Every !So! often: AEX

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Sober, sad, bored are not words that you use to describe an Alias Con here in Trinidad. I think I lost some of myself at the event last night and I enjoyed the whole process. The entire group of people that attended were just amazing, and I don’t just mean that because I saw so much One Piece cosplay, no. AEX’s patrons had everything a Convention attending crowd needs to make an event of that nature a success. You had your standard alpha fans that spent all year making their cosplay perfect while making the rest of us peasant look bad in the process (I’m talking to you Spartan), then there were your Con-couples like Aiden and his girl or the two links 😉 (I wink because…. I know something they don’t haha). They even made visiting the vending machine an experience, oh wait….. Maybe that was me making it an experience for all of us there, but hey, they were all good sports.

The event was easily sectioned off into craftily named sections. The gaming section had last gen systems like the ps3 and 360 as well as the current gen of ps4 and Wii U. As always dance central was where it was at and the FIFA 14 screen for ps4. There were tournaments for FIFA, Tekkan, Smash Bros, DC, jump and more. All with amazing prizes even a PS4, see why you gotta come to Trinidad and attend a convention. The food court had your standard burgers, hotdogs, drinks and fries. Then there was the shopping area there you could buy all your cool otaku swag. There was even a table top section.

What makes a Con is the crowd

With the awesome crowd accounted for the next factor for success has to be the event planners and staff. I feel humbled to know some of you personally and I know you all put super hard work into these events, sometimes missing nights of sleep, spending money with little return and more, just so that we attending have a wonderful experience. It’s not luck that attendees were able to freely flow through the event floor without the possibility of getting lost or the seamless way in which each development flowed into the other. This was well planned out, albeit not perfect, but what is perfect? We are human and by nature we are flawed, nonetheless the few aspects that stole perfection away from us were not enough to spoil what was the best event/Con “I” have ever attended.

Now a few words of advice for those of you that may not have attend an event before and are planning to attend one in the future. It is very important that you do not do anything that will affect the progress of the day in a negative manner for everyone involved. There was one person that comes to mind during the day that I assume was removed from the premises for getting a bit too into his character role. This was during the comic book panel. He somehow made his way on top the stage and proceeded to crawl across it to the table that Shaun Riaz and Larry Hama were sitting at. This was a very disrupting act on his part that was thankfully quickly dissolved by the event staff. So guys I know it is tempting when you’re under the mask and makeup to get lost in the fandom and lose yourself in your character, but please for your sake, and everyone else don’t get too lost, and know that as with all aspects of life “there is a time and place for everything”.

As for the Panel itself it was splendid. I tried to record the entire thing, but sadly we ran out of memory on our recording device. What we did get was just a morsel of the wisdom that both Shaun and Larry had to offer. As I sat at the comic writer’s panel without the aid of a camera due to the lack of storage I was forced to switch to what I consider my strong point that is writing, however strong it may be. As I listened to the two gentlemen talk I could not help but notice a wonderful contrast between the G.I.Joe writer and Shaun as they both answer the same/similar questions. The difference in age, experience and more though apparent was well welcomed by me. Both talented artist in their own right, answering questions just as energetically though in different ways sometimes. Larry took the time to explains how he started working on G.I.Joe, how he was actually the last person to be asked to do the job. He said he said yes because he needed the work, and was actually looking forward to working for Marvel for a while. He explains how he came on to the wolverine comic books. Making sure to note that it was about the time that wolverine was going be cancelled. His stories captivated me and I’m sure it did the same for those that attend. Larry is if you are reading this I must say again you are Awesome.

“being there to entertain is what matters. The happiness of readers is what is most important to him. If something was wanted there was twice as much, if not it was removed”.

Dance Gif

As the Convention day came closer to an end it became party time. A thing that Trini’s are known for, per contra this was not an ordinary Trini party. NO! We’re gamers, anime-fans, comic nerds, so as fitting we had some of the most epic mixtures of rock, OSTs, local music and rap. This part of the event was also a free drinks endeavour and so we were all holding some form of poison. The names of which were chosen by way of votes on the Facebook event page before AEX. Names like Bankai and Kamehameha were the options we had at the bar, and I “sampled” them all. I may have sampled a bit too much because soon I was sitting against a wall nocking my head to the rhythms of (I Love Rock n’ Roll). This was however not before I had time to interview a few people and find out how they were enjoying the event.

“However you look at it the event was a huge success” and it set a standard that I expect any Con hosted here in the future to at least achieve.

Was this your first Alias, and are you enjoying it?

  • Fira: Yes, he’s enjoying it.
  • Danilla: Yes and she’s enjoying it.
  • Denva: Yes, it’s his first even and he’s loving it.
  • Raven: No, but she’s not drinking (Raven you party pooper)
  • Jane Doe: She Tired, enjoyed the Con, but is too tired for the party.
I even got to sit with one Doctor Who was enjoying himself just as much as I. 😀

There were a few concerns I shared with a few other patrons, like a bag check station for the party so that we don’t have to log them around as we danced or put them on the floor against a wall, and a full day Café. The café was closed during the cosplay event and that was a bit inconvenient for some of us. These were all small issues that I’m sure will be addressed at the next AEX.

So in closing I’ll just say thank you to all that attended and hosted at the event. You have made a great experience for me that I look forward to repeating again next year and more years after.

My 3DS Friend Code for those that street passed my mii (penpal) : 1504-6082-8447

 

Qudduws Campbell

That messy hair bloke: Romantic, Food lover, Gamer, Sports Fan, Manga Reader, Tech Head, Podcaster... Pretty much do a bit of everything.

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