This was the third year for FlameCon, the premier LGBTQ Comic Con in NYC, taking place in the Borough of Brooklyn in NYC every time.
In 2015, its first year, it was held at the Grand Prospect Hall. I remember seeing commercials for this place when I was a boy. And to think that I was actually going to the Grand Prospect Hall!
Keep in mind, when I a boy, I had no idea of the concept of being a Gay Man, or a homosexual, so when I would watch commercials for this place, I always found it fascinating.
Of course, as I grew older, then came out of the closet, it never occurred to me that I would ever go there, as I never considered Gay Men going to straight weddings. The times they have a-changed!
However, last year and this year, 2016 and 2017, respectively, FlameCon was held at the New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge. And this year, I would swear there were more attendees than last year.
Personally, although I AM not fond of crowds, I do prefer living and being in a city, and I love going to FlameCon, although what thing I did not love was saying “excuse me” and “pardon me” so many times on the first day, but I got over it.
Now, before I continue, I wish to share something with all of us.
Part of me had considered not going. Frankly, my professional Psychic Practice has become more involved, and my side position of employment more demanding, and both as of this year. Also, I have had more professional and personal expenses.
However, I had purchased the tickets (a VIP Package, in fact) about two to three months ago, and I have attended the first two FlameCon events, so attending this year’s FlameCon, also known as FlameCon2017.
And I AM so happy I did!!
Although this post, and its “Part II” shall have links to articles about this year’s FlameCon that features tons of photographs of the cosplayers, I want to focus on one of my personal favorite aspects of FlameCon and that is the panel discussions.
To give the reader a better idea, the first day of FlameCon (also known as FlameCon2017) was Saturday, August 19, 2017, 12-8PM; the second and last day was on Sunday, August 20, 2017, 12-6PM.
On the first day, Saturday, August 19, 2017, the first Panel Discussion I attended was “ComicsVerse Podcast: Celebrating Minority and LGBTQ Superheroes.”
It was a learning experience, especially since I AM still quite a newbie in the world of Queer Comics.
In the world of the Sacred Tarot, I AM a Master Level tour guide, but in the world of Queer Comics, well, they need to create a term for the level of inexperience I have! Ha!
If memory serves, ComicsVerse has been one of FlameCon’s sponsors since its very first year, 2015. Feel free to visit their Website, and show them some love:
The second panel discussion I attended was “Buffering the Vampire Slayer Podcast.” It is hard to believe that yours truly, forgot that this year is the 20th Anniversary of the debut of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” Oh, well, I know now!
Here is what was written about this podcast event on the Thomson Reuters app for FlameCon2017:
“Buffering the Vampire Slayer is a podcast where, you guessed it, discussions of Buffy the Vampire Slayer abound! In addition to their weekly episodic discussions, hosts Jenny Owen Youngs and Kristin Russo (who also happen to be married to each other!) write an original song recapping every episode of the beloved television series! Join Kristin, Jenny, and friends for a live taping of a very special episode!”
As someone who attended this live podcast taping, and who was immensely thankful to have been able to gain entry (the lines for some of these panel discussions and events can be quite long, and there are safety issues to consider, such as too many people in a room can be a safety hazard, but I digress), it was definitely a very special taping.
I need to listen to it, because there is one section where one could clearly hear me say, “Yes, it’s funny.” We were talking about a First Season episode of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” in which in one scene, everyone is talking about planning a party and Cordelia says, “I’m the dip girl.”
Kristin Russo said that it really was not that funny; all of us Lovingly disagreed with her, and I distinctly said “Yes, it’s funny” and I think I was loud enough to be recorded, but I shall let you know officially in Part II of this post.
In any event, do visit their Website, and check out the rest of their social media presence by visiting:
https://www.bufferingthevampireslayer.com/
And finally, to conclude the evening, all of us who purchased the VIP Package, were entitled to dinner the Hill Country Barbecue restaurant. It was called Camp Fire; which makes sense, given the first part of this comic convention is FLAME.
We had brisket, collard greens, macaroni and cheese (and in spite of being Mister Literal, I continued calling it macaroni and cheese, although it was made with penne, which is how I make it, but I digress). And if you love margaritas, well, let me simply state I knew that, had I not eaten as much that particular day, I think I would have needed to have a cab take me all the way from the Boerum Hill section of Brooklyn to my home in New Jersey! Ha!
For dessert, there were some super delicious s’mores cupcakes, and entertainment, which included a sing-along of the Pokemon song (I truly had no idea!), and a few other relevant ditties, including the “Rainbow Connection.”
That song touches my heart so deeply every time I hear it, sing it, etc., I always cry. I kept channeling my Inner American Idol superstar contestant, by refraining from allowing the song to affect my singing, but I kept sounding very off-key, or “pitchy,” It really was off-key. Very.
So, I simply allowed myself to stop singing and cry. Yes, the song moves me that much.
Before I begin to close and complete this post, I wanted to share with you some of the various articles I found online which showcases one of the more popular aspects of FlameCon: the COSPLAY (and other things, too)!
And here we go…
http://www.newnownext.com/flame-con-2017-cosplay/08/2017/
https://www.bleedingcool.com/2017/08/28/love-panel-flame-con-2017-video/
http://namesakecomic.com/comic/flame-con-2017/
https://www.timeout.com/newyork/lgbt/flame-con-2017
https://geeksout.org/blogs/moralfuzzi/geeks-out-podcast-fanning-flame-con
https://unicornbooty.com/flame-con-2017-cosplays/
And now, before I conclude this post, I wish to acknowledge my newest subscribers to this, my personal, LGBTQIA+-oriented WordPress Blog, “This Gay Man’s Life…” They are: “meganwalt” and “ijustcookedthis.” Thank you both for celebrating your diversity and your ongoing PRIDE by subscribing to “This Gay Man’s Life…”
And for those of you who already subscribe to “This Gay Man’s Life…” or read without subscribing, continuing shining your Diversity and PRIDEful Light into the world, casting out all that and those who cause all of us harm.
This Gay Man's Life... 