Hi everyone!
It’s been some time since the last event I attended. Otakat was too far away for the low-energy I had in December. So when I saw more and more people going to Heroes Made in Asia, I decided to grab a ticket as well. Just one day to see if I liked it and Fhant tagged along for the experience. We went Saturday only, so I could use the Sunday to recover. (Yes, I am an old lady :P)
We decided to not be there early. There was a whole day of convention anyway and the travel time was about 30 minutes. Time to take it easy. I messed up on that. Woke up on my regular time, had a regular morning, did my regular chores, got into my cosplay and did my make-up. Turns out that Fern’s dance dress is incredibly easy to wear and I was ready 30 minutes early. Oh well. We went to the train station, grabbed a coffee and hopped on the first train we could get to Utrecht. It was a very crowded train, busier than I remember those trains to be. Good thing I wore sneakers under the dress instead of heels. Imagine the pain. :<
The location of the con is easy to find (it is the same location as GameForce, rest in peace). The location is not really cozy, well-lit or had good sound barriers. But since it wasn’t overly crowded, it was nice enough. I love the space in the Artist Alley. Broad walkways, so it was easy to walk and spot merch. But it was also far away from loud sounds, so it was the most relaxing spot at the con. The food was expensive, sadly. I paid 18,50 euros for two boba teas. They were good, but those prices are too much. The stand of the Amazing Oriental supermarket had better pricing, so Fhant and I grabbed salted caramel pocky there and found a new good flavor. (Yuzu is still my number 1!) The inflatable Miku was very adorable and I want one. A smaller one.
From the foodcourt, we went to the Cosplayers from NL stand, so I could put on my wig and say hi to people. Their stand was very cute and had some handy items for quick fixes of costumes and a tiny photocorner. They were still setting up when I showed up the first time, so I went back later for more socializing and a picture or two.
Since I was in full cosplay now and we had hydrated, Fhant and I decided to check out the entry area of the con a bit. There were a lot of promotional stands there and the gaming area was loud. Those didn’t seem very inviting to me, and Fhant was disappointed that all games in the arcade were pay to play. GameForce had them for free, which made it fun to try some. I haven’t been to an arcade myself and making a complete fool of myself was not why I would like to pay. We kept on walking and got handed a Donald Duck comic. A blast from the past for me, I read those for years. Sadly, I try to keep the amount of subscriptions to a minimum, so I haven’t given in to the nostalgia.
We decided to walk outside for some air and a little sunshine, but because I had been inside in the dim halls, the sunlight hurt my eyes. 
(Maybe I am a vampire?) Sadly, outside was filled with people smoking and playing pretend military. Which was not that cool imo, cause there was a children’s event a bit past that. I wish those people understood what their presence looked like for the kids and moved to a different spot. HMIA has nothing to do with those people, so I don’t want to hold them accountable for this. I personally don’t like standing in cigarette smoke, so I went back inside and found a nice sunbeam to enjoy. (Maybe I am a cat?) After a while, I met up with Araara Photography and checked out the changing rooms so I could wear my heels. Yes, I brought them, I just didn’t want to walk on them the entire day. We had a very short talk, which I wish was longer and shot some quick pictures. He had other things to do, so I thanked him for his time and changed back to the sneakers.
Fhant and I got hungry and it was about lunch time, so we went back in the convention halls to the foodcourt. Decided on Okonomiyaki and had a struggle finding a place to sit. Not too weird, considering the time. We decided that we were almost done with the convention, and that we wanted to walk through the Artist’s Alley once more, go back to the Cosplayers from NL stand to talk and then head home. We got held up a little on those plans, as we ran into friends. I’m glad we did, cause I was feeling bad about leaving the con already.
Will I go again?
I might go one day again next year, but then with more people I know. The convention it self was enjoyable, but could do with lower food prices and better soundproofing. It would have been nice if there was more to do at the con, because the workshops were full when Fhant and I checked. I enjoyed the space of the Artist Alley a lot and since it wasn’t overcrowded, I was happy with how much I could just walk and enjoy the event.
Keep on crafting,
Amirine