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SA Rant

Morning my little Pollywogs! I've got a bit of a bee in my bonnet this morning! Tell me why, in a community that, according to Konvoy, leans 64% female to 36% male, we still have such a rapid sexual assault problem???!!!

CGNU posted an article in 2016 that talked about this very issue. They cite Janelle Asselin as she conducted an intensive survey that showed "8 percent of people (poled) of all genders reported they had been groped, assaulted, or r*ped at a comic convention."

Sure, 8% doesn't feel like a considerable number until you contextualize it. ITS SICKENING. Take this year at C2E2 85000+ people... that 6,800 people who now have to deal with the aftermath of an assault.

Now, I don't bring this up out of nowhere this weekend; I find myself unlucky enough to be added to their number—another statistic, another story that most don't want to hear. It could have been worse, I've been telling myself as I wrestle with the betrayal of someone I've considered a friend for years. According to Rainn, roughly 8/10 perpetrators of sexual violence know their victims. This case is no different. Most of the time, when someone thinks about the creeps at cons, the image of an ungroomed fedora-wearing mouthbreathing nerd is conjured, camera posed for photos no one said yes to. Their hands evilly twitching at the idea of getting his hands on a body part he should not be touching. Sure, that can be true sometimes, but it is definitely not the only type of person who finds their victims at pop-culture conventions.

I don't have a good wrap-up for this one. I think I'm still just angry. Take care of ya'll selfs, stay safe, and enjoy the cuddle puddle of cats I have with me.

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Kids at cons!

Okay, Pollywogs, I was once a kid at anime conventions, and let us be honest, I was obnoxious. This was back in 2013, right after the height of the Homestuck fandom. I was 100% running around the convention hall with candy-corn-colored cat ears, poorly sealed gray facepaint, and a tail I had made from the scraps of last year's holiday projects.

So, I totally get it! Anime conventions, especially smaller ones, tend to be largely family-friendly, and they should be. I'm really writing about the need for kids to have their guardians nearby, even at these family-friendly events.

I bring this up because this weekend @ Kitsune Kon here in the land of cheese, my bestie and I had a few weird interactions with some kiddos who seemed to need their adults.

I'll start not at the beginning but with a drink. My Bestie and I had decided to go down to the rave-not-rave Kitsune Kon hosts every year. As we got to the bar attached to the hotel, all dressed up, we ordered fun sailor moon-themed cocktails, found ourselves a nice buzz, and went off to dance. This is where we run into our first kiddos in this story in the main event hall, the DJ throwing some wild tunes, and maybe about 30 other people in the room...

The Dancing Kid

Okay, so I'll admit the kid had some moves. A dance circle was formed, and the kiddo took to it like a moth to a flame. And while the dance there has never been 18+, you don't tend to expect the kiddos to be running around past 11 p.m. This wouldn't have been a problem in the slightest if they didn't keep coming up to my friend to try and dance battle with him. In theory, it's pretty funny, right? We both thought so the first time it happened. He turned down the battle, and we continued dancing, except the kid kept coming up to him repeatedly. The unknown kid wouldn't leave him alone till we broke away from the circle, and all I remember thinking was, "Where is this kid, guardian?" but my question remained unanswered. The kid just kept dancing.

After that, the night moved on, and so did we, as we danced until we dropped and promptly went to bed like the folk we are.

I wanna double down again on the fact that cons are mostly and should be family-friendly. Even so, if you ever become a little nerd's guardian, then please take this advice from not just me, your favorite random Tumblr cosplayer, but also the random Reddit user Weird_Abrocoma7835, "Always keep an eye out for how to easily identify staff (staff shirts, places they tend to be) in case of emergency. Feel free to talk to people if you feel uncomfortable or if someone is being a creep."

PLEASE, FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THINGS TOADY! TALK SAFETY WITH ANY MINOR YOU BRING WITH YOU TO CONVENTION SPACES

Make sure they know what event staff and security look like. If you do not explain to kids what to do in an emergency, they won't know. Also, it might be best to devise a plan for if you and your kiddo get separated. Do you want them to find the nearest wall and stay put? Do you think they should find the closest person in uniform? What is the plan? No matter what it is, make sure you all have one. And unlike the next kiddo from Kitsune Kon, please don't leave your young teens alone at a convention.

Crane Machine Kid

Don't get me wrong, the crane machine kiddo was a sweetheart. Outside the video game room this year, they had a keychain claw machine with really high odds. My coconspirator for the weekend decided to dump like $30 into it, and we went after the dumb little plushes we wanted with a passion! After acquiring our silly keychains, he offered the rest of his turn to other people waiting in line. This is where the cane machine kid comes in. They hesitantly took the last few of his rounds and then promptly told us how their day was going...Bad. The friends they were supposed to hang out with at Con had ditched 'em, and their parent that drove them couldn't pick them up for another 3 hours. This would have been bad enough, but they were 14 years old, alone in a new space, and now they decided to cling to the first adults who were kind to them.

Don't get me wrong; I am not saying adults and kids can't talk at cons, but let me be honest with ya'll: it was uncomfortable to have a minor trying to plan a hangout with the two random mid-20s adults; they just met. The kid's eagerness to be friends both enduring and disconcerting. Their lack of guardians at the convention center concerning. It was just a wild and uncomfortable situation all around for both the adults in this situation.

The moral of these stories is, please keep an eye on your kiddos at cons. I don't care if it's not your cup of tea; either make sure your kid has a trusted adult or keep them from going.

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New Media:*waves a fun new cosplay idea in my face* Me: "Oh, what if I just..." Cosplay I'm actively working on: *watches as new plans form in my mind, knowing they will forever be an unfinished project*

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It can literally change someone's life; it's very positive for young teenagers to get into cosplay if they do it with their friends or with supervision from their parents - it can really foster their social skills. -Yaya Han

"The Secret Origins Of Professional Cosplayer Yaya Han". Interview with Charles Webb, www.mtv.com. March 14, 2013.

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mini-rant

HEY, my little Pollywogs! If you were paying any attention to my last posts, you'd know I've been at C2E2 all weekend, living it up the Windy City! The city of the bean! Chicago! I wasn't a personal fan of the drive-in, but being so downtown made it a lot easier to just walk to food than some of the other Chicago cons... *cough cough* Acen.

That was not the point; the point was that I got to try authentic Chicago-style pizza for the first time! Controversial take: I hated it. :'( But that's on me for not reading the description. As an avid tomato hater, it would never work out between Chicago's claim to fame and myself. A true heartbreak.

C2E2 itself was fantastic, and it gives me a tremendous opportunity to talk about sensory issues and quiet spaces! C2 is enormous—it's the biggest pop-culture convention in the Midwest. So, I understand not everything can be perfect. While they don't have a rave, and we missed the cosplay competition because the room can only hold so many people, I'd say my biggest gripe this year was the usability.

C2 was set up with most of its programming in the main hall, which is massive, crowded, and very, very loud! The mini-classes, videogames, ttrpgs, autographs/meet and greets, vendor hall, and artist alleys all sat in the same cavernous room. According to the Windy City Times, the number of attendees this year reached 95,000+! I don't know about y'all, but it felt like an overwhelming number of people to be smashed into the same room. Don't get me wrong, the space was massive, and so was the noise.

While the organizers had a quiet room available, and not everything was in the cavern, I think their choice to put everything in one space limited the accessibility. While at the con, I ended up having some conversations with folks who were really feeling overwhelmed. While they chose to stay anonymous, they shared similar disappointment in the space as they couldn't do as much as they hoped. While one of my interviewees will still be returning next year, I know quite a few who found the space too overstimulating and rough to traverse with their mobility aids. C2's website does have an ADA Assistance page and a way to reach out if you can think of an accommodation you'd like to talk to 'em about.

Don't let my frustrations fool you! Even though the space wasn't the most sensory-friendly I still had an absolute blast in the windycity.

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Once again, it is the holiday season, and I am sorry for getting you all these so late! Finals dragged me through it, kicking and screaming, but I made it to the other side!

Without further ado!

Our silly intro to the panel with some fantastic cosplayers on the side

The top picture is of

This photo is just of me and my Pookie, and it was our reminder that cosplay is about the fun and the friends you make along the way!

These are just some gentle reminders we gave our listeners! I really should have taken my own advice as I went almost the whole day without eating or drinking anything ;,<

I'll drop the resource list here in text form, as I don't feel like fixing the silly mistakes we made on the slide :P

Sewing notions​

Wawak​

Fabric​

Fabric Wholesale Direct​

Silk Barron​

Patterns​

Mood Fabrics​

Etsy​

Independent cosplay makers ​

Prop Supplies​

Wigs​

Arda​

Epic cosplay​

Amazon

And, of course, don't forget your local small business craft stores and thrift stores!!!!

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My first panel!!!!

Okay, my lovely little Pollywogs! This is a little late, but I've been crazy busy. Please forgive me!

So, I was part of my first panel this last weekend! I know, I know—how dare I not tell my adoring fans about this upcoming momentous occasion, but life does get in the way sometimes.

Long Story Short, with the lovely help of one of my best friends, we hosted a silly panel on the basics of cosplay, where some really cool resources are local to the event and online, and some tips we would have loved when we started cosplay years ago!

I'll throw some of the slides here for general recourse hoarding!