from time to time, which I was later told is due to remaining ash in the air.

Just before turning into the campground, I walked briefly around Shelburne's historic district, which was built largely by British Loyalists who fled from the US and started a new life here. It only being 4pm, the town was deserted apart from a few prom photo shoots which was funny to watch as they are still soooo young :)

Wildlife: 3 seals & 2 humpback whales (Digby Neck), 15 male Eider ducks. There's ofcourse also lots of shore birds all around the Maritimes, but whose name I don't know apart from gulls and cormorants which I'm not fond of, so ignoring those 😉

SUPs: none

Hikes: two at Five Islands PP, one at Digby Neck

[disneytva]

The Walt Disney Company Doubles Down “Disney Anime” Division With Expanding KODANSHA Partnership And Unveils Early 2023 Anime Season Lineup.

The Walt Disney Company has announced an expansion of its 70-year collaboration with the Japanese publishing house, Kodansha, to license exclusive anime titles starting with “Tokyo Revengers: Christmas Showdown Arc”, which will launch exclusively on Disney+,Hulu & Star+ in January 2023.

Yoshinobu Noma, Kodansha representative director and president, said in a statement: “

The special relationship between Kodansha and Disney stretches back over 70 years, and has seen us bring to life many Disney licensed publications. With today’s announcement, we are thrilled to be able to further diversify and elevate the relationship between our two companies and share even more of our beloved anime titles with the world on Disney+ and its streaming platforms.”

Carol Choi, executive VP of original content strategy, The Walt Disney Company APAC, added:

“We are thrilled to deepen our strategic collaboration with our long standing partner Kodansha on such an exciting genre. Japanese anime fills the white space in our content development plans and we believe this expanded collaboration will be a game changer in Disney’s future animation strategy in Japan. We look forward to bringing the anime titles and prized IP by Kodansha to the world stage.”

The announcement was part of a larger APAC Content Showcase, being held at Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands convention center, where a number of new exclusive Disney+ Originals were revealed.

Luke Kang, president, The Walt Disney Company Asia Pacific said:

“Last October, at our first APAC Content Showcase, we made our first step into local content production with an ambitious, long-term plan to uncover the world’s best stories from this region, and to showcase creative excellence that can shine on the world stage.  This year, it was important for us to showcase the breadth of our global branded content from our award-winning studios and iconic franchises, as well as our APAC content slate for 2023.”

“We are focusing our content development on what we refer to as our content white space. Investing in areas that require more local specificity – either due to high popularity in select markets, like Japanese Anime, K-Dramas or Indonesia rom-coms and horror, or the need for local storytelling with talent that are familiar to our local audiences. We want to serve our viewers in every market with globally branded content like Disney, Marvel, Star Wars and Pixar, as well as locally produced stories that resonate with them – while also taking the best of those stories global.”

Additionally Disney Anime Unveiled It’s Early 2023- Anime Season Lineup.

SYNDUALITY

村井の恋 

東京リベンジャーズ　聖夜決戦編

PHOENIX: EDEN17 

[helenandlarrytravels]

February 1st, Bayamo to Baracoa

Breakfast at 7:00, while presentation and service was very nice, fruit was papaya only, juice, watered down papaya and no butter for the small pieces of bread, only mayoand eggs. Shared my P.B. 😉

Hopped into a horse drawn carriage and were given a 45 minute tour of the city. It was really nice. Saw the 1st convent in Cuba, and the homes of the first two presidents of Cuba, the first being Carlos de Cespedes. The first sanctioned outdoor burial ground of the leaders of the revolution of 1868. Previously all burials were in churches. We travelled along a road where all trees had been destroyed by the last big hurricane, all the trunks have been carved into animals and they line both sides of the street. Last a monument to all of those that have died in the revolutions.

Left the beautiful state owned hotel, to get on the road. They were not able to supply us with the box lunch of ham sandwiches as they have a shortage of bread. Plan on stopping at roadside vendors to get fruit etc for lunch.

In the eastern part of the island still lots of old cars but mostly European or Russian models as opposed to North American. We did see what appeared to be a Cuban military base and they seemed to be initiating some new recruits. 

Stopped at a roadside stand a bought a large bunch of bananas for 100 pesos and a string of clementines for 200 pesos. Later again, we stopped in a small town and purchase small cheese 8” pizzas/tacos for 50 pesos each.

As we drove along, country fences are now made of different kind of cacti planted so close together that animals can not pass through. Brilliant idea.

In the last few days I have tried to summarize what I think I heard from our CEO and signage I’ve seen, however, due to no internet I have not been able to fact check, so I hope I am recording the proper facts.

So, during our ride today, we talked about the revolution again where Cuba revolted against Spain. The first revolution lasted 10 years from 1868 to 1878 and was not successful. Again they attempted in 1895 led by Matta, by 1998 they were actually seeking help from the Americans. The Americans came to their aid and there was a big naval battle that ended the revolution and occupation of Spain. Cuban thought they had gained their independence but the Platt clause from the US Government, was that if Cuba wanted to be an independent country, they had to allow a army base and that the US could intervene if Cuban leadership became questionable. Thus the Guatamanno Bay base. 

Takes a long time to get anywhere as you share the road with bicycles, horses and carts, rickshaws, motor bikes and cars and trucks. Flagged down by a police officer today, and when we stopped he was trying arrange a ride for his grown nephew on our bus. Answer was no.

We stop for our lunch at 2:30 p.m. at a beach on the Caribbean Sea where we had our pizza, pineapple, tomatoes and bananas. No sand on these beaches just polished rock and pieces of washed up coral. Proceeded to travel on a winding road through the mountains to Baracoa, for several hours. All S curves.

Arrive at our Casa around 5:30 p.m., Casa Elvira. Larry and I are on the 3rd floor and have an outdoor patio area on the roof. It is a  very interesting home and we are going to enjoy our few days here. The place is owned by Elvira and Alfredo. We joined our group for a short walk around the city, but it was dark already, so we headed to our dinner place which was a private house dinner. The chef was amazing. We started with bread and papaya juice and cream of pumpkin soup, then tomatoes, cucumber, yams, plantain and coconut milk mixed and green beans. A curry coconut sauce was provided with the vegetables. Main course was sword fish, chicken deep fried jams and another root vegetable. Dessert was sliced papaya and marinated glazed orange peel with cinnamon served with espresso coffee. Could hardly walk and all for 1440 pesos each. Walked back to the Casa, showered and to bed. Big day tomorrow.

[goodluckclove]

Bay Area, California! The first I remember being exposed to through my older sister was either Inuyasha or Fruits Basket. Both huge storylines I could barely follow.

The first I actually got super into on my own was probably Ouran High School Host Club? Maybe Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni?

I will say though that Death Note was my first manga series I completed (I read some Hideshi Hino but my dad already owned that). I also cosplayed (poorly) as L the two times I went to my towns yearly anime convention. Made my own Death Note and had people sign it. That was cool..

That post about death note being "everyone's first anime" (untrue statement) made me curious and now I want to gather data for science

Can you reblog this and tell me where are you from and what was your starter anime?

[8bitdigi]

Cosplayers of ANIME Impulse Bay Area 2024

Cosplaying has always been a tradition at every anime convention and ANIME Impulse Bay Area 2024 is no exception.

Cosplaying has always been a tradition at every anime convention and ANIME Impulse Bay Area 2024 is no exception. Many have worked to either add some touch ups to their cosplay or create something new that will premier during this special weekend. During the ANIME Impulse Bay Area 2024 weekend, many cosplayers were out in their best or favorite work. There are cosplayers who are dedicated to…

[onenettvchannel]

NEW OVERNIGHT: A Beloved Local Convention Event 'BABSCon' announces the final year of 2025 will be the last, leaving Brony fans in California and around the globe are heartbroken [#EQIManilaEXCLUSIVE]

Article published on April 13th, 2024 but it was delayed due to Summer Holiday break in the Philippines. We are so terribly sorry for the inconvenience.

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA -- It was a sad feeling for Brony fans of 'My Little Pony' in the Bay Area that the organizers of Bay Area Brony Spectacular (BABSCon), the local fandom convention have announced that 2025 will be their final event in San Francisco City. The announcement has caused many devoted attendees to feel a sense of emptiness and nostalgia for BABSCon's tightly-knit community in the post-G4 or 4th Generation of MLP.

During its first year, which started in 2013 when the popular cartoon animation 'My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic' was airing its 4th season on The Hub Network (before it was renamed several months later to Discovery Family in the fall of 2014). It has grown from being simply an MLP local convention to become a platform where enthusiasts can meet up for cosplays, panel discussions, merchandise vendors, and among other activities by the locals and around the globe.

A Californian travel vlogger named Mr. Kevin Patrick Hogan is one of those people who could most closely capture what BABSCon really means over time. In a video posted on his personal YouTube channel (owned by Google's Alphabet), Mr. Hogan chronicled the official closing ceremony of BABSCon 2024 held on Sunday night (March 31st, 2024 -- Pacific local time). His local footage showed the attendees sharing heartfelt goodbyes and memories of what they accomplished during the closing ceremony.

As we are getting nearer to 2025, when BABSCon will be held for the last time, fans have taken to social media platforms such as 'The X Network' (previously known as Twitter) to show their sadness and appreciation for things that happened in the event. Yet despite all these mixed feelings as a Brony fandom like us, many still intend to make good use of this year's convention time before it ends.

Further details about BABSCon 2025 plans were not available at press time from our e-mail correspondent to Equestria Inquirer Manila. However, judging from enthusiastic feedbacks on various online forums by bronies themselves, it is not difficult to believe that next year's final BABSCon will be an unforgettable experience filled with tears.

At the moment, you can register early or purchase tickets via registration.babscon.com, but there won't be any live streams from the organizer of the source event. However, you must definitely come in person, which yet to pay your own transportation and a hotel to stay for a few days.

Local and global fandom communities of MLP are saying goodbye to one of the oldest and most cherished gatherings that have always had an impact on BABScon-ners until now.

It's a saddened, heartfelt time when a long era is yet to end there. But it has not prevented the enthusiasts from joining hands in order to celebrate this magic and friendship which was a soul of Bay Area to be comforted after this post-4th Generation of the series in 'Friendship is Magic' era.

SCREENGRAB COURTESY: Kevin Hogan via YT VIDEO BACKGROUND PROVIDED BY: Tegna

SOURCE: *https://www.equestriadaily.com/2024/04/babscon-2025-will-be-last-one-set-for.html [Referenced Mini News Article from Equestria Daily] *https://louderyay.blogspot.com/2024/04/babscon-to-end-after-2025-con.html [Referenced Editorial Article via Louder Yay News Bureau] *https://www.babscon.com/2024/who-we-are/about-us/ *https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Little_Pony:_Friendship_Is_Magic_season_4 *https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uw0619SMBnk [Referenced YT VIDEO via BABSCon] *https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtZqJTE_yqk [Referenced YT VIDEO via Kevin Hogan] *https://www.youtube.com/@khog286 and *https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-hogan-663b7919

-- OneNETnews Team

[workersbushtelegraph]

The Fate of the Eastern Curlew

Toondah Harbour, in Brisbane, is located within one of Australia’s internationally protected wetland areas, the Moreton Bay Ramsar site. It is a critical habitat to some of our most vulnerable animals – dugongs, turtles, koalas and migratory shorebirds, including the eastern curlew.  Despite being protected under the Ramsar Convention and Australia’s own national biodiversity laws, the wetland is…

[gokitetour]

7 Stunning Tourist Attractions and Activities in Malta

Malta, nestled in the cerulean waters of the Mediterranean, is a timeless jewel, boasting stunning tourist attractions and a plethora of captivating activities. This archipelago beckons visitors to explore its compact yet diverse landscapes, with its historical tapestry woven from centuries of influence.

Valletta, the capital city, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with cobblestone streets leading to grand fortifications and architectural marvels. The Grand Harbour, steeped in maritime history, and St. John's Co-Cathedral, a Baroque masterpiece adorned with Caravaggio's masterpieces, provide a glimpse into Malta's rich cultural heritage.

With its pristine waters and shady coves along the shore, the coastline beckons adventurers seeking to dive and snorkel. The Azure Window in Gozo, a naturally occurring limestone arch that is now a part of maritime mythology, gives the landscape an air of otherworldly beauty. The megalithic temples of Ħaġar Qim and Mnajdra reverberate with the mysteries of Malta's prehistoric past, while the ancient city of Mdina reveals medieval charm through its winding alleyways to history buffs.

Malta offers a thrilling time, whether touring architectural marvels, plunging into azure depths, or exploring the pages of history. Every activity and attraction in Malta is like a brushstroke on the enchanted landscape, beckoning visitors to explore a place where natural beauty and history come together harmoniously.

Here are some stunning tourist attractions and activities in Malta.

1. St. John’s Co-Cathedral: If you're not sure what to see in Malta, start with St. John's Co-Cathedral. Caravaggio created two paintings for this cathedral, which was built between 1573 and 1577. The St. John Cathedral is a work of art and architecture from the Baroque period. It was constructed to serve as the convent congregation for St. John's knights. This church remains an important memorial and holy place of worship to this day. The Knights of Malta convent church was designed by Maltese military architect Gerolamo Cassar and sponsored by Grand Master Jean de la Cassière in 1572.

2. The Island of Gozo: Gozo Island is the most picturesque of the Maltese Islands. With its scenic pastoral landscapes, peaceful towns, and beautiful beaches, this island is ideal for a relaxing vacation while also enjoying cultural attractions. If you want to see the sights in Malta, this is the place to be. Gozo, while less defined than Malta, has a heavily fortified medieval town, Victoria; a busy coastal town, Marsalforn; and the Maltese Islands' most important archaeological site, the Ggantija Temples, which dates back to around 3500 BC.

3. Popeye Village: Popeye Village began as a film set for the 1980 musical production "Popeye" and has evolved into a distinct sun-soaked day for all young people in the core. Popeye and his famous friends will greet you and entertain you throughout the day with their various shows. Guests can enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime shooting experience with the animation team, where they will become a film star for one day. Other attractions include a Santa toy town, a boat ride (weather permitting), sunbathing decks, water trampolines, and a thrilling experience in the new 'Popeye the Comic Museum,' which contains over 100 original comics from 1936. If you're looking for things to do in Malta, look no further!

  4.Golden Bay: One of the most picturesque beaches on the island is Golden Bay in northwest Malta, where crags and a hilly shoreline protect the sandy shores. Bus stops are conveniently located near Golden Bay Beach; it only takes five minutes to walk from the beach to the bus stop. Golden Bay Beach is a tranquil retreat from the sea because it is remote from the road traffic, in contrast to other beaches in Malta. The beach's smooth, golden sands stretch along a vast stretch of coastline. There is a sizable area covered for safety, and the waters are calm and clean enough to swim in.

5. St. Agatha’s Tower: One of the main attractions in Malta, this tower—also known as the Red Tower—was built in 1649 between the two World Wars. It provides breath-taking views of the Ghadira Nature Reserve, Comino, and Gozo from every angle. Situated on the crest of Marfa Ridge is this tower. There was an empty alcove in the tower housing a chapel dedicated to St. Agatha. Because of its colour, it is also referred to as the Red Tower. When it was restored, it was kept and smeared. In addition, a stone staircase leading to the flat roof was demolished and replaced with the interior wooden spiral staircase. Lovely views of Comino, Gozo, and Malta can be seen from the roof.

6. The Parish Church of Mellieha: One of the interesting sites in Malta is the Parish Church of Our Lady of Victory, a stunning example of 19th-century baroque architecture with a beacon-based position at the top of the village. Every year on August 30, the Mellieha Village Festa features a parade through the city featuring the icon known as "Our Lady of Victories," which is housed in the church. This colourful celebration features traditional marching bands and fireworks. The church also features works by well-known Maltese painters, including Giuseppe Cali's St. Paul's Shipwreck.

7. Blue Lagoon: The Blue Lagoon is an amazing natural location with intriguing blue waters. With waves crashing onto a white sand beach, it has a feel similar to the South Pacific. Because of its stoic waters and kid-safe empty end, this austere lagoon resembles a massive hot tub. The inner part of the lagoon is roped off into boats and is great for surfing or relaxing in fast cabanas. There's a small beach in the lagoon with lounge chairs and umbrellas.

Malta's allure stems not only from its breath-taking tourist attractions and diverse activities but also from the seamless fusion of history, culture, and natural beauty that characterizes this Mediterranean jewel. Malta's timeless charm is enhanced by the architectural marvels of Valletta, the mesmerizing underwater worlds along the coastline, and the echoes of antiquity in places like Mdina and the megalithic temples.

Unlocking the wonders of Malta tourist visa from India, visitors necessitates meticulous planning, including the acquisition of a Malta tourist visa. Securing a Malta visa from Delhi ensures hassle-free entry into this captivating destination, where every cobblestone street and azure bay tells a unique story, whether starting the visa process from Delhi or any other city in India.

Visitors embark on an immersive journey that transcends the ordinary as they walk the vibrant streets of Valletta, explore the depths of the Mediterranean, or wander through ancient citadels. Malta welcomes visitors with open arms, inviting them not only to admire its beauty but also to engage with its rich heritage and dynamic present. The combination of historic sites, crystal-clear waters, and warm Maltese hospitality creates an experience that stays with you long after you leave.

Malta, with its picturesque landscapes and cultural treasures, serves as a canvas for memories to be painted in azure, gold, and ancient stone. It is a destination where the past and present collide, providing travellers from India and beyond with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be enchanted by the timeless beauty of this enthralling archipelago.