Most of the time, out of all the cons I head to during a year, my local one tends to be the most relaxing one. Even if it was crazy at some points. It also gave me the opportunity to not only see several people I saw last month, but also meet new cosplayers and see ones that I haven't seen since PAX East way earlier in the year! One notable change for RI Comic Con was that it had access to both the Convention Center and the Dunkin Donuts Center (usually where entertainment and sports are held). Conveniently connected via 1 little tunnel. I believe this was also the first time 3 Day passes were introduced. Friday was weird for me because the timeframe was actually from 3pm-9pm rather than early in the morning. For the con, I cosplayed only on Saturday along with my Dad which allowed me to be able to do things I couldn't do when in Aquaman by myself. Such as going to the bathroom XD.
Anyways, Friday was a bit crazy for me running around. It wasn't particularly crowded, but the cosplayers were kinda split up. 2 were in the DD Center and the remaining 2 were in the Convention Center. So who did I see? Riddle/Riki and Kristen Hughey (with Bruce as well of course!) returned though the former had a partner in the form of fellow Atlanta cosplayer Lindze A'la Mode! It was really cool to meet her for the first time after admiring both her work along with the insane make up skills she uses on other cosplayers for shoots! Ani-Mia and Ivy Doomkitty also made an appearance so I absolutely loved seeing them again. I can actually easily sum up my weekend with just saying that I hung around their locations in addition to roaming around the convention to get some exercising in.
Riki wore her Silk Spectre with Lindze helping her out with make up and managing her print sales. Kristen wasn't able to show up until later due to some troubles with checking into the hotel until 3. This made her suit up in a Sailor Moon inspired outfit. Pigtails is a really cute look for her! After finally figuring out how to get into the convention center, I found Mia and Ivy who were at tables next to each other. Mia wore her Spidergirl outfit whereas Ivy was in her Slytherin inspired outfit, complete with a corset done by Castle Corsetry! I had fun also talking with Ivy's helper during most parts of the con when the girls were busy. It was very nice chatting with you Courtney! :D On the same day, I gained the opportunity to interview Ivy near the end of the con, that'll go up in a few days so I very much hope you enjoy it!
Hearing Ivy say she enjoyed the interview along with Mia chiming in later really made me smile. Saturday rolled around and I wore Aquaman with Dad wearing his Steampunk Riddler which he fixed up as best as he could. Surprisingly, both of our outfits were a big hit! Lots of people kept asking for our photos so that made us both smile. Riki wore her USO Girl outfit from Captain America, and Kristen donned the Black Canary which you can see above. Mia tried fixing up her Baroness cosplay and Ivy looked very comfy as Emperor Kuzco (yes I'm serious, there's pictures XD). Throughout the day we stopped by where the girls were stationed and chatted with them. Riki gave helpful advice as always, possibly convincing me and Dad to get a sewing machine one day. Mia gave me encouraging words which helped with the hate i've been dealing with, Kristen enjoyed learning more secrets from me and Dad, and Ivy was cheerful as always!
During the day, a cosplayer came up to me and acknowledged me as Aquaman. Imagine my surprise when I saw a Red Lantern Mera!! We chatted a bit and she introduced herself as Saraphina Cosplay. Definitely had to take a picture together, her trident and suit looked so awesome! The blood effect along her mouth was a sweet touch too! Sunday rolled around and I mainly talked with all the cosplayers more along with Courtney while Ivy and Mia were away holding a Cosplay Q/A panel. Ivy wore Velma and Kristen was all badass in her Babydol cosplay. Riki and Lindze went full casual and wore kigurumis (which you can see in the pics!). It was very relaxing and I had an absolute blast this weekend. Everyone enjoyed talking with me as much as I did with them. I was surprised at myself, I figured I'd still be shy but all the girls were very engaging and we just talked about other things besides cons and cosplay (though of course they came up as topics too!).
I hope you guys enjoy the pictures I took, Definitely a lot more than I expected to take! RICC is getting bigger each year it seems and while some kinks have to be worked out a bit, it has potential to be an even more satisfying show every year ^_^.
I can't thank everyone enough for this weekend. It really helped bring me out of the fear I've been having from the mean comments I got here several weeks ago. I adore you all so much and can't wait to see you again. Lucky to be friends with such sweet and talented individuals! <3
