This past weekend I had the pleasure of attending the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo (C2E2) on behalf of VRV. I’ve always loved the rush of energy at the thought of going to a convention. Every time I go to a con I want to bottle the feeling of excitement and joy I get just from being in the convention space. The feeling is infectious, and watching is spread through a crowd of people dressed in everything ranging from handmade cosplay and inflatable mascot suits to craft foam armor and a Batman cowl, is unlike anything else I’ve ever experienced.
As a long time con-goer, cons meant being able to meet up with friends I maybe hadn’t seen for a year—since the last convention. But C2E2 was the first convention I attended completely alone. It was my first time in Chicago, I was alone in my hotel room, and It was the first convention I would be attending as a representative of VRV… so I wasn’t sure what to expect.
Sure, I knew what I was GOING to do: C2E2 was the debut of a project called the “VRV Gallery:” a space intended to be a physical reflection of the VRV website. It featured a three-foot tall (LIFE SIZE!) Catbug statue, along with 3D canvases painted and fully decorated by some PHENOMENAL artists, and VRV logos you could sign with expo markers.
THE VRV GALLERY IS LIVE @c2e2!! Have you gonna inside yet!? pic.twitter.com/8ZYo421LSl
— VRV (@WatchVRV) April 7, 2018
But once I was satisfied with the photos I had taken in the gallery, I remember thinking, “Well, now what am I going to DO?” I felt myself wandering around the con, taking in the tables at Artist Alley and smiling whenever I saw a cute cosplay or a group of friends gushing excitedly with each other about the autograph they had just gotten. I saw myself in everyone that was attending that con and I felt a strange sense of loneliness, because it felt like I was an outsider in a space I had once called home.
I attended panels, took photos and videos, and would go back to my hotel room to post everything I had seen because I wanted to share the experience with you, the person behind the screen. But I was still lonely. Why wasn’t it working?
There’s a certain vulnerability that comes with interacting with people face-to-face, one that I was unconsciously falling prey to.Not wearing any cosplay and trying to stay “professional” had made me feel self-conscious and unapproachable. Even though I’ve always thought of conventions as the best way for fans of shared interests to meet each other, I attended events with my friends and had so much fun with them, I had actually forgotten what it felt like to connect with strangers over our shared interests IN PERSON. As I looked around the con, it felt like other people had forgotten, too, even when those I aske for cosplay photos responded with joy at having been recognized
So let me end this post by introducing myself! Hey, I’m Mel and I work at VRV! I write every tweet, Facebook, and Instagram post and I read every single comment. My favorite thing is listening to people describe their favorite shows and characters. So please, @ us on any of these platforms and tell me about it.