Author: Jen-Jen Elise
A weekend with the same anticipated buildup as that of a summer movie blockbuster, ConnectiCon 2011 held at the Hartford Convention Center in Hartford, Connecticut, was for me an unforgettable experience filled with a magnificent blur of colorful spiked hair, notable characters and so many camera flashes it nearly left me seeing permanent spots. Enjoying the world of Cosplay for myself for the first time in my slightly revamped rendition of Marvel Comic’s Psylocke, feelings of celebrity-ism hit me with a brand new sense of jubilation and accomplishment. So it is with an anxious heart and the fuel of unnecessary amounts of coffee that I will describe my experiences of this three day event to you; my readers . . .
A weekend with the same anticipated buildup as that of a summer movie blockbuster, ConnectiCon 2011 held at the Hartford Convention Center in Hartford, Connecticut, was for me an unforgettable experience filled with a magnificent blur of colorful spiked hair, notable characters and so many camera flashes it nearly left me seeing permanent spots. Enjoying the world of Cosplay for myself for the first time in my slightly revamped rendition of Marvel Comic’s Psylocke, feelings of celebrity-ism hit me with a brand new sense of jubilation and accomplishment. So it is with an anxious heart and the fuel of unnecessary amounts of coffee that I will describe my experiences of this three day event to you; my readers . . .
On a slightly rainy Friday morning, without the slightest idea of what to expect and my red luggage buckled in the back seat complete with a $5 plastic katana hilt poking out the top, I set out for my weekend adventure accompanying Uke Li. It felt as though we were driving towards a concert of epic proportions but of a band I’d never seen before. Upon arrival in my “civilian” clothes, I couldn’t help but feel out-of-place among the hoards of Cosplayers from every branch of Geek-related genre imaginable. I could almost hear my Psylocke costume calling out to me from my luggage, begging me to become one with the mass.
Sure enough, once I’d slipped into the black ensemble of my alter-ego, confidence found its way into my character and I walked with a new commanding presence. Not even the first complication of spilling a beverage on my $200 make-up brushes put a hindrance in my determination to rock this Cosplay; determination that continued on the shuttle bus ride loaded with other Cosplayers watching me patch up my cracked katana hilt with black duct tape. Nope, it didn’t stop me! Uke and I had an appointment to make. Proudly sporting my PRESS badge, we headed for Cosplay Nation’s first interview of CTcon which 
consisted of a group of four Star Trek Cosplayers – complete with a tribble whose name has regrettably been forgotten. Star Trek, after all, being one of the quintessential Cosplay themes, I felt this was fitting for my first interview experience. My limited but adequate knowledge of the characters and their props combined with wonderful personalities of the Cosplayers themselves resulted in my feeling of acceptance. That comfort quickly shifted to excited butterflies once I switched gears from microphone tech to on camera interviewer. It’s amazing how even a small handheld camera can give (presumably) the same jitters as a real ON AIR camera might.
consisted of a group of four Star Trek Cosplayers – complete with a tribble whose name has regrettably been forgotten. Star Trek, after all, being one of the quintessential Cosplay themes, I felt this was fitting for my first interview experience. My limited but adequate knowledge of the characters and their props combined with wonderful personalities of the Cosplayers themselves resulted in my feeling of acceptance. That comfort quickly shifted to excited butterflies once I switched gears from microphone tech to on camera interviewer. It’s amazing how even a small handheld camera can give (presumably) the same jitters as a real ON AIR camera might.Once the interview was over, it was time for some Cosplay reconnaissance and wonderfully unexpected photo opportunities. Meeting up with familiar faces, or masks, such as Deadpool of Marvel fame and Link from Legend of Zelda, helped this writer to feel more (for lack of a better word) “in” with the population. Soaking in the sheer massive size of the convention center itself was the first task. Traversing three and a half floors swarmed with Cosplayers of all ages and sizes while resisting the urge to drop to my knees and chant “we’re not worthy!” was the second. The Dealer’s and Game room adjacent to the Table Top gaming area were held in what could best be described as two or three connected gymnasium sized-rooms. Walking into this airplane-hanger of a room could force anyone to look up in jaw-dropping awe and simply say, “whoa”.
But nothing could prepare me for the feeling of accomplishment I embraced when the first timid convention-attendee politely asked to take my picture. I felt slightly guilty hearing “Great Psylocke costume!” while secretly knowing my entire ensemble took maybe 20 minutes to slap together from clothing items I already owned. It did feel gratifying, however, to explain that the hardest part of the costume was trying to find knee-high faux leather boots in stores in the middle of July.
Difficulty with costumes is just one of the minor setbacks one may encounter at a convention; finding over-night accommodations for traveling Con-goers is a slightly larger one. It is regrettable to admit that the original plan to split a hotel room with several other unknown attendees was too much of a culture-shock for this writer. Luckily Jim (devoid of his Deadpool character) came to my aid with an offer to stay in his less-crowded hotel room. Call me crazy, but I recall that moment as him crashing through the window hanging by a grappling hook and swooping me off to safety; though the details of that occurrence could be a tad fuzzy . . .
Once situated among Deadpool, Link and Dawen the photographer, it was time to cool Psylocke’s heals and recharge the batteries with some Chinese take-out, cocktails and a wardrobe change into Go-Go Dancer Jen-Jen. Sorry no pictures. Guess you’ll just have to come to the next Con to see for yourself! The group then headed off, sparking some very curious head turns on the shuttle, to the convention “Rave”. As a one-time frequenter of much larger Raves, this occasion was a blast from the past, but also bordered on feeling like an eighth grade Halloween dance. Don’t get me wrong, I give kudos to the DJs, decks and lighting technicians as well as the video montage of all Geek-related imagery for a job well done. The awesome atmosphere was perfect for me to show off my well developed Rave dancing skills that few have witnessed. Though I was (surprisingly) sober for this after-party type event, it’s amazing to look back and remember mainly spotty images of “battling” 20-year old dancers who could’ve sworn I was the same age as them. All the while watching Mortal Kombat warriors fighting random video game characters, parody footage of Darth Vader dancing alongside storm troopers, and easily ten minutes of Nyan Cat doing its repetitive run through space.
After devouring the rest of my left-over Chinese food back at the hotel, followed by an exhausted slumber, I woke up ready to tackle Day 2 of ConnectiCon as Psylocke. Starting the adventure off with humble picture requests from citizens at Subway, Deadpool and I made our way to the Convention center. Once we arrived, I felt an over-powering force of exhilaration and sheer geek pride that said, “This is your destiny”. It was at this point that I had my rendezvous with Mr. T, complete with his blessing on my Cosplay (in his actual voice sans Grrs), as well as several photo-ops. This was surreal for me. I felt as though I had been officially inducted into this world of alter-egos and my efforts to become Psylocke were recognized as genuine. From that point on it was a magnificent haze of hearing “can I get a picture?” or “Psylocke get in this picture!”
After many photo sessions, word had spread of an eight foot tall Bumblebee Transformer Cosplay and I was on a mission to find him. Low and behold Cosplay Nation was gearing up to interview Extreme Costumes’ Tom DePetrillo, just as I arrived to the scene. Seated on a table in a black bodysuit with only his right leg equipped in yellow painter’s stilts, we started our interview of the tale on how this truly innovative mechanical suit came to be. Inspired by another mechanical Cosplay, the labor for Bumblebee took roughly six months to complete; and combined with Tom himself, the duo weighs in at about 300 lbs. Then it was time for the Autobot to assemble, and with assistance from his handy crew this process took about five to six minutes. A crowd had already begun to form around us, waiting with cameras and cell-cams in hand. They greeted the completed transformation with roaring cheers; cheers that were only matched by a dance-off that quickly followed to the track Party Rock Anthem by LMFAO between Bee and several other Cosplayers including the crowd-pleaser: a moon walking Deadpool.
Just when I thought I couldn’t feel any more like I belonged in this world, a cool-down at a local tavern granted me a “Fist Bump of Approval” from Mr. T himself. He then proceeded to order a glass of milk in all serious from the bartendress. I couldn’t help but bask in the sense of security and camaraderie I experienced while strutting around with Dawen, Deadpool, Link and Mr. T, and I can only describe it as what it must feel like being seen with professional athletes. . . only infinitely cooler.
After replenishing our HP meters with ice cold beers, glowing red devil shots and crunchy-gooey nachos I began to feel the true inner Psylocke unleash back at the convention with katana-wielding stance poses, British accent infused dialog and a more outgoing personality. This helped immensely for yet more photo shoots with The Dark Knight, Umbrella Corp, Obi-Wan Kenobi, an armed to the teeth mercenary, Leon Kennedy of Resident Evil, Wolverine, the Gingerbread Man from Shrek and oh so many more Cosplayers. The awesomeness of a Psylocke sporting Obi-Wan’s blue light saber photo shoot at a cantina-like bar later that evening could only be matched by witnessing the group (minus Mr. T) stumbling their way to a fantastically timed fireworks display behind the convention center. Now it could’ve been the booze or the Geek gamer inside me, but I could swear watching the fiery lights rain down felt as though I was caught in a Halo Flood cinematic.
Deciding to skip a second night in a row of convention raving, relaxing back at the hotel with delivery pizza followed by a good night sleep seemed like the perfect end to an already epic day. After packing up our gear the next morning for check-out, Dawen the photographer, Deadpool, Link and I, dressed in my civilian clothes, headed to Day 3 at the Con. I used this day specifically to check out the large Dealer, Game and Artist Alley rooms. The energy level was certainly less than that of the bounce house atmosphere of the open hall areas, but was nonetheless thoroughly entertaining. There were plenty of opportunities for picture taking and merchandise purchasing. It was amazing to see what I was missing out on by spending the majority of the Con taking pictures with other Cosplayers. But since this trip was budgeted down to the penny, I had to spend cautiously and not purchase every bit of Geek swag that I wanted to get my greedy hands on.
Collapsing on some comfy chairs due to awesome-overload, we recalled the highlights of our weekend and started discussing the next Con coming up. Despite my exhaustion, my mind swarmed with ideas to improve on my costume, ways to make the next Con even more of a success and the endless possibilities of Cosplaying on a regular basis. Overall, ConnectiCon 2011 was pretty life-changing, though I would recommend that convention center place more seating for guests in the open hall areas. I think on some level I always knew I was at this level of Geek, but it wasn’t until I dived in head first and truly let those talents shine that I was certain of it. Nearly ten years of devoting myself to the “Club Scene” never gave me a fraction of the fulfillment this weekend did, and I plan not to live without these thrilling and group-oriented functions in my calendar at least every month or so.
