I'm in quite the dilemma...

[Sent]

I'm not positive which board this goes on, but that isn't my actual dilemma.

So if I do attend ASTL, it will be my first con, so I'm somewhat afraid.

Now, usually I'd simply gather my friends and attend, which was my initial plan when I registered with my schools Anime club, but it turns out that, even though almost all of them bought weekend tickets, they aren't attending.

So now I have a choice, I can either go to this convention with no experience, alone and ignorant of what to do, or I can simply not go.

So I just want to know, I guess, how welcoming con-goers tend to be. To be honest I don't watch all that much anime, and I only just started in January, but my Anime club really suggested that I go and I was feeling like trying something new when I signed up.

Also, will it be obvious where I'm supposed to obtain whatever badges or schedules I may need? Being alone in a crowd or group of strangers won't be a very comfortable situation for me.

I suppose that, in all, I really should just be asking what the expectations will be of me as an individual on what I should do whilst attending this event will be.

So, what should I expect?

Edit: Also, how do I obtain my badge/identification object (or whatever is going to be used at this thing)? I pre-registered a while ago and got an E-mail about it, so would I just have to bring ID or something?

[SenpaiProductions]

There's a table (when you enter head right) to get your badge
you should just have to confirm birthdate and whatnot but on 18+ badges you may have to have I'd I'm not sure since I'm not staff.
But con goers are really generally friendly

[Lady Onkei]

Yeah, if you're going all weekend you might see people lined up at said table. I find that once you register you just go up and give them your name. (I always print out my form n' stuff just in case as proof, haha.) If you get lost, though, you can usually ask any con-goer. They'll point you the right way!

Expect a lot of people. If you are cosplaying you will have people take pictures of you, though most will at least ask before doing it (It's generally a good thing to ask before snapping a picture). Also, hugs everywhere and signs that scream hug me or glomp me. =D

[lunamaria87]

There will be a table for pre-registration. And if you have an 18+ badge, you have to bring your ID or you will get an under 18 badge.

And as far as the con-goers, they are very welcoming and I know you'll have a lot of fun at ASTL. We have great guests this year. I know you'll enjoy your experience and make a lot of new friends.

[gottolovejack]

don't worry abut con-people not welcoming you! it's a giant party, and you should embrace doing something new without worrying about the consequences of being alone. there will be plenty of opportunities to make friends. for sure there will be a very friendly pair of eruka frog and marie mjolnir cosplayers, = )

[legionangel04]

I welcome it. I am picky about my animes so I dont know a lot of who people are cosplaying as. So when I see a cartoon/movie/tv show cosplay I instantly recognise it and go , SWEET!

Because you are going to be by yourself I can give you a lil hint. There are two guys that I see every year. One is about 6 ft tall, usually w/ long hair, and just talks to everybody. If you can find him youll have a blast. I think his name is Steve, but Im not sure. The other is kind of a friend of mine. He is easy to spot. He is always Link.

Advice for the future. Make a backup cosplay after the con for next years asap. Because the worst thing that can happen to you is you want to cosplay as somebody that you dont really know how to make. It takes you a long time to figure it out, and then you mess up. That tends be happen when you dont have enough time to fix it.

That happend to me. My friends asked me to cosplay as Gurren Lagann from... Gurren Lagann. HA! Ill put it this way. It took me 3 months alone to figure out how to make the helmet and a month to make it because there were no howtos that I could actually do. Leaving not much time for the suit. I got half way through the suit and rolled a total botch just a few days ago. Luckily I have an automail arm. So now Im going as Ed Elric from Fullmetal Alchemist. So I have a cosplay the week before the con

[tat]

I think if you don't go you'll regret not trying to experience it. :3 I doubt you won't find someone to talk to. Through all the years I've gone someone has come up and talked to me or I talked to them. Just don't be like me and be too shy to say anything XD (took me two years of going to this con to break out of my shell and make friends).

Also keep an eye out in the book they give you for panels that encourage audience participation. That's a great way to get started talking with people. I'm running the Toonami Panel which is interactive if you're interested.

Other panels that look interactive:

Con Stories
Lolita Social
Q&A With the Slants

And also sometimes we just hang out in the hallways or the game room when we're waiting for events/ etc.

:3 Feel free to hit me and my friend up. I'm going to probably hang out with her at her table in Artist Alley. She draws this comic:
lavenderlegend.com/

I hope these help :3

EDIT: lol I just noticed this was posted last year. Well! If anyone had a similar situation look at this thread for yo answers!