When it comes to identifying myself as a nerd, I am much like a budding flower at best. I have yet to fully blossom into "nerd-dom," but there are many steps I can take to bloom into my full identity as one. Before a recent experience I will go into shortly, I thought that I've done fairly well as a nerd. I've played plenty of video games on consoles and PCs. I am an avid anime and comic fan and catch up on whatever reading and watching I can. However, in one way, I was a nerd virgin.
I had never been to a convention.
In the beginning of my journey into nerdiness, I thought going to conventions like Comic-Con were all but goals for when I was out of college, had a professional career, and cosplayed as a hobby. Boy, was I wrong! Luckily, the Saturday of my spring break, I got the privilege to attend C2E2 in Chicago, IL, with my brother, Maverick, and others from his college, the University of St. Francis. C2E2 is essentially Comic-Con for Chicago, and I was certainly surprised and eager to see what awaited me.
Arriving at McCormick Place at around 8:45 p.m., I was one of the first to hop off of the bus to begin my journey at this convention of my dreams. Not only that, I was able to cosplay as one of my favorite characters, Ness from Super Smash Brothers. Cosplay is essentially dressing up in a costume of a favorite character or pop culture icon. What makes cosplay different from your everyday Halloween costume is that most cosplay costumes are homemade or professionally made. Throwing together some of my own wardrobe and a hat from Walmart, I was able to pull off a decent Ness cosplay. (In the picture above, I am the Ness with no sleeves.)
As the USF group, my brother, and I walked into the venue to start our C2E2 experience, my mouth dropped open at the populace present before me. There were stormtroopers, Kylo Rens, Reys, Captain Americas, and other characters as far as the eye can see mixed in with fellow fans of nerd culture. Adjusting my backpack and hefting my Louisville Slugger bat on my shoulder, I proudly stepped forward as one of them. I was extremely eager to step on the show floor, strut my stuff, meet vendors, and buy merchandise to further embrace my nerd identity.
And then the line started.
There was quite a line going up to a few tables to check bags and props or weapons for those attending. Following protocol, I hand an employee my bat, which is a used, wooden Louisville Slugger bat. She weighs it in her hands, looks at her fellow employee, and asks: "We don't allow bats, right?" My stomach dropped and my goofy grin turned to a frown. "No, we don't," her superior said. She handed my bat back to me, saying that I'd have to put it back. Since I couldn't get out of line or put it back on our bus since it had left when we arrived, I asked them if I could leave it with them and pick it up later, to which they agreed. After my debacle with the bat, I began to dread my experience and wondering if this one, simple goof-up would ruin my time here. Luckily, as I walked with my group and began to meet vendors, read free comics, and purchase some nifty nerd merchandise, I was back in the mood I had started this journey with excitement and wonder.
Looking back on my adventure of walking the show floor of C2E2 and seeing all of my favorite characters in one place was certainly a sensory overload. However, I enjoyed every minute despite the large crowd, group members asking where my bat was, and an occasional case of tired feet. Seeing all of my favorite characters and the time and effort that was put into the costumes and vendors alike just gave me a sense of awe that can only be described as childlike. Needless to say, I cannot wait to see what C2E2 has in store for me next year. (And I promise I won't bring a bat.)
