As you all now know MTAC (Middle Tennessee Anime Convention) was held over the Easter holiday and I was in attendance! This was my second time at MTAC, and while I did not have as much fun this year (due to cosplay issues and other personal things), I did have a great time! My favorite part of conventions is getting to see the friends that I have made over the years at other conventions.
Just to get it out of the way, I only had issues because I brought a half-finished cosplay with me for the first time. Due to getting a new job and travel commitments, I was not able to complete as much of TRON Legacy Riku (Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance) as I wanted to. No excuse, I know, but it all ended up being okay.
Aside from cosplay, I really did not get to see much of the con. I spent most of my time in my hotel room (which was very lovely!) sewing, gluing, and fuming over Riku. I was a little disappointed that I didn’t get to see more of the convention, but I was able to see enough. I loved what I did get to see and that’s all that really matters.
On Friday, Kimberly, Sephy Angel, and I ran a panel covering the chronology of the Kingdom Hearts series. Needless to say, it was a grand success! While we had a rocky beginning trying to obtain our panel and technical difficulties/lateness (due to cosplay strugs)… we pulled it all off!
I feel like our panel was informative, yet fun! Something that none of my college professors ever seemed to grasp during lecture… We had trivia, prizes, and a review-style video of all of the games in the series. We did have a problem projecting at the beginning of the panel, but we soon remedied that. In the end, we ended up giving away a keyblade to an audience member that answered a very tough question.
I know that running a panel can be really stressful, but it is always more than rewarding. To me, seeing the audience full of people that share your same interests is titillating. THAT is what I consider a convention. Forget the cosplay contests, balls, raves, and ceremonies; we’re all at MTAC because we all love geekery. From Kingdom Hearts to Doctor Who, we are all major fans of our respected series; and to be able to run a panel about something you love and having people look to you as the master of ceremonies is just amazing. Sometimes you learn something new and other times you inform the “masses” /end passionate rant about geeking out.
I digress, running a panel is serious business and a successful panel takes months of searching for that perfect gif set. Some panels are slapped together at the last minute and it definitely shows. So if you plan to make a panel, make it into something that you can take pride in. Soon, I will be posting up the Do’s and Do Not’s of panel making, so be on the lookout for that.
The rest of my weekend was spent switching from cosplay to cosplay and hanging out with friends, old and new. I had an absolute blast during the weekend and can’t wait for next year!