The Diary of Always River: EvilleCon 2016

For a con at which I would likely spend the least time, I probably spent more time preparing than any other con to date (save perhaps Chicago TARDIS, where I met Alex Kingston for the first time). I applied to do a panel at #EvilleCon2016 several months ago and was shocked to have my proposal accepted. It's not that I didn't feel I had something to offer to the con community at large, but I knew this con was Anime-centric and therefore would not necessarily be an audience with which I could easily identify or that would have much interest in what I had to present. I got to work almost immediately after getting my name on the roster as to what I would talk about for an hour. I of course had some serious concerns as to whether anyone would actually come to my panel and if it would be received well. So, as I pieced my presentation together, I did some online polling, asking fellow cosplayers about screen-accurate cosplaying:

What's YOUR definition of SA?

Do you prefer SA for your own cosplays?

Do you appreciate it with other cosplayers?

What suggestions might you offer to those who are aiming for SA?

What else would you like to say about SA cosplay?

I also procured some pictures of those who responded and included those in my presentation. So, to everyone who contributed*, THANK YOU! Once my presentation was up to my standards, I started thinking about my cosplay that I would wear for the panel. It was a fairly natural choice for me to go with River Song's third outfit in the Doctor Who episode, The Husbands of River Song, as every bit of this cosplay is screen-accurate. Since this ensemble is terribly fancy, it's not something I would wear all day at a con, as there is quite a bit of delicate beading to the dress and it's not the cheapest thing I've ever purchased for cosplaying. As I was so focused on tending to the details of my panel, I didn't take the time to get any good full-length shots of what I'd put together, but I think you get the idea:

River Song in The Husbands of River Song
Always River

We (the husband and I) arrived a couple of hours before my panel was to take place, so we used that time to mingle among the other con-goers. I also handed out flyers with my panel information. I think doing this was extremely beneficial to the attendance, and I will most certainly be doing this any time I do any sort of panel or presentation at a con. If you follow my social media, I'm sure you saw this all over the place:

Much to my delight, several people I talked to were already planning on attending the panel but appreciated the reminder of the time & place without having to consult the full program. The con itself was a relatively small vendor room upstairs. If you were looking for anime collectibles, this is where you needed to go! I liked the size of this con in general, as it wasn't too crowded so that you felt jostled around, but it seemed to have lots to do for a good variety of fandoms.

With about a half an hour until my panel, I used my husband as a pack mule and brought in the million things needed to run a panel. I was very glad close (free!) parking was not an issue and that getting into the bathrooms to change into my cosplay was not a problem, either. We headed to my panel room and waited for the panel before me to wrap up.

There were 5 or so people in attendance in the panel in my room, so I thought that would be about what I would get for mine. I know fan-run panels sometimes get a bad reputation at cons, as, for the most part, there's little to no screening of panelists other than the written proposal. I've been to some real stinkers, and I've been to some amazing ones. I just wanted to be as prepared and professional as possible, while those who attended had some fun and learned something. Since this was to be my first time out, I really didn't know what to expect, so I had prepared myself for the very worst but had also told myself that if no one came or if nothing worked, it was OK - I'd just try again until I got it right.

As the time approached, people started arriving - so many that they had to form a line to get in! I couldn't believe it - this was already far beyond my expectations. There was a good mix of all levels of cosplayers in the que and I was excited to get this show on the road.

I set the husband to work getting my banner adhered to the front of the table while I got my PowerPoint ready to go. The entire set-up went off without a hitch (thankfully!), so I set to greeting everyone as they came in. Every seat in the room was filled and they even had to go and get more chairs. Again, I was just astounded by the response so far.

A teacher in my "real" life, I'm fairly used to being in front of large groups and have always enjoyed public speaking, so at the very least, my nerves were not horribly out of control. I was excited, don't get me wrong, but it was a happy jitter over just how well everything was going.

So, I presented to almost 50 people (wow!) in just under 45 minutes, which was exactly how I'd planned it. I did my best to include the audience and allow them some time to show off their own cosplays and share their tips for creating screen-accurate cosplays. Since I was going it alone rather than having someone to bounce the conversation off of, a big part of my panel was just that - making it a conversation rather than me talking AT a group of people. I've always appreciated such interaction in panels I've attended, and wanted to carry that over. Everyone has a tip or a trick of the trade that the rest of us may not have thought of. For instance, when looking for cosplay items of a character of say, anime, did you know you can change the region of your internet search so that it pulls results from Japan? How about that?! And did you know that Jareth's (The Goblin King) staff in Labyrinth is actually a modified bull whip? You never know what you'll learn in a fan-run panel!

My very supportive husband stood in as my photo/video-grapher, and captured some great shots:

It's All in the Details: Creating Screen-Accurate Cosplays
EvilleCon 2016

There is some video footage, too, that likely requires some editing and so is forthcoming on my YouTube channel. I'm also releasing the PowerPoint presentation both for those who were there and would like a refresher, as well as those of you who could not attend but would like to see what I came up with. I absolutely appreciate comments and suggestions from those who attended as well as any questions you have about the presentation. I simply cannot thank everyone enough, from those who helped in my research to those who came and supported me to those who were there in spirit.

It's All in the Details: Creating Screen-Accurate Cosplays

Doing this panel was a completely rewarding experience and I can't wait to do it again! I've applied to present a different panel at Fandom Fest in Louisville, KY this summer - keep your peepers peeled for word on that.

Next up for me is Wizard World Comic Con in St. Louis, MO. I'll be meeting David Tennant for the 2nd time, Matt Smith for the 3rd time, and Billie Piper for the 1st time. I've got 3 cosplays planned that I've been working on for several months. Of course you'll see those across my social media upon their debut.