 June 18 came faster than I thought it would, yet not fast enough. It was the first day of Indy Popcon, a con I had never attended before, and Nichelle and I drove down to Indianapolis for the weekend. In the car on the way to the hall dressed at Batgirl, my stomach was doing that fun thing where it feels like I either ate something awful, or I was starving. I knew I wasn't starving, as evidenced by the half-empty bag of chocolate animal crackers resting in the car by my hip, but I decided to eat more just for good measure. Conventions always made me nervous for some reason. For this con, I knew why. I had just premiered my new Batgirl cosplay at Motor City Comic Con about a month earlier in Novi. Everything went great (besides the belt). My cape flowed in the nonexistent wind of the stuffy convention hall, I didn't trip in my heels, and I took so many pictures with people. So many. Here's one.  Motor City Comic Con 2016 Batgirl and Poison Ivy I was Batgirl on Friday and Daenerys Targaryen on Saturday, which was my very first cosplay. The outfit, and the Mother of Dragons, will always have a special place in my heart. I bought a new lace front wig for the Dragon Queen, which was a fantastic investment. At least 10 people asked me if it was my real hair (I wish, buddy). It was a serious upgrade from my previous Daenerys wig.
But this con, Indy Popcon 2016, was extra special because I was meeting my cosplay idols - Meg Turney and Knightmage- as a cosplayer. (Also, was does it mean to be a cosplayer? I hesitate to call myself such until I finish a huge armor build I plan on making for Grand Rapids Comic Con in October. What do you guys think?) I had first met Knightmage at last year's Grand Rapids Comic Con when I was dressed as Supergirl. This cosplay really needed work because it was the first outfit I made by myself, and I'm not very experienced with sewing. He was very nice and said he liked it, even though it wasn't the best. But this time I stood in front of him, 95 percent proud of all of my cosplays. (There's always something you want to change last minute, amirite?) I showed him my new and improved Batgirl with straightened hair and a new belt on Friday, and my cosplay of the orange Tamaranian Princess Koriand'r herself (her solo series outfit) on Saturday.
On Sunday night, I tweeted him to thank him for taking a picture and talking with me and he FREAKING RESPONDED.  HE SAID I LOOKED PHENOMENAL. AKSHDAKSD Do you see why I think he's so great? No? Well, here, let me break it down for you. Knightmage is extremely active on social media as a professional cosplayer and great human being. He partners with so many different charities to raise money. At his booth, he was giving away prints and only asked for a donation for a charity instead. I forget which charity is was. I don't have the "Great Human Being and Cosplayer" status he does. He can also make a whole new cosplay in about three to four days. When I asked him about it at the con, he said "I just work fast." I am forever impressed with him. He's not the most high-profile cosplayer (yet), but he makes quality costumes and I was so flattered that he liked my cosplays and said I looked, and I quote, phenomenal. You should follow him on Twitter and like him on Facebook: @Knightmage Then I met Meg Turney, which, oh my god, still seems so crazy. She gave me a hug and I tried not to get orange on her.
 This women isn't only one of my biggest cosplay idols, she's one of my biggest life idols. As a young early-20s-year-old with dreams of hosting, she first started working at Deviant Art after she graduated college and then landed a job at SourceFed. She got herself a nice internet following by being on SF and creating her own YouTube channel. Then she started working at Rooster Teeth, covering video game news and being a host. Chelle introduced me to RT and I learned of Meg. She might be just another pretty face online to many people, but she represents accomplishment to me. She knew what she wanted to do and she did it. She's an amazing journalist, something I especially admire as a fellow journalist, and she's very apt at dealing with rude people online. She's been a huge cosplay inspiration for me ever since. But most importantly, journalists for the win. High five, Meg. Nichelle and I mainly came to meet Meg. We've both wanted to meet her for so long, and this was the best opportunity. She was the only one who showed up to the professional cosplaying panel, and it turned into Meg Q&A session. She pulled the entire thing off with grace. I'm transcribing her panel so I should have it on my blog by the end of the week. She even saved a print for me!! I always wait until the end of the con to buy things so I don't have to carry them around. This print looks a thousand times better than the picture of it, I swear.  Also, she's my height! We're both 5 feet, two inches tall. Short journalists for the win. Heart you, Meg.
 My cosplays turned out amazing! Batgirl was so much better with straight hair and a better belt that didn't need adjusting every 12 seconds. My Starfire cosplay was a hit. I took so many pictures with so many nice people, and a few creepy ones, and I took a bunch of selfies.
  My Starfire cosplay needs some serious cleaning, though. The orange body powder I used rubbed off a bit on the costume and I don't want it to stain. Thankfully, it came off easy in the shower. I've heard horror stories of cosplayers acciddently dyeing their skin and the color not coming off for days. However, the powder did turn to red on my face by the end of the day. I think it reacts to sweat because it happened to my hands, too. My belly button was orange for a few days after, though, My feet were killing my after Friday and Saturday, which I expected. High heels make your legs look great, but at what price?? I have blisters. Most are actually from my Daenerys cosplay. I will have band aids on my heels for a week. Worth it.  A huge thank you and I love you to best friend and best cosplayer handler Chelle!  She seriously saved my butt so many times, and made the entire weekend 1000 times better. She's the real MVP. She held my bag when people wanted pictures, took absolutely amazing pictures of me and other cosplayers, and even put orange powder on my butt. Thanks, Chelle. You're the best. I'd gladly powder your butt if you wanted to cosplay as an orange Tamaranian princess.  The con was a really fun time. The floor organization was definitely lacking, though. There wasn't an artist alley and the merchandise vendors were all over the place. Maybe we're just used to Motor City Comic Con where they have many more attendees and vendors, and plan the floor extremely well. I took a bunch of videos throughout the weekend so expect a new con vlog on my channel soon. You'll definitely want to see us chase a Bucky through the convention hall. Did he catch up with him?? Did Chelle get to hold his awesome gun?? The world may never know. (Yes and yes).
I'm not exactly sure when our next con will be, but we're aiming for around August/September! Thanks for reading!
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