I finally post about IchibanCon!

Which happened in February. What took me so long? The usual reasons: gig work, then procrastination, then being distracted. But rejoice, it's here now!

This time, I wanted to check out a local con with a partner and Mina, who invited me out to Tekko last year. I was ready for something smaller and a bit more newbie-friendly, too.

Friday: Why Did I Go To Work!?

This evening, I just focused on hunting down some panels. When I calmed down, I made sure to follow Tifa's lead. When they said they'll follow mine I went "...are you sure about that?"

Because the first panel I ducked into was "Was George III a Beta?: An Omegaverse Reading of the American Revolution." They regretted their word choice immediately.

But I did make it up to them by checking out the Evangelion Iceburg panel. Because, well, I don't know much about Evangelion. I never said I was a decent anime fan.

Saturday: My First Cosplay!

So Saturday was my debut for cosplay! I was Princess Sally to Mina's well, Mina Mongoose. I really appreciate xem swinging down just to hang out w' me at this little con, so we cosplayed together passing out related ribbons.

Er, tried to.

Unfortunately, the ribbon game seemed like a bust. Vibe was much different and less organic than what was going on at Tekko's. The most I've gotten was being stuck in line and talked to my line-neighbors. And I saw the coolest Rock Lee cosplay, too.

But for my cosplay... I liked it.

One thing I'd change is to having a strapless bathing suit (leotard) and actual boob support. But as a Closet Cosplay Princess Sally? Wasn't bad for a first run. And even a couple of people recognized me! They earned the Old-taku ribbon for that one.

I actually didn't hang at the arcade a lot this time around! I didn't even get on the DDR machines. But I did play Treatrhythm, which I have never have before! And it was free play, so I was tempted to play all the FF8 tracks (I did not; Blue Fields whupped my ass).

We went back to the house for a quick nap and costume change, and returned for

The Rave

which was incredibly fun and worth staying out past 1 AM for! The crowd was amazing, and there was a lot of crowd participation and cheering on the breakdancers. At one point a single person (besides the DJ) commanded the entire room and had us doing The Wave in sync with his hand motions.

Sunday

This was the day I let myself loose in the Artist Alley– you know, with a budget.

I stuck to my favorite vendors– like The Colors of Cosplay!– and kept myself to searching for the usual Macross fare. I did appreciate the wide selection of older anime! I spent the most time in Anime Pavilion and The Otaku Market, in particular.

Shockingly, I did not buy any Labubus. They were everywhere, and I get the appeal now. I make that same face when I'm cute and scheming, which is all the time.

Otaku Flea Market

The main draw for me was the Otaku Flea Market, where you can find various gently used all-sortsa-nerdery (the Funko Pop table shoved in the dark corner didn't count).

You can find some gems there. Like the physical copies of a now-rare yuri title, the same one you used to post scanlations of on freakin' Livejournal!? (Long live lililicious!) I bonded with the seller about those times.

It was pretty lowkey, Sunday. I did not have the strength for the last panel I was interested in (Mina informed me that the host no-showed anyway) so we went home and collapsed. All and all, a great convention experience.

The Shit I Loved

• Again, The Colors of Cosplay! I get to add to my cute fits.
• Hey, I love my panels. I did go to quite a few stinkers, but the ones I enjoyed, I did:
  • that one where they just played hentai clips and we cheered (or screamed because the beak went where? and how many bottles of wine was that!?) (Paradox Panels, I think)
  • "30+ of age anime protagonists" because high schoolers do not interest me, yo. You're lucky you're so good, Dan Da Dan (though I admit it's mostly my tendency to be all No Boring Parts Allowed the instant the action stops; that's 120% on me). (Xan V. of Spiraken Review)
  • Borderline Panels where I joined a cult and it was absolutely unhinged.
  • The Manly Battleships - a wide range: you have "thoughtful commentary on why biphobia fucking sucks" and "which of the founding fathers in the omegaverse would be absolute babies" (how does the omegaverse work again)
• The rave! I also saw the coolest fursuits.
• Other cosplayers. Shoutout to the guy that smiled back instead of cringing when I yelled "Is that Sans Undertale?" That may have been a grimace. Sorry bud
• The compliments my partner got while wearing their Tifa Lockhart cosplay. She has a lot of fans!
• All those cars

The Shit I Missed

• Karaoke– I probably could've banged out this banger.
• The Band– from what I heard from out in the hall, I liked what I heard of KAZHA. I was sure to buy a CD from them.
• (More) Arcade Time
• Otaku Craft Fair
• The Maid Cafe
• Game (Show?) Panels, like Build-a-Bae
• The Sonic Photoshoop Meetup (because there wasn't one– but I would've missed it if it was listed!)
• The Cosplay Contest - I had a lot of other stuff to do, but I should've peeked in at least once. Cosplay is awesome to see!
• The Manga Library - would've been great to just have a quiet place to chill. Also, checking out manga.
• Following Paradox Panels more closely
• Asking "Actually, how dangerous is it to pour bottles of wine in your butt?" at the Hentai Q&A panel– because some shit you be seein' has you goin' "how feasible is this really." I panicked and jotted down the one that's always in the forefront of my mind: "Where's all the queer shit!?"
• The Ribbon Game– as in, I could've been more bold. It's how I trick myself into being sociable at these things. And I only went to one meetup.

What Did We Learn?

• Take the day off. I learned this from Tekko, actually, but yanno– I need to learn a thing at least twice before it sticks. The day the con starts? Get the whole day off or at least roll out of work early if you can swing it. We missed a lot of cool shit Friday morning and afternoon (or I just have FOMO).
• Pe Brepared. Er, Be Prepared. Bottled water (or know where the water stations are). Emergency flip flops for when your feet have had enough. Phone charger. Fidget spinner. If you're old like me, plan for a nap. I did really good on this front (I lived dangerously without a phone bank, tho), but it's good to remind yourself on the basics.
• Prep Your Cosplay in Advance. I did not know just how hard getting Hatsune Miku's ponytails to work would be. I got a headache just watching the process. Note to self: hit up everyone for their wig tips because at some point, I'd like to tackle SeeU.
• Just Pay for Parking or Uber there and back. If you can. Because that costs money and I won't judge you if you'd rather spend that money on bread. I managed to dodge getting towed, but don't risk that shit yo.
• Bookmark the website for events– even better, save a copy as a PDF or something, idk. I relied on the paper map and event sheet, but it lacked important details. It also didn't have any of the photoshoots listed, IIRC. If you want to depend on one, stick with the site or official app/service they use.
• Take time to just People Watch and compliment every cosplay you see and like. It's just nice.
• If You're Playing The Ribbon Game... don't forget your "I have ribbons!" button so people will know! And go to the meetups, or at least haunt the booth.
• Wear a Danged Mask. An acquaintance came back from a weeklong thing and he got the Con Crud but I was like "damn, couldn't be me." Also, we're still in a freakin' pandemic y'all. I'm not the paragon of perfect mask-wearing, but I don't budge on this one.
• Make Room for Those with Mobility Aids. Enough said. I will hit your ankles with my cane. Accidentally, of course.

Will I Take This Long Next Time?

Honestly, probably. I should give myself a deadline or something.

You Know What? You Got Homework

It's a month or so later but you know what, Tifa, you got journaling homework to do! Write about your first anime convention, which was IchibanCon. I frequently check out the schedule to jog my memory. I'll give you treats!