SNAFU Con
Sierra Nevada Anime Fans Unite!
SNAFU Con is an anime convention in the Reno/Sparks area of Nevada. The 2024 con was November 1 - 3, 2024. The 2025 con has not been announced yet.
Quicklinks:
Programming
Panels
No, not solar, or insulating, or the ones you put lots of buttons on in your evil lab, but informational and entertaining panels on the subjects of....well, everything really. We will answer such great questions as "What qualifies as old-school?" "Why do my villains fail?" and "How much for that Nabeshin necktie?"
Most of our panels are provided by fan volunteers. If you are interested in running a panel, more information is available on our Panelist Info.
2024 Panels List
| Fifth Gen Isn't Pokémon | A critique of the creatures introduced in the fifth generation of “Pokémon”. We will go over the mechanics, aesthetics, and lure to prove once and for all that the fifth generation of “Pokémon” does not deserve to stand beside the greats of Pokémon past like Mr. Mime, Voltorb, and Muk. | |
| Ash Can't Catchem | Ash Ketchum has been a Pokémon trainer for longer than most of you have been alive, but for some reason he has the same game sense as I did when I didn’t understand what the save button does. Together we’ll try to figure out how many battles he won only due to OSHA required indoor sprinkler systems and try to quantify exactly how much money Jessie and James have spent trying to capture something that has a 25% encounter rate at the Power Plant. | |
| Sonic: An Unfortunate History | Sonic the Hedgehog is a staple holding together the childhood of any proper 90s kid, but just like Soap shoes he's tragically out of fashion. We'll be going over the history of Sonic The Hedgehog games, Sega Consoles, and, reluctantly, the fandom around them both as we figure out what happened to a once promising video game mascot. | |
| Collecting Vintage Photos 101 | Let's look through the whole world of collecting vintage photos that tell a story. We'll dive into the hobby and how to collect through history. | |
| Deltiology in the Anime Community | Deltiology is the study and collecting of postcards. Back when anime was first being popularized in North America the industry released many promotional postcards. These are some of the rarest pieces of merchandise for your favorite anime, manga, and video games. These postcards haven't been in the public eye in decades... until this panel! Join us as we delve through the odd and interesting world of anime promotional postcards. | |
| SNAFU Con Feedback Session | Tell us what you liked, didn't like, and what we should do next year. | |
| Improv 101/Workshop | Fully Unscripted presents everything you need to know to get started in improvisational acting. These skills work for long-form, short-form, scripted acting, and even regular life. Think you're not funny? No problem! Ask questions, play games, and have fun. | |
| Lip Sync Contest | Show off your stage performance skill in this not so serious Lip Sync Contest. Only 1st place gets a price and the judges are the audience. | |
| Polyamory & Ethical Nonmonogamy 101 | Curious about polyamory and ethical nonmonogamy? Join us for a relaxed and open discussion hosted by our polycule. We'll share our personal experiences, insights, and some handy handouts to help guide the conversation. Whether you're new to the idea or just want to chat, come and learn with us in this welcoming environment. All questions and curiosities are welcome! | |
| Exploring Safe and Consensual Dynamics | Join us for an open Q&A session, hosted by two seasoned practitioners with extensive experience in the lifestyle. Whether you're curious about or actively involved in BDSM, join us for an informative and respectful discussion. Ask your burning questions and receive practical advice with a focus on safety, consent, boundaries, and effective communication. | |
| Horror Themed Playwrighting | Ever want to see your words brought to life on stage? Join multi-award winning playwright Kevin Glover for a brief tutorial on writing stage plays with a horror or genre theme. | |
| Artists vs Bob Ross | Volunteer artists must follow along with Bob Ross using their preferred medium. Whoever gets the closest wins. | |
| How to Prepare for a Cosplay Competition: A Basic Intro | A basic introduction to the world of competitive cosplay. What you need to know about the application process, build books, and what judges are typically looking for. Whether you are new to competing and want to know what it is like, or a regular who wants to step up their game, this panel is for you. | |
| Weathering 101 | An explanation on what materials, methods and skills are useful in creating a weathered cosplay look. From how to make fake rust, how to make fabric look torn, to how to black wash a prop. Everything you need to know to get started with basic weathering. | |
| The Economics of C - Control | A discussion about the schools of thought in the 2011 show C - The Money of Soul and Possibility Control and how an author's opinion can infect their work. | |
| Harems: A Fair and Balanced Analysis | Anime always promotes unrealistic expectations in our lives: randomly getting super powers, giant mech battles, having friends. The biggest let down from anime is of course the promise of harem anime: that not only could one girl be interested in you, but five could. We’re here to dispel the myth that girls could be interested in you, and why you wouldn’t want any of these 2D waifus in your life anyway. | |
| Top Percentage: Into the Joeyverse | Hey Joey here! Just checking in to let you know that my Rattata is in the top percentage! Don't believe me? Come to my panel to check it out! | |
| Super Mario Bros Super Panel! | Mario games have been a pinnacle of consistency for the video game industry. Mario media adaptations have been the same thing, but in the opposite direction. Let's delve into the old Mario media, from the live action movie to the super show, so we can decide once and for all which spaghetti is the most overcooked. | |
| Nerfed Naruto | An interactive (Kahoot) panel experience where audience members can vote on the Naruto characters who were nerfed, forgotten, or never leveled up, in addition to most hated. | |
| Honkai: Star Rail Jeopardy | Come together and watch a group of Honkai: Star Rail cosplayers have their in game knowledge tested with a game of Jeopardy! | |
| How to Kill an Hour 101 | How to Kill an Hour is back, yet again, for more Cards Against Humanity and fun! Come on down and play a hand (or more). Stay a minute, stay twenty, stay the whole time. Either way, we'll kill an hour! | |
| Union Pacific 844: 80 years of fun | A quick history of the Union Pacific 844, the only steam locomotive in North America that has never been retired, and the use of the engine on excursions and public relations for decades. | |
| The Little Nevada | A quick history of a fictional branch line of the Union Pacific Railroad. | |
| Scientist Advice Panel | We have a very special treat. Three multi-disciplinary scientists ready to answer all of your questions about anything you can come up with. We know one is definitely good, the second is questionable and don't even ask about the third one. | |
| The Fermi Paradox | Let's have a chat on where we are at with the Fermi Paradox, the gap between the likeliness of life developing on other planets and our lack of contact with any life other than our own. | |
| Hentai Redub Live! | Join the bravest of our voice actor guests as they live-dub a hentai they’ve never seen before! | |
| Hentai: Insert Panel | Experience the hilarity as our panelists heckle and dissect a hentai for your viewing pleasure. | |
| Writer's Workshop | With November just starting come join me, current organizer of local writing group The Smallest Large Writer's Society! I'll be hosting a workshop on how to write a novel in November without NaNoWriMo. We'll do some writing/character exercises and offer fun tools to improve writing! | |
| Improv 201 - Workshop | Want to try out Improv on the stage? Now's your chance. Play some games, get some coaching, and have some fun. | |
| Let's Talk World Building | Do you want to build a world? Are you a writer or GM? Let's talk during this Main Stage discussion panel. | |
| D&D on Main Stage | We just built a world, now let's play in it in this fully improvised D&D session on Main Stage. Non-player audience will be asked to throw in suggestions from time to time. | |
| Science Stories to Leave To | Listen to some odd, interesting, or spooki science stories as we wrap up Day 0. | |
| Jackbox | A battle of wits and likes against the the Main Stage crew during these party games. | |
| Bomb Disposal 101 | Watch and participate as the Main Stage crew struggles to defuse video game bombs. | |
| Make That Anime | Win prizes for improvising a brand new anime based on some randomly generated traits and titles. | |
| Orbital Mechanics for Beginners | Using Kerbal Space Program, let's talk about space, orbits, and math. It's not hard, its only rocket science. | |
| Science Stories | Listen to some odd, interesting, and/or spooki science stories. | |
| Lecture on Whatever | We are experts on whatever topic you throw at us. We even made a slide show presentation before hand. | |
| Art Slave | I'm not an artist; I only play one on stage. Make me suffer by demanding I draw stuff. | |
| How To Walk Your Cat | and other cool tricks to teach your feline friend! Jess Floam, human of Tikka the Cat, will share tips on how you can include your own furry companion on adventures outside. Jess has worked for veterinary hospitals for 5+ years and gone on adventures with Tikka for the past 6 years climbing meowntains, frolicking mewdows, and kayaking seas. | |
| I Have Strong Opinions | I have strong opinions about meaningless things. This often causes me to rant on the topic in the middle of conversation. For this panel I will be given different topics, but will be held to a strict timer. Once the timer goes off I -have- to change topics. | |
| Chill Beats and Chats | Is the Rave is a little to loud for you? Want to just relax with soft conversation and music? This is the place for you! Join the main stage crew while they chat about anything while listening to some soothing music. | |
| Crochet 101 | Learn how to start crochet with the very basics! Hooks and yarn will be provided for you and you may take home whatever you make! | |
| Crochet 102 | If you have learned the basics of crochet come join us for a more advanced class where we learn how to make our items 3-D. Come learn the basics of making a plushie! | |
| Electrical Engineering and Cosplay Applications | An introduction to electrical engineering and ways to incorporate it with cosplay! Hosted by students from the University of Nevada: Reno’s Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers club. | |
| How to Stay in Character for a Cosplay | Learn how to bring the character to life in photoshoots with Brandon Boykins! | |
| Cosplay for Kindness Q&A | Get to know the members of Cosplay For Kindness, a local organization that uses Cosplay to spread good in the world. Learn their story as well as how to be a part of this great cause! | |
| Voice Acting 101 - Setting Up Your Home Studio | Looking to start your voice acting career but don't know where to start? Chris Escalante presents everything you need to know for setting up your very first home studio including treating your space, equipment for all budgets, and where to look for your first connections and recording gigs! | |
| "FANTASTIC" Fan-Fiction | Come join the fun and silliness reading the most RIDICULOUS fanfiction you've ever read, with AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION! | |
| "FANTASTIC" Fan-Fiction | Come join the fun and silliness reading the most RIDICULOUS and SPICY fanfiction you've ever read, with AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION! | |
| Voice Actor Q&A Panel | Get ready to dive behind the scenes with your favorite voice actors! This Q&A panel is your chance to hear incredible stories, insider secrets, and ask the burning questions you've always wanted answered. | |
| Behind the Voices with Danielle McRae | Talk with Danielle McRae about her characters in some of your favorite anime and video games in an open discussion. | |
| Video Game Geek Talk with Danielle McRae | Join Danielle in a discussion on the state of the video game industry, as well as discuss your favorite/least favorite video game moments. | |
| Video Game Voice Acting with Danielle McRae | Meet Danielle McRae as she shares the process on what it's like to record for video games | |
| Costume Making from Start to Finish | Does cosplay look fun but feel extremely daunting? Are you an existing cosplayer who wants to expand their knowledge and up their craftsmanship game? Come join cosplayer and costume maker GumiV4 as she breaks down step by step her costume making process from start to finish! Everything from the clothes, wigs, accessories, and more: learn some of the secrets of how these characters come to life, and leave this panel feeling ready to step into the cosplay scene with confidence! | |
| Pokémon Origins with Stuart Zagnit | Join Stuart Zagnit, the original voice of Professor Oak, as he shares his unique perspective on the early days of the Pokémon anime in the U.S. Discover behind-the-scenes stories about the show's debut, the dubbing process, and its rapid rise to cultural phenomenon, from someone who was there when it all began. | |
| Wark After Dark! | Come see Warky Unplucked in this meet and greet, question and answer panel where anything and everything goes! | |
| Tales of Con Horror | Come hear the terrifying (and sometimes, hilarious) stories of conventions past that will haunt your mind forever! | |
| Ascendant Animation Industry Panel | Ever wondered what it's like to dub an anime? Come join some of the staff at Ascendant Animation for a panel with behind the scenes perspectives in the dubbing industry. | |
| It Gets Better | LGBTQ-centric affirmations, coping, and topical conversations. | |
| Kayleigh McKee Voice Quiz | Kayleigh McKee takes a quiz on characters she voices, while staying in character voice! | |
| Let's Build a Story Together! | While we figure out what makes a good story, we create a tale of our own. A discussion forum where the panel and audience decide on elements and build a story together. | |
| Luminescent Dance Q&A | Come get to know the Luminescent Dance Team, and learn about K-pop and J-pop! The Luminescent Dance Team will be there to talk about the history of K-pop / J-pop and the background of their dance team. Come hang out and talk with the team! | |
| The D&D Cartoon: A Critical Fail? | Have you ever wish D&D had a cartoon? No? Well unfortunately for you, it does exist, and unlike what your therapist tells you it CAN hurt you. | |
| PanelQuest | Join a one-of-a-kind comedy adventure where the audience decides the hero's every action! Kick mice, hoard teeth and steal hammers on your way to slaying the Dragon...all the while either taking the path laid before you or going wildly off the rails! | |
| Basics of DJing | Ever want to learn how to be a DJ? The rave department will reveal it's secrets to you! We can show you how to get started dropping beats. | |