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Messages - ZeroBudgetGamer

#1
General Anime Chat / Re: Is Cosplay Color Blind?
May 14, 2015, 10:43:29 AM
Cosplay elitism will almost never fade, and it will always be a little ingrained in our psyches.  As Sunara mentioned, when given the same cosplay, same quality, people will naturally gravitate towards the person will the more "accurate" physique.  This does not mean that the person with the "less accurate" physique shouldn't try, they just have to work a little harder to make their cosplay shine.

Personally, I am a large person, I'd look perfect as Chouji or the Heavy from TF2, but I'd be ill-suited to the more standard of gaming and anime fare.  And, again, personally, I'm OK with that.  I'd rather cosplay a character that I loosely resemble than try to don some lighter character's wardrobe and pretend I'm them for a weekend.  But that's me.  I have no problems with people cosplaying characters that they don't perfectly match.  Do what brings you the most enjoyment.
#2
Quote from: Nina Star 9 on May 11, 2015, 08:59:02 PM
I know you all love my open mic selections! I'm glad. :] I can't really pull off a lot of that for a contest, but I do have fun singing it. I'll be bringing my usual mix of jazz, shibuya-kei Guitar Vader, Megumi Hayashibara, etc. this year, so look forward to it!
Damn, sounds like I've been missing a lot hiding away in that massive Gaming Hall these last two years.
#3
Dealers Room / Re: Your Shopping List
May 14, 2015, 10:15:43 AM
Always gotta get me some SharkRobot, for starters.  3 shirts for $50, as a 4-5XL guy, is a steal!

Besides that, I'm going to be on the lookout for Monster Hunter Merch, specifically some more plushies.  I really want a Lagiacrus and Gore Magala to go with my Azure Rathalos and Brachydios.
#4
I know a lot of people are repeating the "Wait till Monday" rule for the Gathering Hall, but that's a double-edged sword.  My first Fanime was back in 2013, which was also when I got hardcore into Monster Hunter.  They had a meetup that year and a few of the con-goers managed to snag some sweet MonHun Plushies from the Hall, so I became driven to find the stall that had them.  I checked everywhere in that Hall Sunday, no luck. Asked around and got the specific spot, went back on Monday, and sure enough, they had sold out of them all on Saturday, probably before the meetup.  I also like getting shirts from the SharkRobot stall at every con I go to, but a couple times when I've waited too long, they've ended up out of my size for the shirt(s) I wanted.

Long story short, even if you don't BUY anything, go into the Dealer's Hall and examine EVERY stall at least once on Friday.  Some stalls will have impressive amounts of stock handy, but others are limited to what you see on their tables.  Getting a deal is great, but waiting for that deal to come and losing out on something you really wanted in the process can put a damper on the good times.
#5
I'm a pretty low-budget con-goer, so here's how my budget usually works, after Hotel and ticket costs:

Gas/Parking: This is usually fairly cheap, depending. If you don't get a hotel near the con, research the parking garages in the area. A few have weekend and/or Early Bird Deals that end up costing you only ~$5-6/day. Gas is all dependant on how far you're traveling to get there, but it should be factored into your budget, both the amount to get there and to get home.

Food/Water: As others have mentioned, there are plenty of restaurants in the area, but you 're going to pay a pretty penny. Far better to bring some stuff for yourself. If you're strapped for cash, I find the simplest necessities for a con to be,
1 Sweet Item
1 Salty Item
1 Case of Water
1 Meal Item
This can be, say, cookies, chips, and cans of soup or bread and peanut butter, but it should be enough to last the weekend. That being said, I usually also set aside a certain amount of my budget to eat out, but only one meal per day.

Merchandise: Again, as others have said, this boils down to your own personal spending habits, what you think you might find, what kind of art you might want commissioned, etc. I should mention that having a smart phone or laptop handy could be valuable, as some vendors might overcharge for their products in the vendor's hall; I haven't seen it too often, but it's always a possibility.

Personal/Hygenic: Less of a cost thing and more just good advice, I'll reflect what others have said. Shampoo and Soap, Deodorant and Toothbrush/Paste, (multi)vitamin  ( c ), and a bag to hold stuff. Since you're cosplaying, you probably don't want too big of a bag, and probably something that fits your cosplay, but that might be hard to find on short notice.

Also, a quick tip about "con flu", dehydration is another culprit to look out for. That's why I mentioned a case of water in supplies and nothing like soda or sports drinks. I went to Fanime last year and drank almost nothing but Gatorade and soda and by Monday my whole body was ready to quit on me. My throat was on fire from the concert on Saturday and shouting in the Gaming Hall all day Sunday, and I gave very little to help my body out, so I ended up being worthless to society for almost a week afterwards. So while you should be careful to not catch anything from others, don't forget to treat your own body well during this weekend.

And in case you were curious, my tentative budget right now is:
Parking/Gas: $50
Food: $60 pre-con, $50 at-con
Merchandise: $150-200
#6
Bink's Sake - ? ? ? - One Piece
Jigoku no Sata mo Kimi Shidai - Jigoku no Sata All stars - Hozuki no Reitetsu.
It's the Right Time - Said Miura - Parasyte: the Maxim

I actually have karaoke versions of the first two if that would help you.
#7
Aww, I'm jealous.  I'm a big guy, myself, so I can't really do much onstage.  Plus, my songs are chosen more based on what works with my voice, so cosplaying is kind of difficult.

Still, though, bunny suit and dancing...my mind immediately thinks of Problem Children from a few seasons back; that ending song was awesome, I still listen to it now and then.

Quote from: Nina Star 9 on May 03, 2015, 08:54:15 AM
Just out of curiosity: why are video games excluded from the "must be anime" requirement? It seems like songs from Japanese games, especially those with anime styling or otherwise overlap into anime fandoms (whether as overt as Idolm@ster where that's a lot of slippage between the two or where there's just a lot of stylistic and fandom overlap like many JRPGS, shmups, etc.), should still be able to fulfill that requirement, since it would still be themed to the show. Is it just too difficult to police the game requirement (origin of both the game and the song)? Or do you want to limit it to specifically anime because it's specifically an anime con?

I don't know if you can really discuss the reasoning for the rules, but as I said, I'm just curious.
and not at all bitter that I don't watch a lot of anime or know a lot of anime with music that would be singable for me, but can bust out all sorts of songs made for video games...or bitter that about 85% of anime music with female vocalists tends to be /totally/ the wrong vocal range or style for me, though maybe I'm just not getting a broad enough view of anime music because I don't really listen to it

That's an interesting thought.  I know that when I come to these karaoke contests, as new as I am to them, I try to focus only on Japanese music, even if I'm pulling from video games.  Though, it's not like they're banning video game music outright, they just want to make sure you have at least one anime-sourced entry, kind of like how in school they'd require you to have at least one book source with reports, even if you could get all the knowledge you need off the Internet.  Hell, at Sac-Anime Winter this last January, the winner of the contest did so singing the Theme song from Metal Gear Solid 5.

And yeah, I feel you on the vocal range front.  My voice is terribly-matched against the higher-pitched fare you get from Japan; try as I might to match it, it just destroys my voice, so this year I'm trying to work with my voice to find songs that work for me, even if I may sing them a little differently from how the original was.
#8
I'm back, with another unique question regarding the prelims.  I may have come up with a different (possibly better) song for the prelims, but it doesn't have a legitimate karaoke version.  It DOES, however, have an Instrumental version that has a wind instrument playing in lieu of lyrics.  It's a game song, and both versions can be found within the source game (yet strangely NOT withing the game's OST).  I already know I can make changes to my chosen songs at the con, but I'm wondering if the...uniqueness of this song is allowed.  Time-wise, it fits nearly perfectly, going only a couple seconds over the 1:30 bar if singing the first verse/chorus, and I can actually find a version that stops shortly after said verse/chorus.  If I were to use this song, would I be able to use the Instrumental version without penalty, or would I have to find a means to create my own karaoke version (I've heard people talking about Audacity, but I know nothing about it)?
#9
I figured as much.  The problem is, the longer it takes me to decide, the less time I'll have to practice.  I know my prelim song inside and out - I could sing it acapella if I so desired; the problem comes down to time.  I'm kind of a stickler for singing a song from beginning to end in my personal time, so the thought of having to cut the song short just makes me nervous about my delivery of it.  There's also the thought of the song's impact, if it truly has enough to wow the judges, and/or if other people's choices will overshadow mine.
#10
Glad I checked here, I was having the same problem.  One apostrophe was barring my entry, but that's all fixed now.  Gotta say, I'm a little nervous, since I'm kinda uncertain about my prelim song.
#11
Quote from: Ska on April 20, 2015, 12:35:56 PM
Quote from: Jupeboxgal on April 18, 2015, 10:58:49 PM
1) Are the song time limits still 2:00 for the first round and 5:00 for the finals?
Our preliminary song limit actually changed a couple years ago. In the rules it's now stated as:

Quote from: KKD Contest Rules
Preliminary/Qualifying Round
1.5 minute OR verse/chorus
The timing starts from when singing starts. These rules will allow you to perform a song that is edited for a TV opening or ending. For more unorthodox songs, a minute will give you plenty of time to show your stuff. These are soft limits and you are faded out gradually depending on where you are in your performance and other factors. You're always welcome to start your song at a certain point, or fade out after a limit you set for yourself though! Just talk to me about it at the tech desk and we'll make it work.

Oh no!  I was hoping to sing Bink's Sake from One Piece as my opening run.  During Winter's Sac-Anime, the guys running that one let another person sing that song from beginning to end, I guess because the only valid stopping point (EDIT: Break in the singing) is around 1:15 in, 1:05 when you cut the no-singing beginning.  I love that song, but until then I never considered singing it because it was too long for a round one entry and too short (IMO) for a round two entry, so I got hyped when I thought I could sing it the whole way through as a round one.  There's not really a good point to cut into it midway, either.  Do I have to find another choice now?

...or, as a second thought, am I allowed to keep singing after you fade me out?  At least until I get to a valid stopping point in the song?  I certainly wouldn't want to get cut-off mid-verse.
#12
I've got my songs all picked out, now I just need to practice!  My buddy I always go to cons with might even do some Karaoke for fun this time, so I'm super excited!
#13
It was a different Ralph and the game wasn't perfect, either, but that's still a nice find!
#14
I know there weren't a great deal of people who saw it compared to the whole of the congoers, but I was wondering if someone had a good shot of Wreck-it Ralph toppling the giant Jenga tower on Sunday?  I tried to take a video of it with my camera but it unfortunately turned out blurry (I forgot to focus the thing before hitting record) and I wasn't able to take any still shots.

I realize this is a bit of a long-shot asking here, but that was a really great moment of this con.