Several Fal-Con attendees participating in the cosplay contest. Photo by Jane Goodman. Several convention attendees participate in Fal-Con’s costume contest. Photo by Jane Goodman.
An infamous belly dancer, random jokes about snakes, flashibg cameras at outrageous costumes. No, not an ordinary day in Montevallo, but an extraordinary look into a new world called Fal-Con.
On Saturday, October 18th, Montevallo held its first Fal-Con, a two day convention that focused on the world of gaming and anime. The convention, located in Montevallo High School, began at 10 a.m. with an opening ceremony. Founders of Fal-con- Mollie Wyatt, Trevor Jones, Susan Sabia, Angel Diaz, Jimmy Boynton, and Sara Cucksee- explained to the crowd of 319 con-goers, about the rules and how Fal-Con came into being.
“The idea been tossed around for several years in the anime club,” said Mollie Wyatt. “We managed to get it up and running this year because we had enough people with experience to run an event like this.” The staff also explained how the Montevallo Sister City Commission and other sponsors provided plans and material for the convention.
After the ceremony, attendants were provided with a range of activities to do such as watching anime or getting a Henna tattoo. Con-goers also had the choice to go to panels to discuss different topics like Homestuck theories, Dragon Age: Inquisition, or in the case of Trevor’s Fireside Chat panel, puns about snakes and card tricks.
Although there were some technical difficulties, the staff was able to keep everyone in a positive mood with hilarious main events like Hetalia: World Meeting, in which staff cosplayed as characters of the series. The convention also featured special guests, R.J. O’Connell, whom voiced Dirk Strider from Let’s Read Homestuck; Seraphina, the Otaku Bellydancer; and Jennifer Cihi, who performed sound tracks from Sailor Moon for the convention. “I thought it was really fun, and at last minute it worked out great,” said Cihi excitedly.
Also in the main events, was the cosplay contest, in which contestants acted as the character they portrayed and win spots in various categories such as Best Novice or Best Youth. Attendants expressed enthusiasm as they waited in line for the opportunity to shop around in the Artist Alley/ Dealer’s Room, a spot where one could find merchandise from fashion to plushies. “I like to go around and talk to the people who made the stuff,” said KanJalla Dancer, adorned in an original character cosplay, “ ask them why they made it, and then you get to buy it and take it home.”
The last panel of the convention, a guest Q & A, led to the closing ceremony on Sunday, October 19th. Before Fal-con closed its doors, the staff asked this question to the attendants, “Another Fal-Con?” a question that many wanted to know the answer too. Although there has been no confirmation of a second year, one could not help but to note the instant response from the crowd as they chanted “Year 2!”
