My Adventure at Renaissance Fest

Wizard World Con 2020

By: Jassy Jubilee

On January 4, 2020, I experienced my most fun Comi Con, which is pretty big of a claim since in '15 I saw Stan Lee. In New Orleans, LA, I attended Wizard World Con at the Convention Center, something I do every year, but this year for some reason was destined to be more special than any other. Shaking with excitement, I waited in line with a group of friends, similar energies radiating from all of us. One friend in particular was also dressed in cosplay. She had a butterfly-esque costume on reminiscent of the character Kochou Shinobu from Demon Slayer. Many people recognized her costume, running up to her and asking with awe to take a picture. I generously offered to be the camera-woman, as I was pretty amazed as well. Her poses were so damn adorable I couldn't help it! 

Other adoring cosplayers and attendees also spotted my outfit as well, making me feel relieved...and grateful. Other people could share in my joy! They knew right away from my blue cape, red-dot like symbol on my forehead, and red gemstone belt that I was in fact Raven, from Teen Titans. I even got pictures with Starfire, my team member spanning millions of copies of comic books, hundreds of episodes, and at least three series, including a live action show now. 

We sauntered, amazed, at all the festivities, booths of merch, and dressed up heroes, heroines, villains, magicians, and everything in between. Fresh popcorn and cotton candy made my nose crinkle, as I smelled the sweet scent in the air. I passed a very long line of fans waiting to meet their favorite celebrities for a price, their faces bright and anxious. Finally buying our fill of merch, we made our way to the front, and observed one of the most precious scenes of the whole con: young kids, dressed in costume, were participating in a contest. Each being introduced as their cosplay name, the kids would strike a pose and do a bow. Some of the young kids absolutely enjoyed being the center of attention. While others, shy and reserved, quickly walked offstage with heads hanging down. It was so cute and so refreshing to see the next generation of fans showing off their neat outfits. Parents stood in the audience, proudly taking pictures of young Anakin Skywalker, Tinkerbell, Harley Quinn, and Spider-man. I had never seen this spectacle at Comi Con before, and was truly overjoyed. 

Some of the other new, interesting additions that I observed this year was a tattoo booth within the Con and a portable library. Every year I sauntered by the books and comics, eager to see what they would offer and at what prices. This year was even more magical, the books divided and categorized in a way that made it all the more special and library-esque. Right next to the library was the tattoo both (an interesting placement) and one of my friends commented that he would never do that at a con. 

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I absolutely love Comi Con because it allows me to be an unapologetic nerd and be fully into my craft without feeling like I have to be reserved or held back in any way. I can have an almost endless conversation with someone, or a creative debate about a TV show or series we both like, someone that I don't even know but am only connected to by our similar fandom. I can jump with giddiness as I see a Jon Snow or Daenerys Targaryen, and I can debate about which Harry Potter sweater I want to get that's discounted. Everything about Comi Con is me. 

Some fandoms of mine, from a very young age, include Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. With Buffy the Vampire Slayer, I became such a  die hard fan of the series, that I could quote almost whole episodes, along with my sister and my cousin. Recently I started watching Merlin, which I really enjoy (dragons, wizards, and ENGLAND, yasss!) And, judging by my costume, you can already tell I am a huge Teen Titans fan (But not GO, never GO). I even cosplayed as Sonya Blade for a con, because when it comes to video games, I grew up on Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter. At Comi Con, I can have these conversations with people, and it's like we are speaking our own language. 

In the olden days, growing up in elementary school and junior high, I was always ashamed of being a nerd. In my younger years, I was very ecstatic and let my true self shine. I soon learned that not everyone liked my true self, and after a year or so of being bullied, I learned to hide. For all of high school I pretty much hid away, but both by meeting new friends in college and going to Cons where nerd brethren freely assemble, I feel at peace again. I am so happy that I was able to cosplay a character whom I grew up with in good times and bad, and I am so lucky for the awesome people I got to spend it with. Cheers to another year!  :) 

Btw, if anyone reading this wants to check out Wizard World Con, here's a link to their website: 
https://wizardworld.com/


-Jassy^^