LGBTAitP #31: Cuddles Are On Back Order. Have Some Snuggles!

[Mina Kobold]

So, this week, I was at a convention.
[Summary in the spoiler. Warning: a wild dumbass appears. Wait, no, 2.]

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I'd said months ago BF and I were planning to go as Persona characters, with me cosplaying Naoto. Long story short, we lacked time to prepare the costumes, so we went as ourselves.
It was a brand new con. Though it was the first edition, the staff was very nice, and so were most visitors.
We unexpectedly recruited a guy. Turns out he's a furry, and he can make plushies. THAT IS AWESOME.

Now, the incident.
I wanted to have some colored art ready to sell, so that people have an idea of my style if they ask for a commission (or buy what I've already done, of course). I took up watercolor again, after years of not using them. I made a fanart series based on Persona girls disguised as their Persona, one for each element. In all honesty, it didn't turn out very good, but I got to play with watercolor again.
On the second day of the con, we find what must be the biggest Persona fan in the country. He gushes over us knowing Persona. He, however, says he doesn't have the money to buy any of my piece, even if I lower the price. That's okay. Then he starts talking about his game, where he raised Jack Frost and a few others to level 99. That's also okay.
Then he draws out his PSP from his pocket with an on-going P3 game to show us his personas directly. We took that as an alarm, but it was too late already. He kept talking to us about his achievements for a while, then said he was going to get his brother, "he has to see that!".
Once he's gone, we laugh a bit. We've never met such an enthusiastic fan before.
Later, he comes back with his brother. (For the sake of clarity, my thoughts will, from now, be written between brackets.)
He's worse than he is. He doesn't have any money, either. Once they actually start talking about the art, they actually only nitpick. "You chose Chie as the ice user? Ahahah, what a joke, Mitsuru's a much better choice!" [Well, I like Chie better as a character, but you're free to commission... oh, right, no money.] "Oh, that's Aigis? Her hair's too light! What is she using? What's that? Arrow Shower? God Hand is better, it destroys EVERYTHING!" [Oh, come on, I'm not painting the best attack of each element, just ONE attack. Again, commission.] "Elizabeth as Pixie, using thunder? It doesn't... oh, yeah, you're right, Pixie does learn Zio naturally. Her disguised a Thor would be much funnier though, ahah! With the horns and everything! Why didn't you do that?" [Again, artistic choice, and again, if you want Elizabeth as Thor, COMMISSION PLEASE]. He was nitpicking and giving his very own opinion on EVERYTHING. He did not even criticize the quality, which would have been understandable, but what amounts to very simple and innocent artistic choices. If he had been willing to buy a series with his preference, I'd have done it in a heartbeat, even at a reduced price.
And then he noticed there was no Almighty element in my series. (From then on, my speech is bolded.) Please note that, sitting right next to me, was my FtM BF.

"Elizabeth should have symbolized Almighty, with Megidolaon."
"I chose to have her represent electricity, because there was no other girl with thunder."
"Fair enough. How about Naoto for Almighty then?"
"Ah, but he's not a girl." [I think I know where this is going.]
"Yes, she is. She dresses like a boy, but she's a girl."
"No, he's not." [He says he's not a girl, so he's not a girl, perhaps I should just call you "ma'am" and kindly ask you to go away.] (I might have been twitching at this point.)
"Yes, she is. She... hm... I guess this is open to... interpretation." ]
"..."[Well, yeah, I mean, we shouldn't believe what characters keep claiming throughout the whole game. Kanji does not actually like plushies, for example, everybody knows that. And I say I'm a girl, but I'm so unfeminine my gender is open to interpretation, right?
"... she's very flat-chested for a girl, isn't she? Huhuh. :D"
"..." [OH YEAH POOR NAOTO IS SO INCOMPETENT AT BEING A BOY AND A GIRL AND IT'S SO IMPORTANT TO HAVE A BIG CHEST AHAH no seriously go away before I stab you.]
"... sooo anyway they're crazy isn't it? I mean LOOK AT MARA WHAT WERE THEY SMOKING IT'S LITERALLY A PE-" *parent with children walking behind them right at that moment. We've irremediably lost their interest. I, once again, want to stab people.*
They kept at it for way too long. When I was about to snap, a friend fortunately managed to find an excuse to have my BF walk away somewhere else with her, and with half their forced audience gone, they lost all interest and went somewhere else, presumably to scare away other customers and drive other artists mad. Seriously, they were blocking the whole stand and were the only one to actually participate in their own discussion.
Also, they insisted no one in the game was gay. Which is open to interpretation, but a strange thing to insist on considering this is one of the most gay* RPG I've ever played, and one of the character's whole arc revolves around being comfortable with his sexuality. So I might have shouted "THEY'RE ALL GAY IN THAT GAME ANYWAY"** out of spite once they were out of earshot.
Once they were gone, we realized how much worse things would have gone if we had gone with our original cosplay idea.
Our association's first unspoken rule is now that if you feel the need to get out your portable console to point out how much of a munchkin you are at a game that has an actual plot, you're out.

TL;DR: We meet Awkward Annoying Fanboy. He has brother, No-Life Annoying Fanboy. Everybody loses.




*as in rainbowy and happy and gay. Not as in sucky. Gay as in gay.
** I would have clarified what my actual opinion on the characters is, but I realize that if I have to clarify that point, or anyone actually wants to launch a debate over a harmless joke, then I need more freakin' holidays. NO. I DON'T WANT TO ARGUE WHOSE HEADCANON IS CANON-ER. I JUST WANTED TO DRAW CHARACTERS AND GET USED TO WATERCOLORS AGAIN. AAAAAAAARGH

Mrrr, that certainly was not very nice. I understand being eager to talk about a fandom, but dismissing someone's artistic choices (especially when it is apparently representative of something that can be done in the game) as below one's own is just plain mean and trolling. Playing to get the biggest attacking power in a game is just fine, but it is not the only way to play, meanie-stranger!

On a positive note: I now even more want to play the Persona games and the other Megami Tensei games! ^_^

On an even more positive note: Plushies! X3

They started to get too progressive and communistic. Now they don't care about your rights, just their money, and how to make more of your money theirs.

I think zombie Karl Marx is spinning fast enough in the grave to emit X-rays...

Which I do not condone and which is not part of the Kobocialist plans for world domination!
>_>
<_<

[Lix Lorn]

I think zombie Karl Marx is spinning fast enough in the grave to emit X-rays...

Which I do not condone and which is not part of the Kobocialist plans for world domination!
>_>
<_<

Hey
Hey
Keveak
Is Karl Marx's grave a communist plot?

[Mono Vertigo]

They spent several days just to level up a bunch of low-level Personas to level 99. One of which before the first boss. If they are to be believed, anyway.
That was just borderline obsessive.
Look, I played the game, I enjoyed the plot and the characters, and I tried to complete as many nice social links as humanly possible. I think that's good enough, honestly. It's not like I was making completely OOC fanart of a game I never played. Before that incident, BF thought he was the obsessive one for leveling up everybody (not their Personas, just the characters) to level 99 in P3P.
Never fought Elizabeth, but I know she has Pixie. It's not the Persona she uses for Electric attacks, admittedly. Pixie learns an electric attack naturally, though. Close enough, I just wanted to complete the elemental set.
As for Chie, well, I like Chie better. Lots of Mitsuru fans, but sorry, I had to make a choice. Anyway, I'm not sure why I'm justifying myself there. If it's not the quality of the art that turns you off, you could commission me! I'd be more than happy to paint Thor!Elizabeth, or Penthesilea!Mitsuru, or just plain Mitsuru, or whatever!
More Megami Tensei is always good anyway. I love the series to bits.
Oh yeah and these two jerks hated Pokémon, too
What the hell are you doing at a con with a giant Pokémon arena in the middle then

[noparlpf]

They spent several days just to level up a bunch of low-level Personas. One of which before the first boss.
That was just borderline obsessive.
Look, I played the game, I enjoyed the plot and the characters, and I tried to complete as many nice social links as humanly possible. I think that's good enough, honestly. It's not like I was making completely OOC fanart of a game I never played. Before that incident, BF thought he was the obsessive one for leveling up everybody (not their Personas, just the characters) to level 99 in P3P.
Never fought Elizabeth, but I know she has Pixie. It's not the Persona she uses for Electric attacks, admittedly. Pixie learns an electric attack naturally, though. Close enough, I just wanted to complete the elemental set.
As for Chie, well, I like Chie better. Lots of Mitsuru fans, but sorry, I had to make a choice. Anyway, I'm not sure why I'm justifying myself there. If it's not the quality of the art that turns you off, you could commission me! I'd be more than happy to paint Thor!Elizabeth, or Penthesilea!Mitsuru, or just plain Mitsuru, or whatever!
More Megami Tensei is always good anyway. I love the series to bits.
Oh yeah and these two jerks hated Pokémon, too
What the hell are you doing at a con with a giant Pokémon arena in the middle then

It's times like these that you need to have a cat who can actually scratch and bite on command.

[Lea Plath]

I'm not a cat but I can bite...


HARD!

[Mono Vertigo]

Oh god, spider bites. That's evil.
I love it.
As long as I'm not the one being bitten.

[Lix Lorn]

She bites everyone.

[Lea Plath]

Yeah, but most of the time it is a playful chewing or a cute little nip.

I'm talking about "OH GOD GET IT OFF ITS BITING MY EARLOBS I'VE NEVER BEEN IN THIS MUCH PAIN" levels of biting.

[Mono Vertigo]

B-but. I don't like being bitten. By spiders. That's the worst.
... you said everyone? Okay, I can easily avoid this if I momentarily turn into an inanimate object then. Like a statue. Spiders don't bite statues, right?

[Lea Plath]

B-but. I don't like being bitten. By spiders. That's the worst.
... you said everyone? Okay, I can easily avoid this if I momentarily turn into an inanimate object then. Like a statue. Spiders don't bite statues, right?

*Chews friendlily* ::::3

[Mono Vertigo]

I don't know if I'm surprised by how comfortable it actually is, too terrified to feel anything, or if it's the venom numbing me down.

[Karen Lynn]

They spent several days just to level up a bunch of low-level Personas to level 99. One of which before the first boss. If they are to be believed, anyway.
That was just borderline obsessive.
Look, I played the game, I enjoyed the plot and the characters, and I tried to complete as many nice social links as humanly possible. I think that's good enough, honestly. It's not like I was making completely OOC fanart of a game I never played. Before that incident, BF thought he was the obsessive one for leveling up everybody (not their Personas, just the characters) to level 99 in P3P.
Never fought Elizabeth, but I know she has Pixie. It's not the Persona she uses for Electric attacks, admittedly. Pixie learns an electric attack naturally, though. Close enough, I just wanted to complete the elemental set.
As for Chie, well, I like Chie better. Lots of Mitsuru fans, but sorry, I had to make a choice. Anyway, I'm not sure why I'm justifying myself there. If it's not the quality of the art that turns you off, you could commission me! I'd be more than happy to paint Thor!Elizabeth, or Penthesilea!Mitsuru, or just plain Mitsuru, or whatever!
More Megami Tensei is always good anyway. I love the series to bits.
Oh yeah and these two jerks hated Pokémon, too
What the hell are you doing at a con with a giant Pokémon arena in the middle then

What.

These two... Augh!

Also, Giant Pokémon arena? I want to see this, and bust out my Baton Pass Eeveelu team.

[Mono Vertigo]

Actually, I have the huge regret of having to confess I never got to see what was really going on, but I suspect there was, among others, karaoke battles and Pokémon impersonation contests, but not actual battles (could be wrong though). Perhaps in a future edition?
It still was advertised as a Pokémon Arena and occupied a large area.

[Chess435]

What.

These two... Augh!

Also, Giant Pokémon arena? I want to see this, and bust out my Baton Pass Eeveelu team.

And I would have to bust out my really scary team.

[SiuiS]

They started to get too progressive and communistic. Now they don't care about your rights, just their money, and how to make more of your money theirs.

Well, that spent actually sound communistic to me, though maybe Communistic. At this point we are dealing with connotations, not denotations or definitions, so there's no way for this to not become a political thing.

Communes are strange. In theory, is like to live in one, but it would have to be with the right people. A close knit community tat supports itself and each other, where each supplies labor and devices more than money or promise thereof. Would be nice.

Hey
Hey
Keveak
Is Karl Marx's grave a communist plot?

Crypt, actually. We went for a cairn but, well, we couldn't get the workers to put in the effort to cut the stones into smaller pieces. So we got a few walls instead.

They spent several days just to level up a bunch of low-level Personas to level 99. One of which before the first boss. If they are to be believed, anyway.

I've left the viridian forest with a level 100 Charizard before. This stuff happens.

Oh yeah and these two jerks hated Pokémon, too
What the hell are you doing at a con with a giant Pokémon arena in the middle then

... And now I know who to feed to that Charizard.

[Karen Lynn]

And I would have to bust out my really scary team.

I'm still gonna beat that team one day...

[KenderWizard]

Coolest. Dad. Ever.

I wish we didn't live in a world where that was the COOLEST THING EVER!! Go that dad!

Grats, lender! Glad the con went well.

Thank you!

Cool! Get some rest, hon. Thn come back with DEAILS. Juicy ones.

Um ... we had two Lidl multipacks of juice, as well as fizzy drink cans, chocolate and fruit, for the GMs and volunteers. #juicydetails

[noparlpf]

Yeah, but most of the time it is a playful chewing or a cute little nip.

I'm talking about "OH GOD GET IT OFF ITS BITING MY EARLOBS I'VE NEVER BEEN IN THIS MUCH PAIN" levels of biting.

...that doesn't sound that painful actually unless venom is involved. Considering I've actually had my ear cut during a haircut, I think I can say that.
(When do they come out with a way of simulating sensations for which one has neither the physiology nor neurology? Those "labor simulators" are only very generally similar to real labor, considering labor involves a couple of bits not present in the male body, and even with some futuristic direct neural input method, there aren't cells in the sensory cortex that correspond to said nonexistent bits.)

I've left the viridian forest with a level 100 Charizard before. This stuff happens.

...
Why? That sounds so unbearably boring.

[Chess435]

I'm still gonna beat that team one day...

Good luck with that.

My main battle team:
Arceus (Normal)
Shaymin (Sky Form)
White Kyurem
Latios
Blaziken
Ditto

(The last two have their Dream World Abilities. Blaziken has Speed Boost, and Ditto has Impostor.)

[SiuiS]

...that doesn't sound that painful actually unless venom is involved. Considering I've actually had my ear cut during a haircut, I think I can say that.
(When do they come out with a way of simulating sensations for which one has neither the physiology nor neurology? Those "labor simulators" are only very generally similar to real labor, considering labor involves a couple of bits not present in the male body, and even with some futuristic direct neural input method, there aren't cells in the sensory cortex that correspond to said nonexistent bits.)

That's interesting. Are you sure those exact sensory cells would be needed?

...
Why? That sounds so unbearably boring.

Because I could. I'm not saying it was a good idea. Just that people who aren't inane losers do that sort of thing. Or well, wait. Am I an insane loser?

[noparlpf]

That's interesting. Are you sure those exact sensory cells would be needed?

Probably? I'll ask a professor tomorrow if I remember.

Because I could. I'm not saying it was a good idea. Just that people who aren't insane losers do that sort of thing. Or well, wait. Am I an insane loser?

Um, I'm not a good judge, seeing as that basically describes me perfectly lately.

[Coidzor]

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TL;DR: We meet Awkward Annoying Fanboy. He has brother, No-Life Annoying Fanboy. Everybody loses.

I do recall it being said that it's important to learn how to divert people who think they should act like they're on the internet in their meatspace interactions. I'm sorry you had to deal with them though, and also that I don't know how to advise you specifically to cut down on such people sticking around in the future.

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*as in rainbowy and happy and gay. Not as in sucky. Gay as in gay.

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I didn't find either Persona 3 or Persona 4 to be particularly campy.

I've definitely missed some things though, I must admit.

[Rain Dragon]

Considering I've actually had my ear cut during a haircut, I think I can say that.

Those "labor simulators" are only very generally similar to real labor, considering labor involves a couple of bits not present in the male body, and even with some futuristic direct neural input method, there aren't cells in the sensory cortex that correspond to said nonexistent bits.

I'm glad I've not had an ear cut yet (just girly haircut after girly haircut ). I had something on my ear a while ago my Mum had to lance and it hurt like hell. So do most piercings, so it'd depend where your ear got cut I suppose.

I've heard from peers and angry parents that labour really, really hurts. I therefore have no desire to simulate the experience personally, but I can certainly understand why some people would.

And I would have to bust out my really scary team.

Aww, not the LGBTitP team? (Actually, if I go back a bunch of pages we had enough pokemon for two said teams! )

-Giovanni

[Eirala]

Coolest. Dad. Ever.

That is so awesome :3


And i am once again amazed at how extreme mood swings can get. As awful as last week was, as great i'm feeling now.


By the way, i don't think i posted a pic of me before. Since people just told me that i look just like a woman on the following pic i could use the occasion and do that now. I'd appreciate some honest opinions:

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Yes, i wear makeup on this one. And yes, i'm lying down. This picture was more of an accident ^^

To compare, a fresh picture of me without makeup:

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[noparlpf]

I'm glad I've not had an ear cut yet (just girly haircut after girly haircut ). I had something on my ear a while ago my Mum had to lance and it hurt like hell. So do most piercings, so it'd depend where your ear got cut I suppose.

I've heard from peers and angry parents that labour really, really hurts. I therefore have no desire to simulate the experience personally, but I can certainly understand why some people would.

-Giovanni

I also have a relatively high pain tolerance, apparently. On the other hand, I was like, eight at the time, tops, and I don't remember what my pain tolerance in general was like then. On the other hand, when I was twelve I had a nail through my foot and all I did was swear, pull it out, and walk home before checking it.
Anyway, I'm cis-male, I just think it'd be an interesting experience. As long as I'm not allowed to pansy out halfway through because that'd be cheating.

[Heliomance]

[noparlpf]

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I feel like we're being made fun of for asking for more options.

[Ajadea]

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Is this a good thing or a bad thing? I laughed out loud at the household pet part, myself.

[Lix Lorn]

By the way, i don't think i posted a pic of me before. Since people just told me that i look just like a woman on the following pic i could use the occasion and do that now. I'd appreciate some honest opinions:

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Yes, i wear makeup on this one. And yes, i'm lying down. This picture was more of an accident ^^

To compare, a fresh picture of me without makeup:

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Cutes! In both!
More feminine in the first by far, admittedly, but both cute.

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Oh god yes xD

[The Succubus]

That is so awesome :3


And i am once again amazed at how extreme mood swings can get. As awful as last week was, as great i'm feeling now.


By the way, i don't think i posted a pic of me before. Since people just told me that i look just like a woman on the following pic i could use the occasion and do that now. I'd appreciate some honest opinions:

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Yes, i wear makeup on this one. And yes, i'm lying down. This picture was more of an accident ^^

To compare, a fresh picture of me without makeup:

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Hmmmm, you carry off the feminine look extremely well in the first picture - almost Helio levels of cuteness. The t-shirt helps a lot I think and having your hair swept forward frames your face quite nicely.