Otakon 2011 - once more, with feeling!

[[⑨] Suzuran]

Well, my boss cancelled my trip, so you don't have to worry about me causing problems again this year.
Have fun, everyone!

[helvetica]

OK
I hate being /that/ guy, but I'm going to have to.

To people in my room, it is currently 8 days before the con and I thought I made it very clear I expected payment no later than 2 weeks before the con.  I CANNOT take money at the con and I CANNOT afford to cover for an IOU.

If I don't get a significant number of people paying up by Friday I will cancel the second room.  This is not a warning nor a threat, this is a promise.  I'm sorry if it screws with your con plans but I thought I made it very clear I needed prepayment if you were going to be in my room group.   I literally cannot take payment at the con or an IOU, I don't have a credit card nor the funds to cover anyone.

So far only 4 people have paid me, 4 out of 15 people.  I am very pissed and this is completely unacceptable.  Don't be surprised if next year I demand payment up front before you join in.  Sorry to those who were responsible and paid ahead of time like I asked.

[Zakenna]

so they ARE doing a premiere of Children who Chase Lost Voices from Deep Below. They had to drop something to keep the hype up through comic-con.

[triangles]

There was pretty much no way that they COULDN'T have Shinkai there and not show his most recent movie.
Though if you checked the premieres page it's been listed for about a week already so I thought they had made it official  :V  Clearly the website folk and the dates-o-announcements folk didn't jive properly!


EDIT:  Fan panel schedule's up:
Touhou Project   Panel 6   Friday   9am-10am

At least you're not up against the masquerade this year!  :V

[onions]

Were the times randomly assigned because 9am on Friday what the christ. On Saturday or Sunday it would be even worse but still.

[Firestorm29]

There was pretty much no way that they COULDN'T have Shinkai there and not show his most recent movie.
Though if you checked the premieres page it's been listed for about a week already so I thought they had made it official  :V  Clearly the website folk and the dates-o-announcements folk didn't jive properly!


EDIT:  Fan panel schedule's up:
Touhou Project   Panel 6   Friday   9am-10am

At least you're not up against the masquerade this year!  :V

Well that doesn't sound too bad, wonder if they had this panel opening because of how packed it was last year? I just hope I'm able to get in fast enough, I remember last year I barely made it in by 9:30...

[Mocking Morning]

Man, for everybody cosplaying, just hope and pray that Otakon weekend wont be as hot as this weekend currently is. The average temps in the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area at the moment  are 101F and that's not even including the heat index.

You better believe if it's gonna be that hot I'm gonna use the nearest Crino cosplayer to cool myself off.

EDIT:  Fan panel schedule's up:
Touhou Project   Panel 6   Friday   9am-10am

At least you're not up against the masquerade this year!  :V

That panel had a "club styled" line to get in even after the room filled up last year, even with the masquerade going on...

EDIT: I just looked at the panel list and already see a conflict.

Japanese Figures, Toys and Collecting    Panel 5   Friday   9am-10am

Touhou panel or figure panel? That's a damned tough call to make right there.

[Rin Kagamine]

The doors to the convention center don't open until 8:30, sounds like the short end of the stick this year

[Edible]

Touhou Project   Panel 6   Friday   9am-10am

rrrrrrrrrrofl

Otakon NEVER schedules super popular shit in the wee hours of the morning.  So obvious someone new and inexperienced did the scheduling.

[Firestorm29]

rrrrrrrrrrofl

Otakon NEVER schedules super popular shit in the wee hours of the morning.  So obvious someone new and inexperienced did the scheduling.

What about that Yu-gi-oh abridged series panel last year? That seemed pretty packed and started early.

[triangles]

On the other hand, they know you guys will fill the room regardless of when they put it.

At least this means you're also not going to be up against the Shinkai stuff!

[Raymoo]

Omg, why is it at 9. I get off the plane at like 8. Arg, touhou cosplay meetup later?

[Momiji]

None of the panelists will even be available for it, but Kilga's talking with the panel scheduler, we'll see what they can figure out.

[Edible]

Honestly, I would advise against moving it - they've probably already printed the forms, so if it changes it'll only be noted on the back of some pamphlet that no one reads.

[Ryuu]

uuuuuuuuuugh I have to get up in the morning now

uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuugh


also are there photoshoot times yet

[Firestorm29]

Honestly, I would advise against moving it - they've probably already printed the forms, so if it changes it'll only be noted on the back of some pamphlet that no one reads.

Erm... if the guys running the panel can't even make it to the panel, not moving it just guarantees a no-show, right?

[Reddyne]

Oh, man. The earliest I'll be in Balty is 1 am! What the heck?! Will all of us have managed to get our badges by that time?

[triangles]

If you show up and say HEY I AM A 9AM PANELIST HELP HELP they will let you in early to get them.  I speak from experience  :derp:

Now if you mean not available as in not physically in Baltimore....  Though looking at the schedule unless you can find another panel that needed to switch there doesn't look to be much dead-space.

[Edible]

Erm... if the guys running the panel can't even make it to the panel, not moving it just guarantees a no-show, right?

Oh!. <_<

I thought Momi meant the touhou shoot.  My brain doesn't work.

[triangles]

Otakon doesn't officially print/post photoshoots beyond the forums.

According to cosplay.com they're set for 9pm Fri at the fountains and 3pm Sat 3rd floor.  I'll be around the Friday one as the Aniplex GET ALL THEM MADOKAS gathering is during the Saturday one (I got rejected from volunteering doh)

Ahhh I have 6 days to finish sewing EVERYTHING AHHHHHH.

[Firestorm29]

I heard there were gonna be 4, but I have no idea where the times come from... ^^;

[Menorah Jams, Pham]

The plus side: not much on Saturday, so MAIDENS DRINKING PARTY WOOOOOOO

[onions]

Is anyone here doing Yuugi? My Suika demands a drinking contest :colbert:
(fuck i'm a lightweight)

[Kilgamayan]

According to Bruce, our options are to keep the panel where it is and pray we all make it in there in time prepared and ready to go (FEI this almost assuredly will not happen) or we pull the panel entirely and pray some other panel cancels so we can vulture their time slot (we'd basically be at the top of the wait list).

I am honestly leaning toward the second one, partly because I am not at all confident we will be in the building, let alone prepared, at 9, partly because 9 AM is not going to get much attendance beyond the already-fans and having a lot of newbies makes the panel so much more fun, and partly because I would be surprised if the entire rest of the schedule stayed intact. Otakon veterans would probably know better than me about that last one, though.

[Firestorm29]

According to Bruce, our options are to keep the panel where it is and pray we all make it in there in time prepared and ready to go (FEI this almost assuredly will not happen) or we pull the panel entirely and pray some other panel cancels so we can vulture their time slot (we'd basically be at the top of the wait list).

I am honestly leaning toward the second one, partly because I am not at all confident we will be in the building, let alone prepared, at 9, partly because 9 AM is not going to get much attendance beyond the already-fans and having a lot of newbies makes the panel so much more fun, and partly because I would be surprised if the entire rest of the schedule stayed intact. Otakon veterans would probably know better than me about that last one, though.

The second sounds a bit better more because it seems like the 9AM slot is more of a dead-end unless you want an entirely different crew running it.

[Kilgamayan]

Also, while I put this out here to see what the populace wants, I would definitely like responses from fellow panelists, so if any of you see them puttering around IRC while I'm at work, link them this way. The sooner I respond to Bruce, the better.

[Raymoo]

I vote the latter in that we hope something happens to someone else. Makes me feel like a terrible person, but hey what can I do.

[onions]

Whether it's 9AM on Friday or a last-minute rescheduling some other time, you're not getting an optimal audience. Go with option 2, at least you won't have the Friday morning stress.

[Momiji]

Worthless sacks of shit.  >_>

[Link]

partly because 9 AM is not going to get much attendance beyond the already-fans and having a lot of newbies makes the panel so much more fun

While I'm aware you don't want to run the panel because your panelists won't be able to show up at 9AM and it's not the main issue, keep in mind a Touhou panel will be packed to the brim no matter what time or day it's run. I was at a friend's Friday 9AM mahjong panel last year and it was nearly filled. I find it hard to believe a Touhou panel wouldn't get people out the door at the same time.

You may not get the same audience (and not the one you want) of a normal, less bad timeslot, but it doesn't matter as much as you think. I still have no clue why Otakon doesn't tell their panels department heads every single year to make sure the popular panels get prime late afternoon/evening schedule space... But it wouldn't be Otakon without scheduling fuck-ups everywhere!