I only post serious things apparently.

So this coming weekend is Anime Next in Somerset, NJ. Those of you who know me, know this is my home convention. It's about 30 minutes from me, and circumstances aside... I love going to this con. I've been going since 2008, and even if I'm a complete shitshow while I'm there I still have fun at some point.

But I digress. This isn't a "my favorite conventions!!!!!!!!!!!!111!!!ONE!" post.

I had a conversation with a friend of mine tonight over dinner, and I'm actually a little nervous about going. I've been a little nervous about conventions lately in general. It's because of the bullshit going on with the awful behavior at conventions.

I'm not talking about the bullying and the snark. That's anywhere you go. I'm talking about the jackasses who find it acceptable to paparazzi girls' butts, and grope and say and do lewd things. I feel like I'm hopping on a train of blogs doing this, but seriously. It's ridiculous. I should NOT be afraid to go to one of my favorite conventions due to the possibility of some dumb fuck grabbing my ass during a photo op.

At Wizard World Philly this year I had the pleasure of guesting with Pretty Poison Burlesque and working their booth for a couple of hours. Some dude took a picture of my hiney. Yes, I was in my Harley Bunny outfit. Yes it's high cut. I turned around and called him out on it. Did he delete the photo? Probably not. But did I feel better shaming him on being a fucking creep? Yes.

What's sad is because I've become a "sexy" cosplayer (Most of my cosplays are burlesque-optional so...yeah.), I have come to expect the negative attention. I shouldn't have to psyche myself up before leaving my house or hotel room thinking "Okay the negative will come with the positive- and GO."

At my first ever New York Comic Con I went as Catwoman. Well, what I called Catwoman. Vinyl shirt, corset, booty shorts, high boots, whip, ears, and goggles. I was doing an interview for some youtube channel and mid interview a random guy came up, literally BENT OVER and took a picture of my ass. About a foot away from me. Honestly, I was horrified, but I was on camera so I just kind of laughed it off. But that's another scenario we're put in. We feel so awkward most of the time in a situation that we laugh it off. And as someone who does this, I know it isn't okay. But as a burlesque performer I have to always (attempt) to be on best behavior when I am representing myself as well as my troupe. So that's always a huge bummer.

At AnimeUSA 2010, I was roofied. I was under the impression that I was "safe" at an Anime convention. It's a bunch of nerds like me, right?

I completed the show that night I was performing in. Then Luna Chase and I hit the rave. We danced, we were having an amazing time, and started dancing with a couple of handsome young fellows. We finished off our "Pepsi" we were drinking, and went back up to my hotel room for a drink. That's when things got fuzzy for me. The young handsome men cleared out when our other friends showed up to my room to hang out and play kings. I blacked out, and during the blackout I flipped out and threw my Nintendo DS against the wall. I kicked everyone out of the room. When Luna and Mr. Khon came back in (Luna went for a cigarette) I was in hysterics crying because I had come out of the black hole I was in and didn't know where everyone went. Khon looked at my eyes (they were incredibly dilated), and the assumption was that I was roofied. When that came about I panicked not because anything happened... because of what fucking COULD have happened to me.

Sorry if this post is a big mess, but it's kinda hard to put some things into words sometimes when they're all jumbling around in my head.



I just made this post in an effort to say: Stay safe.
If you're partying: Party safe.

xo

Lily Stitches