Hello, I started an anime club at my school and 1 of the thing were going to do is go to a con. Can you people give me tips on everything?
1. Pack money.
2. If you're going to Cosplay, spend more than $20 on the costume.
3. Some people do not want to be glomped.
4. Pocky. Pocky. Pocky.
5. Be careful of fans. They follow you sometimes. >_>
Shower.
Keep your eyes on your stuff. Be careful with money, and don't bring valuables unless you're sure you need them. Thieves abound everywhere, and the con is not an exception. Bring money, but hide it on yourself so it's not easily accesible, or don't bring very much. Be careful of where you leave you stuff when you set it down for photos.
Bring your camera- it's fun to get pics of people in cosplay. Conversely, keep your eyes on your camera too. It's one of those things people like to steal.
Remember to bring sufficient food and drink. Also, don't glomp people- or hell, even hug them- without permission. Some costumes are frighteningly breakable, and people won't thank you for breaking the tip off a prop they've worked months to make.
Cosplay if you can. It's lots and lots of fun.
As someone has already stated: shower.
Ask permission before you take pictures too. If you can, if you're familiar with the character (or if not you can ask the cosplayer to suggest a pose), you can ask for a specific pose. That shows an interest in the character instead of "I'm going to take as many pics as I can etc."
Visit the fan forums prior to the convention if there is one. If a schedule is posted ahead of time, get an idea of what kinds of panels there will be, guests of honor, any events you may want to attend or watch. This helps determine what day(s) you may wish to attend if you can't come all days of a multiple-day convention.
Also if there's a list of gatherings (where cosplayers from different anime gather for photo opportunities).
As for cosplaying, if you're coming as a group, sometimes it's fun to cosplay all from the same anime, or the same character, or similar themed outfits.
Be sure to check for rules of conduct, and policies on cosplay weapons, dealers rooms conduct, etc.
I'm pretty sure there's another thread here about con behavior.
Keep an open mind and promise yourself you'll have fun. Be prepared to become addicted to conventions.
:D
Quote from: "captain"Hello, I started an anime club at my school and 1 of the thing were going to do is go to a con. Can you people give me tips on everything?
Welcome to the club, Captain! You'll be assimilated soon enough. :3
*SHOWER.
*Bring more than $200 if you plan on doing anything other than panels, watching anime, and/or Stage Zero.
*SHOWER.
*Cosplay something great. Do your homework on commissioners if you want someone else to make it for you, and/or spend more than $20 on your own work. I once stayed under $15 for my Ranma Saotome... needless to say it was awful.
*SHOWER.
*Bring food. Believe it or not this actually will save you much more money than you expect. Eating out or at-the-con is rather pricey.
*SHOWER.
*Ask before you glomp. Ask before you take pictures. Ask before you take a mid-glomp picture.
*SHOWER.
*Get some sleep. Honestly, I didn't enjoy my encounters with some of the insomniacs I came across. I don't know if you will.
*SHOWER.
*If you're taking transit (VTA), get a day pass. It's worth it, I sware.
*SHOWER
*Please don't do Sailor Beefcake. If you crossplay, PLEASE be convincing.
*SHOWER.
*SHOWER.
*FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THINGS HOLY SHOWER.
Follow those rules and you'll have fun.
Rules for the Masses (http://www.friendsoffoamy.com/index.php?id=140)
Okay, been posted before, but switch "A-Kon" with "Fanime", "Dallas Texas" with "San Jose", and "Three days" with "Four Days" and you pretty much get the idea.
If you're planning on getting a hotel room (to sleep in/shower in/store things) start saving now and/or find roommates. Hotel reservations usually go up in Dec and rooms go fast. I think rooms were about $90 a night...
Some more:
- If there's a gaming room with arcade machines, bring lots and lots of quarters.
- If you are cosplaying, prepare to get hugged/glomped.
- Ask before giving a hug/glomp, unless you and the person in question are close friends or has a "Hug me!" sign. There was some drama on the forums over the issue of glomping.
Fanime-specific stuff:
- Need parking? Park on 2nd and San Carlos, it's free on the last 3 days of the con...and if you're going to be in the "small car" slots, PARK VERY CAREFULLY! I scratched my Civic in there T.T
[[ I'm totally reiterating things, but those are what I'd seriously bold, underline, and emphasize ]].
-If you're planning on staying there, please DON'T sleep in the halls... it's really weird and it's hard for some attendees to go across the halls. It's creepy, too. *shudder*
-As previously stated, shower.
-Don't take pictures of any kind of art unless you have permission from the artist [assuming you're in the artist alley]. Don't take pictures of cosplayers unless you ask them first. Some people really don't like their pictures taken without permission... and you might get a shouting [I'm serious].
-Pocky ain't that important, but bring food there... there isn't much to eat if you're planning to stay, and even during the day, it's either overpriced, you won't know where anything is around that area [unless you're convinced you have a good sense of direction], or it's already seriously crowded.
-Yes, get some sleep. If you don't and you suck/never pulled an all nighter before, you'll basically die and... well, burn.
-Make a LIST with the times and names of panels and events and such that you want to watch.
-If you're in cosplay, try not to bring a lot of things with you, especially in a bag unless you have to. It sucks putting down your stuff to take a picture constantly. If you can, try stashing it somewhere in your cosplay or have a bag that would be consistent with your cosplay [but avoid it]. Or have a friend carry it for you.
-I'd suggest to bring $200 if you're not planning on buying much. I spent about $175 on random things from the Dealers plus food and arcade.
-Get your cosplays commissioned/tailored from you. Ebay is your friend. [Usually around $100-150 for the good ones].
Quote from: "zoupzuop2"*If you're taking transit (VTA), get a day pass. It's worth it, I sware.
Only if you're taking more than 2 trips.
1 adult day pass = $5.00
$5.00 / $1.75 for 1 trip = ~2.86 trips
(double the prices for Line 180)
1 youth day pass = $4.00
$4.00 / $1.50 for 1 trip = ~2.66 trips
This reminds me... I need to update my Convention Survival Guide and repack it. When I get around to it, I'll put up a torrent.
Quote from: "Krnchichiri"[[ I'm totally reiterating things, but those are what I'd seriously bold, underline, and emphasize ]].
-Make a LIST with the times and names of panels and events and such that you want to watch.
-I'd suggest to bring $200 if you're not planning on buying much. I spent about $175 on random things from the Dealers plus food and arcade.
Agreed 100.9%. Making a list will help you decide what you want to do at any given time, and allow for free time to buy food, check out the arcade or dealer's hall, or simply wander the con. And, money is REALLY important if you want to do much at all.
Quote from: "Krnchichiri"-Get your cosplays commissioned/tailored from you. Ebay is your friend. [Usually around $100-150 for the good ones].
ONLY IF YOU'RE SO DANG SURE IT'S GOING TO WORK. Be INCREDIBLY cautious when looking up commissioners. I picked one that was working just fine, and SHOOP DA WHOOP!-- Lost contact. Almost 3 months after the con, I only recently got word of what happened. While excusable, it still put a huge damper on the con experience to be walking around all "normal". Pugh. At any rate, BE REALLY SURE THIS PERSON'S LEGIT. Or you WILL be scammed. Not fun.
☆ While fun doesn't allow for much of this: Sleeping and Eating really are a must.
☆ Cosplay is fun, try it at least once and see how you like the experience.
☆ Say hello to me if you see me. ♥
REMEMBER TO EAT
The last convention I went to [ SacAnime July 2007 ] I forgot to eat for about a day and a half. I almost fainted during the rave. Seriously, all the convention stuff gets really distracting, be careful and always take a break to eat. xDD
To the tpic of food, it's about a ten minute walk through the streets of downtown san jose to get to a mcdonalds, or a pizza place, I haven't walked all the way there myself, but it's fairly close.
Heh. This'll be my first con as well. I thank you for the tips.
Edit: Any particular reason why you're all emphasizing the importance of showering?
Quote from: Montparnasse on October 25, 2007, 08:06:56 PM
Heh. This'll be my first con as well. I thank you for the tips.
Edit: Any particular reason why you're all emphasizing the importance of showering?
At some time during your fanime experience you will be standing / walking / sitting peacefully minding your own business and a FUNK of a variety you never knew existed before will swallow you whole. Your eyes will water, your tongue will dry up and fall to pieces in your mouth like a dried out sand castle, your skin will pale, and your muscles will convulse. Words to describe the cloud of thick, furry, pea green, STINK will fail you at the time. All you will know is that SOMEONE needs a shower and some soap DESPERATELY. You will lose a solid 5 to 15 minutes of fanime fun while your brain attempts to deal with this smell and it's implications. At that time you will understand why everyone emphasizes showering so much.
So yeah...make sure to shower and don't skimp on the toothbrush either. ;D
Quote from: BrightHeart76 on October 25, 2007, 08:49:25 PM
Quote from: Montparnasse on October 25, 2007, 08:06:56 PM
Heh. This'll be my first con as well. I thank you for the tips.
Edit: Any particular reason why you're all emphasizing the importance of showering?
At some time during your fanime experience you will be standing / walking / sitting peacefully minding your own business and a FUNK of a variety you never knew existed before will swallow you whole. Your eyes will water, your tongue will dry up and fall to pieces in your mouth like a dried out sand castle, your skin will pale, and your muscles will convulse. Words to describe the cloud of thick, furry, pea green, STINK will fail you at the time. All you will know is that SOMEONE needs a shower and some soap DESPERATELY. You will lose a solid 5 to 15 minutes of fanime fun while your brain attempts to deal with this smell and it's implications. At that time you will understand why everyone emphasizes showering so much.
So yeah...make sure to shower and don't skimp on the toothbrush either. ;D
Words cannot acurately describe this experience.
To be more specific on why fanboy funk exist: At fanime your all over the place. With so much energy you exert in all the fun your having and walking to events, you really build up a sweat.(Hell,I was kinda drenched in my own cooling juices after all the shouting at hentai night.I found myself even showering twice in one day.) Then there are some otaku who simply use fanime as an excuse not to shower for four days straight. These are the minority since why the hell would you not shower for a few days?
But anyway, clean otaku is a happy otaku.Scrub often, and you'll be a winner :)
A message by the Glitch comittee.
Quote from: punk_parfait on October 24, 2007, 12:47:57 PM
☆ While fun doesn't allow for much of this: Sleeping and Eating really are a must.
☆ Cosplay is fun, try it at least once and see how you like the experience.
☆ Say hello to me if you see me. ♥
The last one might be in violation of city laws. I keed,I keed ^^
But yeah, meeting fellow board members is fun. Do so during the con.
On the subject of Fanboy Funk, I just had to dig this up.
Quote
If you just rode into town, after a ten hour road trip to Fanime with five of your friends in that small car without air conditioning, you may have Fan-boy Funk.
If its day two of Fanime and you get on the elevator with a group of people, that immediately get off at the first available stop, leaving you behind, you may have Fan-boy Funk.
If your over night kit consists of a comb, and cologne, you might have Fan-boy Funk.
"Why do birds suddenly disappear, every time you are near?" It's not a bad omen, you may have Fan-boy Funk.
When you walk thru the concourse, do people keep checking the bottoms of their shoes? Then you may have Fan-boy Funk.
If on Sunday your still wearing the same clothes you wore on Thursday, you may have Fan-boy Funk.
If you pulled an all-nighter in the hentai room, you may have Fan-boy Funk.
That vendor in the dealers room you just bought that DVD from with tears in his eyes. Were those tears of joy over a cash purchase, or is it Fan-boy Funk?
If you are in a video room, watching the second story in Katsuhiro Otomo's "Memories", do people turn around and point at you? Then you may have Fan-boy Funk.
If you haven't bathed since Wednesday, you may have Fan-boy Funk.
If people start saying to you "You stink!", GET A CLUE!!! YOU'VE GOT FAN-BOY FUNK!
So remember boys, and girls: "Attend, don't offend."
;D But seriously, rule number one should be "Have fun!" when you attend.
everyone has pretty much the same idea.
enjoy yourself. remember to eat, rest and shower...
be mindful of your surrounding and whenever possible be courteous and kind to others at all times.
when traveling with friends have cellphones charged and set up meeting points (aka Save points around)
be kind to Cosplayers and would be glomper/glompees...
As for personal belongings and Money, try to pack light but reasonable.
if your planning to buy stuff have a safe place either in your room or car and of course keep those locations LOCKED with only a few trustworthy ppl know where the key and said valueables are at all times.
finally say hi to ppl and you'll make tons of friends maybe even a mini scrap book or just like everyone else grab numbers and names from your new found friends that could possibly last a life time ^_^
keepsakes, memories, pictures, anime, and new friends
what could a Con-goer ask for more?
Enjoy ride whilst it lasts :D
Uhm, what he said ^^. =)
The number one piece of advice I can give is to have fun! No one likes a grumpy con goer.
Make sure to bring extra batteries and your wall chargers! Nothing is worse than having your camera/cell phone/hand held gaming/other electronic equipment die halfway through the con.
As everyone else has said shower. For the love of all that is right SHOWER. And no AXE/cologne/febreeze DOES NOT COUNT AS A SHOWER. If you are stinky people won't want to talk to you. And half of the fun of a con is meeting new people!
I have also found making a schedual maximizes con fun. It helps prevent those "Oh no that started 30 minutes ago!" situations. Don't forget to schedual in time for food, sleep, and (once again) showering. :D
Quote from: IamTetsuo on October 29, 2007, 01:44:41 AM
As everyone else has said shower. For the love of all that is right SHOWER. And no AXE/cologne/febreeze DOES NOT COUNT AS A SHOWER. If you are stinky people won't want to talk to you. And half of the fun of a con is meeting new people!
Truer words haven't been spoken. Cologne doesn't cover your smell. In fact it enhances it. So wind up smelling like a hybrid of BO and a cheap playa.
Quote from: Glitch on October 29, 2007, 09:58:42 AM
Quote from: IamTetsuo on October 29, 2007, 01:44:41 AM
As everyone else has said shower. For the love of all that is right SHOWER. And no AXE/cologne/febreeze DOES NOT COUNT AS A SHOWER. If you are stinky people won't want to talk to you. And half of the fun of a con is meeting new people!
Truer words haven't been spoken. Cologne doesn't cover your smell. In fact it enhances it. So wind up smelling like a hybrid of BO and a cheap playa.
Some people are also allergic to those things. Then not only do you smell bad, but you're also making people feel miserable. Dealing with itchy eyes/runny nose/sneezing at a con=not fun.
Make sure you guys start saving up now. Funraising helps. When I was in high school we did it last minute so we had to pay out of our own pockets so I would have to say start saving up now.
Thanks for all the tip ;D, now i play the waiting game for fanime. And I'll tell all my club mates to shower lol. Thanks again.
Anytime :D
coming from someone who has only gone to one con..
Try to wear shoes that won't kill you!! o.o; only use shoes that are heavy or high heels if you are cosplaying.
Quote from: Chaye on November 15, 2007, 07:21:37 PM
coming from someone who has only gone to one con..
Try to wear shoes that won't kill you!! o.o; only use shoes that are heavy or high heels if you are cosplaying.
I'm wearing boots >:)
Quote from: FinalShadows on November 16, 2007, 07:38:41 PM
I'm wearing boots >:)
I would hope so xD I am for some odd reason going in heels xD
Get some really comfy shoes. I bought a pair of Merrel Moc shoes to prepare for GenCon, and I'd swear by them now. Travel light.
Get at least two meals a day, and try to have at least one of them be somewhat healthy. FanimeCon is relatively fortunate in that if you're willing to do a little walking there are affordable places to eat out, but a trip to the grocery store (such as the Zanotto's down the street) can save a lot of money over eating out.
I like to try to organize friends to go out for Japanese food once during the con. Smile Sushi is a pretty decent place within walking distance of Fanime, and Japantown is close by light rail.
Try to go over the con schedule beforehand (if the con folks have their stuff together it should be on the website), but don't over-plan, and expect to miss some of the stuff you planned ahead of time. If you want to go to the really big stuff like the masquerade or AMV contest, get in line early. If you go to the masquerade, bring a Nintendo DS for PictoChat.
Go with some friends. That's what it's all about.
If you have to pick and choose what days of a con to go to, always go for the ones in the middle if you can. The first and last days are almost always half-days with not a whole lot going on.
Think about where and when you want to go to the bathroom. Seriously. The men's rooms at cons can become unspeakable at times. I usually head back to the hotel room.
I would like to add to Neko's point that you guys should meet new people and make new friends at the cons. I think everyone that goes to this con has SOME kind of similar interest... so get to know them and spread the word that you are there!
And some tips from me =)
1. Make your day count (get pictures or videocam)
2. Show off your stuff (Dances, Panels, Concerts, Masquerade)
3. Dress to impress (cosplay or tourist)
4. Meet new people (duh, find your mate!)
5. Bring ALOT of money (food, merchandise, prosti....bleh..)
6. Don't be embarrassed (its Fanime, duh)
And I'll carry some bandages for getting glomped on ???
Quote from: FinalShadows on November 17, 2007, 12:37:38 AM
I would like to add to Neko's point that you guys should meet new people and make new friends at the cons. I think everyone that goes to this con has SOME kind of similar interest... so get to know them and spread the word that you are there!
And some tips from me =)
1. Make your day count (get pictures or videocam)
2. Show off your stuff (Dances, Panels, Concerts, Masquerade)
3. Dress to impress (cosplay or tourist)
4. Meet new people (duh, find your mate!)
5. Bring ALOT of money (food, merchandise, prosti....bleh..)
6. Don't be embarrassed (its Fanime, duh)
And I'll carry some bandages for getting glomped on ???
I'll add onto this one's comments xD
TAKE PICTURES. seriously.. I was too afraid to ask people if I could take their pictures at the last AX and I missed out on some good memories because of it T-T
also keep tabs on what you spend if you don't use only cash. it will seriously get past you x.x I know I killed my money cuz of it.
well im going to try to cosplay as Mizuho from Otome wa Boku ni Koishiteru, and im afraid that people will stare and give me weird looks.
Quote from: captain on November 18, 2007, 01:03:27 AM
well im going to try to cosplay as Mizuho from Otome wa Boku ni Koishiteru, and im afraid that people will stare and give me weird looks.
Stare back. :o
Seriously, a lot of people will look at you, but only because they want to see your cosplay. Personally I spend 50 weeks a year as wallpaper, I do my best to blend in, I avoid crowds, I don't go to things I want to because I'm afraid I won't fit in and people will stare at me, I
hate having to talk infront of large groups of people. But for 2 weeks a year I dye my hair pink, talk loud, and spend a few days at fanime dressed in cosplay and being a total dork. For those days I ENJOY people looking, and talking, and taking notice. I still suffer from Social Anxiety for those weeks (ask anyone who saw me at the panel last year), but there is some freedom in knowing that people are staring at my funky hair or my cosplay...not at me. Know what I mean?
The moral of my story...enjoy the attention. If anyone acts rude, they're probably just jealous of your awesome cosplay, and that's not your problem.
Quote from: captain on November 18, 2007, 01:03:27 AM
well im going to try to cosplay as Mizuho from Otome wa Boku ni Koishiteru, and im afraid that people will stare and give me weird looks.
You have just become the best forever.
Yeah, basically what everyone else has been saying:
SHOWER.
HAVE FUN.
MEET PEOPLE.
BRING MONEY.
SHOWER.
HAVE FUN.
...and ASK before you glomp.
Quote from: captain on November 18, 2007, 01:03:27 AM
well im going to try to cosplay as Mizuho from Otome wa Boku ni Koishiteru, and im afraid that people will stare and give me weird looks.
Actually people crossplay and cosplay as stranger things all the time! I mean I was a guy crossdressing in pink last year and I didn't get a lot of weird looks. In fact there were some girls who thought I was totally awesome because of it! ^_^;
New Tip: Make sure to leave some room to play some IMPORT games. Yes it's nice to play games that you can kick ass at, but use the time to play games that you might have to WAIT A WHOLE YEAR to play again! Games like Naruto 4, or Bleach for PS2, etc!