Coinelot
With barely a week left to sign up for @coinelot, some of you are probably still sitting there contemplating whether or not to do it. Perhaps some of you do actually want to go, but have decided against it due to various reasons. If that is the case, allow me to change your mind.
Here’s a few argument for not going:
“I am not from Britain.”
- Neither am I. I am from Denmark and I’ve heard that there will also be people from the USA attending. At least there was last time, along with people from all over Europe. So travelling overseas should not be a problem. And Brexit hasn’t happened yet, after all.
“I am very socially insecure and I am afraid no one will like me at the con.”
- There are going to be a lot of shy people at the con, so don’t worry. When everybody first arrived at the con last time, we were all standing in an awkward circle, not really knowing what to say at first. But the organisers had come up with a few fantastic games that really got us talking with each other, and I know that this time around, it will be the same scenario.
“I actually really want to go, but I as shipping and fandom is my dirty little secret, I don’t want it out to the rest of the world, and I am afraid pictures of me attending will suddenly be all over the internet.”
- This reason was actually my main reason for not wanting to go the first time around. I am striving for a career in the film industry and this could potentially hurt my career. I really wanted to go and yet I had made my mind up that I wasn’t going to go. It wasn’t worth the risk. But then someone really influential in my life died too early of cancer and a lot of other stuff happened that made me say “fuck it! I’m gonna go anyway. I can’t live my life in fear of what may or may not happen. For all I know I’m gonna end up in a boring paperpusher job anyway, and then I’ve prevented myself from going for nothing.” So I went, and I dare say it was one of the best decisions in my life. Half a year later I went to Wales Comic Con to meet up with other Merlin fans I had met at Coinelot, and this Summer I was in Berlin to stay with a fellow fan I had met at Wales Comic Con. And all this because I got over my own fear, so think of what might happen if you do too.
- It turned out I wasn’t the only one whose career could potentially be hurt but this. There’s a strict rule that NOBODY is allowed to upload pictures of you to the internet without permission. Hell, nobody should take pictures of you without your permission either. And all people accepted that. I have no reason to believe this time should be any different.
“It’s gonna come back in two years anyway. I will go then.”
- Do you know that for a fact? Have you asked the organisers if there will be another one? Do you think they will put their precious time into organising another one if nobody comes to this one? Yes, I know there was one two years ago, but the only reason it came back was because that one was such a success.
“I can’t actually afford it no matter how much I want to.”
- I am so sorry to hear that. If I won the lottery, I would pay your ticket for you. *huggles*
“I don’t trust that we’re supposed to make a bank transfer to the organisers.”
- This is a very valid reason, but let me tell you that the organisers are absolutely trustworthy and extremely competent. While I was one of the people who paid with Paypal when it was still an option, I can tell you that using https://transferwise.com/ to make the bank transfer is also considered safe. The first time I heard about it was when somebody in the Danish Indie film industry recommended it when you need to pay foreign workers, and I trust they know what they are about.
If you are have other concerns that are not addressed here, feel free to send me a PM and let me change your mind :)