out of place

[Xfox*X]

when i went to con in la last year i felt so out of place like i didnt belong. like every one knew i wasnt meant to be there it was wierd and it made it suck. i think this year i am going to shot myself if i feel the same way.

[Tyrdium]

Okay. What's your point?

[DarkKanti]

when i went to con in la last year i felt so out of place like i didnt belong. like every one knew i wasnt meant to be there it was wierd and it made it suck. i think this year i am going to shot myself if i feel the same way.

When you do shoot yourself be sure to leave a note explaining that an anime con made you do it.

[Xfox*X]

Okay. What's your point?

i dont know what it is. i guess i dont have one.

When you do shoot yourself be sure to leave a note explaining that an anime con made you do it.

ummm ok. but it would be obviuos being in the middle of one.

[Mana]

The convention experience can be different for everyone. While some people use it as an excuse to get silly and glomp cosplayers, generally speaking there's something for anyone to have fun with, no matter what kind of anime fan they are: attending panels, watching anime, meeting guests, shopping at the dealer's room, browsing through the artists alley, dancing, cosplaying, looking at cosplaying, watching shows, karaoke, games, standing in line. I've always taken the stance that if you aren't having fun at a convention, it's your own fault, as the convention provides plenty for you to do and enjoy yourslef with.

There's no one that isn't "meant" to be at a con, as long as you're the member of the fanbase the convention is for. People of all ages and walks of life attend conventions everyday.

What is it that made you feel out of place, exactly? If there was some sort of hostility or problem, it's normally best to let the convention Staff know about something like that; it's something they should be aware of and they might be able to help you. Staff are nice people, really we are xD;

Don't go to a convention with the expectation of it being a bad experience. If you go there expecting not to have fun, you won't have fun. There's a lot of power in negative thinking, and it's not a good kind of power.

Instead, try to have as much fun as possible. Attend as many different functions as possible, so you can figure out what things you enjoy the most. Meet the guests, attend all the big events, and watch the shows. Save up money so you can buy stuff from the dealer's room. If you felt alone, bring a friend, or if you can't bring a friend, try meeting people. At least you know that anyone you meet there will have one thing in common with you.

[Milkymagic]

Instead, try to have as much fun as possible. Attend as many different functions as possible, so you can figure out what things you enjoy the most. Meet the guests, attend all the big events, and watch the shows. Save up money so you can buy stuff from the dealer's room. If you felt alone, bring a friend, or if you can't bring a friend, try meeting people. At least you know that anyone you meet there will have one thing in common with you.

Even though I came with friends, I randomly chatted with folks, including an older man with his son that was also attending a panel on "The History of Anime" to better understand his son's hobby and a cool dude who cosplayed as Jet Black that was able to carry a conversation as well as I could.

I only wish I would've brought more money for the dealer's room, being my Gunbuster storyboard set alongside the Angel's Egg artbook and three anime posters (Gunbuster, Nadia, Hyper Police) chalked up around $400 or so dollars. I could barely eat with that kind of spending! :D

I also learned from my first experience to be a little more outgoing next time around, being I was more observant of the environment and atmosphere than I was socially active, though as evidenced above I still had some fun moments. There was also a Cosplay Competition that was fun (alongside skits to compliment them), I got to meet Doug Smith (who was indeed very educational), and I got to briefly give props to a special girl who cosplayed as Sakura from Hyper Police (no, I didn't stalk her :p).

Like Mana said, it's all about energy. One of my friends was in our room for a majority of the time because he couldn't find anything to do, while me and my brother were out checking the panels and chatting with all the artists. There is indeed always stuff to do, and there's always anime airing if anything, I even discovered an interesting anime in one of those rooms that I'm still looking around for named Daddy Long Legs. Also, watching Ah My Goddess! with a bunch of folks was a hoot.

Otherwise, it never hurts to get another hobby to enjoy socially with other people if animation is something that is best enjoyed alone for yourself, which is something I can definitely understand.

[kyubichan]

I've always been scared of cons, it's a weird phobia I have which has no reason at all XD

But~ I'll relate to you an experience which is quite similar to going to a con: a Ragnarok EB party. At the time, when RO was new, I was the first person in our city to ever play it. A few months later, there was an EB party when the number of players grew, and when I went there, I WAS THE ONLY GIRL THERE. I was thinking "Oh lord, maybe I should head back...", but I loved RO, and I wanted to win those cute poring plushies, and check out the previews of the upcoming episodes; thus I stayed.

The party turned out great, I joined the games and won stuff ^^ (including the only game/anime-related plushie I had: an orange poring), and found out later that my highschool (guy)friends played it too.

A few months after that, I met more RO players, and one of them said "Hey, I remember you, you were at the EB!", I asked how he knew that was me, and he said, "Well, you were the only girl there, and you were playing those silly parlor games!" XD

Point is, as long as you love it, even if you don't seem to "fit in" with everyone else, just try to enjoy it. You love anime, don't you? ^^ Just try to enjoy the anime stuff there then!

[Tyrdium]

Oh, hey. There's stuff to talk about now. I remember much of my first con being fairly boring. I wasn't adventurous, and spent much of my time in the manga reading room. That kinda sucked. The rest of the cons I've been to, however, have been great. Why? Because I did stuff! Went to random panels, watched stuff I'd been meaning to watch, etc. Sure, there's a bad panel every now and then. You can always go to another one if you hate it.

Cons tend to be more fun if you go with friends (or creepy forumites), by the way.

Staff are nice people, really we are xD;Well, except for Mana and Roark. Those two are scary.

[Mana]

We were so not scary. Or creepy. Were we? D:

[Roark]

Oh, hey. There's stuff to talk about now. I remember much of my first con being fairly boring. I wasn't adventurous, and spent much of my time in the manga reading room. That kinda sucked. The rest of the cons I've been to, however, have been great. Why? Because I did stuff! Went to random panels, watched stuff I'd been meaning to watch, etc. Sure, there's a bad panel every now and then. You can always go to another one if you hate it.

Cons tend to be more fun if you go with friends (or creepy forumites), by the way.

Well, except for Mana and Roark. Those two are scary.
When you're in a bad panel, you revolt and take it over. Make it the panel you want. Heckle the asshats off the stage!

[ZZalapski]

I was apprehensive about my first con (this year's Anime Detour) because the friend I was going to go with couldn't make it. But you know what? I kept an open mind about it all, went to panels, watched some new anime, was fairly outgoing (by my standards), and -- this was key -- did a lot of volunteering. Conventions can always use the help, and it's a great way to experience multiple areas. As a result, I had oodles of fun and met a bunch of cool people, including some of the guests of honor.

I only wish I would've brought more money for the dealer's room, being my Gunbuster storyboard set alongside the Angel's Egg artbook and three anime posters (Gunbuster, Nadia, Hyper Police) chalked up around $400 or so dollars. I could barely eat with that kind of spending! :D


I didn't frequent the dealers room a lot because it was a bit intimidating, but I did lose my mind at the charity auction -- almost five bills for two autographed items. Did I mention it was for charity?

As for the food, bring stuff that you cooked yourself. It'd be cheaper and probably more nutritious than what you can buy at the convention.

[Tyrdium]

We were so not scary. Or creepy. Were we? D:Number one rule: all internet people are creepy.

When you're in a bad panel, you revolt and take it over. Make it the panel you want. Heckle the asshats off the stage!Hehe. "Transformers is not anime!"

[Xfox*X]

What is it that made you feel out of place, exactly?

lets go back to high school. you know how there was the cool kids that were dumb shits? that baged on everyone all the geeks or what not? well i was part of that group even tho i was sercetly a a studnet whatched anime was a gamer and was a total geek. at the time i didnt have the whole who cares wat others think attitude. so i hide all that and made fun of all the geeks with the rest.

well i was having a good all time last year then i saw him one of the kids i use to make fun of then i knew i didnt belong and it just mde me down the rest of the day.

i guess i should have went and talked to him rather then getting depressed