Article: Sakura con 2006 fanfiction camp
Sakura con 2006 fanfiction camp
March of 2006 seemed to be a bad time to go to an anime convention. The Naruto fans were upset from a bajillion weeks of filler episodes, Evangelion had just shown recently shown on cartoon network and thus a new crop of people would declare the show their new god and the yaoi craze showed no signs of abating. Still tradition trumped good sense and I went anyway.
The site of the convention changed and my travel and sleep plans likewise changed. In the heart of a big city parking is expensive (it cost me 200 dollars last year when I parked in the wrong space and my car was impounded) so I decided to skip all the mess and park far away in a park and ride and take the bus to the convention. Riding on the bus is also safer since people tend to skip sleep at a convention and saves you from having to drive home sleep deprived.
This year the convention started fairly early and one of the few things open was the video rooms. I was mildly suprised at the fact that I only watched about three episodes of anime during the convention, less than I do normally. There were other things to do though.
This year I stuck around the creation station, the room dedicated to fan art and fan fiction. A big reason for that was the fact that there was a ton of panels in that room that I wanted to attend and like I have said before you can watch a show any day but you can only attend the panels when they happen.
Not everything was fan fiction and panels. I attended the dealer’s room and scored some cool stuff. Notables include 4 dvds and a music CD for only 30 dollars and copy of Ever 17.
I didn’t attend any of the big events, even the music video contest which I usually go to. It conflicted with two panels that I wanted to go to and there was a 24 hour music video theater that I didn’t have to wait in line to see.
The Seattle convention center was a really nice place to host the convention. Not only do the escalators make the various rooms in the convention far more accessible than they were at the Hilton there were also a couple of restaurants inside the building which made for easy eating that made only a slight dent in one’s schedule.
On Saturday three noteworthy events occurred. First thing that I went to is the Megatokyo panel with Fred Gallagher. Attending celebrity panels is usually fun and when the panelist can speak fluent English and have a good sense of humor. Both of those apply to Fred.
The Second is when I was able to meet up with my newly found anime group for lunch. I showed them my purchases and we shared a crab and artichoke dip, which was quite delicious. We also discussed anime.
Finally I was able to read a chapter of one of my fan fics aloud in front of an audience. It turned out okay as I should have probably rehearsed but it was well received and people laughed at appropriate points. I got to communicate with other fans and that is what a convention is all about, being able to immerse yourself in the love of a hobby alongside people with the same feelings.