New York Comic Con 2022

It almost felt strange, to be walking a con floor again instead of stationed at an artists table.

Almost.

NYCC is a very familiar con to me. Even being across the Hudson, it’s what I consider my “home con.” It’s the first convention I attended, and the site of my first cosplay.

February ‘09. Believe it or not, this was taken during the convention. Yes, the Crystal Palace used to be that open during NYCC.

Standard Jedi robes? Sure. But if we’d established some report before I was asked, I might have told you that I was cosplaying an original character Asha Scarsi, a Jedi who feels and expresses the Force through music. I say might because while I have never been personally ashamed of my fanfiction, I have been made to feel as if I should be on more than one occasion, a topic which I will address in an upcoming blog post.

For now though, I would simply like to say that I’m so glad to have returned to NYCC this year, to have walked the con floor and artists alley, done some shopping, met some heroes, and really remembered why I go to events like this.

Over the last few years, as I tried to make myself into a “serious cosplayer,” I spent so much of the con running from photoshoot to meetup to photoshoot, and still never feeling adequate compared to my peers. It got to me. My last NYCC before this, 2019, I very nearly didn’t attend the final day, and I took a social media hiatus shortly thereafter that I never really came back from.

I didn’t get a thousand likes on any photos this year. I didn’t even take that many. In fact I tried to leave my phone in my bag as much as possible, choosing instead to communicate through other devices. I did attend panels, reconnect with wonderful people I’ve missed dearly, take inspiration from artists I admire, pack myself lunch, and not worry about what I ordered for dinner.

So thanks, NYCC! I’m glad I finally got back. Next year I level up to vendor.