Hot Topic whores are something to ALWAYS avoid.

SHOWER.

DEODERANT.

BRUSH YOUR DAMN TEETH.

SHOWER AGAIN.

>>4450318
THANK YOU! =D

>>4450301
What are Hot Topic whores?

>>4450355
The asses that wear a combination of unwashed gir t-shirts, metal chains/chokers, and/or naruto headband with optional catears from hot topic.

Avoid like the fucking plague. You will be associated as one of the shittiest groups at a con.

And since this a cosplaying board, it's chill if you want to take pictures as long as you're polite and respectful. Do not do surprise 'glomps' or try autistic attempts at flirting. It's awkward for everyone involved.

And you have plenty of time to lurk around /cgl/ and catch enough con horror story boards to learn how to act.

>>4450360
It shall be avoided
And I know what glomps are, a friend of mine told me how her cosplay last year got destroyed because of one.

When I'm in plainclothes at a Con and see a glomp about to occur, I bodyblock. 6'4", 240, builtfat working toward bearmode. It's funny to watch them stutter and stumble after bouncing off of me.

That said, don't be a White Knight unless it's for a girl you came with or there's a legit chance of the girl getting fucked up. If the latter, get security. Better for only the harassers to get kicked out than the both of you.

Avoid obvious ravers. They are only there for illict drugs, sex, and will eventually contract herpes.

Eat! Last Otakon my consumption was all of 1 1/2 soft pretzels, a few gummy packs, some drinks, half a biscuit and sundry candies. I can do well and be happy off little, but it IS NOT A GOOD IDEA. Also, Drink more water than booze, because you NEED hydration.

Talk to people, or you're missing a good chance to meet people who share you interests.

At least TRY to get a few hours of sleep.

Don't be a dumbass.

Never go to Anime Punch or A-kon. I've had shitty experiences at both of them due to their staff, organisation, and their crowds.

Go to Otakon, Anime Boston, and cons that are old and reputable [A-kon is the exception here; They went downhill].

Have freaking fun. :)

Also ,that list up there is VERY useful.

Thanks! And one of my friends told me to avoid room parties, what are those?

>>4450417
Second EVERYTHING here. Good stuff.

>>4452994
they are...exactly what they sound like haha? conventions are a time when 13-28 year olds who do not function in normal society come together to celebrate their clusterfuckery.

if you are very young & female please try to stick with your friend at night.

>>4452994
They're basically how people keep the con going during the lulls at night.
In their rooms.
Which about 20-40 people in said hotel room on average.
With booze.

AVOID.

I also recommend that you KEEP YOUR ROOM KEY CLOSE. Not only will you be locked out if you lose it, but here is a cautionary tale from a friend who used to run cons:

>Two friends of his ask my friend if they could borrow one of his room keys and stay there for this night. He says yes.
>As a result of a panel or two, he does not get back to his room until 2 AM.
>When he opens the door, he finds literally every horizontal surface in the room covered in sleeping bodies. Including the radiator and bathroom counter.
>Gives up on this notion of 'sleep', goes down and drinks coffee until 6 AM.
>At sunrise he goes back up and carefully limbos over to the window in his room.
>He then proceeds to cheerfully yell, 'Day Two! GET THE HELL OUT.'

He learned after that.

>>4452994
It's best to avoid room parties unless you know the people there. Last Otakon the cops showed up at a friend of a friend's room party and there were arrests made (the same thing with 2010's Katsucon).

ALSO if you get a noise complant stop what you are doing and make sure that you keep your sound in check. Also don't be afrais to call in noise complaints if you are on the convention floor.

i usually take some post-it tabs with me and once i get my ticket and my panelguide, i mark/circle all the panels and interesting goings on during the weekend and make myself a loose schedule based on that. make sure to leave time to eat somewhere in there, and times to sit and rest. get adequate sleep if you can, and dont be an asshole and be polite. compliment people on their costumes, to get conversations started and make new friends.

bring an extra towel and mark your initials on it. (i have a thing with never knowing who has used what towel for what purpose in the bathroom of the room, so i just use my own.) bring a pen-sized sanitizer spray and keep it in your purse/pocket while walking around. the handrails, door handles, and public rest areas are crawling with neckbeard bacteria...so avoid the con-plague by washing often and eating well.

>>4449813
Somewhere in asia? korea you dumbfuck.

Uh, which con is it? Makes a difference. If you're going to San Diego Comic-Con, there are a whole slew of specific pieces of advice you need to know for that giant mess of a con. If it's Tinycon in Shithole, Canada, probably not so much.

>>4450417
Second everything this person said. Goldmine.

Also, just be smart and careful. A lot of creepers there, and you don't want to be taken advantage of. Don't put up with anyone not respecting your personal space.

>>4450318
Fukken saved, omg. I'm a con veteran and haven't forgotten anything important in years, but homg this is amazing.

>>4453036
>>4453036
>>4453060
>>4453061
>>4453073
Thank you guys! This is all very helpful, my firend and I are wanting to make sure we don't run into any negative situations.

>>4453130
Good luck with that. You might have some issues -- A perfect anything is a myth -- But this will hopefully help you have fun and not get arrested/raped/etc.

Start packing your bags a week in advanced that way you have plenty of time to make sure you have everything that you need. This list >>4450318 is fucking amazing. Save it and print it out.

Bring some cards or something like that with you. There is plenty of down time waiting in lines and if you've got cards you can make friends with the people around you also waiting in line. Personally I like Loony Lab games because they are cards I can carry, people who've never played them before will ask what it is, and people who've played them before will think that you're kind of awesome. But a standard deck of cards or uno will still do the trick. Gameboys are great and all but they are expensive and not something you can play in a group.

If someone in your room is doing something that irratates you, don't be afraid to tell them to stop. Trust me when I say that people you consider to be your friends can and will take advantage of you if you're a puch over and it will ruin your convention. Like wise if someone tells you to stop doing something then stop you don't want to be a dick and ruin someone else's convention.

i would highly reccommend skipping over raves. Conventions already have a funk to them that is unholy, you add raving to it and it's like being in a smelly over crowded room with 100% humidity caused by human sweat, and terrible music with flashing lights. Instead, use this time to catch up on your sleep or make friends in the convention hallways. There isn't anything at a rave that'll you'll regret missing.

What convention are you and your friend attending?

>>4453187
Thank you for all that advice.
Him and I are going to a local one about an hour away called Tokyo In Tulsa

>>4453299
I've never been to any smaller conventions so I don't know about the down time thing with that. But have fun still.

>>4449813
it can get really hot and sweaty especially if you are in a large costume,
every once and a while its nice to go back to your hotel and take a shower in the middle of the day

>>4453320
Will do, thank you =D