C2E2 VS JENNA SAY WHAT

C2E2 was amazing this year, as it was filled with grand experiences, new con friends, and more fun-packed knowledge than ever before. But oh gosh, was I not ready for it! It was the biggest thing I ever experienced, made even more noticeable when I walked through to the 'dealer room', realizing that it was more of a city than a singular room.

Afterwards, I went up to the panel rooms to see where they were located, and again, I realized, 'Crap, I didn't check the panel schedules at all, and didn't follow my own "How to survive a con guide!' (although I was astute enough to pack some bottled water and hand sanitizer). Honestly, I can't stress enough, I would have gotten to see everything I wanted with much better planning -- and I didn't plan. I should have checked the dealers and what they were going to sell, and I should have researched the artists that would be there and bring comics to have signed (I only brought my copies of IZombie). They had an app you could download that made panels easier to attend, and even gave alerts when you needed to be in line for it.

Admittedly, I was able to attend a few panels, and my panel, "It's Not Your Fault!", went on without a single hitch. Essentially my panel was about overcoming anxiety and depression through cosplay. We had people come up to us after thanking us for it.

While we were there my husband and I were able to make it to the Sons of Anarchy panel with Opie (Ryan Hurst) and Chibs (Tommy Flannagan) and they were hilarious. That panel was by far my favorite. They really made me wish I was a part of the SOA team! 

There was also a DC villains panel that was amazing, as they touched on the main villains of the DC Universe (but no scarecrow) and showed us what goes on in the writers and artists heads during their creations and evolution. 

Thankfully I went to see the Yaya Han panel about cosplay contest judging. I took a lot from it, and brought along a collage of progress and inspirational pictures. This way the judges knew what I was going for and how I created it. Rehearse what you are planning on saying since you may only have a minute to say what you need to.

I did myself a favor and wore comfortable cosplays but REALLY risked it on Saturday in my full armor. The Ordinator Armor is a brand new cosplay that had not been really tested out, had no backup plan, nothing to fix it, and just went into the deep end -- (Psst! Don't be like me). Somehow the cosplay gods shined down on me that day since I had no accidental nip slips, nothing broke off me, and I wasn't rubbed raw. I was REALLY worried about the nip slip since I had never made a breastplate before and in my head I felt like that would be the thing that would have happened. For a con of this size, BIG, you're better off wearing something you know is good to go or tested multiple times. Remember, practice walking up and down stairs!

Now I know this may not sound like it's important but I LOVED how C2E2 kept water everywhere for congoers, constantly keeping it refilled! Previously I've been to conventions where my water bottle went dry for hours because the water wasn't replenished or you had to search for a fountain.

They also had a quiet room, yes, I applaud this. People with Autism, Anxiety, or Asperger's can get really overwhelmed with that many people in one area, as this is a safe haven for them. In addition to this, they also had a charge station for your phones and a repair stop. I can't stress enough how great this was put together. I saw this and was overjoyed, even more overjoyed when I never had to use the repair station! I honestly can't wait to go back there next year! But next year I'll be armed with more knowledge of what I wanted to do.

 
Dragon Con is coming up and it's supposed to be BIGGER than this one. I'll be doing WAY more to get ready for it. There's no way I want to miss out on things from lack of preparation.

This article was brought to you care of the one, the only, cosplaying queen herself, Jenna Say What!?!? Please stay tuned for what she has in store for us next month, right here, on Jenna Say Blog.