Hello again my lovely readers! It is officially time to jump back into the convention circuit and what a con to start with!
Emerald City Comic Con is still in my top five of conventions to go to every year, it’s local and they always put on one hell of a show. It still leaves me dizzy to think we are just days (but pretty much hours) away from the first day of this four day convention. I’m thankfully only putting on the last touch ups of my cosplays, and test trialing everything from outfit to makeup. Still, I’m beyond excited to show off some new cosplays for the start of this year and have a blast at ECCC!
Just the other night I was going through the scheduling app to see all the great panels and booths I want to scope out this coming weekend. Recently, some of my friends have roped me into their game nights. I had to learn this very complex but highly fun game when you are aiming to make your friends lose so hard they cry, Magic The Gathering. It’s only been almost two months of playing and learning the game and I am pumped that some of the artists for the cards will be there! I also heard they will be signing some cards, and selling merch too. Of course this now means my friends are giving me lists of things they want me to pick up for them (haha). I also noticed that there will be daily tournaments of the game, which I need to play in to test my skill and get better.
I’ve already packed my schedule bursting with all the fun and interesting panels I saw throughout the weekend. Lots of networking panels, such as “Building Your Own Themyscira: Networking in Your Niche”, “Working in Japan (JET)”, “Creating Your Brand”, “Authors on the Best Advice I ever got”, and “Speed Networking”. All of these are so interesting to me this year since I’m trying to level up.
There are also a ton of other panels I have marked down that I am for sure getting to early, lots of cosplay ones too! “Level up your cosplay and props”, “Over 30 Cosplay”, “Samurai sword sparring”, “Trends in teen lit”, “Build a fairy lantern with LED’s”, “True (cosplay) crimes”, “Dubs vs Subs”, “A battle of tropes”, and “Chainsaw Man cast panel”. There are of course so many more panels I have added to my list, but I’d thought I would just share a few here.
Even now as I get all my ducks in a row for ECCC, I’m trying to put to use all the tips I know many of us ignore when at con. Such as packing snacks, water, and setting aside time in my schedule for going to lunch (I need to get dumplings at least twice during this long weekend or I will lose my mind) and adding in breaks to sit and chill. Plus, we have also been experiencing some very cold weather lately. Please bring a coat and a change of clothes stashed in your car or hotel room, you may have a lot of fun in your cosplay or cute con outfit, but you could find yourself exhausted, feet hurting (always bring a spare pair of shoes) or just done with the outfit you have on for various reasons. I am packing a light side bag to take with me during con (I’ll have to drive in every day sadly, due to no dog sitter), but I’ll also be packing a bigger bag for my car with all the essentials I listed above (just in case).
Finally, my cosplay. Me being me, means I put together a whole stack of new cosplays to try out for ECCC. I am bringing back one of my favorites from last year (it’s just too comfy to not make the list), and threw together another last minute one too! My current line up is Nanami Kento (from Jujustu Kaisen), Buggy the Clown (from One Piece, and it’s his prison outfit and prop), Monkey D. Luffy (One Piece), and Shinobu (from Demon Slayer, a bunny suit version of her to go with the group I’m in). Not going to lie, it’s been a struggle to get these done the last month and a half that I’ve been working on them. Many setbacks, weather delays, and stuff going wrong. I’m no longer going to worry about it, because I’m going to have fun and let loose with my friends. I can always fix or remake things to be better after con is over, as this is my test run for three of these.
I hope I get to see many of you there, and if you can’t make it (or in another state or country) I’ll be posting about each day here and on my social media platforms. But if you are coming, please stay safe, take care of yourself, always bring backup shoes, and have fun!
Are you going to be at Emerald City Comic Con? Feel free to leave a comment below or chat with us on Twitter at @TheConCollectve!
We’re always looking for new writers that are truly passionate about stuff – we give you the review materials, the platform and the support to say what you feel from the heart. If you’d like to write opinion pieces about pop culture topics or reviews, reach out to us using the contact us form.
