I'm a little biased - I tend to go to anime conventions over comic cons, or video game cons, or sci-fi cons. This isn't because one type of convention is inherently any better than another - I think part of it is how many of my friends go to anime cons. I also appreciate that anime cons feel fan-run, rather than some cons that feel more corporate (though that's not necessarily a bad thing!).
When I set my convention schedule for the year, I added Dallas Comic Con for the first time. The timing of this convention had never worked out for me; it always fell on moving weekend, or graduation, or something like that, but this year, I could finally go! The con moved to a much larger space this year and had around 60,000 attendees! As always, there are growing pains with a new location, but overall it was a great experience.
I stayed with the lovely Mindy, AKA
The Geeky Seamstress, and it was so fun to talk shop all weekend! I'm hoping the more I talk with her, the more sewing knowledge I will gain via osmosis.
The focus for me is almost always cosplay. This tie around, I brought two new costumes - movie!Ramona, and Princess Bubblegum. PB was a last-minute closet cosplay with
Kimmie, who didn't end up making it anyway, so it was a little bit of a mess. It was really fun being pink for the night! Ramona, on the other hand, is a costume I've been working on for months! There's still a few things that need tweaking, but I love how it turned out. I modified the dress, hand painted the stripes on the shirt, dyed and styled the wig, and made the hammer. I also worked on my best Mary Elizabeth Winstead impression.
I think my favorite part of DCC was the Cosplay Hideaway, a secluded room with a repair station (sharpies, safety pins, and hot glue, oh my!), volunteers to help, and seating. As any cosplayer knows, it can be difficult to take a real break at a convention, especially if you are with another cosplayer. People can ask for photos at the most inappropriate times (um, I'm eating!) or your conversation can be interrupted over and over again. While I love taking photos, I also need time to recharge, and the Cosplay Hideaway was perfect for that! Plus, I got to talk to tons of new cosplayers I hadn't met, especially those who are usually swamped with people asking for photos. Shout out to the
North Texas Cosplay group for organizing the hideaway!
Overall, I really had a wonderful time and I'm glad I made the effort to go to DCC this year. The same organization does a few events throughout the year - I may need to add them to my calendar.
My next convention this season is A-Kon, next weekend - eep! I have so much cosplay work to do before then, wish me luck!
