The 2012 MSPA TCAF Meetup

[Avrec]

The Toronto Comic Arts Festival, a two day exhibition/vendor-fair featuring hundreds of comic creators, is taking place this May 5th & 6th at the Toronto Reference Library. Amongst the exhibitors will be many prominant webcomic artists, including our own Andrew Hussie.



Last year we arranged an MSPA meetup on the Saturday of the event, and it was awesome! A bunch of people showed up to hang out (including Jit from the Music Team), and we all got to meet/pester Andrew (who was kind enough to let me interview him). For lunch we headed over to the Jack Astors's restaurant next door where food was had and scribbles were drawn.

So with last years meetup being such a success, I think it goes without saying we should do it again this year. If you're planning on attending TCAF and you want to hang out, let us know what day/time would work best for you. If we can get most of the details sorted out well in advance, I might be able to reserve a place for lunch rather than winging it like we did last year.

A few things to keep in mind:
-TCAF runs Saturday May 5th: 9am - 5pm, and Sunday May 6th: 11am - 5pm
-The event schedule for TCAF has yet to be posted. We'll hold off on finalizing a time for the meetup till this is up; don't want to conflict with any of the big panels should any wish to attend both.
-It does take place in an active library, albiet a big one, so we should all try to be respectful and refrain from yelling while there.
-If you want to get any of the posters or other MSPA merch Andrew will be bringing, I reccommend arriving as early as possible. They sold out rather quickly last year.

Also, a lot of people have been asking about Cosplaying at TCAF. The festival organizers have stated that this is not a 'con', but rather an event promoting the literary and artistic merits of comic books and graphic novels. As such, it would probably be best to keep the cosplay pretty light (Update: Andrew has spoken, no cosplay please, but MSPA shirts are fine).

So yeah, that's pretty much it. Let us know if you can make it, and feel free to post if you need help figuring out rooming/transportation, or if you have any ideas for things to do during the meetup. Looking forward to seeing you all there!

Meetup Details:

If you want to meet Homestuck people, here are your options...

Topatoco's Welcome to TCAF Party
Friday, 7:00pm - 2:00am @ The Pilot
Nothing formal planned, Just look for friendly people in Homestuck shirts.

Homestuck Draw Party Part 1
Saturday, 1:00pm - 5:00pm, meeting inside library
Bunch of peeps sitting around drawing somewhere out of the way. Again, look for the shirts.

Homestuck Draw Party Part 2
Saturday, 5:00pm - 10:00pm, meeting outside library
Sounds like they'll be going to Dundas Square area for drawing/food.

(Possible dinner meetup closer to TCAF an option if people would rather do that)

MSPA Forumite Lunch
Sunday, sometime, somewhere near TCAF
General hanging out time.


Please post with your preferences regarding potential Dinner/Lunch meetups so we can plan for those.

[Jit]

I'm gonna be there! I don't really have any concrete plans, but last time I hung around fans a lot and it was pretty great.

I'm contemplating asking around for lodging, just so I don't have to arrive at around-noon every day and leave at 5. It's kind of lame to do that, but that's Greyhound hours for you.

But besides that yeah I'm rather sure I'll be seeing peeps there!

[para-Normally]

First post!

I will definitely be coming if at all possible! I'll probably be in a fairly low-key costume (most likely a John of some sort).

[Liza]

I'll repost here what I put in the last thread which seems to have died off:

I would really like to attend this since it's a)free admission and b) in Canada, two of the major hurdles against me going to meetups are taken care of.

I have almost nothing for funds so I'm hoping someone here might be passing through Regina Saskatchewan on their way to Toronto and possibly someone else might be kind enough to lend me the use of a patch of their floor?

[soft owl]

I'm gonna be there and if anyone recognizes me give me a gentle jab in the ribs and say hey! Got a lot of people I want to hang out with so I might not have much free time but I want to meet as many cool friends as I can.

[mattgcn]

I'll be going this year! Nobody really knows me (someone might know me from Tumblr? futuresushi? leonsumbitches? if those ring a bell those are both me), mind, but I put a bucket on my head at some point last year and someone took my picture and I'd love to join a proper meetup this year since everyone last time was so friendly.

If you need lodging and can stay in groups, U of T residences are REALLY cheap and some, like New College, have enough floor space for like 6 people in addition to two single beds so they're worth a go if you're feeling thrifty and don't mind sleeping on a low pile carpet. I'd offer my own place if I wasn't gonna just commute from Hamilton.

[Jit]

@Liza: Good luck with that! I really can't say that I imagine your chances are amazingly high, but still! :B

@soft owl: The sad irony is that I'll probably forget your face, cause I do that with like everyone, that and names, but if I see you I will definitely elbow you in the ribs or at least make that sort of motion at you (or maybe just wave)

(and maybe a bit of hanging out?? but I expect you know way too many people for that to really work too)

@mattgcn: My mind keeps telling me that I know you or have met you before, the bucket thing probably either happened at the Saturday lunch or the Sunday morning meet when we were all just hanging about

On that note, there should probably be a general note:

1) Be careful when opening Faygo so it doesn't spill

And yeah?? I can't remember what else, whatevs.

For this meetup, though! We should definitely try to do lunch again, that worked out great last year.

edit:

scribbles were drawn.

Oh christ I remember, I drew that second one cause people were being cool and artsy and I wanted to do the same

and then just look at what came from it

ffffffffffffffffwow.

[Raidacab]

At Least Three Characters.

[Trek]

I'll repost here what I put in the last thread which seems to have died off:

I would really like to attend this since it's a)free admission and b) in Canada, two of the major hurdles against me going to meetups are taken care of.

I have almost nothing for funds so I'm hoping someone here might be passing through Regina Saskatchewan on their way to Toronto and possibly someone else might be kind enough to lend me the use of a patch of their floor?

Ack I feel the exact same way! Except I'm in Saskatoon and I do have the funds but possibly not the time! Plus I'm sort of afraid to travel that far alone if I did have the time.

[Raidacab]

At Least Three Characters.

[mattgcn]

Ah yeah hello! Stephen, the fellow who looks like John, will be returning this year too. Trying to get a bunch of friends to come this year!!

Also Jit I came up to you and said "Hi omg are you Jit hey my friend Malcolm has you on Facebook" or something of the sort and you seemed genuinely confused that I recognized you by appearance

[AluxutheSpider]

I am hella going to TCAF.
I'll be wearing a Terezi shirt and be with a guy with blue hair.
I'll be easy to spot. :J

[precociousAnimator]

Just wanted to let you guys know that I'll be attending TCAF as well! I'm really excited for it, and I hope to see you guys there!

[Liza]

I've exhausted my pool of local friends who might be going, and been totally unable to find anyone west of me going with whom I might share a ride. Even the cheapest bus rate is way out of my league, so for the time being I'll have to leave my regrets here, as much as it hurts. :/

[GameFreakDude]

I'd offer my own place if I wasn't gonna just commute from Hamilton.

there's
other homestucks that live in hamilton????!?!!?!!
what

anyway for everyone who knows me i might be going
at least i really want to
and it can't be too hard to get there from hamilton so
these things sound like fun i've never been to one of these things before
JIT WE CAN FINALLY MEET AREN'T YOU EXCITED
i know you are i can smell it

i can smell fear

debating whether or not i should cosplay hella jeff (ie. wear a blue shirt because i am already hella jeff) or don my whole scoutrush39 costume
lowest-effort cosplays ever right here folks

[mattgcn]

there's
other homestucks that live in hamilton????!?!!?!!
what

anyway for everyone who knows me i might be going
at least i really want to
and it can't be too hard to get there from hamilton

YEAH I mean I'm from Sudbury but I go to school here at Mac

anyway there's a 10 dollar express go bus from king and dundurn! Brings you right to Union Station and it's about a 30-40 minute walk over and up Yonge from there (or like 5 minutes on the subway), plus you can pay in cash so you don't need to buy ahead and it runs like every 20 minutes. it's magical

[Avrec]

A new development! It seems Topatoco is holding their own 'welcome to TCAF party' on the friday night. I for one will definitely be attending (assuming I can get the night off... currently working midnight shifts at a place down near London... bleh).

@Jit: Ah yes, I thought that drawing might have been yours, but wasn't certain. Glad you'll be able to make it again this year! And if you don't feel like making the trip for both days, you're more than welcome to crash at my place.

@Liza: As I said before, if you do manage to get yourself here, you're more than welcome to stay over at my place (hmm... this could get crowded reeeeeal fast).I know it might seem rather unlikely at the moment, but keep your donations page up and you never know... (MiRaCles?)

@Bacadiar: Hey there! Th... There's going to be more Faygo? Well keep it away from your new camera lest it suffer a worse fate than the last one. Oh, and I'd definitely be up for grabbing some drinks after things wind down on Saturday!

@GFD: Ah, you'll be coming too? Sweet! Either of those cosplays would be awesome (okay who are we kidding, there is nothing more awesome than scoutrush39, he is simply the coolest).

hmm...

I hadn't been planning to film anything at this year's TCAF... but now I have a sudden urge to shoot 'something' with Jit and GFD. I mean, there's just no way it couldn't be awesome!

Now, I seem to recall way back during the SXSW preparations, Michael Bowman and Tavia mentioned they 'might' consider coming up to TCAF... I don't suppose anyone's heard them mention anything about that since?

[para-Normally]

Coming in here again to say -

Are there any pre existing plans for a big nerdy group dinner or similar on, say, the Saturday night of the festival? If not, I'd be happy to take that into my hands (finding a good place, making a reservation there, and so forth)!

[Raidacab]

At Least Three Characters.

[para-Normally]

That is indeed a valid thought - and I would hate for us to have to split up. A private lunch party sounds like a good idea to me!

[mattgcn]

let's buy andrew hussie a poutine

[AluxutheSpider]

I would buy Andrew Hussie the entire city of Toronto.
Y'know. If I was rich and smelled like magic.

[ghyt wembpang]

I am going to be theeeereeeeeeeee again this year! Both days this time probably

I was part of that big group last year that got to drink hussie's faygo and all that. also i had lunch with the group in what was it, jack astors? beforehand. me my sister and my friend had troll horns on.

This year I want to draw a lot of stuff for people and hopefully make some money from it(i'll be doing free sketches for sure though), and I might have some printed comics and a little sculpey Jake from adventure time I made for sale!

[AluxutheSpider]

I am going to be theeeereeeeeeeee again this year! Both days this time probably

I was part of that big group last year that got to drink hussie's faygo and all that. also i had lunch with the group in what was it, jack astors? beforehand. me my sister and my friend had troll horns on.

This year I want to draw a lot of stuff for people and hopefully make some money from it(i'll be doing free sketches for sure though), and I might have some printed comics and a little sculpey Jake from adventure time I made for sale!

HGFHSK, YOU LIVE IN MY CITY
YOU LIVE IN BARRIE
We must meet and touch butts in the most platonic way possible.

[ghyt wembpang]

HGFHSK, YOU LIVE IN MY CITY
YOU LIVE IN BARRIE
We must meet and touch butts in the most platonic way possible.

YOU WOULD NOT BELIEVE HOW PLATONICALLY I CAN TOUCH WITH MY BUTT ahem i mean

my sister lives here too, i think her username is candicedionysus? I'm moving right after TCAF though to BC so I won't be around much longer. :V