How do I be older fan?

[megchan]

 tell by my avatar. (If you recognize the outfits, you get a cookie. Or the Sake Club equivalant, whatever that might be. ^_~)

The Romeo and Juliet episode of Ranma is one of my absolute favorites!!

[XFD]

Benten's on my list, once I figure out how to do her top without danger of wardrobe malfunction. Space biker chicks rock.

My college nickname is Ataru. So gained because an old friend who got me into anime used the nickname "Ataru Moroboshi" on a BBS back in the day. Went onto IRC and took over the duty.

As for Benten, if you're talking about the mono-bra strap thing, I would actually suggest looking into making a carbon fiber mould (bit easier to work with for looks and epoxy) over some expendable bra and separate it into two parts at the back. You could then do some pretty simple rigid fixes for connecting it up. Most of such things you can buy at Tapp Plastics (they sell many kinds of fiber materials)

(Holy derail batman)

[Kumi-chan]

Actually, for Benten, it's more along the lines of "she's got no connecting strap between the cups in front!" It's gotta be the alien technology or something that keeps that thing in place. (In costume concept, it's likely a clear plastic strap or two is gonna get involved.)
Derailed, yes, but for Urusei Yatsura. Totally worth it!

*Gives megchan various alcoholic beverages and a big hug* Darling, you're wonderful. It's one of my absolute favorites too. I'm shocked, shocked, that I've never seen anyone else do those particular outfits. That episode contains the only canon Ranma/Akane kiss for the whole series! (Well, the only one in which neither of them is mentally a house cat at the time. ) Hey, weren't you hanging out in the Takahashi thread?

veraca: *shakes head* Kids. I remember seeing a thread on the SC boards where somebody complained there wasn't enough "up-to-date" (popular at the moment in Japan) cosplay at the convention. My response was that I don't see enough old-school stuff to suit my tastes. One of the others agreed with me: "There's not enough cosplay of classic series like Inuyasha or Cowboy Bebop!" Yes, because apparently if something came out over eight years ago, it qualifies as "classic". Inuyasha?! The anime's post-2000! I'm a fan, but a series needs to stand the test of time to attain that kind of status.

Here's a question for any of the under-26 set: do you ever feel like you don't really qualify as an "older" anime fan yet? I'm older than most of the cosplayers I know, true, but I've only really been into anime and manga for...well, about ten years now I guess. But I'm not part of the Star Blazers or Macross generation. I don't know, I just don't feel I'm quite qualified. I didn't even get into Sailor Moon as a kid like a lot girls I know, I got into it when I was about fifteen or sixteen. Some of them ran into it at the same time I did, but they're also younger than me.
(I am one of the only girls I know of my otaku generation who didn't see Gundam Wing when it aired on Cartoon Network. My gal pals tend to gasp in horror when I tell them this. They then proceed to gush over Heero and/or Duo. Not quite sure I see the attraction. Heero's an antisocial little bastard. I'll take MS Gundam or Stardust Memory over it any day.)

Anyway, I feel more like I've moved into Big Sister territory. Cool Big Sis, I hope. I'm no longer a newb and I've got stuff I can teach the kids, but I also feel like I've got lots more classic series to explore.

[veraca]

@ Kumi-Chan: Ooh oh I think I know your avatar. I wanna say Kuno & x_x oh that girl from the restuaraunt... Ukiyo?

[EveofAbyss]

Kumi-Chan: I'm only 21, but when placed in the same room or situation with some of the younger anime fans, I actually do feel pretty old-school. Granted, I started watching anime when I was six or seven and have been ever since, but still. I'm not saying that starting off with Sailor Moon when I was so young makes me learned in the ways of old school, but since then I have educated myself in the ways of the old school, lol. I didn't grow up with the older anime and films when they were at their peaks (like Record of Lodoss War, Barefoot Gen, Urusei Yatsura and so on), but I quickly adapted such films and anime into my collection and like some massive jellyfish, my interests grew sucking in more and more of the "old school". So, I guess the answer to your question is....not really. Compared to the majority of the younger crowd, I feel like I'm much more in touch with the older school, but then again, compared to most of the people talking in this thread, I feel like I still have quite a bit to learn (and I'm glad that there is still more I can encounter and enjoy ^_^ ). It's a good situation overall.....because however you look at it, at least I'm not a n00b, lol.

[Kumi-chan]

veraca: Nah, magchan had it right. It's my boyfriend and I as Ranma and Akane; the costumes are from the class play episode "Ranma and Juliet". They're probably our favorite characters to cosplay.
He has done Kuno, though (I did Nabiki to match). Ukyou's school uniform is on my list.

EveofAbyss: Yeah, I guess it depends on what crowd I'm hanging out with at the time. When it's a bunch of teenagers and they're all like, "What's Ranma?" I feel super-old-school and slightly irritated. When I'm listening to folks talk about watching Speed Racer or Star Blazers or Robotech as kids/teenagers/in college, I feel like a newb. I haven't been into it since before it was "cool", though I at least beat the Naruto explosion by a few years. It's a funny place to be. I'm not a kid anymore, but I'm not like "Cosplay-Mom" yet (despite what nicknames some of my friends have given me; has less to do with age and more with personality I think.) I like the idea of people my age and relative experience being a Big Sis, or Big Bro for the guys. You watch out for the kids, teach them what you know if they're willing to listen, but you're not entirely an adult yet.


And since I don't want to be accused (correctly or not XP) of yanking the thread off course, I vote Applebees. But only because I've never heard of the other places; I'm from north of Seattle and I haven't been in the Portland area for several years. I'll go wherever, as long as there's good food to counteract the alcohol, because I am a super-lightweight.

[megchan]

Kumi~ I was hanging out in the Takahashi thread!! Now that there's a month before Kumoricon (dear heavens) I've ACTUALLY started thinking about what to do for cosplay for sure! I'm kind of wishing someone would have blonde hair so I wouldn't have to get a wig @_@

And it's the same for me: I feel like people wouldn't think that I qualify as an "older anime fan" because I'm only 20 (almost 21. ALMOST). But the area of anime and manga that I grew up with is just SO DIFFERENT from now. My most popular story about finding anime to watch is that you had to get trade blank VHS tapes from some guy who knew some guy who knew someone else that knew somebody who could get fansubs!

Come on guys! Future Boy Conan!

[mellonemrys]

I'm nearly 20, though I was introduced to anime by my 24/25 year old cousin (who used to make AMVs the old fashioned way...with VHS!) back when there was only one partial shelf of manga at the bookstore and everyone else my age was just clinging on to the Pokemon boom. I'm kinda used to being the oldest in my group of friends (except for my con friends they're pretty much all older ^_^ yay!), so I'm used to 'babysitting'. I actually had a friend whose parents wouldn't let her go to certain things unless I was going...I guess they saw me as a responsible person, even at 15. I also have the fact that I went to one of my first cons with my mom, who goes to Orycon and Norwestcon. Having a mom that goes to cons and has been a panelist and 'cosplays' is honestly a lot of fun, especially when people think we're sisters (people don't believe that a 50 year old would still be going to cons and having fun).

However, back to the anime/manga world, the younger fans have their place as the fangirls/fanboys that squee and discover fanfiction for the first time and want their picture with EVERY SINGLE __________ COSPLAYER they see. Remember, you were once a similar fan, once upon a time in a galaxy far far away. So honestly I try not to be bothered by it all that much. Yes they can be obnoxious, yes they don't know when enough is enough. But they'll learn and then they'll be saying the same things we are now about the next generation.

The thing is, with the 'Japanimation' boom slowing down a little all we can do is hope that the next generation will be as big as this current one. So I try to reach out to some of the younger fans that I meet and tell them about cons or websites or stores where they can fuel their fan-needs and in turn share them with their fan friends or inspire new people to become fans.

I personally hang out with the Creation Station at con, which is mainly a group of older fan girls (I'm one of 4 that are 20, and we're the youngest) that like to talk about older fandoms and how the good old days were.

Basically, don't worry about being the odd one out. Avoid the fangirls/boys as much as you want. But don't scorn them just for being young. We want to still have conventions to go to when we're 30, 40, even 50, and without younger and younger fans the current conventions won't survive, let alone will new ones pop up.

[Bob]

I'm only 14 im gonna turn 15 right before the con and I know the lines. I actually tend to hang with the older crowd because most people my age  seem kinda er I don't quiet know the right words to use not to offend anyone but basically socially retarded. plus people look at me and think im anywhere in between 17 to 22. but yeah I understand both sides, most people my age are just at the con to have a ridiculous amount of fun and don't want anyone to hamper them.  thought I'd add my piece of mind to this.

[Radien]

My general attitude is "Hey.... move over."

I'm 29, and I'm fine with the fact that anime is still most popular among the teenage crowd. I was a teenager once, and it wasn't all bad. But not all anime is for teenagers, and not all anime fans need to act like teenagers in order to enjoy the convention, either. Likewise, I'm not just hanging around with the intent of staffing the con solely so other people can have the same fun I've had in the past. In short, I refuse to "pass the torch."

...I still have plenty of fires left to set with it.

[EveofAbyss]

My general attitude is "Hey.... move over."

I'm 29, and I'm fine with the fact that anime is still most popular among the teenage crowd. I was a teenager once, and it wasn't all bad. But not all anime is for teenagers, and not all anime fans need to act like teenagers in order to enjoy the convention, either. Likewise, I'm not just hanging around with the intent of staffing the con solely so other people can have the same fun I've had in the past. In short, I refuse to "pass the torch."

...I still have plenty of fires left to set with it.

Nice point. Getting older in no way means one should not be able to enjoy anime as they did when they were in their teens. I don't see the different anime-generations functioning on a "pass the torch" system, nor should they. For most, anime isn't something you give up, not even for the next generation to take and enjoy. It is more of a thing you get into and take with you to your grave, so to speak. The following generations of fans can get into it and involve themselves in the culture as much as they want, but there's enough room for everyone, you know? The previous generation does not need to fade away for the next generation to enjoy the culture and be active in it. At least, that's how I see it.

[Radien]

Nice point. Getting older in no way means one should not be able to enjoy anime as they did when they were in their teens. I don't see the different anime-generations functioning on a "pass the torch" system, nor should they. For most, anime isn't something you give up, not even for the next generation to take and enjoy. It is more of a thing you get into and take with you to your grave, so to speak. The following generations of fans can get into it and involve themselves in the culture as much as they want, but there's enough room for everyone, you know? The previous generation does not need to fade away for the next generation to enjoy the culture and be active in it. At least, that's how I see it.

Well... sort of. I agree with you, but when I say "pass the torch," I don't really mean giving anime conventions up as a hobby.

What I mean is that many people consider the "next step" of being an adult who attends conventions is to become really involved in running the convention. Once we get into high-skill jobs such as facilities liaison and operations director, most of their time is spent dealing with convention elements that don't specifically have much to do with our shared fan interests.

Eventually, some people will give a big exhale and tiredly say "I almost don't even watch anime anymore!!" ...This makes me sad. It means that the older, more capable people are spending so much time making it possible for the younger people to enjoy anime, that they aren't enjoying it themselves anymore. Of course, to a certain extent we need those kinds of specialists, but my view is that if you spend most of your time running a fan convention but you no longer consider yourself one of those fans, then something is screwy.



...And while I'm at it, there's another thing which bugs me. There's a popular stereotype that hardcore fans over a certain age -- be they comic book fans, sciffies, gamers, or otaku -- are lonely singles, usually male. Of course, people who really know about fan culture have realized that mature fans tend to pair off with other mature fans of the opposite gender, because there are actually plenty of desirable single fans out there. In fact, I can't name many otaku my age who AREN'T seeing somebody (or already married)...

[Kumi-chan]

That's the problem with the media portrayal of fantasy/sci fi fans in general. How many female nerds do you see in tv/movies/mainstream cartoons? How many attractive people? How many socially adept and gainfully employed adults?

As a young woman who has been interested in sci fi and fantasy since childhood, and involved in the publically nerdish aspects of it since high school--making and wearing my own costume to see the first Lord of the Rings film--I'm not generally the type of person who is represented by the Hollywood idea of the comic or cartoon nerd. Which despite the often negative portrayal of such people, I find a little irritating. I'm a giant geek too, and I've worked hard to become so.

Nerds can be girls...and women. Nerds can be attractive, even drop-dead gorgeous. Nerds often have full-time jobs or careers. They're often quite charming and well-aware of how to behave in public. Nerds can and will marry other nerds (or understanding non-nerds), and have little nerd children who will become the next generation of fantasy and sci fi fans.

Now if only more tv shows and movies would get the message, and more importantly (since I'm sure a lot of the people involved in creating such things are themselves nerds and should know better) actually show it.

[megchan]

I really can't stand how any nerdy WOMEN in the media that also happen to be attractive just cause some people to completely blow off their character :/

The best example of this I can think of is Sam Carter from Stargate SG-1. I've heard SO MANY Stargate fans whine and complain that she's "just a Mary Sue" because OBVIOUSLY no woman can be gorgeous AND a complete science nerd. HEAVEN FORBID!

[XFD]

As far as stereotypes go, the two I generally see portrayed are:

1. Socially awkward and inept male nerd
2. Horrifically attractive and "unobtainable" girl nerds.

[Kumi-chan]

I must be watching the wrong series. The only female nerds I've seen are all quiet, mousy, and small in stature or really lanky and awkward. The others, which you might be thinking of, are in the vein of "Hot Scientist/Doctor", where the woman's career literally revolves around nerdy interests. Not usually students or ordinary, attractive (nerdy) women who like Star Trek or D&D (or anime).

Of course, if you like fantasy and science fiction, you're never more than "plain but not horribly unattractive". If you don't look like a hobbit you're lucky.

And we're really off-topic again.

[XFD]

Oh I was referring to real life.

[Kumi-chan]

I think you need to spend more time with other nerds then, if you think we all fit one of two types. Real life isn't tv...there's a lot more variety out here.

Unless you're just being silly.

[XFD]

Erm stereotypes don't tend to reflect the truth, just a select few and often bad, examples.

[Kumi-chan]

I know what stereotypes are (it's hard to make this sound like I'm not being curt over the internet, because I'm not). I think your wording was a little confusing, though. "As far as stereotypes go..." followed by the post "I was referring to real life", which makes it sound like these are the two types you've encountered...as in, only socially awkward guys and gorgeous, unattainable women. And that's just not the case with us, especially if you're active in large fan gatherings like a convention.

It's hard to indicate you're gently kidding someone online, isn't it? Especially without relying on the use of smilies. I like to use childish words, like "silly" or "yucky" to indicate I'm not being 100% serious, but the message doesn't always get across.

[XFD]

Then I failed at picking up on it, my bad.

[BlackjackGabbiani]

back when there was only one partial shelf of manga at the bookstore and everyone else my age was just clinging on to the Pokemon boom.

I personally hang out with the Creation Station at con, which is mainly a group of older fan girls (I'm one of 4 that are 20, and we're the youngest) that like to talk about older fandoms and how the good old days were.

Except for me, who goes on *about* the Pokemon boom.


Also, Pokemon has a hot female nerd in Professor Ivy.  And then there's Digimon with Yolei Inoue...

[XFD]

Except for me, who goes on *about* the Pokemon boom.


Also, Pokemon has a hot female nerd in Professor Ivy.  And then there's Digimon with Yolei Inoue...

And so it begins

[BlackjackGabbiani]

...is it wrong I know where that specific image originated? Since it's the "no hairs" Psyduck and all...

[XFD]

...is it wrong I know where that specific image originated? Since it's the "no hairs" Psyduck and all...

No, infact I did that emot specifically because it was appropriate for the given discussion

[verdant hero]

Okay so I've been here trolling...browsing the forums for a bit now, and I've come to notice that the vast majority of fans here are under 18, many of them are under 16. 
Makes it kinda awkward, though not too bad.  So, how is it being an older anime fan?  Does it change things all that much?  Does it ever make it kinda hard/awkward at meetups or anything?

As you've probably guessed, this is a topic for the more...aged members here, but anyone is free to throw their 2 cents in on anything related to the topic.

okay im kinda intrested in this thread and i just wanted to throw my two cents into this wishing fountain of otaku enlightenment.

im going to be 23 on the 6th, i will hav been a con goer for ... 6 year ... dear god, "the years go fast but the days go so slow" (modest mouse)

anyways, i've noticed something, there really seems to be somewhat of an age based cast system... kinda like india had/has/idk... it seems to be 4 sections, for give the sterotyping, but some generalizing i think is nesesary for general comprehension, from base comprehension comes the ability to discuss, debate or agree. this is just a single persons experience used as a reference point.

ages 0-17

"darn kids!!" is what i find myself saying more and more every con! the running, the screaming, the fun, the drama, the young love, and the awesome memory making. IM JELOUS! and i'll admit it. i think everyone has had that tottaly awesome con experience that they never forget and keeps bringing them back... and before you know it you're 23 and b****ing on the kumori con boards about how all the rugrats have all the fun.

ages 18-20

this is the really awesome point, cause you seem to know exactly how to have a good time or you're figuring it out and having a blast. kinda like the time you learn how to do a backflip on a trampoline, so you do it 55 billion times cause its fun! but you're still too young to hit the bars. with all the big kids who are way cooler than you and have cars.

age 21-???

screw all the bigger cooler kids and their cars! you've got a job, money and you can hit the bars! (hey that rhymes!) i think i was 21 when i attended my first green room party at kumori con. i met all the staff with out their profesional demenor masks, sort of. met plastered guests, and went back to my hotel room at the end of the night with a bottle of 'ginjo' sake. (all because i tricked a staff member into hitting on a guy. that person shall remain nameless and he/she can remain nameless and non-gender specific. lol)

age - till you die

i dont know... im not there yet. but i sense that the real trick here is the buddhist practice of non-attachment to experiences. each year i've gon to a con or two i've been someone different, from a wide eyed kid who spent all of sakura con playing ddr and didnt get a hotel room (im sorry i didnt wear deoderant... otaku body odor is all my fault. lol and anyone remember that year that sakura con was at the hilton and they stopped putting drapes over the tables in the main convention area? yeah my friends were sleeping under the tables, one of whom decided he was going to try and scare me as i walked by and tried to grab my leg... but instead grabbed john khrals leg, i think he was director of security back then... funny as hell... i thought he was going to get kicked out... but john was cool. so cool... i always kinda looked up to that guy, though i didnt really know him at all... and now look at me, director of security for another convention)

so off topic rant there... but adapttation to getting older is what im atlking about here. you can really only do the silly goofy con goer thing like 2-4 times before you're too old for it (well, for guys anyways... the ladies seem to have special social rules that alow them to be kids forever) ... (i mean really, if you're like 22, and you're still in the glomp cirlce... wtf, society would not hesitate at all to lable you a pedo... i mean, look at that guy joe from the ol' bakazoku, everyones like "that guy is a pedo, he's always surrounded by little girls that no one else would touch")

but maybe im wrong, like really? does anyone think im just being too critical? (cause the glomp circle was really fun )

but i guess i've found a replacement, i'm always trying to meet new people, or groups of people... i've actualy built up a nice little social network of people who are at least moderatly charismatic like myself. a few girls and few guys and a few sexualy questionables, and by our powers combined WE CAN MEET JUST ABOUT ANYONE!! lol, now i just need to grow and emerald mulit and cosplay as captain planet...

but you know i'd like to hear from some of the younger people (no doubt i will) and perferably some of the older folks who have no doubt questioned themselves on this matter. (i mean, really like the thought of paying a huge fine for underage drinking hasnt crossed you mind for one reason or another)

so do the 21+ crowd do like i do and avoid youngins' like the plauge? or has anyone found a non-socialy awkward way to interact with person not of legal drinking age?

(and before anyone starts - drinking isnt the big deal hear its having that annoying 'adult' lable placed on you that makes you have responsible for any dumb crap that goes down in your presence, or even worse yet at your house... cause then you can't slink away into the night.)



DISCUSS!!

[dshwshr55]

Kids today don't appreciate anime anymore; they're completely obsessed with its concept. I understand the term 'otaku', but I don't think it means disregarding your real life to pretend you're japanese. People so over the top about anything japanese, yet can't even say the words that they have no idea as to what it means (for one simple example), whether 10 or 60 years old, are in that immature area. I'll get smacked for this, but how do you be an older fan? Don't be 'otaku' in today's terms.

[melchizedek]

Really, drinking or no isn't that big a deal in social networks.  I don't spent all my time going to bars and am fine hanging out in some other venue if younger people are present. 

That is not to say that there are some behaviors that younger folk tend to do (not exclusively) that can make me go "those darn kids"

1.)  No volume control, talking is always super loud

2.)  Can't listen, folks that are so caught up in themselves...

3.)  Pre judging. 

Frankly, none of these are completely age specific, really lack of maturity is the issue I think rather than age.  I'm sure we all know people in their teens that are more mature than the 21+ crowd. 

As for the pedo issue, um just respect people's boundaries.  I think I heard in the yojimbo training sexual harassment is repeated unwanted advancement or something like that.  If maid girl gets freaked out when glomped, leave her alone.

[Kumi-chan]

Better yet, ask if you can hug her first; even if she says yes, check her body language. Does she seem a bit hesistant or uncomfortable? Don't push it, ever.

For me, I'm not that big physically. I'm really not keen on the idea of glomps, especially from a guy who's got several inches, not to mention poundage, on me. Especially if he's a little overenthusiastic. Regardless of his intentions, it makes me nervous. Guys over six feet are especially intimidating for me (bad experiences with past boyfriends). If you look like you could overpower me, I'm probably going to shy away from you even if you are the sweetest guy on earth. At least until I get to know you a little. Glomps in general are a bad idea (unless you're friends and you warn the other person). That's why a lot of cons are saying "no more".

Related to teen/adult behavior and friendships between different ages: I actually do hang out with a group on a regular basis that comprises a decent age range. I'm the organizer of a monthly Seattle-area cosplay/social meetup (GasuKan). Our regular attendees range from young teenagers to thirty-somethings. It's a really good group of people, and we all get along pretty well (surprisingly little drama for a group of 100+ cosplayers). I'm often amazed at the maturity of some of my younger friends. Not that they don't have "moments", but that's true of pretty much everyone in the group. It can be hard to tell who's on the older end of the spectrum sometimes, and not just because some of us don't look our ages.
It could be because our gatherings are more low-key than the convention atmosphere, that there's such a high level of "adult" behavior. We're there purely to hang out and cosplay a little, and since we meet once a month, there's not the same level of anticipation that builds up for a once-a-year con.

[Radien]

That's the problem with the media portrayal of fantasy/sci fi fans in general. How many female nerds do you see in tv/movies/mainstream cartoons? How many attractive people? How many socially adept and gainfully employed adults?

As a young woman who has been interested in sci fi and fantasy since childhood, and involved in the publically nerdish aspects of it since high school--making and wearing my own costume to see the first Lord of the Rings film--I'm not generally the type of person who is represented by the Hollywood idea of the comic or cartoon nerd. Which despite the often negative portrayal of such people, I find a little irritating. I'm a giant geek too, and I've worked hard to become so.

Nerds can be girls...and women. Nerds can be attractive, even drop-dead gorgeous. Nerds often have full-time jobs or careers. They're often quite charming and well-aware of how to behave in public. Nerds can and will marry other nerds (or understanding non-nerds), and have little nerd children who will become the next generation of fantasy and sci fi fans.

Now if only more tv shows and movies would get the message, and more importantly (since I'm sure a lot of the people involved in creating such things are themselves nerds and should know better) actually show it.

<3 ...As my friends on another board might say: quoted for truth.

(The above heart is completely platonic, mind you)

I think the definition and image of "nerds" (or their more recent buzzword, "geeks") is changing... not so much in the minds of the people you mentioned who hold those stereotypes, though. It's just that the geeks and nerds of our generation are getting older.  They're becoming parents, and suddenly it's more acceptable for kids to show interest in anime and play video games, because their parents approve of it, and might even join in. It's a lot like rock 'n' roll, in fact. The next media craze always gets burned at the stake at first, and then one day it becomes nearly universal.

Eventually some of those parents will become retirees. That's when we'll hear people talking about Donkey Kong in the retirement homes. Then Evangelion... and then Final Fantasy... and then *gulp* Naruto.

What worries me is to think that I might end up being as closed-minded about some other thing in that time. Neuro-transmitters, perhaps? A trendy new TV show about blowing up puppies? Music about alien sex? It's hard to predict what new form of media will arise that will get people up-in-arms, but it will probably happen again.  And with it, a new subcultural social class will also arise that the older generation will most likely shun.  I think the most recent one to pop up was "emo."


You know, this really is a fascinating subject now that it's gotten rolling... it makes me think that it'd be great to have a discussion panel about it. Do we already have a panel like that?  If not, someone should try it next year.

age 21-???

screw all the bigger cooler kids and their cars! you've got a job, money and you can hit the bars! (hey that rhymes!) i think i was 21 when i attended my first green room party at kumori con. i met all the staff with out their profesional demenor masks, sort of. met plastered guests, and went back to my hotel room at the end of the night with a bottle of 'ginjo' sake. (all because i tricked a staff member into hitting on a guy. that person shall remain nameless and he/she can remain nameless and non-gender specific. lol)

Okay, first of all, your age categories begin to hit the "undefined" marked somewhere after age 21?!...  Dang, girl, you need to meet more people! The convention is the best place to find mature otaku, even past age 30 or 40... and I mean mentally mature as well as having years behind them.  Of course, some still have those "OMG squee" moments now and then, but you'll find many older fans who have toned down the need to party, outgrown the impulse to create spectacles in the hallways, and yet still recognize how much they want to remain part of the fandom.

As for me, though I do drink when I feel it's a good idea, I actually almost never drink at cons. Drinking can sometimes be a catch-all form of enjoyment, but I find it takes away from my ability to enjoy things that can only be done at the con. It's not a "drinking is bad" thing... it's just that I find the con to be a different environment.

so do the 21+ crowd do like i do and avoid youngins' like the plauge? or has anyone found a non-socialy awkward way to interact with person not of legal drinking age?

(and before anyone starts - drinking isnt the big deal hear its having that annoying 'adult' lable placed on you that makes you have responsible for any dumb crap that goes down in your presence, or even worse yet at your house... cause then you can't slink away into the night.)

Well, Mr. Mustache is just over 18, but he gets along great with my friends ranging from 22 to 30, as does his girlfriend. They still act younger than us, to a certain extent, but it's in a way that is accessible to the 20-somethings. For instance, I get a kick out listening to his enthusiastic discourses on Rubik's Cubes while he madly manipulates one as a visual aid. If they spent all their time obsessing about social norms, on the other hand, it'd get old fast.

My sister, a teacher, also made friends online with a teenager who is the ringleader of her high school's anime club (or was...she might've graduated already). There's a definite age gap, but my sister is fascinated to hear how much anime interest has popped up in high schools since we were that age.

Anyway, in short, it helps if the younger fan in question is intelligent and socially perceptive. Maturity helps, but it's not always strictly necessary. (If it was necessary, how would I ever play Super Smash Brothers Brawl with my nephew?)

[BlackjackGabbiani]

Music about alien sex?

Oh, you mean like in the 1980s?

[verdant hero]

well, i guess this is a good start for a thread revival. i've always thought that cons would be greatly improved if the attendees became a bit more... ethical. perhaps not the correct word, but i refer to a magical something that would cause mass amounts of people to think a bit more of those around them and how their actions effect others.

i have to give con goers props though, being security for a paying company (you know like going to work 9-5, or 12-7 am in my case as opposed to volunteering at a con) has given me crazy experiences in keeping the peace. (like working in a drug rehab center. lol, oh those super crack powered druggies) and in comparison to concerts, bars, and other places you expect people to get out of hand, anime convention take 2nd place for the most peaceful. (first place is held by a microsoft convention i worked at. now those guys were boring as hell)

im also glad i was able to stir up a little bit of controversy, im new to the boards (sort of, i joined a long time ago i just never visit) and wanted to see what the minds of the people here were like.

anyways i hope the op is lurking and reading this, good information here i think, or at least concepts to consider.

now, for responses (why do i always make such long posts... im so longwinded)

Kids today don't appreciate anime anymore; they're completely obsessed with its concept. I understand the term 'otaku', but I don't think it means disregarding your real life to pretend you're japanese. People so over the top about anything japanese, yet can't even say the words that they have no idea as to what it means (for one simple example), whether 10 or 60 years old, are in that immature area. I'll get smacked for this, but how do you be an older fan? Don't be 'otaku' in today's terms.

dang man, you might just be more critical than me! i think in some context you're rather correct however... to think back that some of the executives (as well as some of our parents) we're the same otaku who had to really struggle for their anime! i remember when i began to kind of respect old school anime fans for the fact that the only anime they had were vhs that were mysticly recorded (posibly in the holy land of nippon) and brought back to the humble states, from which gangs of vicious warring otaku would gather in basements and other secretive hideouts to bring together their own vcrs and one after another they would record the anime that was barely available to them. although their efforts were valiant, it was their sad fate that with each copy made the video quality dropped considerably. lives were lost of re-re-re-re coppied episodes of retro anime like macross and whatever there was before macross.

okay, so it may not have beenthat epic, but im pretty sure it smelled bad and there definately we'rent any women volunteering to wear colorful and reavealing clothing involved!! that i belive we take for granted. kids can get the latest anime and manga, online, days after it comes out in japan, and they dont even have to download it!!

even i remember before i knew anything of anime, and i woke up at 6 am everyday to watch dragon ball. (not that that really compaires in anyway)

and i wonder if the fandom is going down too? like remember a few years back when it seemed like there was really only like 4 animes to cosplay from? okay so that not true, but a few years back it seemed like fandom was a lot more... unified. everyone loved ff7, ff8, and maybe inu yasha

meh, never mind on the above, im sure i was just to uninformed to know what everyone was cosplaying as... but either way it seems like everyone got the jokes back then... now it seems like i walk through the halls of a con and im like... who are these ppl in light blue colored blazers? (okay, some im actualy just not up on my anime... yeah thats definately the problem) but anime definatly has become more available and diverse!

i also wonder if people getting into anime these days are still making deep emotional connections with the anime they watch. like (warrning sob story coming here) i was raised without a father, and thus no real male influence, and being raised by my mother i wondered and reflected on what exactly a man is. no real life men seemed to be doing anything amazing or even really important... (now here comes the real, and slightly scarry bit of otaku in me) but cloud from ff7 not only fought against the world most powerful organization, shinra and their best warrior, sephiroth, but he also resolved his own internal and mental conflict of thinking he was someone else entirely! and realizing his own inner potential and saved the frikkin world!! (actualy i remember in like 7th or 8th grade i was sooooo socialy awkward that i began to mimic the really bad gesturing and body language of that game. i did say otaku didnt i? i think i earned the title) ...and ff8 taught me that it was okay to love, xenogears sparked my intrest in the religions of the world, and final fantasy tactics got me slightly intrested in politics...

and i know im not the only person who has anime a fundamental part of their childhood development, i once dated a girl who on top of being very clumsy, had a lot of family problems and more. and then she found sailor moon, who not only aided in her self acceptance of being clumsy but also gave her a place for her head when the pressures of her life became too much...

lastly a friend of mine tottaly comforted a sobing girl with a line from tengen toppa guren lagan "if you dont have the strength to belive in yourself, then belive in ME WHO BELIVES IN YOU" witnessing this, i almost died laughing, litteraly, i almost fell off a third story balcony. it was that funny...

i need a moment on that one, like this guy... IS the live acton of largo from megatokyo. hair and all. to hear him say that, with a straight face... hahaha!!

oh man... what we talking about?
oh, right! um... *reads quote over again*

yeah! those dang kids got it too easy!

lets move on to this dont be an otaku in todays society thing.

HAS ANYONE HERE SEEN SLC PUNK? IF NOT I DEMAND YOU GET ON YOUR COMPUTER AND WATCH IT RIGHT NOW!

nobody stays punk forever, maybe this is just me... yeah i'll say its just me... but if you somehow stay punk forever you're dumb and you are stagnating. life is development, one way or the other. so you'll either grow into like, a higher form of otaku, or you'll rot and turn into something creepy and objectionable. (see the end of slc punk, and you'll understand why you have cons to go to... sort of)

luckily, even if you think you've grown out of anime (like i did once) it will suck you back in, you never forget how to geek out on an anime for a week straight, or your favorite controler onfiguration... never.


okay... let me try to stay on topic... im really sleepy and i've had a long day of car dealerships and bus commuting and photoshoping.

so this whole japanese obsesion thing... i think everyone typicly likes cultures that are forein and they dont have to commit to... and once you get into it, its really easy to go too far and look like a moron...

its my theory that the way japanese culture is makes it not only very admirable, but really easy to get into. martial arts aside theres not complicated dances, the food is quite easy to adapt to, and the language its self is a sinch! (like, i could not grasp spanish or french... but japanese and i? we must have been lovers in a past life, cause i caught on to japanese so quick, it was like the culture was already a part of who i am... which creeped a lot of people of my race out... i figure any race would be wierded out by a person of their type who just suddenly switches their way of life)

but i doubt i am the kind of person dshwshr was refering to. because i know wtf im talking about, i can converse in japanese almost flawlessly even while drunk. i've comprehended zen and most eastern philisophical teachings (including yogic metaphysics) i've studied martial arts since i was 7. and one of my hobies is sumi-e... most people just dont emerse themselves into japanese culture as much as i did.

and i think its kind of important to understand that the kind of people who dshwshr is talking about probably haven't had the oprotunity that i've had, to become some really extreme otaku like me. no doubt if the oprotunity was there, i think most would... its pretty fun.

alright... seriously falling asleep at the keyboard here...
(which means i can almost type in my sleep... almost)

Really, drinking or no isn't that big a deal in social networks.  I don't spent all my time going to bars and am fine hanging out in some other venue if younger people are present.  

That is not to say that there are some behaviors that younger folk tend to do (not exclusively) that can make me go "those darn kids"

1.)  No volume control, talking is always super loud

2.)  Can't listen, folks that are so caught up in themselves...

3.)  Pre judging.  

Frankly, none of these are completely age specific, really lack of maturity is the issue I think rather than age.  I'm sure we all know people in their teens that are more mature than the 21+ crowd.  

As for the pedo issue, um just respect people's boundaries.  I think I heard in the yojimbo training sexual harassment is repeated unwanted advancement or something like that.  If maid girl gets freaked out when glomped, leave her alone.

mmm... good point made here. to start off, i just dont like drink with kids around... or anyone iunder the age of 21... i cant quite relax, cause you know if a cop shows up for whatever reason, and that one person is drinking, everyone over the age of 21 is getting some huge several thousand dollar fine.

so yeah, typicly, no -21 yr olds at my parties. cause thats just bs.


but generaly hanging out, no risky business. thats cool with the younger folk around. well except when they dont know how to handle themselves... like what you mentioned. like really why are kids always yelling and loud... not that i have room to talk... nvm, im just talking out my ass at this point. i gotta say you're right on the non age specific thing, i've seen and heard about som older people doing some really dumb things, especialy after getting intoxed.

lets move on, im tired

Better yet, ask if you can hug her first; even if she says yes, check her body language. Does she seem a bit hesistant or uncomfortable? Don't push it, ever.

For me, I'm not that big physically. I'm really not keen on the idea of glomps, especially from a guy who's got several inches, not to mention poundage, on me. Especially if he's a little overenthusiastic. Regardless of his intentions, it makes me nervous. Guys over six feet are especially intimidating for me (bad experiences with past boyfriends). If you look like you could overpower me, I'm probably going to shy away from you even if you are the sweetest guy on earth. At least until I get to know you a little. Glomps in general are a bad idea (unless you're friends and you warn the other person). That's why a lot of cons are saying "no more".

Related to teen/adult behavior and friendships between different ages: I actually do hang out with a group on a regular basis that comprises a decent age range. I'm the organizer of a monthly Seattle-area cosplay/social meetup (GasuKan). Our regular attendees range from young teenagers to thirty-somethings. It's a really good group of people, and we all get along pretty well (surprisingly little drama for a group of 100+ cosplayers). I'm often amazed at the maturity of some of my younger friends. Not that they don't have "moments", but that's true of pretty much everyone in the group. It can be hard to tell who's on the older end of the spectrum sometimes, and not just because some of us don't look our ages.
It could be because our gatherings are more low-key than the convention atmosphere, that there's such a high level of "adult" behavior. We're there purely to hang out and cosplay a little, and since we meet once a month, there's not the same level of anticipation that builds up for a once-a-year con.

oh dear go, the glomp issue. funny story...

im not fond of glomping, its good if you ask, cause once i had a girl try to do a rear omni-superman glomp on me. she came running full speed, not just trying to dive at me, she flat out super maned that glomp attempt. and she cried out what she was doing to... it scared the crap out of me too... so in the middle of my high schools loose brick floored courtyard i dodged that glomp.

that poor girl... she face planted, bounced, and rolled. i laughed so hard! until i saw her face was covered in blood.

moral of the story: PPL!! STOP DOING DUMB THINGS!! if you're going to glomp someone make sure they know you're going to glomp them.

no i do gotta wonder, whats with people getting asked something they are obviously want to object to, but then deciding to say 'yes'... like in your ordeal with body language in relation to glomping... why dont you just say 'no'... its your right... and if the person doesnt comply, take defensive mesures...

maybe i just dont understand being small... but even small people can excell at martial arts... im really constantly sickened by the high amount of of women raped in this country, its like one in 6 or something crazy like that! dear god, its recorded in chinese history that women far excel the skills of men in both armed and unarmed combat. stupid peace obsesed country... like im a security guard and legaly when im gaurding something if someone want to come in a take what im guarding they pretty much can do so, cause if were to even tap that person and say "excuse me sir" i can be charged with asault... friggin retarded.

but i guess the next best thing is the buddy system... of course, this is why i say cons would be a bit better with a bit of ethics... or if big people considered that they kind of scare the really small people. lol. i guess theres things both sides can do...

NOW AS FOR GASUKAN - thats sooooo different! like you're in a administrative position there... you have no choice than to interact with everyone there.

i've actualy really been wanting to go to gasukan.... but my costume, that i havent started, wont be done for a while...

but yeah some people act really mature when they want to impress, but that never makes up for actual life experinece...


so yeah, i have no real point here and now... im half asleep (and my emulator of final fantasy tactics is pretty much the only thing im awake for... im an addict, some one pointed out to me that i've been playing this game since it came out... 10 years ago.)

[verdant hero]

That's the problem with the media portrayal of fantasy/sci fi fans in general. How many female nerds do you see in tv/movies/mainstream cartoons? How many attractive people? How many socially adept and gainfully employed adults?

As a young woman who has been interested in sci fi and fantasy since childhood, and involved in the publically nerdish aspects of it since high school--making and wearing my own costume to see the first Lord of the Rings film--I'm not generally the type of person who is represented by the Hollywood idea of the comic or cartoon nerd. Which despite the often negative portrayal of such people, I find a little irritating. I'm a giant geek too, and I've worked hard to become so.

Nerds can be girls...and women. Nerds can be attractive, even drop-dead gorgeous. Nerds often have full-time jobs or careers. They're often quite charming and well-aware of how to behave in public. Nerds can and will marry other nerds (or understanding non-nerds), and have little nerd children who will become the next generation of fantasy and sci fi fans.

Now if only more tv shows and movies would get the message, and more importantly (since I'm sure a lot of the people involved in creating such things are themselves nerds and should know better) actually show it.

<3 ...As my friends on another board might say: quoted for truth.

(The above heart is completely platonic, mind you)

I think the definition and image of "nerds" (or their more recent buzzword, "geeks") is changing... not so much in the minds of the people you mentioned who hold those stereotypes, though. It's just that the geeks and nerds of our generation are getting older.  They're becoming parents, and suddenly it's more acceptable for kids to show interest in anime and play video games, because their parents approve of it, and might even join in. It's a lot like rock 'n' roll, in fact. The next media craze always gets burned at the stake at first, and then one day it becomes nearly universal.

Eventually some of those parents will become retirees. That's when we'll hear people talking about Donkey Kong in the retirement homes. Then Evangelion... and then Final Fantasy... and then *gulp* Naruto.

What worries me is to think that I might end up being as closed-minded about some other thing in that time. Neuro-transmitters, perhaps? A trendy new TV show about blowing up puppies? Music about alien sex? It's hard to predict what new form of media will arise that will get people up-in-arms, but it will probably happen again.  And with it, a new subcultural social class will also arise that the older generation will most likely shun.  I think the most recent one to pop up was "emo."


You know, this really is a fascinating subject now that it's gotten rolling... it makes me think that it'd be great to have a discussion panel about it. Do we already have a panel like that?  If not, someone should try it next year.

age 21-???

screw all the bigger cooler kids and their cars! you've got a job, money and you can hit the bars! (hey that rhymes!) i think i was 21 when i attended my first green room party at kumori con. i met all the staff with out their profesional demenor masks, sort of. met plastered guests, and went back to my hotel room at the end of the night with a bottle of 'ginjo' sake. (all because i tricked a staff member into hitting on a guy. that person shall remain nameless and he/she can remain nameless and non-gender specific. lol)

Okay, first of all, your age categories begin to hit the "undefined" marked somewhere after age 21?!...  Dang, girl, you need to meet more people! The convention is the best place to find mature otaku, even past age 30 or 40... and I mean mentally mature as well as having years behind them.  Of course, some still have those "OMG squee" moments now and then, but you'll find many older fans who have toned down the need to party, outgrown the impulse to create spectacles in the hallways, and yet still recognize how much they want to remain part of the fandom.

As for me, though I do drink when I feel it's a good idea, I actually almost never drink at cons. Drinking can sometimes be a catch-all form of enjoyment, but I find it takes away from my ability to enjoy things that can only be done at the con. It's not a "drinking is bad" thing... it's just that I find the con to be a different environment.

so do the 21+ crowd do like i do and avoid youngins' like the plauge? or has anyone found a non-socialy awkward way to interact with person not of legal drinking age?

(and before anyone starts - drinking isnt the big deal hear its having that annoying 'adult' lable placed on you that makes you have responsible for any dumb crap that goes down in your presence, or even worse yet at your house... cause then you can't slink away into the night.)

Well, Mr. Mustache is just over 18, but he gets along great with my friends ranging from 22 to 30, as does his girlfriend. They still act younger than us, to a certain extent, but it's in a way that is accessible to the 20-somethings. For instance, I get a kick out listening to his enthusiastic discourses on Rubik's Cubes while he madly manipulates one as a visual aid. If they spent all their time obsessing about social norms, on the other hand, it'd get old fast.

My sister, a teacher, also made friends online with a teenager who is the ringleader of her high school's anime club (or was...she might've graduated already). There's a definite age gap, but my sister is fascinated to hear how much anime interest has popped up in high schools since we were that age.

Anyway, in short, it helps if the younger fan in question is intelligent and socially perceptive. Maturity helps, but it's not always strictly necessary. (If it was necessary, how would I ever play Super Smash Brothers Brawl with my nephew?)

so... you're saying im wrong right? cause im kinda hoping you are...

wait, before we go any further... nah i'll bring that up later...

the odd thing i run into is something i had a problem with when i was like 7-12 yrs old... i used to only hang out with kids who were at least a year younger than me. that way they pretty much always look up to you. but overtime its a a cruch you gotta get rid of... so i kind go out of my way to hang out with people my own age...

but yeah, so i notice this mr. mustash guy seems kinda popluar on the net here... but what about hanging out with like 2 or more ppl who are 18... i think that'd be kinda wierd or annoying.

well, im too tired to continue thinking, but before i go...
i just wanted to point out...
i mentioned that i'd save this for later...
and i was thinking it'd be funny to save for like... a few years
but.. i'm tired and impatient and i want my lulz right now
I'M NOT A GIRL!!!!
wtf made you think i was female!?


wait, maybe it was that avatar i have up... BUT THATS A PICTURE OF ALANIS MORISSETE!!

i think i should leave it though and see how many ppl think im a girl... then i should show up to some mini con or something in a strawberry loli outfit...


well, i think it'd be funny, if only for a second...

[verdant hero]

I really can't stand how any nerdy WOMEN in the media that also happen to be attractive just cause some people to completely blow off their character :/

The best example of this I can think of is Sam Carter from Stargate SG-1. I've heard SO MANY Stargate fans whine and complain that she's "just a Mary Sue" because OBVIOUSLY no woman can be gorgeous AND a complete science nerd. HEAVEN FORBID!

i have to go with number 2... mmm, why did god make us to long for things we cant have? sigh...

sad fact: video game girls who dont exist are the only examples of girls that are coming to mind right now... now wait, more are on the way... theres always that super hot librarian at the community college i used to go to... along with all the chicks who were really into something i was tottaly not intrested in... like girls in band...

edit----

okay hold on... how did i just triple post? the site told me there was a post in between my posts... wtf

[dshwshr55]

daaaaaammmnn

[TomtheFanboy]

daaaaaammmnn

You took the woooooorrrrd right out of my mouth.
Wow, I think I'm going to put some Lawrence Welk on so you fogies settle down.

[Kumi-chan]

What's with all the novellas popping up on the thread? I thought I was long-winded, but I think verdant hero takes that title.

i have to go with number 2... mmm, why did god make us to long for things we cant have? sigh...

sad fact: video game girls who dont exist are the only examples of girls that are coming to mind right now... now wait, more are on the way... theres always that super hot librarian at the community college i used to go to... along with all the chicks who were really into something i was tottaly not intrested in... like girls in band...

edit----

okay hold on... how did i just triple post? the site told me there was a post in between my posts... wtf

I'm afraid I don't understand you, sir. Are you trying to list examples of women with nerdy interests, perhaps those you found unattainable?
I'm afraid I also have a hard time understanding why you believe you can't "have" women you find attractive (I dislike putting it that way, but...). If you've approached a number of them and they've turned you down, that's one thing, but I know a big problem faced by some of my male nerd friends is they never try in the first place. A lot of my female friends are the same way, so it's not specific to gender. It's a confidence issue. While there are those of us with a lot of self confidence (I like to believe I'm one of them, and it tends to get better as you get older), there are also a lot of shy folks in our community.

Rejection's never a sure thing, especially if you approach the person you like with the right attitude.

[HatakeGirlX]

Wait, I just saw one of the three things you say that younger folks do is prejudging....

Pardon me but arn't most of you prejudging when you avoid younger people because you have decided we are all noisey little things and it is socially unacceptable to be around us.

At a con there are plenty of times when its acceptable I mean its not even reserved for only older women to be around younger people and not be "pedos"
That is one of the reasons I continue to attend cons, everyone is accepting now matter what!
We are all anime geeks and we all have our own personal issues, but thats why we are all so close ^^
That in my mind is what the glomp circle is really about also, you spin the bottle and whoever it lands on, you dont judge you just run up and hug them! (unless your a fangirl of who is lands on then there is some squee's and tackles lol)
Even in everyday society I take the time to chat with my elders (yea now im making you feel older ;P )
and I listen and learn really cool things and they learn from me.

So don't avoid us like were cursed! Stop and get to know us!
No matter the age group there will be people you love, and people you want to kill in their sleep.
This world has its
Lovable
love and peace!

and the always annoying...
believe it!

So at the con no matter age or gender, just go have fun ^^ at the glomp cirlce or w/e!!!!!!

[XFD]

Holyheateddiscussion batman.

I don't think the subject is as ... extreme as a few of you are making it out to be.

[verdant hero]

hmm... i gotta say im really pleased with this thread, it seems theres good handfull of people with a good head on their shoulders...

im still going to debate, for the sake of debating. i wanna see how many people i can suck into this thread.

i have to go with number 2... mmm, why did god make us to long for things we cant have? sigh...

sad fact: video game girls who dont exist are the only examples of girls that are coming to mind right now... now wait, more are on the way... theres always that super hot librarian at the community college i used to go to... along with all the chicks who were really into something i was tottaly not intrested in... like girls in band...

so, a long long time ago, i was a completely quite lil' loner kid who hung out in the forest, all alone... its really some sort of miracle that i've become so outgoing that i regularly get mistaken for the big guy who cosplays as guy sensei...

so with that said, i do talk to all sorts of girls, nerdy girls especialy (its good to have some way that you can connect with the person) but i pretty much always run into problems with a few diferent girls. band/music, girls who read a ton of books, and other really far off things that i dont concern myself with.... and for the most part these girls are kinda like you said, they'll usualy talk, just either not very much, or they're conversations end up curving back to their main intrest... which get really annoying when you havent read the books, or know how b sharp doesnt exist... or some random thing...

but stuff like that always happens, thus why i have my 'gang' together we're diverse enough to deal with anyone positively.

but the roadblocks to talking to girls isnt the topic of this thread...

Wait, I just saw one of the three things you say that younger folks do is prejudging....

Pardon me but arn't most of you prejudging when you avoid younger people because you have decided we are all noisey little things and it is socially unacceptable to be around us.

At a con there are plenty of times when its acceptable I mean its not even reserved for only older women to be around younger people and not be "pedos"
That is one of the reasons I continue to attend cons, everyone is accepting now matter what!
We are all anime geeks and we all have our own personal issues, but thats why we are all so close ^^
That in my mind is what the glomp circle is really about also, you spin the bottle and whoever it lands on, you dont judge you just run up and hug them! (unless your a fangirl of who is lands on then there is some squee's and tackles lol)
Even in everyday society I take the time to chat with my elders (yea now im making you feel older ;P )
and I listen and learn really cool things and they learn from me.

So don't avoid us like were cursed! Stop and get to know us!
No matter the age group there will be people you love, and people you want to kill in their sleep.
This world has its
Lovable
love and peace!

and the always annoying...
believe it!

So at the con no matter age or gender, just go have fun ^^ at the glomp cirlce or w/e!!!!!!

so yeah, prejudging is what people do, its the only semi valid reason sterotypes exist besides a persons utter ignorance. (lol, i argued with my old english teacher for weeks about why sterotypes should'nt exist, and how people should just let them go. oddly enough she taught me to have empathy for those who actualy need things like sterotypes... its sad really) without some amount of prejudging we humans wouldnt be able to choose things that are good for us, or desern whats bad for us. we'd eat the moldy things in our fridge without thought!

this post has me smiling though, it's kind of reviving the magic that my first sakura con had. that being the belife that we are all connected by the love of anime and that love is capable of briding our differences...

i also like that you just expressed one of the higher teachings of taoism through anime...

 i can't pass up the oprotunity to expound on this...

so as ding ming dao might put it i have the mentality of the famous 'south goose beach taoist' his level of attainment was expressed in his poem here, its quite easily applied to con going:

"court gowns of red and purple are not attractive.
instead, i love white clouds embracing emerald mountaintops,
so i sit in solitude, forgetting the year or month
while in the mundane world below, lifetimes an generations pass."

but what hatakegirlX has just expressed is the understanding of the much superior elder taoist known as 'danger evader':

"like a raft adrift on the ocean
it does not matter where i float or stop.
reaching the tao is a matter of continuous motion.
true nature is born from profound splendor."

its true, this poem holds out exact what is fun about cons, one has no real need for preferences, for it does'nt really matter where one floats or stops. one can pretty much entrust themselves the con (or the tao) and no distincions need to be made. one place/person is not all that different from another, so why make a fuss?

you win hatekgirlx!! i dont know if you really understand the depth of what you posted, but it definately changes how i'll be looking at things when im walking through the con!

[TomtheFanboy]

Wait, I just saw one of the three things you say that younger folks do is prejudging....

Pardon me but arn't most of you prejudging when you avoid younger people because you have decided we are all noisey little things and it is socially unacceptable to be around us.

No they are not prejudging. Remember, they are old, and thus have already seen what kids are like. 

[Kimiski]

I find maturity more in people than in ages. Some people know what is exceptable in public and how to act and what not, like I was when I was 16. My teachers always thought I was a senior every year cause "you don't act young" lol they would tell me.

I really don't notice age differences and when I talk to people and they tell me how old they are I usally end up saying, "You're only 14! Wow!" or something like that. I don't have a problem hanging out with people older either, 20;s, 30's whatever, it's all good fun to me at an anime convention.

Being 18 I think you got the best of both the older and younger age groups as well.

[dshwshr55]

I find maturity more in people than in ages. Some people know what is exceptable in public and how to act and what not, like I was when I was 16. My teachers always thought I was a senior every year cause "you don't act young" lol they would tell me.

"Exceptable in public" is kind of a relative term. YOU might see a bunch of cosplayers cosplaying when there's no con, which might be acceptable (spelled correctly) in your eyes, but I see another group of people that look just as funny as those workers at Hot Dog On A Stick in the mall. Difference is the people in the bright, stripey beanies act reasonable.
And for the sake of arguement, a glomp circle isn't exactly in the "you don't act young" category. Actually, I'm pretty sure I'm just a little anti-social.

[Soubi]

I'm not really an older fan, but I must comment on the sense of "awkward" one does get when you realize someone's age. (I only managed to make it through page 1. XD)
SakuraCon, for example. I met this fairly nice girl, and wound up doing a couple fanservice photos for our group.
And.
She tells me recently.
She's 27.
xD Lmao. She's. 10 years older than me.
It was possibly the most awkward thing ever.

/scampers off.

[Radien]

well, im too tired to continue thinking, but before i go...
i just wanted to point out...
i mentioned that i'd save this for later...
and i was thinking it'd be funny to save for like... a few years
but.. i'm tired and impatient and i want my lulz right now
I'M NOT A GIRL!!!!
wtf made you think i was female!?

Umm, I'd say that having a photo of a girl for your avatar is enough, really. At 65x65 pixels, it's pretty hard to tell that it's Alanis Morrisette.

Besides, even considering your forum name, there are literally hundreds of girls who crossplay at Kumori Con. Many of them will take on a male-ish sounding nickname. In cases like that, photos are much a more reliable clue.

Anyway, this thread has hit critical mass, so I don't have time for a full reply to anything else tonight.

[verdant hero]

well, im too tired to continue thinking, but before i go...
i just wanted to point out...
i mentioned that i'd save this for later...
and i was thinking it'd be funny to save for like... a few years
but.. i'm tired and impatient and i want my lulz right now
I'M NOT A GIRL!!!!
wtf made you think i was female!?

Umm, I'd say that having a photo of a girl for your avatar is enough, really. At 65x65 pixels, it's pretty hard to tell that it's Alanis Morrisette.

Besides, even considering your forum name, there are literally hundreds of girls who crossplay at Kumori Con. Many of them will take on a male-ish sounding nickname. In cases like that, photos are much a more reliable clue.

Anyway, this thread has hit critical mass, so I don't have time for a full reply to anything else tonight.

so what? are you saying my handle isnt manly enough? do i have to challenge you to mortal combat?!?

lol... it'd be nice if i were a girl... well not entirely... but i'd like to be more atractinve... ....


.... i'd share a secret with you all but i dont think now is the time ... ....

perhaps more posting in the sober state of tommarow around noon...

oh! guess what guys.. its now 2.5 hours into 8/6/08... so its now my birthday!!!!

being in the state im in right now, i dont really want much more than sleep, but later ppl can give me cooler things... perhaps like meeting more people at con... that'd make an awesome gift.

[HatakeGirlX]

Wait, I just saw one of the three things you say that younger folks do is prejudging....

Pardon me but arn't most of you prejudging when you avoid younger people because you have decided we are all noisey little things and it is socially unacceptable to be around us.

No they are not prejudging. Remember, they are old, and thus have already seen what kids are like. 

But in their years did they not relize how people even in their generation are not all the same?

Everyone younger and older than me is not the same because we change everyday and our personalities build by the others we encounter......So how can you label only the young ones to have an average of how we are like

I am only 15 and at the con I may scream and run around at times but that is only because it is the mood of the con

At my first con I was really quiet due to shock of there being a world like that around me.
But with how excited I have become and since I became such a full on supporter of the con you may see me squeel and run around but only due to joy...So even though you all feel this joy or did at one point

what is so profound about being "mature" enough to not endulge in an enviroment that was made for that endulging?
I may be young but even I know that my life isnt going to last long enough for me not to enjoy those few amazing times where all of my problems can be forgotten and I can just love to be somewhere and be unbelievabley happy!

Look back at your very first con or your favorite con...do you remember how happy you were...? and now look at your worse con...wich con did you yell and run at? which con did you just show everyone how happy you were at?

We arn't all the same...and neither is every con...but if you just let the joy and love for anime guide you...Happiness and freedom will be something that will link all of them

Age is simply a number ^^ Right?

[Kumi-chan]

I don't think most of us older folks think all young fans are the same. The immature ones are just the loudest and most annoying, and a lot of them tend to look rather youthful. It's a stereotype, of course, that all teenagers are obnoxious Narutards without social skills. Of course, some actually are like that. That's why the stereotype exists in the first place.
(If anybody accuses me of being prejudiced against Naruto fans and/or teenagers, they're not paying attention to what I'm actually saying. Simmer down, kids.)

I think the separation between mental and physical maturity needs to be made here. The two aren't necessarily related. As I've said, I know lots of mentally and socially mature teenagers. I also know a few physical adults who act like social morons. It's just that in a con setting, the number of socially immature minors is always rather high, and they will make the bigger impression on the attendees who are older and calmer. That's just how it works. Someone who's running around screaming their lungs out and bumping into everyone is going to be a lot more noticeable than someone who's polite, friendly, and well-behaved.

You can enjoy yourself at con and not, pardon my language, act like a total idiot. I don't care if it's your first con or your twentieth (plus). Screaming and invading others' personal boundaries is not a necessary part of the experience. It shouldn't be used as an excuse to throw out what you know about manners and socially acceptable behavior (despite what some people seem to think to the contrary): it's a public setting, one with thousands of people in a small space. If anything, good behavior should be more important than ever.

And if you still don't like it...
Once you've hit a certain age, you're allowed to complain about "them darn kids" all you want. Let the fogies vent a little, and you youngsters can complain about how all adults are stuffy and sticks-in-the-mud and obviously don't remember what it was like to be a kid once. Trust me, we remember. It doesn't mean we don't get annoyed or wish that the current generation could be more uniformly adult in their conduct. Those who aren't equally guilty (and what's their excuse?)

[HatakeGirlX]

I was not trying to state that people should run and scream and in the halls and get in peoples way, I mean being loud and having fun yet holding back enough for it to be fun yet not over the top.

You took what I was saying and made me sound like I was trying to get everyone to be too loud and too over the top.

I am simply trying to express that I think the adults who have a problem with being around us youngsters and as Verdant Hero states "Avoid youngsters like the plauge" need to stop and give people a chance.
Walk up, take some pictures with people no matter the age and just talk and go play in the glomp circle and just show your love of the Otaku spirit through being a kid again ^^

[XFD]

Everyone younger and older than me is not the same because we change everyday and our personalities build by the others we encounter......So how can you label only the young ones to have an average of how we are like

Individuals may exhibit uniqueness, but a group will often exhibit common traits. For example at large scales, compare western & eastern cultures, food variances from France to India, etc. From one sample to another you will find differences, but at the macroscopic level there are many common attributes which you can use to group large numbers of samples. If that doesn't cover your point, I couldn't understand your message's structure.

I am only 15 and at the con I may scream and run around at times but that is only because it is the mood of the con

I don't think anyone has said this is explicitly bad, but doing so "shows your age." There is a definite energy level difference between a teen and the typical adult.

At my first con I was really quiet due to shock of there being a world like that around me.
But with how excited I have become and since I became such a full on supporter of the con you may see me squeel and run around but only due to joy...So even though you all feel this joy or did at one point

what is so profound about being "mature" enough to not endulge in an enviroment that was made for that endulging?
I may be young but even I know that my life isnt going to last long enough for me not to enjoy those few amazing times where all of my problems can be forgotten and I can just love to be somewhere and be unbelievabley happy!

There is a difference between eating a slice of cake and eating the whole cake. The same goes for alcohol, hobbies and many other things that give us emotional returns. Maturity includes the knowledge of how much indulgence is acceptable and how much is excessive.

Look back at your very first con or your favorite con...do you remember how happy you were...? and now look at your worse con...wich con did you yell and run at? which con did you just show everyone how happy you were at?

We arn't all the same...and neither is every con...but if you just let the joy and love for anime guide you...Happiness and freedom will be something that will link all of them

Age is simply a number ^^ Right?

My first con was Sakuracon 2000 which is probably tied with Sakuracon 2007 for my favorite. In either case no 'squee'-ing was involved. My worst was AnimeExpo er LineCon... I mean FailCon2007 where the organizers of AX did such a terrible job most people spent the weekend waiting in lines. In 00' the excitement came from all the new fansubs to go get and discussing with friends what they saw and enjoyed. In 07' it was getting Sakuracon's premier music guest to sign the wing to my car (click for huge) (and you won't get it if you're not an InitialD nerd-fan). So with your reasoning because I didn't zip through the cons like Chibi-usa on a sugar high, I musn't have been happy. It isn't really true, of course.

I think if you have to put it into binary form, there is either the group with boundless energy who tries to absorb as much as they can as quickly as they can and the groups who see a few things they have interest in and enjoy it slowly. Many times the later group just can't keep up with the former group. The loud, obnoxious kids tend to be more than the viscous older types can handle and they complain as a vent for the frustration. How many 6-year olds can you keep up with before going nuts?