The Nexus

As she stood in line for the trolley last July, Jessica Lontayo (12) felt like all eyes were on her. She tried to ignore, knowing it was expected, considering what she was wearing.

The people kept staring. A girl came up to Lontayo and exclaimed that she loves her. This comment didn’t even faze Lontayo, who stopped to pose for a picture with the girl.

This wasn’t even the beginning. In fact, Lontayo had already been up for the past two hours braiding all her hair and putting the finishing touches on her outfit, complete with the wood weapon she carried.

In another house, Michael Pogrebinsky also prepared as he put on his mask and grabbed his cane.

Dressed up as Rikku from Final Fantasy X2 and the Riddler from Batman, Lontayo and Pogrebinsky were both on their way to Comic-Con.

For many, Lontayo’s and Pogrebinsky’s love fore the convention seems a bit odd, but to Lontayo and Pogrebinsky, who both have attended Comic-Con since 2003, it seems only natural.

“I’ve had so many good experiences at Comic-Con that I could just go on for hours,” Lontayo said. “You just meet the most amazing people, like creators, famous celebrities, comic people and nerds like yourself.”

Lontayo spent months preparing for the four days and one night of Comic-Con that she can only describe as “awesome”.

The preparations started five months in advance when Lontayo bought her tickets. She devoted most days thereafter to preparing for the Con.

Whether it’s was talking with her friends about how excited she was or routinely checking the website for updates in the schedule so she could plan out her days, Comic-Con was always on her mind.

Pogrebinsky also always had Comic-Con on his mind.

“I had to find all the pieces [for my cosume] online,” Pogrebinsky said. “It took me the whole summer to put all the peices together.”

Like Lontayo, he constantly checked the website for updates so he could plan the three days he spent at Comic-con this year.

Then three weeks before the event began, the real work started for Lontayo: designing her costumes.

“It’s smart to start at least a month ahead in making your costumes; that way you can do a little each day,” Lontayo said. “To be honest I procrastinate and then it gets really intense and stressful because nothing ever seems to fit the way it’s supposed to and then you have to adjust it.”

Knowing she was behind in making her costumes, Lontayo spent hours each day working with her mom and stepfather to create an accurate portrayal of the characters she wanted to imitate.

This year Lontayo decided to go as Rikku from Final Fantasy X2 and Cynthia from Pokémon Diamond Pearl.

She dressed up in the Cosplay style, which depicts characters from Japanese anime and manga. She likes it because it enhances the experience and allowed her to meet people she wouldn’t have met otherwise.

Lontayo says she dressed up as these characters because they fit her personality and the characters are similar to what she looks like in real life.

Rikku is very hyper and Cynthia has long blond hair, just like she does. However, next year she is going to find a new character to dress up as.

Pogrebinsky chose to dress up as the Riddler this year because he and his friends all went to the Convention as different villains from Batman and he looked the most like the Riddler.

When she walked around on the floor of Comic-Con in her costume, other fans often walked up to talk to Lantayo.

“Sometimes I’ll see Yuna and Paine, the two girls who hang out with Rikku in Final Fantasy, and they’ll randomly come up and hug me,” Lontayo said. “Then we’d just hang out and act like the characters are supposed to.”

Others reactions vary. Fans would either swarm her for photographs, or compliment her costume.

“It’s really cool because you aren’t yourself, you are another person,” Lontayo said. “Some people actually pretend like you are really the character and that’s how you bond with some people.”

In fact, Lontayo had become so attuned to pretending to be the character that she even responded to Rikku or Cynthia’s name instead of her own while at Comic-Con.

Through connections made with people while dressed as Rikku and Cynthia,

Lontayo has made many lasting friendships. She still keeps in touch with friends she has meet at Comic-Con through Facebook.

“When you go to Comic-Con you meet nerds exactly like yourself,” Lontayo said. “You’re in your own atmosphere.”

This year Lontayo even took her love of Comic-Con one step further when she volunteered at the Pokémon booth where she taught kids how to play a special shortened version of the game.

Lontayo volunteered for the first half of each day and then spent the rest waiting in lines for panels where she could listen and talk to the creators and cast of of shows and movies such as Battlestar Gallactica, Dexter and the upcoming Twlight movie.

She also spent her time walking the floor full of people, booths and free giveaways.

Pogrebinsky’s experience was very similar, from being swarmed by photographers to hanging out with other characters.

However, his favorite part was just the feelings he got and the atmosphere of the convention.

“It’s a place packed with so many people, and the energy where everyone is so excited about all sorts of pop culture is amazing,” Pogrebinsky said. “[Dressing up this year] made it the most fun I’ve ever had at Comic-Con”

For Lontayo and Pogrebinsky, it’s mainly the diverse people from all over the world who come to the Convention that keep them coming back, they said.

“Every year there is something different; it’s really just an amazing experience,” Lontayo said. “I just can’t tell you how awesome it is; it’s something you have to go to yourself.”