MTAC 2015 Report & Haul!!

I'm back from this year's MTAC with only a bit of the con crud/post-con exhaustion. And I had fun!

2014 was pretty terrible. I didn't like any of the events, the venue was hot and crowded (yes, I know why we were there), and I just wanted to go home as soon as I got there. I wondered if maybe I was outgrowing anime conventions, or at least outgrowing MTAC. But this year was so much better, it really restored my faith. It was run by someone new this year, the guy who was actually president of my college anime club when I first joined, someone who really got me interested in anime and being in a social setting. Although my anxiety did spike a bit a few times during the con, I was able to keep it under check and really enjoyed myself!

This year, me and my fiance didn't get a hotel room to save on costs, but we probably will next year. When you have five or so hours in between panels you want to go to, and one of them is late at night, you realize how exhausted you are from the day and just want somewhere to sprawl out and nap.

So I was mostly with my fiance, my bestie Miraiina, and her husband this year, and Miraiina had never been to a con! So it was lots of fun to see how excited she was! The first day, we both twinned our lolita outfits! We wore Squirrel Party with similar wigs and accessories! I realize we never got any pictures of us together for ourselves, though other people took them. She looked way cuter then me :P

The first day we only stayed until about sundown. There were no panels we really wanted to go to, so we made it our shopping day! I have what I bought a bit lower down in the post. The second day I was feeling really hot so I didn't dress up. I helped my fiance with his panels and danced during the ParaPara Power Hour. The only other panel we went to was Religion in Anime, which was good but very basic. Next year's theme is "16 Bit" and I would love to do a video game panel, maybe on Animal Crossing, but I don't know what the point would be aside from, "This is Animal Crossing."

I guess now I'll get into what I bought or received~ The only thing I won't be talking about are the cans of coffee because...well, it's just a can of coffee.

I didn't have too much money going in but I did get a good bit, and then my fiance and bestie got me a few things!

I'll start with my favorite and biggest purchase, this giant, pink Yoshi! I'm proud of myself because while he was the first thing I saw, I bought him lastly just to make sure there was nothing else I wanted to spend that money on. I sleep cuddling him now!

Here is a size comparison! He really is big!

The other plushie I have was from my fiance! This adorable lavender (my favorite color!) sheep with a daisy (or egg XD) on its head. It's so fluffy. It also sleeps with me, usually above my head.

Next are two Yoshi keychains from a $3 bin. When did Yoshi become so important to me? I'm really glad I found him in his helicopter form from Yoshi's Island! They're both attached to my phone now.

Next is a sticker and some pins from NattoSoup! Miraiina got me the smaller pins! Unfortunately I think one of the gems from the big pin fell off when the pin fell off while I was dancing...

Lastly is something else the bestie got me, this cute Sailor Pluto figure!! This was something I was eyeing in the dealer room but decided against, so I'm very grateful that she bought this for me!

And I believe that's it! I have a touch of the con crud, so I haven't been doing much lately...I hope you all are doing well!!

Bonus, me at con with smeary smeary eyeliner under my eyes XD

Convention 101

Tomorrow is the first day of my local anime convention! As always, I'm excited to see old friends, dress up, and just be in such an exciting environment. This will be my ninth consecutive year of attending this convention, and almost every year has been unique and great! This year I'm only helping my fiance with his panels and only wearing a lolita coordinate one day - as opposed to past year where I've helped run panels or performed or such - so it's exciting to not be too stressed about things.

I loved the very first convention I attended, it was so exciting and magical! But thinking back, there were some things I wish I had known ahead of time, or even things I wished other people would have known. So I decided to write up a basic intro to conventions panel that might help some convention newbies out! I even drew some quick doodles because I couldn't find good images to use! Of course, don't follow my advice precisely - go off and be unprepared, it can be fun sometimes!

Before The Convention

• Buy your badge/pass ahead of time! I've never been at a convention where this wasn't cheaper then buying it at the door. Some bigger conventions even run out of badges and you're not able to just come the day of and pay to get in! Some conventions will actually mail your preordered admission to you so you don't have to stand in a line when you arrive to the convention. If this is not the case, the pre-reg line is usually shorter then the general admission line anyway, as well as quicker to get through.
• Buy a room and, if applicable, plan your roommates. This bullet point isn't going to be for everyone, and that's fine. Some people feel you absolutely need a hotel room to enjoy a con and that's just not true. I think a hotel room is good, however, if you don't live in the area, or you're changing outfits often, or if transportation back and forth would be a hassle. Also, it's a good idea not to let everyone in creation stay in your room, no matter how cheap it would make costs. Think about space, hygiene, and if all your proposed roommates would even get along. Stuck wanting a room? The convention forums usually have some posts from people needing roommates!
• Plan your cosplays/special outfits ahead of time! This applies moreso for cosplays, but always assume if you're ordering costume pieces or wigs or such that they'll arrive later then they should, so you're not stuck panicking at the mailbox the day before the convention. Also assume that life or something might get in the way and don't plan to finish your cosplays the day before! 
• Look at the schedule, guests, vendors, etc. before arriving, if you're able to. It's not good to make a concrete, wiggle room-free schedule, but it is a good idea to have a rough plan of what you might like to do and see, if there are any guests you need to get an autograph from, if there are any artists or vendors you just have to buy from, etc. A good idea might be to make a loose schedule, noting panels or events you just have to go to, some you really want to go to but won't be too upset if you miss, and so on. Some conventions have begun putting out apps that do this very thing!
• Save more then you think, especially if this is your first convention and everything is new and amazing. If you only bring a bit of money when you could have brought more, inevitably someone will just have that one item that's been sold out online at a good price and you're left wanting.
• Plan what you're going to be eating! Look around the area for food options, or think about bringing your own food (check to see if your hotel room has a microwave, fridge). Keep in mind if there's food to be purchased at the convention site it's more then likely going to be quite expensive. 
• Make a list of every little thing you need to bring, from cosplay parts to device chargers. This may sound like a no-brainer, but the one year I forgot to do this, I left my cash at home. Yeah. Don't be me.

In the Hotel Room

• Make room rules. Obviously don't be overly strict, but guidelines such as not having boys or girls in the room overnight, not playing loud music past x at night, and so forth might save you or your roommates from getting into disagreements.
• Think about who is best suited to have the room keys. Who is not only most responsible, but would always answer their phone in case someone needs in at a moment's notice. 
• Have a rough idea of who is sleeping where so someone who can't fall asleep anywhere but a bed is stuck on the floor with no blankets. 
• Don't feel shy about asking who is doing what! If you want to join up with a group, tag along with others. They might be going to panels or events you might normally not, so you might do something new and really fun!
• Unless you're setting someone's stuff gently aside because it's in your way, don't mess with anyone else's stuff. Just, don't.
• Unless you and your roommates are the closest of friends, not everyone is okay with you walking around naked after a shower or seeing a pile of hair clinging to the shower walls. Don't be gross. And do not, unless it's explicitly okay with all your roommates, bring someone back into the room to be dirty with. 
• Do not bring illegal substances into your hotel room, or drink when there are minors. Not only is the former illegal, but in both cases, if the police show up, they can find everyone in the room guilty because there is no way of proving only one person was the culprit. Not only could you get kicked out of the hotel, but kicked out of the convention, fined, or arrested.

At the Convention!

• Before you purchase that figure, think if you could maybe find the item cheaper online. Not saying you shouldn't purchase things from the dealer room in general, but a lot of dealers do mark up items that can be considered pretty common at conventions. Personally, I find buying things from artist alley is a better use for my money, as these items are more unique and the person selling may not even have an online store. Keep in mind that some artists and dealers may give special deals on the last day of the convention so they don't have to haul bak as much product.
• Don't be rude and block the hallways. There are usually people walking right behind you who would not appreciate if you suddenly stopped. If you want to take a picture of someone's cosplay, move aside to a less congested area. Many conventions have areas just for taking pictures.
• Don't be a creep and touch people. Even if you don't think it's a creepy thing and you're just admiring someone's costume, it's creepy to touch their wig or dress or what have you. The person may also have issues with being touched. Also, that intricate costume or prop you want to inspect might be very delicate. Always, always ask!!
• Don't ruin someone else's enjoyment just for your own amusement. Don't just run into a panel room shouting something stupid and interrupting the panel host or jump in front of a photo shoot. I've even heard of people knocking food or drink out of peoples' hands or even hitting others for the sake of "being funny" or because it was "in their character."
• Don't be stressed!! All this information I'm throwing out may make conventions not seem as fun as they are, but they really are a great time. Don't worry so much about not making this panel or getting to buy everything you wanted. Just relax and have fun!

That's it for conventions 101! If I missed anything, feel free to tell me what you would have liked to have known when you first went to a convention! Also, keep in mind every convention is different, in location, size, and events.

I might do maybe a "Conventions 201" post at some point where I talk about things like running panels or volunteering. I might also do a con experiences post? I know at least I'll be posting about this weekend's convention. See you Monday~!

Useless Desires

This picture is unrelated.

So some days here on Meltybunny, I'll be writing from a list of seventy journal prompts. This is the first one - useless desires! Boy, do I have a lot of those. 

Let's start with lolita clothing, since I've already written about it here. My wardrobe used to be bigger, but also filled with sub par pieces and…replicas (gasp!). I really only have three dresses right now, three pairs of shoes, and two blouses. Not a very varied wardrobe, huh? So the first things I'd like to add are basics. A ton more blouses. More socks and tights. Just more things to take a main piece and change it up.

Of course I want dresses. I'm a sweet girl, so most of the dresses I want are print dresses. I think right now, my favorites are the most overrated ones like Sugary Carnival, Dream Sky, and Milky Planet. But I do like some of the not so hyped prints, like Dreamy Baby Room. Pretty much anything with overly cutesy themes. However, I do love some of Angelic Pretty's complex non-print dresses. My dream dress is in fact Dream Doll! But lately, I've actually started liking classic lolita as well and I want to add a few pieces to my wardrobe. I think the one I like most right now is Alice and the Pirate's Night Ship Alice.

Another useless desire…more video games! I love video games. 

For PC, I would love to get more of the Sims 3 games. Yes, yes, EA is the devil, I know. But I can't help it, I've been obsessed since the first game! I really want to get the University expansion. I'm definitely getting the fourth game in the series once it is released…except I'll have to get the downloadable copy because my CD drive has a CD stuck in it, haha. The Sims 3, actually, is the disc stuck!

For 3DS, there are so many games I want to get, but I think right now the two I want most are a part of the Mario franchise: the new Mario Party game, and New Yoshi's Island at the time of posting this, I have obtained New Yoshi's Island! And on the WiiU, I can't wait for Mario Kart 8!

I think a lot of the games I want are for older systems. For exapmle, on Gamecube, I really want to repurchase Eternal Darkness. I'm not huge into horror, but this one was just perfect. I also really want to play a lot of the older Zelda games, but luckily, most (all?) of them are available on either the 3DS's or WiiU's e-shop.

Finally, here's a list of random things I would like to get: sketchbooks and notebooks, stickers, Pokemon plushies, vinyls from my favorite artists, prints to hang on the wall, a button maker and infinite shrinky dink paper, infinite printer cartridges, enough iced coffee and sweet tea to last me forever.

What are some of your useless desires? 

Top Ten Video Games I Love, But Never Finished!!

This idea came to me while me and the fiance were listening to video game music. This is the first top ten on my blog! It's "The top ten games I love, but have never actually bothered to finish!" I often don't finish video games for a number of reasons, be it boredom, frustration, or something else. For this list I'm excluding games that technically cant be finished, such as Animal Crossing. Also, since I do love a lot of these games equally, these aren't in too much of an order c_c

10. Final Fantasy X

Ten for number ten, heehee! Anyway, I didn't know much about Final Fantasy when I got this game with the "Greatest Hits" label on it. This game probably had the most advanced graphics at the time for any other game I had, and I thought it was the most gorgeous thing. I instantly had to download the soundtrack because I loved the opening song so much. And for a while I was steadily going through the game without much trouble. But I was a much younger gamer when this game came out and didn't know that you had to level grind in Final Fantasy games. So there eventually came a point where I faced a midboss…and I failed epicly. I probably could have gone back and grinded a bit, but instead I got frustrated and stopped playing. I can't for the life of me remember what part of the game I was in now.

9. Bayonetta

Ah, Bayonetta. I fell in love with the character as soon as I saw her. Sexy and powerful, she was an inspiration. I first played the game on the 360 (admittedly, the better version) at an ex's house, but eventually bought the game for the PS3 that I was borrowing from a friend. When the time came to give the PS3 back…it broke. Totally not my fault, t was just a coincidence that it broke after I gave it back!! When I moved in with my fiance, I had the opportunity to play again, but I really didn't want to have to play through all I had done again. Like FFX, I also highly recommend the soundtrack to this game!

8. .hack Series

I hadn't heard of .hack until I heard some younger high school friends talking about it. I thought the concept was really intriguing - an MMORPG without the MMO. Perfect for a shy person like me! My friend let me borrow the first game and I was hooked. I actually did beat the first game relatively quickly. I got the second game for myself and…like FFX, I neglected to level grind. The time came where any level I could beat, I'd only gain 1 exp per enemy, and anything one level above that would murder me instantly. I would like to replay it one day, as well as play the sequel games.

7. Chrono Trigger

 I was really excited to get this game for my birthday some years ago. A "real" RPG. I found myself getting stuck often and not sure where to go. And then I got another new game, put this one down…and then when I picked it up again, I had no idea where I was or what my objective was, and I did not feel like starting from the beginning. 

6. Legend of Zelda Windwaker

I'm going to be honest, I've maybe only played ten minutes of this game. But I've seen it played and read up on it a lot, so I do know a lot of what happens. It's so gorgeous and I loved Phantom Hourglass, so I know I'll be finishing the HD remake sometime soon!

5. Persona 3 FES/Personal 3 Portable

I got Persona 3 FES as a recommendation from an ex-friend, and I fell in love. But like with other games, I neglected to grind, and then got frustrated when I couldn't beat the bosses. But I picked it up again once I got a PSP, and was really happy I could be a girl. Even though your character never says a word, other then what you tell him or her to, I felt more connected, and also felt more at ease flirting with the guys instead of pretending to be a guy flirting with girls, haha. I got pretty far in P3P, maybe about halfway through. It was another case of getting other games and neglecting older ones. One day. One day.

4. Super Mario World

One of my first games was the port of Super Mario Brothers on the Gameboy Color, so naturally, I had to get the Super Mario World port for the Gameboy Advance. And honestly, I'm not too good at Mario games. I have to replay levels over and over and over before advancing, but I do eventually advance. And once, I got farther then I ever had. And then…I lent the game to my friend. And she deleted the save file…I was heartbroken and I've never gotten back to that point again.

3. Final Fantasy Tactics Advance

This was actually my first Final Fantasy game! I loved how cute everything was and I replayed the first bits over and over, trying to get the right combination of characters and skills and such. But even with level grinding, I got to a boss I could not beat and put the game down.

2. Paper Mario

I'm cheating a bit here, because I'm playing this one currently…sort of, I have taken a month-long hiatus from it. But this game is just awesome, as I talked about in my monthly favorites. It's a Mario game I'm actually good at, and everything is just so cute. But I came to the Forever Forest and…well, for those of you who have played it, you can see why I stopped there. Pretty much, you need a walkthrough to get through it, or else I don't see how you would know which paths to take. And walkthroughs are readily available online, but…I took a break from it, and just haven't picked it up. But I will! I am determined!

1. Any first-gen Pokemon game

Yep. You read that right. I have never once beat a generation one Pokemon game. I didn't have an original Gameboy, so I was just stuck watching the show until I finally asked for a Gameboy Color. My first Pokemon game was Silver, and I didn't get Blue until much later. And…I just didn't finish it. I asked my mom to buy me a copy of Yellow from eBay…and it got lost in the mail, or stolen from our mailbox. Then I got Fire Red and got all the way to the eighth gym and…just stopped. I acquired both an English and Japanese version of Yellow, but again, never finished them. Why? I have no clue. It's like I get stuck on what to do or something, even though I know what to do. But! I'm currently doing a Nuzlocke run on my Japanese Yellow, so hopefully this time I will get to the original Elite Four! Of course, having played Silver, I have technically played through gen one…but of course, that doesn't really count, haha.

So, there are my top ten games I love but haven't finished. I have even more games I haven't finished, and I hope that I can get better about that. I want to be a successful gamer (?) and actually finish what I start. Wish me luck!

~Bunny

Artist Alley? Artist Alley!!

A staple at any good anime or comic convention? An Artist Alley!

I recently attended Middle Tennessee Anime Convention - or MTAC -  this past weekend. MTAC was my first convention and this was my eighth time attending. Yet as the con drew closer and closer, I found myself not excited at all, which is strange for me. I figured I'd get excited once I was actually in the hotel and in the con environment. But when the time came...I was severely underwhelmed. Now, there were a few problems with MTAC this time around which I won't get into with this entry, but the environment of being around all my fellow nerds and cosplayers should have gotten me properly hyped! I spent the entire convention feeling like I was just floating around a hot, crowded, sea.

In the past, I used to perform parapara at the convention, as well as helping run some teaching panels or some of my friends' panels. One year I was part of the fashion show, and another year, I volunteered. So maybe it was the fact that I was obligated to do nothing that made me feel this way. The more I thought about it, the more this felt right. I was so familiar with MTAC that just attending was no longer exciting. While I will probably never do volunteering or the fashion show again, I'm open to the idea of performing again if my teammates feel the same way. But the chances of that are slim. So what else is there to do?

As an artist, I've always been my worst critic. I always feel like I'm not good enough. Yet as I cruised through the hallway, through Artist Alley, I saw a few tables of art where I thought...and how do I say this without sounding stuck up or rude...I thought that I could do that, too. I felt that my art could maybe stand next to some of these artists' works. And so, I decided that I am going to apply for Artist Alley at next year's MTAC!

Of course, this means a lot of planning has to be done.

Firstly, I have to figure out a name for myself. A brand, if you will. Unfortunately, I have the habit of choosing a different name for every social media site I join. And even more unfortunately, the name I chose for both my deviantArt account and my art tumblr (though the former can be changed for a price and the latter for free) is "halcyonwh0re." It's a cute name, but not exactly something family friendly. I feel I could put it on a business card as a way to contact me, but not the first thing you see when you would see my booth, does that make sense? I don't feel "worthy" of just using my name, I feel that's something only the very well-known get to do. Also, I noticed that only one person at MTAC's AA did this. I've been leaning towards "Melty Bunny," which is why I chose to name my blog this. A little bit of cohesion, at least? I already have a logo and a business card mocked up if I do decide to use this.

Secondly, I have to decide what sorts of items I would like to sell. Prints of various sizes and commissions are obvious, but what else? I need to choose things that can be quickly produced for not so much money. I was thinking about stickers - everyone loves stickers! I also thought about making either phone charms or keychains using Shrinky Dink paper and a sealant, though I haven't looked up the costs yet. I looked at the price of a button maker and...eek. Although it could be a very good investment if I do make the cut. Buttons are usually very good sellers as well. I should know, I've bought enough. Then there are things that are not so quickly produceable, like plush toys. I know I can make some, but they take a while and they also aren't mass produceable like prints and buttons could be. I could always make one or two. I saw one person doing a giveaway of a handmade plush with a purchase from their booth, I could always do that! (I already have a Pikachu plush in the works!)

Thirdly is the easiest and hardest part - the art. As someone with depression, I can't always control when I'll feel like I can handle things. Sometimes I just can't handle looking at my own art. And that's something I'm going to have to overcome, not only to create a portfolio to be considered, but to create all the works necessary to sell. Then, there's appeal. I know what I like. I know other people like what I like. I like drawing what I like. But, for example, even though I like Super Mario Brothers I might not do art of it because it's not my most favorite. Other people, however, would probably really love Mario art because it's such a classic. Now, I don't mean I'm going to go completely out of my comfort zone and draw things I hate just because it's popular (cough, HonestuckFreeNightvale, cough), but it means I should open my mind and really think about what I should be drawing and how it would be received. Another thing I need to think about is original art, as most anime conventions at least require you to have a certain percentage of your work be non-fanart. I have many fashion pieces in mind as well as some body positivity ideas, but I feel like there's more I could be doing!

I have a lot to think about and do, and unfortunately I have no idea when the deadline is! Luckily, the thought of sharing my art with others and getting experience and exposure - not only at MTAC but at other conventions - seems to be getting my creative juices flowing. Even if they reject me, I'm still going to keep trying. Wish me luck, and feel free to share any tips or experiences you may have!!

~Bunny