It takes a little while to completely digest I-CON, so I’ve decided to help everyone sort through the mess with a list of things I will miss, things I will not miss and things I have learned. You think you know, but you have no idea.
The list of things I will miss is quite short. I will only miss the spectacle of it all – costumes, bizarre panels and creatures from the deep.
Things I will not miss: the suffocating sour smell that took over the entire campus, living in the same world as anime characters, the various shrieks and howls from people imitating their favorite video game personality, eating lunch next to a guy who painted his face to look like it had been mauled by a bear (didn’t he get the memo that this isn’t the same as Halloween?), running against a current of Sailor Moons to get to the academic mall, knowing that there are people who accelerate when making a right turn, having the SAC as my only option for a meal and worrying about being mutilated by any one of the hundreds of fake swords, guns, lightsabers or other weapons attached to people’s belts.
And although I’ve learned a lot here over the past few days, I’m going to stay away from small details such as the fact that the “Pear of Anguish” was never washed between uses. I will stick to the grander lessons.
Lesson #1: How to tell who is crazy and who is normal.
This one is a little tricky, but I think I’ve got it nailed – it’s simply a matter of determining if the person is wearing the costume, or if the costume is wearing the person. For example, if you ask someone his name and he replies, “Jay Bee,” that person is wearing a Mermaid Man costume. But if you ask someone his name and he replies, “Mermaid Man,” that costume is wearing a Jay Bee person.
Lesson #2: How to avoid choking on a terrible smell.
If backing away from the person (it’s almost always a person, despite what the creator of the foul odor suggests) does not work or is not an option, frequently pretend to rub the bottom of your nose or hunch over something that is less malodorous (a cup of coffee, a dirty sneaker, etc.).
Lesson #3: How to find out more about the three days of I-CON.
You can read the rest of my ramblings here.
