Your First Convention - Every Basic Convention Skill New Attendees Need To Know

Being new to an anime convention is fine. Everyone has a first time and hopefully your first anime convention was or will be be amazing. I'm putting together this post to try and help out new kids to the anime convention block. I'm doing my best to take you from the first step to the last step and put together a general plot to the convention so you will know what to expect.

Step 1: Pick Your Convention
First of all you have to find a convention. Finding one that is either local or near you in some way is always nice, my first convention was in Nashville, not to far from Memphis, so it was pretty good. It also doesn't necessarily have to be an ANIME convention. There are comic and game conventions as well. If you are a member of GaiaOnline then you know they host conventions all over the United States and GaiaOnline is an online community for the anime crowd, so its familiar territory. Either way you can easily find out about conventions online. There are two annual conventions that I go to every year in TN. The first is MTAC, the Middle Tennessee Anime Convention that is help in Nashville every year, it has been around a long time and is one of the largest (pure anime) anime convention in the mid-south. In Memphis there is Blues Con, it started last year and it is also a pure anime convention, although it is a lot smaller than the MTAC it is still a wonderful anime convention. I attended last year, its first year as I said, and it was much better than anything I had expected from it.

Step 2: Planning - Part 1 Making Arrangements
After you've completed the first step and found your convention, you need to book it. -Getting Passes:
You should first check out the cost of the convention and determine weather you want a full pass or only a one day or two day pass. They vary in price and usually you will want a pass for the whole convention. The bigger the convention the more expensive the pass I've found.
-Living Arrangements:
You need to find out if you will be able to commute from home or if you have to book a hotel. It doesn't hurt to stay with a friend who lives around there and search for random family members who live around the convention as well. Good luck. If you will be needing to stay in a hotel you will need to get online and check out some hotels and the prices. The sooner you book a hotel the closer you can be to the convention. Conventions are usually hosted at a hotel, that being said, the hotel that is hosting it is sometimes filled up to months in advance. So if you want to book that particular hotel, get on it ASAP to make sure you will be able to get a room. If you call and they are booked, don't worry, usually there are many hotels within walking distance and most of the time the hotel will have a shuttle of some kind to get you to the convention.

Registering:
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PRE-REGISTER! You can always pre-register online and the sooner you pre-register the cheaper it will be. The longer you wait the more likely you are to have to pay late fees and what not, for for one it is a money saver. For two, pre-registering will make it a better experience for you and your friends, no one LIKES waiting in the registration line with their friends because they didn't register on time. :/ Either way, don't stress if you don't pre-register though. HOWEVER IF YOU DON'T PRE-REGISTER MAKE SURE YOU KNOW THE REGISTRATION TIMES!!!!!!

If You Don't Pre-Register:
Once you get to the convention, if you haven't pre-registered and you have to register there, there will be time slots designated for it. They are usually some where from 7AM to maybe 12 Noon then again from 7PM to maybe 10PM or something like that, but they aren't always open and if you don't make it in the line before they close then you will have to miss out on the convention until you can register again. Also, there will be two lines, one for people who have pre-registered and one for people who didn't. :P You in the right line and once you get to the front have your money out and tell them what kind of pass you want. (full, one day, two day, parental pass etc.) You will fill out a small form, then get your pass and be on your way, but the ling takes longer.

If You Did Pre-Register:
You will get to the convention, again be sure to pay attention to the registration times and get in the right line, the pre-registration line. Go to the counter, have out your paper work, and show them. They will glance it over maybe and hand you your pass then you will be on your way. (Unless you're waiting on your friend who is still in the back of the registration line XD )


Registration Aftermath: After you successfully register, they will give you a button of a lanyard, something to say that you are registered, you will wear that around and show that when you get into a panel. You will need that everyday, it is your ticket into the convention and without it, if you leave it at the hotel room, you won't get into anything and you will have to go ALL the way back to the hotel to get it. :/ So be sure to hold onto that like you do your hotel room key, it is oh so very important and unless you keep a document of some sort saying you have registered, you will have to buy another pass if you loose yours.

Different Type of Registration Passes:
There are a few different type of passes, a night pass, for the adult time late at night, a one day pass, that will get you in the convention one of the days, two day pass or whatever it will get you in for two days. A full pass that will get you in anytime all the time. (The only exception is if there is an adult panel, then you will carded so they make sure you are 18) Also at most conventions there is a Parental Pass of some sort so that your parent/guardian can get into the convention area, but not into any of the panels and they can find you if they need you or you need them. If you don't see an option for a parental pass then you may wish to inquire about one.




Step 3: Planning - Part 2 - Convention Plans:


Schedule:
After you have chosen a convention, found that your budget allows it and you've made the appropriate arrangements you will now be able to start planning what you will do at the convention. this is especially important if you are going with a group. Most of the time you will be able to get online and see the events and panels. (A panel is a time dedicated to one thing. For instance if you go see an Origami Panel, it will be teaching origami or discussing something about it. There are a variety of panels, most ranging from thirty minuets to an hour.) There will be several large events and guest speakers, like a dance/rave or a famous voice actor.

When you look online you SHOULD ideally be able to get a schedule for the convention that tells you what panels are when and where at the convention. (When I say where I mean which panel room will it be held in.) There is ALWAYS a Dealers Room as well. (The Dealers Room is a room dedicated entirely to buying stuff where vendors can come and sell their anime related items and what not. :) the Dealers room is awesome) Once you have the schedule look it over and highlight some of the panels that look interesting to you and which ones you KNOW you want to attend. If you are going with a group have them do the same and you can make compromises about who will do what and when since you will want to stay with you group the whole time or at least use the buddy system. Make sure you leave some time to sit down and relax, allow some time to eat lunch, and you should always leave time for the Dealers room, but be ready because while there is usually a long line for the Dealer room, it goes by fast and is worth it, so make sure once you get in you have A LOT of time to make sure you look at EVERYTHING! Cause no one likes long lines more than once or twice. :/ (also when you get to the convention don't stress if it doesn't go exactly minuet by minuet, it is a time to relax so don't hurry your friends if they are taking a little more time than you would like, there isn't anything to stress about. :) )




A few last notes:

Cosplay - Cosplay is really expensive if you are one of those people who buys the entire costume, the wig, and the props. If you are going to buy and outfit, make sure the website is reputable and see if you can find some customer feedback or reviews about the costumes. Sometimes you look online and the costume looks great, but there have been several times when I have gotten the costume and been severely disappointed. When looking at the costume online be sure to check out the sizes, most of them are sized differently and will include a chart with height, weight, and the three magic numbers -the chest, the torso, the hips- and what size you need based on that information. In the details area it will also tell you what all is included in the costume. The picture may have the model wearing the wig and more often than not, the wig is not included. You want to make sure you are getting a good quality product that fits you and is what you thought it was.

Anyways, like I said earlier, Cosplay is very expensive so make sure you get costumes that will fit for a long time and you won't get tired of. Make it a character you really love! :D But if this is your first convention, you may not want to spend all that money on a cosplay. That's fine, you don't have to cosplay at the convention, its just really fun. :) And if you still want to cosplay but don't have the money there are lots of cheap DIY makeshift cosplays that are plenty fun too! :D



Convention Terminology: When you go to an anime convention you'll be talking to a lot of people, and if your a noob they will tell right off the bat because usually beginners tend to ask questions about words that are mostly used on the internet that they probably haven't encountered yet. So for all you beginners out there I have a list of a few terms that you may find useful in regular conversation. throw them out there and just see if your company isn't impressed.

~J-Pop - Japanese pop music. Think Utada Hikaru. :)

~Subbed - The anime has subtitles.

~Dubbed - It's voiced over so that no they speak English(or whatever language its translated into) instead of Japanese(or whatever language it started out as).

~Beginner (anime) - A beginner anime is one that it isn't too strange. It is usually main stream and it doesn't have any kind of blood and guts or sex or nudity or anything strange. It is pretty much cut and dry, the most basic of anime. Good beginner animes are Yu-Gi-Oh and Inuyasha.

~Mainstream (anime)- Mainstream animes don't have to necessarily be aired on TV in America for them to be mainstream, for instance, the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is mainstream and it wasn't aired on TV for all Americans to see. Unfortunately though, an anime is main stream BECAUSE its aired on TV, Haruhi Suzumiya was a rather special case. A main stream anime is one that is talked about so much that after a while if you hear one more thing about it you're going to rip out your hair and feed it to the person talking so they will just shut up. Mainstream animes are often overrated and they are usually long with lots of filler that is just boring. I, personally, don't mind one or two filler episodes, but come on, when a season is a hundred episodes long, more than ten need to be plot related!
(On a side note there are Mainstream anime that are only mainstream to anime viewers, like Ouran High School Host Club, if you're at an Anime Convention, chances are almost everyone has seen it -cause its totally awesome an amazing- but if you're in the real world and you ask someone if they liked it, they might look at you like you were crazy and move a few seats away. These animes are, I'll admit, sometimes popular for a reason, cause Ouran was so freaking good! :D )

~Gateway (anime)- A gateway anime means that it usually ushers people in from beginner anime to regular anime. Its like a beginner anime in that it usually isn't too strange and is usually main stream and it doesn't have any kind of blood and guts or sex or nudity or anything strange. These animes usually have more involved plot lines and they are more than fifty episodes long. If an anime is a gateway anime it is long so that the viewer can get really into it, and the plot is involved and usually all twisty turny so that it really gets the viewer hooked. Most of the time, animes that are long are gateway BECAUSE a newer anime watcher doesn't mind filler and filler and filler and extra episodes and filler, but after you've seen a few different animes you tend to be more interested in getting on with the plot instead of the weird episode between plots when they go off on some strange adventure. A good beginner anime is FairyTail or Full Metal Alchemist.

~Underground (anime)- These animes are the best animes of all time. X3 Usually no one has heard of them, they are short, and sweet and just great. A lot of times their titles will still be in Japanese and they are rarely dubbed. A few examples might be Higurashi, Umineko, Chrono Crusade, Wolfs Rain, Majin Tantei Nōgami Neuro, and Ga Rei Zero. They are all amazing animes that not a lot of people have heard of. Most of them have less than forty episodes and the plot line is just amazing.

~Yaoi - Gay manga/anime

~Yuri - Lesbian manga/anime

~Hentai - This is a adult rated anime because it is pretty much porn in anime form.

~Vocaloid - No, Vocaloid isn't an anime or a manga or a musical artist. When someone says 'vocaloid' they are referring to the program or the characters. Vocaloid is a program that is an artificial voice that you can make sing. (Some how I haven't actually done it myself.) Vocaloid has a whole cast of characters though, Hatsune Miku for example, is a Vocaloid. She isn't from an anime, she is just the product of the Vocaloid program.

~Shojo - A genre of anime/manga. A Shojo manga is a girly one. Their audience is for women and usually they are romantic comedies or even slice of life. ShojoBeat publishes Shojo manga. When someone says Shojo, think along the lines of Kitchen Princess, Mermaid Melody, Sailor Moon, and Love Attack.

~Shonen - A genre of anime/manga. A Shonen manga usually is focus on a male audience, these have lots of action and not a lot of romance usually. Anything that appears in ShonenJump magazine are Shonen manga. Bleach, Naruto, Rosario Vampire, Yu-Gi-Oh

~Abridged Series - An abridged series is when someone takes the anime and shortens it up so that each episode, or few episodes, are only a few minuets long. A lot of times they are comical and poke a bit of fun at the anime. If you haven't you need to go online and watch the YuGiOh Abridged Series and the Dragon Ball Z Abridged Series (both on youtube) because they are great conversation starters. If you have seen the anime or not, and if you loved it or hated it, they are really hilarious. I even liked the Naruto Abridged series! XD They are usually spoof like.

~Visual Novel - A visual novel is a computer game, it is also called a choose your own adventure or a point and click game. You play through the story and can make different decisions, based on the decisions you make the story will have a different out come. :) Sake Visual is a website that hasa lot of visual novels that are usually either free or cheap and its a safe website that I use a lot. :) Sooo here's the link and check them out,. Visual novels are a lot of fun! :D http://sakevisual.com/index.html




And last but not least....
Convention Manners: When you go to a convention its crowded, there are lots of people, everyone is usually hot and sweaty, and everyone is in a hurry to get somewhere or to get to someone to get their picture. So when you go it is important to remember a few basic rules. If you will, treat like you're at a crowded mall or fair.

- If you sit down, get out of the way and find a proper place to sit, no sitting in the hallway.

-If you do sit on a wall or something, don't put your feet out, keep them close to your person. You wouldn't sit in the middle of the street and put your feet out in front of a car would you? Don't put them out in front of a horde of anime lovers, someone could easily trip or step on you.

- Please don't stand around like high school students dawdling in front of their lockers and block the way for everyone else behind you. Step to the side if you will, but GET OUT OF THE WAY! No one wants to stand behind you while you chat up a cute guy or a friend or try to decide where to go.

- Pictures, getting pictures is fine, keep you camera on you at all time by any means, go ahead. But if you want to get a picture of someone, there is mostly a designated room or area for you to get a picture, if you can go there, if you can't wait until you get out of the hallway and make sure you get out of other people's way to get the picture. You wouldn't want to wait behind someone getting a picture of the tenth Sailor Moon you've seen, so don't do it to someone else. Cause honestly, lets face it, you're in the hallway and suddenly the person in front of you stops to get a picture...this is what your thinking. 'Man do you have to do that right here? I was following that really hot guy to the anime viewing room. And come on! Sailor Moon Cosplayer? I've seen TEN of them today and this one's costume doesn't even look right...oh wait..maybe she's Sailor Venus....That's a strange prop, oh no..that a tail..wait...what? Oh whatever! Just finish your picture and move on!'

-Don't be rude or push people. Don't roll your eyes when someone stand in the middle of the hallways or sigh heavily and make a fuss, tap them on the shoulder and politely suggest that they stand to the side or move along. Its not your job to do that, but if security is no where around making sure people aren't clogging the walking areas, you may have to do something yourself. And DON'T GET VIOLENT! NO MATTER WHAT! YOU WILL BE THROWN OUT OF THE CONVENTION AND BANNED FROM COMING BACK! I think you can stand to hold on in the hallway a second. Again here, you wouldn't want people pushing you or sighing about how you stand around -but your not going to do that right? cause you read the rules above, right?- so don't be all high and mighty and do it to someone else, you're not perfect, neither are they. Also if you're in a hurry, don't push people out of your way or elbow your way out of the crowd, be patient.

- ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS USE THE BUDDY SYSTEM! I don't care if your grown and I don't care if you don't think anyone would wanna rape you to take you or whatever. I don't care if you think you're grown and just because you have a bottle of mace you can take on anyone. I'll admit, anime conventions are great and full of great people, I'm not questioning that. I meet nothing but friendly people at anime conventions, but they are just any other huge crowd you will see anywhere else. Just because they are at the convention doesn't mean they are a good person. So when you're at the convention keep a buddy system so someone knows where you are at all the time, keep someone you trust with you, don't leave with strangers even if your buddy is with you. Its easy to meet great people at anime conventions, but it is just as easy to get snatched at one. I have freaked out several times because I couldn't find my buddy and I was deathly afraid they'd been snatched and kidnapped and were getting raped and would get thrown in a dumpster. I mean I found them an everything, but still, it isn't pleasant.

-Hygiene - Keep it in mind. Take showers, brush your teeth, bite the bullet on the cancerous deodorant or antiperspirant and use it, if your feet smell keep your shoes on. There are lots of things you can do to to make sure your don't smell. And the convention will be crowded and hot enough without you protesting to not shower or wash your hair or wear deodorant or something to cover up you stink. We get it, you think perfumes are too girly and you WILL NOT succumb to man's way of forcing women to smell like flowers....but for gods sake use some fabreeze or SOMETHING! (Also, if you sweat a lot, bring along some baby powder, you can get them in scents like cucumber melon and lavender and if you pat a little where you sweat it will absorb the sweat and make you feel fresh, clean, and dry.)

That's about it. I hope you guys thought this was helpful. I'm pretty sure I covered all of the topics you will need and have fun at your first convention! :D

Convention Skills - Easy Makeshift Cosplays!

Alright so you've made plans for the convention and you've only got enough money for gas, food, the tickets, and the hotel room...what are you going to do once you get there?! D: Conventions are meant for cosplays right? Well have no fear, Convention Skills have your back! The following are several different cosplays you can do that are easy enough to put together and are fairly cheap in case you don't have the supplies.

I warn you though, these aren't master cosplays, they are decent but what really makes them great is your own special touch! Also most of them are women cosplays...I'm going to have to find something for men now! lol

Girl Costumes:

1. Maid - this is possibly one of the easiest cosplays you can do! It works great with a short black dress or a short black skirt and a black shirt. After that find a frilly apron or go out and buy one. To save a little more money you can get a plain apron then decorate it yourself and really make it unique! Finish the look off with a pair of stockings and some heels! Wha-la! You're a cosplay maid!

2. Neko Accessories - Making a pair of ears and a tail is easy! You can look up online tutorials or try and figure it our on your own. Either way here is a simple way.
Get some felt, two colors, one of the color ears you wants (you're primary color) and pink. Get some scissors and hot glue. (Be careful with the hot glue gun! Yikes!) Cut out rounded triangles in the primary color felt in the size you want your ears to be. Cut out smaller triangles in the pink felt. Now use the hot glue gun and hot glue the pink triangles to the bigger ones. Let them dry and then hot glue them to the headband or hair clips and there you have it, cat ears! I know they are simple, but they are better than nothing! For a tail get a boa and hot glue one end of it to a hair clip or something that you can attach to your pants, cut the boa to the length you want your tail, then you're done! If you want your tail to curve you can get some wire or pipe cleaners and make the shape you want. Tie them to your tail or hot glue it together and your tail will stay curved!

3. Fighter - If you want to look like a fighter you can get some cargo pants and some boots, they look pretty fighter like. You can use whatever top you think looks cool with it and finish the look off with wraps on your knuckles and a bandanna! (you can find linen wraps usually at any kind of pharmacy or you can just rip up some white material and try and make your own. )

4. School Girl - This one is pretty cut and dry simple, like they are all supposed to be. Find a tie, a plaid, short skirt, a button up white shirt, some knee high socks, and some black shoes! :D You can add a blazer if you want but you don't have too.

5. Cosplay Bunny Waitress - You've seen the cosplay cafes right? Well there is always a bunny waitress girl! This one is easy to! Get a pair of fishnets, some nice heels or flats, and a black bathing suit. If you can find a pair of bunny ears wear those, or just make your own out of felt like you did the cat ears for the neko cosplay. If you can find a black bow-tie just use that, but if you need to make your own you can just get some black fabric and cut out a strip, hot glue some velcro on either side of the back so you can wear it like a choker. After that make a perfect black bow and hot glue velcro to the back of the bow and the front, center of your black choker. Now your bow sticks on! (of you could just tie it to your choker lol that works too) You can find velcro at any kind of arts and crafts supply store by the way. :) Also, if you don't like the way a choker feels then you can just use a black tie too. :)

If you want to finish off the look make your own serving tray with cardboard or something and decorate it!

Alright and that's it for today! Those were all the make-shift cosplays I can think of, however when I think of more I'll be back posting them on here!

Next thing I post about will be some crazy hair styles! Yay!

Convention Skills - Beautiful Hair and Skin

We all know that Japanese women have crazy secrets that no one else in the whole world know. We are all jealous and all girls wish they knew those age-old secrets for beautiful hair and skin. Well here's your edge! With this new Convention Skill you can get beautiful hair and skin not only for the anime convention that is coming up, but also all year round! Yay!

Conventions are all about the show. We load on the make-up and the hair products to get our face looking like a perfect, beautiful doll and our hair to look as silky and straight as a real life anime girl. Well, lets face it, while we look dazzling at the convention, the next day our make up is smeared and our hair is a hot mess. All that make-up, hair gel, and straightening does a number on the health of our skin and hair...that being said you want to make sure that you dive into the convention with healthy skin and hair and you want to be able to repair your skin and hair afterward...So lets get on with it! Below are some easy, inexpensive, home remedies that are simple and easy to do. I hope you enjoy using these as much as I do!



Yogurt Facial – For Dry or Dull Skin

Description:

Yogurt is amazing for skin because it has a soothing and gentle, yet dramatic, effect. If your skin is dry or dull you can use a yogurt facial to hydrate and revitalize your skin. It’s natural, easy, and convenient because you most likely have all the things you will need for it laying around your house somewhere. Yogurt is cool, thick, and creamy and it’s a very refreshing, luscious feeling as you apply it. Your face will feel like its really being pampered! You can do this before a party, while you’re watching TV, or just because you deserve a little treat.



Things You’ll Need:

1. Plain, natural yogurt (Don’t use flavored yogurt or yogurt with sugar in it!)

2. A makeup brush



Instructions:

Start with a clean face. Take your make up brush and get a heavy amount of the yogurt on it. Apply a generous amount over your entire face evenly. Let the yogurt sit on your face for five to ten minuets and then wipe it off with a cool, damp cloth. Then you’re done! Your face should now be hydrated and glowing.



After - cleaning your make-up brush:

Make up brushes can actually begin to get very dirty as you use them more and more. They can begin to hold excess make-up and bacteria and can actually affect the health of your skin. You will want to wash all of your brushes at some point, but for now you just finished spreading yogurt all over one and you’re going to need to wash it.



Things You’ll Need:

1. Your dirty make-up brush

2. A working faucet

3. Soap (shampoo, hand soap, or body wash will do)

4. A towel



Instructions:

To clean your make up brush you'll want to run it under water with the bristles facing downwards. Apply some hand soap, shampoo, or body wash to your hands and gently massage it into the bristles. Slowly add a little water at a time until the soap has been completely washed out. Dab the brush dry and then lay it out to let it finish drying naturally. You will want to take care with your make-up brush as you do this so that you can avoid loosing too many bristles.





Aspirin Facial – For Oily Skin and Acne

Description:

Aspirin has acetylsalicylic acid in it, which is similar to salicylic acid that is in most acne products on the market today. Because of that, aspirin facials are great for people who have oily skin or acne problems. Using this treatment a few times a week will not only soften your skin, but it will help to clear away acne and blemishes. It also helps with control oil. The aspirin facial will leave your skin feeling soft and refreshingly clean!



Things You’ll Need:

1. 5-10Aspirin (It can be solid or powdered)

2. A small shot glass sized glass or a small bowl

3. Water

4. Toothpick (or something along those lines)

Optional:

5. Plain, natural yogurt

6. Plain honey

7. Lemon juice

(Note: If you use solid aspirin it will be more of an rough texture that can help to exfoliate your skin while if you use a powdered aspirin it will be a much gentler texture, however both will have the same cleansing effect.)



Instructions:

First, if you are using solid aspirin you will want to crush it up, then pour the aspirin into the small glass or bowl, the glass should ideally be about 1 fluid once in size. Fill it up half way or three fourths of the way with water. You should only really need a generous few tablespoons to a little less than a cup of water for this part.

Here is where you would apply the optional ingredients. You can use a table spoon of yogurt, a few drops of lemon juice, and/or a TINY bit of honey. If you’re skin is rather dry but you still have acne, you may want to use some of the honey or yogurt because it will help to hydrate your skin, the lemon juice is better for people with oily skin though. It’s really a preference thing and if you can experiment using different amounts of the optional ingredients to get a recipe that is perfect for your ideal skin conditions.

Now stir your ingredients together with the toothpick or whatever you chose, you may want to stir it together throughout the application as well.

Start with a clean face then apply the mixture all over your face, chest, and or back; you can also use it to exfoliate your hands a bit if you’d wish. “Scrub” your face with it a minuet or two and then let it sit for five to fifteen minuets depending on how oily or sensitive your skin is. Wash it off with cool water. This recipe works best for people who have oily skin and/or acne problems, if your skin is easily irritated you may not want to use this because aspirin is a pretty strong ingredient.



Yogurt/Olive Oil Hair Treatment – For Dry Hair

Description:

If your hair is dry or dull you can use this recipe to help your hair in so many ways. A yogurt and olive oil hair treatment will make your hair shinier, silkier and healthier by replenishing natural oils that can sometimes be lost by using shampoos with harsh chemicals in them. This is especially great for people who have dry hair with split ends. After one treatment like this your hairdresser will be asking YOU for tips!



Things You’ll Need:

1. Plain, natural yogurt

2. Olive oil

3. A hair clip

4. You’re regular shampoo and conditioner

Optional:

5. A brush of some sort



Instructions:

Mix two cups of plain, natural yogurt with one and a half tablespoons of olive oil. Evenly distribute the mixture all over your hair, if you have dry ends or split ends then you may want to layer it on your ends a little more heavily than the rest of your hair. (For distributing the mixture throughout your hair you can use your hands or you can use a brush of some sort) Wrap your hair up in a bun or in a clip and keep it gathered up some way. Keep it away from your neck and shoulders. Let the mixture stay in your hair about ten or fifteen minuets then go and take a shower or at least wash your hair. (If you want extra shiny hair then you may want to use cold water.)

Start by rinsing your hair thoroughly then take some shampoo and conditioner and wash it how you would normally to make sure you get all of the mixture out of your hair otherwise it may come out looking and feeling a bit heavy or greasy. Let your hair dry and if it feels or looks greasy you will want to go and rinse or wash it again. Afterwards your hair will be hydrated, soft, and silky!



Green Tea Sauna – For Clogged Pores

Description:

ALERT! THIS TIP WAS FROM A REAL ASIAN! IT IS ESPECIALLY JAPANESE!!!!!!

We all know that after wearing make up several times, or even just because of natural oils that our skin produces, our pores can easily get clogged and begin looking dirty and more noticeable. Not only are clogged pores an appearance issue, but they can also lead to acne and other skin blemishes. This home-made green tea sauna will help to clean our your pores and revitalize your skin. Green tea has loads of antioxidants in it that will help your skin be healthier and more beautiful while the steam helps to clean our your pores. The heat is relaxing to your muscles so this is great to do after a stressful day and it will feel like your in a real spa!



Things you will need:

1. A large pot that you can boil water in.

2. 2 towels

3. Water

4. A few green tea bags.



Instructions:

Start with a clean face, remove any make up and possibly cleanse your face before starting this process for best results.

First boil a generous amount of water in the pot and put in the green tea bags.After the water has come to a boil and the tea has steeped in it a few minuets, get you’re first towel. (You will want this towel to be fairly large.) Lean over the pot as the steam rises and drape the towel over your head so that it traps in the steam and it all gets to your face.

Take caution here, the steam will be extremely hot after a few minuets. Let your face steam for about five minuets then take a little break and, using your second towel, dab your face with some cold water to cool off. Make sure this break is at least three minuets long to make sure your face gets enough cooling down time.

Now repeat the process until your face has gotten at least fifteen minuets of steaming time. If you are sensitive to heat you may want to take the steaming in shorter time intervals, do whatever you are comfortable with.

Once you’re done, finish up with dabbing your face again with cold water and then get a piece of ice and rub it all over your face, it will feel great and it will help close your pores. Now dry your face and admire it because now your pores should be cleaned out and appear smaller.

Twitter - uhm....yay? :D

Hey guys so I know a lot of people who like anime are "hipsters" or whatever and are totally against these kinds of things but I figured that if I could get more people reading it, then it was good for the blog...I got a twitter for Anime Lovers Delight! :D
https://twitter.com/#!/AnimeLvrsDlight <---- That's the link! :D So check it out I guess its all going to be blog and manga related things that aren't enough to make a post out of but are notable enough to say to twitter. XD So I guess you noticed that its Anime Lovers Delight at AnimeLvrsDlight but well I only had so many letters I could use :/ so I had to improvise and ALD just didn't sound very....like what I wanted. Lol so here you go, hope you guys check it out! :D

Cosplay Skills - Wigs

If you don't have the hundred dollars to spend on a high quality grade wig don't fret, I've got you covered. If you have old wigs you can always re-use them. "But it isn't the right style or color." You might say, well that is an easy fix.

First of all if you don't have a wig then go buy a cheap one from your local party supply store. If you are going to dye it a different color try to get a blonde or white one, the lighter the color the better.

Once you've purchased a wig or dug up an old one you're going to want to get the tangles out of it. "But oh it'll pull out all the hair!" Relax! I got you! You're going to want a soft bristled brush, the softer the bristles the better. Yes a few hairs may come out but it'll be fine I promise. Make sure you brush out from the bottom, the tips of the hair, and work your way up to the "roots" of the wig. If you find a super bag tangle just take you're time with it and comb it out from the bottom of it. You can even try to pick up some of that de-tangling spray for you're wig if it's too bad, you know, the kind that kids use. There are some specific brands for wigs and fake hair but I just used that Lorel stuff. :/ sooo yeah.

Once you've gotten the tangles out you're going to move onto the next step. Chances are you will need it straight for most cosplays. So if your wig is curly then we are going to straighten it. DON'T USE A FLAT IRON OR REGULAR IRON ON IT!!!! That's really important because it will melt the plastic-like fibers your wig is made out of. :/ There are lots of tutorials on this online, but since you're here lets review.


You're going to need a wig stand or something you can hang your wig on first of all so that it can hang straight. Next heat up some water to about 180-185 degrees, or the near boiling water that comes out of you're sink if you have that attachment. In all of the tutorials, they said to pour on the water, but I simply ducked my whole wig in a huge bowl of the hot water and then hung it up 0.0 it worked just fine for me. :/ You're going to want to let it drip-dry all on it's own. I took my fingers and king of wrung it out a little to help spend along the process and help keep the curls straighter as it dried but you don't have to.

Depending on how curly your wig was you might have to do this several times. it's not a fast process at all, not by a long shot, it took my wig a whole night to dry! D: But I guess I wanted to save money XD so it was okay.

Now that you're wig is straight if it's not the right color you're going to need to dye it! D8 Oh god. Well you're probably thinking,"Easy enough, I dye my own hair all the time and this time I just have to dunk the wig in the dye right?" Eh...wrong. Since wigs aren't made out of the same stuff as you're hair (unless you bought a human hair wig then I don't know about any of this :/ ) it doesn't dye the same way either. Wigs are made out of a plastic like material and you're going to want to dye it with ink. There are several tutorials on how to do this as well and I'm going to relate to you how to do it the simplest way I've found.

Below is the video I used for wig dyeing and it worked pretty good. :) The girl seems to know what she's doing and stuff so yeah just follow her lead. XD I hope I've helped a little bit and I hope this girl helps you a little bit too! :D

Episodes Finished - Recognizing Good Anime

Count of Monte Cristo - Episode 1
Just finished the first episode of Count of Monte Cristo. Its set in the future and it starts out with Albert and the Count luring him in. It has crazy art work that keeps me simply entranced and I held my breath for so long a few times I was so tense. It looks like it will stick to the story line just fine :) That makes me happy that it can be new and original yet keep to the real story (or at least it seems it will.)

Shigurui: Death Frenzy - Episode 1
I don't quite understand it yet. I will have to watch the second episode. So far its very gory, like pretty gruesome, which I was looking for, but it was kind of boring, which I don't like. It was very calm and seemed almost political with how serious it was. I'll watch the second episode and get back to you but so far it seems that it is set in the Feudal Era of Japan and Japanese Sword Fighters compete to work for the lord, however instead of fighting with bamboo swords, the lord has decided that they should fight with real swords, causing many to lose their lives.

Rin: Daughters of Mnemosyne - All
I've actually finished the entire series and I really loved it. There are a few parts that are VERY adult such as bloody scenes and sexual scenes. So if you're over 18 its great, but if you're not then uhm, you're probably not allowed to watch it. Either way the main character, Rin, is amazing. She is strong but believable and while she can be cold and touch she isn't mean. Just watch the first episode and I promise you'll be hooked.

Murder Princess - All
I've actually just re-watched the whole series, its only six or seven episodes, but still. Its a super great anime. There isn't any romance but its filled with action and its absolutely hilarious! The opening and ending theme are great, the opening theme is by BACK-ON a super popular band as far as anime openings go. Murder Princess starts out, explaining that there is a rebellion in a small, quiet kingdom. The princess,Alita, is forced to flee however things take a chaotic turn when she accidentally pushes herself and a fierce bounty hunter,Falis, off a cliff! The two switch bodies and, seeing Falis's strength, begs her to help save the kingdom in exchange for anything she wants! (Such an admirable princess) They finally come to an agreement and now not only is Falis -in Alita's body- supposed to end the coup-de-tat, but she has to continue to save the kingdom as it stabilizes.
This is just all around a great anime, because not only is it funny and filled with action but all of the characters are endearing and its next to impossible not to love them! :D

Gosick - All
I've, once again, finished this anime. Gosick is just good overall. It's not gory or bloody or anything and there aren't any inappropriate sex scenes or anything, but it is still amazing. Its actually pretty funny, very romantic in a sweet, young love sort of way, and it's best quality is how intriguing it is. In this anime Kujo, a Japanese exchange student, goes to a school in Sabre -a country next to France- right before World War II. Once there he is rather feared by most of the students because he seems to have some kind of "The Reaper Who Comes In The Spring" sort of a legend or ghost story on campus. There seems to be a lot of those surrounding this school due to it's rich history. Soon Kujo finds himself wrapped up with Victorique, another student who is labeled with a ghost story nickname, The Golden Fairy. Victorique is a small, adorable girl who resembles a doll only in appearance, her mind on the other hand is brilliant. She is an avid reader and is able to piece together mysteries that baffle everyone else, however she "locked up" in the school's huge library...and not by choice. That being said Victorique and Kujo go through the series solving mysteries and along the way getting closer and closer to the secrets behind Victorique.
Its really an interesting anime and if you like ghost stories or mysteries I promise you'll like this anime. :)


Recognizing Good Anime -
Finally if you've ever wondered how to tell if an anime is going to be good or not based on it's opening here is one easy simple rule for people who like anime with action and an intricate plot line.....watch the opening and look for a "naked" woman.
When I say naked, yes, a body suit counts. It doesn't necessarily have to show anything on her, but she has to be naked or in a body suit! XD

For some reason, I've noticed, that in most of the animes I've seen with the juiciest plot and the most shocking turns that all just draw me in and grab me...all have a second or two of a naked woman in the opening. :/ Maybe it's symbolism or maybe its just a strange coincidence, but for whatever the reason....when I see an opening, if I was questioning the anime, and I see a naked woman or a woman in a body suit I immediately know it's going to be good! XD
(I don't think this goes for romantic comedies, although Sailor Moon does transform in the opening, hence a body suit, but there is always and exception to the rule. Soooo yeah XD Naked woman in the opening = probably bloody, very interesting, plot twisting, anime. :) )

Totally Amazing Anime/Game Night

Alright so we've got two amazing things on the agenda for tonight.

1. Anime, Anime, ANIME! I'm testing out several different animes tonight. Yay!

I'm looking for things are are amazingly and incredibly interesting and gory, gory, gory! So we'll see how it goes! :D

The list I'm trying to burn through goes like this:
A.The Count of Monte Crist - because I love that book
B. Shingurui: Death Frenzy - because it looks gory and interesting
C. Saikano - because i think it will be gory and I heard its interesting
D. Rin: Daughters of Mnemosyne - I've already watched it but I'm going to try and watch it again to understand it better @.@



2. LEGEND OF ZELDA: SKYWARD SWORD!

This is truly going to be orgasmic. So as you all know twilight princess was rumored to be the LAST LEGEND OF ZELDA GAME EVER! and that's just heresy....Like LOZ is awesome. :D Anyways I preordered the game and tonight I'm FINALLY going to be able to play it. :) So I'm really excited for my night of nerdy things! :D

Second Season Is Deeply Missed - Posting

*SIIIIIIIGH* Hey guys....I'm a little dispirited right now, and you may be asking why...well I'll tell you!

I watched the anime Ga-Rei-Zero and it is an amazing anime! Honestly it's like filled with action and drama and it is just honestly a ten out of ten! :D So try it out, its not so much romantic but I think this one will be like Ouran in the fact that its just good all around and generally almost everyone will like it. Cause lets face it, who doesn't love Ouran High School Host Club? Not that these two animes are alike in any possible way or anything :/ I mean Ouran is a romantic comedy and Ga Rei Zero is certainly NOT. But its still amazing! :D I mean it has its romantic parts and its funny sometimes but its not a romantic comedy, anyways onto the article.

Well there is no season two of Ga-Rei-Zero, the reason being that the anime Ga-Rei-Zero is simply a prequel to the manga, Ga-Rei. A manga that I haven't been anime to find in any stores near me, so I finally turned to online. :P So there, if my manga fix won't be provided, I will just get it myself.

So I miss the second season of Ga-Rei-Zero, you may wonder how I can miss the second season if it doesn't even exist yet, right? Well I don't know how it happens either, I just know I miss it terribly. I yearn for a season two unlike anything else I've yearned for my entire life! I yearn for season two of Ga-Rei more than I yearned fora season two of Ouran, And that's a lot people! Well I guess that's about it...I was just thinking about that and I figured it would be a perfect time to make a post.

Hmm I just noticed my posts have had about no order at all to them...I guess I should be posting like once a week or once a month or some set of dates to come however....for me it just doesn't work that way =.= I'm truly a fail at life, but I mean if I don't get any news or something for a month then well I don't have anything to post and if there is a sudden interest in something, then I have something to post about . 0.0 hmmmmm....well sorry I can't be more stable! Just know more posts are coming you way! :D

Keep It On The DL - Where To Find Your Manga

Hey guys, alright so I've noticed something lately. Finding manga is getting more and more difficult, and not only because they can be rather expensive sometimes or even scarce. You used to could go to Barnes and Noble or Waldens, there was even a Hastings around where I live. However lately I've been hearing that a lot of book stores are going out of business! Its horrible, and I don't know if you've seen the mangas available on the Nook or whatever it going on, but its a pathetic selection I've been told. Anyways....lots of my friends have been trading off where they can read their favorite mangas, some of them because they can't collect manga because its just too darn expensive, and other because their favorite mangas simply aren't available. Now I'm here to introduce you to the best websites to find your unattainable manga.

Alright so lets get started, first of all, buy as much as you can if you like the series. :/ Honestly I am a believer in reading it free online, but if you can afford to and you really like it, support the author and stuff and throw 'em a bone by buying one in the store or ordering it online.

So the websites that I have found that work best for me have been www.mangaone.com and www.mangafox.com. I know Mangaone cut down on a lot of their manga because of copyright stuff but it still has a few. Also Mangafox has this great advanced search filter so that you can select the genres you do and don't want to appear if you're just browsing around for a new manga to read.

I will probably add more websites to the list later but the most recent website I've started using is called MangaTraders (www.mangatraders.com) I warn you you have to make an account to download manga, but its completely free and it didn't hurt me sooo yeah it's worth it. They also have an advanced search where you can filter out genres and what not so that's really nice for me. :)

Now you may be thinking, well that's all nice and dandy but I still have to buy my manga to tread it on trips of I don't have a Nook or whatever. Well no, not really. If you don't have one of those new-fangled darn things that gives you internet access on the road, don't worry, I've got you covered....sort of. My Zune doesn't have internet BUT it does support pictures. So if you have a way you can bring pictures on a flash drive or on your Ipod or whatever heres what you can do. Go online and download the manga you want from Mangatraders or find a place by google, but becareful cause of viruses okay? They suck.

Next get the scans and download them onto a flash drive or your Ipod or Zune or whatever you're taking with you that will let you see the pictures. then once you're on the road, read it by just looking through pictures! :D Yay! Have a nice day everyone and remember that manga rocks!

Manga Reveiw! - LOVE ATTACK!

Hey guys, I recently started re-reading Love Attack by Shizuru Seino again and I was reminded of just how much I love it so I decided to do a brief review of it. :)

Some people say that love just hits you when you know....well it kicked Hirata in the face..actually Cheimi kicked Hirata in the face and then he fell in love with her! XD Or at least asked her out. Haha! Love Attack is about the shy and tender couple...who are the scariest couple in school. Why you may ask? Well before they got together Hirata wouldn't run from any fight,although he doesn't start them, and he never lost one. and Cheimi? Well, she may be cute, but she sure does pack a punch. She beats up bullies of all kinds but never picks a fight for no reason. When Cheimi's teacher threatens to expel her for fighting though, Cheimi is given one last chance to redeem herself. Her teacher asks her to straighten out Hirata because he almost never comes to school, doesn't wear a uniform and gets into too many fights and to be blunt about it the teacher doesn't want to deal with him either.

Cheimi is nerve wracked because even she is afraid of Hirata, or the Deranged Devil -as some like to call him. So when she sees him in another fight she jumps from a window and kicks him in the face! (They get together in chapter one I believe and the story goes on from there about the trials of their relationship.)

Alright so yes, its a romantic comedy, but its not boring like most romantic comedies. The first few books I was roaring with laughter because this couple is just hilarious. Cheimi and Hirata are the two most unexperienced people in romance and how they handle situations that are thrown at them is just great! XD Not to mention they are adorable together and apart. Cheimi is an endearing character in the way that while she over reacts and has a terrible temper and is a huge drama queen, most people just see her as violent, but she is just a girl. :P And she's just plain endearing. Don't even get me started on Hirata though! (Too late I started) Hirata is an incredibly hard worker and not as bad a guy as he seems, his hard outer shell is really just covering his shy nature! <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 he gets five hearts for being adorable!

As the manga goes on the author does a great job of bringing in a lot of drama yet keeping it light and absolutely hysterical! Part of the thing that makes it funny isn't only how Hirata and Cheimi handle problems they come to, but their friends! Hirata and Cheimi's friends are great comic relief and are almost worse than the couple is at handling problems, giving them bad advice often and putting the two in hilarious situations! They may be side characters, but there wouldn't be a manga without Hirata's and Cheimi's friends! It just wouldn't be half as funny! XD

The art in the manga is great too! The character designs were wonderful and each fit the characters perfectly I think! :D One thing that I love about the art work is the adorableness of it. Cheimi and Hirata make the best faces and they are both so innocent! I'll try to get some pictures up soon so you can see what I mean.

The last thing I want to point out is that the characters are perfectly flawed. Cheimi isn't perfect and that's what makes it so easy to relate to her. Like I mention earlier she is violent and can kick anyone's butt she wants, but in the end she is still just a girl who loves her boy friend. She's a little insecure, she has a bad temper, and she is terribly stubborn. However despite all of that she has high morals and is lovable because of it. Lets face it ladies, we hate perfect heroines and people who try to act perfect in real life. That's why we love our friends, quirks and all right?
Cheimi's Best Quality: Morals
Cheimi's Worst Quality: Stubborn

And Hirata! Wow, just wow. On the outside he is violent and rather cold, not the most cuddly of tough boyfriends and sometimes he seems to wear his emotions on his sleeves. He is caring, loving, and hella cute! :D He's always there when his friends are in a bind and even though Cheimi can get on his last nerve, he is obscenely patient with her constantly and even when they are in a fight he won't abandon her.
Hirata's Best Quality: Loyalty
Hirata's Worst Quality: ....uhm...nothing yet :/


Hmmm so yeah this book for me gets a five out of five stars manga rating because I just absolutely love it! It doesn't exactly what it is supposed to do, it makes me laugh and keeps me swooning like a fan-girl! ;D Happy reading guys! I will definately be looking out for other books by Shizuru Seino!

Shizuru Seino gets points on this manga for great art, a great story line, and an extra bonus for lovable characters! :D Way to go you Shizuru Seino.

4AM and Late Night Anime

Hey guys, this morning I woke up at 4AM and could NOT get back to sleep to save my life so I messed around and thought of a post so I was like 'what the heck, I haven't been keeping to any kind of schedule anyways' XD So hey. Its about 5 in the morning and I've got a report. When you are tired and want a soothing before bed anime I would suggest Mushishi. Its is a beautiful anime, like gorgeous animation and the opening theme is just great. It doesn't really have a plot so you can watch whichever episode you want. I warn you some of them have bitter sweet endings but hey, sometimes thats the only way a story can end.

Mushishi is about a guy who sees spirits and travels around, helping out with them and what not. It takes you to so many different characters and it tells you their stories. this isn't an action anime and its not romance, but every episode is just a story that everyone should know. I know it probably sounds boring but its not, if you watch one episode you will be hooked! Not to mention its perfect before bed or early in the morning if you don't want to get all worked up with a fighting scene and swoony over romance scenes. However its a good anime to watch anyway so watch it any time! :D Just be sure to watch it. Well good morning everyone! :D Have a good day!

The Different Types of People You Will Meet at a Convention

There are several types of people you will meet when you go to an anime convention. I decided that this was valuable information that everyone should have, because just because you've gone to one anime convention, doesn't mean you've met them all. So here we go, lets just dive right into it shall we?

The Noob: This person is probably cosplaying as (character from mainstream anime that is horrible) or wearing one of their t-shirts because this is their first convention. Being new to a convention is fine, you have to start some time. Being a noob is fine! You have to start some where. Being a noob forever is not okay. The characteristics of a noob are listed below for you convenience:
- They have only seen mainstream anime and will defend that its good til death, or at least until they've seen a good anime.
- They are probably younger in age.
- They are probably obnoxious about their love for the anime and have every single piece of merchandise for the anime and are probably very proud of it.
- Finally they will most likely think they are the best at any video game they play, until they meet serious people in the game room and have their butts handed to them and are shamed until the tournament next year.
The Noob probably travels with a group of some sort, if you should encounter a noob, I guess its judgment call, I try to suggest gateway animes to them to help them break the ice into good anime. :) However if they annoy me I just walk away because I have little patience.

The Fakeimes: (Fake-uh-may) This people have come to the convention but they are dressed up as a character from an American anime (a cartoon lol) instead of a Japanese one. I know Fakeime has a negative connotation, however I don't think its a bad thing. Lets face it, there are good American "animes" and there are bad Japanese animes. I consider Teen Titans to be a wonderful American "anime" and I consider One Piece a horrid excuse for whatever it is trying to be because it just sucks all around.... :/ yeah. That being said, congratulate them on their awesome costume and don't treat them any differently because its Teen Titans or Kim Possible, they both rock. :)

The Anime Lover (or Anime Veteran): This is a relatively normal person, they love anime and probably do a little gaming, not much though. They are cosplaying and this isn't their first convention. They are friendly and nice and might ask you for your number or e-mail to stay in touch. So yeah that's pretty much it, they dont watch mainstream anime, although they did at one point, like everyone else, and chances are this person has moved on to more underground animes and watch a lot of subbed anime. :) This is a pretty safe bet for a friend. (The other term is the Anime Veteran because they are an experiance anime lover and are past gateway animes and beginner animes)

The Otaku: She may seem like a regular anime lover at first, however if you talk about the right thing, her true nature will come flowing out. She is an otaku, she is obsessed with at least one fictional character and will fight you for him! She will talk forever and ever about how cool this character is and how much she loves him and how they are perfect for each other! She isn't a personality for everyone, but her friends love and (probably) pity her.

The Anime Snob: This is somewhere between a Noob and an Anime Lover. They are past Beginner Animes (i.e. Sailor Moon, YuGiOh, Naruto) and they have even passed Gateway Animes (i.e. Bleach, InuYasha) however they still only seem to watch very, very popular anime, otherwise known as mainstream. (Mainstream can refer to Mainstream animes in the real world, beginner animes, or mainstream animes in the anime world. The difference is the audience. When a mainstream anime refers to a beginner anime, we are talking about everyone in general, when we are referring to a mainstream anime in the anime world, this is something that everyone who is past beginner animes know of because it is so huge and everyone-in the anime society- has just seen it. ) The anime snob tends to only watch bigger animes like Vampire Knight, Code Geass, Death Note etc... However they haven't really seen a lot of underground animes that are only subbed and the main title is still in Japanese.

The Topper: I have previously spoken about an anime Topper before. This person is the most annoying person you will ever meet in your whole entire life. No matter how many animes you've seen, they have always seen more, no matter how vast your manga collection, they always have more, no matter what this person is on a quest to top you...even if they have to lie. Toppers make up roughly 25 to 45 percent of the female population at anime conventions. Brace yourself and if you meet one, don't compete with them because it will only frustrate you more, just leave as soon as possible and avoid contact with them for the rest of the convention, don't be mean, just avoid them because no one wants to get punched in the face like you are likely to do to this girl if she says one more word about how her friends calls her manga collection a library because they pretty much "check out" manga from her because she has so many......screw her, no one cares, just be quiet! (If you do prepare yourself to tango with this check, make sure you have a silver bullet or ace of some sort that can top everyone, and do your best to make sure its true in case proof is asked for, and more importantly, flaunt this as little as possible, DO NOT TELL ANYONE ABOUT THIS UNTIL YOU HAVE TO USE IT IN BATTLE! Other wise it becomes less impressive. :P )

The Weirdo: She takes things from anime way to seriously and she actually thinks she a dog demon. She has a whole background that she is half way consistent with that has details about how, while she is human and is only 16 years old all of her memories and her parents memories are fake, because she is really from either back in time or a different dimension and how there she is a reincarnated demon, her old soul was 5000 years old and she is tormented by how her lover died in her past life.....yeah...She will growl at you and possibly bite...beware of this character, she is highly dangerous and if you try to point out that she is crazy she WILL attack. When you come in contact with this person, you may not know it at first, she may just seem eccentric at first, however you will realize sooner or later (hopefully sooner rather than later because these girls have a tenancy to latch on and believe you are partners in crime or something and that you are destined to be friends forever) you will realize it and the best thing to do slowly back away.....

The Gamer: A foreign species to most anime lovers because I have noticed that most people are either anime fanatics or hard core gamers. While I'm not saying people who watch anime don't play video games, and that people who play video games don't watch anime...thats just not true. The difference is the severity of time and effort put into the hobby. A Gamer will spend the majority of their time playing video games, completing them, and being the absolute best at them. To me, they are the jocks of the anime world. They play to win and the look cool doing it. You may wonder how this relates to jocks, well in high school a jock plays football or baseball or something like that, and lets face it, when the entire stadium is cheering for them, its pretty hot. Now take DDR for example, while it may not seem very masculine, it takes time and LOTS of energy and athletic ability to master it. When the player goes in for the final stretch and is getting perfects all the way for the final seconds of the game and they finally beat it, the crowd that had gathered to admire him goes crazy that he actually won on expert mode on the hardest song imaginable! Its the same for guitar hero and all the games like it. Now you may wonder, 'what about games that you just use controllers with?" Well its the same thing. We all gather to see who will win at some shooting game or Super Smash Brothers, we cheer and we get into it! So when the game is over and victor emerges, face it again, its exciting. That is their rightfully earned fifteen minuets of fame when girls in slutty anime costumes hug and congratulate them. You will usually find Gamers in the designated Gaming room of the anime convention most of the time, they may not know a lot about anime, but for some reason gamers and anime watchers mix perfectly and in harmony.

The Know It All: This is the geek of the anime world, the know everything about every game and anime and about anything else you can imagine that falls under the spectrum. The know what kind of gun and every single attachment to it that is used by the main character in the video game down to whatever kind of metal it is made out of...how they know? I don't know, I'm not one, but they have their ways.


The Skinny Girl: You walk into the anime convention in your well thought out costume that, while it may be low cut, you chose it because it is flattering and makes you look good....then you see her. The girl in a warrior battle armor bikini or something like that that shows their stomach and amazing legs and cleavage. Yes, they are usually very nice people and if you had that kind of body, you'd wear that costume too, so don't be too jealous, or try not to be. Instead ask for a picture cause her costume is cool and she IS that character you love and in your head be glad that someone got to look that good. Then look in a mirror, cause you look good too and we all know you're beautiful! :D Alright?

The Skinny Girl We All Hate: She's in animes, she's in real life, heck she's every where, and she is probably by your side as your best friend. This girl is skinny and in a revealing costume and she is just smoking hot...and she has a huge bag of sweets, the reason is because she already devoured her first bag and she is starting on her second. Even though she is probably very nice we are all jealous of her because she can eat and eat and eat whatever she wants whenever she wants and she is still gorgeous. Don't worry though because like I said before you are beautiful too and unlike girls at school, she is probably nice and doesn't even think about her weight, she can't help it she's perfect. XD

The In-The-Closet Anime Lover: This person is dressed normal attire, jeans, maybe some kind of anime or gaming T-shirt or an adorable/cool hat. The bare minimun for the convention. This person tries their hardest to be normal in day to day life, keeping their love of anime or gaming a secret and it is possible that this is their first or second convention and they just aren't ready to cosplay, or in some cases cosplay seriously because they may also be in a generic cosplay outfit of a school girl or priestess or something. They may shy away from the hard core cosplayers and the stranger panels. (The difference between an in the closet anime lover and a noob is easy, noobs are beginners, if you are simply in the closet about your love, you have years of experience under your belt, go you!)

The Stud Muffin: The Stud Muffin is attractive, he is dressed in regular clothing, but you think he could probably be in the closet about his love of anime, or maybe it was his first con. Well no such luck, sorry, he is a stud muffin for an anime convention, he probably very nice, and he has no problem with anime lovers, he actually probably likes them and accepts them as close friends...but he isn't an anime lover himself even though his friends have tried to convert him. The only reason he is there is actually only there because he is with his friends or he is looking for his family member or friend who have attended the convention.

The Mr.Perfect Fake Out: He is gorgeous, or at least hot for an anime convention, and he is in cosplay! He MUST like anime! Then you find out he is only in cosplay for his girlfriend or because his friends forced him too, sorry, better luck next time.

The Mr.Perfect: He is amazingly hot. He is just beautiful, he is in cosplay, you approach and ask for a picture to strike up conversation and you find out he is single and he loves anime! He likes your cosplay too, chances are this won't result in some sweeping, manga-type romance but you gained a new friend, probably a phone number, and hope that "he" is out there.

The Couple: This is simple. You will see a lot of couples at anime conventions. It is anywhere from gay, lesbian, to heterosexual couples. They might be friendly, but they tend to kiss in the hallway and block your way a lot, also if your single, they are really annoying to see. :/ So if you're bringing your someone special to a convention, please keep it in mind to be courteous and have manners, don't be over excessive with your PDAs in public, you are there for the convention anyways, not to suck face. Don't stop in the hallways, conventions are always crowded and people are eager to get around, so step to the side or find somewhere to sit out of the way. I think that's about it. :)

The Group: This is not a person, but rather a group you will meet, you will actually probably meet several of these. In this group there are an assortment of characters, there is probably one very strange person although after you hang around more he is cooler. the rest of them are usually friendly and they are probably either all already friends with each other or chances are they met up at the hotel because they are in the same one or something like that. Either way most groups you come across will be easy to interact with because of the variety of characters in it. So don't be afraid to approach groups, cliques don't exist in anime conventions...not really.

The Rare Cosplay Group: This group is the coolest group of people you can ever meet at an anime convention, everyone is cosplaying as a different character from the same anime or video game. The most common group I have seen is Kingdom Hearts and yes it is magnificent to see all the kingdom hearts characters together. You often see these marvelous groups shining and posing for pictures together, doing a cosplay skit for a crowd, or dancing tech tech para of some sort in sync. They have worked all year decided who would be what character and making sure their skit or dance is perfect, all for this convention. It usually goes off without a hitch and once again, this is probably the coolest group you will ever meet. Unfortunately they probably move kind of fast and all already know each other so while they are probably very friendly people they might not exactly have time for you to follow them around like a puppy trying to be their best friend. Sometimes this group uses the same cosplay every day, or they might only go one day. I like to think of this cosplay group as a rare phenomenon of sorts at an anime convention that takes months to perfect. The only thing more rare is when several people cosplaying from the same anime come together and group at the convention by chance.



I think this concludes our guide to the different types of character you will meet at a convention. I warn you this is a pretty basic guide to them and there are always exceptions to the rule. :) Keep that in mind as you try to keep an open mind at the anime convention.

(nov.7,2011)
(11:30)

Hikikomori - Anime Conversational Skills - Noob Redemption

Hikikomori - Hello!

First of all I found the perfect work to describe me in general, Hikikomori. HIkikomori literally translates to 'pulling away,being confined." Basically its the Japanese term for a shut in. They are anti social and stay inside their house/room/apartment, so yeah...I get home around two thirty from school...get on the computer, snack, and roleplay and watch anime all night until I go to bed..so maybe when I cry at the end of animes, its likely to be partially because I just spent about roughly 12 to 24 hours of my life on an anime....yeah. BUT I HAVE NO REGRETS!I LOVE ANIME AND MANGA AND VIDEO GAMES AND I WILL NEVER TURN MY BACK ON THEM! So yeah, there's that. Now lets move on shall we?



Conversational Skills!

Everyone needs tutoring on how to talk about some subjects. Like politics and religion and sex....there are some things you just don't voice out loud unless you're ready to get in a scuffle over it. One of these topics is anime. I will fight you over anime. My friends have religion...some of them have politics..and some of them even have sports.(scary right? can't believe I'm friends with such losers who get so much sunlight and fresh air and human interaction)So I have anime. I am not afraid to rip into someone who says something stupid about it, are close minded or ill informed, or are just wrong about something. So yeah its a touchy subject for me. I don't like to talk about it with everyone. So I guess I should get on with the article...here we go!

When you're at a convention or you just met someone who likes anime and you are about to start talking, most people don't think a fight is about to go down. Unlike when people talk about religion or sports, people have died over religion and many have been seriously injured because of sports! But what you don't know is that you are at the same risk for injury even though its anime, sure you may not die, but an otaku will beat you to a bloody pulp for saying the character she stalks is dumb or ugly. She will take a person down! I know because I will as well and as we all know, I'm an otaku.

Now that you know the risks of the conversation, for some reason, you have chosen to continue with the topic, maybe you really love anime and have to talk about it with someone, or maybe you are just willing to take your chances. Whatever the reason, you press onward with the anime conversation. Here is where we start our conversational skills.


Skill 1.
1. When someone mentions an anime they like and they think it is just awesome, don't be all like,'Oh yeah I've seen that' if you haven't. :P No one likes that. Deal with it. Just tell them the truth and say,"Oh sorry, no I haven't seen that one, but whats it about? It sounds kinda cool." Or something along those lines. One, if you lie you are liable to get caught and the person your talking with will be all like 'eh lame.' and two, tell them to tell you more about it opens the way for more conversation and a future conversation for after you've seen an episode or two.

Skill 2.
2. Don't be a noob! Don't be all,'oh I love (random mainstream anime)'. The only time that is alright is if you KNOW FOR A FACT that the other person likes that anime, is a noob themselves, or won't rip you to shreds mentally and emotionally for being such a loser. Sorry but its true. Most anime fans who are veteran anime lovers, will probably think that anime is lame and you suck for watching it, that or they will think you're such a silly noob because they used to watch it and now it is but a childish memory for them. So yeah, unless you know you're with another noob, just dont mention main stream anime.

Here is an example of what might happen if you are a noob talking about mainstream anime to a veteran: Noob:"I love this anime! Its 600 episodes long and STILL GOING! I love the plot and how it repeats over and over, not to mention all the filler! God I love filler! It has no plot point at all and if they cut it out the actually plot would only take up 30 episodes! Oh and there's no blood when it comes to fighting! None at all! And oh I laughed so hard when they ate jelly donuts and sub sandwiches!"

Anime Veteran: "One That anime sucks for every reason you just said. Its boring, there is no action, and on top of that you're watching the 4kids version is there is no blood and they are eating "jelly donuts". 4kids murders anime and if you say one more word I'm going to tell them YOU'RE an anime. No get out of my sight."

Example two:
Noob: "Noob talks about lame anime..."
Anime Vet.: "Oh yeah," *laughed like a five year old just said something dumb* "I remember when I watched that anime. Oh how childish and dumb I was for liking it. So silly!"

So yeah, either way this conversation goes down hill, but take a look at the third example.

(In this conversation both are cosplaying from the same anime and there for they know the other is a noob like themselves.)
Noob: "Oh yeah I love this anime blah blah blah, no point to the plot, blah blah blah, whatever! :D It rocks!"
Noob two: "Oh mi god! I loved that anime too! And oh god that filler episode that had no point?! It was great! Lets be best friends!"
Noob "OH yeah!"

In this situation a successful friendship was made but only because they both knew the other was the same as them. Take note of that because this is extremely rare and even when both are noobs the situation can turn south fast. There will be examples of this later.



Skill 3.
3. IF YOU ARE RATHER NEW AND YOU HAVE ONLY SEEN MAINSTREAM ANIMES IT IS VALUABLE THAT YOU READ THIS NOTE!!!!!!
Now then...if you are new to our society, welcome! We are lovely people, really no one is mean, and we are more than willing to help you find good animes. If you embark on your conversation and mention main stream anime as you are likely to do, the veteran you are speaking with may possibly comment on how they used to watch that or how it sucks butt. In this situation, no matter how much you love your crappy anime, DON'T PUSH IT! Do NOT try and defend your anime, you will be crushed and the anime lover will get annoyed with you quickly!

lets look at the first example from before and continue it:

Noob: "Hey! Thats not true! The episode about the hat was important even though it had nothing to do with the plot and 4 kids rocks!"

Anime Vet. raises eyebrow and several others from around and turns to look at you....
They lift up their sleeves to reveal a tattoo on their right arms that reads-'will exterminate 4kids'. The anime veteran will rip into you, pointing out every single, dumb flaw with the anime, crushing your spirit before she/he and the other chase after you with their fake weapons because you said you liked 4kids....you may never attend another con again.

Instead in this situation what should have happened it this:
Noob: "Oh, well I like the anime, sorry your don't."
Aniem vet.: "Yeah its alright, maybe you should watch this anime though!" The anime veteran suggests some appropriate animes that you might enjoy and then you gain a mentor and friend! :D See? All is well.



Noob Redemption:
I know I've bashed anime noobs and mainstream animes a lot, however I will admit this now, I started off as a noob (sort of lol) and I have several loved mainstream animes that are nostalgic for me that I would still watch. I love Sailor Moon, I love the original Yu Gi Oh and I love InuYasha. These are all beginner to gateway animes. Yeah there is a lot of filler, yeah they go on for hundreds of episodes, and yeah they are overly cliche with too many friendship speeches and silly romantic comedy. But thats fine. Everyone starts out like a noob and everyone pretty much starts out with mainstream or gate way animes. They aren't ALL bad. And I will confess that while someone who defends Naruto or Yugioh GX5000 (or any other horrendous anime) to my face as a serious and good anime drives me absolutely insane because they are so stubborn and won't stop insisting that the anime is good...................there is one other type of anime viewer that I detest (with every fiber of my being) more so than the stubborn anime noob..... This is the Egregious Anime Lover. -read below for more details-



Egregious Anime Lover: Egregrious literally means more a fool than any others. This person is a jester is queen's clothing an an absolute insult to me, the humble queen. Another term for this character is 'topper' or 'show out' because of this person's tendency to try and up show you. No matter what you say this person always has to top it. No matter how many animes you've seen, this person has always seen more, no matter how many manga you have or have read, they have always owned or read more. NO MATTER how good you're costume is, theirs is always better, and no matter HOW MUCH you know about Japan, Japanese Culture, or Japanese Language...THEY ALWAYS KNOW MORE EVEN IF THEY ARE PULLING THINGS FROM OFF THE TOP OF THEIR HEAD!!!! They will always feel the need to know,do,see, or have more than you. Lets face it, we don't like these kind of people in regular life because they have a tendency to lie about several feats or accomplishments of theirs and even if they aren't lying, they just drive you nuts because they insist to MAKE SURE you know they are better than you, even if they aren't. ;P So yeah....we are going to refer to them as Toppers.


Conversational Skills Continued:

The latter being said.....

Here is the final HUGE rule for anime convention conversational skills, although this applies to all situations, not just anime conventions:


Skill 4.

4.Don't be a Topper. Its obnoxious and nobody wants to be around you unless they envy you and are just smitten by the site of you. If you have the choice to be a noob or a topper, always be a noob, less people will want to punch you in the face or kick you in the crotch. And this concludes our article. I hope you've enjoyed it.

Remember, its getting cold outside, so bundle up, make some hot snacks, and stay inside where its warm and you can watch anime. :) Forget society, nobody needs them anyways and if it snows, snowball fights are over rated anyways, just have an anime night instead and further seclude your self from the world! XD haha talk to you guys later!



(Current date: November 3rd,2011)
(current time: 11:23)

Crying - Is it REALLY alright? / update

When you enter a movie theater and you are with someone who cries at the end of sad/inspirational/happy/etc. movies and you don't, you probably ask yourself first,"How hard am I going to make fun of them this time?" Secondly you're probably considering the following:
1. Do I really want to sit next to this person as they cry their eyes out and probably get their nose moisture on my new sweater?
2. Do I have any tissues to combat the last problem?
3. Is it going to be awkward for me to sit there and see them cry?
4. Should I comfort them, make fun of them, or act like its not happening?
and finally...
5. Are they going to be loud and cause attention?

Depending on your answers you may act like you have an upset stomach and abandon them at the movie, you may grab an umbrella, or you may snuggle into your chair and get ready to tear your friend apart emotionally for kicks and giggles about how they cried in the movie.

All of the following may be acceptable depending on the time and place, especially the third option. However, while it may be acceptable during movie, it is NOT acceptable during animes. (*shakes head no solemnly*) Not acceptable at all.

If you want to know the main difference between crying during movies and crying during an anime I'll tell you: The biggest difference between crying during a movie and crying during anime is the length of it. A average movie maybe up to an hour and a half long while the average lifespan of one (real) anime season (not mainstream crap anime) is about 25 to 50 episodes, the average episode being about 30 minuets long, the time of your life devoted to that anime, its plot, and its characters ends up being a whopping 12 1/2 to 25 hours of your life. A well sacrificed 12 1/2 to 25 hours, but still a lot of valuable time of your life to be devoted, bequeathed, and bestowed upon/to this anime....and that's just one season. Don't even get me started on if there is a season two!

The question I am answering for today: Is it alright to cry during animes?
the answer: Helz yes it is!

Think about it, you've just spent about 13 to 25 hours of your life with this anime, getting to love its story and plot, and getting attached to its characters as you learn their story and begin to sympathize with them! You may see a whole characters life flash before your eyes, you now every aspect of this character and its heart wrenching to see something horrid happen to them because you now know and love this character! This character is like a part of you now. I know after I spent a whole day with someone, getting to really know who they are and understand them, I'd be pretty upset if a demon came out of no where and was like "The writers of this anime decided they wanted to end it with you death, so it turns out I'm the demon that killed your whole family, and the reason I look like your sister is because I didn't kill her, I just ate her soul so this battle is especially hard for you, eminently leading to your death in order to save someone else who is important to you somehow, however everyone knew you were gonna die, you're just too good a person to survive this anime." and then boom, the person whips out their sword and there's an epic battle and as the character falls, sacrificing his/her self to free his/her sister's soul and prevent this from happening again....yeah I'd cry! I'd ball like a baby as I clutched his/her dead body in my hands,"WHY?! I just watched your whole anime! NOW YOUR DEAD?! I JUST STARTED TO LOVE YOU! I WAS GOING TO COSPLAY AS YOUUUUUUUU! NOOOOOO!" yeah, I'd cry pretty hard.

So I suppose this is a matter to be left up to the individual, however while a 98 percent of the population thinks its unacceptable for the remaining 2 percent to cry in a movie and usually makes fun of poor 2 percent, the norm is that its unacceptable to cry during a movie because its just a movie. However I have deemed it acceptable to cry during an anime. That's the final word on the matter.

P.S. I'd love to hear what you have to say about crying during animes v.s. crying during movies, please feel free to comment.




UPDATE: In other news, I'm a senior this year, wow right? I need to post more on this blog, but I have decided to do my best to try and post at least ONCE A WEEK! Now if you remember, last year when I told you about how when you're a junior, to intimidate others, you have to be mean and scary, well this year I'm a senior, and since I don't have to see any of these people ever again, I've now started pushing people out of my way in the halls because I don't have time to wait around for this huge group of people to finish their conversation about whatever they are talking about. All I hear is blah blah blah. So I push them out of the way and say 'I'm walking here!' so now I'm a big, mean, scary senior. :D Yay! Now, just because I push people out of my way doesn't mean violence is the answer, it is just my particular way of solving things temporarily until I develop mind control over the weaker minds here at my school. :) So yeah, don't be mean its not nice and no one likes mean people. :/ so just don't do it, if you're thinking about being mean, just don't, hold it in and punch a pillow when you get home, because sure, the pillow didn't didn't do anything to you, but it lets you sleep on it, so I think it will be alright with you punching it when you get home. :P


I would also like to announce that I am now working on an official label for my blog and working on my official Anime Lovers Delight Cosplay Kitty Mascot! thanks go out to my dad this time specifically for encouraging me to always do my best! :D I love you daddy!