Personal - First Cosplay @ Comic Con

Good Morning Blog,

In a previous blog post, I mentioned attending Comic Con; today was the day! This will be my first comic convention in costume. In 2017, I attended a similar event, the Singapore Toy Game Comic Convention, with a friend.

And I was prepared! I was dressed in a PFAC tee because I would help out rather than for fun.

Honestly, I was nervous... Knowing I had to go there alone made my anxiety and overthinking worse...

Alright, no time to overthink... Just face it like a man!

Arrived! Sands Expo and Convention Centre. Oh, man... There were a lot of people already.

While queuing to get in and calming myself down, I read the group message that they were gathering on the first floor... Not in a basement... So I had to get into the convention quickly before the crowds began to gather, and my anxiety would be relieved once I found someone familiar.

Okay... The first floor was the worst... Even longer queue! Kill me... 🙈

Four-fold long queue...

After the four-fold queue, there were more queues... For bag inspection.

Done! The inspector smiled when I showed her my shiny shield and asked if I was cosplaying as Captain, and I was relieved she did not judge me.

After the long queue, the first thing that drew everyone's attention was a display of integrated statues by Infinity Studio.

Three Kingdoms - Zhu Ge Liang, it appears animated; can you feel the wind from this statue?

Robocop - looks so real!

World of Warcraft - Valeera Sanguinar. Succubus vibe!

Pacific Rim Crimson Typhoon - rather smaller scale

Another one from Pacific Rim - Heavy Mecha

Journey to the West - Ne Zha, can you guess how much this is? Remember, this is not a toy!

Captain Fortune Quarter Scale with naughty tentacles.

Seraphine: the Starry-Eyed Songstress. Without Google Lens, I might not know what is this.

From Google Lens, this lady is Angel Force. I have never seen her before, but she is beautiful.

Same lady, Angel Force; check out the accessories! Such detail!

Oooo! Beautiful. This one is Spartan Army Commander. Nice set of armour on a woman's body. Thumb up!

Largest statue display - World of Warcraft - Sylvanas. Never known her name but yup! That's her! There were many statue displays at the convention, but I didn't have time to capture everything.

Ah! Bump to D, the Superman! How nice and fortunate to be handsome and muscular. I just looked like a fan nerd, which I am.

Meanwhile, I needed to locate the booth where I could assist. I did not have enough time to inspect everything thoroughly. I felt as if I was rushing for nothing. I guess I am concerned about finding something I like but not having enough money to purchase it. As a result, I chose not to bring my wallet—the same feeling I had in Japan.

Oh no oh no! Something caught my attention... If they sell the more intriguing and larger version at a reasonable price, I will go insane!

Anyway, I managed to locate that stall, Blokees. I had never heard this before, but it appeared to be well-known among the visitors.

Because it was early, I decided to dress up first, then parade around to check out the place once I knew where to store my belongings. How do I look? I am a nerd!

While parading, I came across this Ultraman statue. Awesome! And Yes! I had to step outside of my comfort zone and ask some visitors to take a photo of me. To be completely honest, I was embarrassed, but I had to; otherwise, I would not receive anything.

One heartwarming gesture from an artist, mebi_anime, stopped me and confirmed what he saw and who I cosplayed as. OMG! Someone actually knows! And he requested a picture, which gave me a huge boost of confidence, as if all I needed was affirmation.

I returned to Blokee and stood in front of the display to help attract visitors and introduce their products. These toys have movable joints that encourage creativity and storytelling. I thought they had a Daigo character, and if they have, I’ll definitely buy one!

Anyway, I will continue to stand there, feeling transparent, as most visitors come and take videos and pictures of the toys. In my mind, I can hear both their thoughts and mine screaming, "Who is this guy?" My anxiety is starting to build...

After an hour, the next person began to take over my slot. I could leave and find somewhere to breathe, but I still tried to get a picture with Bumblebee, which attracted a large crowd.

Before I left the stall, some cosplayers approached me and gave me compliments. I felt happy and humbled by their kind words.

I thought about wearing a Spider-Man suit while walking around, but never mind. Thank you for recognizing my outfit. 😀

I found D again and took a picture together.

Just when I thought my suit was warm, I could never complain when this Venom cosplayer didn't say much. Amazing!

Suzy! Iconic individual in PFAC

I will request photos with the cosplayers, as it motivates them internally like others did for me.

I realized that I forgot to bring an additional accessory: the transformation prop that some of the cosplayers requested. I will make sure to bring it next time.

Red white cosplayers!

I began to feel hungry and thirsty, and I realized I forgot to bring a water bottle with me. To address this, I stepped out to a nearby convenience store, where I discovered that a bottle of mineral water was priced at $4. Instead of settling for that, I thought it would be a good idea to explore further away from the convention halls in my costume. While many people glanced at me, I smiled to ease my anxiety. However, I learned that there are no convenience stores nearby.

I had to walk back to that convenience store again and got myself the cheapest Pocari Sweat for $2.90; then changed to another costume!

Hi Ironman!

Dressed up as Captain Nerd!

(Credit SGCC) I was approached by an unknown personnel who requested a "shake hand in character" video. I do not know much except how to shake hands firmly, as I used to.

I remembered seeing one of the booths selling a photo print of Captain America, so I went there to take a picture with him and the staff.

The staff asked me to buy the photo. However, even though I am blind, the price tag shocked me, causing my eyes to widen in surprise. I simply replied that I’m a poor captain and don’t carry a wallet. I could sense their disappointment, but the truth is, I really am struggling financially. I’m truly sorry to them for that.

A staff member at the LEGO store stopped me by name, which humbled me since he recognized me from social media, even though I wasn’t aware of him. I asked how he was so sure it was me, and he mentioned that he had been following me and was curious if I would show up at Comic-Con. I gave him a starstruck moment, and it was so embarrassing! Hahaha!

To encourage other cosplayers, I tried to interact and acknowledge their effort in dressing up. Just like this person, who was trying to walk around while balancing a cute, squarish chicken plushie. Interesting!

I saw this cosplayer a few times as I paraded in Daigo and Captain, and he was alone throughout. I felt it was important to acknowledge his effort, and I could tell that it made him happy. I will continue to do this as I step out of my comfort zone and give back to others.

(Credit ELMO) I found an empty space promoting the upcoming Marvel movie, Captain America! I stood there as if I was promoting myself.

(Credit ELMO) Strike a pose in front of my own banner.

(Credit ELMO) Haha! It’s that same Spider-Man again! I doubt he knows that Daigo was actually me.

There was one cosplayer, lazy_coses, who donned a different outfit, and I was impressed by her costume and humbled that she wanted to take a wefie with me.

(Credit ELMO) Finally, I want to thank my group of cosplayer friends for their support and affirmation.

Here's another photo of me in Captain with Venom and Elmo, and thank you for assisting me on this cosplay journey; I know I am not perfect, but I appreciate your belief in me.

I think I better think of different poses for my cosplay... All the same and I know it is one of the most effective poses.

Ah! Haha... Journey to the West - Three iconic characters!

It was great to see some people cosplaying as Chinese folklore characters to expand the cosplay community.

One more interesting cosplayer as a Maplestory character! Hahaha!

My next assisted booth was Shadee Care, a Singapore-based charity that provides youths with mental health care based on what is important to them. OOO! In the leaflet, I found my picture!

I also found a Captain America cosplayer.

Another thing that made my day was when one of my former students recognised me! I am humbled that she still remembers who I am. Thank you, Rin.

After Rin, Jon (another ex-student) recognised me! Hahaha! I was a blind Captain, so I could not see anyone, and I might have missed a few. But I am glad they will approach me!

It was great to see my students again. Thank you, Jon, and your friend!

I came across a family cosplaying Thor, and I could not resist photographing them, especially the mother, who dressed up as fat Thor during her pregnancy. A creative touch!

Finally, here's a mega photo of all the cosplayers we can gather!

My first Mega photo with cosplayers!

But, honestly, I became exhausted and hungry... I even wanted to dress down and return home wearing my costume. Allow my anxiety to burn even further. I received many stares, but they tried not to judge, and I did not have the energy to care either. But while I looked at my phone...

I was surprised to see someone dressed up as Daigo, just like me. Envy him for looking slim and professional. But it would be great if we ran into each other.

Another message from a friend: he brought his son to Comic-Con because he was looking for Captain America.

Just look at how sad he was... Fortunately, he was also looking for Deadpool and...

A better and more attractive captain at Comic-Con. He will undoubtedly look far better than me.

I was pleased to receive positive comments from visitors and cosplayers at Comic-Con, but I also felt bad knowing that I was not good enough. After some thought, I realised that everyone, regardless of shape or size, dresses up as their favourite superheroes and embraces one another, which is why there is Comic-Con to celebrate and bring everyone together.

As ChatGPT has stated, accepting what Captain America represents—courage, perseverance, and selflessness—does not imply that I have to embody those qualities perfectly all of the time. Even Captain America struggled with self-doubt and determining his place in society. The key is to strive for growth, which is exactly what I am doing now. Continue to remind myself of the courage required to put myself out there, as well as the positive impact I had on others. Every step, no matter how small, helps me become a better, kinder version of myself. I should not let negative emotions overshadow my accomplishments.

Jeff