ConnectiCon this past weekend was exhilarating. Despite attending every single one since its humble inception in 2003, it remains incomparably memorable every single year. There is so much love, spirit, and character at ConnectiCon that I cannot imagine my career and my summer without it.
While there were countless moments of love and happiness, there is one in particular I want to talk about today.
Every year when I host the Cosplay Death Match I end up shirtless. This started as a gag some years back but it eventually became a Death Match tradition, where some years I would lean into it, some years I would playfully resist, and last year it became a testament to body positivity (since I’m no longer in shape and have a dad bod). But this year, I wanted to try something different, and I had no idea if it was going to work.
Simply put, I wanted to get dressed up this year, too.
Looking back at past Death Matches I was just “shirtless dude in dark pants” whereas everyone around me was in the costumes/cosplays they’d put a lot of time and effort in to. I wanted to match that energy, so at the last minute I went to a local thrift shop and found the loudest, flashiest pieces of clothing I could get my hands on to make an impromptu “wizard outfit.” I was terrified I was going to look stupid and even more terrified that the famously stubborn crowd wouldn’t accept it.
When the annual “take it off” chants began after a few matches into the event, I explained my desire to look as good as everyone else. My heart was in my throat as I concluded my case with, “…and I think I look nice tonight.” My heart nearly burst out of my chest as I was met with the new chant, “keep it on!”
Being the plaything of an audience has its merits to entertaining them, but when you ask something of them in return there’s a risk that they’ll either be displeased or dig further in to their expectations. So when my request was not only accepted, but cheered on, I was over-the-moon. No matter how the rest of the Death Match went that night (and it went splendidly), I was going to be in a fantastic mood.
The outfit needs some tweaking for next year, but now I have a new aspect of the Death Match to look forward to. And it, despite going on for over a decade, still finds new ways to be memorable.