There’s something comforting about going to a convention. The exact feeling can’t be found anywhere else. I think at its core what WonderCon provides is acceptance. Everyone there is a huge fan of some show, movie, video game, comic, etc. and have come to WonderCon for one purpose: to geek out. WonderCon is a pilgrimage point for members of geek culture: those whose lives are significantly affected by their love for a franchise and their efforts to express this admiration. Everyone there is showing their weird and wacky side, be it through their detailed, imaginative cosplays or simply by their willingness to spend loads of hard-earned dollars here to get all the cool merch you can’t find anywhere else. Even if you’re not in the same fandom as the person next to you, you can instantly bond over how happy you both are to be able to fully geek out and not get weird stares from those around you for doing so.
Everywhere you look, there’s something new to see…
Sure, you walk down the street and you can see a Star Wars or Disney shirt somewhere in the crowd, but you certainly won’t see Beauty and the Beast as a dynamic Jedi duo! WonderCon allows people to combine all of their favorite things together in unique combinations that no one’s ever seen or even thought of before. It’s also a great place to network, whether you’re an artist selling indie plushies or a Boba Fett fanatic looking for a cosplay group to join.
WonderCon is one of those places where no matter who you are or where you come from, when you get there you feel like you’ve come home. Every time I’ve gone, I’ve left thinking, “How many days until the next WonderCon?” It’s a highlight of my year, and I’m sure I join many others in saying that I can’t wait to go back again!
For more articles about WonderCon 2016, click here and here!
Photo and video credit: Linnea Aasland
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