Most annoying thing at an anime convention

[acton]

The CHAIR rave....

I second it

[hikaru_maxwell]

One thing that does annoy at anime conventions (which thankfully doesn't happen often) is when people you know or you consider 'friends' (though if it happens with random strangers do report it to a Yojimbo) literally DRAG you away from a conversation you're having so they can force you into photo ops or other things. It happened to me at a convention where someone I knew repeatedly kept grabbing me by the arm and forcing me away from the people I was talking to so they could get pictures with me or something. It's not only rude, and painful if the person grabbing you is gripping too hard or you don't move in the direction you're being pulled fast enough, but it can make the people you were talking to very concerned that something is wrong.

another thing is cosplay snobs. Not just the elitists who'll look down on you because of the cosplay you're wearing, but the ones that are from the same series, and you go to talk to them, but they basically blow you off or say "oh, I have my own cosplay group" and ignore you because you're not part of their little clique of cosplay friends that they've known forever. We go to cons to have fun, meet people, expand our friendship circles to include other people who like the same things we do, right? The least we can all do is be polite to each other. Who knows, you might be able to make some new friends.

[Washougal_Otaku]

^ chair is evil

I also annoyed when you are trying to get threw the hall ways and people are sitting right there and you ask them to move and they wont T_T

I can see that getting annoying. If it's a group, I like to force my way in the middle and do a weird dance until they get the hint.    Just kidding; I've never had to do it myself. People usually move out of the way when I ask them to do so, but I could see me doing this if it ever happened to me.

Another thing that I find annoying are the teenage girls who wear cosplays that show off WAY too much skin.

[CaptnPoptart]

^ I remember watching a video about an experienced con-goer counting down the top dos and donts when you go to an anime convention and one of the things was checking the person's age before you hit on them (not just as an in-character thing.) ESPECIALLY if youre over 18. I feel like the teenage girls that cosplay in stuff that shows a ton of skin are in danger of getting into a dangerous situation. It can be annoying as well. I agree.

[Titus_Love_Doll]

^ chair is evil

I also annoyed when you are trying to get threw the hall ways and people are sitting right there and you ask them to move and they wont T_T

I can see that getting annoying. If it's a group, I like to force my way in the middle and do a weird dance until they get the hint.    Just kidding; I've never had to do it myself. People usually move out of the way when I ask them to do so, but I could see me doing this if it ever happened to me.

Another thing that I find annoying are the teenage girls who wear cosplays that show off WAY too much skin.

^ agree BIG TIME alot of people complain about stalkers and pervs well there you go wear an outfit that shows to much and are underage and not know what your getting into thats what happens

[mizushimo]

The Chair. I mean, Wtf?
Basically a IRL Meme took over several big Kumoricon events. At least that's what I think happened....

[prussia]

random glomps.
people who act wayyyy too in character (especially with a rude or mean character)
and props that aren't silent (had a fog horn blown in my ear at scon. wasn't that awesome.....)

[@random]

I've moved the posts on skimpy outfits and the debate that ensued to Skimpy outfits, propriety, and morals so that discussion can continue.

[Kimiski]

Chair.

[EveofAbyss]

Did we have another Chair Skit incident? Tell me this didn't happen again...

[bunny_jean]

Did we have another Chair Skit incident? Tell me this didn't happen again...

As far as I know it wasn't to the same extent, but lots of audience members were always yelling for it. :/ I just know that whenever it came up during the cosplay contest all of us in the green room were booing hysterically.

[brossiya]

random glomps.
people who act wayyyy too in character (especially with a rude or mean character)
and props that aren't silent (had a fog horn blown in my ear at scon. wasn't that awesome.....)

I second random glomps and would like to add minors that throw goldfish crackers at other people because they think it's funny. It's kind of a pain when they're bouncing the blasted crackers off your head and trying to get them down the front of your suit jacket like it's a set of goalposts. It took a lot of patience to not get upset because they probably were just being bratty and shouting wouldn't have fixed it. It's not a huge big deal complaint though. I just told the kid not to do it again because it wasn't appropriate and went on talking to someone else.

Otherwise, con was pretty good.

[MadMoai]

This was only my second anime convention, so I didn't experience anything that was particularly annoying. Maybe I'm just too easygoing.

It bothered me for a while when people kept shouting that they lost the game, but then I heard others saying they "found the game." I thought it was a funny response...

Not sure what the whole Chair thing is, but I might have heard it in the opening ceremonies.

It does irk me a little bit when I wear my Gakupo costumes and people point out that they can see my hair. I don't wear a wig cap with that wig because it makes the ponytail fall off, so I just tie my real hair back and let it show behind the actual wig. The point is, it's not that obscure that I'm not trying to hide my real hair. If I was trying, it'd probably be tied up higher than the lowest part of my head...

[princess_of_zeal]

The whole "Your copslay is great but..." back-handed compliment.  I understand if someone is trying to be helpful but I'm talking about the ones that pretty much say your cosplay fails because of a small detail.  My fan wasn't big enough.  Fine, YOU carry my approximately 5 foot tall fan around for me and I'll get/make a fan that big.  I figured up to my my hip was plenty big.  *rant over*

Drunk people insulting my friends.  Enough said.

Any elitist behavior.  Confidence is one thing, being inconsiderate is another.

[Smashley]

This is a very specific incident, but it is hands down the most annoying thing I have EVER experienced at a con.

My friends and I were waiting in line for the photo booth, which we had found randomly and thought it would be a fun thing to do to pass the time. This girl comes in behind us and she is just kind of talking which I don't really mind. People get excited at anime conventions and I'm used to this. One of my friends is talking to the really amazing Halo cosplayers in front of us and asking how they made their costumes. They are really friendly and informed her they made the armor out of foam. Girl behind us perks up and decides to inform us that SHE made her costume out of foam TOO.

Okay, so maybe she is just excited about her costume. NBD. But it gets worse. My friend says something about this being her first anime convention. Girl behind us says; "Oh, so you probably didn't hear about the mini skirt incident." THE MINI SKIRT INCIDENT. THAT HAPPENED TWO YEARS AGO. Where the Roy Mustang cosplayer interrupted Sonny Straight's panel to take off her pants and put on a mini skirt. The only reason it was funny was because Sonny made it funny. The girl behind us is THAT girl. No one was talking about something irrelevant that happened two years ago. She brought it up for no reason and then wanted me to tell the story. I promptly declined.

BUT SHE'S NOT DONE. She starts talking very loudly about the people currently getting their photos taken at the booth. She starts straight up insulting their costumes. Then tells us she commissioned hers. THEN she turns to the guy watching the door and says; "Did you buy your costume? I can tell by the quality that you bought it." ....WTH. I almost left the photo booth to keep from being rude to a stranger. And THEN to top it all off she says to the people running the booth if she can get in front of the line with a VIP pass. My friends and I were the only group left in front of her. I wanted to die.

Anyway, that's my most annoying con experience.

[chelseahavoc]

smashly: i read that whole post and just kinda stared blankly at my computer for a couple minutes. that is ridiculous and im sorry you had that experience

ON TO MY SMALL RANT

If your in a glomp circle ("hey guess what" "what" "hey guess what go glomp this person!!) DO NOT SEND PEOPLE TO TACKLE SOMEONE OUT OF YOUR CIRCLE.

if we arnt in your "awesome circle" we dont want in on your painfull and costume ripping game. kay thanx bye.

[Black~Rose]

I got asked where my boyfriend was and where my chainsaw was as Juliet TOO MANY TIMES!!! I wanted to slap people after the third time super badly. Jesus, I'm sorry I didnt have the money to get that stuff done, I still had awesome props and you know what? It still made sense because in the beginning of the game she was LOOKING for her boyfriend and his head wasnt cut off yet. Why cant people just appreciate a cosplay as is and be fine with that?  It was worse when it was snarky.

Also, I saw someone be extreamly rude to someone in a furry costume. I understand there is a dark side to furry fans but there is no need to be rude to someone you dont even know and that isnt doing anything wrong, just walking by. She held up her notebook in front of her face and said "eww furry" and the person in the costume sagged their shoulders down and looked visibly hurt (as far as I could tell because I couldn't see the face ) So I offered them a hug immediatly and told them I liked their costume because you know what? it was cute and they deserved to be respected.

[bunny_jean]

To be honest all of the "hey girl hey"s were really obnoxious. Mainly because I'm assuming that maybe 90% of the people saying it don't know where it comes from. It's from this one girl that was on a show called "A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila" which was an awful dating show on MTV FIVE YEARS AGO.

I liked all of the different iterations of it, such as "hey bro hey" and "bye girl bye," but the original got old REALLY quick. -_-

[EveofAbyss]

I wasn't hearing it much at con, but it is all I've been reading since con...and it can fade into obscurity with THE GAME and MARCO POLO.

[bunny_jean]

I wasn't hearing it much at con, but it is all I've been reading since con...and it can fade into obscurity with THE GAME and MARCO POLO.

Maybe it was the panels I went to and the people I hung out with, but I only heard the game once and didn't hear marco polo at all, and only heard objection/overruled once as well... but hey girl hey a bazillion times.

[SpaceCubaLikesConan]

There was this one really annoying middle-aged looking guy who followed me and my friend around when we were cosplaying ponies (I was vinyl, she was Pinkie). I'm 18, and my costume could've been considered "sexy", so I'm not too upset about him following me. It's my own fault for wearing that.
But my friend is 15, and her costume was far from revealing. He kept following her saying "You've got a follower now, Pinkie" and that just creeped the hell out of my whole group.

Another thing is the use of the word "nya". It gets really annoying when someone says it after the end of EVERY sentence. You're not a real cat girl, so shut up.

[EveofAbyss]

Yeah, those other ones were trends of past cons that have thankfully disappeared with the years. Heygurl can gladly follow them, lol.

[Bresslol]

I think the Chair meme was put to bed quite hilariously at the Charity auction:

The Chair donated its winning cosplay contest placard to the Charity auction and held it up onstage. It went for $40, and was handed to the winner. Beau then kicked the chair over. Applause was had.

[EveofAbyss]

That is fantastic. Triumph!

[Bresslol]

There was this one really annoying middle-aged looking guy who followed me and my friend around when we were cosplaying ponies (I was vinyl, she was Pinkie). I'm 18, and my costume could've been considered "sexy", so I'm not too upset about him following me. It's my own fault for wearing that.
But my friend is 15, and her costume was far from revealing. He kept following her saying "You've got a follower now, Pinkie" and that just creeped the hell out of my whole group.

Another thing is the use of the word "nya". It gets really annoying when someone says it after the end of EVERY sentence. You're not a real cat girl, so shut up.

Tell the guy to shove off and stop making minors uncomfortable, or let a yojimbo know. That's harassment and you shouldn't allow your group to put up with that.

[Tanuki19]

The one thing that pissed me off this con was when I was walking around as Dipper from Gravity Falls with my best friend as Mabel and people would go "HEY DIPPER, BEEN TO TACO BELL YET?" Now I have no freaking idea what the heck Dipper has to do with Taco Bell but I heard it comes from some really bad fanfic and but they were too embarrassed to tell me what it was about. At one point, some girl ran up to me, grabbed my hand while I was talking to my friends and was trying to shove something into it. I tried to yank my hand back but she was like "No, take it!" and I was still trying to yank my hand away while she tried to pry my fingers open and she kept saying "Just take it!" while I was like "No!". Eventually she got my hand open, shoved a Taco Bell sauce packet into it and ran away. I wanted to throw the packet back at her or throw it on the ground but I didn't want to litter so I just tossed it in the trash. All in all, it made me not want to wear Dipper anymore if people weren't going to see it as the cartoon and just some inappropriate fanfic. It seriously put a damper on my mood.

[Bresslol]

The one thing that pissed me off this con was when I was walking around as Dipper from Gravity Falls with my best friend as Mabel and people would go "HEY DIPPER, BEEN TO TACO BELL YET?" Now I have no freaking idea what the heck Dipper has to do with Taco Bell but I heard it comes from some really bad fanfic and but they were too embarrassed to tell me what it was about. At one point, some girl ran up to me, grabbed my hand while I was talking to my friends and was trying to shove something into it. I tried to yank my hand back but she was like "No, take it!" and I was still trying to yank my hand away while she tried to pry my fingers open and she kept saying "Just take it!" while I was like "No!". Eventually she got my hand open, shoved a Taco Bell sauce packet into it and ran away. I wanted to throw the packet back at her or throw it on the ground but I didn't want to litter so I just tossed it in the trash. All in all, it made me not want to wear Dipper anymore if people weren't going to see it as the cartoon and just some inappropriate fanfic. It seriously put a damper on my mood.

Also harassment. Tell a staffer. Don't be afraid to tell people off.

[bunny_jean]

The one thing that pissed me off this con was when I was walking around as Dipper from Gravity Falls with my best friend as Mabel and people would go "HEY DIPPER, BEEN TO TACO BELL YET?" Now I have no freaking idea what the heck Dipper has to do with Taco Bell but I heard it comes from some really bad fanfic and but they were too embarrassed to tell me what it was about. At one point, some girl ran up to me, grabbed my hand while I was talking to my friends and was trying to shove something into it. I tried to yank my hand back but she was like "No, take it!" and I was still trying to yank my hand away while she tried to pry my fingers open and she kept saying "Just take it!" while I was like "No!". Eventually she got my hand open, shoved a Taco Bell sauce packet into it and ran away. I wanted to throw the packet back at her or throw it on the ground but I didn't want to litter so I just tossed it in the trash. All in all, it made me not want to wear Dipper anymore if people weren't going to see it as the cartoon and just some inappropriate fanfic. It seriously put a damper on my mood.

Also harassment. Tell a staffer. Don't be afraid to tell people off.

^This. I'm never ashamed to talk loudly about rude people at con. Such as when people stop right in front of you to talk to the people they were walking with. I just say very loudly, "DON'T JUST STOP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HALL. STUPID PEOPLE."

[EveofAbyss]

The one thing that pissed me off this con was when I was walking around as Dipper from Gravity Falls with my best friend as Mabel and people would go "HEY DIPPER, BEEN TO TACO BELL YET?" Now I have no freaking idea what the heck Dipper has to do with Taco Bell but I heard it comes from some really bad fanfic and but they were too embarrassed to tell me what it was about. At one point, some girl ran up to me, grabbed my hand while I was talking to my friends and was trying to shove something into it. I tried to yank my hand back but she was like "No, take it!" and I was still trying to yank my hand away while she tried to pry my fingers open and she kept saying "Just take it!" while I was like "No!". Eventually she got my hand open, shoved a Taco Bell sauce packet into it and ran away. I wanted to throw the packet back at her or throw it on the ground but I didn't want to litter so I just tossed it in the trash. All in all, it made me not want to wear Dipper anymore if people weren't going to see it as the cartoon and just some inappropriate fanfic. It seriously put a damper on my mood.

Also harassment. Tell a staffer. Don't be afraid to tell people off.

^This. I'm never ashamed to talk loudly about rude people at con. Such as when people stop right in front of you to talk to the people they were walking with. I just say very loudly, "DON'T JUST STOP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HALL. STUPID PEOPLE."

I had this dilemma at Subway. Had been in line for about 10 minutes when three people walk in and completely disregard me and the 5 or 6 people behind me, and join their friends in front of me. Everything in me wanted to shout "You're really gonna do that? Hmm?" But I just held it in and let them have their cutsies. I was so torn though! Because on one hand, people need to be broken of their self-centered fixations and called out on their crap...but on the other hand, "the first shall be last and the last shall be first." I held my peace and bought my sandwich...but part of me was dying inside, lol.

[bunny_jean]

The one thing that pissed me off this con was when I was walking around as Dipper from Gravity Falls with my best friend as Mabel and people would go "HEY DIPPER, BEEN TO TACO BELL YET?" Now I have no freaking idea what the heck Dipper has to do with Taco Bell but I heard it comes from some really bad fanfic and but they were too embarrassed to tell me what it was about. At one point, some girl ran up to me, grabbed my hand while I was talking to my friends and was trying to shove something into it. I tried to yank my hand back but she was like "No, take it!" and I was still trying to yank my hand away while she tried to pry my fingers open and she kept saying "Just take it!" while I was like "No!". Eventually she got my hand open, shoved a Taco Bell sauce packet into it and ran away. I wanted to throw the packet back at her or throw it on the ground but I didn't want to litter so I just tossed it in the trash. All in all, it made me not want to wear Dipper anymore if people weren't going to see it as the cartoon and just some inappropriate fanfic. It seriously put a damper on my mood.

Also harassment. Tell a staffer. Don't be afraid to tell people off.

^This. I'm never ashamed to talk loudly about rude people at con. Such as when people stop right in front of you to talk to the people they were walking with. I just say very loudly, "DON'T JUST STOP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HALL. STUPID PEOPLE."

I had this dilemma at Subway. Had been in line for about 10 minutes when three people walk in and completely disregard me and the 5 or 6 people behind me, and join their friends in front of me. Everything in me wanted to shout "You're really gonna do that? Hmm?" But I just held it in and let them have their cutsies. I was so torn though! Because on one hand, people need to be broken of their self-centered fixations and called out on their crap...but on the other hand, "the first shall be last and the last shall be first." I held my peace and bought my sandwich...but part of me was dying inside, lol.

Yep. I don't have the patience for rude people in general though. lol

[@random]

There was this one really annoying middle-aged looking guy who followed me and my friend around when we were cosplaying ponies (I was vinyl, she was Pinkie). I'm 18, and my costume could've been considered "sexy", so I'm not too upset about him following me. It's my own fault for wearing that.
But my friend is 15, and her costume was far from revealing. He kept following her saying "You've got a follower now, Pinkie" and that just creeped the hell out of my whole group.

Another thing is the use of the word "nya". It gets really annoying when someone says it after the end of EVERY sentence. You're not a real cat girl, so shut up.

Tell the guy to shove off and stop making minors uncomfortable, or let a yojimbo know. That's harassment and you shouldn't allow your group to put up with that.

Also worth noting: Harassment or inappropriate behavior is not your fault, no matter what you're wearing.

Please do let a yojimbo (or any staffer, really, but the yojimbo are the best equipped to deal with it) know if something like that ever happens again.

[Bresslol]

How did this kitten get here?

[CaptnPoptart]

I have heard "Hey Girl Heyy" about a million times at the con this weekend. If I hear it one more time from someone, I will HURT them. Or something.

I don't understand why I saw about at least 3 different groups of cosplayers/friends running around and pushing a shopping cart. With other people in it. This didn't really irritate me, but just made me confused and annoyed a bit.

Also I was just hanging out with two other cosplayers in the grass next to Artist's Alley on Day 1. We were just drawing and talking a bit, and it was calm. Suddenly, one person in our group heard some other girl yelling about something. After a minute, I heard her too. Apparently, she was SCREAMING into her phone (I think to her friend) about her electronic neko ears breaking easily and not getting her money back. Also for the fact, she was just a couple of feet behind me. She did this for quite a number of minutes, the she might of stormed off somewhere. After she left, the two cosplayers and I felt uncomfortable and silent for a minute.

[Wrath-Chan19]

There was this one really annoying middle-aged looking guy who followed me and my friend around when we were cosplaying ponies (I was vinyl, she was Pinkie). I'm 18, and my costume could've been considered "sexy", so I'm not too upset about him following me. It's my own fault for wearing that.
But my friend is 15, and her costume was far from revealing. He kept following her saying "You've got a follower now, Pinkie" and that just creeped the hell out of my whole group.

Another thing is the use of the word "nya". It gets really annoying when someone says it after the end of EVERY sentence. You're not a real cat girl, so shut up.

Like random said, you it's not your fault for how you dress. And you tell them off and report them!  It is creepy that he would be following both of you, I mean you do look like a minor sometimes
"Nya" and other things like that can get annoying.

Also, I saw someone be extreamly rude to someone in a furry costume. I understand there is a dark side to furry fans but there is no need to be rude to someone you dont even know and that isnt doing anything wrong, just walking by. She held up her notebook in front of her face and said "eww furry" and the person in the costume sagged their shoulders down and looked visibly hurt (as far as I could tell because I couldn't see the face ) So I offered them a hug immediatly and told them I liked their costume because you know what? it was cute and they deserved to be respected.

That sucks, I mean I have a dislike of furries but I went to school with one and she was the sweetest girl I have ever met!

I was kinda out of the loop this year and luckily I ran into nice people. I will say the game is old! But it seems to be dying out. When someone lost it most people didn't react at all. Also I will ask GAMZEE (sp?) COSPLAYERS QUIT IT WITH THE HONKS ALL THE TIME! I get it's his thing but it really really bothersome to hear "honk honk honk" all the time.

Another thing that happened was that two of my friends were Prussia and Canada and they were walking around and some girls ran up to them and asked them to act out yaoi for them. Now the Canada is okay with PruCan but the Prussia actually hates it and neither of them wanted to make out with each other for some fangirls.

[Washougal_Otaku]

I don't understand why I saw about at least 3 different groups of cosplayers/friends running around and pushing a shopping cart. With other people in it. This didn't really irritate me, but just made me confused and annoyed a bit.

...really?  That happened?  *facepalms*

[Wrath-Chan19]

I don't understand why I saw about at least 3 different groups of cosplayers/friends running around and pushing a shopping cart. With other people in it. This didn't really irritate me, but just made me confused and annoyed a bit.

...really?  That happened?  *facepalms*

Oh yeah
I saw that
I am one who has small Panic attacks when things gets to chaotic and that freaked me out
It's also illegal to steal shopping charts (although who said they stole it) and somewhat dangerous.

[Runa]

I now believe that the absolute worst thing about the convention is: the "con-crud" (the achy, flu-like cold that many come home from con with) 
(I'm still feeling sore, tired, & achy....)

[CaptnPoptart]

I don't understand why I saw about at least 3 different groups of cosplayers/friends running around and pushing a shopping cart. With other people in it. This didn't really irritate me, but just made me confused and annoyed a bit.

...really?  That happened?  *facepalms*

Yupp. =n=; They were mostly Homestuck cosplayers too. The same thing happened with the wheelchairs. I saw a cosplayer pushing another in a wheelchair, so I thought "Ok they're in a wheelchair for a leg problem or something." But then I saw other cosplayers who cosplayed in the same series that were in wheelchairs too (Again, it was probably Homestuck.) and they would playfully and obnoxiously race with each other or almost crash into each other. I then started to think that they weren't injured e__e;; *facepalm*

[Kuri]

I get super annoyed by the people who want you to do crazy poses for them, then get really offended if you don't.

I'm really flattered that people want to take my picture, don't get me wrong. I always get a rush of pride that my hard word has gained admiration.

 However, when my infant is cosplaying with me, I'm not going to haul her up is it looks like she's flying, or hoist her on my shoulders when she's half asleep, of any other such thing.

When you take someone's picture, you're asking them a favor. They are not your camera monkey.

[Acheron]

I don't understand why I saw about at least 3 different groups of cosplayers/friends running around and pushing a shopping cart. With other people in it. This didn't really irritate me, but just made me confused and annoyed a bit.

...really?  That happened?  *facepalms*

Yupp. =n=; They were mostly Homestuck cosplayers too. The same thing happened with the wheelchairs. I saw a cosplayer pushing another in a wheelchair, so I thought "Ok they're in a wheelchair for a leg problem or something." But then I saw other cosplayers who cosplayed in the same series that were in wheelchairs too (Again, it was probably Homestuck.) and they would playfully and obnoxiously race with each other or almost crash into each other. I then started to think that they weren't injured e__e;; *facepalm*

Bleh, there was someone cosplaying the kid in the wheelchair who was just pushing their wheelchair around with their stuff in it, then hopping in it when people asked for pictures. Something about that, and everyone else pretending to be disabled, left a bad taste in my mouth.

Really, it's always a bit irksome when there's just one series dominating the others in cosplay, but it's especially annoying with Homestuck because the characters look more or less the same if you're not familiar with it. It's like... There's Black-Haired Kid with White Shirt, Blond Kid with White Shirt, Blond Kid with Red Shirt, and Black-Haired Kid with Facepaint and Horns, and that's it. Kind of like when Kingdom Hearts was popular and everyone was just cosplaying Person in Black Coat? FMA kind of had it too with Person in Blue Military Uniform.

[veraca]

I get super annoyed by the people who want you to do crazy poses for them, then get really offended if you don't.

I'm really flattered that people want to take my picture, don't get me wrong. I always get a rush of pride that my hard word has gained admiration.

 However, when my infant is cosplaying with me, I'm not going to haul her up is it looks like she's flying, or hoist her on my shoulders when she's half asleep, of any other such thing.

When you take someone's picture, you're asking them a favor. They are not your camera monkey.

They have no clue. If the child is sleeping you let the child sleep, especially in a con-area. You want all the breaks you can get and the kid really needs the rest. It's like, common rule. You don't wake a sleeping child. Ever. They cry and whine and won't do what you want. And those camera-holders don't have to deal with the upset crying that'll come after the photo and they've run away >>

[Washougal_Otaku]

I don't understand why I saw about at least 3 different groups of cosplayers/friends running around and pushing a shopping cart. With other people in it. This didn't really irritate me, but just made me confused and annoyed a bit.

...really?  That happened?  *facepalms*

Yupp. =n=; They were mostly Homestuck cosplayers too. The same thing happened with the wheelchairs. I saw a cosplayer pushing another in a wheelchair, so I thought "Ok they're in a wheelchair for a leg problem or something." But then I saw other cosplayers who cosplayed in the same series that were in wheelchairs too (Again, it was probably Homestuck.) and they would playfully and obnoxiously race with each other or almost crash into each other. I then started to think that they weren't injured e__e;; *facepalm*

Bleh, there was someone cosplaying the kid in the wheelchair who was just pushing their wheelchair around with their stuff in it, then hopping in it when people asked for pictures. Something about that, and everyone else pretending to be disabled, left a bad taste in my mouth.

Really, it's always a bit irksome when there's just one series dominating the others in cosplay, but it's especially annoying with Homestuck because the characters look more or less the same if you're not familiar with it. It's like... There's Black-Haired Kid with White Shirt, Blond Kid with White Shirt, Blond Kid with Red Shirt, and Black-Haired Kid with Facepaint and Horns, and that's it. Kind of like when Kingdom Hearts was popular and everyone was just cosplaying Person in Black Coat? FMA kind of had it too with Person in Blue Military Uniform.

I feel the same way about "L" cosplayers...

[SpaceCubaLikesConan]

I don't understand why I saw about at least 3 different groups of cosplayers/friends running around and pushing a shopping cart. With other people in it. This didn't really irritate me, but just made me confused and annoyed a bit.

...really?  That happened?  *facepalms*

Yupp. =n=; They were mostly Homestuck cosplayers too. The same thing happened with the wheelchairs. I saw a cosplayer pushing another in a wheelchair, so I thought "Ok they're in a wheelchair for a leg problem or something." But then I saw other cosplayers who cosplayed in the same series that were in wheelchairs too (Again, it was probably Homestuck.) and they would playfully and obnoxiously race with each other or almost crash into each other. I then started to think that they weren't injured e__e;; *facepalm*

Bleh, there was someone cosplaying the kid in the wheelchair who was just pushing their wheelchair around with their stuff in it, then hopping in it when people asked for pictures. Something about that, and everyone else pretending to be disabled, left a bad taste in my mouth.

Really, it's always a bit irksome when there's just one series dominating the others in cosplay, but it's especially annoying with Homestuck because the characters look more or less the same if you're not familiar with it. It's like... There's Black-Haired Kid with White Shirt, Blond Kid with White Shirt, Blond Kid with Red Shirt, and Black-Haired Kid with Facepaint and Horns, and that's it. Kind of like when Kingdom Hearts was popular and everyone was just cosplaying Person in Black Coat? FMA kind of had it too with Person in Blue Military Uniform.

That's what bugs me the most. Not only did Homestuck dominate everything else, but they were kinda over the top with the "getting into character" thing. They were obnoxious. And they all looked the same to me. Then again, I've never really liked it, so it just bugs me in general.

I was hoping some people in the Prometheus fandom would be there, but there was only me and one other person that noticed. *Facedesk.*

[Prinz Eugen]

Just my PERSONAL opinion - I was a little put off by the Homestuck stuff. Why not go invade PAX instead? IIRC that con was originally based on an on-line comic, so maybe Homestuck would fit in better with their focus - so go there?

I don't want to be slammed for steering membership away, but maybe getting a huge draw is just "Not All That," if a central theme is dissipated? Would Kumoricon at 4500 anime fans really be COOLER in the right way if we added 1000 Steampunk fans and had a Steampunk track added to the program? Or if we reached out to the aging, 55yro+ Star Trek Fan set, and the cult of The Blake Seven and other cheezy Brit SF TV of the 60s thru 90s? Red Dwarf? Or Monty Python Fandom? The Family Guy? Stargate SG-1?

Will Kumoricon devolve into just a general animation convention rather than anime?

OTOH, when Kcon was small we pretty much had to take whatever came, and whatever we could get. But are we yet big enough to do like a bloated red giant star? - that is - blow off all the extraneous stuff leaving behind a shining, concentrated neutron star - a smaller convention maybe, but even MORE strongly focused on Japanese animation, manga (the real stuff with kanji, katakana, and hirigana on the pages) and side topics like tea ceremony, ikebana, how to make a haori or hakama, comparative religion of Bhuddist vs Shinto expressions in Japan, historical topics like the Meiji Restoration, comparison of the battles of Sekigahara vs. Gettysburg, using the abacus, how to cook authentic Japanese foods with American store-bought materials and cookware but make it come out really looking like what's in a bento, kendo and iaido, bonsai, and Japanese sword making?

Or is this the same thing as what ski hills went through in the 1990s when all the "kids" kept showing up with snowboards instead of "real, traditional" skis - a sport that goes back centuries.


Although ski hills made the decision that to exclude snowboards would make skiing an aging, dying sport. Personally I don't think that enhanced focus on anime with a cogent but less than complete exclusion of its imitations would significantly handicap Kumoricon.

[Black~Rose]

Will Kumoricon devolve into just a general animation convention rather than anime?

OTOH, when Kcon was small we pretty much had to take whatever came, and whatever we could get. But are we yet big enough to do like a bloated red giant star? - that is - blow off all the extraneous stuff leaving behind a shining, concentrated neutron star - a smaller convention maybe, but even MORE strongly focused on Japanese animation, manga (the real stuff with kanji, katakana, and hirigana on the pages) and side topics like tea ceremony, ikebana, how to make a haori or hakama, comparative religion of Bhuddist vs Shinto expressions in Japan, historical topics like the Meiji Restoration, comparison of the battles of Sekigahara vs. Gettysburg, using the abacus, how to cook authentic Japanese foods with American store-bought materials and cookware but make it come out really looking like what's in a bento, kendo and iaido, bonsai, and Japanese sword making?

I'm sorry.. But that is extremely narrow minded and I have to say something because it pushed a tick button. I think because we are IN AMERICA and a lot of people happen to be fans of more than just Japanese anime / manga that cosplaying from something other than a Japanese comic should not be looked down upon. The only con thats affordable and close to the area should not be so discriminating! We are all geeks. I don't think Japan even has conventions that focus only on one countries pop culture. Calling it devolving is so discriminatory and condescending to everyone, including myself, who actually likes to cosplay characters from american companies. Dont get me wrong I love Japan, I myself am a quarter Japanese and I adore my Japanese family, but there is more than just Japanese when it comes to nerd fandom. That kind of ever so slightly racist elitism will only serve to drive con-goers away.

[Washougal_Otaku]

focused on Japanese animation, manga (the real stuff with kanji, katakana, and hirigana on the pages) and side topics like tea ceremony, ikebana, how to make a haori or hakama, comparative religion of Bhuddist vs Shinto expressions in Japan, historical topics like the Meiji Restoration, comparison of the battles of Sekigahara vs. Gettysburg, using the abacus, how to cook authentic Japanese foods with American store-bought materials and cookware but make it come out really looking like what's in a bento, kendo and iaido, bonsai, and Japanese sword making?

I think it would be AMZING if we could do stuff like this!  I kinda want to do a bunch of research on one of these (or similar) subjects in preparation for 2013... but what...?  Hmm...

[Rathany]

We aren't reaching out the Homestuck people and going 'Come here!'  They are choosing what feels like a good place for them to hang and Kcon seems like the welcoming place with like-minded people.  Please don't assume that the Homestuck people aren't here because they aren't also anime fans.  A lot of anime fans like Doctor Who and a lot of Doctor Who fans like anime.  Don't assume that the TARDIS in the corner isn't here for the manga library and Pokemon tournies.  

Our focus is anime.  We shouldn't control what our attendees like to cosplay outside of certain things involving obscenity.  

That said, we currently lack a general nerdery/geekery con here in Portland, but we have ~4 contenders on the horizon.  Until one gets traction, we are naturally going to draw the meetups and stuff because we are both the largest area con and are generally full of awesome and welcoming people.  

[ObiJay]

Just my PERSONAL opinion - I was a little put off by the Homestuck stuff. Why not go invade PAX instead? IIRC that con was originally based on an on-line comic, so maybe Homestuck would fit in better with their focus - so go there?

I don't want to be slammed for steering membership away, but maybe getting a huge draw is just "Not All That," if a central theme is dissipated? Would Kumoricon at 4500 anime fans really be COOLER in the right way if we added 1000 Steampunk fans and had a Steampunk track added to the program? Or if we reached out to the aging, 55yro+ Star Trek Fan set, and the cult of The Blake Seven and other cheezy Brit SF TV of the 60s thru 90s? Red Dwarf? Or Monty Python Fandom? The Family Guy? Stargate SG-1?

Will Kumoricon devolve into just a general animation convention rather than anime?

OTOH, when Kcon was small we pretty much had to take whatever came, and whatever we could get. But are we yet big enough to do like a bloated red giant star? - that is - blow off all the extraneous stuff leaving behind a shining, concentrated neutron star - a smaller convention maybe, but even MORE strongly focused on Japanese animation, manga (the real stuff with kanji, katakana, and hirigana on the pages) and side topics like tea ceremony, ikebana, how to make a haori or hakama, comparative religion of Bhuddist vs Shinto expressions in Japan, historical topics like the Meiji Restoration, comparison of the battles of Sekigahara vs. Gettysburg, using the abacus, how to cook authentic Japanese foods with American store-bought materials and cookware but make it come out really looking like what's in a bento, kendo and iaido, bonsai, and Japanese sword making?

Or is this the same thing as what ski hills went through in the 1990s when all the "kids" kept showing up with snowboards instead of "real, traditional" skis - a sport that goes back centuries.


Although ski hills made the decision that to exclude snowboards would make skiing an aging, dying sport. Personally I don't think that enhanced focus on anime with a cogent but less than complete exclusion of its imitations would significantly handicap Kumoricon.

Well PAX tends to sell out pretty quick, so for a lot of folks don't have that as an option. The truth of the matter is, it's attitudes like this that are slowly killing a lot of conventions. Yes KumoriCon is at it's heart an anime con, and always will be. But you know what? Anime is not the huge draw it once was. There hasn't been a huge breakaway hit here or in Japan since what? Naruto, Bleach, FMA? Yeah, think back to when those shows first premiered. They are old now, some ended and some on the verge of it. I still do anime and videogame cosplay, but my big focus now is my steampunk. There's an audience for it, because I made a killing in the Artist's Alley with the homemade jewelry and accessories my wife and I sell, and I know Mac (steambaby) always does well in exhibitor's halls with his gorgeous, high end goggles. The Homestuck fans that I interacted with were perfectly pleasant and just having a good time like the rest of us. Now I know absolutely jack about Homestuck, but I'm not going to let it ruin my fun. I remember when I was getting this same kind of attitude for bringing videogame cosplay to cons. I've been a gamer since my dad put an Atari 2600 joystick in my hands at 3, and dove headfirst into anime when I caught Vampire Hunter D on TBS one Saturday night at 13. That was over 20 years ago now. I still love it, I still love the cons, but it's to the point where it has to adapt or at least accept this new stuff, or it dies.

I really hope that this opinion isn't prevalent in the higher levels of staff, because it is the guaranteed way to alienate what was the BEST turn out for Kumori in its 10 year history. I've loved this con since my first attendance in downtown Portland all those years ago, and I'd hate to see it go down in the flames of elitism. I'm totally with Black~Rose on this (who posted as I was typing this up)

[bunny_jean]

To be honest, I don't like how many Homestucks there were this year, but there's nothing anybody can do about it. You can't dictate what people wear, whether it's to a con or elsewhere. I think the reason there were so many Homestuck cosplayers this year is that it has a huge fanbase and the costumes are really freaking easy. Horns, T-shirt, bodypaint (good or bad), good to go. These people are probably fans of other things, video games, anime, Doctor Who, whatever, but they probably choose not to cosplay from these because the recognizable characters are harder to cosplay.

I dunno, just my two cents.

[Wrath-Chan19]

I don't understand why I saw about at least 3 different groups of cosplayers/friends running around and pushing a shopping cart. With other people in it. This didn't really irritate me, but just made me confused and annoyed a bit.

...really?  That happened?  *facepalms*

Yupp. =n=; They were mostly Homestuck cosplayers too. The same thing happened with the wheelchairs. I saw a cosplayer pushing another in a wheelchair, so I thought "Ok they're in a wheelchair for a leg problem or something." But then I saw other cosplayers who cosplayed in the same series that were in wheelchairs too (Again, it was probably Homestuck.) and they would playfully and obnoxiously race with each other or almost crash into each other. I then started to think that they weren't injured e__e;; *facepalm*

Oh boy, I had a wheelchair for a cosplay once. But I made sure to be safe respectful and never abuse the rights that came with it. Sadly not everyone is that smart.

Eugen, I will just say this. Yes we are an Anime convention, our contests, guests, and panels try to stay in the realm of Anime/Manga/Japanese/Gaming culture. But we are all nerds in the end! Kumoricon has become a bit like a second family to me, I've been able to come out about so much, how nerdy I am, My sexuality and who I am as a person thanks to this con. I don't want to be pushed away because I deiced to wear my Once-ler costume for a day because it's comfy or wanna talk about My Little Pony.
A guy on day 0 in the  reg line started complaining about how my friends were dressed up from Doctor Who and I believe they were a bit hurt. Ask yourself this, "Is Kumoricon about hurting people?"

My biggest problem about Homestuck is it just bothers me, I've tried to give it a chance and I like somethings about it but overall I just get annoyed by everything.
Sadly I can't change that