{"id":22266,"date":"2025-04-17T19:18:23","date_gmt":"2025-04-17T19:18:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/scarlet-rhapsody.com\/?p=22266"},"modified":"2025-04-17T19:18:23","modified_gmt":"2025-04-17T19:18:23","slug":"wonder-con-25-fandom-is-brat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scarlet-rhapsody.com\/?p=22266","title":{"rendered":"[Wonder Con ’25] fandom is brat"},"content":{"rendered":"

It’s okay to just admit that you’re jealous of me<\/em><\/p>\n

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I’m just livin’ that life<\/p><\/div>\n

I attended Wonder Con for all three days. I was originally intending to only show up on my panel day, but I did have friends that were coming into Wonder Con that I have not seen in months and wanted to hang out. I decided to give this convention another chance in spite of the bad vibes and Gooners with Camera\u2019s (GWC) from 2023<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Haikyuu and Spy x Family cosplayers<\/p><\/div>\n

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Marvel westerns<\/p><\/div>\n

Wonder Con is the younger sibling of San Diego Comic Con. There are a ton of \u201ccomic cons,\u201d but there\u2019s only one brand of San Diego Comic Con. Wonder Con is a part of that brand. The biggest draw is the exhibit hall filled with vendors, artists, and independent press. So many people were lined up for the Funko exclusives. I\u2019m not really into the super deformed collectibles,\u00a0 but every other person at the con had the large retro style Funko shopping bags.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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No con is complete without Star Wars cosplayers<\/p><\/div>\n

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Showtime Synergy!<\/p><\/div>\n

I had more time to explore the independent press section. This is comparable to the Writers Block at Emerald City Comic Con. While this area was a place for indie comic book publishers to show up their work (and it still is), I noticed a growing number of indie authors present selling their books. We even had an indie bookstore, Mysterious Galaxy set up shop here.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Hot Tropiks<\/p><\/div>\n

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Sailor Senshi x Star Wars<\/p><\/div>\n

As a new author, I wanted to focus my attention to checking out various author and writing panels for my professional development. I attended the Romantasy and YA Romance panels during the convention. Both panels featured authors and gave them a moment to talk about their books. These authors also touched upon diversity in their genres. One such author talked about integrating Vietnamese culture, mythology, and medicine in her thriller series. Another author discussed about integrating Black vodoo culture in fictitious HBCU that was known for thaumaturgy. Another author talked about integrating queer friendship in a fantasy novel taking place at everyone\u2019s favorite meet cute, a coffee shop.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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YA authors present their work<\/p><\/div>\n

Both panels were very fascinating and made me want to read these books. Alas, there is a danger in attending book themed panels – you will want to buy every book they talk about! As a writer, I felt I got some professional development out of it – authenticity and writing for yourself is very key in captivating an audience.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Autograph line for authors. As an observation, the line for Funko was longer…<\/p><\/div>\n

I performed my \u201cIn My Y2K Era\u201d panel with my colleague and convention ride-or-die, Geki. We were given a late night timeslot at 8PM on Friday once the dealers hall had closed. We still managed to pull in about 20 or so people coming in late at night to gush over millennial anime nostalgia.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Geki and I – we’re old and not sure if we can last until 6PM at cons!<\/p><\/div>\n

I also attended a Dungeons and Dragons themed panel called \u201cLegend of Taylore.\u201d This is a DND podcast based on the lore and fandom of Taylor Swift. In other words, what if Taylor Swift songs were DND characters? (I\u2019m already statting a \u201cLong Live\u201d princess paladin and a \u201cBlack Dog\u201d black mage\u2026or whatever is the DND equivalent of one) I was looking forward to this panel the most because this podcast is reawakening my interest in DND. Talking to the panelists after the panel while gushing over Taylor Swift was a treat. I even got free dice from it!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Legend of Taylore DM!<\/p><\/div>\n

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Legend of Taylore panel – I got free dice!<\/p><\/div>\n

I attended a few cosplay meet ups. I really did like going to the musicals meet up at the convention. It had a handful of cosplayers from Little Shop of Horrors, Wicked, Hadestown, Epic: The Musical, and others. I was pretty close to bringing Eliza Hamilton, but alas, the dress no longer fits me. I also attended the Arcane meet up to take photos. While I was dressed as Ahri from League of Legends, the game that inspired the popular Netlflix series, a Luxe cosplayer and I were surprised that we didn\u2019t see people who recognized who we were from. While we get not everyone who loves Arcane plays League, we were hoping that maybe one or two people would chit chat with us. My mood at the Arcane meet up was soured when a photographer kept touching me without my permission. If you need me to move, please direct me, do not touch me without permission.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Wicked cosplay!<\/p><\/div>\n

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Beetlejuice cosplayers<\/p><\/div>\n

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Has anyone seen Tim Curry’s tambourine?!<\/p><\/div>\n

I did like the community vibe at Wonder Con far better than my last bout in 2023. I liked that we had outdoor karaoke. I didn\u2019t sing, but I did join in when a Taylor Swift cosplayer was singing, \u201cReady for It?\u201d While Wonder Con still has GWC\u2019s, there were a few friendly photographers like Alvin the Photog. I had someone from KROQ interview me while I was cosplaying as Ahri from League of Legends in a \u201cGuess What This Cosplayer Is From?\u201d type of interview. I had a few private shoots with my friends, Art of the Luna and Robert Torres. I do like the Anaheim Convention Center for cosplay photos – the jungle area is a good place, but you gotta be strategic about it. Hence, I shoot there in the morning.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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They’ll follow you home!<\/p><\/div>\n

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A Court of Thorns and Roses<\/p><\/div>\n

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Get Jinxed!<\/p><\/div>\n

Geki and I are industry professionals. Geki is in the video game industry and I\u2019m a writer. We attended professional development networking panels. Geki was apprehensive to attend the video game one because of the state of the industry, but he was able to talk to a mental health expert who consults video game developers on writing trauma. While looking for the next best opportunity might be slim pickings in today\u2019s economy, Geki had a good talk with the consultant. I attended a panel of writers who gave great information for beginners – how to find an agent, how to stay motivated, and I nodded along with their advice. While I may be in the published sphere now, I felt they were giving honest and sound advice to newbies to the craft. I felt their social media advice was the most helpful; social media is always changing and people are moving from platform to platform. The panelists gave advice on how to use each platform to build community, not followers. Community is the goal.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Bandai Gashapon<\/p><\/div>\n

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Karaoke at the courtyard. These Halloweentown ghouls were singing “Ready for It”<\/p><\/div>\n

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Disney cosplayers were very common; the parks are across the street<\/p><\/div>\n

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Trigun – both old and new – is still beloved<\/p><\/div>\n

Overall, I had a good time at Wonder Con. Popular fandoms this year included Marvel Rivals, Disney, and Star Wars. The mouse is in the house. I feel this convention is hit or miss with me. This is a local con where I\u2019m okay with checking it out if given the opportunity to do so. It\u2019s a smaller version of comic con, stripped from the Hollywood Hall H vibes, but you\u2019ll see most of the artists and small press that you would normally see at San Diego Comic Con. I did see a lot of familiar faces and names in the small press section. This part of the SDCC family is my preferred place to hang out and chat. If you\u2019re in the area, this is the next best thing to experiencing San Diego Comic Con without the gargantuan crowds or competitive buying of badges.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Who needs one?<\/p><\/div>\n

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Written by Cosplay Ancestor Eri
IG: @cosplayancestoreri
TikTok: @cosplayancestoreri
BluSky: scarlet-rhapsody.com<\/p><\/div>\n