Wizard World Austin Comic Con 2013

I've been putting off this post because this convention was unlike any other I've been to. Usually, I drive a few hours to a different city, stay in a hotel room crammed full of friends, and have cosplay plans with other people.

This con, however, was totally different. It was in Austin, so I didn't need a hotel room - score! - and I decided to go last minute. But at the same time, not many of my friends that are at the bigger Texas cons went to Austin Comic Con. I went alone to a convention for the first time.

Despite all of that and my fears that the convention would be lonely, I ended up meeting up with several friends, old and new. Not having plans and commitments was a relief and made the con a lot less stressful. This experience was different than my usual con experience, but still special in its own way.

The convention itself was a little different too. I usually go to anime conventions, so comic cons are different in a few ways. They tend to be more expensive, but have programming with industry guests instead of fan-run panels. The costuming is predominantly from comics or sci fi (though you wouldn't be able to tell from my photos!), which is interesting since anime cons seem to have a wider range of cosplay. 

I wore Fionna and Ramona - and for the first time, there weren't lots of these characters running around. Usually if I am dressed as a more popular character, I have fun taking photos with everyone else in the same costume, but not at this con! 

 

I also tried circle lenses for the first time with my costumes, and I absolutely LOVED it! These lenses change your eye color, but the main reason I wanted to use them was to make my eyes big and cartoony. With cosplay, I love exploring the border between fantasy and reality. Anything I can do to help me look more unreal is welcome. I feel like these lenses and the makeup I tried with them really made a difference in the overall effect of my costumes. I'm hoping to give a full review of the lenses I ordered soon, so stay tuned!

The highlight of the convention for me was meeting up with my friends from around the internet. I ran into Betty Felon, comic book fashion writer extraordinaire, who I've been following online for years and is among those who inspired me to start blogging. I also got to meet up with Mindy and a few others I've known online for a while. I realized recently that most of the friends I have I've met online before I met them in person, and I think that's awesome!

It was great to go to a con spontaneously and by myself. I'm definitely looking forward to the 2014 convention season and the new costumes I have planned!

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