[ Calvin can appreciate that. While he doesn't mind wandering into portions of the convention by himself, he does come here every year with friends for a reason. It's actually kind of lucky for him that he decided to peel off for a bit for this screening, because as much as he likes his equally nerdy friends, he'd like vying for Essie's attention with them a lot less.
As it is they're going to hunt him down again at some point, and Calvin will still have to deal with it. Might as well enjoy the short lived fantasy of meeting a cute girl at a convention while it briefly and beautifully lasts.
He's definitely charmed by the excitement over stuff he finds normal at this point, and grins as he looks down at the tote he was handed. ]
Yeah, if you go to the right panels they'll hand out tons of free stuff as promotions.
Wow, I guess that's part of the ticket fee too. Something like that. I wanna see if I can get a t-shirt or something.
[ but, like, at home when no one's looking. not at school. maybe to another anime event if it goes with her outfit, but she's also getting way ahead of herself.
her eyes follow a group of girls dressed like badass space cadets, wigs and all, and she lightly touches the ends of her ponytail. she likes her hair, it's been a vibrant red since the summer because her parents actually agreed to let her change her hair color that was still a "reasonable" shade. ]
[ That's something Calvin can't relate to at all, as someone who openly wears his anime shirts to school on the regular. Then again, Calvin is known as a big nerd for a reason.
Still, he nods encouragingly at Essie's comment, glad to help encouraging this budding anime nerd to grab herself some free swag. He's certainly worn free con shirts from time to time, though honestly usually those get worn around his house too.
He doesn't really have a chance to talk up the free stuff though before she pivots the conversation to wigs, and he follows her gaze to the cosplayers walking by. ]
You can buy wigs in the dealer's room if you want.
[ instantly, essie's head snaps up to face the direction of the dealer's room and she perks up considerably. ] I'll have to see if I have enough allowance for that! I've always wanted a blonde wig, maybe they'll have something already styled or something.
[ but she's babbling on, half nervous, mostly excited, ultimately grateful for someone to talk to because she has been feeling awfully lost and out of place. the validation helps, at least the acknowledgment that she is not doing anything wrong. ( she'll eventually learn there's no right way to go about her day, all in due time. ) ]
[ Calvin nods with matching levels of enthusiasm at her babbling. There will definitely be styled wigs in there, though he can't guarantee it will be for the character she wants. It usually depends on what is big at the moment, and the hot new shows tend to be the one that are easiest to get wigs for, but classics definitely can be found.
And FMA is nothing if not a classic.
The question has him stopping his nodding to think for a moment though. ]
Sometimes you can get freebies from artists in the artist alley? But no promises. You can try hitting up some of the panels that involve making things?
[ she tries to settle, at least enough as she tries to find seats once everyone begins filing in and rushing to find enough seats for their groups or their costumes, in some cases. the excited buzz filling the room is just as infectious and she catches conversations in passing about the series or the manga it was based on, making a mental note to check it all out later on.
trying to gauge the situation and certainly not wanting to sit all by her lonesome in the middle of the crowd, she glances between calvin and some of the remaining center seats, twisting her hands around the sleeves tied around her waist. ]
Should probably find a place to sit before they get the screening started, huh.
[ Calvin has friends here, so Calvin is by no way doomed to sit on his lonesome. The thing is that none of his friends are a very cute girl who seems super enthusiastic about what Calvin has to say, even if it's only explaining the workings of a convention like this one.
He could go sit with his friends in the seats they're grabbing, or... ]
Do you want to sit with me? I think I see a couple of chairs free.
[ He could shoot his shot and ditch his friends for a bit.
He's sure they'd understand, because he's also sure every single one of them would do the same to him. ]
[ were she to find this out later, she would be incredibly flattered he decided to ditch his friends for her. perhaps not the best priorities when they get older, but as a teenager now, she delights in such things, being made to feel special when someone goes out of their way for her.
essie is genuinely surprised that he's invited her anyway, given that she has just latched onto him without thinking or even asking him if he was even okay with it in the first place. but that's pretty much what happened when you've gotten your way for most of your young life.
she recovers quickly from that initial shock, beaming ear to ear. ]
Oh, okay. Yeah! I'll try not to ask you too much while it's showing.
[ Getting your way isn't something that Calvin can relate to much. Hell, things even going his way in the first place is something he doesn't much relate to, so being the one of his friends the cute girl spoke to first is not something he's going to ignore. As long as she seems interested in carrying on a conversation with him, then he's happy to keep talking to her.
Even if he sticks his foot in his mouth from time to time during it.
He shakes his head with some enthusiasm of his own, even as he leads her over to the chairs he saw. ]
Ask as much as you want. I don't mind. I can just find the episodes online later.
[ she might sound a tiny bit awestruck when she replies with, ] That's really cool of you. [ which might be a little silly, a little dramatic, but she's also a teenage girl who has just been saved from potential loneliness and social awkwardness. in high school, she knows the rulebook, but on the convention floor, she feels like an alien.
perhaps she'll eventually learn that there's no right way to go about things, but it helps having her own personal guide. at least for the time being.
she takes a seat first and pats the other one, eagerly waiting for calvin to join her. ]
I hope I like it. The premise looks kind of cool, [ essie muses, holding the merch up admiringly, running her fingers over the intricate design. ]
[ The rules in a convention definitely play out a little differently than the rules of high school, but Calvin thrives so much more in this particular environment. For one, people don't stomp on other people's enthusiasm, and while there's definitely a level of social awkwardness that crosses some lines, a lot more is given a pass.
In high school any slightly awkward stuttered attempt at a joke is met with exactly the kind of laughter that Calvin doesn't want to hear. While he can make all the inside fandom jokes here to excited responses, he's just getting laughed at outside of his geeky fandoms.
No, it's much better here where cute girls actually give him the time of day. He's trying so hard not to grin like a lunatic as he takes his seat next to her, glancing back to see his friends staring at him and mouthing various confused expletives. They're not cursing him out for abandoning them though, they're doing it because of his luck.
It makes it even harder for Calvin to keep the smile off his face as he turns his attention back to Essie. ]
I think you will. The studio that made it usually puts out some pretty good stuff.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2021-03-20 11:10 pm (UTC)As it is they're going to hunt him down again at some point, and Calvin will still have to deal with it. Might as well enjoy the short lived fantasy of meeting a cute girl at a convention while it briefly and beautifully lasts.
He's definitely charmed by the excitement over stuff he finds normal at this point, and grins as he looks down at the tote he was handed. ]
Yeah, if you go to the right panels they'll hand out tons of free stuff as promotions.
no subject
Date: 2021-03-29 05:07 am (UTC)[ but, like, at home when no one's looking. not at school. maybe to another anime event if it goes with her outfit, but she's also getting way ahead of herself.
her eyes follow a group of girls dressed like badass space cadets, wigs and all, and she lightly touches the ends of her ponytail. she likes her hair, it's been a vibrant red since the summer because her parents actually agreed to let her change her hair color that was still a "reasonable" shade. ]
Gosh. I kinda want to get a wig next time.
no subject
Date: 2021-04-14 02:15 am (UTC)Still, he nods encouragingly at Essie's comment, glad to help encouraging this budding anime nerd to grab herself some free swag. He's certainly worn free con shirts from time to time, though honestly usually those get worn around his house too.
He doesn't really have a chance to talk up the free stuff though before she pivots the conversation to wigs, and he follows her gaze to the cosplayers walking by. ]
You can buy wigs in the dealer's room if you want.
no subject
Date: 2021-06-13 10:50 pm (UTC)[ but she's babbling on, half nervous, mostly excited, ultimately grateful for someone to talk to because she has been feeling awfully lost and out of place. the validation helps, at least the acknowledgment that she is not doing anything wrong. ( she'll eventually learn there's no right way to go about her day, all in due time. ) ]
Do you know where else to get the free stuff?
no subject
Date: 2021-07-02 03:20 am (UTC)And FMA is nothing if not a classic.
The question has him stopping his nodding to think for a moment though. ]
Sometimes you can get freebies from artists in the artist alley? But no promises. You can try hitting up some of the panels that involve making things?
no subject
Date: 2021-08-06 06:09 pm (UTC)[ she tries to settle, at least enough as she tries to find seats once everyone begins filing in and rushing to find enough seats for their groups or their costumes, in some cases. the excited buzz filling the room is just as infectious and she catches conversations in passing about the series or the manga it was based on, making a mental note to check it all out later on.
trying to gauge the situation and certainly not wanting to sit all by her lonesome in the middle of the crowd, she glances between calvin and some of the remaining center seats, twisting her hands around the sleeves tied around her waist. ]
Should probably find a place to sit before they get the screening started, huh.
no subject
Date: 2021-08-08 10:50 pm (UTC)He could go sit with his friends in the seats they're grabbing, or... ]
Do you want to sit with me? I think I see a couple of chairs free.
[ He could shoot his shot and ditch his friends for a bit.
He's sure they'd understand, because he's also sure every single one of them would do the same to him. ]
no subject
Date: 2021-09-06 03:03 am (UTC)essie is genuinely surprised that he's invited her anyway, given that she has just latched onto him without thinking or even asking him if he was even okay with it in the first place. but that's pretty much what happened when you've gotten your way for most of your young life.
she recovers quickly from that initial shock, beaming ear to ear. ]
Oh, okay. Yeah! I'll try not to ask you too much while it's showing.
no subject
Date: 2021-09-13 02:05 am (UTC)Even if he sticks his foot in his mouth from time to time during it.
He shakes his head with some enthusiasm of his own, even as he leads her over to the chairs he saw. ]
Ask as much as you want. I don't mind. I can just find the episodes online later.
no subject
Date: 2021-11-01 02:20 am (UTC)perhaps she'll eventually learn that there's no right way to go about things, but it helps having her own personal guide. at least for the time being.
she takes a seat first and pats the other one, eagerly waiting for calvin to join her. ]
I hope I like it. The premise looks kind of cool, [ essie muses, holding the merch up admiringly, running her fingers over the intricate design. ]
no subject
Date: 2021-11-15 03:53 am (UTC)In high school any slightly awkward stuttered attempt at a joke is met with exactly the kind of laughter that Calvin doesn't want to hear. While he can make all the inside fandom jokes here to excited responses, he's just getting laughed at outside of his geeky fandoms.
No, it's much better here where cute girls actually give him the time of day. He's trying so hard not to grin like a lunatic as he takes his seat next to her, glancing back to see his friends staring at him and mouthing various confused expletives. They're not cursing him out for abandoning them though, they're doing it because of his luck.
It makes it even harder for Calvin to keep the smile off his face as he turns his attention back to Essie. ]
I think you will. The studio that made it usually puts out some pretty good stuff.