Mark's Epic Blog of Randomness

By Mark Rodriguez So we came to the final day of the con. To make things easier on ourselves, once we checked out of the hotel we took all the extra junk back home and returned to the con with the basics. Now feeling a lot lighter, we were ready to go for some shopping! I discovered DBZ blind boxes, as well as other based on My Hero Academia and such. I decided to go for the DBZ one, and was told they each contained one Funko Pop and if I were to get the Trunks Funko Pop autographed by Eric Vale, to head back to the booth for a photo on their social media. I also bought a Dragonball and Dragonball Z mystery boxes, so I'll be looking forward to opening those. Johnny also scored himself two LVL Up Expo shirts and a cap, and I was able to grab one final shirt before they ran out. Naturally we went back for more Wild Bill's refills and I mixed their Rocky Mountain Root Beer with their Vintage Vanilla for an awesome combination. It wasn't too long before the vanilla was...

By Mark Rodriguez Day 2 had a bit of a late start for us since it took us a while to check into our hotel.... and even longer to find a way from the hotel to the con. Luckily the con started at noon anyway so we didn't miss all that much. It looks like even when you have paid for all 3 days and already have your badge, you still have to get back in line like everybody else to re-enter the building. Johnny also found out the hard way that even if you exit the building for a bit to grab some food at the food truck, you have to get back in line to get back inside. This is understandable due to security but it is still a bit annoying at times. I got to get an autograph and take a picture with Sonny Straight and he was pretty cool. He was only taking cash so he actually waited til I ran to the ATM to get some money and then let me rush right back to him without having to get back in line. He was pretty cool and I remember him from Anime Vegas. The lines for Sabat were insane and w...

By Mark Rodriguez It seems that LVL Up Expo has become the new Anime Vegas in the sense that it is the new con you can look forward to year after year while many other promising hopefuls vanished after that first year. While Johnny has been going to this con for the last two years, this is my first time going to one and here are my thoughts so far on day one. We started the con by running into fellow Youtuber Jack Knives. He made appearances in VGM Episode 82 and our 2018 Holiday Special First off this con kinda did the switcheroo in the sense that most cons have Friday and Saturday be full days while Sunday is a half day as things are wrapping up. This year however, it appears that due to it being a school day, day one started at 3PM and wrapped up at around 10, making it the short day while Saturday and Sunday will be the full days. As for the con itself, the sheer size of the event surprised me. There are 2 floors and the entire second floor is the dealers hall, which also...

By Mark Rodriguez Johnny and I love anime cons, and we try our best to cosplay. Now we can't sew and can't afford super extravagant super detailed costumes and/or weapons, but I mean, we make do with what we have. While we don't exactly have a huge collection of Cosplay outfits, it's fun to look back and remember the cons of yesteryear, especially since this year Johnny finally got himself a different outfit. - 1 Cosplay Ever- Krillin and Android 17 from DBZ- Krillin is Goku's lifelong friend and possibly the strongest of the normal humans in the series. He would eventually marry Android 18. Android 17 was meant to be an evil Android set to kill Goku and wipe humanity but he was absorbed by Cell. He would mellow out since then. Oh wow, those were the days. I used to shave my head to Cosplay as Krillin. Well, the OG DBZ outfit of mine (which no longer exists) was basically an orange shirt we cut up to match the show and we had to buy orange fabric and cu...

By Mark Rodriguez I've been busy with a quick trip to visit my bro in Vegas and while attending a local anime convention we also hung out with our friends, and did a lot of drinking. The blog will return with more daily or almost daily articles next weekend, but for the meantime here are my thoughts on Shine Con. This was the first ever Shine Con and it was at the Tuscany Suites in Las Vegas Nevada. It took place August 17, 18 and 19. According to Sean, the guy who runs the con, it was a complete surprise that the con sold out and was as big of a success as it turned out. My bro and I made it all three days. I was cosplaying as Terry Bogard from Fatal Fury, but this time with the long blonde ponytail to complete it more. Johnny cosplayed as Kyo Kusanagi on Day 1 and 3 and Android 17 with the new outfit he has in Dragonball Super on Day 2. It was great to see PikaChika again and she was King to complete the trio. It's also perfect cause we got Terry from Fatal Fury, King from Ar...