Conventions are chaos—my first one was a hilarious disaster
So, I gotta tell you about the absolute *trainwreck* that was my first comic con experience. I thought I knew what to expect—dressed as my favorite character, maybe snag some cool merch, get some pictures, you know? But no. Nothing prepared me for the chaos that is a big pop culture convention.
First off, I was stupid enough to go alone. I figured, “Hey, I’ll just geek out on my own,” but let me tell you—navigating a massive convention center packed with thousands of people dressed as everything from Marvel heroes to anime bishounen is a *trip*. I showed up in my Super Saiyan costume, feeling *pretty* confident. But within five minutes, I realized I’d accidentally parked myself right next to a table of hardcore Star Trek fans who looked like they wanted to debatе whether Captain Picard or Kirk was the GOAT. They didn’t even bother to hide their disdain for my Saiyan getup.
Then it got awkward. Like, I tried to get a photo with some cosplayers dressed as the *Eternals*, but I stupidly got in the way of a huge cosplay parade. Someone dressed as Thanos—who obviously had a full latex armor suit—sighed at me and awkwardly shoved me aside. I felt like the biggest noob. So, I tried to pivot and go for some autograph signings. Big mistake. The first guest I saw was a B-list actor from some show I vaguely remembered, and the line was huge. I thought, “Eh, I’ll just wait,” but then I overheard a conversation behind me that went something like:
*“Did you hear they’re selling real Proton packs now? Like from the Ghostbusters movie? I would sell my kidney for that.”*
That’s when I realized people at these cons are *serious* about their fandom. I look over and see a guy in a full Ghostbusters jumpsuit trying to negotiate with a vendor about a proton pack that seriously looked like it could shoot *real* laser beams. And I was thinking, ‘what the hell? That’s wild.’
And get this—there’s this one guy who clearly has spent thousands on costumes. Like, I swear he had a full Darth Vader armor that looked *so legit* I started questioning if it was some kind of commercial stunt. He was patiently posing for photos, but then, right in the middle of the photo op, his lightsaber malfunctioned and started flashing wildly. The crowd burst into laughter and chaos ensued. It was honestly kind of beautiful, watching a grown man totally lose his Vader composure.
Oh, and the panels! The panels were just as chaotic. You’d think a panel about “The Marvel Universe: Secrets Revealed” would be an elegant chat, but no. It was basically a wild free-for-all with fans shouting questions, some loud enough to compete with the speakers. I saw a guy ask, “So, do you think Deadpool will get his own movie again, or is he dead forever?” The panelists looked like they wanted to crawl under the table. Honestly, I learned more about the fans’ theories than any official scoop, and honestly, it was hilarious.
And the merch tables—oh, my *god*. I saw someone trying to buy a limited-edition manga signed by some obscure artist, but the guy selling it was *drunk*—like, slurring his words and dropping stuff. Instead of a smooth transaction, I watched this epic meltdown where the buyer started arguing about the price, then the seller lashed out and spat out some swear I can’t even repeat. I swear, I’ve heard better customer service at a hot dog stand.
The weirdest part? THE SHIPPING CONTAINERS. Yeah, legit, some vendors had stacked crates full of rare collectibles, but there was one guy who *actually* had a life-sized replica of Baby Yoda (Grogu), and he was just chilling, texting on his phone while holding it. I thought, “Is that real? Did I stumble onto some billionaire’s backyard or what?”
Looking back, I wouldn’t trade the mess—because honestly, these are the best stories. The wild, funny, awkward moments just make the whole experience worth it. Like that time some dude in a Spider-Man costume tried to take a selfie with a hotdog vendor, and the hotdog guy just yelled, “You ain’t got the rights, bro!” It broke the entire convention into laughter. Or the girl I saw crying because she finally found her long-lost Naruto cosplay partner… only to realize they’d been talking to different people the whole time. Classic.
Conventions are literally a *microcosm of fandom itself*. You get the utmost *passion*, the *weird*, the *awkward*, the *funny*, and sometimes even the *cringe*. But honestly, that’s what makes it so great. You meet people who are equally obsessed, and all your weird little fandom quirks suddenly feel normal. Plus, I now have some *legendary* stories I’ll be telling for years, like that time I accidentally photobombed some cosplayer’s shoot, or the time I got free stickers from a guy who was secretly a voice actor for some anime I like.
TL;DR: Conventions are chaos. They’re fun, frustrating, hilarious, cringey, and full of surprises. Don’t go alone unless you’re ready to get lost in a sea of fandom fierce enough to shame a fandom convention. Just embrace the chaos, take the photos, make the memories, and try not to get caught in a lightsaber malfunction.