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I took some pics of your afternoon gathering.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/sunara_ishi/sets/72157651235379084
My camera is old so the pics are so-so.

I hope someone else shares pics of the midnight gathering as I was unable to stop by to see it. (My camera can't do night photography anyway... )

I stopped by briefly and took some pics:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/sunara_ishi/sets/72157651235379134

Sorry I was unable to attend in costume. I had to choose between two costumes because of the whole parking situation... costume changes were going to be too hard.

I did stop by to take some pictures. I arrived a little late due to going to the wrong place & then having trouble finding an exit.... -.-;
Anyway... Pics: https://www.flickr.com/photos/sunara_ishi/sets/72157653151380359

Thanks for the pics. I'll get my few pics up as soon as possible.

~looks at pictures of myself~ well... some of my poses could've been better. -.-; I need to learn how to pose better. And I need to get my weight down. O:
It was nice meeting everyone (some of you again) and sorry if I was awkward to some of you... I have a tendency to stick my foot in my mouth.

Edit: The few pics I took in-between poses:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/sunara_ishi/sets/72157653150548449
Please note that my camera is kind of old.

I was kind of disappointed that the booths didn't spread back farther but I had figured that you can only fill as much of the hall as you have sellers.

But I think that spreading it out would have helped with the over-crowding a little bit. Also, the breaks between sections should probably be wider. I think doing this would be safer for everyone. I had seen several handicapped people almost get run over on Thurs. & Fri. nights. I think you could had staff either mid-way or at the back... but I know having enough staff is a big problem.

Staff did a really good time on getting us inside in a timely basis. But I was a little unhappy that I had to ask staff to ask people to stop punching the tent wall on Thurs. night. They let it slide for several hours even though people were sitting on the other side. I finally had to say something after I was hit while I was sitting there.

That aside, many of the booths had some really great stuff (minus the ones selling stuff at retail price...) and I'm happy with most of what I bought. (Kinda wish I had bought one more cd from someone I bought two cds from...)

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.

I kinda just wanna reaffirm this! The best time to buy would be Friday or Monday, because many many times I've noticed that something I bought on Friday went up by like five or even ten bucks the very next day. (Also once a dealer gave me a small discount on some small things because it was near closing time on Friday and the crowd was super light.) I tend to do shopping on Friday myself because I know things will be at least a little cheaper and it's kinda like early dibs on things in stock that would totally be gone by Monday otherwise. I've heard things about manga sellers giving bigger discounts on Monday, though, so that's something to try to hold out on if there aren't any Must Haves.

I want to add a couple things to this:

1) Buy the things you really want early and wait for the "I kinda like this" items & impulse buys for later during the con. Chances are that, the item you really want, will be sell out fast. More so if it is rare.

2) I've noticed that the Dealers don't quite give as deep discounts as they used to. And many places, you'll be lucky to get $5 off... It used to be that they wanted to get rid of their stock before the con's end but now more and more Dealers hold onto their stock to sell at future cons/events. I could see waiting til the end of con if the discount was still great things like 50% but $5 off just isn't worth waiting.

If you're staying in a hotel room, go shopping at someplace, like Costco, beforehand to buy snacks & drinks. You can also buy things that last like Ramen noodle cups. Fans have a tendency to overspend and leave very little money for food so buying food beforehand is a good idea.

Set aside as much money as you can/can afford. There is a lot to buy and you'll find that you run through cash quickly. Also, space your spending; only bring so much cash with you at one time. For safety reasons and also to keep from splurging it all on one day. Having to go get money, from an atm/bank makes you consider if you really want to buy "x" item.

Bring a bottle of water with you & save the bottle to refill at water fountains. It will get hot & sweaty inside with all the people (even if it is 60 degrees outside.) It'll become very easy to get dehydrated; especially if you're stuck in a line or wearing a hot cosplay (even something light weight with long sleeves.) Also, bring a change of clothes for when you want to get out of your cosplay. Also, cosplay gatherings happen on time and usually don't go past 30 minutes; so, if you want to see "x" cosplay or participate, be there on time.

Line up early as lines get long fast for certain events. Make sure you get food before lining up for late night events (masquerade, musicfest, etc.) as most restaurants will be closed after those events get out. Also common sense but... don't go anywhere online with someone you aren't comfortable with & report any suspicious people (people that look like they shouldn't be on con premised, people following you, etc.) to rovers. And don't go exploring downtown alone, especially late at night.

Otherwise, have fun.

Good luck finishing, there's not much time left! Of course I'd love to have more Zestiria, but either is great.

Updated with most recent list.

Believe it or not but it is actually like 90% done... just have the pockets, belts, and a few other finishes to go. Probably won't have her swords this time around. But I'll probably come as Rose... as long as no major disasters happen. >.>;

Ground

.... go buy lots of cat food.

If life gives you a final boss...

But I am one... Ruu~

Upon entering the magic battle for the grail, you summon what?

It is possible that Fanime is waiting to make their official announcement on Music Fest guests until all of them are confirmed (if they have two performers as they have in the past).

If they haven't gotten something that important nailed down barely 3 weeks from the con, then Fanime's management is in even worse shape than the haters are saying.

It's less than 2 weeks now and no second Musicfest guest announced yet....... then again Back-On announced themselves before Fanime did, so I doubt the reason is because they don't have a second one confirmed.

I'm kind of wondering if there will even be a second one... or if they'll have Ai Nonoka perform...
There's only a week to go and that is very last minute if the 2nd group ends up being someone major.

There will always be someone that will snob other people's cosplays. Unfortunately with hardcore fans, they sometimes get too carried away and forget that cosplayers have feelings too. Unless they are just jerks.
But anyway...you should just ignore them, cosplay who you like, and have fun.

I don't really like the whole "You should cosplay based on your race & body type" line of thought. I don't think it is very fair as certain races and body types are very rare. I could probably count, on my hand, the number of plus sized female anime characters. However, as someone who's a little chubby (not plus sized & I hope to never be...), I've noticed that people tend to focus on the skinnier ones more. But that won't stop me from cosplaying who I like, even if I'm not no size 6.

I also have friends, of different race than said character, that have pulled off better versions that those of character's "supposed" race...

@Anix: I believe we might have the same friend. XD; Either that or you are friends with my friend's cosplay doppleganger.

@domofudge: You shouldn't let jerks like that keep you from cosplaying who you want. You need to tell people like that to back off and if they continue to harrass you, I believe you can report them to con staff. Especially if they destroyed your wig (if I'm understanding you right?) Besides, no one should ever touch you or anything on you without permission.

I might switch from Elize (Xillia 2) to Rose (Zestiria) if I finish making Rose in time & find a wig.

~Revive for Fanime 2015~

If I can find them: Music cds, shitajiki, and specific (cosplay) wigs.

FYI the music guests announced themselves almost a week ago now https://twitter.com/info_backon/status/592366574985576448

Yes, Back-on did announce they were coming to Fanime. ^^ Wonder who the other Music Fest guest will be.

I am aware but unless fanime announces it themselves, I can't be 100% sure. There has been rare cases where "X" famous person announces they are coming to an event, not as a guest, but an attendee. I'm almost sure that is not the case here but... I will wait for official confirmation.

I hope there will be another Music Fest guest. Preferably someone we (most of us) know.

More guests announced. Two more English voice actors... I'm really hoping there are more Japanese guests yet to be announced; I really only come (register) for those and because of my longtime loyalty to the con. Everything else (cosplay, friends, material things...) isn't really dependent on fanime.

I'm ok with fanime catering to the newer crowds (the ones that prefer Eng. guests), to some extent, but please don't neglect us older fans (the Jpn. guests crowd). Otherwise, I'll eventually relocate my fanime budget to other things... like visiting japan.

OMG. Apocalypse. Only the imaginary childhood toy friends and elves survive... obviously because of secret dimensions.

What is in the box?

Replacement was Citrus Girl.

Then they abducted books.

An hour before the rabbits dance, on the dark side of the moon, to celebrate their liberation from having to drive chariots from one star to the next.

Why is there a no swimming sign in a field of grass?