Shelby

By far one of the greatest moments of my life! I’ve been to cons before — I’ve even been to C2E2. But this year I finally got THE con experience! I may have come out of it battered and bruised due to my homemade Audrey 2, but it was the star of the day. So many people were in awe of this thing, and a few wanted to take my picture, EVEN BEFORE THEY KNEW IT WAS A PUPPET THAT I COULD MOVE! I’ve never felt such an ego boost in my whole life, nevertheless the amount of joy I don’t think I’ve EVER felt.

And it kept getting better?

Walking through artist alley is a must. Unfortunately for my wallet, I bought A LOT more than I was expecting. It didn’t matter because everyone was so nice and we had such nice little chats!

Two moments in particular absolutely stunned me to my core. First, I had spotted one of the queens of Halloween Jill Thompson at her own ‘Scary Godmother’ booth. It took a lot of guts, but social anxiety be damned! Not only did I have lovely conversations with the two lovely individuals at that booth, but I mustered the courage to ask for a photo AND BOY DID I GET SO MUCH MORE! It was an honor to spend the most money at that booth, especially because um . . .hello??? Scary Godmother is the best! The two specials have always held a place in my heart, and now I have an official book with more stories AND more scenes and details from the specials! Come on man we gotta get on this. At least another special to finish THE TRILOGY OF JIMMY! Such an absolute delight. Thank you, Jill Thompson 🧡🖤

Secondly, but certainly not least. . .ly, I had wondered over to the booth of none other than Guy Gilchrist! I was going to look around and purchase a few items — The Gonzo ‘Whatever’ button was a must have IYKYK. But when I made it to the man himself to sign my print, he just seemed so elated! Taking a liking to my plant, he asked ME for a picture! If my soul didn’t leave my body before, surely it was up in the rafters now. Guy Gilchrist gave me such an empowering conversation about trying and failing yet learning from the mistakes and trying again. That in order to have experience, of course you’ll start with no experience (I’m paraphrasing due being on the verge of tears). What an absolutely unbelievable experience! Thank you, Guy Gilchrist. 💚

To end the glamorous, emotionally uplifting event, I was serenaded by Chicago’s own Mandalörtian (EVERYONE LOVES LITTLE SHOP) We had been searching for him like we were going shiny hunting, but we finally found him just in time — the ‘time’ being right before my body was about to shut down from all the hype and excruciating physical demands of my DIY. What a chill and cool dude with VERY good musical taste.