About a week and a half before the con, my friend Neil (who you may remember as the Bucky I did the photo op with Chris Evans with) sent me a message saying that he would be dressing as Cyclops on Saturday, and asking if I was going to the X-Men meetup that day. Well, I had always intended on wearing Rogue on Saturday (as my big and new costume), but I hadn't heard about any meetup. I am so bad at following cons that any group photoshoot I've ever been to, a friend had told me about. This one was due to start at 10:30 AM, which meant I would have to leave the house before 9:30 AM, which would mean I would have to start getting dressed at 8:30 AM, which would mean getting up at 7:30 AM at the latest...it was a good hour later than I normally wake up for work, but I normally like to sleep in on the weekends, especially after two days of traipsing around in costume, with another two ahead of me!

Before and after

Gambit #2

All of the weapons, I believe

"Patch"

In case you can't read it, Magneto's sign says "I TOLD Y'ALL" and I could not stop laughing

Beast!

I think this might have been all blue characters? I'm not sure.

LOOK AT HER FINGERS COMING OUT OF DEADPOOL'S HEAD OH MY GOD

Okay so the "Friends of Humanity" shirt would have been costume enough IMO but the fact that he added the beret and denim vest is just ::chef's kiss::

I love fans, we are beyond ridiculous

So, I woke up at 7:30. I got dressed at 8:30. And, miracle of miracles, I left the house by 9:30. It helped that I've done Rogue's makeup so often I can do it in my sleep, and putting on a casual wig is easier than trying to wrangle my hair into place. The trains cooperated, and before I even got to the con, my efforts were rewarded, as a Gambit and I spotted each other on the corner at virtually the same time, and ran to each other to get a selfie together. I almost never run into any Gambits when I'm dressed as Rogue, and the ones I do meet are usually with their girlfriends who are also dressed as Rogue, and that can be kind of a mixed bag, so already I was happy.

I arrived before the meetup officially started, so I had plenty of time to take pictures of other cosplayers, and have my picture taken with yet more, including YET ANOTHER Gambit who was kind enough to pose with me. I can't begin to tell you how grateful I am for X-Men '97 and bringing all of the fans back--not that we ever really went away, you understand, but as with the Sailor Moon reboot, fresh material encourages people to participate more. I was loving it.

The shoot started more or less on time, and it was really run very well. The directors did the usual of making sure there were enough subgroups so that everyone got in multiple shots besides the big group one, and people were overall so happy and well-behaved that the whole thing went very smoothly. Even the Deadpools behaved.

Neil showed up a little after it started--he had been running late, so he decided to skip Cyclops (which had been his "morning costume", a concept I am familiar with but have not participated in...actually only one year prior. But before that I hadn't done it in five years!) and arrive in his Star Wars Mandalorian costume for a massive Star Wars meetup planned for later that day. I was a bit sad we wouldn't get to run around as teammates together, but he looked so handsome in his Mandalorian fit that I really couldn't complain. Neil was nice enough to take my camera for some of the bigger group shots that I was in, so thank you Neil!

The best part of the photoshoot, however, was in the very last seconds, when a Professor Xavier cosplayer literally rolled up--he was the only one and the cheering that greeted him was *defeaning*. The moderators directed him to the middle of the group, and that's when some Reed Pop staff showed up, and filmed a video of him, zoomed in, saying, "To me, my X-Men!", and then zooming out to see all of us cheering. It was pretty amazing, and a great note to end the shoot on.

As the cosplayers were dispersing, yet a third Gambit spotted me, and ran over to ask if we could take a picture. And when I said yes, he got down one knee and offered me a rose, and friends, let me tell you--as happy as I am in my current relationship, I couldn't help but melt. I know he wasn't flirting, he was just being in character, but let me tell you, even if it's just pretend, having a handsome Cajun make eyes at you is simply the best. He even noticed that our first picture had been taken in front of the trash cans and those are totally not romantic, so we moved into the corner and took more. And THEN he asked me to wait a minute, and ran over to his stuff, rummaged around in his bag, and gave me a Queen of Hearts playing card! (If you know, you know.) I tell you, I may never see that dude again, but he made me con, I hope he knows that.

As I was gathering my own stuff, I noticed a fairly nice photography setup opposite the window wall of the South Pavilion. The photographer looked familiar to me, and I realized it was Matt! The P.T. Barnum I had met at NYCC 2018, and shot with when I wore Batgirl in 2021. He's only on Instagram so I don't keep up with him quite as much as I do people who are on Facebook, so it was great to get to talk to him and see what he was up to. I made sure to take a picture of him, because photographers are often so busy taking pictures of others, they don't get pictures of themselves. I was sure he had a lot of shoots lined up so I didn't want to tie him up, so after I bit I said goodbye and went to leave.

It was as I was starting to check my own stuff that I realized one of my pouches was missing. Now, I love that Setsuna Kou made me functional pouches; one was holding my phone, Metrocard, cash, and credit cards, the other had my badge, compact, and lipsticks. The second one was missing. I would have been more freaked out about my phone, of course, but how was I going to get back into the con without my badge? Granted there was only one day left, but I wanted to attend it!

Thankfully, with my phone I was able to look up where the Javits Center's Lost and Found was, so I walked all the way to the Concierge Desk in the Crystal Palace (which sounds much grander than it is) to check. I admit I was a bit worried that someone would find the badge and keep it (or resell it) but I had to try. Unfortunately Lost and Found didn't have any little white pouches, but they told me to check back later in the day in case someone turned it in.

I was pretty despondent, so I decided to walk back to the South Pavilion and take one more look around, just in case. And, lo and behold, as I approached the garbge cans that Gambit and I had taken pictures in front of earlier, I found my pouch! Some kind soul must have seen it on the floor and picked it up--why they put it ON the garbage can rather than turning it in to Lost and Found is beyond me, but hey, it was elevated and that helped my eye pick it out, so I'm not about to complain. I snapped the pouch back onto my utility belt, and you'd better believe I checked it neurotically every few minutes for the rest of the con! (It's my fault for overfilling it, and something I will have to be cognizant of in the future.)

I was feeling a bit freaked out from the whole experience, though, so I decided to get out of the crowds and go for a break in the North Pavilion. It's not officially a "quiet room" or anything like that, but because it's out of the way, there are almost always seats to be had, and not as much activity going on. It's a good place to just sit and regroup for a moment if you need it. I definitely needed it right then.

And as it turned out, the North Pavilion was the best place I could be, because just as I felt better and started to leave, I saw this *amazing* Magneto coming down the escalator. It seemed like we spotted each other at the same time, because as soon as he stepped off of the escalator he came over to me, and asked his friend if he would mind taking some pictures of us. We took some nice normal ones, and then before he left, I asked if he would mind if we could take a "hands touching" pic with my glove off. I was afraid he would think that was a bit forward of me, but he answered, "Oh my gosh, yes, I can't believe I didn't think of that!" and we took the picture and AGAIN I was nearly overwhelmed. I really thought my best Rogue days were behind me--and indeed, every time I wore Rogue, I met very few Gambits and only one Magneto (and he was movie Magneto)--and yet here I am getting quasi-romantic pics with the nicest Gambits and Mangetos ever. I was in heaven.

I didn't have anything on the schedule until about 3 PM, so I had time to just wander around on one of my cosplay hunts. I hadn't really been outside much yet that weekend, and that's often a good place to meet up with people, so I went out of the doors of the South Pavilion, where the bag check is, and bopped around a little bit outside. It was a nice day, so there were plenty of cosplayers milling about, including a lot more X-Men! There weren't very many photographers around, though, so most of my pictures with them are selfies.

Under the overpass, however, there were a lot of professional(ish) photographers with their professional looking setups. I scanned through them quickly to see if I recognized anybody, but I struck out. One photographer did stop me to ask if I'd pose for him, but he was out of cards, so I didn't get his contact info. Which is too bad; I really would have enjoyed seeing how the photo came out. More and more people these days are exchanging QRs which lead to link trees, I'm going to have to get with the times if I'm going to want to make cosplay connections in this day and age.

I went back inside to wander around, and while he wasn't in our usual meeting place, I actually spotted my friend Nes on the show floor. I can enable ninja mode when I want to, so without him seeing me, I kind of snuck up next to him and just kind of casually slipped my hand in his. I gotta give the guy credit, he didn't jump nearly as high as I expected (and upon further reflection, I should be thankful he's not a reflexive puncher or something, because let's face it I could have been anyone) and was genuinely happy to see me. I'm almost positive we took a selfie together, because we ALWAYS take a selfie together, but I haven't found that one yet either.

After chatting a bit with Nes, I kept walking because I still hadn't seen every booth in the Exhibitor Hall. I have to admit, I was particuluarly looking for the Hereos and Villains booth, because in 2023 they had made their booth into a replica of the Xavier Institute, and I was hoping they'd have the same or similar this year, as it would make a good photo backdrop. (Plus, I would have wanted to check it out anyway, because the Rogue lounge set I bought from them is SUPER comfy, so I was more than willing to send some money their way.)

Well, this year Heroes and Villains had upped their booth; not only was the entire thing decked out to look like the Weapon X Facility, they had an actual life-sized capsule that you could take pictures in! There was a line for the photo op but the staffers kept it running smoothly, and once I got to the front they even took my camera so they could take several pictures of me in it. It was easily the coolest setup of the entire con and there was absolutely no charge--what a great way to build goodwill and receive some free exposure. (I can't wait to see what they come up with next year!)

It was now late enough in the afternoon that Pete had arrived, so I went to meet hm at Jay's booth--incidentally, I love that Unstoppable Comics became our defacto home base for this con, and I hope Jay didn't mind. He's always a good dude to hang out with, so we swapped stories for a while before continuing our walk around the dealer's room--we were specifically looking for a comic Pete had spotted on display the day before, but couldn't remember exactly which booth. (I think he eventually found it--at this late date I can't remember, or even which comic it was!)

While we were walking around, we passed the Ultra Sabers booth. One of their staffers noticed my Rogue costume, and asked if I would mind posing with a green lightsaber for their social media. Mind? I was honored! And I would have been tempted to buy it, too, if I hadn't bought one and won another (that is now on display in Pete's house) from them in 2021. And I wish I had asked Pete to take some picture too because, son of a b--I've checked Ultra Sabers Instagram and while there are pictures of other people from New York Comic Con, none of me. What is it with me not finding pictures of myself in this costume, even though I know they were taken?

It was getting close to 3 o'clock, so I split off from Pete so I could go to the DC Cosplayers East photoshoot again. Not to take part, obviously (being dressed as a Marvel character), and not only because it was the group's 10 year anniversary (a fact that played a large part in my decision to cosplay Lois Lane the day before), but because it was the very last shoot Robert Frank was going to organizing and running. He's not quitting the group, and he'll still be attending the photoshoots thank goodness, but he was looking to pass the reins on to some other people, because 10 years is quite enough stress and work, thank you. I wanted to be there for it.

And I'm so glad I was, because after the photoshoot proper (which was also pretty amazing), Mike made a speech to all of the cosplayers gathered about how Rob had started this group ten years ago, how it had grown, how it had been recognized by Reed Pop itself and was now part of the official programming, and how much love and effort had gone into not only keeping the group going but growing it every year. And then Sophia, Rob's handpicked successor, made a speech about how much the group meant to her, how it had gotten her through some difficult times, and that's when I started tearing up. And then Mike took the bullhorn back and presented Rob with a sketch of Rob in his Doctor Midnight costume commissioned from Roland Paris, a professional artist and comic book inker who has worked with both Marvel and DC Comics.

And then Rob took the bullhorn and thanked Mike for the art, thanked Sophia for her kind words, and spoke a little about how the group got started, how some of the cosplayers have been here since the very beginning, how the photos have been featured in magazines and TV, and how just that Thursday DC had featured them on their social media pages. How much the group has meant to him, and how he would continue to be involved in the future. And most of all, how many friends and memories he's made along the way. And you know guys, this is it. This is why we do this year after year. Yeah, the little ego boosts when someone takes your picture or squeals over your costume are great, I won't deny that. But they're fleeting. It's the relationships you forge, whether it's just someone you look forward to seeing once a year at your shared con, or whether they become members of your bridal party, they ALL add value to your life. It's really hard to describe if you haven't experienced it yourself. But it's so much more than dressing up in spandex, I can assure you of that.

I needed a minute to collect myself after that (I don't like letting my emotions show in public; I don't like letting my emotions show in general, but alas, I have the poker face of a drunken toddler), so I headed back to the North Pavilion. On my way, I spotted the Terry Bogard I had been running into consistently again! So of course, I had to take a picture again. He is very much making me want to wear Lily again, but 1) she needs a bit of work to be wearable again (the shoes fell apart the last time I wore them, despite my best efforts to repair them, and the wig could use some TLC), and 2) you just KNOW the day I do, I will not find him. But I'm glad to take pictures with him regardless of what I'm wearing.

I also spotted, as I have referred to him in my previous con reports, That Kid Who Looks Like Tom Holland, and asked to take a picture with him. Since we were in a relatively quiet part of the con, I actually introduced myself this time--told him I had met him with my friend Lady Terentia back in 2019 before the world ended, and had recognized him at least two more times since. Turns out his name is Michael and he is (of course) on Instagram, so we're social media friends now! He's a really nice kid and I'm glad to know his real name instead of just thinking of him as Tom Holland's doppelgänger.

With my emotional baseline calm again, I texted Pete to see if he wanted to meet up again, this time for Artist's Alley--after two days, we still hadn't seen the whole thing. It just happens, when you run into friends both manning booths and among the general attendees. He was up for it, so that's where we headed next.

I admittedly had other designs in mind: we had found out that Chris Claremont was in Artist's Alley, and how cool would it be to finally meet him, dressed as one of his creations? Unfortunately, it seemed like everyone and their brother had the same idea, or something similar, because by the time we tried to get in line for him, the line had closed. Damnation! Also my own fault for not planning better. I am an excellent planner when it comes to costumes and the logistics of getting TO the con, but I am terrible at planning out what to do when AT the con. C'est la vie.

It was late and we were already starting to flag, so we decided to head back to Unstoppable Comics and see Jay one last time before bouncing. We got to talk more to some of his friends who were helping to man his booth, who were all very cool, and take some cosplay pictures--Pete was not exactly cosplaying, but his "Friends of Humanity" shirt was definitely from the X-Men universe, and made for some cool pictures. (Though I still want him to be Magneto.)

And it was a good thing we were there, too, because as we were hanging out, I saw my friend Wilson! I believe I originally met him through Pete--I'm pretty sure he's another Art and Design alumni--but we probably would have met anyway through the New York City comic book fan crowd, as we have a lot of cosplay and con friends in common. Wilson is a good dude of the highest caliber and I love hearing what he's up to, and especially to see what he's drawing. One of these days we really have to hang out outside of a con--or at the VERY least, a much smaller con so we have more time to visit, and are less tired!

The very last thing I wanted to do before Saturday was close out was see my cosplay brother Ziggo and his family--it would be doubly appropriate because the way I met Ziggo was that he called out to me as I was leaving Special Edition:NYC back in 2014; I had been dressed as Rogue and I heard a "Hey, sis", and I looked down to see this incredible Nightcrawler! So that's how Zig and I became adopted siblings and I didn't realize until just now that it was kind of our 10 year anniversary, too. Zig had gotten married and had kids and done so much with his life in the amount of time I've known him, I'm so proud of him and so fond of his wife and kids.

It was about an hour before closing time, but honestly both of us were more than a little tired and hungry, and there really wasn't much more we wanted to do, so we tapped out (literally; for those of you who have never been, NYCC makes you tap your badges on your way out the door as well as your way in, why I don't know) and went back to Pete's place for, what else, pizza. We hadn't had a Fat Kid Feast since 2021 but it really is a great way to cap the day.

I actually thought I had met her before, but it turned out to be another Rogue

The bonsues of showing up to meetups

So mainly Wolverines and Deadpools

Loving the "wolverine" Wolverine

As well as Hello Kitty Deadpool

This shot is super zoomed out because I wanted to take a picture as quickly as possible in case Magneto left

I want to recreate this with Ziggo some day

We'd just need a Mystique (and ideally either an Azazel or a Destiny, I'm not picky)

I 10,000% needed a picture with Beast

His costume was so good

Teammates

Thank you Neil for the group shot!

Seriously like something out of a movie...

...this dude literally rolled up at the very end of the photoshoot...

...and of course INSTANTLY became the center of attention...

...and made the shoot exponentially cooler.

Thanks, Charles

Matt and I

Another Mystique!

Classic Animated Series version this time

And another Nightcrawler!

"Hey should we get away from the garbage cans?"

"IDK mah mama always treated me like trash..."

SHUTTUP HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO DEAL WITH THIS LEVEL OF CHARM

Seriously all Gambit cosplayers are a 10 in my book, but this one goes to 11

I had to grab a selfie as well

HE HAD THE QUEEN OF HEARTS, YOU GUYS
YOU GUYS, HE HAD THE CARDS!!!

Most everyone else taking their picture in the booth was doing the "arms crossed on chest screaming" pose but NOPE I had to be DRAMATIC

I mean it makes sense if you think about it if the Weapons program got their hands on Rogue don't you think they'd run tests on her until she dropped?

IT'S CALLED THINKING ABOUT THE LORE, PEOPLE!

I love that he's wearing the medal Leia gave out at the end of A New Hope

I think it was around this time that I decided this was the best day ever

At the very least I was living my best Rogue life

Seriously every cosplayer I posed with (pretty much the entire weekend) was SO sweet

Gives new meaning the term "power couple"

Nicepool and Dogpool

Me and Cyclops

More teammates

And still more teammates

Would Rogue be this much of a selfies girl though? I feel like she'd leave that to the younger generation.

"It's that damn Hansel! He's so hot right now!"

It only took me meeting this kid like four times to properly introduce myself

Just a woman from Caldecott County and a boy from Queens

(The irony being that I am from Queens in real life)

I took this before they were quite ready

Seriously someday he's going to get beat up for something he wears, why not this?

From above

From below

Some stellar people right there

In a really stellar community

I'm glad this moment was documented

You can get an idea of how many people are involved if you add this shot to the shot of the cosplayers on the stairs

"And now, a fun one!"

"Okay now take pictures of each other"

Doing what they do best

Regardless of what that is

Mike and Rob

Love hearing what Wilson has been up to lately...

...and seeing his artwork!

Slightly mistimed

Again, that's what he gets for wearing that shirt

He was asking for it

I still want him to dress as Magneto, though

And to think I was at their engagement!

We don't tolerate hate

And we do a lot more than just protest against it.

A guy asked to take a picture of me holding his Shadow plushie after the DC photoshoot was over. Why not?

Fat Kid Feast™

To be fair we ordered far less food than we did the first time we did this.