So here is the long awaited TnT post. I'm sorry I have been hellishly busy. Let's begin.
I will be honest here I do not go to many Cons, not by choice but by budget. But it is almost tradition now that when I do go to a con I am destined to have a bad time. Or at least some bad memory associated with the con.
This con though? I had a very unenjoyable time. And I hate that. But don't worry, there is a happy ending.
So here's why:
The day started out pretty simple, my best friend Clemente and myself traveled over 100 miles and 2 hours to get to the anime convention know as Tokyo in Tulsa for a single day on the Saturday of the event. And we were pumped, we were gonna go to panels and hang out with our friends and eat sushi and take pictures of awesome cosplayers and ohhh it was gonna be great. We got there and the registration wasn't going to open for another hour, and that wasn't a big deal we were content on waiting. Plus Mii~chan had Clemente's wig for his cosplay (he was Robert Garcia by the way, and in case you're wondering I was unable to cosplay this year). So I called and called her phone trying to get a hold of her with no avail. I finally got a hold of her friend Paige who woke-up Mii~chan (who turned out to be very cranky). When we got up there, everyone was still getting ready and for some reason had a problem with us being in there room. Understandable, but it was necessary as Mii~chan had promised to help Clemente with his wig and we wanted to make it to registration before the line filled up.
So Mii~chan helped Clemente with his hair and scuttled out of there as we couldn't wait for them to take another hour-two hours to get ready. We got in line, we registered and the girls were still not ready. More specifically, Mii~chan was not ready as she had said that morning she refused to get ready till she was halfway through her morning Dr. pepper. So Clemente and I went to a Doctor Who panel that started that morning! Awesome!
So Mii~chan helped Clemente with his hair and scuttled out of there as we couldn't wait for them to take another hour-two hours to get ready. We got in line, we registered and the girls were still not ready. More specifically, Mii~chan was not ready as she had said that morning she refused to get ready till she was halfway through her morning Dr. pepper. So Clemente and I went to a Doctor Who panel that started that morning! Awesome!
Now, there was not all bad parts at the con. There really wasn't, and this panel was the first of these moments. I went to 2 Doctor Who panels this day, and this first one covered the Doctor and explaining all his incarnations, it was very exciting and it was funny being able to tell how knowledgeable I was over over those who had been Who fans longer than me (what can I say? I like to learn all I can about anything I actually like). I got out of the panel though, to discover Mii~chan pissed at me for going to a panel while she was taking her time getting ready. Yeah, I know, her Dr. Pepper had to come first. Moving on.
So this is one of those better moments of the day, to be quite honest in which Mii~chan and I went to lunch after the panel and she looked very pretty in her Minami (from the Baka and Test anime) cosplay. We drove all over parts of downtown Tulsa looking for somewhere and finally decided on a McDonald's down the street, it was quite funny despite getting frustrate due to hunger. It was one of the few moments we were able to be alone and enjoy the day. Hint: the good moments were for the most part actually associated with Mii~chan after I calmed her down about some anger.
When we returned we could not find Clemente, so we went around looking at the various parts of the con and my particular favorite area was the vendor's room where I picked up some nifty things like manga, key-chains, even some fans (honestly, most of what I got I've forgotten by now) and it was filled with an energy I was so happy being a part of. We also went and spoke with the kind folks at Equinox Comics where I discovered Oklahoma has it's own residence small time indie comic company, I had no idea. But I bought a few of their comics which I enjoyed reading.
And then Megan's friends started getting on my nerves. Because for some reason they had to bicker and complain. A lot. About meaningless things too, though which reasons escape me now. I saw no reason they just could not enjoy the convention, it was their choice to run an art booth for this last hoorah before they all went off to college. There was, however a time when her best friend Amanda got me furious but we'll get to that.
So this is one of those better moments of the day, to be quite honest in which Mii~chan and I went to lunch after the panel and she looked very pretty in her Minami (from the Baka and Test anime) cosplay. We drove all over parts of downtown Tulsa looking for somewhere and finally decided on a McDonald's down the street, it was quite funny despite getting frustrate due to hunger. It was one of the few moments we were able to be alone and enjoy the day. Hint: the good moments were for the most part actually associated with Mii~chan after I calmed her down about some anger.
When we returned we could not find Clemente, so we went around looking at the various parts of the con and my particular favorite area was the vendor's room where I picked up some nifty things like manga, key-chains, even some fans (honestly, most of what I got I've forgotten by now) and it was filled with an energy I was so happy being a part of. We also went and spoke with the kind folks at Equinox Comics where I discovered Oklahoma has it's own residence small time indie comic company, I had no idea. But I bought a few of their comics which I enjoyed reading.
And then Megan's friends started getting on my nerves. Because for some reason they had to bicker and complain. A lot. About meaningless things too, though which reasons escape me now. I saw no reason they just could not enjoy the convention, it was their choice to run an art booth for this last hoorah before they all went off to college. There was, however a time when her best friend Amanda got me furious but we'll get to that.
Earlier that day Clemente had gone to get our friend Sandra who lived nearby there in Tulsa and brought her to the convention. It was a sweet thing because it was nice seeing an old friend. Plus Clemente had someone to hang out with as Mii~chan wanted me to hang out with her (and before you think anyone is being mean or selfish, this is actually the way it was planned from the beginning earlier that week). And I was fine with that. So here comes another great highlight of the day, and ironically it involved me getting beat up. So to speak. Read on to find out:
So we went and saw Samurai Dan and his wife Jillian, two of the coolest people you will ever meet in your life. The two of them are martial art master and kendo masters who specialize in training other in self defense, martial arts and kendo in the most hilarious but disciplinary of ways. Seriously, these guys are hilarious. I recommend seeking out any videos of them that might be online if there are any. Anyways, so we got up there and the lesson this time were self defense FOR WOMEN and so us guys got to be the punching bags. We learned all sorts of neat tricks and I even got to try a few of them on Megan. Haha. Of course i was gentle. But basically my left arm really really hurt after that but I felt good about it, I really did. And it was helpful that two of our friends, the other couple of the friend group, Kela and Daniel were there and they act a lot like us so it was a lot of fun with them there.
And then came the moment that sent everything spiraling down hill till the end (I swear, there IS a happy ending to this story). It was established that Clemente was going to take Sandra home because she needed to go home and then come back and we were going to go eat with our friends. But that didn't happen. Sandra and Clemente waited to late in the day to leave and everyone else even tried waiting for them for about 15 minutes. I finally decided to tell them to go ahead without me, I will wait for Clemente because I did not want him to come back and be alone. And yes I tried and tried calling his phone and Sandra's and texting them and leaving voice messages. And don't get any ideas, she has a boyfriend who was at home when they arrived there. I waited. And waited. And waited outside in a parking lot for 2 hours waiting for him to come back. And I never stopped trying to get a hold of either of them. Finally I found a bar & grill nearby and decided to order food for one, because I was hungry. Just after I ordered he arrived back. Man. I was pissed. And so was Mii~chan understandably.
I called Amanda (because I accidentally ended up with also having Mii~chan's phone), and they told me they were on they were on their way home. I told them I would meet them at the rave (because TnT has a rave at the end of Saturday night), I guess she though I meant room? Because that's what she told Mii~chan. 30 minutes later they finally arrived and everyone decided they were going to go chill in the bedroom for a whole HOUR because they couldn't believe for one minute that the rave started at 9:00 pm even though all they had to do was look at a schedule of that day's events. I told Amanda I was at the rave waiting for them. She never told Mii~chan this apparently as Mii~chan was getting pissed that I was not showing up at the room and her friends were refusing to find out where I was. Now, could I have gone up to the room? Yes. But I thought after telling them with my own voice that the rave started at 9:00 and that was where I was at they would come down to the rave. -- You could see this is the part I mentioned about being pissed.
So as we reach the home stretch, 30 minutes later again I finally go up to the room only to find out all of them have gone downstairs to Skype with their friend Robyn who had recently moved away. And there's no problem with that but at this point I could tell her friends really did not care if Mii~chan and I saw each other because no one was attempting to get their information right. And I still had Mii~chan's phone and she couldn't use her friends phone. So I got down there to the lobby where they were Skyping to find an angry Mii~chan wondering where I have been at.
Did we fight? Yes. But due to some very unhelpful miscommunication.
And now for the happy ending.
I explained to her I did not want to go to the rave anymore, I was in a sour mood and just wanted to be with her. That was the whole reason for being at the con anyways, was to be with her for our first con together. We explained to one another the misinformation being fed or the non-information being fed to us and realized that wow we just need to go to a con alone some time. With no one else we know. Just us. And I would love that. So we layed in bed and just cuddled and talked and laughed as we looked at funny pictures on my phone and we realized how much we missed each other that day and how much we still meant to each other. Because in the end, no matter who's causing the pain and no matter how angry we get for any reason selfish, frustrated, or otherwise. We love each other. And we want to make memories with each other. And this was certainly an interesting one.
And so that was TnT 2012 in Tulsa, looking back it wasn't 100% terrible. It actually had some really great parts to it.
Izumicon is coming up in OKC this November, and I get to help as staff. This should be interesting. But I truly hope it goes better than TnT.
Because really, I not only want a great experience at a con for once. But I really want it to be with Mii~chan. I love her.
-Derrii-kun.
So we went and saw Samurai Dan and his wife Jillian, two of the coolest people you will ever meet in your life. The two of them are martial art master and kendo masters who specialize in training other in self defense, martial arts and kendo in the most hilarious but disciplinary of ways. Seriously, these guys are hilarious. I recommend seeking out any videos of them that might be online if there are any. Anyways, so we got up there and the lesson this time were self defense FOR WOMEN and so us guys got to be the punching bags. We learned all sorts of neat tricks and I even got to try a few of them on Megan. Haha. Of course i was gentle. But basically my left arm really really hurt after that but I felt good about it, I really did. And it was helpful that two of our friends, the other couple of the friend group, Kela and Daniel were there and they act a lot like us so it was a lot of fun with them there.
And then came the moment that sent everything spiraling down hill till the end (I swear, there IS a happy ending to this story). It was established that Clemente was going to take Sandra home because she needed to go home and then come back and we were going to go eat with our friends. But that didn't happen. Sandra and Clemente waited to late in the day to leave and everyone else even tried waiting for them for about 15 minutes. I finally decided to tell them to go ahead without me, I will wait for Clemente because I did not want him to come back and be alone. And yes I tried and tried calling his phone and Sandra's and texting them and leaving voice messages. And don't get any ideas, she has a boyfriend who was at home when they arrived there. I waited. And waited. And waited outside in a parking lot for 2 hours waiting for him to come back. And I never stopped trying to get a hold of either of them. Finally I found a bar & grill nearby and decided to order food for one, because I was hungry. Just after I ordered he arrived back. Man. I was pissed. And so was Mii~chan understandably.
I called Amanda (because I accidentally ended up with also having Mii~chan's phone), and they told me they were on they were on their way home. I told them I would meet them at the rave (because TnT has a rave at the end of Saturday night), I guess she though I meant room? Because that's what she told Mii~chan. 30 minutes later they finally arrived and everyone decided they were going to go chill in the bedroom for a whole HOUR because they couldn't believe for one minute that the rave started at 9:00 pm even though all they had to do was look at a schedule of that day's events. I told Amanda I was at the rave waiting for them. She never told Mii~chan this apparently as Mii~chan was getting pissed that I was not showing up at the room and her friends were refusing to find out where I was. Now, could I have gone up to the room? Yes. But I thought after telling them with my own voice that the rave started at 9:00 and that was where I was at they would come down to the rave. -- You could see this is the part I mentioned about being pissed.
So as we reach the home stretch, 30 minutes later again I finally go up to the room only to find out all of them have gone downstairs to Skype with their friend Robyn who had recently moved away. And there's no problem with that but at this point I could tell her friends really did not care if Mii~chan and I saw each other because no one was attempting to get their information right. And I still had Mii~chan's phone and she couldn't use her friends phone. So I got down there to the lobby where they were Skyping to find an angry Mii~chan wondering where I have been at.
Did we fight? Yes. But due to some very unhelpful miscommunication.
And now for the happy ending.
I explained to her I did not want to go to the rave anymore, I was in a sour mood and just wanted to be with her. That was the whole reason for being at the con anyways, was to be with her for our first con together. We explained to one another the misinformation being fed or the non-information being fed to us and realized that wow we just need to go to a con alone some time. With no one else we know. Just us. And I would love that. So we layed in bed and just cuddled and talked and laughed as we looked at funny pictures on my phone and we realized how much we missed each other that day and how much we still meant to each other. Because in the end, no matter who's causing the pain and no matter how angry we get for any reason selfish, frustrated, or otherwise. We love each other. And we want to make memories with each other. And this was certainly an interesting one.
And so that was TnT 2012 in Tulsa, looking back it wasn't 100% terrible. It actually had some really great parts to it.
Izumicon is coming up in OKC this November, and I get to help as staff. This should be interesting. But I truly hope it goes better than TnT.
Because really, I not only want a great experience at a con for once. But I really want it to be with Mii~chan. I love her.
-Derrii-kun.