Category: Convention

All About C2E2!

My thoughts on my experience at C2E2

So this past weekend I had the amazing opportunity and pleasure to attend C2E2 in Chicago, IL. If you don’t know what C2E2 is, it is a comic and entertainment expo.

This was my first year to attend. It was also my first BIG con and my first con that I attended in a different state and had to travel for. I thought I came prepared. I didn’t.

Many things played into that fact and I will not go into them all as most of them do not have anything to do with the con itself. And let’s be real. That’s why we are here and reading this post am I right? 😛

My amazing guy, Mathew made the trek to Chicago with me and attended the con with me. Which made it better. If you guys didn’t know (which I’m sure you don’t) I struggle with anxiety on top of my depression struggles. I don’t deal well with large crowds, large gatherings, crowded areas, strangers, etc. So it’s a wonder that I enjoy going to cons so much. Some times are a lot better than others but a calm and friendly face that I can focus on really helps keep the anxiety in check and at bay. Which is what Mathew does all the time for me. And my anxiety was honestly a big issue for me at this con. It made me moody, distant and grumpy at times.

But overall I really loved the con. It wasn’t what I was expecting at all.

I was a bit disappointed with artist’s alley and the show floor because I expected so many more moments of “Shut up and take my money” and I didn’t get that many of them. Which was just disappointing to me. When attending a con this large I expected to struggle hard with deciding on the items I actually was going to purchase because I would want everything. That sadly didn’t happen as much. Don’t get me wrong, I most definitely bought a lot of things just not as many as I thought that I would. And it quickly became clear, with the sheer size of the show floor that it was one of the main attractions to the con. That and the guests.

The guest list was amazing. So much talent had been invited and attended C2E2 this year and I am beyond blessed and thankful that I was able to go and see so many of these people. These people were just absolutely inspiring to see and had such amazing stories, words of wisdom and views on things. And many of them were just straight up funny.

We had the pleasure of attending the Twisted Toons panel which six voice actors read Back the Future in different voices which had me roaring with laughter the entire time. Wil Wheaton and Zachary Levi were far funnier than I thought they would be and were fantastic entertainers. AJ Mendez Brooks and Evanna Lynch both had their funny moments but I found them to be more inspiring and they just left me in awe.

Also can we just talk about how I MET EVANNA LYNCH?! OH MY GOD. I about cried. Many times. Just ask Mathew. It was kind of ridiculous. I couldn’t handle myself about it.

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Every convention has their ups and downs and overall I think this one had a lot of ups but it just took too much to get there. And downtown Chicago is NOT a fun place to be! And for that I enjoyed C2E2 and will cherish my memories there always but I don’t plan on returning. But never say never. We don’t know what the future my hold.

Stay classy and sassy guys 😀

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Con Life with Collinswoah13

My Animatic Con Experience!!!

Hello and welcome back my wonderful little pretties of the internet!

This past weekend I had the absolute pleasure of attending Animatic Con in Blue Ash, Ohio. This con is just a wee little babe as this year was only it’s second year of existence. So it was quite an intimate con. Definitely the smallest and youngest con I have ever been to.

I did not know what I was going to get from this con as it is new and in Blue Ash of all random places. What I did know was it fit in my schedule of cons (if you didn’t know this year, 2017, is the year of the cons for me) and that upon research it supported a fantastic cause. Animatic con is very supportive of people with disabilities and works hand-in-hand with an Autism charity, giving half of their proceeds from badge sales to the charity. For those who do not know, I actually used to work with children on the spectrum at two of my previous jobs so it is something that is near and dear to my heart so I didn’t care if the con ended up being a dud or whatever, I knew I wanted to purchase a full weekend pass at full price to help out the most I could as a con goer 😉

To be completely honest when Mathew (the mysterious boyfriend now has an official name!) and I arrived at the con and popped on over to registration to get our badges, it was a bit of a mess. No one acknowledged us when we arrived, it was a cluster of people and no help or indication of where to go. We got through it though, grabbed our passes and were cruising around to see what was what and what was where. Unfortunately the way that the Crowne Plaza is set up is a little awkward for an anime convention but they really did make it work with what they had. I just wish that everyone had a bit more space for more cosplayers and a bigger artist alley. But hey, those are hopes and dreams for the con as it grows. Which it will.

I have to rave on and on about the artists alley and the cosplayers that had booths. Amazing job. I wanted (and did) throw my monies at these people. It was great that they had such an array of people and products there. It wasn’t just a lot of the same. Almost every single booth was different from the last which I think (and hope) helped out the artists quite a bit. Such amazing talent. The dealers room was a bit lack luster. I say this just because it was a small space and the first thing you see when walking in to the dealers room is tables that are empty advertising for other cons. It just made the set up feel empty and lacking. I’m all for promotion of other cons but when you have a dealers room as small as this, I feel that the other con advertising would be best suited elsewhere. But that’s just me and I do not run a con. I did think that the products offered in the dealers room where good. It felt a lot like artists alley, each table was unique in what they were offering. I also felt better about handing over my money to these people as they were quite welcoming and friendly rather than your typical dealers room. Which isn’t the fault of the typical dealers rooms, they have more people to move through and have to be quick and can’t give you undivided attention. It was just a nice change of pace at Animatic Con.

Most of the panels at Animatic Con were not the best sadly. The content was lacking it seemed and VERY niche-y. The exception to this would be the guest panels. Now here is the moment of the blog where I will nerd out completely and just rave and rave and rave and nothing will stop me. I hope you. are. ready.

I had the great opportunity and pleasure of meeting and experiencing Mikey Mason. If you know who this man is then, you are the best person there is and GOOD JOB YOU! If you don’t, I highly recommend consuming everything he has to offer. He is a musical performer and comedian and I just fell in love with him and his talent. He is absolutely hilarious. He music is great. It’s total nerd/geek music. What is there not to love? And he’s got a good voice and sound. Ah-mazing. It didn’t help that I got ballsy and volunteered to have him serenade me on stage. Yes, Mathew was watching and aware the entire time guys. It’s all good. 😛

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But, Mikey put on three concerts and had a comedy panel over the course of the three day weekend. I personally was able to attend two of the three concerts and the comedy show. Dude is hilarious. He makes call backs every show and it’s great. He really plays off of the audience and has relatable content. Very relatable. He’s very friendly, personable and has a personality that just draws you in. If you guys get anything from this blog post today, I hope it’s him. Just check him out. You will NOT regret it.

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I do have to say this has probably been my best con experience to date. It’s the smallest and newest con I have ever attended but the friendliest. I felt like I really was able to make friends with everyone there. They were all welcoming and inclusive. I was able to meet, talk, enjoy and have beers with both the guests and attendees. Kiddie pool full of beer anyone? And that, made the con for me. The fact that everyone was down to Earth enough to do that and that everyone actually talked. Too often anymore con goers are just keeping to themselves. Not breaking out and making friends. Sticking to your clique and just snapping pictures of cosplayers and doing your own thing. This time was different. It was about coming together and being a community. Being a friend group and that’s important. It’s what I think the nerd, anime and con communities are all about. It seems to have gotten lost in the last couple years but I’m glad it’s not gone forever, just lost it’s way and is coming back.

On that note, thank you Animatic Con. I can’t wait to see what you bring next year and I can’t wait to attend.

Stay classy and sassy until Wednesday y’all. ❤

My Trip to Ohayocon 2017

All about my Ohayocon 2017 experience

Hello and welcome back beautiful internet friends!

What a wonderful and hectic weekend it was! So as you can tell by the title Ohayocon 2017 happened! This was my first time actually attending the con, I have gone to Ohayocon one time before (in 2013) but I only visited the dealers room and artist alley. I did not take pictures really and I did not attend any panels. I was super excited to go this year because it would be my first time actually attending the panels and seeing the guests, so fully immersing myself in Ohayocon. This year Ohaycon was also taking place on my birthday so it. was. fate.

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I had a wonderful time and got to see a lot of WONDERFUL cosplays. The cosplays were on point this con and I was beyond thrilled to see interpretations on certain characters as well as the throwback things people decided to call back up.

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The boyfriend and I spent some time in the board game and video game rooms at Ohayocon this year. Not too much time but enough time to have THE MOST EPIC game of Jenga I have ever played. We also played a flip the table game that was in the rhythm gaming room? I don’t know 100% since I don’t speak Japanese but it is now my life’s quest to own my own table flipping game thing in my house one day. It will be done!

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I just also must brag about meeting Rikki Simons because he is just amazing and wonderful. If you guys don’t know who he is, he is the voice of Gir from Invader Zim. I was fortunate enough to attend both of his Gir panels as well as I got both a print and comic autographed by Rikki Simons himself.

I think my favorite panel that I attended at Ohayocon 2017 was most definitely the guest improv panel. It was absolutely hysterical. The guests performing really go in to the improv and the attendees gave some great (but dark) suggestions. Both myself and my boyfriend were doubled over in fits of laughter. I will say I had wished the panel had been an 18+ one just because you could tell the guests struggled to keep it as PG/PG-13 as they could.

The dealers room was absolutely amazing this year. I found so many things that I had either been looking for or did not know I wanted. (And yes, I did spend far too much money!) I was able to pick up some manga I had been hunting for, found some great plushies, stationary, and travel coffee mugs. I think one of my favorite scores in the dealers room was my Asuna body pillow. 😉

Now with good there is unfortunately bad. I have a few things to vent about with Ohaycon 2017. I honestly felt that the panels were really lacking. When I have attend Matsuricon in the past (and yes I know its a different con but at the same location) I found myself overwhelmed with decision making because I wanted to go to all the panels and that of course is not possible. With Ohayocon this year I just felt like it was more of a case of I’m really excited about one or two panels but the rest of my choices were just fill in the time and gaps in my schedule. I also must say that the layout of Ohayocon just wasn’t the best. There were too many gaps and spaces for my taste and having to walk alllllllllll the way to the B-pods was just frustrating. I completely understand that the construction at the Greater Columbus Convention center is not the cons fault but I did think their personal layout choices in the main areas were lackluster and disappointing.

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Overall I found the con to be quite enjoyable and I had a wonderful birthday weekend at the con with my friends and man. I most definitely would attend another Ohayocon and I hope next year’s is better than this year’s.

Until Wednesday my cute pals, stay classy and sassy 🙂

 

What to do When Waiting at a Con

Waiting around at the con for your next panel to start? Here’s some ideas of what to do!

Hello and welcome back friends!

First order of exciting news: IT’S FINALLY MY BIRTHDAY!!! YAY yay yay! It’s also the first day of Ohayaocon! More yay!

Now on to the real business. When you’re at a con and you’re waiting for your next panel, event, etc. to start and you’ve already exhausted your time in the dealer’s/vendor’s hall and artist’s alley, what do you do with yourself? Good thing your pal Collinswoah13 has tips for you!

Remember my blog post from Monday? About things to bring with you to the con? If you followed that then you will be in great shape, if not then don’t worry! I still have many great ideas and tips!

Tip #1: Play your 3DS, DS, Vita or PSP (if you have one or brought one). We don’t all get as much gaming time in as we want so down time is the perfect time to log some hours and kill some time!

Tip #2: People watching! I LOVE to people watch. It’s probably one of my favorite ways to kill time. Especially at the con. Watching people interact in the ways that they do is always fascinating to me.

Tip #3: Okay, this is probably my FAVORITE way to pass the time that I’m going to tell y’all about. If you are with a person or a group of people then this will be perfect for you as it requires you to have at least one other person. You also need to have at least one 20 sided die (good thing you’re at a con!) So you and your friend(s) are basically playing an RPG table top game but you are your character and the real world is your campaign. You and your friends roll for initiative and whoever rolls higher goes first. Your stats are based upon you in real life and your personality. You friend(s) all collectively agree on levels of stats for you and each other (that way your head doesn’t get too big haha!) Your friends decide what stat you are testing and they also decide level of difficulty for your roll. If you pass, your friend tells you what you get to do for fun/not embarrassing (ex. asking the cute guy/girl you’ve been eyeing all weekend for a hug). If you fail, your friend tells you what you get to do (ex. asking 3 different strangers of your friend’s choosing if they have any peanut butter). Its almost like a game of dare or dare but nerdy style, the stakes are always higher! This is great to play all con weekend!

Tip #4: Read! Bought a book at the con or brought your own? Your down time is great time to get some reading done! Reading during your down time helps the times pass quicker but also gives you some alone time to help recharge your batteries.

Tip #5: Talk to and meet new people! You’re at a con! Talk to randoms and make new friends! Great ways to break the ice? Sing along time! Give a compliment! Or just butt your way in to an interesting conversation you hear going on.

Tip #6: Explore the video game room, the board game room or reading room (if your con has these things). For the longest time, I was unaware that my cons had these and man are they a great way to kill time and meet new friends! Everyone is super welcoming and nice! I highly recommend it.

So those are my most helpful time killing at the con tips! If you have any suggestions please let me know in the comments! If you’re at a con this weekend, have fun and be safe! If you aren’t attending a con this weekend still be safe and have fun. Until next time, stay classy and sassy as always 😉

How to Avoid Con Crud

Tips on avoiding con crud

Hello and welcome back my cute friends! Keeping with this week’s theme of con related posts I’m gonna give y’all some tips on how to avoid con crud!

So if you’ve ever been to a convention of pretty much any kind, you know about con crud (as it has been nicely nicknamed). For those of you who don’t know what con crud is, its the sickness that you usually get at the end of or right after a convention. Which is just THE worst.

Tip #1: Wash your hands and use hand sanitizer often! I know that this is a no-brainer but sometimes you just get all caught up in the excitement and forget to do it OFTEN. So this is a helpful and friendly reminder! Also bathe often! A nice hot shower can do the body wonders in making you feel better and helping you get over/keep you from getting sick.

Tip #2: Go out and get some fresh air every once in awhile. You will have some down time at the con so take advantage of it by getting some fresh air and away from all the germs. It will help. But that being said, dress accordingly to the weather!

Tip#3: Remember to eat properly. It might take you away from the con for a bit but keeping yourself properly fed will help keep you from getting both hangry and sick. And like I said in my last post, pack some snacks to bring to the convention! I also suggest packing some healthier choices to keep the body strong and ready to fight.

Tip #4: I know we all love hugs and getting close to others at the con (I am all about that life) but be careful with who you are getting close to. If they look or are acting sick, think twice before approaching!

Tip #5: If you are coming down with something at the con but are “toughing it out,” please do everyone attending a favor by taking medications, drinking plenty of fluids and cough. in. to. your. arm. Also wash your hands/use hand sanitizer regularly. I don’t blame you for still being there but please think about everyone else!

I hope y’all find these tips helpful for your next con-going experience! Free free to add your own tips to avoiding con crud in the comments!

Until Friday, stay classy and sassy! 😉

What you Should be Bringing to a Con

Essential daily con going must haves

Welcome back beautiful internet beings! So today starts an amazing week; not only is it my birthday week but it’s also the week of Ohayocon! For those of you who do not know what Ohayocon is, it’s an amazing anime convention that goes on right here in Columbus, Ohio and I will be attending this year 😀 and I am SO excited for it.

I thought it would be fun to have con-related posts this week to pump up the excitement of the con at the end of the week. And if you guys aren’t gonna trek your way to Ohayocon then 1. you’re missing out and 2. you can apply this to any con you might attend 🙂

So the big thing is what should and shouldn’t you bring to a con? Well typically you’re going to practically living at the convention center where the con takes place for the duration of the event because parking IS NOT cheap! So I highly suggest bringing a backpack and filling it with some goodies, not too many though because you need to make room for your purchases! Which is a good first point, bring a backpack or empty tote bag because not all vendors will have bags for your purchases.

I also suggest bringing some snacks because they’re going to be hard to find and if you do find them they’re going to be outrageously expensive. Also BRING HAND SANITIZER! Trust me, it’ll be a good thing to have. So many germs are spread at conventions and the janitorial staff members aren’t always on top of making sure the bathroom is stocked up on soap. You. Will. Need. It. And you’ll thank me later 😉

Make sure you have your camera or phone! You never know what awesome people with amazing cosplays you will run in to and you will most definitely want to take pictures of them and/or with them. I also suggest bringing your charger and maybe even splurging for a battery pack so you don’t have live next to an outlet. And if you have a Nintendo 3DS THIS IS THE TIME TO BRING IT! Bring a game so you can play in down time but HAVE IT ON! You meet so many people and can complete so many puzzles and play Find Mii that it’ll be a blast.

If you are like me I also suggest to bring a book because there will be down time and you might not always have people to entertain you around, so a book is a great tool to make your down time not nearly as boring.

Now if you guys happen to be at Ohayocon please feel free to come up and say hello if you see me! My name will be Collinswoah13 on my name badge this year 😉 I also will be wearing a birthday girl sash and Hello Kitty tiara all weekend because my b-day is Friday! Hugs are more than happy to be given and I would love to say hello!

Until Wednesday wonderful friends, stay classy and sassy!