I Should Spend My Life At 'Nerd' Cons

I Should Spend My Life At Nerd Cons

...among other things. I saw, won, swooned over, and bought the coolest shit at Arlington's Annual ArlingCon, a friendly neighborhood Con that's seen a surge of popularity during the last couple of years. Nerds from all over Texas and beyond don their best cosplay and basically peacock in the most amazing way among some of the most fun indie-style vendor booths and typical 'nerd pros' ever. Seriously, guys? I was in Heaven for most of Saturday - typical of me to have forgotten that it was running at UTA's E.H. Hereford University Center in Downtown Arlington, TX until its last day.

The cosplayers were out - in full detailed garb, thank you very much - in droves, swarming the place in small clusters of unadulterated awesome while my sister and I spent the better part of the early evening walking around in awe of their craftmanship and attention to detail. I missed quite a few photo opportunities because my brain was pretty much on overload (Western Captain America & His Majorette, I think I regret missing you the most... oh, wait. There was also Groot. I should have grabbed Groot.), but rest assured I'll be back next year fully prepared. 

I wanted to spend the rest of this blog thanking and shouting out the uber cool folks I got to spend a little time with while I wandered around the Vendor area, and I definitely wanted you guys to know they existed so that you'd storm the interwebs and buy their stuff - like, now!

 

Go Indie, Find Cool Shit: You Can Link Up With Amazing People At Cons

And who doesn't like finding cool shit? I walked around the vendor tables pointing and smiling,
chattering with my sister about needing to get business cards for this one and that one so that we could both spend our respective paychecks on the fun merchandise they had been selling. Everyone's on Etsy, know what I mean? Anyway, I met some amazing people who seem to genuinely love what they do - and man, are they good at it.

 Tea Punk Teas: Civility in Every Cup

This company stole my heart from the second I saw the gorgeous looking tins and their punchy steampunk design. I can't say I'm a tea aficionado, but I know my green leafs from my black leafs; I know a Chai when I smell one. Lloyd greeted us immediately - the draw of all the pretty tins were drawing us in, but we wanted to make a lap of the vendor tables before we committed, so we were kind of standing away from the table - and encouraged us to step closer, promising us a whiff of their carefully curated loose leaf teas. And man, did he deliver - from their 'ExperiMint' green blend to an amazingly delicate but robust Chai (dubbed 'My Chai' because it is his own personal blend of leaf meant to suit how he feels a Chai should taste), my nose made its way to utopia on a train of tiny little lip balm containers filled with dried leafy goodness. When all was said and done, I went with their special Earl Grey De la Creme - a mix of Ceylon Black Tea, China Black Tea, Bergamot, Cornflower Petals, and Vanilla. Yes, babies - it is exactly as awesome as it sounds. Their prices range from $10-$20(ish) dollars and are worth every penny. They even have a code on their website that provides free shipping for all orders over $50. And when I want to own a tin for every day of the week, spending $50 doesn't seem out of the ordinary at all. Visit their website, and check them out on Instagram - if you're a tea lover, you'll be glad you did.

Fancy Dryad: Bits And Bobbles for the Fey Folk

While walking among the vendors (where I saw the phenomenal Groot cosplay that ensured I'd regret having an actual camera until ArlingCon comes around next year), my sister and I were stopped in our tracks by the sight of tiny lights, colorful glass stones, wings, and gorgeous flowery armbands. So fairy, much pretty! And then there was Amy. Probably the sweetest gal at the Convention, she showed us all of the pretty fairy-inspired baubles she had for sale, including fairy dust catchers that I immediately wanted to hang from every corner of my house and fairy lights, the adorable craze that I've so far seen in no less than six events this year. 

The vibe of Fancy Dryad reminded me of being in a forest surrounded by tall grass and trees, where I'd certainly be sitting in the center of it all as quietly as I can, trying to see if I could actually spot a fairy or a sprite. And her business cards made my heart swell a little - handwritten, with a tiny gem at the corner, you could not ask for a more charming touch. Would you just go visit this girl's Etsy page, please? She's too goddamn adorable and I want her to sell a million light up fairy dust catchers.

Elia In A Box: Everything in Life I Didn't Know I Needed

Guys, if you haven't heard of Elia In A Box, you need to know how cool this website is. Elia is basically a webcomic where its creator, Eliamaria, posts all sorts of content surrounding her artwork. She's not Jack Kirby or Robbi Rodriguez (names I only know because of my knowledgable nerd friends), but she brings a simple style to the table and presents it with an attitude that's all her own while being everyone else's attitude at the same time. I loved the edge to her work from the moment I saw it - the plan, at this point, is to get that 'Never Shank A Baby' (wise words, by the way!) in my living room ASAP. Go check her out on StoreNvy and, if you like what you see, pick something up. It's beyond important that we continue to support local and indepedent artists. They work hard to live the dream - if anyone understands and battles for supporting the local scene, it would be me.

 

 

I Never Remember How Much Fun I Have Until I'm There

 

True story, babies. I love cons, I do. And I never remember how much I love them until I'm there and all is said and done. I've gotta participate more - there's a whole other world out there beyond the spangly trailers, crowds, and massive troll population at SDCC and NYCC. Easy there, I'm not knocking the major leagues at all, I'm just saying that it's worth it, if you're a Fanboy, Fangirl, Gamer, or just Nerd-In-General, show some love for the smaller conventions. You probably won't get to stand in line for six hours to meet and greet a celebrity, and you definitely won't get to catch a sneak peek of the latest trailer in the MCU. But the people that participate in these conventions work hard, and love what they do - it's a guaranteed good time if you jump in with both feet and embrace all of the scrumptious nerdy vibes.

To the DFW Ghostbusters: I'm happy I found you. Probably more than I should be. Laser Tag on July 29th sounds ridiculous - and I mean that in the best way possible. Readers, if you're in Texas - go see them. Or just check 'em out on Facebook, like everyone else does. 

Shout out to the group of cosplayers who dressed up as the characters from Five Nights At Freddy's - it was hot as fuck that day, and those cats gave it their all and walked around in what looked like the heaviest, most uncomfortable bundle of felt, cardboard, and moving parts I've ever seen. They won 2nd place in the Cosplay Contest, by the way - just behind a pretty cool looking Link who dropped his phone onstage when he presented. I'm not hating on Link at all, but - look at those costumes! The walk across the stage looked... daunting, to say the least. Yeah, I'm regretting the 'not having a camera' thing.

 
Oh well, ArlingCon - until next year. And I may or may not be looking into having a booth for it - a few of my books... random merchandise... some nerdy treats, perhaps? CapCakes, anyone?
xo,
Sami