Otaku Rules of Propriety

After browsing my folder of "inspirational/motivational posters", and reading Simon Pegg's "geek" quote and "The Otaku Oath", I started writing down the ideas I try to abide by, as a geek, based on accumulated advice and my own experience.  As such, this will probably forever be in-progress.  (This was more personal than anything else, so I hope I don't inadvertently offend anyone!)



___My Personal Rules of Propriety for the Geek and Otaku___

1)  I will enjoy my hobby, regardless of others' opinions.  Whether a preference for 1 series/niche will make me seem cooler over another, or whether 1 series/niche will make me seem dorkier over another.

2)  I will have fun with my hobby.  When an aspect of my hobby stops being fun, I will move on, or work harder to make it fun again.  Whether that's cosplay, photography, collecting, fan-ficcing, forums, artist alley, video coverage, etc. 

3)  I will respect my fellow-geek.  I will not flying-glomp or tackle without warning.  I will not molest cosplayers, even at drunken con parties.  I will not hit or touch people without permission.  I will not hit or touch people with props, objects, or yaoi paddles without permission---and in the case of permission given, I will not use full force.  I will keep my mouth shut, rather than hating on someone else's favorite series/OTP, in an environment where everyone is trying to keep a positive attitude.  I will use "I like this" phrases instead of "I hate this" phrases.  I will vent my long list(s) of dislikes and peeves in a blog, rather than vocally.  I will not flame or troll without reason, intelligence, or an understanding that other persons in the conversation really enjoy debating.  I will stop myself (and apologize) when I begin to act elitist.  I will not call someone "not a real fan" because of how they entered the fandom, their opinions and preferences within the fandom, their noob level, etc.  I will not condescend another cosplayer's techniques or skill level.  I will not (vocally) generalize any fandom, series, or niche interest as completely worthless, the sign of an idiot, or "too mainstream".  I will not make others fearful of expressing their fandom and being a geek freely, by belittling thier interest(s)/fandom (before  they even mention their affiliation).  Within the fandoms, I will not perpetuate the same ostracism that Mundanes often impose on geeks. 

4)  I will try other aspects of fandom.  I will cosplay at least once, even if it's just neko-mimi &/or fox tails.  I will draw fan-art, even if it's just a doodle, and even if I think I suck.  I will read some fanfiction, and maybe write some.  I will do some photography or videography, whether it be cosplayers, figurines, or the set-up of my massive collection(s).  I will browse artist alley as often as the usual dealers' hall.  I will check-out a convention panel about a subject I am unfamiliar with.  I will sit in on the karaoke room (during the gap between other events).  I will take a peek at the videogame room and tabletop gaming room.  I will watch a lolita fashion show.  I will not judge a series by a name, instead, I will check it out myself.  I will at least flip through any manga title I am unfamiliar with.

5)  I will keep my fangirling/fanboying in check.  ...Even while on a convention high.  ...Even if I see a cosplayer of my favorite character.  When my giddiness imposes on others' comfort levels, I will stop (and apologize).  When I see a long-sought collectable, I will not have a heart-attack.  But instead, poker-face so that I may keep the advantage when bargaining for a lower price.  I will keep my hands (and yaoi paddles) to myself.  I will keep my voice down to "indoor levels", at least 70% of the time.  I will not shout memes continuously.  I will not drag unsuspecting by-standers into my roleplaying, into being in-character for a cosplay, or into actions which make references to a series, if such actions are violent, too loud, ecchi, or just plain obnoxious.  (For example, Homestuckers should not actually throw buckets at conventions; Jiraiya cosplayers do not have license to grope girls; etc.)

6)  I will save my money wherever I can.  I will go around a good portion (or all) of the dealers' hall, to compare prices and stocks, before throwing my money at the first booth that has what I want.  I will do my research, before the con or online purchase, so I know what a reasonable deal is or the likelihood of encountering a rare item again.  I will not buy anything expensive, unless it literally takes my breath away.  I will not chip away at my funds with a bunch of items which are only mildly interesting.  If a photo or art print is enough for me, I will not buy the figurine, charm, plushie, etc.  If a booth or more has enough stock of an item I want, and the demand is not so rabid as to make the item stock sold-out after the first day, then I will try to wait for the last day of the con, to buy and take advantage of possible dealers' last-day sales.  I will guard against accidentally buying duplicates of items, even re-releases by another licensing company, of the same item contents.  I will carry a list or thumbnail picture catalogue of what I already have collected, as a small print-out list/booklet or in my phone/portable device.  I will stop intentionally buying duplicates of items, if I do not have the budget to continue doing so. 

7)  I will support the people who make fandom as enjoyable as it is.  I will buy officially licensed anime (and delete my torrents), when they are released.  I will buy manga, and not just download scanlations (unless it's doujinshi which will likely never be licensed ;_; ).  I will support artist alley.  I will attend conventions properly, without sneaking in.  I will visit fansites before they disappear.  I will leave online comments for fan-artists, fan-ficcers, etc. 

8)  I will not contribute to "con funk" or "the con plague".  I will shower before each con day.  I will soap twice in the shower, if I have to.  I will use up the hotel's bottles of shampoo, and let housekeeping replace it with a new bottle, each day, if necessary.  I will cover my mouth when I cough.  I will cover my mouth with my elbow, hankerchief, sleeve, or anything besides my hands, to decrease the chances that people who touch the door handles will get the "con plague".  I will carry hand-sanitizer, and use it before I touch food or my face.  I will carry vitamin C lozenges or keep some in my hotel room or car.

9)  I will not allow myself to miss the convention.  I will not oversleep during mornings, thinking con panels/events are not important enough to wake for.  I will set alarms on my cellphone to wake up in the mornings.  I will not spend all day, everyday of the con, sewing cosplay in my hotel room.  I will not spend a day of the convention, at a nearby tourist attraction instead of the con. 

10)  I will not do without nutrients.  I will carry snacks at the con, and not just leave them in the hotel room.  I will carry a bottle of water, even if the convention center or hotel halls provide water fountains.  (You never know how long you will be stuck in some panels, cosplay gatherings, or other unleavable situations.)  I will force myself to drink water, even before I feel thirsty.  I will buy an actual meal at a restaurant, if my body begins to die from snack foods. 

11)  I will try to sleep.  I will not try to attend everything going on all night, so I will not oversleep and miss morning events.  If there is time, I will take naps during long gaps between events.  I will set my cellphone alarm, in case I nap too deeply.

12)  I will attempt to keep the convention hallways clear.  I will clear the way for delicate and intricate cosplayers.  I will not stop in the middle of a packed or unpacked hall, just to converse or stare at something.  I will try to stay against the side walls.  I will not allow my conversation circle to freely jut out into the halls.  I will be aware of my larger props and protect from possible tripping hazards, should I set them down.  I will try to find "out of the way" places to hold my cosplay gatherings.  I will especially not block entrances, exits, stairs, escalators, and other areas of heavy foot traffic. 

13)  I will enjoy the convention.  I will not let run-ins with creepers, trolls, elitists, etc. ruin my con experience.  I will improve my further actions, should I make the mistake of acting like a creeper, elitist, or other obnoxious person.  I will highlight all events in the schedule I am interested in, based on the panel/event descriptions, if I have time to read them.  I will not fall into the endless disappointment of trying to attend every single event I am interested in.  I will remember that events are something I attend when I happen to have time for it, not the other way around.  I will not forsake courtesy, nutrients, sleep, and fun, for the purpose of rushing to and attending every event.  I will accept unexpected changes to my schedule, and remember that it may be more fun than what I originally planned.  I will be willing to ditch my original plans and event interests for time with friends, new panels, unexpected events, newly discovered interests, etc. 

14)  I will take care of my collection(s) and enjoy it.  I will not simply stack my manga/comic books, videogames, DVDs/blurays, etc. as inaccessible towers on the floor.  I will organize my collections for easy access for reading, admiring, or in other practical appreciation methods.  I will actually read the books and flip through the artbooks I have collected, especially if they have gone untouched for some time.  I will place my figurines in a case or at least in clear, cheap, gift boxes, to keep the dust from crusting into impenetrable layers in their crevices.  I will not be afraid to use my figurines in figurine photography.  I will hug my plushie pillows.  I will actually use my collectable pillows, if their designs are sturdy, such as embroidery (versus mere printed fabric).

15)  I will remember that I was once a noob and everyone starts somewhere.  I will not discourage anyone from being a geek of something "mainstream".  I will be sensitive to the worth of any fandom, even if it does not touch me personally.  I will forgive the over-intense energy levels of obnoxious fanboys/fangirls, and believe in their ability to mature into becoming more conscious of others.  I will give everyone a reasonable chance to realize, apologize, change, and evolve out of being an elitist, a troll, a creeper, etc. 

DVD arrivals

This just in from today's mail.  ^_^
Bleach movie 3: Fade to Black
Highschool of the Dead
Kimi ni Todoke boxes 1-3

Dog Days and Sengoku Basara

So, recently, I was hanging around my brother's apartment, and he finally got me to watch Dog Days.  He's been trying to get me into it for a while.  How does he always find such cute shows?!  *o*

Later that day, I broke out Sengoku Basara, as I had been, for almost everyday for the last few weeks, and suddenly the irony occurred to me:
We were both currently obsessing over series about open battlefield warfare.  Though, it may be hard to recognize, what with Dog Days being so amazingly cute and Sengoku Basara being so much Shonen awesomeness.  But we were essentially watching the same genre (in a way).  I still laugh out loud when I think of the comparison.  ^u^

Even more amusing when my brother points out Dog Days's Yukikaze constantly calling for her "Oyakata-sama", much in the same way Sengoku Basara's Yukimura keeps yelling for his "Oyakata-sama".  ^.^

But, it's an irony we've been repeating since we both got into anime.  Way back when his walls were covered with Sailormoon and mine, with Dragon Ball Z.  But I have to wonder if it's more gutsy to be my brother, for being so unapologetically proud about liking cute things, despite looking like a football linebacker, while I'm still a timid fool.  ^^;

Last Party! ^u^

Yesterday morning, I was like this:

because the Sengoku Basara movie The Last Party came in the mail!  ^v^!!!

I totally was not expecting to get it before November 6th.  (I thought that date would be a triple whammy of Basara, voting, and Halo 4.  But since I'm not really into FPSes, now I only have to worry about voting.)  Yay for pre-orders!  ^-^

So, of course, I watched it multiple times that day, and was pleasantly surprised to find it had its own episodes of Mini Sengoku Basara.  ^u^  The only thing missing from those previous Mini Sengoku Basara was an episode with an adorable chibi-Yukimura.  So happy there's one here!  I keep watching it over and over.  *u*

The entire time, I was watching the movie like:

Especially the part where ****** saves *********---I have a gasp of shock each time.

Or where ****** jumped in and talked ****** out of killing ******---I was so cheering for someone to stop that. 

Well, I guess there isn't too much I can say without giving away spoilers. 

...Except Ieyasu was endearing, Yukimura was awesome in his new coat, and, of course, Masamune was cool as always. 

So go watch the movie, damn it!  It's epic!  ^O^!!!

skipping PMX2012 Artist Market

I've been waffling over this, but I think it's time I get decisive about skipping Pacific Media Expo's artist alley, this year.  ;__;  Sad.  Very sad. 

I had all these grand plans.
Small cons like PMX, were supposed to be where I did artist alleys, so I could run around the bigger cons, as a normal attendee.  Usually, smaller cons aren't so busy, so I wouldn't have to work so hard, trying not to think about what I was missing, like I did at AX artist alley. 

I was going to make more heart-shaped, flag pairing pendants, of course.  But I recently got an idea to make them about more than Hetalia fangirling.  Since it was _Pacific_ Media Expo, I thought I could do a bunch of Asian countries not mentioned in Hetalia.  At Anime Expo 2012, people came up, asking for flags to show off their ethnicity, instead of Hetalia fandom.  I could have done Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Taiwan, and a whole slew of other Asian flags that would have been just perfect for an Asian convention like PMX. 

I was also going to take one passing customer's suggestion, and turn some of my bunny tails into Truffula trees.

Then, of course, stock my basic fodder of pom-pom moogles, paopu fruit, and plushie pizza.

And with PMX's requirement for 20% original, non-fanart, I was going to try to sell off my scads of hand-made, wire jewelry.  That stuff gets to be like knitting, once you get into it.  But then, you never know what to do with all those necklaces after you make them. 

But apparently, I didn't want it urgently enough, because instead of working on new stock all this time, I messed around doing---What did I do, anyway?  ~_~;  I really don't know.  My life is a collosal mess.  So, I have to apologize.  To myself and to everyone. 

But let's face it, me getting into Artist Market this year is just not realistic.  It sold out in 4 minutes from the time they opened sign-ups.  And I was out, all that night, celebrating my dad's birthday.  Even if I do apply to the waiting list, I haven't been replenishing my stock.  I thought I could make a decent amount of new stock in the 3 weeks before the con, but now I'm sick.  And I'm notoriously slow at recovery.  Not to mention the other RL stuff I have to take care of at the same time.  I didn't even get around to applying for my seller's permit from the EOB yet.  Not to mention that I'm low on business cards.  Would an order now, even make it in time for PMX?  And what could I submit for PMX's portfolio review?  My DeviantArt is mixed up with so many pieces that I don't sell at artist alley.  So, I should just enjoy PMX as a fan.  ...Then make it my mission, on the last day of the con, to pre-register for next year's Artist Market!

I'm not even trying for Anime Los Angeles's artist alley.  You can't even just buy table space.  Their room is so small, you can only sign-up for a lottery, to get into their artist alley.  Besides, there's too much stuff going on at ALA, to miss it, while sitting at a table.  I want to become a better cosplay videographer, afterall.  And ALA is _the_ cosplay gathering con. 

So, that leaves me with another question:  Should I go for Anime Expo artist alley again?  I had decided by the end of this year's AX, that I would try one year as a regular attendee again, so I wouldn't have to miss all the cosplay gatherings and panels that I likely won't be able to see at any other con.  Even though doing artist alley in 2012, made it the most fun I've had at Anime Expo in years, I have to make sure it was worth missing the rest of the con.  Though, I do think about the people who enjoyed my jewelry and may hope to see it again---especially since I haven't figured out Etsy and online seller's taxes yet.  @_@;  If I can't do artist alley at these small cons like PMX, then maybe I shouldn't blow an opportunity like AX.  Maybe I'll get a partner and have someone man my table, while I'm hosting cosplay gatherings or covering others with video.  That'd be nice.  I love having it all.

But as for PMX.  It's time I resolve myself to defeat for this year and my mission to secure next year.  ...I guess that means I'm working on cosplay to distract myself from the sudden omission of busy time that I expected, making new stock. 

recent arrivals

This post is about a week late, but I got these in the mail, pretty much when I returned home from Yaoi Con. 

So happy!  ^u^  I've been looking forward to watching Sengoku Basara non-stop.  @u@  ...While my other friends are watching The Avengers 5 times a day...  Is it wrong that I choose Sengoku Basara over The Avengers?  o.O?  I think this is what they call a "guilty pleasure".  #^.^#

I must give a word of warning about the series "Modern Magic Made Simple", which is the DVD case in the middle, bottom row.  I checked out the series on Crunchyroll:  http://www.crunchyroll.com/yokuwakaru-gendai-maho  Not only was it cute, sweet, with endearing characters, beautiful character design, and touching themes, but the end of each episode had a PUPPET SHOW omake!  @U@!!!!!!  I was sold.  Cute little SD-plushies of the series' main characters---that were also puppets!---explaining bits of exposition that would have slowed down the episodes?!  Wahhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!  @U@!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  ...But then.  Then I ordered the DVDs released by Sentai Filmworks, and it did not have the puppet show omake.  ;_______________;  It wasn't even in the Extras section!  ;0;!!!!  If it was a matter of trying to fit a whole series onto 2 DVDs, I could have done without the previews.  I mean, I had the whole series; I would have gone straight to the next episode anyway.  I would much rather have the puppet show, instead.  So now, I'm so sad about it, in my typical difficulty-coping-with-disappointment fashion, that I just can't bring myself to watch those DVDs for a while.  Even the fact that the rest of the series is cute, AND about magic, AND about technology, AND has time travel elements---still can't make up for the great disappointment in not having those cute puppet shows, that I was soooooo looking forward to owning on DVD.  ;~; 

Still, the rest of this shwag is pretty sweet!

cosplay stage shows

As I was watching the Sengoku Basara stage show online, my brother walked by, shaking his head.  Since he's also otaku, I was surprised that he hadn't heard of these stage shows before.  Even the Bleach stage show, which was quite some time ago.

If I had to explain this trend of stage show adaptations of anime series, I would have to reference Halloween.  In documentaries of Halloween's conversion from 1950's, exclusively-children's holiday to the present-day's inclusion of adults, scholars explained that children from the 1950's who loved Halloween, did not see any reason to give up that love, just because they grew up.

Is it that the children who grew up, watching sentai stage shows at shopping malls, didn't see any reason to give up their affinity for stage shows, just because of age?  These anime-based stage shows are very similar to the sentai stage shows that are typically for children...They're just upped a level.  ^_^  I like to think of them as epic cosplay skits! *u*