Twin Cities Con as told by an extremely enthusiastic nerd
By Ella Tracy
The fall 2023 semester was supposed to be ordinary. Class, work, friends, optional eating and sleeping, class and work again. Something as wild as Twin Cities Con (TCC) was not on my mind until a random Friday afternoon when a friend revealed to me the guest list for the weekend of Nov. 3-5, consisting of some of my favorite actors and writers in the world.
I would have sold my soul to attend, but I was able to buy a VIP weekend pass for a perfectly reasonable price, so I kept my soul and eagerly prepared.
TCC was founded a few years ago by comic con extraordinaire Ben Penrod. It is held annually at the Minneapolis Convention Center in downtown Minneapolis. This con — and cons around the world — are put on to provide a community for nerds in every fandom and give them opportunities to celebrate their collective love of stories.
Artists sell their work. Attendees cosplay in astounding or minimalistic replicas of on-screen or page characters. Famous actors, writers, filmmakers and more offer opportunities for meet and greets or photos. Headlining guests at TCC this year included the cast of “Bluey,” actor Kevin Smith, the cast of “Avatar: The Last Airbender,” the cast of “Demon Slayer” and “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” voice actors Ashley Eckstein and Matt Lanter. Cons operate mostly independently of each other, but some are connected by founders, organizers and the communities that attend them.
This was my first time attending a con that had more than 50 attendees, so it was with abundant joy that I ventured into the Minneapolis Convention Center on Nov. 3. I took advantage of my VIP perks to enter 15 minutes early and was greeted with vibrant colors, bubbly conversations and eclectic energy. “Take it all in,” I whispered to myself, already unable to feel my face from smiling so much.
I wandered through the artist booths for nearly an hour. Dozens of fandoms and creative crafts were represented by the displays. I met independent book authors, directors of collectors clubs, entrepreneurial makeup shop artists and crafters hand-making anything from clothing to paintings to buttons. After purchasing a set of lollipop earrings and a painting from a slightly obscure fandom, I had one of my favorite authors, Timothy Zahn, sign my copy of his Star Wars book. I connected with other Star Wars fans, attended panels, collected Instagram handles like Pokemon cards and stayed after dark to watch the nerdy drag show.
Meeting Timothy Zahn (left) and R2-D2 (right).
I’d anticipated that the second day of TCC — Nov. 4 — would be one of the best days of my life, and I was not disappointed. TCC opened at 9:45 a.m. for VIP attendees, so I naturally arrived just after 8:30 a.m.
My complete lack of sleep got me first in line to meet one of my heroes: Ashley Eckstein, actor, fashion designer and voice of my favorite animated Star Wars character, Ahsoka Tano. Thanks to support from other fans, I managed to not pass out while waiting for Ashley’s arrival. She signed a collector’s edition book, gave me a hug and told me that Ahsoka lives in me. I only cried after walking away. (I also met Matt Lanter, voice of Anakin Skywalker in “The Clone Wars.” He was very nice.) When I went back to see them for a photo later in the day, Ashley remembered my name and I’m pretty sure everyone watched stars fly out of my eyeballs.
My photo with Ashley Eckstein and Matt Lanter. Yes, the print copy is framed and it is my favorite photo of all time.
The highlight of my life completed, I met up with a friend to wander, attend Ashley and Matt’s Q&A panel and take pictures with other magical cosplayers. I left slightly early to attend a musical performance in the evening I’d been invited to. I did not have time to change from cosplay into a “normal” appearance, so I went straight to the theater with a facefull of paint, a relatively peculiar outfit and a lightsaber in my car. It took me a full 10 minutes of standing in the lobby before I realized why I was receiving the most perplexed side-eyes.
Enjoying the musical with friends after fully embracing my cosplay again. Credit: Lydia Moylan.
The discomforting attention I felt in the theater threw me for a loop. I had been dressed in cosplay all day, yet this was the first time I felt self-conscious. In fact, I’d walked through my day feeling empowered and joyful. And while people shouldn’t necessarily walk around in cosplay whenever or wherever they want (walking around in several pounds of metal armor is quite impractical in our modern society), I do think we should have the option to embody the characters that mean the world to us. However, people’s reactions in the theater spoke volumes about society’s judgment and acceptance of its nerdy members.
Comic Con, then, becomes a utopic space where nerds can celebrate their fandoms judgment-free.
By Sunday, Nov. 5, I’d accomplished most of my nerdy goals, so I was content to chat with new friends and watch a panel with the cast of “Bluey.” It was bittersweet leaving Con after a weekend of dreams come true and nerdy joy. Normal life had ceased to exist; I was grieved to depart from this jubilant space.
Friends and fellow cosplayers make Comic Con so special. There is abundant artistic talent!
Experiencing Comic Con was extremely important to me, as it has been for attendees for years. Fandoms save lives. Adoring other universes helps us cope with the peculiarities of real life. Fictional characters give us creative outlets and other perspectives from which to live.
Most of all, fandoms create community. Comic Cons bring together fans from around the world to collectively adore silly creatures on screen or page. There’s truly no way to describe how surreal and magical connecting over fandom is. Each person experiences the stories differently, yet we’ve all fallen in love with the same world outside our own.
If I had $5 for every time older folks told me how being a nerd wasn’t cool when they were kids but now it’s borderline mainstream, I’d have at least $40 (which does go a long way). I’m so lucky to have grown up with people who were accepting of my nerdy ways and taught me to simply not mind if others don’t love the same things I love or don’t love them in the same way. Comic Con unleashed my inner child that was shameless of her love of stories and healed the inner children of those who never had such an opportunity.
I’ve already blocked off next year’s Twin Cities Con on my calendar. I probably won’t sell my soul for the tickets (I like it right where it is.), but I eagerly anticipate recharging in the glee of nerdy community.
