The Gaming Den

This will be my very first convention, so I'm curious as to what it's going to be like. A friend of mine suggested it, and it's only worth it if I'm going with people I know.

The friend helped me get ahold of a cosplay outfit, as it doesn't feel right without at least trying that, and make a mask for it. Granted, it's of a character I'm completely unfamiliar with outside of Wikipedia, Gin Ichimaru from Bleach; but with a white wig and a mask to cover my goatee'd face (not a strong chin, so I don't like the idea of shaving that off). It's hit a small snag though, in that the wig I ordered turned out to be child's size, so I'll have to find one on the drive to Dallas.

Another annoying thing is that the costume I ordered for Assassin's Creed 2 got snagged in customs, so it won't get here in time for A-Kon, so it'll have to wait until Halloween to get real use.

I was annoyed at the total lack of TTRPGs being run at the con, so I took matters into my own hands and stated there'll be an unofficial game being run. I chose one of my more popular one-shot games, with lots of pre-made PCs, which is heavily houseruled Gatecrasher FUDGE.

I'm looking forward to the Steampunk stuff, though I wish I knew how to ballroom dance for the Steampunk Ball.

Altogther, it looks like it'll be a fun trip. Is anyone else here going?

As of two years ago, A-Kon was a 24/7 party con filled to the brim with booze, drugs, parties, attractive women squeezed into skintight Fetish Fuel costumes looking for one night stands, bishonen twinks looking for the same, and the organized representation of every sexual subculture known on the planet. The convention takes up most - but not all - of the massive hotel, and if you're in the hosting hotel you can either get a room in one of the "normal" towers or shack up with your fellow anime fans for a weekend of utter debauchery. I personally recommend the latter option. Not sure what the party options at the overflow hotels are. But yeah, if you're going to party, make sure you are stocked up the essentials - booze, soft drinks, water, junk food, condoms, etc. Partying with con guests mostly sucks - they typically do not live up to expectations AT ALL - so don't go out of your way to chat them up or hang out with them or sleep with them unless they genuinely seem cool.

Funimation is located in Dallas, so you'll probably see them fairly well represented at the convention. They do a lot of recruiting of voice actors from the ranks of "normal" people, so they may be looking for talent. It's almost 100% certain that some voice actor or another will be trying to sell a book or a tape that promises to make you the next Vic Mignogna. Don't waste your money or your time dealing with those shills. The Harmony Gold guys are always pretty cool and are worth talking to if you like Robotech. The concerts are going to be top-notch, and even if you don't attend them, any parties worth their salt are going to be scheduled around them. You may even meet a celebrity or two on the con floor or within the hosting hotel. Even if they aren't into anime - and they usually aren't - this convention may very well be one of the few places on the planet that they can walk around without being accosted by rabid fans or paparazzi.

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Yeah, meeting up with people I at least peripherally know would be cool. The morning half of Friday would be the best time for me to do non-event stuff.

From 2009: Foamy The Squirrel shares the A-Kon convention rules with the world.

Oh, and it looks like Bruce Lewis is going to be there. He's a super old school anime guest (like Carl Macek, R.I.P.), so he should be pretty good.

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I don't recall seeing you, but there were piles of people running around. I did discover one thing, always make damn sure you remember where you parked.