In the beginning of February I sent in a panel submission to Animefest (a con in September). In April, I received a rejection letter stating that the panel was simply "not anime/Japanese oriented" enough. Which I would consider a fair reason if it weren't for the fact that they have had /many/ non-Japanese related panels in the past. I put several hours of work into planning this panel and spreading the word (seven months ahead) and have roughly 100 people interested in auditioning to participate, and even more interested in simply attending the panel. While Homestuck may not be Japanese related, it does fall under the same kind of culture that anime circles around. Homestuck is an extremely popular comic with a very devoted and large fanbase. Most Homestuck fans are also anime fans and with the rejection of this panel Animefest is alienating attendees with more interests than anime and Japanese culture. Last year the Homestuck gathering at Animefest was gigantic and out photo shoot had to be herded outside and out of the way. The Homestuck fans are only continuing to grow and the panel would be a good way to keep the majority isolated and is a prime way from keeping large gathers from accidentally blocking halls/walkways/doorways and rooms. In short, we believe Animefest can sacrifice one panel slot for a con that is 4 days long. Thank you.

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