Hey Skwad!
So Halloween was a few days ago, and as a cosplayer (check out my socials! 😉) it's the one time a year it's actually considered "normal" to dress up! But outside from that, it doesn't surprise me that this is the case. When I'm in full cosplay, doing the voice and am "in-character" it's almost like meeting the characters at Disney World, only, y'know? Nerdier. I have been so fortunate to have so many tiny DC Superhero Girls Harley's come to me and offer sweeties and massive hugs, which is so amazing to talk to them about Harley and the appreciation of the character!
...But what if dressing up isn't your cuppa tea?
A question I get asked a lot as a cosplayer is:
I'm thinking about going to a Con but I'm not a cosplayer, what do you even do at Conventions if you're not a cosplayer?!
Which is a great (and perfectly understandable!) question!
While you may be an avid comic-book collector, video-game hoarder or film buff, the idea of standing around in a heavy or revealing costume (or worse both!), sweating buckets and getting constantly asked photos isn't everyone's cuppa tea and honestly... I don't blame you.
I had a similar experience back in April 2019, when I was supposed to attend Wales Comic Con in Harley Quinn's (Suicide Squad, 2016) Prison outfit on Saturday and then her infamous Skwad (aka "Daddy's Lil' Monster") outfit on Sunday. But I had a MAJOR meltdown over things not being ready in time and it was cold and I didn't want to it and it just. kinda. didn't. happen... 😅
AND THAT'S FINE! Even if you are a cosplayer you are under no obligation to anyone to always be up for cosplaying. It's stressful, it tires you out and due to your personal situation, you may not be emotionally or mentally up for it. AND THAT'S OK!
To cut it short and get to the bit you ~actually~ clicked the title for, not wanting to waste £20 on a ticket and then not go, Wales Comic Con Spring 2019 was my first Con where I didn't wear any cosplays whatsoever!Now to be completely honest, I had no idea how WCC 2019 was going to go sans cosplay! So this lil' adventure was as informative for me as I hope this blog post is for you!
So first and foremost, security was A BREEZE! I've never gotten through so easily! Not because, y'know, I was actually carrying anything dangerous or illegal, but because the characters I cosplay usually have a lot of props that need to be checked! So instead of routing through my bag and pulling my (nerf) gun apart, it was a very chill "Oh yeah, go on through!".
Added bonus! Seeing as the stereotype of the UK being rainy is, unfortunately, very accurate and WCC being a majorly outdoor Convention, not being in cosplay meant I was able to wrap up warm and wear comfortable, weather-appropriate clothes! Plus its sucks wearing high heels for 6-8 hours, trust me.
"Asking for a friend, what do you even do at a Comic Con?"
The moment I was through the door though I was able to do something I've never done at a Con before; PANELS! For anyone who isn't aware of what panels are, panels are hour-long Q&A's with the guests (usually actors) at Comic Con. The first panel I went to was The Hunger Games panel, with guests Sam Claflin (who played Finnick Odair) and Alexander Ludwig (who played Cato). The first 10 minutes or so were used as an icebreaker to warm the audience to the guests, with the questions being asked by one of the Comic Con's representatives. Definitely stick with it, as later the floor gets opened to the fans to ask whatever questions they want to know. So naturally, all kind of wacky antics ensued, including getting bloopers, sneak-peaks and "Behind-the-Scenes" scoop. The more popular panels you'll have to queue for, so if it's your favourite, make sure you get there early to guarantee your spot! For example, the queue for the Marvel panel, with Hayley Atwell (aka Peggy Carter) and Charlie Cox (aka Daredevil), was easily the most anticipated panel of the day. Unfortunately, this meant the most horrendously long queue (as opposed to The Hunger Games panel which I didn't have to queue up for at all)! It was honestly really weird to be able to attend panels as when you're in cosplay it's non-stop photo ops, you don't get a chance to just sit down and listen to celebs bang on about their experiences on set. It's also the first (and only) time I've been to a convention and not got stopped halfway through my lunch, I was able to sit in peace and watch actors doing cartwheels onstage. Good times.
Honest to god, I have never appreciated the ability to just sit down with you packed lunch* more than at that moment. When you're in cosplay it's constant photos, constant chatting and time just flies. You get to the end of the day, realising that you haven't eaten anything since breakfast, yet you've been hauling around tons of heavy merch, freebies and other knick-knacks without a second thought in your equally heavy (if not heavier) cosplay. No wonder you're exhausted?! I had an instance at my very first Conventions where I was halfway through a sandwich (it was literally in my hand!) and I had someone come up to me asking for a photo, which you know under normal circumstances I would be more than happy to do, but like mate. You can see I'm taking a break, at least wait for me to fix my lipstick. But alas, I ended up with (literally) only a bite to eat and red lipstick on my teeth. Not so good times :(
*While food trucks are always available at conventions as no one wants to leave the con when they've paid good money to be here, as well as the nervousness from cosplayers about being seen by the general public for longer than you have to (which is ludicrous as we're not doing anything illegal or harmful, but I digress), Con food is expensive as hell and usually not worth the money! So honestly just bring your own, you can always buy some doughnuts (which admittedly I did) later if you're still hungry. But if you're relying on Con food to keep you going, your wallets will be crying out in anguish!
As usual, there was also a gaming bus as well as gaming rooms where you can check out and play the latest games that haven't been released to the public yet! I can't really comment as this area isn't really my remit, but I thought I'd let you know that if gaming your cuppa tea, definitely give them a try and check 'em out!
Other ways you can throw away your hard-earned money:
Next, I headed to the merch centre and spend a good amount of time browsing things I neither need nor can afford! For starters, I found a gazillion Pop Funko's, which checked both boxes; I don't need them, I can't afford to start a collection, BUT I STILL WANT THEM!
By the time I'd stopped mentally planning how I was going to explain to my parents about the small army of tiny figurines in my arms, put them back and stepped away from the stall, I decided that if I had to get a memento of my time here, my best plan of action would be to get an enamel pin.
So far I've gotten a pin from every Comic-Con I've ever been to (and at the current time of writing, my right shoulder is so covered that you can no longer tell that I'm wearing a denim jacket) and I wasn't about to stop then. I found a bunch of Harry Potter, Disney and Star Wars, but decided to stick with the Harley Quinn theme I've got going on.
Sidenote; amongst my perusing, I also found some nerdy coasters, which included the likes of Jurrasic Park ("Jurrasic Brew"), Minecraft ("Potion of Regeneration") and Pokemon ("Max Potion - Restore HP"). On top of which, I found signed film scripts, throw pillows to decorate your bedroom, backpacks and of course, numerous items of clothing made to various standards of quality; cosy Christmas jumpers, niche slogan t-shirts and mini-skirts with a Slytherin and a 1950s Zombie Pin-up print that I was OBSESSED with, but couldn't convince myself to buy:
Where would you wear it? When would you wear it? What are you going to pair with it?
Having all this sudden free time which I wasn't used to, I decided to try and get into the signing hall, not to meet the celebrities, which I don't have the money to do, but more to check out the rest of the stalls and see what unique small business I could support. Signing halls are something that I usually don't get round to doing and the ongoing queue confirmed that this dream of mine was something to achieve another time.
Other cosplayers & my thoughts:
I spent the day effectively gushing over all the other cosplayers I saw, which was admittedly a bit of a mixed bag. When in cosplay I usually don't get a chance to meet up with other cosplayers as I'm so caught up in my own affairs. Meaning that I don't get to enjoy just being at the Con and play classic games such as Count the Harley's (Due to the popularity of the character, counting the amount of Harley Quinn and Deadpool cosplayers has become an old pastime within the community). Also, because I tend to be so preoccupied with what I look like, I tend to not appreciate the hard work of others as much as I should, assuming that they already know they look great. Even though I know how much time and effort they've put into this, how worried they must be about everything being perfect and the stress of
oH gAwD hAs AnYoNe ReAlIsEd I dOn'T hAvE *iNsErT pRoP/iTeM oF cLoThInG/aCcEsSoRy*?!
Like mate, I get it. And believe me, no one knows. They're too busy being gobsmacked by the level of confidence you must have to be able to walk around in public dressed as outrageously as you are. So I decided to give credit where credit was due and let cosplayers know how brilliant I thought their work was. But I noticed that, as I was not in cosplay, I got weird looks when I did compliment other cosplayers for their craft. A kind of look that said "ugh you don't know the half of it, what would you know about cosplay", which I guess, to some degree is warranted. They don't know me or how much knowledge I have of the cosplay industry. As someone dressed "normally", unless you have a full-on conversation and bring up you're a cosplayer, you can expect to get a "Thanks" and nothing more, instead of making a new friend and following them on social media.
Which is what happened when I bumped into the AMAZING @littlewolf.cosplay (Check out her Instagram!), who was wearing her iconic Mera cosplay!
She was truly lovely to meet and it was great chatting with her! It was nice to bump into another DCEU cosplayer and chat about the films, what we think of them and what's coming out next!
Which, ultimately, is one of the reasons I love cosplaying. Getting to meet people who are equally as passionate about what is, at the end of the day, works of fiction. Furthermore, you're in a social situation where it's so easy to just go up to start a conversation as you already have something in common:
"Ohmigawd, your cosplay's beyond impressive! How on earth did you make/find that?!"
Or
"Cool *insert character herre* cosplay, have you seen the new series/read the latest comic?!"
And boom. New friend acquired. One social media follow later, you're pen pals and thanks to video chatting and whatnot, you can have those long late-night phone calls.
Another thing I got to do was watch the cosplay competition. Even if you're not a cosplayer yourself, you have to appreciate the hard work, money, time and effort others put in. Incidentally, I have only ever participated in a cosplay competition once, at the very first convention I went to. All the other times, I've either judged or been preoccupied. So it was nice to see the show from an entirely new perspective. Not only were the hosts hilarious, but the judges were a nice mix of both celebs and professional Cosplayers. Sometimes cosplay competitions can just be a case of a fashion show runway. So it was also nice to see that contestants were allowed to give a short performance; either recreating scenes, singing, doing voice impressions (someone did a full-on fight scene including backflips and other stunts!), etc. And as per usual, the kid's category was too adorable for words! :)
Ultimately, what I noticed from taking a step back and viewing the world of Comic Con as an outsider, was how diverse and inclusive the cosplay world is. I remember family members asking what kind of age group is cosplay for, and it's honestly for everyone. I saw fully dressed-up pensioners discussing the new Star Wars films, teenagers who'd saved up for their first cosplay, mothers who'd included their baby bump into their cosplay, and whole families doing a group piece. People cosplaying whomever they wanted because they love a character, despite race, gender, religion, etc and making the character work for them, either by gender-bending them or including religious clothing to the character.
What did I miss?
On the flip side, it was really odd to not be in cosplay! Despite it being a really nice change of pace and atmosphere, it was like seeing a play from the audience's perspective, instead of being on stage performing yourself. Before I didn't see going to a convention and not cosplaying as an option with the amount that I spent on my costumes. But being able to do what I wanted to do, when I wanted to do it (instead of feeling pressured to stay in the cosplay courtyard and just spend a day effectively modelling) was really liberating and in a way cathartic. Although I'm not sure I would go to a convention again and not cosplay, I enjoy it far too much! Maybe once every few cons, so I don't get too stressed?
It was also very weird being on the receiving end of not getting recognised. At WCC 2018, when I was in cosplay, I bumped into an old schoolmate, who didn't recognise me at all! Even when I went up to them to say "Hi!! I haven't seen you in forever!". Whereas this year, when I waved "hi" at one of my mates (who was in cosplay) and they didn't recognise me out-of-cosplay*! Oh, how the tables have turned...
*Luckily, I was able to bump into them later and have a proper chat :)
Whilst I did miss the pure joy which I usually find upon children's faces as they run up to me and ask for photos, (WHICH LET ME TELL YOU IS THE CUTEST THING IN THE WORLD!) it didn't surprise me that this was the case. When I'm in full cosplay, doing the voice and am "in-character" it's almost like meeting the characters at Disney World, only, y'know? Nerdier. Despite this, a little tiny DC Superhero Girls Harley gave me a sweetie and a massive hug, which was so amazing to talk to her about Harley and the appreciation of the character!
All in all, I pretty much had a very similar day to what would've happened if I had been in cosplay. Only considerably less stressful! :)
If you've been to Comic Con and not cosplayed too, or if you are a cosplayer, or if you have any other questions you'd like the answer to, let me know in the comments and let's get a conversation going!
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