Welcome to Gaia! ::

I've only been to one con, but that was enough to pick up on some common sense.


-Don't worry if you're by yourself for a bit.
-Don't worry if you can't find people... Cons can draw quite a crowd, but you'll end up running into them eventually.
-Security guards are not here for your safety. They're from an anime that you don't recognize.
-Keep most of your money in a pocket, and only food money in a bag.
-You will lose your money at some point. You will probably realize this after walking around without it for hours. You will probably also realize this when you're trying to buy food.
-Backtrack. You probably left it where you were sitting down last.
-Don't buy very small things. They get lost.
-Don't cosplay anything that you wouldn't want people at your school seeing.
-If you talk to your friends about cosplay costumes after the con at school, do it quietly.
-Don't be afraid to ask to take people's pictures. I was, and now I barely have any way of remembering the awesome cosplays I saw.
-If you see somebody you know and you're out of money, attach yourself to them for a while. It's pretty much the only way to entertain yourself for free.
-Parents tend to magically appear. Don't cosplay anything skimpy.
-Parents occasionally appear in cosplay. Don't panic.
-Parents occasionally appear in lolita clothes. Don't panic visibly; not panicing at all would be inhuman.
-You know those cute little hats with ears? Don't buy them if you're not going to wear them. They collect lint easily, too, and are expensive.
-Bring money. Lots of money.
-Bring deoderant. Lots of deoderant.
-Bring mints. For the sake of your fellow cosplayers.
-If you're cosplaying something skimpy, put an effort into doing at least a few situps or crunches a day for a while before the con.
-Please, please, take that one seriously. Flabby Envy's and Ed's are not appreciated.
-If you're crossplaying, invest in a sports bra. D-cup Daisuke might be a good idea in your mind, but probably only comes as a source of amusment to everyone else.
-Don't expect to spend more than $5 on food; you kind of get so overwhelmed that there's no room in your brain for hunger. That's my theory, anyways. I was at a con for almost a whole day and only got around to eating a bag of Cheetos and a popsicle.
-Cup Ramen will sell easily and for abnormally high prices if you're running a stand.
-So does Pocky, Yan-Yan, block ramen, and any other Japanese foods.
-Bring lots of money, but not your ATM card. When you run out of cash after two hours, this serves as a lesson to you, not a warrant to spend all of your savings.
-Keep your cell phone charged and your friends' numbers stored in it. It's annoyingly easy to lose people.
-If you don't like yaoi, stay out of the art auctions. It's not as common in the 'artists' alley' areas, so you don't have to worry, but for some reason shounen-ai and yaoi are everywhere in the auctions.
-Never, ever tell a person your honest opinion of their art. This goes for outside of cons, too.
-If you have any sort of knee or ankle problems, bring a support brace or ACE bandages. You'll be standing in lines or in immobile crowds for a long time.
-Don't share Pocky with strangers. They should pay for their own >0
-If you aren't cosplaying and wish you were, get some cardboard and be Pac-man. Anything's better than whining to your friends.
-Give yourself a few months beforehand to get your costume ready.
-Preregister. Discounts are great; $15 saved can be three mangas on Sunday's discount at a weekend con.
-Save money for the last day's discounts.
-If there's crowds, push through. They're there for a reason; if you don't get through, there might not be any Pocky or Roy plushies left by the time you get there.
-Bring board games or other stupidity; Ed and Envy playing Twister together is always amusing.

"Do Not's"
...May result in injury or embarassment.

DO NOT hit people with your Keyblade.
DO NOT hit people with your automail.
DO NOT hit people with 'Alphonse''s head.
DO NOT hit people with other people.
DO NOT throw things that don't belong to you.
DO NOT throw wigs in unpopulated areas; this is only funny if it gets attention.

"Do's"
...May result in entertaining injury or embarassment.

DO wear spoiler T-shirts.
DO buy an "ED DIES IN THE END" T-shirt.
DO buy a "DARK DIES IN THE END" T-shirt.
DO stage fake death scenes in photoshoots.
DO ask cosplayers for funny poses in photoshoots.
DO give spoilers to people new to your favorite series.
DO persuade other cosplayers, whether you know them or not, to join a game of Twister.