Marion-Con 2016: Debute!

Hello again! Heiwa and I were at it again as we hit the con front bright and early this morning! Today a neighboring town debuted their first comic-con. To be honest the last small town con I went to (Morganton-Con) had a weird industrial feel to it. What does that mean you ask? Well I felt like if you weren't in line to buy something then they didn't really want you there. I also noticed that some vendors I had previously admired had considerably raised their prices for some unknown reason...
I was a little nervous as we started the hour long drive (one way) to Marion.
What if I had lost my passion for conventions? Surely that wasn't possible after just one bad experience..... Right?
That's what I was thinking on the way over.
Marion-Con instantly revived my passion. 

We weren't even out of the car and could tell that we weren't going to get a swag bag. ( Marion-Con gave out EPIC swag bags to the first 100 people in the door, we got there before the con even got started and we still missed them.)

 

The line was actually really fun. I know that sounds weird. Seriously though, every one was laid back and just having a nice chat. At one point the ROTC class ran by and someone shouted "There goes the G. I. Joe cosplayers!" It was great. The only that would have made it better is if there was music to rock out to while waiting in line.

 I took this picture while Heiwa was paying for us to get in. The first room was packed in pretty tight. (Did I mention Marion-Con rented BOTH floors?!)

 

...............Over priced plushies that can steal your heart because they are adorable or...

Sorry that its blurry, I actually stepped on some ones foot while trying to take this picture. Sorry random person!

Over priced plushies that can steal your soul :p

 

Now keep in mind that when I say "over priced" its not actually an unfair price. Anime/manga merchandise is hard to come by in person (not online) so its actually a decent price. Anime/Manga is just an expensive addiction hobby :)

 

Not just one DeadPool but two. Think about this. TWO DEADPOOL! They didn't ask us to conga-line but they did direct us to an Itachi Uchiha. That makes them saints. Who doesn't need more Itachi in their life? Well, I mean Sasukes parents probably...

 

 

The second room (actually kinda a separate building) seemed a lot bigger than the first but now that I think about it, it probably wasn't that much bigger.

                                   It was still super packed.

On to the Artists!

**Ok, first off I would like to say that there is a reason why I took photos with a visible glare, multiple pictures in the shot or slightly blurry. Artists protection! This way no one feels the need to download the image and sell it as their own creation. The only people with rights to these pictures are the creators. I got permission to take the pictures and write about them. If any vendors are displeased with the pictures or article written about them they can/will be removed at their request.**


First up is,
                                   Dungeon Wears

I don't have any pictures of their booth because the man in charge of it really knew how to work a crowd. There was constantly patrons at the booth. Trust me, check them out ;)
The quote on the back of their card is:

        "Fine Wearable Art For The Average Adventurer"

........................................................

 Wow, Fantastic Baby.

          I was referencing the song: Fantastic Baby

Can we all take a moment to appreciate how gorgeous this is? 

This was done by The Painting Mama's 

They had some pretty fantastic art. It came in a wide variety of sizes and they had something for every fandom.

Heiwa actually had to talk me out of buying a copy of the beautiful beast that is Ghost Rider. I had to save money to take my parents to dinner for their anniversary. They are worth it :)

 

All City Studios

 

This booth was pretty cool. The artist actually made a painting while he was at the con so that was really fun to watch.

We didn't get to watch him finish it though....

Their business cards actually have some really awesome pictures on the back. Being an editor I really admire their business card layout.

 

                                                        
                The Walking Dead fandom has the right  to fangirl.

               They had everything from TWD to Star Wars.
                           Zombies and Jedi's am I right?

 

 

"Why do you look like someone died?"

"Wait."

~The Addams Family

Correct me if I'm wrong but is that a set of grumpy CareBears?

Would that make them Don't-CareBears?

 

 

Next we have something that I have been fangirling about for a while. (Not in a creepy way)

 

Spider Spot Shop

 

The first time I saw them I guessed at what the are style was called.

Splatter Art is what I guessed. He is actually "The original Splatter Grunge Artist" so I was pretty close :P

They have incredibly fair prices when it comes to the posters.

This was another booth that I had to be talked out of purchasing something at....

 

 

This is the blurry photo I mentioned earlier. These characters are incredibly popular and I didn't want to risk someone trying to steal the art. That Sebastian X Ciel picture would make the shippers swoon. 

 

 

 

This is one of the best Link pictures that I have ever seen and I have seen A LOT of Link pictures......

 

 

I will add the glamour shots of Heiwa and I later.

Marion-Con was a blast and their debute was fantastic. I certainly hope that they continue to grow and maybe add an event like maybe a gaming contest or cosplay chess or something semi-social.

Thanks for the read! Sorry that this post was so long.

 

 

~Aki Ame Okami

 

 

Plans For Morganton-Con

Morganton-Con is next weekend!!! I got to thinking... last time I went as the rough Kiba Inuzuka and by rough I mean that was my cosplay in its basic stages. I have refined some of the key traits of Kiba since then and I was dying to wear him again however I plan to enter Kiba in Marion-cons cosplay contest in March so now I have a conflict of schedules.... My soulution?
(get it, soulution) Lets rock Soul!  Why not? He may be an OC but he has some devilish charms. It will also be some good publicity for my new blog soooo....

For all of you who wanted to see Kiba I am very sowwy :(
I promise to do something special for you in Kiba's next photo shoot...
Should he play fetch or beg for a treat?


~Aki Ame Okami

Anime For Singles!

Are you single this Valentines day? Me to! No plans? Same here!
So instead of going out and being surrounded by happy couples I have decided to compile a list of anime that can keep me company instead. So lets get started! :D

1.  Yahari Ore No Seishun Love Comedy wa Machigatteiru

This anime features a strong male lead and decent female support characters, though they are arguably main characters as well. It is a romantic comedy that is sure to make you smile and scratch your head at the same time! (good for male or female viewers)

     2.  Ouran Highschool Host Club

Now I know I write about this anime a lot but that is because it almost always can cheer you up or give something to help you with a life problem. This is also a romantic comedy, though mostly false romance and more comedy. Watch this and fantasize about which host you want to be yours! (Mostly for female viewers, I think)

   3.  Silver Spoon

This is mostly a comedy about an agricultural highschool in Japan. The main character isn't from a farm and doesn't have a life goal but everyone else does! Now he has to figure out his life and get use to the dusk till dawn life style of a farmer. Not to mention his friends like to get him in trouble.... (Good for male and female viewers)

  4. The Devil is a Part-Timer!

This anime is something else... Its not like all of the other supernatural shows. This is a comedy where you watch King Satan, Ruler of all that is evil! try to manage a McRonalds fast food restaurant. He eventually has some trouble with the neighboring Sentucky fried chicken, what will Satan do? (Good for male and female viewers)

  5.  Avatar The Last Airbender

I know, I know. "That's not anime!" Well guess what! Its animated, its fun to watch and tackles life problems and its on the list! Watch the avatar, master of all elements, get shot down repeatedly by the girl of his dreams. There is so much more going on than just the failed romantic wishes though. There is war, sarcasm (Lots and lots of sarcasm), strategy, comedy, sadness and so many feels!
(Good for male and female viewers)

   6. Black Cat 

This boarders on the mystery/comedy genre mix. (Rare, am I right?) The main character has a lot of character development in just a few short episodes and you instantly fall in love with this chivalrous rag tag group of friends. I cannot give any other description or I will spoil everything. (Good for male and female viewers) 

  There you go! 6 companions for the month of singles! I will probably post more in the future however for right now I think its best to stop otherwise I might get bitter and become very, very sarcastic. ^_^

~Aki Ame Okami   

Ever Closer

Hello again my dears,

We are getting ever so close to the release of The Life Of Soul Thief. thelifeofsoulthief.blogspot.com
His story is going to be released on the last day of January 2016, so tomorrow. Tomorrow! I am pretty excited to see one of my literary (not that its literature at all) works entire the world. I hope it is well received and that you actually enjoy the crazy things that happen in my head. If all goes as planned I am thinking of cosplaying Soul and 2 of the other characters from the story at Yama-Con 2016! The theme is villians so obviously its meant to be. As far as the other days go I am looking at doing Maurgrim and The White Witch from The Chronicles of Narnia (Heiwa wants to be a witch ^_^)  and the last day is still undecided... I think... Actually I really want to hold a Butler and Maid Dance Café, but I don't think anyone cares about that :P

Back on track. After the release of my story I will continue writing here and on Soul Thief and on all of my beloved pages. I have a few anime reviews in the works at the moment so you can look forward to those, maybe. You might not like what I have to say at all. I also have a few plans regarding this years convention list so I might tell you about that as well. Really I am just writing this to remind you that I haven't forgotten any of you and that I am still alive.
Let us celebrate the month of January coming to a close and raise awareness in February seeing as it is Singles Awareness Month. If you are single be sure to represent us well! During February I am going to make a list of good animes to watch for single people, (not to say that couples cant watch them.) so look forward to it.

I hope some on this list of "Soon to come"s has peaked your interest! Be sure to check back often!

Signing out,

                   ~Aki Ame Okami  

My Little Monster

Hey Guys!!! I cannot believe how absent I have been lately! I am so sorry about that!

I kind of got sucked into an anime and forgot to tell you all what I was doing! But I've been watching "My Little Monster" like crazy and I absolutely love it.

How can you sum up My Little Monster in one sentence?

SHIP ALL THE SHIPS!!!! 

Seriously though. YamakinXShizuku. HaruXShizuku. HaruXOshima. SasaharaXAsako (Natsume). AsakoXMisawa. Shoot. HaruXNagoya (KIDDING!) Whatever, you get the point. It kind of leaves it open for shipping wars, but at the same time Aki and I 100% agree that we would be okay with whatever ships sailed. 

That is an awesome kind of anime! No fighting over who's ship is better, because every ship is perfect. I also like that it actually has a little more depth to it than your typical romance anime (no spoilers for those who haven't seen this anime!). That gives it more points in my book. I love Haru to death, because you never know what he's gonna do next. 

After I finish the anime I'll have to let you know why I ship each of the ships. But for now, just know that it is definitely worth watching and that I have not abandoned Ani-Maze-Me. I've just been Ani-Mazed. :) 

~Heiwa Kibo Hane