Tsubasacon

[cornerofmadness]

Today I headed out to Tsubasacon. I wasn't planning on going since I was supposed to be with Mom, Brother and SiL at Bob Evans Farm fest but since they canceled and I have a three day weekend, I went.

On the way there I went to Hillbilly Hotdogs for lunch. It is an experience. I had the ala cheesy and a coalminer. Yum Yum. The most hysterical thing was there was a teenaged boy from Italy there. He seemed bemused by it all, either the decor or the bluegrass music I'm not sure which.










Where you order:

The School Bus I ate in.

Next time I'm bringing a sharpey.

Mom said she didn't think I enjoyed the con when she asked. I said well not as much as I should have for the 30$ cover charge. For one, you can tell the organizers are young and not THAT organized. Who the hell has TEN registration lines but only one of them credit card. Who carries that much cash around? And the slick pretty con info booklet was next to impossible to figure out where anything was. Sigh.

Still, the thing I like best about cons are dealers' rooms and the internet has more or less destroyed that. I'm getting long in the tooth in many ways and I just don't get THAT excited by panels like I used to. I've more or less see it before.

The dealer's rooms were less anime and more anime adjacent. Lots of original art being done which was cool. It would be even cooler if I were in love with Attack on Titan and I'm not. I love Levi and Zoe and the rest is meh. Which is funny since one of the vendors I spoke to feels exactly the same way. She and I did talk a long time. She wants to break into the m/m erotica field. I gave her my email and told her to contact me for more info. I bought one of her leather steampunk bracelets and wore it the whole con. Love it.

I also got an indie comic book The Hues that has the tag line Girls will save the World. It's near future SF and looked interesting. I picked up a print of a character I don't know but he was so striking he was worth a few bucks. Aoba from DRAMAtical Murder some Boy's love thing that I'll have to watch someplace that isn't here with my shit connection. I got him from Chibs Panda

There was someone there who made Ghibli sculptures that were made of adorable and another had stickers two for a dollar so I got a few of Levi (I'd like to glue them to magnets and make it more useful). I also got myself steampunk goggles (so yes bought more steampunk than anything). I love them. They're purple.

One vendor had a few FMA things (and people LOVED my new FMA shirt. I was stopped a lot to ask about it) but I thought about it and decided I didn't see ELD using a drawstring book bag thing and I REALLY wanted their psycho-pass ball cap but I don't wear them enough to spend 20$ on it. (will look to see if Rightstuf has it....) I didn't find the wallet I wanted. Well I did but I KNOW I can get that cheaper elsewhere).

I also met the lead singer of Kazha and I foolishly did not get her to sign a CD for me. Ah well.

Watch on YouTube

I ended up at the Q& A panel with the guests (except for Dunbar). I didn't plan on it but since the dealer's room was so small and I spent so much to get in I decided why the hell not. Now yes it was a friday but it was at 4 pm. Almost NO ONE showed up. I felt so bad I actually asked a question to keep the conversation rolling. Turned out everyone went to the autograph room to be the first in line so they said all of us could get an autograph first but I didn't have anything TO autograph and honestly I'm not that big into VA's. They were very nice guys so I regret that a bit.

I also bought The Captains from L. Jason Queen before heading out. I tried one of the places that tripadvisor recced for dinner: Nawab It was very good and the manager/owner (I'm assuming) loved my steampunk bracelet. As did a lady who walked out with her companions when I did. She also wanted to know what I was reading then her husband said, she has a trunk full of books, want some? I showed him MY trunk of books, only if you want mine.

From there I went to a book store. Go me. Books-a-million had sent me a coupon and I got manga naturally, two new ones, The Ancient Magus's Bride & Itsuwaribito. And then I had to drive home in a monsoon in the dark up a windy river road. Fun.

The cosplay was pretty...lackluster but there were a few good ones

Maleficient

a pretty Tianna

my favorite, Sally and Jack

my new googles and bracer. I think I'll add a caduceus to this

and if you didn't click on the art link they're playing for pink slips to their ships

Comments

[zippitgood.livejournal.com]

Kyle Hebert is such a sweetheart.

Finding good things in the dealer room is hard nowadays. It's all too mass produced or of things I'm not interested in.

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

He certainly seemed to be. That's my first time meeting him.

Yeah isn't that the truth? Or those big ticket items, like the action figures. I love them but right now I can't see me tossing down 70-150$ for an action figure

[kiramaru7.livejournal.com]

It sounds like you had fun!

The dealer's room is my fave part of a con too! LOVE the bracelet & googles!! :D

I don't normally go to panels either, but I have to say I did at Zenkaicon & enjoyed it! Even the one for "adventure time" & I don't even like that show. XD

The hotdog place looks wild! :D

I'm glad you had fun, despite hitting a monsoon on your way home! :D

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

It was fun. It could have been more fun but it is relative small

I think the dealer's room is most people's favorite parts and it's a shame they're going down hill

Thanks. I'm REALLY happy with the steampunk purchases.

the hotdog place is wild. and tasty.

I could have lived without the monsoon but better yesterday than today when I'm going to the renn fest.

[kiramaru7.livejournal.com]

That's good. I like smaller cons better than the bigger ones. They get too crowded & it becomes hard to find anything when you do decide to go to a panel or something special like a maid cafe.

Yeah... I'm also very wary of buying art at these things, unless it looks like something the person actually drew, cuz they're sitting there, drawing. Too easy nowadays to grab images, including fanart off the net & for a small investment,you can print posters & make money off other peep's work. *sighs*

You're welcoem! I sooo want to go to that steampunk-fest my sister heard of next year & we talked about going to a pirate-fest too. *wonders if I can talk her into going to a renn-faire*

Yeah! Have fun!! *can't wait to hear all about it & see the pix* :D

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

There is that aspect of a small con too. It's nice to be able to move.

Hmmm never even thought about that when it comes to the art. I know the one I got of Aoba isn't original. They said so. It seems to just be official merchandise.

Have fun if you get to go.

[kiramaru7.livejournal.com]

Yup! :D

I only think about it as a friend used to post her doushinji online (stuff she bought & shared cuz at that time, they were harder to get) & she found someone who had taken all her scans, made CDs out of them & sold them all without asking anyone's permission. I saw a Prussia poster & really really wanted at AnimeNext, but I didn't get it as all the posters this vendor was selling looked like fanart & I know that poster I wanted was fanart, but I wasn't about to buy it from her. Maybe if she was in the artists' alley, I might have, but then again none of the art styles matched up.

Thanks! You too! :D

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

that's definitely sketchy. This time there was no artist alley. it was all mixed into one place so there was that. But definitely yes, I don't mind buying fan art if it's theirs. Actually I don't even really buy that much fan art period but I know people who like it and I give it to them

[kiramaru7.livejournal.com]

Yeah. Zenkaocon has everyone together too, which makes it easier to browse. *nods* I don't really buy myself, although I do have a pic of myself cosplaying as fem!Prussia with Prussia, that the artist got such a good reception about that she turned it into keychains (she sent me one as a thank you) & fanart. XD I also ahve small Prussia fanart postcard I got as gift from a friend & the first piece of fanart I bought is a Jakotsu sculpture & a beautiful Sesshoamaru watercolor. I also bought some fanart of Germany & Italy, simply because if I bought 3 pieces (I was buying SPN fanart for a friend) I'd get one free. :D They were very sweet the 2 artists & very talented too. I also have 2 pieces of Soma fanart my friend Kat made me for my bday. :D I also have some smaller pieces of her work too. :D

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

very cool. One of the things I liked to collect but doesn't seem to be made much any more were collectors cards, you know like baseball cards. I'd buy more art but damn where am I gonna hang it all

[kiramaru7.livejournal.com]

Thanks. Oh! Kat calls those art trading cards! One of the Soma she sis is an ATC! :D Sometimes they're freebies, so if I remember, when I go to Zenkaicon in April, I'll pick some up for you too! :D

I hear you. There's only so much wall space. XD

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

yeah, when the fans do them they are ATCs. I was a big card collector back when the official merchandisers made them.

sadly until I get a mansion that is true

[kiramaru7.livejournal.com]

I think they're all called that as I've seen them with original work too like the ones I have from Kat.

Same here. XD

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

that's very possible. I've only seen it with the fan ones and sadly I haven't seen offficial ones in years. One vendor told me stealing art on the internet put the coffin nail in that one

[kiramaru7.livejournal.com]

*nods* I've never seen fanart ones aside from the one I have. I don't doubt it.

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

What great pictures! I thought you were going to TsubasaCon all weekend. Oops.

I think your con was still a little better than mine, but mine was a first year convention.

Those are great goggles and bracelet. I love them both.

Your right, I might not need an FMA drawstring bag.

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

Oh lord no, far too small for that. I was thru it in an hour.

Hopefully they'll both get better.

thanks. I do too.

yeah that's what I figured

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that's pretty much what the con I went to was, though I stopped and talked to people and attended two panels (and one I asked a question without not knowing anything about the fandom involved for the same reason you did).

Yes, it'd be great if they improved.

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

of course some of the kids from my anime group LOVE it. (they have little reference). It's not a bad con. It just needs to be better. And maybe NOT put a major speaking event on a friday during school even if it was technically at least an hour after school would be over for most.

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

As cons are places I mostly shop at and go to meet people, the thing I miss most about them now is the lack of an art gallery. I wonder why that stopped happening.

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

mine was almost all art gallery but no one taking requests really. Maybe it's now a legal issue. I never did get why fan art you could sell but fan fic you could not

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

Fanfic could be sold under a fanzine. I don't know. I'm sure there're all sorts of copyright laws for written vs. artistic representations.

Like, "Oh, I wrote a fanfic for [X-fandom], now I'll sell it!"

vs.

"I did an art. Okay, so it's inspired by [X-fandom]."

But I just don't know for sure.

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

me neither and all I do know is if you suggested selling fan fic you were sneered out of fandom and if you asked why they could sell the art the same thing happened to you

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

Yeah. Sigh.