Make it Happen, #28: Go to Comic Con
'Do you really want to do this?' I asked on Saturday morning.
My reflection in the mirror didn't answer. She just looked at my dark blue tights and the big white star on my chest with eyes full of doubt.It was Dutch Comic Con day and I was going to be one of those cosplaying weirdos - if I could find the courage to leave the house looking like a gender-bent Captain America.
From Envy's Make it Happen List
#28: Go to Comic Con
Status: Awesomeness achieved
My reflection looked tired and insecure. I'd barely slept that night. Around 3am I'd woken up, thinking it was time to go to Utrecht for a day full of awesomeness, only to find out it was still the middle of the night...
My insecurity was killing me: I'd wanted to do a Captain America cosplay for ages, but now that I had a suit and an opportunity, I was afraid people would laugh at me. For a minute I considered letting go of the cosplay idea. Then I realized the acne gods had blessed me with an almost clear skin for once. That had to be a sign: I had to do it. Five minutes later I put on my gloves and my sorta-kinda combat boots, walked to the bus stop and didn't look back.
Okay, to be honest, I felt uncomfortable in my blue tights until my friend Alethea and I got on the train to Utrecht, where Dutch Comic Con takes place. Suddenly I wasn't the only overexcited costumed geek anymore. All conversations in our part of the train were either about superheroes, or about Harry Potter. It only got better when we arrived at Utrecht Central Station. I spotted my first Deadpool there and for some reason also the Blues Brothers. It was great, especially because my Captain America suit turned out to be one of the more normal and less slutty outfits at the con. Seriously, before we'd even entered the place we'd already seen the first piece of underwear peeking out from under a piece of cloth that was supposed to be a pair of shorts.
Actually entering Comic Con was a bit of a hassle. Not just because a few hundred geeks all wanted to get in as soon as possible, but also because every single bag and cosplay prop had to be checked. After what happened in Brussels, which isn't all that far away, the organization didn't want to take any risks. I can't blame them. It took some time to get through security, but with so many awesome costumes all around us the wait was pretty great. Especially when a guy dressed as Wolverine started talking to us because of my costume. At that moment I was really glad I'd stuck to my plan of cosplaying.
It was around 10am when we officially entered the con. After that moment I lost all track of time. It was like entering a parallel universe. Before I knew what was going on, I was dragged to the Captain America: Civil War stand, where we had out picture taken - in front of the Team Iron Man background. It's probably the most original picture those people took of Marvel fans all day: three Iron Man fangirls and a very awkward and unhappy looking female Captain America.
The merchandise hall felt like my new home. I couldn't stop staring at all the awesome (and extremely pricy) merchandise. In the end I only bought a Deadpool and a Star Lord post card to decorate my wall with. Sure, post cards from places I've been are cool, but who wouldn't want to see Star Lord give them the finger when they open their eyes in the morning?
I should probably also tell you about these little blue surprise bags they sold at the con. The idea was great: pick a bag from your favorite franchise and get some surpise merchandise. It was almost like a subscription box and since I just love those I had to get one of these. Sadly I ended up with even more Iron Man stuff. Apparently the universe didn't get the message that I'm Team Cap all the way... Alethea's luck was worse than mine: she got corn chips (I ate all of them on the way back home).
I spent most of my time looking at other people. The costumes were just amazing. Apart from slutty Mario and Luigi, I loved almost all of them. But I loved the whole cosplay thing even more when a girl came up to me and said: 'Your costume is so cute!' It made my day, it really did.
While I was happily watching other people look awesome, my friend was more focused on getting to a Q&A with Seth Gilliam on time. I had no idea who that was, but I figured I should go with her for the full Comic Con experience. I was not disappointed. I had seen neither of the two series he answered questions about, but he turned the Q&A into a real performance. It was also funny that Teen Wolf fangirls took the Q&A almost completely over before the Walking Dead fans stepped in. It almost seemed like a competition from that moment on: which fandom could ask the most questions?After the Q&A my friend wanted to go to some sneak preview kind of thing for a series called Outcast. I let her go on her own; I wasn't interested and my social meter was running dangerously low. You see, I can be very social for an hour or two, three maybe. But after five hours, I really need some alone time.
I checked the merchandise hall out one more time, then sat down near the Civil War stand and watched Comic Con happen. That was one of the greatest things I did all day. I saw Iron Man flirt with a female Venom, Darth Vader kept dropping his light saber and even Sans from Undertale was there. Five Nights at Freddy's cosplays walked past me, followed by Batman and at least six Deadpools. Every time I thought I'd seen it all, another person in an awesome costume came along. It was geek heaven.
By the end of the day my mind was blown. I was exhausted, my feet hurt and I hadn't drunk a thing because I was too busy being excited, but it was all worth it. For once I felt at home. For once I felt like I could fit in. It was the best feeling ever.
Stay Awesome!
8 Fellow Ramblers
thats amazing! Ive always wanted to go to comic con! Im glad you had such an incredible time <3
ReplyDeleteIt was the most amazing thing in ages! I hope you get to go to a Comic Con soon!
DeleteAfter reading this I now wish they have comic con here. I want to go to one it sounds like an amazing experience!
ReplyDeleteIt was a great experience. I promise you won't get disappointed if you get to go to one. It's a shame there isn't one near you, cause it's really amazing to be part of the cons crazy world for a day :)
DeleteCongratulations on your first Comic-Con! I love the dedication of people at these things. My friend and I went to Potterfest recently, and I was embarrassed that everyone else seemed to be wearing a cape.. Sadly the convention wasn't as awesome as Dutch Comic Con, it was very badly organised and not too eventful, but at least that's one thing I can tick off my bucket list :)
ReplyDeleteAlso I remember a while ago I told you my friend was working in a German summer camp and I said I'd find out more details for you.. Anyway, she said she just googled 'summer jobs German summercamp' and applied to a lot of them, then went with the best offer. As I have no experience with children I don't stand much chance of getting one of those jobs, so I decided to go au-pairing instead, which is also a great option. I might not be in a 'dynamic' work environment, but at least I'm seeing a bit of the world and using my languages :)
Thank you :) These events are one of the very few occasions you'll get weird looks if you're not in costume, haha. Too bad the HP convention was badly organised, but maybe it just needs time to grow. It was only the second Dutch Comic Con ever and we saw room for improvement there too.
DeleteThanks for the information! I have my summer vacation all mapped out now, but I'm going to keep this in mind for next year. Hope your au-pairing goes well!
That sounds awesome!
ReplyDeleteNabila // Hot Town Cool Girl
That's because it was awesome ;)
DeleteI solemnly swear that I am up to no good! Wait, no, I mean: I solemnly swear that I will answer each and every comment ;)