#Colossalcon 2012

[nerdynanny]

Sooo-- I'm an old school cosplayer. Back in the day I helped pioneer LGBTQIA+ panels at anime cons! The year was 2012-- and I basically said 'you have yaoi panels and yuri panels, we need LGBT panels'. I ran a Doctor Who improv group, I found myself, and I watched this con grow from Tornadocon into something wild.

I'm coming to Colossalcon next weekend! I'm likely gonna chill around the Arcade in the afternoon/evening after the wee ones are in bed and the parties are goin. Swing by and say hi. Let's have a drink and celebrate those who came before.

I cannot believe I've been going to cons for twenty years. I'm conserving all my spoons as a disabled dude-- so Grunkle Stan with his cane works best. If you see me from this post-- remember the ancient Tumblr greeting.

"I like your shoelaces."

See you next weekend~

[nerdygamercosplay]

me when i’m the intro !!!

hi guys! welcome to my tumblr :3 i just wanted to open with saying that ill primarily be using this as, not only a cosplaying blog, but reposting and talking about my current hyperfixations. so without further ado …

about me!

my name is spyro (spy-roe) (yes! like the dragon! i used to play skylanders a lot as a little kid and he was always my main)

i am freshly 21 years old - my birthday is april 28!

i’m a biromantic demisexual trans man

i have been a cosplayer since 2014, but not publicly since 2016-2017 due to not being allowed on social media (hence why i’m on tumblr at such a late age heyyyy!!)

i am a kaigai/cosplay idol and have been performing at conventions since 2023! i’ve performed at katsucon, colossalcon east, castle point anime convention, setsucon and kogaracon! i hope to perform at otakon and animenyc this year!

my instagram and tiktok are the same name as my @ here (nerdygamercosplay)

i cosplay primarily, right now, from idol medias and video games: Project Sekai, IDOLiSH7, Sonic the Hedgehog and the like. really whatever i’m into at the current moment, i’ll cosplay from it!

there’s more info listed below, but that’s really all you have to know to get to know me :3

current hyperfixations

IDOLiSH7 - please talk to me about mitsuki izumi and riku nanase and nagimitsu and pythag trio… ouuu

Project Sekai - im a more more jump truther with an oshi of shizuku hinomori! i’ve cosplayed her several… several times… my favorite mmj song is parasol cider

Vocaloid - has been a constant back and forth on my part… i’ve been in the fandom since middle school… please talk to me about miku…

TMNT - kinda dormant but i love Rise, Mutant Mayhem and 2012!

Sonic the Hedgehog - tails the fox is my son. please release the third movie trailer please

Big Time Rush - i’m stuck in literal hell because of kendall schmidt in particular (i’m pretty known by him it’s terrible /pos)

Musical Theatre - is a dormant hyperfix but i know a lot abt it

Disney/Pixar - also dormant but please mention onward and i’ll go insane actually

this picture of mitsuki saved my life

LOOK AT IT

erm i dunno what else to talk about except mitsuki izumi is on the brain all the time and it’s really bad. when i turned 21, i said i was turning his age… wow! i’m normal about him guys. guys please. he’s the me character ever. OH ig i can talk abt that:

MINI KIN LIST

Mitsuki Izumi (IDOLiSH7)

Riku Nanase (IDOLiSH7)

Shizuku and Shiho Hinomori (Project Sekai)

Empty Sekai Hatsune Miku (Project Sekai)

Tails the Fox

Ian Lightfoot (Onward)

Twilight Sparkle (MLP: FIM)

Jack (Beastars)

Sayaka Maizono (Danganronpa THH)

Rise of the TMNT Donnie Hamato

the list is a little longer but that should give you an idea of who i am as a person (sad, determined, uhhhh i dunno an idol? maybe? kinda?)

tbh i don’t rly know how to use tumblr… uhhhh well ill post cosplay pics soon i think~!

[colossal-guest-2011]

My experience with Todd Haberkorn

I first met Todd at Anime Central 2010, if you can call it a meeting. I got his autograph and a picture, and I attended a few of his panels. He mentioned he was going to Japan in a week or so for work, and I joked with friends that it would be funny if I saw him during my own study abroad trip to Japan that was in just over a week. Lo and behold, at my connecting flight in San Francisco, I saw him waiting at my gate, waiting to board the same plane as me. Internally freaking out, I snapped a sneaky photo and texted my friends. They shared the news on Facebook, and many hours and a long flight later, he saw it. I posted the pic and tagged him, and despite the photo accidentally having cut off his head, he admitted it was him and joked that the next time we shared an international flight, I should say hi.

Flash forward to Colossalcon 2011. Todd was one of the guests, along with a few other VAs we adored, so my best friend and I decided to take a road trip out to Ohio for the weekend, rooming with a few people she knew from the internet at a hotel up the street. We finally got the chance to be in Todd’s autograph line. When it was my turn, I said, “Remember last year when a girl snuck a creeper photo of you at the airport and said you guys were on the same flight to Japan? And that she should have said hi? Yeah, that was me.” We laughed about the whole absurd situation, and as he signed my item, he asked if I played soccer. Confused, I said no, I hated soccer, but I was a newly-christened marathon finisher, since running was basically free and I was a broke college student. He smiled and said something like, “Ah, I knew it had to be something like that. I could tell by the legs.” I was confused and (admittedly) a little flattered — I had always been a scrawny kid, but my muscles had developed well through high school volleball and my marathon training, and it did feel nice to have that appreciated. I was (and am) a socially awkward mess, though, so I attributed my flash of discomfort at my inability to accept a compliment. I asked for a pic, he agreed, and we went on our way.

Later that evening he had a panel, I believe about his fanclub that he had just started up. My best friend and I weren’t the ones who started it, and I can’t recall how we got involved (maybe via Twitter?), but we were in contact with the group’s founder, and we were essentially some of the first volunteers. After the panel, he hung around a bit to take pics and chat. When my friend and I approached, he said, “Hey! There’s my runner!” We got a pic, and then my friend mentioned that we were working with his fan club. He lit up, asked us to hang around while he did a few more pics with other attendees, and then asked if we wanted to go somewhere and chat. My friend and I, being young, weeb-tastic fangirls, excitedly agreed. He asked us to meet in the resort’s lobby.

When we met up, it was just the two of us and him. For a while, we just talked about his fan club, Team Haberkorn.It was still not really a big thing, brand new, and he animatedly talked about what sort of things he wanted to do with it, how he wanted to connect with his fans. For roughly 20-30 minutes, that’s all we discussed. Then he started some small talk, asking how our weekend had been going. I told him it was fun, going to a con at a big resort and far from my home, but since my birthday was on Monday, we were treating it like a pseudo birthday vacation. He asked how old I was turning, and I said 20. He excused himself for a moment, and when he came back, he had a clear glass from the bar. “For the birthday girl,” he said, handing me the glass full of pink liquid and ice cubes.

As a woman, you’re taught never to leave a drink unattended, and never to take a drink if you didn’t see it made. Not wanting to be rude, though, I carefully took a sip. I asked him what it was. He never said, just smiling and saying, “Something good.” In my head, I was thinking, “There’s no way he would have put something in this. Your friend didn’t get one, and if he tries anything, she’s right here, watching. It’s fine.” So I kept the drink. I don’t really remember details of what else we talked about, but I distinctly remember him telling us about how he had a long-distance girlfriend in college and how he would drive to see her every weekend to “read books” as he put it, complete with a knowing smirk.

Eventually we said we needed to go, since we had to get back to our own hotel. He asked us if we weren’t staying at the resort? And we admitted that we’d made our plans to come far too late for any resort rooms to still be available, so we had 7 people crammed in a small hotel room a mile up the road. Then he said, “Hey, if you guys want, I have plenty of space in my room. You’re free to sleep there if you want.” A combination of social awkwardness and weird vibes had us quickly and graciously declining. We said our goodbyes and went our separate ways. We didn’t talk the rest of the con, but I know he saw us at one of his panels the next day, and he smiled and waved.

At this point, despite my clearly-remembered unease, I wasn’t able to pinpoint what exactly had weirded me out so badly. It was a long time, years, that I was able to fully come to terms with the fact that a 28-year-old convention guest had said I had nice legs, bought me alcohol knowing I was 19, and invited me and my friend to sleep in his hotel room. I look back sometimes and shudder to think about what might have happened if we had said yes.

We saw him again at Colossalcon 2012, though his busy schedule and other things (unrelated to anything serious) kept us from interacting one-on-one outside of his autograph session. Online, he and I would occasionally bicker on Twitter or Facebook, egging the other on. In time, though, college kept me a lot busier, and I had no time for anime or cons or banter. I graduated, got a job, and did other things. Todd seemed to get more and more argumentative online, often taking big news stories and playing devil’s advocate. His fan club had gotten wildly popular, though my friend and I had only stayed on for a few months. He seemed to be more hostile, less open-minded, and much quicker to mock people in a way that didn’t seem like friendly banter. In October 2016, he and I butted heads for the final time. I’ll let the screenshots tell the story.

After that, he deleted me from his Facebook. What’s hilarious is that he then proceded to send me an Instagram DM, which meant me had to look me up. He definitely had my e-mail address from my brief stint as fanclub volunteer, but he chose this.

He and I have not spoken since, and I have no desire to ever speak to him again. In the years following the 2011 incident, I grew so much and learned just how skeezy he had been. He denies malicious intent, but I know for a fact that he has slept with two other convention attendees in the past, one of whom I know. Regardless of their age, that’s still scummy. I don’t want to think about if there have been other young women like me, maybe teenagers, excited at being singled out by their favorite anime voice actor, showered with compliments, given a drink or two, invited to a hotel room.

[edokinz]

So for the first time since 2012 my Ed cosplay is officially going to be going to a convention again! ColossalCon 2019 will be his re-debute date! Now featuring a fixed up wig, contacts, and more accurate boots when I get around to those. I’m beyond excited for this! Edward Elric was my first cosplay I ever did way back when I was 12, and I’m so excited to be able to cosplay him using the skills I’ve learned since then!

[sandyscars]

90, 63, 34, 6. Tell me stuff

6: what are you excited for? Ive got plans to go to colossalcon and its my first time and im pretty hype about it. Also just bought weezer tickets im excited for!!34: listening to:Gorillaz. (Almost always lol)63: first concert:Warped tour in like 2011 or 2012 i think. When with an old friend of mine and had a ton of fun. Ive gone basically every year since then!90: opinions on sex before marriage:Totes cool with it. Love is love yo.

[sound--life]

I have had this written out for a couple weeks now, but in honor of all of Time’s Persons of the Year, today seems like a good day to post it. Below the cut is the story of my interactions with a certain anime English voice actor, and why he and I really DO NOT get along. 

I’m lucky. Unlike most women I know, I have never been sexually assaulted. I can’t recall a specific time when I was catcalled or harassed. I’ve been called nasty names online, which is sadly all too common, but none of it was sexually charged. My own experience isn’t even violent, but it contains elements of manipulation that I, thankfully, was never caught by.

The first weekend in June of 2011, my best friend Sam and I drove to Sandusky, Ohio for Colossalcon. Colossal is an anime convention, and us being huge nerds and having become friends because of anime, and we jumped at the offer to room with some of her casual friends at a hotel down the road. I was particularly excited because a popular English voice actor, let’s call him Dan, was going to be there. He and I had first met at Anime Central in Chicago in 2010, and funnily enough, we were on the same flight to Japan just a week after ACen. I had noticed him as our flight was boarding, and while I was too anxious to say hi, I had been enough of a creep to sneak a picture and text all my friends. By the next day, he’d gotten wind of it via Facebook, and he told me to say hi the next time something funny like that happened.

Flash forward to Colossal 2011. After waiting in the autograph line for Dan for a bit, I finally got up to him. He flashed his usual smile and said hello. After I handed over my item to be signed, I said, “Hey, do you remember about a year ago when some random girl saw you at the airport in San Francisco? And you shared a flight but she didn’t say hi? And she took a picture of you? Yeah, that was me.”

His eyes lit up. “Yeah, I remember. That was you?” He laughed. “Well, hi there.” Then his smile changed a little. “Do you play soccer?”

“Uh, no?” I said, confused. “I mean, I played volleyball in high school, but not anymore. I ran the Illinois Marathon back in April, though?”

“Oh, so you’re a runner then.” He laughed again. “Well you have great legs, my runner.”

I blinked, a little taken aback. “Oh, thanks, haha.” I said, laughing a little. I asked for a picture, and while my friend juggled with the camera and Dan had his arm around my shoulders, I felt almost nervous. Picture taken, I thanked him, and he said, “See you later, runner.”

At this point, Dan had been working to start a fanclub for his work. I’m not entirely sure of how it happened, but somehow Sam and I had ended up roped into it, being one of the 5-6 people who were working to “recruit” people and spread the word about the group. I was a busy college student at the time, though, so while I was interested enough, my actual participation was somewhat lacking. It’s the thought that counts, I guess.

Dan had a panel later that evening, and Sam and I went. After it was done, a small crowd of fans gathered near him to ask for photos and autographs. Sam and I waited near the edge, patient, as we wanted to get a picture with both of us with him. When we walked up to him, he smiled and said, “Hey, there’s my runner!” As we took the picture, Sam said, “You know, Alison and I here are two of the people working with ——- on your fanclub stuff.”

Dan’s interest was piqued. “Really? Hey, hang back a bit when this is done. I wanna chat with you guys.”

At this point, every anime fan alive would be having their “SENPAI NOTICED ME” moment, and we were no different. Giddy, we waited at the edge of the room for him to wrap up, and then he came over to us. He asked if we wanted to go sit in the lobby, and we said sure. He ended up sitting in one chair, and Sam in another. I sat close to them on the floor.

At first we just chatted about his fangroup. He seemed very excited about it, and he told us some of the things he wanted to do with it. We added our own thoughts, and it was great. Then he asked about how we’d   enjoyed the convention so far.

“It’s great!” I said. “It’s even better because it’s actually my birthday on Monday, so it’s kind of like a birthday weekend adventure.”

“Your birthday? How old?” Dan asked. I told him I was going to be 20. He smiled and said, “Wait here, I’ll be right back.” In a couple minutes, he was back with a small glass from the bar. Pink, fruity-looking, with a little ice. “For the birthday girl,” he said, smiling as he handed it to me.“

"What’s in it?” I asked. I knew it was alcohol, obviously, but I was feeling wary about this. Sam didn’t have a drink, and I knew she was carefully watching this whole thing, but it wasn’t lost on me that a man 8 years older than me had just given me alcohol that I had not seen prepared. I may have been a fangirl, but I wasn’t stupid. This was odd.

Dan just waved his hand and smiled, “Oh, ya know. It’s good, I bet. Nothing crazy.” I was not one to turn down free alcohol, and my defenses were already on alert, so I sipped the drink slowly as we continued to chat. I don’t remember a lot of the specifics, but I do know that Dan mentioned that when he was in college; he had a girlfriend who lived a few hours away, but he would drive there every weekend so they could “read books” together, as he put it, complete with a wink.

After about an hour, we mentioned we had to be getting going, as I had to drive us and part of our group back to our hotel. “Oh, you’re not staying here?” Dan asked, confused.

“No, by the time any of us planned to go, all of the rooms here were long sold out,” Sam said. “We’re staying in a creepy room in which EVERYTHING is covered in teddy bears.” (You guys should see the pictures.)

“Well, if you guys want, I have plenty of room in my room if you guys wanted to stay here instead,” Dan said. And that, dear children, is the exact moment that I really and truly understood everything that had happened up to that point. Yes, a 27-year-old convention guest, a man with rising fame and influence, had made comments about my legs being nice, bought me alcohol knowing I was only 19, and invited me and my friend to sleep in his hotel room, all in the span of about five hours. Senpai was officially a fucking creep.

“Oh, no, thanks,” I said. “Our group has to go in two cars, and I’m the driver of one, so it’s fine. We’re fine, really.”

“Okay, then. Safe drive. But remember, my room is always an option,” Dan told us as he waved goodbye.

Listen, I’m aware that I was an adult, fully capable of giving consent. And Dan was an adult, fully allowed to pursue someone of legal age. I get that. But that’s where it stops. I was a convention attendee, and he was an industry guest. There’s a power imbalance there, magnified by the huge age gap. He bought me alcohol, which anyone knows is the foolproof way to make someone more relaxed and easily persuaded (except me, whose social anxiety comes in handy when it comes to not trusting anyone’s intentions). Worst of all, he invited two young women, two attendees, to sleep in his hotel room. Besides being fucking gross and manipulative, what kind of breach of guest protocol was that? And he knew that I was essentially a volunteer for his fan group – that’s not an appropriate way to act towards someone who is basically a co-worker. From that night on, I knew that I had to keep Dan at a distance. I could manage to be cordial, but there was never going to be a chance for anything other than that.

Dan and I managed to stay relatively friendly over the next couple years, but I always had that day lingering in the back of my mind with every interaction we had, online or in person. We’ve only ever seen each other once since that night – Colossalcon 2012, a year later. He was friendly to us and would acknowledge that he knew us more than an average con attendee, but kept his distance for (what I suspected and pretty much had confirmed later) other reasons, which weren’t malicious. Over the years, though, I witnessed a gradual shift in how he presented himself online. He seemed eager to play the devil’s advocate on sensitive issues, and some of his posts made it clear that his problematic behavior was unlikely to be a one-time lapse in judgement.

We had a somewhat public falling-out in late October 2016. He had shared a comic that basically questioned why a woman was allowed to dress sexy and seen as empowered, but when men drew or designed sexy women for pop culture, they were seen as pigs. In a few comments we made to each other, I expressed my disagreement with that sentiment, and he essentially said that I and other women were being overdramatic. In his last comment, he said that he had more experience in the world than me, and he called me a child. Furious, I addressed each of his outrageous points one by one, particularly his idea that I was somehow a child. I ended my comment with a brief but very clear message: that he was not as innocent as he liked to think, seeing as he knowingly bought me alcohol when I was 19 and invited me to sleep in his hotel room.

I was content to let it rest, but he decided to keep going. Not on Facebook, which made sense –why let the public in on his dirty laundry? Nor did he e-mail, which he easily could have, since he definitely had my information. No, he decided to send me DIRECT MESSAGES ON INSTAGRAM. Which means he had to look me up on there, since I know he hadn’t followed me before. He called me cynical, rude, and “dark.” He said that our interaction back at Colossalcon was strictly friendly and a group setting (I disagree with his idea of “group,” especially when he invited both female parties of said group to his room, but whatever). He also said that he wasn’t in a great place because he was going through things in his personal life. He ended with, “I’m sorry I offended you,” which would have held some weight if he hadn’t spent the rest of the message 1. insulting me and 2. making excuses for his actions, which he admitted did take place.

Obviously, his name isn’t Dan. And a good deal of you probably could figure out who this person is, either by already hearing snippets from me or just knowing general details about Dan’s work. I’m positive most of you know who he actually is. I could use his real name, obviously, and I originally wrote this with his actual name instead of a placeholder. Believe it or not, I’m not looking for a fight. Were his intentions truly just friendly? Perhaps, but that’s not at all how they came across, and he should have known better than to do any of the things he did. I interacted with another voice actor that weekend in casual company, and he was just as friendly without being at all imposing – he was gracious and listened to us and respected us. He’s got a reputation for being a bit overly-touchy, but I never felt creeped out or like I was a target, especially when compared to the encounter with Dan.

Because that’s how Dan had made me feel. Like a target. Like I was some silly teenage girl, starstruck enough and desperate enough for attention that I would give senpai anything he wanted just to feel like I was part of the cool kids. It didn’t make me feel violated – it made me pissed off. I was angry that he had written me off, that he had tested me out to see how easily-manipulated I was, and that there was nothing stopping him from doing this to someone else. Maybe he would find that girl who was desperate enough for validation that she would do anything for him. Maybe he has since then.

It’s only been with the emergence of the #MeToo movement that I’ve been able to properly sort out my feelings about this and word it how I want. I don’t want him to lose bookings or stop being invited to conventions. It’s enough for me that he knows that I’m out there, aware and unafraid. He already knows my feelings on the matter – I made them abundantly clear in that Facebook comment. I just want him to understand that he doesn’t get to do whatever the hell he wants because he’s got this tiny scrap of fame. I want him to understand that people will always remember how you make them feel, and I will never forget that night when I experienced what it truly means to be a woman in this world.  

[thefanspov]

#FansChoice2016 Cosplay Music Video we filmed. We have been filming since 2012 and grown a love for it. Our videos were nominated by others, therefore we created a category just for the videos that we filmed. To vote: Comment below. Voting ends February 14th at 11:59pm EST. Thank you. (starting top left and going to the right and down) *Cosplay Music Video that we did* - Katsucon 2016 - APOLOGIZE - Colossalcon 2016 - TRY EVERYTHING #con #conlife #convention #cosplay #cosplayer #cosplayvideo #cosplaymusicvideo #cmv #video - Otakon 2016 - Best Day Ever - DC Cosplay - Kids Year-End Video - Akaicon 2016 - IF I LOSE MYSELF - MAGFest 2016 - EMBERS

[argocitycosplay]

“I’m so glad to know I’m in the right place,” the guy told me as he got out of his car. I bobbed my head up and down in the paper costume and was greeted by a young woman at the entrance to the hotel.

“I have no idea who you are,” the girl told me, “but I love you.”

Tracy the Ape was feeling very welcome here at retro invasion

Retro invasion weekend is a small convention in its first year in Westlake, one of the shortest drives from my house ever – a mere 20 minutes on the freeway, closer than my office commute actually. They also had the curious distinction of being held in the same hotel where I attended my first Star Trek convention, so it was good vibes all around.

I really dig the philosophy here, Retro Invasion was holding a reunion for the film Just One of the Guys, as well as attempting to hold a Sleepaway Camp reunion. Going for weird little films that were not necessarily mainstream horror but still running with the horror vibe really makes for an interesting convention…

Because it’s their first year, one can understand that there’s going to be some problems… A number of their issues were not their fault, but then again there were also plenty of problems that were. Let’s start with the stuff that wasn’t their fault

Retro Invasion had been plagued with unfortunate cancellations.The first guest to bow out was Courtney Gains who played one of the murderous children in Children of the Corn. His dropping out had been announced months earlier so while it was disappointing, it was expected. However it also appears that Felissa Rose and Kathrine Kamhi cancelled quite late in the game, and this was not adequately advertised. I only knew because I’ve made a habit to repeatedly check convention websites just before the show (Because of what happened way back in 2012 with North Coast Comic Con)I saw more than a few people wandering around in Camp Arawak shirts still expecting the Sleepaway Camp reunion that was no longer going to happen. It also will have seriously cut into the convention’s income as they were offering a special Sleepaway Camp photo op in costume – it was actually reasonably priced and I was actually considering taking advantage of it (and we all know I NEVER do these things).

In any event, the guest cancellations had to ave affected attendance. Another factor was Colossalcon happening the same weekend. While there is not a ton of crossover there, I can imagine it weakened the support a bit. None of these things are the shows fault, however there were serious organization problems that really showed

The dealers room was small and cramped. One vendor, upon seeing how tight the room was,  asked the promoter if you could just set up his booth in the hallway instead, creating an entire little alcove near the registration desk for his wares. The room itself was divided into three aisles, but you could only access the middle aisle by going behind the tables on the end caps and slipping between that and the tables on the outer aisle… Someone had marked the path with bright pink duck tape arrows on the carpet – nevertheless it was difficult enough to get through that the vendor is in the middle aisle were really feeling shafted… And wern’t shy about expressing their displeasure.

Panels and films were held in a completely different part of the hotel – a problem the light and lamented Shinbokucon used to have. Motor City Nightmares manages to make this work, with photo ops and one of their two movie rooms occurring on a different floor, however the second movie room on that floor only shows skullhouse pictures – their own work. For them, it’s overflow rather than main attraction. With Retro Invasion, the movie room and the panel room were both on the third floor, over in the other side of the hotel. This made for a lot of walking back and forth, and neiter room was adequately marked. After some walking, I found the panel room because the door was open, but I had to ask two different people to find the movie room. It would’ve helped have had these two locations marked with large “Retro Invasion” signs as well as schedules posted outside those doors.

Still, I can’t complain. The film selections were fun and the panels were well done – by the numbers, but on the other hand I had no idea how much fun it would be to watch Danny Hicks and Robert Kurtzman bounce off each other. Retro Invasion offered good programming, but it’s way too hard to figure out where that programming is actually LOCATED.

Overall, the convention was very lightly attended, which will make it difficult for them to secure vendor’s for thier next show. At one point, a panel was announced over the loudspeaker. One of the vendor’s voices rang out “And you’ll have NO PROBLEM finding a seat!”.  Around noon, a lot of the vendors in the small room began tearing down and giving up for the day – that’s never a good sign.

I really did enjoy my time at Retro Invasion, though I think the $30 ticket price is a little high for what they offer. I would however, really like to see them succeed – I seriously dig having a horror convention so close to home and like the quirky philosophy that they seem to bring to their show. They’ve scheduled a second go around later this year – on Nov 1-3. Nevertheless, they’re going to have a hard time finding vendors for a second year and unless this show gets better very quickly, it’s going to vanish.

I’ll be back in November. Let’s see what happens.

Retro Invasion Weekend "I'm so glad to know I'm in the right place," the guy told me as he got out of his car.

[lightofhope18]

#throwbackthursday I've been continuous cosplaying MOMO Mizrahi since 2011 (when I first started) and that costume has come a LONG way since then. Here's throwback to 2012 Colossalcon when I had a small group and made her massive star wand. Oh god that wig - first time I ever bought and styled a wig. It shows. 📷 - Alexa - - - #tbt #tbtcosplay #xenosaga #xenosagacosplay #momomizrahi #momomizrahicosplay #videogamecosplay #colossalcon2012

[welcomerandumbness]

This is Ms. Ash Bee! Talking with her was a great honor. She's super down to earth and just so sweet. It was pretty great to get to know her a bit more. Here's a little about her. Was in my last year of art school at the time and still struggling to decide what genre of photography I wanted to focus on. Some friends of mine at school were talking about going to a local anime convention and asked if I were going. I never been to one and had no idea what to expect, but I went anyway. The experience was truly incredible. I felt at home in a place full of people I didn’t know wearing all these gorgeous and badass costumes. Some of the costumes I recognized, some I didn’t. But I loved them all. I ran around taking pictures and talking with everyone excited to learn more. I went home after that weekend and relentlessly researched more conventions in my area and cool cosplay photographers and cosplayers to follow. After that first convention, Katsucon 2012, I was hooked. Questions: 1.) Photography is an awesome field, what about it appealed to you? I always loved magazines as a teen. I loved looking at all different types. Fashion, music, food, travel all of it. The way you can capture a piece of the world and or someone in a moment, was really cool to me. To me photography is like looking at the world, but in super HD where the images are more attention grabbing and interesting than seeing it in real life as is. You can tell an entire story through a single photo, or you can cherish a memory. You can boost someone's confidence with a single photo or you can send an impactful message. The creative limits are really endless. For me, my absolute favorite thing is to make people, especially women, feel confident, beautiful, badass and sexy. Seeing how they light up with joy when they see themselves in one of my photographs means the world to me. Sometimes it's really hard to see ourselves in a positive light, so I like to be able to show people that positivity. 2.) Have any of your sessions gone horribly wrong? I was planning on shooting a friend's Vaporeon costume at the Atlanta aquarium while we were attending DragonCon. We both were so excited to shoot it because 1. Vaporeon is my favorite pokémon and 2. An aquarium is a perfect location for the water pokémon! Esperanza to get some really interesting and dynamic photos. Well it didn't work out, at all. I shoot with minimal amount of equipment. Most of my photos are captured using natural available light. I didn't anticipate that the aquarium would have very dim lighting. Also, I didn't think of how a lot of parts of the aquarium don't allow flash photography because it would bother the fish. So we were trying to finesse shooting in the dark, not to mention, it was crowded because other people were trying to take pictures there too. I got so frustrated myself for not being prepared to work well in those conditions, and I feel like I was disappointing my friend. She was really encouraging about it. Thank you so much to Phaleure Cosplay. She wasn't upset with me and really made me feel better. An artist is always their worst critic, so it was really nice to have her be there to say, "it's okay." And mean it. 3.) Which con did you enjoy taking pictures at the most? That's a tie between Katsucon and Colossalcon. I love shooting at Katsucon because inside is just as great to shoot in as outside. There is just so much variety to choose from. You have the prestige white marble tile of the ballroom floor with its elegant high ceilings and beautiful skylights letting tons of sunlight shine through perfectly diffused and soft. Or you can shoot on the atrium floor where there are large plants and a cute artificial creek. Outside there are the gardens or you can venture down to the shore of the National Harbor. The cosplayers that come to Katsucon always show off their beautiful craftsmanship skills through their ball gowns and armor. You'll probably see some of the best costumes of the year at Katsucon. Colossalcon is a super fun waterpark! Do I have to say more?😄 Lol. All the photos that come from there will convey just how fun it is to be there. The costumes that people wear to Colossalcon are much more casual than at any other con, but the photos still come out just as nice. It's a more relaxed and fun way to shoot when you're going from sprinklers, to waterfalls to flower fields. 4.) What cons will you plan to be at this year? As of my plans right now, I will be only attending local cons to the DC, MD, VA area. These cons include Katsucon, AwesomeCon, BlerdCon, Otakon and Anime USA. 5.) Any particular words of encouragement you have for those looking to pursue this field? Have fun! If you're not having fun, reevaluate what you are doing and what you could change to make it fun. Don't get discouraged by comparing yourself to others. And remember it is OKAY to skip a costume or a convention for any reason, especially your responsibilities at home that you should prioritize. Too often I see newer cosplayers and photographers who get caught up with trying to keep up with everyone else that they will put their responsibilities on the back burner for cosplay. At the end of the day, what's going to matter more, that you got to wear a new costume at a convention for a day, or that you have a place to live and decent food to eat for the next month? Thank you so much! This was seriously am amazing honor, hope to meet with you again! Make sure y'all follow her! Facebook: Facebook.com/ashbimages @hey_ashb on Twitter and IG

[unidentifiedcosplay]

Posting some old cosplays.  Gosh...

Guren (Naruto): colossalcon 2011 -retired- Madam de Pompador (Doctor Who): Youmacon 2012 The Master (Doctor Who): Youmacon 2012

[thefanspov]

#FansChoice2016 Cosplay Music Video we filmed. We have been filming since 2012 and grown a love for it. Our videos were nominated by others, therefore we created a category just for the videos that we filmed. To vote: Comment below. Voting ends This Tuesday February 14th at 11:59pm EST. Thank you. *Cosplay Music Video that we filmed* - Colossalcon 2016 - TRY EVERYTHING - DC Cosplay - Kids Year-End Video - Otakon 2016 - Best Day Ever - Akaicon 2016 - IF I LOSE MYSELF - MAGFest 2016 - EMBERS - Katsucon 2016 - APOLOGIZE #con #conlife #convention #cosplay #cosplayer #cosplayvideo #cosplaymusicvideo #cmv #video

[spiritgal304]

So this happened Colossalcon 2012.  Yeah, my friends are weird.  I LOVE THEM SO MUCH.

[thirstylittlesunflower]

Lionhearted

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Colossalcon 2012; Saturday

England - oftrollsandfaeries

[kazeninja17-blog1]

-sigh- Realized that I lost my Marth button today when I got home from college and I'm trying to get in contact with one of the two cosplayers in the picture above since they were the ones who originally sold the button to me. I want to attempt to either find the button or get a replacement for it, but I don't know if they're going to be at ColossalCon this June...

[lostlegendaerie]

♧

One of the first things that pops to mind is the story of How I Met Arian and Princey

So it's the second day of ColossalCon and I've literally just come down the stairs when some guy in a red plaid wig with pale skin and short black hair fucking drops to one knee and hands me a bright red flower.

"From one vampire to another," he smirked. I accepted, totally baffled and swooning internally, and wore the flower in my hair the rest of the day.

I had to ask my room mate who the fuck that was - Marshall Lee - and that is ALSO the only reason I started watching Adventure Time.

Part Two comes from when I ran into Arian for the first time and Princey, who was now a Sollux who called out to me when I was mingling with other Homestucks.  We chilled for a bit before the shoot, then later I drug Princey into the bathroom to fix her God Tier Pants.  Then I got Blackrom pics with Arian and we pretty much just bonded the whole time.

On the last day Arian and I hung out almost all day until I needed to go.  I almost left without saying goodbye, as I was dying of thirst and she promised to find me water before I headed home.

Moments before I head out the door, a very casual Eridan saunters down the hallway, holding an honest to god ampora of water above his head that he stole from off a table.  I chugged it with Gamzee and then went home.

god I miss everyone so much we just need to all live together forever