#blerdcon 2023

[hearthecrazy]

At Blerd with the theme Fae'd to Black so what else is a girl to do but dress as their favorite sadist water horse. I forgot to take off my glasses for the picture but I think I did a good job putting together an Augus Each Uisge cosplay. Augus belongs to @not-poignant

[irishais]

Don't talk to me or my several chompy sons ever again.

Chain chomp gown, at Blerdcon 2023!

[artpastelkelsey]

Day 1 of #blerdcon we are in the Artist alley me and @tolbyccia so come visit us!

[blerdiverse]

Beefing over spy balloons was not on my 2023 bingo🤷🏾‍♂️ #spyballoon #spongebob #spongebobmemes #2023 #blerds #blerdslit #blerdlife #blerdiverse #blerd #blerdcon #blerdcommunity #blerdshit #blerdsunite #blerdnation #blerdgang #blerdsstaylit https://www.instagram.com/p/CofdJCgvG0u/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[twiztidskull]

Here we have an awesome version og Bowser cosplayed at Blerdcon 2023 by @yukicrissy

[squeemcsquee]

Otakon 2023: Day 2 (Sat)

Saturday, I started my morning with a Digimon panel - I don't get to go to these too often at cons, since Pokemon tends to be people's greater focus. Digimon is NOT a Ripoff: The Crazy Story of the Franchise was very informative. I honestly didn't know that both Pokemon and Digimon share some characteristics with the Megami Tensei franchise.

I am ashamed to admit that a lot of my knowledge of Digimon is too rusty to attempt to play a trivia game. The host was offering up different Digimon prizes, from trading cards to actual vpets. And he got a far longer line of competitors that I believe he thought he would get.

Next on my agenda was Idols Through the Ages. It wasn't a bad panel, but I was disappointed by the lack of engagement from the panelist. He mostly just read straight from the slides. But I did still learn more on the background of idol culture and the idol industry, so I still was happy with the panel overall.

After that, I met with @lechevaliermalfet, and O. to grab an early lunch. It was at this time that I realized that Otakon needs to work a smidge on their communication with their attendees.

See, @lechevaliermalfet and I were prepared to rely mainly on our cards for payment for the weekend - we were far, far away from any ATMs for our local credit union, after all, and everyone knows that con ATMs can run out of $$ quickly. We didn't want to be stranded in DC trying to find more cash at the last second.

So this announcement didn't really impact us. But it was still strange for Otakon to drop this little nugget on Saturday morning, instead of, perhaps, Thursday before the con.

I wasn't the only one who felt this way - there were plenty of complaints on the FB announcement made throughout the weekend. Justified complaints, I would say.

This was also the point where I once again wished Otakon had a Dining Guide section in their Guidebook, even if just for the food vendors within the con center itself - knowing when things opened and what their general price range was, as well as their cashless status, would've been a great resource for attendees. Just my take on it.

Btw, during the whole con, finding a table to sit at with our food was a struggle - with as many people as Otakon brings in, there never really seems to be a downtime for the con center food vendors until just before they close. So tables where you can easily eat are in high demand.

After lunch, we met up with R. and R.'s girlfriend briefly, then made our way to the Dealers Hall again. The BlerdCon booth had a dance party going, and I heard both the Macarena and the Cha Cha Slide. We observed the party for a couple minutes, because, well, duh. It's a dance party at a con - that energetic vibe can be hard to resist.

We also learned that the Mandalorian Mercs were on site, with a creative photo op area as part of their recruitment setup. No, we did not go take advantage, I'm sorry to say.

After the Dealers Hall, I headed to Animation Cels at Work: The Life and Death of Cel Animation in Japan. This one ran right up to the very last second of panel time and was very informative. The panelist not only traced the history of cel animation but also took some time to cover the current collectors' market for cels, explaining why certain cels are valued more than others.

I spent some time people watching and just sort of seeking a brief quiet space in the con after that. Wandering a con with friends is great, but I do strongly recommend learning how to navigate solo, for when nothing in the guide grabs you and you don't feel like spending money in the Dealers Hall or Artist Alley.

Some of this time was spent on Pokemon Go, because the area was great for Pokestops and actually getting to participate in gym battles. Please excuse that the screenshot is actually from earlier in the day. Really, it can be assumed that I'm playing Pokemon Go at any con, because cons are among the few times I'm around enough people to make battling gyms worthwhile.

I ended up in the Otamuseum, which was a small room dedicated to showing off some of the relics and factoids of Otakon's history. Since my one and only other Otakon was 2012, I definitely snapped photos of anything relating to that year.

I knew 2012's attendance had been comparable to the numbers I was familiar with from ACen, but I was still surprised to learn there were so many attendees that year. Honestly, I'd felt like there were more -but that's because the Baltimore venue was clearly becoming too small for the con at that time.

I once again met up with @lechevaliermalfet and O. for an early dinner before O. had to leave the con for the day. We spent part of dinner discussing another note that Otakon had made for attendees, via the Guidebook app.

My understanding is that this aggressive defense of the Saturday Dealers Hall hours are in response to a handful of complaints each year from attendees that could swear the hours had changed. And I'm sure that's frustrating for staff to experience. But this just came off as hostile when I read it.

After dinner, we parted ways with O., and headed down to Artist Alley. We got a few prints but my real prize for the night was a strange plushie.

He was labeled as being unloved and how could I say no for $10? I love weird, cute things.

After shopping, it was time for @shoujorockheaven - this focuses on girl rock bands in Japan and it's run by the same team as @awesomelybadjmusicvideos . It's honestly a great way to discover some new groups to listen to.

After the panel, despite still wanting that con vibe, we had to admit we were wiped. So that ended up being our last event for Saturday.

[someawesomeamvs]

Warning: Violence, spoilers

Title: Counterfire

Editor: AllyKatAVR (@allykatavr)

Song: Burn

Artist: 2wei

Anime: Fire Force

Category: Action

Awards: BlerDcon 2022 - Best Action Animethon 2022 - Best Action Saboten 2022 - Best Action Nan Desu Kan 2022 - Best Action Kumoricon 2022 - Best Intensity Anime Los Angeles 18 - Best Action/Adrenaline AMV.org 2023 Viewers' Choice Awards - Best Action Otakon 2022 - Action Runner-Up Matsuricon 2022 - Action Finalist Popcult Anime 2022 - Action Finalist

[websterstylemag]

The Sartorial and Geek Panel at Blerdcon 2023

The live panel from Blerdcon 2023 where we discussed the social and interpersonal aspects of how we incorporate fandom in our style. The interactive discussion between panelists and attendees focused on individual and collective viewpoints and experiences on the intersection of fandom and fashion. Panelists: Dana Wooster of The Good Red Herring (https://www.thegoodredherring.com) Frenchie of…

[philipjeanpierre]

Just heads up this coming weekend you can find us at Blerdcon “Fae’d To BLACK” July 7-9, 2023!! Focused on inclusive culture of our geek family! A 3 day, 24 hour con based in ANIME, GAMING, COSPLAY, COMICS & SCIFI with panels, celebrity guests, presentations, workshops, gaming tournaments, cosplay contests music,dance and artists. Being held at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City at National Airport in Virginia

[ilovegaam]

🌟🆕📅 Blerdcon 2023: Fae’d to Black! 🌟🆕📅 📢 From the organizer - To a land of fantasy we go, as we celebrate the fae cosplayers, artists, writers and crafters in the blerd community! Stories told of magic and beings born of nature and spirit have rarely included black and brown people. And yet we some of thee most innovative, inspired and lively creations in the nerdspace coming from US! This year's them touches art, music, food, literature, life and love in its darkest and brightest forms. 🔗👆🏽More info at the link above

[blerdiverse]

It’s…been..3..years…🤦🏾‍♂️ #2020 #2023 #2020s #2020sucks #familyguy #familyguymemes #pandemic #riots #covid #injustice #jan6 #war #thistoomuch #blerds #blerdslit #blerdlife #blerdiverse #blerd #blerdcon #blerdcommunity #blerdshit #blerdsunite #blerdnation #blerdgang #blerdsstaylit https://www.instagram.com/p/CnFTM9DvzAV/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[blerdiverse]

An entirely new me😂 #mcu #mcumemes #recast #marvel #marvelmemes #mcumeme #marvelmeme #newyearnewme #2023 #blerds #blerdslit #blerdlife #blerdiverse #blerd #blerdcon #blerdcommunity #blerdshit #blerdsunite #blerdnation #blerdgang #blerdsstaylit https://www.instagram.com/p/CnFPJC6P4az/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[twiztidskull]

Here we have this wonderful cosplayer cosplaying Chucky at Blerdcon 2023. Not sure who they are but the were definitely rocking the Chucky cosplay really nicely

[irishais]

Chain Chomp gown! Worn at Blerdcon 2023; 8 yards of black vinyl and 95+ degree/hecktillion percent humidity Maryland summer don't mix, but I look awesome and that's the important thing.

[twiztidskull]

Here we have @unique_universe777 at Blerdcon 2023 with this jacket that's designed with her artwork on it.

You should definitely do yourself a favor and go checkout the amazing art she does on her page. She does art commissions as well!

I know I'm probably going to have to get some work or commission some work myself at some point in the future from her, of course I'll post it up whenever I do.

[twiztidskull]

Here we have a wonderful Juliet From Lollipop Chainsaw cosplayed at Blerdcon 2023 by @amour_banks