C2E2 My Day 2 In Review

Another good day at C2E2. Today I went as The Doctor. I saw a bunch of Fun Cosplay including a wonderful Moana and a gorgeous Te Fiti and a giant HeiHei. Another random highlight was when I saw someone with an SPN bag and I said great bag and she actually gave me a pin which is pretty amazing.

So the Panel I was planning on starting with today filled up so I went to an alternative which was cool. Glad the universe pushed me into going. It was called Gender Identity: Understanding Through Art. I love the below slide they have which explores some of the complexity around these issues. I love how both Aces and Aros are included.

The takeaway was a searching for characters who are non-gender normative and have unrelated superpowers Ex Someone who is trans who happens to be able to create fireballs instead of be a shapeshifter. Like around all issues of including some comics do it well, especially those with non-gender normative individuals on their staffs, and some don't. A bunch of recommendations were given one which stood out was a Web Comic Oh Human Star (http://ohumanstar.com/comic/chapter-1-title-page/) which deals with Transgender issues with the added wrinkle of what does it mean to be transgender when you are an android. Look forward to checking it out. 

Also, it was pointed out that as writers we will fail and in those cases, we need to listen to the criticism and apology and do better in the future. 

Next up was a panel on Queer Women Making Comics. A few takeaways when writing about communities root it in lived experience to keep from creating stereotypes, and never speak for the whole community, Also readers seek interesting storylines, not tokenism.  

I also saw the Evanna Lynch (Luna Lovegood) Panel. She discussed how she felt imposter syndrome when she started in the films. That acting is not about Nailing it but playing it. As she said "Luna teaches you don't have to belong, just be you" and that her favorite line to say was a line to Harry "You are just as sane as I am". 

My last panel of the day was The Value of Mental Illness: Finding Resilience in Pain which ended up being completely full. I was one of the last people to sneak in. There were a few people who are involved with a site called "Geek Therapy" which I will have to check out. Robbie Thompson also was included on the panel for his work on "Silk" which was great. 

Superheroes and the trama of their origin stories were discussed and how their experiences can be used to understand other mental health issues ex Spiderman's spider sense is like Anxiety. There was also a lot of discussion around Therapy. "Silk" was praised because it showed an honest portrayal of the process which is therapy. 

There was talk about finding power in what you are scared of. Like superheroes when we deal with our Mental Illness we need to remember we can't do this alone, we need support systems, and how it is easier once we share our secrets. Therapy was shared to be a process of learning to trust others and yourself. It is not easy to share your experiences but it is important.  There was also a suggestion that individuals can bring characters to Therapy Today I feel like this character.... Also, it was stressed while it is vital to provide space for others you can't push someone if they are not ready, You can't make people do what they are not ready to do.

Finally, I got up the nerve to actually go over to Robbie Thompson's Table and chat a while and ask a few questions. He was amazing and he gave me an autographed copy of his copy Venom. So Now I have two autographs. (One from an SPN Conference 2 years ago). And he even liked my tweet.

I am glad I got up the courage to go over and say Hi and not just watch from across the room. :)

Today's Book Total:  5 Books cover value $48

Today I also bought a comic book. Love is Love which is the multi-author comic creator response to Orlando whose profits goes to Equality Florida. I started to read and of course started to get teary eyed.