#the last one is from my General Itabag

[odessastone]

Got my order from @novicere today!

I think I’ve reached the point where I could make an itabag of Just these two 🤣

[ofieugogyshz]

F/O list

It has occurred to me that maybe I need a post version so I can link back to it for mobile.... So here's a basic copyedit of the desktop page. I apologize for the blown up icons. I have tried different ways to make this post and alas, it will only show up blown up. ....no wonder everyone is making carrds or other outside pages

Main F/O forever and ever is Lance from Pokemon.

It’s been about… 18 years??? long time. A very long time. And only recently has TPC/Game Freak been feeding us Lance fans some very good content. bless pokemon masters. His tags are #my champion, #notes from my champion, #notes from my husband, #notes to my champion, #notes to my husband, among a handful of others. Because we've been together for so long, I'm not comfortable sharing him, but it doesn't mean I won't interact! It'll just feel weird seeing shippy stuff with others ._.;

I have some familial f/os, though the idol kids are more like “best girl/best boy” and I don’t have an self-insert or interactions with them, to be honest. But I’ll proudly post about them and gush over how precious they are.

Speaking of the kids, here are MINE. I love these kids so much and they mean so much to me and bring me so much joy to see and light and I can't even begin to words how important they all are towards my happiness, so you'll just have to look in their tags and see.

Otoya is my most precious idol son, i love him so much, i have so many pins and an itabag for him. pls do not harm the sunshine or i will not like you. at all. eiichi. His tag is "my idol son"

Rin is also my most precious idol girl! She’s super energetic and ADHD and basically her and Otoya are practically the same person. Both super sunshiny idol kids who brighten my day! Her tag is "nyan daughter"

Nozomi is actually more like a little sister to me, even though she’s the Big Sister of the group! She likes to tease the others sometimes, but she’ll also offer advice to the group when its needed, and guided μ’s together from the shadow. She also reads tarot! Her tag is getting changed from “nozo daughter” to “nozo sister”.

Mari! I just vibe with her. Also the whole pretends everything is okay and tries to be super cheery and obnoxiously shiny. Plus, we both like metal. I love her and I feel for her okay??? Her tag is "shiny daughter"

Hanamaru too! she was the first aqours girl i liked, bc we’re both bookworms, and then she fell out as mari fell in (and the anime reduced her to zuramaru and *judges yoshiko*), but she’s fallen back in the more i see of her in the mobile game and in general! and i realize that we both aren’t the fit type but if she can do all the idol stuff then maybe one day I can too!! i forgot her tag, it might have been "zura daughter" or "book daughter"

I love all these girls and Rin and Mari tend to be the top two bestest girls. as a result of them being the high energy cheerful type, I’m anticipating that Ai will be my best Nijigasaki girl. so far, yes. Her tag is "aidol daughter".

Caulifla and Cabba are my saiyan kids but honestly i forget about cabba a lot whenever i try to list my son(s). their tag is “my saiyan children”, as i cba to make separate tags for them when I don’t come across posts of them as much anymore

I’m sure there’s others that I’m forgetting, but those are the main ones. I also sometimes reblog my friends’ fave llsif girls under “#tomato niece” “#rice niece” “#rubesty niece” “#buubuu niece” and "#mermaid niece". I’ll add links later . I also group the girls and otoya under the tag “my idol children”

There’s also my Pokemon family to consider, as I’ve come to realize that it’s more than just my husband!

This is my bratty stepson, Silver. He’s more Lance’s kid than mine. We snark at each other a lot, and there’s not much a “push come to shove” level of care between the two of us so much as “Lance would be disappointed in us if we let anything happen to the other”. But he’s grown a lot since Lance took him under his cape wing, and has become much better liked, even at the Dragon Clan. His tag is “Tsundere Stepson”

My cousin-in-law on Lance’s side, Clair. She doesn’t like me, like, at all. It wasn’t until our mid-twenties that she started to calm down on the major dislike she held for me. She felt it unfair that I wasn’t being held up to the same standards that Lance expects from her, and held it against me, though she’d never openly say why. Just a simple “I don’t like her!”, followed up by her searching for excuses when asked why. We still aren’t friends, and aren’t the first person the other would turn to, but we can tolerate being around each other. She’ll only do favors for/with me if Lance is the person asking her to help. Her tag is “Tsundere Cousin”

Miss Honey, from SwSh’s Isle of Armor! She’s so amazing, so pretty, and SUCH A GOOD MOM. She helps take care of the Dojo and its students, she used to be the CEO of a trading firm, AND she will kick your ass. She also helps the students’ mental/emotional health, she’s just so caring and kind and SUCH A GOOD MOM. did i mention she’s a good mom? because she’s my mom. Her tag is “Kickass Mom”

Cynthia is a friend!!! I’d say from.... was it 16 that DP came out stateside? Anyhoo she’s a very lovely person, can be pretty wise, definitely a fellow ADHDer, we get along about myths and can hyperfixate on those a lot, and she’s a good role model/big sister-type friend! She’s very helpful to those that ask for or need her assistance. also she shipped me and lance and stuck her nose into helping move that along but that’s another topic for another day . She doesn’t have a unique tag yet; it’s currently “cynthia tag tbd”

Lastly.... Moving out of Pokemon and onto the last member of my familial f/os

Say hello to my Grandpa Nevin. He is an old dragon and an outlier and should not be counted a very wise old man. He has so much wisdom and importance to me (and Chise) that I don’t think I would have enjoyed the series or cried as much as I have without him. He’s so very very wise and important. I don’t know what else to say, man. He’s just says important things that hit right to the heart. A different outlook on things, a way to make you rethink. His nickname for me would be something like “Teller of Tales” or something that alludes to me being a writer. He doesn’t have a tag yet.

Uncategorized: sometimes boogiepop is here and I’m not entirely sure why beyond “I strongly feel a connection to it”. Please behold the original cosmic enbity:

Anyways, that’s all! Thanks for getting through this list! 

[facethroughthemirror]

The newest additions to my Dr. Grey itabag, courtesy of @kittynaut! It’s taken me a hot minute to write this post, due to life stuff, but I’ve finally finished it! I really don’t know if it adequately captures how excited and happy I am about these pins, though.

I found Kittynaut’s medical-themed pins at Katsucon way back in February, but didn’t have the funds for them then. Enamel pins are pretty and so worth the money, but they are can also be mad expensive sometimes, and for someone between jobs with little con swag money, buying enamel pins just isn’t ideal. But, after I got a job, I finally ordered the blood bag for my birthday because I’d decided I’d stared at it long enough without buying it! And I was so happy with it that I ordered the syringe and the band-aid a little over a week later.

Multiple people have told me that these pins are such a perfect fit for an itabag for Emily, but even if they weren’t, I’d keep them in there anyway. They’re so adorable! My friend in nursing school actually seemed to get a little bit jealous when I told her I got the last rose gold blood bag, she wanted it for her clinical bag after I showed it to her. All three of the pins are just beautiful, I love them so much. They’re bigger than I expected them to be, and very solid, but they feel sturdy. I’m not exactly an expert, but I consider these to be very well-made pins.

I can’t get over the little blood drop part of the blood bag, it’s just the cutest little thing. It looks so happy to be here. Like, the whole pin looks happy, but the little blood drop looks so smiley and so content to be here. It’s just so happy. I love it so much. I’m also very glad I went with the rose gold finish for that pin because it looks so soft and sort of pastel. Which fits the tone of the bag much better, honestly. And I was actually a little afraid of breaking the chain on the blood bag when I was putting the pin into my bag, since I needed to position it a little weird in order to get it to look the way I wanted, but it’s holding just fine!

The band-aid matches way more perfectly with the character I’m making this itabag for, since it’s purple and matches her color scheme a lot better than the pink one does. It looks so cute next to the blood bag pin! They’re friends now. I feel like I remember seeing it labeled as “one sticky boi” or something at Katsucon and honestly I’m going to continue to refer to it as such. I love it. There’s a slight curve to it that makes it more interesting to look at than a flat band-aid design, and I actually really like that? A lot of “kawaii hospital,” menhera, medikawa, etc designs feature flat or crossed band-aids, and even the slight curve just makes it look a little better, I think.

The syringe is a b-grade pin “with defects,” clearly labeled as a b-grade pin on the etsy listing, with a general explanation as to why the pins in the listing were being labeled as such. This statement is not a complaint in the slightest, I spent the money knowing there could be a visible defect, since I really don’t mind defects at all! Honestly, I think they give the pin character, it sort of makes it feel like I’ve got a unique variant of the pin. (I don’t know if whatever defect this pin allegedly has is unique to it, but that’s still fine.) I can’t really even see a defect, I’ve looked, and I can’t figure out what it could possibly be. I also like how like... mischievous the syringe looks. Like it’s gonna start some trouble. I like the personality in that expression on the syringe especially. The smiles and happy faces on the other two are sweet and cute and nice, but I like how that pin looks like it’s gonna get into some Shenanigans™.

And I love the star pinbacks! They’re like noticeably easier to hold onto? And I love rubber backs for enamel pins, especially heavy ones like these, because they kind of keep the pin more stationary, I think? I have two ice cream cone enamel pins of similar weights to these pins in another bag, and they have metal backs and move around way too much. I’m convinced the rubber backs keep them more still. And I lose enough earbud tips, and so of course, I’m paranoid about losing such nice pin backs, and also losing the pin in the process if something happens to the back, but! The seller included a set of spare metal backs with each pin! While backs on itabag dwelling pins probably won’t be lost forever if something knocks them off, the spares are just super nice anyway. They’re currently living in the package the blood bag came in inside a pocket of my itabag. Just in case.

And speaking of the packaging! Look how cute it is! Ugh I love it.

As for shipping, I’ve spent I think maybe a little over $3 in shipping each time I’ve ordered from Kittynaut? Maybe? The shipping tacked on to the item in my etsy cart says $2.70, but it’s a significantly lighter and cheaper item. I believe that the shipping fees I paid were for USPS priority mail? Which is pretty quick, but I believe it’s still standard technically-standard shipping. I’m more impressed with the speed at which both orders were shipped out, each order only took two days to get here. It’s not like they were coming from across the country, just like two-ish states over, but still, I’ve ordered things that are shipping from places that I could have in theory driven out to in less than a day, and they've taken a week to get to me.

The blood bag pin was ordered on a Friday, shipped the next day, and arrived that Monday! The syringe and band-aid were listed as shipped the same day as I ordered them, which was Tuesday. I ordered them in the morning, I was notified that they’d shipped by that afternoon, and they arrived on Thursday!

Kittynaut has a wide array of other cute pins, accessories, trinkets, lanyards, soaps (that look like snacks and they look delicious and I would eat them if they were not soap), and other stuff available on their etsy, and you can find pictures of their merchandise on their instagram! I highly recommend them, the seller seems very friendly, and their products are definitely worth it. I don’t know if the medical pins are going to be restocked, but they’re going pretty quick. I recommend their egg kitties designs too.

[lunawings]

Yesterday on September 24th 2018 I went to the King of Prism Street Style Cheering Rally in Nagoya... Or so it was called. This was the second round in a series of swanky/expensive King of Prism themed hotel party event/cheering shows that have been doing. I went to one in Osaka last March. 

The only things that made this one different, and “street style” was that they offered protein powder and gave out these arm exercisers:

I thought it was just a gag gift, but there’s all these instructions on how to use them so I guess you CAN actually use them if you want to do some light training! I thought this was a much better gift than the curry spoon we got last time. 

We also got special messages from Taiga, Alexander, and Kakeru but alas they were kinda generic and I don’t remember them clearly. I do remember Taiga complaining about the showy hotel atmosphere haha. 

The main event was a Pride the Hero cheering show with a banquet. All the wine and curry you wanted! Osaka was a lot bigger and they ran out of things, but all we ran out of in Nagoya was dessert. I remembered to save some wine for the Glorious Schwartz toast but I ate my curry before the curry scenes again, d’oh. 

We even had the same emcee as last time, with his gold star for trying King of Prism character impressions. 

Even though I have been to one of these before, I was still pretty nervous going into it. Would the Nagoya girls go as all out as the Osaka ones? But as I started walking towards the event I began to see the same type of girls in oddly colored dresses carrying itabags and I was like like yup, my people. 

There will probably never be another event with as high a ratio of orange and green dresses. There was even one girl with an orange and green striped dress and orange and green ribbons all in her hair! I actually went out and bought a red dress for Shin specifically for this event. But I was still a bit wary of going all out and bringing my Shin bag since the event was street themed and he’s not a street character. So I just put a few of his charms on a nicer purse. But of course, there was another girl with a Shin bag, so yeah it would have actually been fine. Also everyone was taking pictures of their little plushies on the tables so I wished I had brought some of mine. You can never be too over prepared! I re-learned my lesson again. 

There was also the girl with the custom-made Yukinojo dress (the top half looked like his performance outfit), the girl with the big yellow ballroom dress with Over the Rainbow colored roses, and (even though cosplay was supposedly not allowed) the two girls who just showed up in the Edel Rose girls student uniforms. (I guess since they weren’t dressed as SPECIFIC characters ahaha...) I feel like I might have seen some of these people in Osaka too.  

I love this fandom so much. Really I do. Everyone is so friendly and responds to everything. When someone lost their ticket, we all clapped when it’s owner was found. Stuff like that doesn’t really happen in Japan all that much. 

So, about the showing, it was your average cheering show although none of them are ever actually average because I always hear a new thing or two. The new thing that stuck with me this time was people going WOOOO WOOOOOOOOOOO during the scene with Rei and Kazuki (imitating the background noise ahahaha).  

This was my first cheering show since.... the last hotel party I think though, which is a long time. I hadn’t really thought about how much has changed because of Prism Rush until I was watching it yesterday. Seeing Shin in his junior high uniform. Seeing Joji. There were a number of things that suddenly felt different. Pride the Hero suddenly feels so much older now. 

But anyway. Those thoughts aside, it was great to do cheering for the first time in months. I just wish I could get to more periodical cheering shows without having to pay for a hotel banquet ahaha.... After the Osaka party, I thought to myself, that was great but really expensive so I’m probably not going to do it again. Then this one came up and I was like.... IT’S NAGOYA. I HAVE TO. So that was my excuse. Hopefully the excessive amount to money went right back into the King of Prism series.

Next time... we’ll... we’ll see.......... I do have a nice red dress now...........what else am I gonna wear it to.........

[luckyno4-blog]

ONE    (  NAME  /  ALIAS  )  :  jessica / jess TWO   (  BIRTHDAY  )  :  november 29 THREE  (  ZODIAC  SIGN  )  :  sagittarius  FOUR  (  HEIGHT  )   :  155 cm (5′1) FIVE  (  HOBBIES  )  :  video games, mobage, graphic design, animal photography, shopping, itabagging, taking like 40 pictures of my food from different angles before destroying it SIX  (  FAVOURITE  COLOUR(S)  )  :  pinks + reds SEVEN  (  FAVOURITE  BOOKS  )  :  Brave New World and dystopian novels in general. also the Harry Potter series...because it’s the Harry Potter series. EIGHT  (  LAST SONG LISTENED TO  )  :  雨 (Ame/Rain) by MEZZO” [x] NINE  (  LAST FILM WATCHED  )   :   Flavours of Youth TEN  (  INSPIRATION FOR MUSE  )  :  

honestly, i think the history of HK and the ever-changing qualities of its cultural identity is super interesting to play with. like, just when i think I’ve gotten his character all figured out and nailed down, something new pops up and i end up wanting to incorporate it somehow.

he’s a chinese kid that really found his stride and success while growing up in western society, resulting in him feeling like he’s sorta stuck between both worlds without truly belonging to either. first of all, #same, but like, the story potential in that alone is huge.

overbearing asian parents are a thing that i’m very familiar with, yes

he’s been my baby for so long i honestly can’t imagine not rping him. there are also a lot of (mostly historical) scenarios i’ve yet to write for. sometimes it keeps me up at night :c

dank memes

he’s an adorable nerd and i love him very much.

ELEVEN  (  MEANING BEHIND YOUR URL  )  :  4 (四) is an unlucky number in chinese numerology because it’s pronounced similar to ‘death’ (死). so, it’s supposed to be ironic :B 

TAGGED  BY  : @viralvarsting

TAGGING :   whoever hasn’t already done this and would like to~  (ﾉ´ヮ`)ﾉ*: ･ﾟ

[montydollcrew]

The Experience - Getting my Luka

As I said before, I will soon be the proud owner of DD Luka - tomorrow evening is when she should reach me. Before she arrives I thought I would write about how the actual experience went down as something separate from the event reports I like to do. After all, while I initially wasn’t going to get her for a while due to recently buying a new laptop, one of the main reasons I wanted to get Luka at Dolpa was because there’s a good chance that it will be my last Dolpa I can attend for a long time, and I thought it’d be a nice memory. There have been numerous different methods of doing the limited dolls at Dolpa over the years, and recently its changed slightly again. If the process interests you, read on.

First, we arrived at Tokyo Big Sight bright and early. There are two lines - the general line and the Sumika line. The people in the general line have immediate access to the event itself and the Dealer space, but the line for the Sumika store - the store for licensed Dollfie/Dollfie Dream items - is for people who wish to try for the limited dolls - like me. The Sumika store doesn’t open for everyone else until after everyone in the Sumika line has already gone through it, so you have to decide if you want to try for (but possibly fail) the limited dolls, or try for (and possibly miss out on) dealer items of limited quantity.

The Sumika line had us standing about five or six abreast. An amazing coincidence - the person I was standing next to turned out to be one of my twitter mutuals who has a custom Kaito! She was there with her friend who was super hyped for Luka, and she let me take a pic of her itabag. 

I wasnt too far from the head of the line, but at this point, the position doesn’t actually matter as it’s not first-come first-serve.

Around 9:30am, the staff distributed numbered tickets to all of us - but vertically, rather than in the horiziontal snaking order we were queued in. (Meaning, my number was 217, the person in front of me had 216 and behind me 218, but the my twitter mutual next to me, who was technically the person in front of me in terms of the order we lined up in, had 139. So yes, the numbers were in some kind of order and not randomly distributed which is where I believe this method differs from one of the old methods I read about on the DD forums in the lottery guide, where the queue order was determined by the random number you received alone(correct me if I’m wrong on this as that info is gone now). 

After everyone had their number, some Volks staff addressed us with a megaphone and told us that there were over 900 people in the Sumika line. (I cant remember the exact number, but it was a lot). Obviously, not all these people can get Luka - not even half of them I would guess (although many people in the line were aiming for the other limited dolls - the two new SDs Lucia and Mia, and the rerelease of DDs Sheryl and Ranka). The staff member then drew three numbers from a box - ping pong balls with numbers from 0-9 on them. The person with that number would be the head of the queue. I remember it very clearly - it was ticket number 885! 

This meant that the queue order would be first 885, then all the people behind them, and then the rest of the queue from the very beginning. (885-->900andwhatever, then 1--->884. A moment of silence for the person who got 884.) At this point I wasn’t sure if that was good news for me or not, and I started looking around to see other peoples reactions. Some were pretty pokerfaced and others had started smiling. I calculated in my head that, since I would be the number 217, with 216 people in front of me and the people from 285-900andwhatever, that put my position roughly in the early 300s. I had read from SakuraSylph on the DD forum that any line position under 400 was a sure thing, but I was too anxious to believe it, and didn’t want to get my hopes up just in case.

That wasn’t the only reason I was feeling a bit nervous - it was also because i was in line to get a doll I hadn’t seen in person before, which i’ve never done for any of my other DDs. (I had been hoping thered be a display Luka in Akihabara before the event but there wasnt). Even though I knew that almost every single DD ever released looks better in person than the official photos, and I already liked Luka’s official photos, I still had a nagging feeling that I might not like her when I saw her. And then finally the line was moving into the venue through a back door near where the Sumika store was (a different point of entry to the people in the regular line), and the first thing we saw was the dolls in cases, letting us get a really good look at them as we went past, and I saw her.

And that was the moment I decided I definitely wanted her, but I still had no idea if I was even getting her today at this point. The Sumika store was still up ahead - first we approached a counter with one Volks Staff member at it.  On the counter were pictures of the limited dolls with numbers. There was no sold out sticker on any of them yet. When the guy asked me what doll I wanted, I was so nervous and so elated that I pretty much blurted MEGURINELUKA like a dumbass. When he asked for my numbered ticket, I accidentally thrust the ticket from Doll Show the previous day at him instead. I really hope I wasnt the only one that got like that, but I didn’t really care, because the next thing I knew I had this in my hand:

and then went back to stand in the queue still waiting to get into the Sumika store, and all I could do was stare at it. And then I thought ‘oh...I did get her’, and immediately messaged everybody who wanted to know. I didn’t know this at the time, but I found out later looking through tweets and time stamps exactly how close I was to missing out. According to those time stamps there were no more Lukas available not that long after I’d gotten my purchase ticket. I also found out just today that two people from the Fukuoka doll group I am in had also tried their luck and failed. So it was definitely a close call, and I feel even luckier about it.

The wait for the store was pretty long, but I didn’t care - I was holding that ticket so tightly because I was scared that I would drop it or something. I didn’t even want to put it in my pocket in case it fell out. But even though I didnt even have her yet, it felt very special. The Sumika store was even playing my favourite Luka song (Dreamin’ ChuChu by emon) so it felt extra special (and was also a relief, because although the song was only audible around the Sumika store area, the rest of the event space has the...extremely questionable playlist thats at every Dolpa, and needless to say I still have Dancing Queen stuck in my head)

Once I finally was able to go into the Sumika store I went right through it - I didnt even want to look at the other new items because I can get them from the Fukuoka store later anyway, and I’d rather save my money for the dealer stuff. At the cash register I paid for Luka, was instructed to come to the designated area to pick her up after 12, and then went off into the event hall to enjoy the event.

Some time after 12 I went to that designated area with my receipt. The staff member went out the back and came back with a huge box, and I’m thinking ‘oh shit! That’s my one!’ As I took the box another staff member took a photo, explaining that they were taking photos of ‘the moment the owner receives the new doll’. I have no idea what they do with these but he did at least tell me they dont put them online without permission. 

Just like the other vocaloids, Luka’s box is huge...honestly annoyingly so. I don’t really know how I’d get her on my flight home without either paying extra or unboxing her now/throwing the box away (or maybe folding it up). Since I wanted to unbox her at home I decide I wouldn’t open her and would mail her back to my apartment. Luckily Dollpa has a booth just for this with various boxes of all sizes (including one big enough to fit four doll boxes in...) As I was going to be busy with a few things and didnt want distractions, I made the delivery request field be the night of Thursday 10th.... tomorrow after work, now. 

It was pretty hard to resist the urge to just have a quick peek at her but quickly boxed her up and sent her off.

Many other people at the event were not so patient, and so after 12 there were quite a few Lukas around the event space. Some people had even already put her in different outfits and wigs. I might show some of those when I do a report post.

Anyway, that was my experience - I dont know if it was interesting to anyone other than me, but it was my first time experiencing getting a DD in this way. Among other things such as getting to hang out with some friends from the forum, it certainly made it a Dollpa to remember.

[765allstars]

hi there! I was scrolling the imas tag and saw @freyjaofthenorth post there phone case, it screamed imas! I was wondering, do you mods also have phone cases like that? or anything which signals you being producers?

Post mentioned here

Mod 720P:Most of my im@s consists of stuff that sit on my shelf most of the time...but, I do have some stuff that I use on a daily basis that show off my inner producer-ness!

For the most part, I use to make a bunch of different 765 themed phone backgrounds that I’d flip through every once and awhile. Unfortunately, I lost most of the originals and project files when transferring to a new computer.... orz

Here’s some of the artifacts I’ve recovered of the last set I was working on!

As for other everyday carry items I’ve been using a Miki carabiner for my bike keys since like 2014! The things pretty sturdy I have to say! Then there’s also an Anzu phone case that I use to use, but the edges started cracking, so it had to be retired… Also, hey, another artifact of one of the phone backgrounds! (RIP ipod touch)

Also, clothes! \o/

I generally fly under the radar with these items, but if you know then you know.

I guess I’m pretty subtle when it comes to im@s stuff...unless you look at my phone backgrounds. Looking back at all of them really makes me want to start making them again. So maybe you guys will see more of them soon™!

Mod Takanya:[cracks knuckles] MY TIME HAS COME. I actually own so much im@s merch but most of it usually stays hidden away in my room. I bought an official phone case+screen protector for S.E.M! I like it because it doesn’t feel too embarrassing to have around non-fans (cough cough school and work people). I’ve since changed the background, but the adorable fanart pictured is by siderakugaki on twitter!

As for less subtle things, well…

that’s not even all my kaede stuffs, I’ve really got an overapundance of the pun queen I don’t really ever plan on carrying my itabags in public, buuuuut if anybody’s going to Katsucon I may or may not be carrying these while cosplaying Kaede…!

Mod Kirarin:And at the end of the pile, we have me. While I’m not nearly as impressive as Takanya; I do enjoy showing myself to fellow Producers!

I change my phone case on a day to day basis, whichever suits my mood for that day. The one thing that doesn’t change, however, is me using an idol cell phone strap! Just as with the cases, I change which idol I use depending on how I feel, but Minori is my usual go to~

Pretty obvious who my fave boys are, huh? I hope to get some idols from other sides of the franchise, soon, but haven’t decided which. -v-

Alongside the straps, my phone wallpapers (see below) and ringtones (currently Valentine by 765 Miki and the Futami Twins) are a pretty big giveaway!

(Wallpaper by Stinkyhat)

As a whole, I’m not too subtle, but also not glaringly obvious~

[gaysaeki]

(kpop) fanmeet/concert tips!

I generally join a lot of Facebook groups revolving around a Kpop event and see tons of people asking the same thing over and over again, I generally have pretty good preparation when attending one and thought I’d share my recommendations! Mind you, these are from my personal experience and not some sort of mandatory guide you should follow so please don’t feel like I’m demanding you to do these things - just trying to help with some pointers!

What is okay to bring:

Bags/purses and small backpacks. This may vary from venue to venue depending on security, but the biggest bag I’ve brought and was allowed to have was an itabag (pictured below).

Your fandom lightstick or a glow stick if you can’t afford the former

SOMETIMES a fan sign. Depending on the size, security may not let you bring it in if it’s large or incredibly bright and will ask you to return it to your car or leave it outside, a lot of the times, signs are trashed by convention center staff because their job is to keep the venue clean. A modest size would be about the size of a binder when opened flat. 

What is not okay:

Cameras - Your phone camera is fine, sometimes a venue will discourage you from using even those but there’s honestly too many people not listening for staff to try and stop you. However, DSLR/point and shoot cameras (anything with a lens that can extend/zoom) will generally not be allowed. Fansites tend to get away with this sort of thing though by breaking down their cameras and hiding them on their person. 

Water bottles - Totally fine to have with you in line, however when you start passing through security, they will make you toss it. I have a small hack roundabout with this because I think it’s dumb to have to pay $5 for a water bottle inside the venue but I won’t share it on this post

Food/snacks - Some exceptions are made, but high probability that you will be asked to trash it as well

Anything that can be a threat to yourself or those around you - I sometimes forget I carry a knife/tazer/pepperspray all in one. Sometimes it passes through security other times I get busted. You will be in a safe area surrounded by people so there’s no need to carry this sort of thing as long as you either stay in a group or have an uber come for you from the venue. 

Recommended things to have:

A portable battery/phone charger pack (or two)

Earphones

Something to drink and snack on if you’re in line for awhile

Both cash and card for (merch may take both, but venue parking will ask for cash)

Your ticket

A few items of make up for touch ups if you decide to wear any

Cold weather: 

Air-activated hand warmers. They can be bought in any convenience store for a few dollars and usually comes in a pack of two or more depending on which one you have. They claim to last 10 hours and I’ve never had to use one that long to test the theory but they will definitely do the trick

A few layers of clothing, you can always strip down if it’s not so bad out. Please don’t be afraid you’ll look dumb, I’ve seen a lot of fans pass out/get very ill because they were worried about their appearance

Gloves help a ton! Usually when I have gloves but want to use my phone, I also bring a stylus

A disposable one dollar rain poncho. Almost every event I attend it rains, and if it doesn’t, you can always use it later. There’s nothing worse than waiting in line for hours at a time in the freezing cold, and lo and behold, RAIN DOWNFALL.

Hot weather:

Freeze a few bottles of water and bring them with you in a plastic bag, this will keep you hydrated and cool. This can work with any other liquid you want to use instead though water is probably the best option 

An umbrella/sun parasol also helps a ton to keep the sun off of you. There will be small areas of shade but more than likely it’ll already be overloaded with other fans trying to avoid the sun

SUNBLOCK ( and bug spray/mosquito repellent) 

A small handheld fan also does wonders, bonus points if it’s one with a mister (be sure to check if the mist part works - a lot of retail stores sell wonky ones that don’t serve their function)

Dress comfortably, chances are you’ll be in line for hours. With this being said, I don’t quite recommend a full face of makeup until an hour or so before doors open unless you’ve got a hell of a make up stay spray.

Check the weather on the day of the event, you may want the rain poncho here as well if you’d rather not have the umbrella 

Pre-planning:

I highly recommend using Facebook to network, as there are usually groups dedicated to that specific event and quite a few locals will be in it. Generally FB has all the latest updates and often times there will be people creating Kakao/Line group chats to befriend fellow fans or meet up at the venue.

Please don’t let batteries sit in your lightstick. Some of you will say ‘well I’ve left batteries in mine for months and nothing’s wrong’, good for you, but nothing wrong with being safe than sorry. Many people have said the batteries have melted inside of the lightstick so it stopped working, or the batteries ran out even though the lightstick was rarely in use, etc. Just bring the batteries outside of your lightstick, as well as some extra ones in case it dies during the concert.

If you’re coming from out of town/state, secure a hotel that is within reasonable distance from the venue. There are always people coming from far away looking for roommates. If none of you have a car, Uberpool is an option. AirBnb is also a cheaper option. If you’re not picky, I actually have a strong preference for staying in Motel6′s because they’re cheap, usually conveniently located and though lacking basic amenities, is still a bed and that’s all I need. 

If you have a car and are choosing to drive to the venue, expect to pay anywhere from $15-35 for parking. There can be other places to park but it all varies from location to location. It’s best to ask any locals for this sort of info as well as food-wise and attractions if you’re also going to sight see. 

Always try to get a ticket from the official site that’s selling tickets for that venue. Don’t give up if the tier you want sells out! There’s usually people on various social media sites trying to sell extra tickets or their own,just be patient and people will be trying to sell like crazy. However, scammers are on the rise right now, only ever pay through Paypal Goods & Services so your money is protected, if the seller tries to coerce you into paying another way, this is a strong sign they will rip you off and run off with the money and you will not get a refund. The fee from Goods and services is a very small price to pay in comparison to the hundreds of dollars you’ll lose otherwise. Always keep screenshots and ask people often if you’re not confident in the purchase, as scammers will often steal other people’s photos and send it to you passing it off as their own.

Many fans will try to meet the artists at the airport which is a hit or miss thing, it’s great you like them enough to want to see them as much as you can and to welcome them to town, but they’re tired. Be respectful and follow security’s instructions. Don’t mob them.

Waiting in line:

Depending on the tier you have, the time you want to get to the venue will vary.

If you have a pit ticket, the earlier you come, the better but it’s not guaranteed because people cut like crazy and push. The longest I’ve waited for a concert was Exo, where we arrived at 5am and there were about 100 people camped in front of us, and we were let in at 8pm. We got barricade because we ran. To gauge the best time, it’s best you ask the group when people in your same tier would recommend to arrive. I always aim for before noon if I have pit even if the concert is at 8.  If you have a lesser tier and it’s seated, you can honestly come whenever you like. 

If you are P1 and P2, chances are you have a perk. This can be a group photo, a fan sign, or a hitouch. You will be sent an email from whoever brought the group to that location of what time you should be there to pick up your wristband. This wristband lets staff know you have a perk and some priority. If you can’t make it in time, no worries, there will be another table inside the doors that have staff that have wristbands for you. 

MAKE FRIENDS IN LINE - almost always the people around you will be friendly, you’re all here for the same reason after all. This is so that you have people that can save your spot in line and vice versa should you decide you want to make a food run/use the restroom. This will also just give you a way to pass the time and network. 

Because you’ll be in line for so long, I HIGHLY recommend you eat before you come with a few snacks for the wait. The line will be intense, but it’s not worth fainting because you didn’t take care of yourself. Drinking to stay hydrated is also important, but I like to ration water because I don’t want to use the restroom often because you don’t ever know where a restroom is and if a company will just let you randomly use their restroom (unless it’s fast food or a big retail store). Sometimes the venue security will let you in to use the venue restroom but less than half the concerts I attend let us do this. 

If you come early enough, fans that are generous enough to make things may give you free or cheap fanmade keepsakes. I LOVE LOVE LOVE these things. They can be anything from prints, bias hearts to even water. They only make so much so it’s not guaranteed you’ll get something but it’s one of my favorite things when attending an event because I’m a scrapbooker, I like to have something small and flat to put into my travel journal. Often times there will be  a group of fans that volunteer to hand out fanmade banners and/or colored bags to put over your lightstick if there’s an ocean project. I always have more than I can carry so I like to bring a larger bag.

Concert time!

You can buy merch before and after the concert. Cash or card is accepted but be aware that the lines after the concert will be long and you will be cut often by people playing dumb.

Be prepared to stand even more during the concert (this is why I like to sit in line for as long as possible), even though there will be seats, fans will stand for the entire duration of the concert, the only exceptions would be during the beginning when people are coming in, and VCRs. 

There’s almost always a snapchat filter! Fans have paid for this filter to become a real thing so it’s great to appreciate and use it!

Inside will be a concession stand, however it will be pricey but definitely worth to have something to wet your throat because you will scream a lot

Concerts generally last an hour and a half to two hours. I typically leave venues around 11, 11:30pm at the latest after my perk when there’s yet another crazy line.

PLEASE BE CONSIDERATE OF THE FANS AROUND YOU AND DON’T HOLD UP YOUR SIGN/BANNER HIGH/FOR LONG PERIODS OF TIME. You are obstructing someone’s view, you do not deserve to be there any more than the people around you so be courteous. If someone is doing this to you, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with asking the problematic person to lower their lightstick/banner.

For the love of god, please don’t throw anything at the artists. This is dangerous for the idols, the fans, staff, etc. You’ll compromise what would have  been a good thing by doing this.

If you have a perk, you will not be allowed to record it. Staff will confiscate your phone if they see it when you go up for your photo or hitouch. Some organizers may record their perks but not many do. 

After concert:

Your perk will go super fast because the idols have a ton of people they have to get through as quickly as they can. You can try to talk to them but staff will yell. I literally accepted that my Seventeen hitouch was way shorter than my KARD hitouch and you can tell just how bad that is. Since this is the case, my absolute recommendation is to make eye contact, this makes the hitouch feel longer and that there’s a connection. I know it may feel awkward and uncomfortable but this is what I find always makes a hitouch last longer in my head.

Guilty of this, I am. I van-wait, quite a few others do as well. Fans will wait outside the doors after the concert where vans come to retrieve the idols. Security will set boundaries, please follow them. When the idols come out, do not mob them or the vans which sounds like such basic knowledge, but I have seen way too many fangirls rush through, slam themselves against the van as it pulls off, bang on the windows, follow the van from all directions (Even from the front of the vehicle). This is terrifying just to watch from outside, imagine how it is for the idols who are stuck inside and moving away from the windows because of how aggressive people are being. This is for everyone’s safety. 

Just cheer for them, tell them thank you. They often cannot accept gifts so don’t try to sweet-talk a staff member into giving them one for you unless it was pre-established that gifts are okay.

If you are parked a ways away from the venue, please try to find someone that is walking in the same direction and go with them. Better safe than sorry.

Thanks for bearing with me on this super long read, but I tried to cover every aspect I could remember with as much detail as I can so people would know what to expect. I hope this was of help to people!