Well, SNAFU Con has come and gone. It was nicer than what I expected, though not as good as Fanime (which isn’t surprising in the least, especially since this was their first year). I was fairly impressed with what they did with the space they had and I’m definitely looking forward to seeing what they do with it next year. One of the things that they offered (which I really liked) was the option to purchase your ticket for next year for $15; they also stated that next year would be 3 days instead of 2 (to be fair it was more like 1.5).
I left work slightly early on Friday (right around the time
Friday’s post went live), ran home briefly to get a final piece for one of my costumes, and then headed to the GSR. After checking in, I headed to the room and changed into my cosplay: Vash the Stampede and then headed downstairs. I had hoped to do the Magic: the Gathering Booster Draft, but didn’t make it in time (such is life).
After getting my badge and con bag, I met up with some friends and talked for a bit before heading through Artists Alley (which was set up in the main room). I looked over their merchandise and talked with some of the artists, though nothing really caught my fancy. I did, however, get a card advertising a web comic that seemed interesting: 56Shards.com — the artist gave me this quick summary:
The Brothers Grimm have broken the magic mirror and the 56 shards have fallen in fairy tales, now they must find all the shards. The characters are all classic figures from the fairy tales, but with super powers.
It intrigued me enough to make mention of it on the blog.
After meandering through Artists Alley, I overheard someone say the Dealer’s Room was still open, which was a surprise, as they had initially planned to close at 5. I immediately headed into the Dealer’s Room and was pleasantly surprised by the amount of stuff they had inside. Robert Axelrod (aka Lord Zedd) was even in there and offering autographs; I talked to him for a few minutes and did purchase an autograph and promised I would be at his panel at 10 PM (which was a blast).
I watched a little anime the second day (the first 2 episodes of Yu Yu Hakusho), cruised the dealer’s room again, and hung out with some friends. Caught a panel on Costume design that was fairly enlightening; speaking of cosplay… I spent the second day in the school uniform of Sosuke Sagara.
I also met author, Lynn Hardy. She explained that she was there selling her book, Prophecy of the Flame, which was a #1 Kindle Bestseller, something I found pretty impressive. She had the dead tree versions available for $15 each or $25 for Volume 1 and Volume 2 (with autographs and messages, of course). She explained that the books are about a group of gamers who suddenly find themselves transported into another dimension where they are suddenly the very characters that they were gaming as. This is an idea I really like (as I’m sure most gamers would) and so I of course bought the pair, though I told her I would probably be reading them on the kindle instead. Once I finish the books, I’m sure I’ll do a review of them. So far I’m very pleased with the first one.
All in all, I will say it was a fun con and worth the price of admission. I enjoyed being there and had some fun, but I don’t think it was necessary for me to have gotten a room at the GSR for both nights. I could easily have checked out Saturday morning and just thrown my stuff in the car and then hung out at the con till I was ready to go home. The final event (the rave) wasn’t something I attended, if it had been, the room would have been worth it (as it ended at midnight).