Quote:
Originally Posted by SpyStrip
My brother explained to me that doing just that is definitely "a thing". He also said there are women who come to the conventions who are semi-pro prostitutes who use cosplay. He told me he saw several in the hotels surrounding the Los Angeles event. I remember as a kid there were jokes and stories about conventions and "away from the wife" sex play, and this is merely a version of it. Like you, I would rather place my line waiting on sports events, but every Giants game I've gone to and every 49rs game I've gone to, there are no lines - you just walk in. Parking is another story, but the game itself is simple to enter. And these women definitely have followings on social media. They take what they do very seriously.
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Oof, I am an LA native and have gone to AX for years, and this year that line was the worst it has ever been BY FAR. The problem this year, for some reason, was that they decided that they wouldnt let anyone into the convention center until 9am, and the exhibit hall, along with some panels, started at 10am. So, because most attendees know that lines can get long really quick, many arrive *early* to beat the rush.
Due the new policy, and the fact staff didnt account for the long lines on the first day, every entrance had a constant stream of people going in seemingly for the entire day.
The following days, they managed to create an area of switchbacks to accommodate more people, and the opened the doors to the convention center earlier so people would be able to get to wherever they wanted or needed to be.
On the "cosplay scene": many people dress up for fun, some go all out and get photos taken by semi-professional photographers outside the convention. FOR FREE. It's an equal exchange for exposure on both sides. Cosplayers have photos to share online, and the photographers get to showcase their work for future jobs. There are cosplayers who do online modeling and charge people through subscriptions either through patreon or on their own website. It can vary from completely tame images all the way to full nude pictorials, but I'm not familiar with the "semi pro prostitute" aspect, but I can believe its true to a point. I hear a lot of sex is going on in the hotel's nearby, but since I'm local, I just drive and I dont dress up. I still admire the thought and skill put into costumes i see along with the skin that's on show. And 27,000 followers is sort of low to mid-tier as the well known professional cosplayers can have hundreds of thousands of followers.
But anyways, yeah the first day of AX this year was a nightmare to get into the building. Once inside, "line con" is still no joke. People line up hours in advance to make sure they get into panels and autographs they want. As for standing in line for cosplayers, it all comes down to who it is, where the line is set up, and if they ask for tips if you wanna take pictures with them. Dont think I've waited in a 30min+ line for a cosplayer since the likes if jessica Nigri, Vampy Bit Me, and Yaya Han had their own booths to meet fans there.
AX has gotten so huge now, so many are beginning to no longer attend due to the crowds. It's easily the largest convention that LA has, and I can only compare it the crowd density that San Diego Comic Con has, but I still feel like SDCC has more people in and around the convention. It's just that the crowds when walking around are similar, but AX at least still has lines that dont require camping overnight or multiple days in order to get into a panel.
I'm a huge nerd who goes to all the LA region comic book conventions, so I see a lot of things. But I always tend to err on the side of ignorance when it comes to any "subcultures" (ie prostitution) that are taking place, since I dont want to judge anyone based on what they're wearing or choose to spend their time at a convention. Unless I hear a conversation where solicitation is occurring, or someone I know encounters someone being paid for sex, i really have no idea if it's real, or who these people might be. Cosplay can be an expensive hobby, but not everyone strives for accuracy or high quality materials, yet they are still able to create something that is recognizable as the character and amazing to look at.
I cant speak about other Anime conventions like those that are in Pasadena or in that area, since that's out of my region of travel. I go to sdcc and get a hotel, but pasadena is just too long of a drive for me to justify buying a ticket and paying for parking for just over half the day.
Anyways, sorry for such a long post about a subject likely none of you will care about enough to read. Lol
08-13-2019, 12:22 AM
[Request] ENF story at comicon, possibly on deviant art
