>>720164594
>going to the local one of these with my friend Matt at age 8, with adjunct gymnasium and foam ball pit area, having him explain the current LARP system he’s working on called Battle Riders, where the players design giant Tron-Legacy-esque mech suits and explore dungeons
>spending the entire day with him going on one continuous adventure campaign in the jungle gym area and the gymnasium, fulfilling a bunch of pent-up creative ideas, battling his Dr. Wily-esque mad scientist villain with a Yugioh-Cyber-Dragon-esque rainbow LED gamer lighting color scheme, and it was pretty much the greatest time I ever had playing with someone as a kid
How the fuck did things get this bad?

>>149125289
I went to Anime Boston this year after seven years absent expecting it to completely lift my spirits and cleanse my soul after the bullshit and abuse that drove me into hiding became too much for me to deal with, but it was legitimately fucking depressing. The selection in the vendor’s hall is greater than ever, they got huge guests like Steve Blum and Charlie from Hazbin Hotel, but something about it just feels fucking wrong. There was a guy gag-cosplaying Shadman there in 2018 and a guy dressed like Mister Basement wearing an embarrassing ‘ask me about hypnosis’ sign and that kind of shit would NEVER happen at whatever was going on this year. That one anon on /v/ or whatever was completely correct in pinpointing that 2015-2018 was the last hurrah of real nerd culture at conventions, and speaking personally, at that point, my family were already waging all-out torture on me (I remember one year I had to attend there knowing I was going to get thrown into a psych ward a few days after it wrapped), so there’s no way it’s ever going to be the same for me, at least. Anyone who tells you life doesn’t suck hates you.