#con recap

[no1likemickey]

SacAnime recap but the last post didn't save so I have to redo it....!

I did the random play dance and danced to DUH! by P1Harmony, Chk Chk Boom by Stray Kids, MAESTRO by SEVENTEEN, and Biii:-P by XLOV. I also did Lemon Drop by ATEEZ in the crowd bc I thought I knew less than I did...

I forgot what happened for like the first half of the time I was there but I finally got to meet @yourlocalavian !!!!!

I also saw a bunch of people I follow on here :DDD

Here's when I told @ghostie-blu @jellyfishizhere @yoshi-whoosh and @birddoesstuff to pose for a picture :)

And here's the pre wedding meet up with @ghostie-blu @demigoddessofthetrees and @yourlocalavian :3

Overall very fun day and I'm already making plans for next con hehehe

[arihi]

Beguiled 2025

The year has not necessarily been the kindest to me - then again, when has it? I know, I know, my first blog post in a while and it’s whining about life again. In our particular community, full of wonderful and loving and also marginalized individuals, I don’t know many who have found much solace over the last many months. I seek happiness and love and connection and community despite it all, a gentle, caring version of resistance I often encourage others to do. And sometimes, I listen to myself!

I find myself in the privileged position of having attended many hypnocons over the years. I’ve experienced high highs and low lows, often over the course of a single packed weekend. I’ve met community leaders and content creators I looked up to. (I’ve even managed to become one!) I’ve met new people at just about every con that have become comforting familiar faces in the hallways. I’ve met dear friends that I look forward to seeing once or twice a year. I met my partner. Over the years, I met a community full of people who are unapologetically themselves, who sought better lives for themselves, who taught me lessons that I carry on and emulate now in my day to day life.

I am humbled and grateful that even after all this time, I can still have weekends that I can call the best time that I’ve had. There is an exhilarating but anxious rush at these cons - so many classes to attend, evening events to check out, people to see, scenes to do. Once upon a time I thought I wasn’t much longer for the con going community, didn’t have a place anymore; now I see that I’d simply lost track of the advice that I used to give others.

I’ll make a more personal and specific con post soon, but wanted to make this general one for posterity’s sake. Sometimes, people dig up old con posts of mine that I don’t even remember writing, that come from different versions of myself. Sometime in the future yet, I’m sure I’ll grow doubtful and question whether I still belong. At that time, I hope I find this post again, an ever reminder that I’m a fucking idiot that needs to stop being so anxious, but also, a reminder that there will always be good times to be had — if only I’ll reach back out for it.

[dunderella]

kupocon pom west was so fun 😭💕

i got alot of great comments on my fit hehehe, and i had my special clive decoden photocard holder that i made with me for good luck 🌹💖

[setsuntamew]

Otakon 2023 - Day 0 Recap

DAY 0 WAS SO FUN!!!!!

We made the very smart plan to go down today and get our badges, instead of wasting a chunk of Friday in the pickup line. And it was a very good idea; it went sooooo smoothly and quickly. I got all my accessibility stuff taken care of, too, so waiting in line for the Studio Orange panel on Saturday should go smoothly :D

So after picking up badges, we sat sorta near the entrance and watched people go by. I love watching cosplayers go by and seeing everyone's stuff, and I'm always impressed by people who get fully in cosplay for Thursday of all days. I ended up wearing my Millennium Ring because I wanted something fun, and I also wore Thief King's coat until I was too hot.

We eventually got hungry and went to dinner, which ended up being an exercise in pain because it was so fucking hot sobs. Maybe I shouldn't have been wearing a long sleeve coat in 97 degree weather, but maybe I'm just not smart XD Pat found the place and it was only about 10 minutes away, but I was cursing him out at about 2/3 of the way there because I was so overheated ;w; It ended up being really good, so all was forgiven. Pat had a particularly good mango margarita!!

On the way back to the con center, we stopped at CVS so I could get a 5 hour energy - because I left all of mine in Baltimore - and I got fucked carded at the self checkout. Apparently you have to be 21 to buy them??? So that was funny to me XD

ANYWAY. We finally get back to the con center and see the Legato cosplayer I was trying to meet up with...having a photoshoot outside the building, as you do. It was really nice to meet up with them!!!! I got to share my millionsummers fic booklets and Liz's Legato zine :D And then one of their friends recognized my XiYao ita bag and mentioned that they liked SangCheng, and Liz was able to produce a SangCheng fic from my bag of mysteries uwu We're gonna see them again tomorrow (hopefully!) at the Trigun shoot *w*

It looked kinda overcast, so I made the decision to head home. Which was good! It started raining as we are trying to get into the parking garage XD

[ingo-ingoing-ingone]

So! Post con thoughts!!

First off, I will be making a con compilation video soon so look out for that! More pictures! Videos too! You’ll get to see me doing Emmet Karaoke and also the cosplay fashion show :) I’ll rehash this post in the video as well

But okay!

First off, I want to say I’ve had more fun than i can ever remember having this weekend. The reception to my cosplay and everything I did this weekend was... Astounding. I expected a handful of people to enjoy my cosplay and know who i was. Maybe more to know “hey that pokemon black and white train guy!” (Actual comment i heard)

But no. I got 100+ people commenting and asking for pictures and freaking out about my cosplay (and posters). In the registration line, several people told me they loved me. Today, one person said “HEY! My friend Emmet! Wait nevermind that’s weird you don’t know me.” (that cracked me up) Several people had me pose with plushies or props they had! People freaked OUT when they saw me, and today I got MULTIPLE PEOPLE saying they were searching for me all day after hearing about me yesterday. When I did find Ingos, and we did the pose, so many people wanted pictures. It was awesome!! There’s got to be SO MANY pics floating around out there!

The first Ingo I found was a fan of my fanfics. That was an INSANE feeling, meeting someone who was a fan of me. I also met an author that I’ve been enjoying the works of, which was almost equally as wild! Fun fun time, there (we’ll both be going to another con at the same time, totally gonna meet up there.)

The flyers were such a hit. People cracked UP when I handed them to them. One person SHOUTED “NOOOOOO!” loudly in the artist alley. They were one of the artists. There were groups who crowded around and read it aloud. The line “we are different people” SENT THEM. Three people said they’d frame it. The mask was another thing that people loved! They thought it was wonderful! My con badge also said I AM EMMET and so did the LED badge I pinned to my lanyard. Those who noticed the triplicate thought it was hilarious. Glad it wasn’t overkill like I’d thought!

Now, I will say I was a bit bummed there was not one single HINT of submas merch ANYWHERE in artist alley. OF COURSE this isn’t the artists’ faults, duh, I just wish I would’ve seen some! I had submas fans asking me if I’d found anything, and nothing. Had to tell several folks the pins and keychains I had were all bought beforehand!

One artist in the artist alley asked me to keep a lookout for Ingo merch for their little sister, who apparently loves Ingo to pieces. I found nothing, but gave the artist a flyer to pass along, and they took a pic of me holding it :) They said I’d make her day, which was such a good feeling.

Even after the con, folks on discords (that I wasn’t in at the time!) were talking about the “Emmet cosplayer with the missing posters.” Someone else on tumblr complimented the Emmet cosplayer while we were chatting, all the while unaware that I was the person who was in that cosplay!

That’s the core of it, really. While cosplaying and having people interact with me gives me free serotonin, it’s because I fuckin love making people smile. The amount of days I apparently made is.... a lot!! I did that! I made people smile! People posted pictures on twitter yelling over getting to meet me! I just... brought joy to people. And that is an immensely good feeling.

Aside from all that, I had a photoshoot in the Boston subway system (aka the T). I was quite lucky the con was in a location with its own stop! My wonderful photographer was happy to go down there for a shoot. It was even on the Green Line, just like the one Ingo runs. So me pretending to put up missing posters there will be extra evocative. :) I’ll post those pics, and the ones from the photo room at the con, as soon as I get them! :D

I learned a few things that I’m going to incorporate into my writing as well! Like how even if you are a different color, even if you are LABELED IN 3 PLACES! People will still get you and your twin confused. And how even if you’ve been doing the same pose all day, sometimes you will almost run into the person you’re standing next to in an attempt to get to the right position. And sometimes you’ll forget for a moment and face the person you’re SUPPOSED to be posing back-to-back to like a dummy.

Fun way to do fic research, I guess! Live as the character(s) for a few days! :D

So now that this con is over.... Now what?? What happens next? Well, aside from having to go back to work (boo), I have a lot of plans. There are some locations in the area where I eventually want to have some photoshoots. I’ll be going to Vancouver and might be bringing my cosplay along, and I definitely want to go to NYC soon. For cons, Connecticon is coming up, and Fan Expo Boston is as well! Along with some smaller Massachusetts cons and ones in the surrounding areas that I might hit up :) Unless my life takes a verrry sudden detour or my outfit gets completely ruined, I will be cosplaying Emmet at all these events.

But until then...

I’m planning on taking a few of each version of the posters and sticking them in the Boston subway and seeing what happens. It’s obviously just a silly thing, so no one will be bothered sfjslfghsfhgj I wanna see if anyone takes the tear tabs. If you’re in Boston and find one, you get a free doodle from me.

Until my next con this summer! If anyone’s going to Connecticon, let me know! I can’t wait to go do this all over again :)

(Post mostly written on Sunday, May 29 2022)

[squeemcsquee]

QuadCon Peoria September 2021

On Saturday, September 25, we went to QuadCon Peoria. The event was running both Sat and Sun at Northwoods Mall, but we chose to just do the one day. And that was probably for the best.

Since the con was at Northwoods Mall, which is open to the public, attendance was free and there was no need to check in anywhere and get a hand stamp. Vendors were spread out through the upper level of the mall, as well as one of the empty storefronts near the food court. Card game tournaments were set up in the mall’s new comic store. There were video game tournaments scheduled for the same area, but they weren’t taking place while we were there (as far as I know, anyway)

.We wandered around a couple of times, saying hi to vendors that we knew, and browsing. We’d gotten to the con approximately 12:15 or so and planned to stay until the cosplay contest was over. Well before then, we were bored.

QuadCon attracts a great variety of vendors. It’s fun to browse and shop! But that can only entertain @lechevaliermalfet​ and I for so long. The card gaming tournaments weren’t of interest to us and there were no panels at this particular QuadCon. We were with friends, so we were able to pass the time by just talking/getting coffee/etc. Had we been on our own, we probably would have either gone home until the cosplay contest or gone to the Round One arcade on the lower level.

When the cosplay contest began, it was held on the lower level in the center court, so that it was visible from the upper level as well. Contestants were asked to strike a pose or two and then join a line for photos and a cosplay parade while the judges deliberated.

 We were on the lower level for this portion, and so it was easy to see and hear. We ventured to the upper level as the cosplay parade set off through the mall.

When awards were announced, we simply watched from where we were upstairs. However, it was very hard to hear who was winning what award over the general background noise of the mall on a Saturday.

In all honesty, I’m not sure that the mall is the best venue for QuadCon. On the one hand, having the empty storefront was a nice way to gather several of the vendors together - but an empty storefront isn’t exactly a welcoming environment. And while having people set up along the regular mall walkways was also a nice idea, I’m curious to know how well those vendors actually benefitted from the regular mall traffic. I almost feel like there were two crowds: mall shoppers and con attendees. And that the two didn’t overlap much. But maybe I’m wrong, who knows?

[nattosoup]

Handmade and Bound

Art tutorials, supply reviews, and convention recaps for comic artists.

A show recap of Handmade and Bound, a three day, outdoor book event in Nashville, TN.

[howtobeaconartist]

Nattosoup (Becca Hillburn) talks about Imaginacon, a one day library fandom convention in Gallatin, TN.  She discusses how smaller cons are a great way to get started, especially for artists who have difficulty getting into conventions.