n00b alart!

[kgods]

Greetings,

My name is Shayne (pronounced like the y isn't there)

This will be my first con. I'm a bit nervous as I'm fairly shy and socially awkward. I'm 26 and have wanted to go to cons for a long time and I figured a local one would be a good place to start. I've been a fan since I was around 12 or 13.

I'm not going with anybody due to not knowing anyone else that would want to go. So, hopefully there will be more in my age group that are like myself. Basically, I've got no one to hang around with or that I know.

I'm very enthusiastic by nature and will be bringing my camcorder to chronicle this event. I'm very excited about this and hopefully my impulsiveness doesn't get out of control with "loot" the first day. I hope to meet some friends there.

[mmolitor87]

Hiya! I'm 22 so I believe I'm close enough to your age group. I'll be there as Urahara. With my geta sandals I'll be standing at about 6'3" so I shouldn't be hard to find at all. xD

Look for me and I'll be happy to talk to ya and hang out.

This will also be my first con. ^^

[Moppet]

OMG!!! A n00b!!! -bust out a muffin gun-

[kgods]

Unfortunately, I didn't really have enough time to get cosplay stuff ready etc. I found out about this a bit late in the game. Plus, I don't really naturally look like anybody in particular that I can think of. I guess if I had purple eyes I "MIGHT" be able to pull off a Kira Yamato, well before I got the hair cut anyway.

[mmolitor87]

You don't have to naturally look like anyone. ^^ That's what wigs are for. Hell, there's people who crossplay. It's mostly about how creative you can get, I think. One of the best Cloud cosplays I've seen is a female.

[kgods]

So, as a first time con-goer, is there any like unwritten laws and etiquette to be aware of? ;D

[SapphireChaos]

some tips I can think of at the moment:
-Ask people if you can take their picture before you do
-Remember to eat, sleep, and shower (its easy to forget to at a con lol)
-Try not to buy things from the dealers room til the last day, its usually cheaper
-Have a schedule of all your "must see" events so you dont miss anything
-Be polite ^^
-Make friends and have fun!

[kgods]

Okay, basically use common sense in most cases. I can't promise I can do waiting until the last day at the dealer's room, I really am impulsive sometimes haha. ;D

So, does anybody get together and discuss current stuff that's showing in Japan or random stuff about otaku culture? I reasonably try to keep up with new things and comings/goings/doings or whatever.

I really don't want to be the only oddball pontificating on figure prices, moe (too lazy to get the accident mark) or mecha specs.

[gurubuckaroo]

Don't worry, you won't be alone. While I've been going to scifi cons like Archon for .. um... 22 years .. this will actually be my first Anime con. Very much looking forward to it. I'll be the horribly overweight Kyoraku Shunsui.

[kgods]

Well I'll be looking forward to meeting lots of you.

:cheers:

[Mariruri.]

Hope you have fun at ASTL! This is my third convention but not surely my last.

And you will definitely find people to hang out. It's so easy to meet new people at conventions~

[kafai]

baww a newblet that is 10 years older than me
that's adorable XD

More etiquette!
People will randomly run around and hug you. Especially if you're in cosplay as a cool character. Don't be alarmed. It is only natural.
Convention people tend to be really touchy feely in general. But it's best to wait for them to initiate any contact (like glomping) before you start anything yourself. Just to be on the safe side.
Because there are people like me who have anxiety attacks around too many people

You will see a lot of gay (or general cross dressing). Mostly girls dressed up as boys with their boyfriends or girls dressed up as boys with their other female friends dressed up as boys as well. (just forewarning)

and UH. Make sure you know the difference between the Vendors and the Artist Alley. Be nice to artists because they 99% of the time make everything by hand.
I'd say in general the Artist Alley is more expensive, but that's not always the case.

I think in general, people usually meet a group or meet up with their friends and explore the place in their own routes. So you might end up discussing japanese culture and jazz, but it all depends on who you end up with. There are usually a good amount of stray floaters that roam freely without a group (kind of like yourself). But there are also a lot of cosplay groups that go around doing photoshoots together.

eehh I feel like I'm rambling on too much xD

[kgods]

I unfortunately didn't really have the time to get any kind of cosplay going and even worse couldn't figure out who I'd go as. As for glomping, that's okay with me as long as it's not whilst I'm holding my camcorder ha ha