Where should the loners start?

Started by bebop, April 18, 2011, 12:54:09 AM

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bebop

Ok so, I have been going to FAnime for about 4 years. I started back in 2006.

What I noticed, was that I am spending a lot of time by myself and doing my own thing all those years

I would see groups and masses of people hanging out, and I would ponder to myself "How did they all become friends?"

So I'm basically a loner dude who is looking to make some new friends.

Like, talk to me about your experiences and how you developed a network of friends through the convention. (I have none)

Do you go to certain gatherings?
Do you go to certain events?
Do you just walk up to people and randomly talk to them? (lol this is considered creepy right?)

I mean, there is events like Speed Dating and I think I'm gonna try that too just to make some new friends
but I want would like to know if there are more events like this, where you can meet new people intentionally and make new friends.

sorry, my network of friends in the anime world is very low
Awakening to otaku inside. ^-^

SukebeStudios

Quote from: bebop on April 18, 2011, 12:54:09 AM
Ok so, I have been going to FAnime for about 4 years. I started back in 2006.

What I noticed, was that I am spending a lot of time by myself and doing my own thing all those years

I would see groups and masses of people hanging out, and I would ponder to myself "How did they all become friends?"

So I'm basically a loner dude who is looking to make some new friends.

Like, talk to me about your experiences and how you developed a network of friends through the convention. (I have none)

Do you go to certain gatherings?
Do you go to certain events?
Do you just walk up to people and randomly talk to them? (lol this is considered creepy right?)

I mean, there is events like Speed Dating and I think I'm gonna try that too just to make some new friends
but I want would like to know if there are more events like this, where you can meet new people intentionally and make new friends.

sorry, my network of friends in the anime world is very low

Dude, if you want to make a network of friends, just ask me! ^_^ I'm always trying to do the same.

LastExile

For 3 years I've been going to the convention with a couple of my friends, and I usually meet up with people I know at-con.

As far as making new friends, I find the B&W Ball is a good place to talk to people, since others often lose their inhibitions there and become very outgoing.
If you're cosplaying, you could meet people at gatherings to talk to, and through your cosplay you have an excuse to talk to anybody else who's cosplaying from the same series/videogame etc.

Also, so long as you're not acting like a total creeper and get the message when people are creeped out/annoyed by you, it's alright to randomly walk up to people and talk to them. Happens to me all the time, and I do it pretty frequently, at booths and whatnot. I mean, everybody at Fanime presumably have something in common with one another, and that's a love of anime and/or a love of video games. So, it's relatively easy to strike up random conversation because you already have something to talk about.

pokkypok

Lines are a good place to meet people. XD

Besides that, the black and white ball and the dance lessons are a good place. Even if you don't consider yourself a dancer, they are all partner dances and you're pretty much forced to talk to people.
If you're an artist, it's easy to strike up a conversation with some one selling in the artist's alley. If you're a gamer, you can meet people in the game room. Or even just find someone and ask them to play air hockey with you.

I usually go with a small group of friends, so what we like to do is find another group of people sitting down or something, and asking them to play a game with us, like Never Never, Would You Rather, etc. Just any kinds of group games. Then people walking by might end up joining.

And ummm... yeah. :D

Himeno

Quote from: bebop on April 18, 2011, 12:54:09 AM
Ok so, I have been going to FAnime for about 4 years. I started back in 2006.

What I noticed, was that I am spending a lot of time by myself and doing my own thing all those years

I would see groups and masses of people hanging out, and I would ponder to myself "How did they all become friends?"

So I'm basically a loner dude who is looking to make some new friends.

Like, talk to me about your experiences and how you developed a network of friends through the convention. (I have none)

Do you go to certain gatherings?
Do you go to certain events?
Do you just walk up to people and randomly talk to them? (lol this is considered creepy right?)

I mean, there is events like Speed Dating and I think I'm gonna try that too just to make some new friends
but I want would like to know if there are more events like this, where you can meet new people intentionally and make new friends.

sorry, my network of friends in the anime world is very low
I have what you could consider a 'network of friends', but because I'm based on the other side of the Pacific, I'm lucky to see them offline even once every year or two.
They on the other hand, tend to have dozens of people which they can see on a monthly (or more) basis. Makes things a bit hard. :/

Tsu

Fanime is pretty much the only place I've been where its the norm to strike up conversations with complete strangers. I always get a little crosseyed when someone I don't know turns to me and just starts talking about something, assuming I'm in front of one of their friends or something... nope. Go for it! We're all there for the same reason, after all.
Fanimecon Music Video Contest Department Second 2016-17
Fanimecon Music Video Contest Department Head 2014-15, 2018-2019

SOawesomeness

Tbh, I have the same problem. I love the atmosphere, but a lot of the conventions I attend, it's just me and it's kinda sad. So then, I staff. It's a great way to getting to know someone that you'll be stuck with for a few hours at a time at a convention- not to mention if you do it right, you basically get a second family and if you're really really awesome, any convention that you go to, you'll be introduced to more people and know the staff there and so on and so forth.
So if you've got a few hours to spare and you're really bored, I'd just suggest you volunteer or something just to try it out.
Ellie S.
Head of Registration
FanimeCon - "By Fans, For Fans"
FanmeCon: Twitter | Facebook

Yuki Valentine

Wow...  Fanime is the perfect place to meet new friends.  I am a pretty shy person in general, but I feel completely at home here at Fanime.  I have gone up to many different random people and said, "Hey, you look cool.  Would you like to hang out?" and we have become good friends.  Just the thought that pretty much everybody has so much in common with each other is simply wonderful.  We're all one big family.  =D
Please check out my 8tracks account and add me!
http://8tracks.com/yuki_valentine

My YouTube account- http://www.youtube.com/user/xYukiValentine

____________________

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TC X0 Lt 0X

Quote from: Yuki Valentine on May 05, 2011, 09:53:47 PM
Wow...  Fanime is the perfect place to meet new friends.  I am a pretty shy person in general, but I feel completely at home here at Fanime.  I have gone up to many different random people and said, "Hey, you look cool.  Would you like to hang out?" and we have become good friends.  Just the thought that pretty much everybody has so much in common with each other is simply wonderful.  We're all one big family.  =D

It's because you are a girl.
If a Guy did this, they would be seen as a creeper.
If I saw someone do this, I would think they were probably a creeper.


"Never beg. You earn. By Winning.
Or else you won't get anything..."

Pro-Pocky Movement

GOT HYPE.

Persona

I think there are more nuances than that. A guy could be chill and ask, "do you want to hang out?" Or they could get into your personal space, give you a creepy smile, skeeze on your cleavage and say the same thing. I'd still try to start up a conversation beforehand and find some common ground, though. Otherwise it would be extremely strange (even in a convention context) to ask to hang out solely based on their appearance. If you prefaced that with "I love your costume" or "I love (that series your outfit is from)" and went from there, they would be more receptive to talking to you and possibly hanging out with you.

Personally, I would find either guys or girls running up to me and asking to hang out randomly to be strange. Some people might be more open to it, but establishing some sort of context first would definitely help.

TC X0 Lt 0X

Well yeah.
You would need to converse before hand before asking to hand out. The only way to do that without being a Creeper is to have a common interest inherent to the situation, such as one of the people having a specific cosplay to which a conversation can start.


"Never beg. You earn. By Winning.
Or else you won't get anything..."

Pro-Pocky Movement

GOT HYPE.

Yuki Valentine

Well, I didn't say it exactly like that, of course.  I was just giving an example.  I don't think anybody would hang out with somebody if they said something as creeperish like that.  Of course we talked more before we actually decided to hang out.  =\
Please check out my 8tracks account and add me!
http://8tracks.com/yuki_valentine

My YouTube account- http://www.youtube.com/user/xYukiValentine

____________________

PLEASE PLAY AND DONATE!!!

freerice.com and freepoverty.com

Runewitt

Registration is a great place to start.
no. seriously. if you are standing in line for a while, talk to the people around you. you already know you have common interests.
Brevity is the soul of Wit.
Confusion is the soul of Runewitt.

Himeno

My biggest concern is finding the people I'm trying to meet.

I generally go to conventions on my own. I almost always know other people who are going. Only problem is finding those people to meet them. Sometimes they don't leave offline contact details. Others I don't recognize them in their costume (one year at Otakon, I was looking for someone who I expected to be Hotaru Tomoe/Sailor Saturn. She was Sailor Jupiter instead. I didn't recognize her with the different wig).

zeroelement

Quote from: SukebeStudios on April 18, 2011, 01:39:56 AM
Quote from: bebop on April 18, 2011, 12:54:09 AM
Ok so, I have been going to FAnime for about 4 years. I started back in 2006.

What I noticed, was that I am spending a lot of time by myself and doing my own thing all those years

I would see groups and masses of people hanging out, and I would ponder to myself "How did they all become friends?"

So I'm basically a loner dude who is looking to make some new friends.

Like, talk to me about your experiences and how you developed a network of friends through the convention. (I have none)

Do you go to certain gatherings?
Do you go to certain events?
Do you just walk up to people and randomly talk to them? (lol this is considered creepy right?)

I mean, there is events like Speed Dating and I think I'm gonna try that too just to make some new friends
but I want would like to know if there are more events like this, where you can meet new people intentionally and make new friends.

sorry, my network of friends in the anime world is very low

Dude, if you want to make a network of friends, just ask me! ^_^ I'm always trying to do the same.

lol Im the "loner" also used to hang out with my friends from highschool but they have slowly starting hanging out with other friends. So yea i even tried making a post for local people to meet up and make friends but this is cool to if people tend to go to cons in Californa.
So count me in the wanting to make more friends category and hang out.
Cosplayer of Host club (nekozawa) and Soul Eater (Free)
Looking for local cosplay groups and new friends.

mrmuggles

> What I noticed, was that I am spending a lot of time by myself and doing my own thing all those years

I've been attending different fandom conventions for the past 5 years and experience this a bit myself.  I'm not exactly shy, and have no trouble chatting with strangers, but I have trouble initiating--I blame my overly polite Asian upbringing ;-). FWIW, I'd love to see a "newbs and loaners" meetup early on the first day.  This will be my first Fanime coming up, and I'm going alone and hoping for the best. 

Kaycea

It'd be nice if there was a place/time for the "loners" or the "newbies" to go and meet up and interact. Of course it'd be more of an unofficial thing but that doesn't mean it couldn't happen....Actually it should and can(Someone make it happen ;))
My daily mantra is L.I.F.E.= Losing.Is.Failing.Excellently.
So it's not that I didn't win...I just choose not to succeed.
Cosplays I've done:
Everyday of my life-Me
Fanime 08'-Dosu Kinuta
Fanime 11'-Kuro Shinobi no Mono
Sacanime 11'-(Same)+Kuroneko

zeroelement

Well i started a topic for local people to meet up and hang out. If your local to the cons area we can try and get somethen going. Because most Noobs wont be going to far to get to fanime so it should work. I take it 1 hour drive at most for most people who are new to anime conventions.
Cosplayer of Host club (nekozawa) and Soul Eater (Free)
Looking for local cosplay groups and new friends.

Kaycea

From what i've been seeing on the forums, there actually seems to be a big turnout for non-locals going. Fanime has gotten pretty big now(I think it's one of the top ten in the US now..). I'm a local to San Jose more or less, I bounce around the Bay Area so it's never too far.
My daily mantra is L.I.F.E.= Losing.Is.Failing.Excellently.
So it's not that I didn't win...I just choose not to succeed.
Cosplays I've done:
Everyday of my life-Me
Fanime 08'-Dosu Kinuta
Fanime 11'-Kuro Shinobi no Mono
Sacanime 11'-(Same)+Kuroneko

HunterZero

You should choose a specific event to meet up at after it is done (such as... the Cthulhu for President Panel).

You can also meet some really fun people at the Hentai nights, but be warned there are a lot of creepers.
Cthulhu for President!
"Strictly speaking, there are no enlightened people, there is only enlightened activity." -- Shunryu Suzuki