TrotCon

I went into this last weekend expecting it to be great, but it turned out to be one of the best of my life so far. TrotCon was amazing. I got to meet two of my friends in person for the first time, met my very favorite show writer, M. A. Larson, had a super fun time writing and reading at the speedfic panel (you can find my story on my page, and you should definitely read the amazingly ridiculous winning story), and just enjoyed every minute hanging out in Columbus with some of the coolest people on earth. The last time I went to a convention was the first TrotCon two years ago, and since then I've been a bit less involved in and connected with the fandom. I've kept up with the show and grown close with a core group of friends, but I haven't put forth as much effort into making new friends or interacting with fan content as I used to. Then I went back to TrotCon, and it reminded me of all the things I love about this fandom. There are some amazing artists and wonderful people here, all gathered around a common love and celebrating it together, and that's fantastic. I remember during the closing ceremonies, when everyone was calling out what they enjoyed the most about the weekend, one guy said that his favorite thing about the con was that this was a place that he finally, truly felt like he belonged. That's a beautiful thing, and it's what makes this fandom wonderful despite its flaws and shortcomings. At its best, this is a place where anyone can feel at home, with people who encourage them to love what they love without fear of reprisal. I want to be a part of that, to help create that place, to be one of those people that strives to give others a place to belong.