What it’s like to experience C2E2 from a first-time con-goer (Day 1)
More Funko Pop!s than you can ever imagine, great panels willing to tackle tough subjects in geek culture and some sore feet. Let’s talk C2E2 2018.
C2E2 is by no means a small con — and neither is McCormick Place in Chicago, location of said con. Yet your intrepid writer not only braved the first day, but she braved her first day at her very first con. Welcome to Tales from C2E2!
Let’s start with today’s wardrobe. I’m not a cosplayer, but I do have a collection of geeky shirts, so here’s today’s Never Tell Me The Odds tank from Jordandené under a denim jacket.
Never let it be said that I don’t coordinate my accessories, because yes, that’s a Millennium Falcon necklace.
My fashion from C2E2. Photo: C. Wassenaar.
Speaking of accessories, though, they started eating at my budget within the first 15 minutes. The free Dark Horse lanyard just wasn’t doing it, so I purchased a Sailor Moon lanyard from itsMengo to put my badge on. (This should not be a surprise.)
Sailor Moon lanyard by itsMengo. Photo by C. Wassenaar itsMengo booth from C2E2. Photo by C. Wassenaar.
I must have wandered the booths and Artist Alley up and down dozens of times. Saw a lot of things I wanted to buy, but I tried to stick to a budget of less than $50 on the day for everything. After checking my coat, getting a hot dog, and picking up a few pieces of art, I can say that yes, I did stay under budget today. I even resisted buying the multitudes of Funko Pop!s that were out there.
Or these really cute plushies from Nite Owl Workshop:
The Nite Owl Workshop booth at C2E2. Photo by C. Wassenaar.
(So, success! It was hard to resist the Matt the Radar Technician plushie. I appreciate a good meta joke.)
However, you can’t just walk around a con all day. Feet get tired (and my choice to wear some extra insoles definitely helped, but doesn’t work completely). So, let’s talk panels.
First up was “She’s the Doctor,” which focused on Doctor Who and the Thirteenth Doctor. You can read my panel recap here.
I sat in on “Strong Female Voices in Speculative Fiction” in the early afternoon (after grabbing some much-needed food). Featuring Rachel Aaron, Laura Sebastian, Sarah Beth Durst and Trisha Levenseller, these four female authors talked about their influences (Tamora Pierce was a popular choice, as was Ursula K. Le Guin.)
But one of the most pointed moments was when Aaron said, “There is absolutely not a void in terms of books that are out there, but there is a void in terms of publicity. […] Women are there, but they’re not on the list.” Sebastian took this idea and ran with it, asking the audience about how many had read Lord of the Flies while in school. (Yours truly raised her hand.) But then, when she asked about Little Women — far, far fewer raised their hands.
It was more than just diversity in gender, though. The authors were unafraid to address questions of sexual orientation and race, mentioning how books like Children of Blood and Bone and The Hate U Give have recently owned the YA charts — but that there’s still room for more and that it’s not just “checking off diversity” from a nebulous list.
Also, it has to be said, it’s nice to hear that authors are into the same things that we are. Orphan Black, Attack on Titan, Star Wars, The Flash and more all got name-checked as things these four authors loved. (It’s reassuring, to be honest.) The authors even talked about what they were reading — with Durst even saying she’d read The Serpent’s Secret on the plane.
Did I learn anything today? Yes, I did! First lesson: lighten up my backpack. I was worried that I’d be way more hungry, so I came with so many snacks. The beverages certainly were wise, though.
Next: "She's the Doctor," a C2E2 panel declares
C2E2 continues throughout the weekend. Stay tuned for all the latest from the floor.