Greetings All
I had the distinct pleasure of being able to go to Comic Con Cape Town on Thursday, despite there being next to no tickets available. Thanks to Cynthia, the owner of Sin Bin, my partner and I received tickets for the 27th, in exchange for helping her run her stall.
Sin and I go way back and Nick and I have run a stall for her in the past, so it was a no-brainer to help out when she requested assistance.
Even though we were there to help out, we were able to swap teams to allow Nick and I, and Sias and Sin, to enjoy the con without ever feeling like anyone was missing out on the fun.
This required peddling Sin's goods, which are amazing, and standing on our feet 90% of the time. Most Sin's gear is aimed at cosplaying, and if you want more details, here is a link to her online store. https://www.sin-bin.co.za/
Trust me, you won't be disappointed, especially when you know that her commissions will soon be opened again!
Not only is she a visionary when it comes to making a wide range of cosplaying materials, but she also helped me with my Cirilla (Witcher 3) cosplay 5 years ago, she is an amazing artist. This is just one of the beautiful cat drawings she was selling.
My mother studied microbiology, and I knew she would love a mushroom cat. There is even more art on her web page, so do support locally if you're a South African, and if you're not, please also support!
Now, onto the loot that was gathered during our single day at Comic Con. I went with a set budget, which I didn't blow! So, I am very proud of myself!
First off we have these adorable hedgehog earrings from Turkey Dimple. Some of you may know that my hedgehog Princess passed over the rainbow bridge not too long ago. I knew of Turkey Dimple and had contacted them in the past for rat earrings, so I was hoping that when I saw them, they would have some hedgehogs. And I was in luck! I got the very last pair! I broke the sacred Con rule! Spending money before seeing everything, but it was worth it! Here is how they look.
You can find even more gorgeous earrings by Turkey Dimple here: https://turkeydimple.co.za/
They will also be open for commissions soon!
The next South African artist I was to give a shout-out to is an old high school friend, Samantha from Benjy and Friends. Sam has always been a fantastic artist, and used to sit across from me in Biology because I would mutter answers under my breath as I wrote tests. But in all seriousness, Sam is an amazing person and her art is to die for! She even has an online comic that you can find here. She had so many cute things I didn't know where to start, so I got these awesome coasters.
They're so cute I don't think I will actually use them.
My next purchase was from our neighbours from The Dragon Wagon. These guys were more aligned with the DnD crowd, but they had some pretty amazing things besides dice.
These were the most orange of the sets they had. They even had metal and glitter-filled dice, which were a little outside of my price range, but if you're a fan, here is their store https://thedragonwagon.co.za/
What caught me about their stall wasn't the awesome dice, or how friendly the store owner was, it was his partner that came in later in the day. As soon as I saw her I knew I needed a photo.
She was cosplaying Keyleth the Ashari from Vox Machina.
Please note, cosplay DOES NOT mean consent, and all images I share are of people who gave me their express permission to take and share the images. She quickly realised I am a huge fan of Vox Machina and Critical Roll's first campaign and brought these over for me.
After my little nerd freakout subsided, we got chatting about cosplaying and how she wants to cosplay Scanlan Shorthalt for the next Con. She had some pretty cool ideas, that I am not going to share for obvious reasons!
Lunchtime came and I wasn't finished with what I wanted to get myself. I was on the hunt for a Broly. There were many Dragonball, Dragonball Z, and Dragonball Super merch everywhere, but I was a search for my favourite Saiyan. While there was an abundance of Gokus, Vegetas, and heaven forbid Zamasu Goku Black, I didn't want these in my collection. It took some time but eventually, I found what I was looking for.
And now I have two Brolys in my collection, and I couldn't be happier.
The final item I got myself, after much debate was from a stall called the Viking Boer (Viking farmer, for those of you who aren't Afrikaans). I have always enjoyed Celtic and Viking attire but didn't want to purchase any chain maille, as I am quite adept at weaving my own jewellery when I want something specific. So, as I was walking along, I came across the Viking Boer and saw their amazing leatherwork. And not that stupid plastic garbage, but actual leatherwork. After five seconds of debating, I picked up this beauty for myself.
It has a magnetic clasp, so it's somewhat difficult to just fall off. I love it! I just have to remember that you can't gym with real leather!
While that brings me to the end of my loot, there are still some amazing cosplays that I would like to share with all of you!
Keeping up with my Vox Machina obsession, this gentleman stopped by to look at the Keyleth cosplayer. It was none other than Percival Fredrickstein Von Musel Klossowski de Rolo III, aka Percy. This guy was an absolute champ and jumped at the opportunity to have his photo taken.
To keep with Critical Roll's succession of characters, here we have Jester Lavorre, a tiefling cleric, and a member of the Mighty Nein, which I believe is from the second campaign. On her shoulder is Sprinkle, her weasel companion. This lovely lady let me know that she knitted him herself, and was actually from a ferret pattern. The creativity was amazing! She was also handing out sticky notes with a smiley face on one side and the message "Jester was here" on the back. She was super friendly.
Next was Yubaba from Spirited Away. There were lines of people waiting to take photos of her, but eventually, she came to our stall and was happy enough to pose for one more. I can only imagine how hot it was in that get-up!
This guy also had a stream of people taking photos of him, and when he got closer I could understand. This was a self-design creature and together with a friend, this mask was born. Yet it wasn't just a mask, the beak moved as the gentleman spoke. Though it was difficult to understand him at times, you could see he was very proud of his get-up, and he rocked it as he walk throughout the Con.
The final picture isn't of anyone famous or spectacular, it was just of a simple moth. Yet when I saw the cosplay, my inner entomologist (bug scientist) was overwhelmed by the cuteness and simplicity of the design. As I was working the stall at that time, I begged her to come over and have her photo taken. She was only happy to comply. When I asked her why she was cosplaying a moth, she told me she loved moths and it was her dream to become an entomologist one day. I immediately jumped in and I told her I graduated with a Masters in entomology. She then proceeded to have a mini nerd freak out and demanded to know more. We chatted for a few minutes about her options of where to study to get the best education in terms of insects, and she left with a little spring in her step. I hope she gets to realise her dream in the future.
Nick and I worked and walked the Con from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and our feet were done. It was a wonderful experience and next year I'll be sure to get my tickets earlier so I have more time to wander around.
A special thanks to all the cosplayers who allowed me to take their images, and a shout out to all the South African stalls that showcased their amazing wares. May your future be as bright as possible. Please do make an effort to visit the stores I have mentioned, they are amazing people and their wares are worth what you pay for.
Till the next random update
Lex