Shinkou Ookami Convention?

[Aveilthé]

So as most of you know, five of the staffers, Fely, Z, Wom, Kiku, and I met some time early in June, 2009 in person for the first time in California after knowing each other explicitly online for about 7 years. And the meet was an astronomical success. Z got hitched, and the rest of us staffers got to witness such an amazing event (congratulations Z!). After such exhilarating excursions out in Bakersfield, California, the staffers decided immediately to have another meet, however far away in the horizon that might be!

Now here we are for a second time to discuss another meeting, with perhaps a wider variety of members--in other words, a kind of Shinkou Ookami convention.

Now some important questions that I propose to you about this exciting event are these:

• Where shall we meet?
  
• What date is the best time to do this thing?
  
• Who is able to attend?
  
• Who shall be held responsible for transportation?
  
• More questions may be added later or posted by members.
  

Keep these in mind:

Age limitations--are you old enough to be by yourself/able to be independent? Keep in mind that the staffers are 20-23 years old.
School and jobs--Work and school is what makes the world go round. Not everyone may be able to make it.
Budget--The meet may not be within your budget. In order for everyone to successfully meet, everyone must have a sturdy budget. I carried $250 dollars with me to California to realize after the week was almost over that it was not enough. (Also, never over-pack like I did. XD)
Outside USA--If we travel to another country, you must have an updated passport.
Dependency--As aforementioned, you have to depend on yourself during the trip. You cannot count on others to provide for you--and if they help you out in a tight spot, the least you can do is return the favor later on if not at the moment. This has happened to me twice, but I repaid Kiku and Fely for the meal and movie ticket.

Let the discussion begin! Post some questions and lets discuss how we can make this work. And we will. It just needs to be planned! Remember to give suggestions to the questions mentioned, and feel free to ask questions!

[Kikuyoshi]

in my experience the following things are needed to make traveling a success!

~A reliable way of travel. Keep in mind that driving may be cheaper depending on gas prices...but if your car isn't in peak shape it may come down to a costly fix should you break down. (i know from personal experience x.x; )

~Flying is sometimes the better rout...but you can't rent a car until your 25 i believe...so figuring out how to get places can be interesting. Depending on where people go planning out who might be able to drive and pick people up and such is a good thing.

~Money wise i've always tried to have at least $500 set up for spending use...about $300 for casual toss around and then $200 for emergencies/ other expenditure.

As far as time wise (seasons) to meet up, summer seems like it's the best time for people considering that there isn't school to worry about and jobs are expecting some vacation time to be given out. I'm thinking if we have a meet up somewhere it could be for about a week/weekend thing. Otakon does a weekend bash and my friends and i usually take off about a week to be able to drive down there, chill out for a few days, do the con and then drive back.

Where shall we meet? Uhhhhhh...i really don't care at all xD I know i wouldn't mind hosting something up here in wisconsin if people want to travel up here (downtown provides entertainment with some fun shops and the like...as well as drinking if you're of age. We also could go to the Dells where there are tons of waterparks or just chill around my apartment area and i can grill out or something -shrug-

i'm game however for traveling wherever should other people have better ideas than craptastic wisconsin xD should this be set up i think i'm gonna plan out some fun things for people to take home (possibly more name plates as well as some tee-shirts and the like n.n )

[Aveilthé]

Wisconsin sounds like a fun place... I'm totally up for it.

I'll also toss in my place, but I need to mention a few things:

I live with my Mom, and I'm not sure how my Mom would be pleased to house a bunch of people. I could probably house a few people. Some people could stay at my Dad's place, but he doesn't own the house, it's his girlfriend's. So I would have to ask my Mom and my Dad's girlfriend's permission if I can house you guys here. If not, there are lots of great and cheap hotels close to our houses and I could always come pick you guys up.

We have an airport VERY close by... it is the Killeen-Ft. Hood airport and it would be very cheap to just fly out there. You'll have to land in the Dallas-Ft. Worth airport first before flying into Killeen. But if you have a budget issue, I could always pick you up at the Dallas-Ft. Worth airport, like how Z picked me up at the Los Angeles airport even though there was an airport in Bakersfield.

I live in Killeen, Texas, USA. As far as entertainment goes, it has a lot that Bakersfield had to offer. A movie theatre, a mall, all the popular restaurants (and some fantastic hole-in-the-walls) and some times Ft. Hood throws a huge carnival for some reason or another, which means there are merry-go-rounds and rollercoasters and cheap beer. XD Otherwise Killeen, Texas is fairly boring, but I think hanging out would make this event enjoyable. We could take a trip to Austin if we felt like making a short journey... Austin is fairly close by and has a lot more to offer.

I'll post more later. Maybe I'll make suggestions for other things.

What about going to another country? It would be an enormous step but it would be extremely fun, but terribly costly especially in this economy. But we could make that work out, just... we probably won't see eachother for years to come. So unless someone has more ideas for going to another country and meeting there, I'd say we wait on this, because I know we'd want to meet eachother again at a much shorter time than, say... five years.

[nahash]

I vote Killeen, cuz well it's only a 4 hour drive. XD

[tokarski]

Where shall we meet? Well, where Kiku suggested would probably be best for me. I live in Illinois, about an hour, give or take, from the border. Depends where in Wisconsin though. The thing is, I dunno if my parents would want me to go for this. I would go, but since I'm not old enough to drive myself out or anything... The chance of them letting me go is VERY doubtful. Dx

What date is the best time to do this thing? I think summer is the best idea. My family has no vacation plans what-so-ever (we already went to Lake Geneva for a few days) so any time would be okay. Well, maybe not late July, because I signed up to be a camp counselor thing for a little kid's 'Safety Town' thing. xP

Who is able to attend? Ehh, that might be a problem for me. I'd love to go, but since I'm pretty young.. my parents won't be too enthusiastic (I' not gonna ask them unless everything's decided almost) Maybe in a few years (like when I can drive and cool shizz like that) I could go. I dunno about now, however, but count me in until my parents say no! ;D

Who shall be held responsible for transportation? I dunno, I can't drive, and I dunno if any of you live anywhere near me. (I live in the Chicago-land area in IL) My parents seem to be proposing a big problem here. I probably can't house anyone either, but IDK--all this depends on how far my parents are willing to go--if at all.

Another country and the airport is probably wayyyyy impossible for me. Unless my parents came too--which would mean both my sisters. And by then it would be considered a family vacation... So eh.

I could offer Illinois for the convention place--there is a lot of parks nearby where I live--but if no one lives anywhere close there is no point to that haha. xD I'd love to do this with ya guys... <333

I don't have any other ideas right now... maybe later.

[Monkey Monk]

Ok, here's my half-hearted suggestion on a place. There's this nice fresh water lake that my mom lives on in Maine. On that lake is an island, just over a quarter mile long maybe. Its got the nicest beach in Maine I've seen and even a little sparse forest for camping. Doubt we want to do this place for our first SOB, but it could possibly be a future spot *shrug* Yeah, its in the backwoods, but the nearest airport is Bangor International, which is only a $30 cab ride away (they don't charge by the mile once you get out of city limits). Bangor is an alright city, but all there really are for shopping is little family businesses. On the island, we could literally do whatever the hell we wanted, seeing as how I've thrown plenty of parties there before >.> Big bonfire, grill some food, stay up late and drink and look at the pretty night sky *shrug* It would be cool, but like I said, probably not the most convenient location for the first SOB

I would like to make one suggestion. Maybe there should be an age limit to this SOB. Nothing unreasonable, (and I don't know any parent that will let their 13-15 year old kid go to a random convention alone) but it might be a good idea to take the liability of younger members at such an event. And yes, I know some younger members are gonna be like "noooooo monkey! D=" but I've been talking about an SOB to people for a while and one of the things I concluded was that I personally do not want to get in trouble for a younger member breaking a law or something

[tokarski]

I know I'm in/younger than that age limit.. and I'm not going 'noooooo monkey! D=' I think that's kinda a good idea.. (even though I am sure I wouldn't be breaking any laws. xD) Some ppl might though, and that would NOT be cool or fun...

[Aveilthé]

My only thing. We can't be held responsible for kids. This is much more of an adult journey 17+. And there will be alcohol involved, so. =/

[sakoru]

Oh snap. I won't even be able to go unless I want to travel 1000+ miles, most likely. I'd happily volunteer to house people, but A) my mom would kill me dead, and B) I live in a different country so I highly doubt it's possible. I'd love to attend, though! Maybe if there's a convention in a few years after I've got my license and have finished paying for my grad trip and such, then I'll be able to go (Allie: if ever we do manage to go to an SO con [since it looks doubtful right now] I'll totally come hang with you! xD)

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[tokarski]

Yeah, I'll wait till I can drive, too. (Sakky, we will be inseperable! ) Omg, idea. At the SO Con... you could have like a drawing thing where Ave and Blitzy and everyone can show you how they do their luffely art. xDDD hahaha jkjk

[Felypsa]

I like the idea of SO Con, but...well...I don't know if now is the best time to discuss it x.x I mean I know that we're all excited from having met each other and can't wait till the next time, but given this country's rotten economy and the fact that we (those who just met or got married xD) just spent a buttload of money, it's hard to plan anything reasonably. I guess we can still discuss dream ideas (for instance, I think Chicago would be a great city to meet up in, since it's right in the middle of the U.S., is convenient to getting to via car or plane, and has a lot of options for funtimes), but I really don't think there's much possibility to do anything soon. Just sayin'.

Maybe I'm wrong, but I know I won't be traveling anywhere till summer 2011 at the earliest. (Since I'm going to Germany next year, that will take a lot out of me financially, and then I have senior year of college to get through.) And then, after I graduate, who knows what my life will be like...whether I'll have a job or be bumming around a home...I don't know.

lol I hate to be a wet blanket or anything -- we can still talk about what would be awesome for a possible SO Con, but I think that we should keep everything very vague for now. Like, I don't think we should decide anything definitively. (Not even -what- will take place at said SO Con...)

And as much as I agree with Monkey and Ave's age limitation, I also think that, since this won't happen for quite a few years, it's kind of moot to mention it now >.> After all, a lot of people might be old enough by the time we get around to actually legitimately planning this...so, yeah. No one should feel discouraged by an age limit right now because...well...it just ain't happening right now e.e;

lol anyway! Y'all can keep talking about what might be within the realm of possibility, but I'm just keeping it real by saying that something like this can only be a distant dream right now x3

[twilightsshadow]

*Kicks Sakky* What your not gonna come hang out with me? DX

[Kikuyoshi]

i definitely didn't mean for this to look like this summer it should happen sort of thing x.x; there's no way i could do that lol

more of a...if in the future sorta deal we wanna do this, what would be the best sort of place/ what sort of things might we plan out for it to be exciting yadda yadda that sort of stuff <3

just sorta testing the waters sort of deal to see if people would even be interested in such a thing n.n

on a side note...Chicago certainly would be fun, i know they have a lot of activities there and the like to bum around and do...i just know if we did that it would probably mean booking up some hotels in the area since i'm not sure of anyone there able to house us n.n (unless i randomly decide to move on some strange whim x.x; )

[Felypsa]

lol yeah or if I happen to get a job there and move after graduation...but that is just too far in the future to suppose >.> and even then I'm sure that whatever apartment I got wouldn't be able to house a dozen people xD

well it seems like there is general interest in a "convention," at least from the members who have been here for a while, and we should keep it in mind for future planning. Perhaps in a few years -- maybe SO's 10th anniversary, 2012 -- enough people will be able to drive / be independent / have time and money. So we'll definitely see! x3

[tokarski]

In a few years, Chicago could DEFINATELY work for me. Lol, it's like a fifteen minute drive away. <33 There is so much to do. Beaches (beach volleyball would be fun to do together), restaurants, there's museums, the Sears Tower, the Hancock building, and there's Lincoln Park Zoo (I think it's free)

I'd vote Chicago, when (if) the time comes.