Well 2012 is drawing to a close so I figured it's time to once again update my long neglected journal. Guess I may as start with the last Con I went to:

NY Comic Con:

Once again, we returned to the biggest comic convention on the east coast. And once again, we were left totally exhausted and broke by it. Comic Con may have hit its worst this year in terms of space, organization, entertainment and affordability. There was so many people packed tightly together, there were lines just to get out of the building. The autograph lines were even worse. While there was a shit-ton of talented actors and celebrities that I was eager to meet, I only came close to meeting one of them. The lines were so long and I spent many wasteful hours just standing around that at one point, I contemplated selling my pass just to get some of my money back. The prices some of them were charging were just obscene (the voice actor of Batman, who initially said he was doing free signings, was charging somewhere around $80 for an autograph). In terms of panels, I don't think I attended a single one. Everything anime related had pretty much been eliminated at this point, and anything involving comics or comic related movies was impossible to get into. Shopping was rather slim pickins too as a lot of the stuff I actually was interested in buying was way too expensive or bulky.

Now I'm making this sound like a dreadful con aren't I? Well in truth some good things happened too. My cosplay of Terl from Battlefield Earth was relatively successful (though my boyfriends cosplay as General Zod was alot more recognizable), I took a lot of cool pictures, filmed a new fan video with my friend and boyfriend (which is still in the process of being edited) and I got to catch a glimpse of Jason David Frank (Tommy the Green Power Ranger). The biggest highlight for me was getting to attend NChick's Halloween Party where we got to socialize, dance, sing and enjoy the musical stylings of Nchick, Rap Critic, Todd in the Shadows, Paw and BrentalFloss. There was even a costume contest which I won 2nd place in You can view the highlights on this video I edited together of the party [link]

In all though, I'd defiantly say I had my fill of Comic Con and have decided that this will be my last year attending it. It was fun at first but now it's become too big and too expensive for its own good and is too much of a financial and stressful burden on me. I may attend it again one day in the distant future if there's anything of interest, but it would probably be for one day and I don't foresee that happening anytime soon.

Future Cons:

The next immediate one coming up will of course be my most anticipated and favorite con of the year, Magfest. Like last year, I shall be making another vlog chronicling our 4 day adventure and posting more pics of cosplays and TGWTG people. We have alot planned including panels, video shoots, nerf gun battles and many more things and people to look forward to ^_^

As for other cons in the upcoming year, I've decided to cut back due to financial reasons and focus my attention and creativity on unfinished video projects and shows. Aside from Magfest, I will be returning to AnimeNext (since it's close and relatively cheap) for my yearly does of anime and picture taking. As much as I'd like to attend Otakon again after years of missing it, the insanely expensive anime con just doesn't seem in the cards for me this year. And as previously stated, I will not be returning to either NY Comic Con or Connecticon. I have however, considered attending a new con over the summer called MonsterMania Con which is being held in my home state. While it is technically a horror themed convention which isn't exactly my cup of tea, I've been told that the shopping is pretty good and they have some recognizable celebrities that don't require waiting in line for days to meet. So assuming I have the time and money, I just may give it a shot.

Videos and Shows:

All of shows that I've promoted before are still ongoing. The Disney Debate, despite being on constant hiatus due to personal reasons and lack of resources, still exists and we are trying new ways of getting ourselves on track, including doing holiday specials and discussions on Disney related topics. Crazy Crew Productions has increased it video content with more movie vlogs of us discussing various releases from Frankenweenie to Les Miserables and we intend to continue doing it whenever we get the chance. The Springfield Files unfortunately has taken a back seat do the backlog of projects I have as podcasts are particularly grating for me to edit and it hasn't helped that my mic won't work on my laptop. However :gotenks6: and I have already recorded several episodes that will be released in time and hopefully on a more annual basis. My show, Down the Rabbit Hole, has been taking equally as long due in part to my slow writing and my lack of space to film in. So far I have completed the script and have the clips I plan to use, so it's all a matter of finding a suitable place to film in properly. I also have several con videos that also have been on the back burner either due to an erratic work schedule, lack of footage or my general uninspired lazyness.

As I am currently in a somewhat restrictive and temporary living situation, it has been hard to me to be consistent with my projects and RL has been getting the better of me more often then I it should. Plus my financial situation is constantly in flux as is my work schedule. For that, I apologize. I hope that once I am able to acquire a new place, I can pump out videos on a weekly/bi-weekly basis and get my career started as an amateur movie maker/internet reviewer. I'm not counting my chickens just yet but hopefully I will soon be heading in the right direction.

Before making my closing statement, I would just like to leave a little reminder for those who follow my pictures:

I am not a diehard fan of anime, comics, sci-fi, horror, gaming or music. There are a lot of things I'm not familiar with or have become only partially familiar with due to my photographing hobby or con visits. The reasons I put a disclaimer in my pictures asking people who can identify certain unknown characters to leave a comment stating who they are, is so that
A) I can give everything a correct title instead of generic "Comic Con pic number 78" or a flat out wrong name
B) I don't have to do hours of Google searching to make sure I got every character name right
C) Those that are being photographed will be encouraged to post their proper character names
D) Those that are knowledgeable in certain shows can show off said knowledge and in turn help me learn certain names
E) I don't look like an ignorant noob who confuses Green Arrow with Green Lantern

For the most part, everyone is usually helpful and courteous. However, recently I've gotten some nasty individuals who've accused me of being "stupid and pathetic" for not knowing certain characters or mixing them up with others, even though I'm usually quick to catch a mistake and fix it, all while admitting that I fucked up. Yet still I get people telling me (in the most crass way possible) to only photograph cosplays I know, only photograph people who look the part or to not photograph at all. Even worse is when they make personal attacks on the cosplayers themselves either because of their weigh, gender, costume design or lack of resemblance to the character.

Let's get one thing straight. I respect ALL cosplayers, despite their physiques or costume making abilities. It takes a lot of creativity, ingenuity and courage to come up with good yet affordable costume designs as well as to pull off certain characters in front of diehard fans and the general public. And in a world where kids go trick or treating in store bought costumes or even their street clothes, it's essential that people who have this sort of talent be encouraged to use it. Anyone who takes the time and effort to make outs that amazing are truly people to look up to.

With said, I have decided to implement a new disclaimer and policy for future pictures. It includes

A) Blocking people who make nasty comments or correct me in a rude or demeaning manner right at the get go, instead of trying to reason or argue with them (cause quite frankly I don't have the time and energy to waste of individuals who don't know the concept of manners)
B) Until I know for certain who all the characters are in a group shot, the picture will have a generic title, even if the identity of one of the characters is blatantly obvious
C) Because of the repetitiveness of certain costumes and the insane acid spewing fanboys/girls that go with them, I will be refraining from photographing characters that come from certain shows, movies, genres, etc. Examples being Star Wars, Bleach, Naruto, Final Fantasy, Warhammer and possibly others down the line. This is not just so I don't have to hear people's mouths, but so I don't have a dozen Batmans or Clouds spamming up my gallery. I may break this rule if the costume is really good or there's a group shot being done, but for the most part I will try to avoid photographing these cosplays if possible if only because I tend to get the worst comments from raging fans who are appalled by the fact that I can't tell Boba Fett from Jango Fett.  

With all that said, I look forward to 2013 and my Magfest trip so stay tuned for more pictures and updates. Happy New Years to everyone and Happy 4 year Anniversary to me!