Two days after Emerald City Comic Con, I’m still processing everything.
Armor broke. Zippers failed. I walked out of a bathroom missing both a pauldron and an ear.
But I also got to experience something I had been working toward for months:
I got to be Xal’atath.
It’s Tuesday, two days after Emerald City Comic Con, and I’m still processing everything.
The armor pieces are piled in my apartment. Glue, foam scraps, fabric bits, and pins are everywhere. My body is tired, my feet definitely remember the weekend, and my brain is still replaying moments from the con.
But one thought keeps popping up:
I actually got to be Xal’atath.
And that still feels pretty surreal.
My first full appearance as Xal’atath at Emerald City Comic Con.
Recognition (Even When People Weren’t Sure)
Even when people didn’t know exactly who I was, they still complimented the work. Some people could tell it was from World of Warcraft but weren’t sure of the character’s name. Others would call out “Xal’atath!”, and it was fun to turn and see who was calling me.
Hearing my name across a crowded convention hall never got old.
Getting There Was Half the Battle
I spent an incredible amount of time repairing things.
On Thursday I still wasn’t finished with some major components. I had intended to attend the con that night by myself, but I simply didn’t have enough done to make the costume wearable.
Friday morning I made a list of everything that had to be finished just to get the costume on my body.
I worked all day.
I didn’t actually arrive at the con until 7 PM.
The Reality of Wide Pauldrons
Navigating the world with wide pauldrons is… an experience.
I couldn’t walk down the stairs of my apartment building without turning sideways. Same with doorways.
Artist Alley was nearly impossible. The aisles were too narrow, and I couldn’t even stand sideways without getting bumped into.
At one point I just wanted to escape the aisles entirely.
Street Reactions
Walking to the convention turned out to be an experience of its own.
I heard things like “holy shit!” as people passed by.
At one point I noticed a parent across the street pointing and gesturing to his kids to “look!”
One guy coming off the subway stopped dead in his tracks, stared at the costume, and asked:
“Did you make all this?”
When I said yes, he just kept staring.
But once I finally reached the convention center, it was really satisfying hearing people call out Xal’atath by name.
Funny Interactions
One attendee called out to me, clearly trying to confirm who I was.
Attendee: “Xal’atath?”
Me: “Yesss?”
Attendee: “Build us a new Dalaran!”
Me: pausing to think about it “…No.”
Later I was standing along the edge near the karaoke stage. I had put my name in to sing but never got called (tragic). My feet were exhausted, so I slipped my shoes off and took advantage of the carpeted floor.
Then I heard someone shout:
“Xal’atath!”
I turned.
“Put your shoes back on!”
If you know, you know.
It was clearly a joke, and I found it hilarious. I almost wish I had talked with them more.
The Moment It All Came Together
When we finally finished putting the costume on Friday, it was the first time I had seen all the pieces assembled together.
Originally, one of my goals for the build was to be able to dress myself. But once we started putting everything on, I realized that at this level of complexity, that just wasn’t realistic.
And that’s okay.
Getting help is normal for builds like this.
But when the final piece went on and I saw myself in the mirror, it was an incredibly validating moment.
I actually looked like Xal’atath.
For months I had been staring at foam pieces, fabric scraps, and half-finished components. Seeing everything together suddenly made it real.
And I was excited to finally go out into the world wearing it.
The Repair Saga
Then things started breaking.
A lot.
On Friday the ring holding my pauldron snapped off, so I walked around the rest of the night without the pauldrons. It was honestly much more comfortable.
I danced along to the karaoke singers and had a great time.
And people still recognized the character.
Later that night I went into the bathroom to fix one of my elf ears, which had been giving me trouble all day.
While I was trying to fix the ear, the pauldron broke right there in the bathroom.
After wrestling with that for a bit I accepted defeat on the pauldron and tried to at least salvage the ear. Then the pin holding the ear failed too. I tried fashion tape, but that was never going to hold.
So I walked out of the bathroom missing two pieces: no pauldron and no ear, and of course the cosplay repair room had already closed.
Saturday Morning Chaos
Saturday morning I repaired the pauldron.
Then when I was putting the costume back on, the pauldron broke again.
At the same time, the zipper on the foam corset broke.
I ended up sewing in a completely new zipper.
A chain fell out that had to be re-glued. The pauldron straps that were temporarily held with safety pins got sewn down and reinforced with velcro. I also replaced temporary velcro on the collar with sewn velcro.
It was a lot of work.
And at several points I was told:
“Just wear Ashe.”
But I knew I would have hated myself if I did that.
I had spent too much time on this project, and Xal’atath is a character I care about too much.
So I kept fixing things until the costume was wearable again.
Eventually, I made it back to the convention.
The Blizzard Meetup
The Blizzard cosplay meetup was one of the highlights.
This was actually something I had organized ahead of the convention. I wasn’t sure if anyone would show up, but when I arrived and saw people already gathering, it was incredibly exciting.
One of the photographers took charge (which I was extremely grateful for) and organized everyone for photos.
We did a group shot with all the cosplayers, followed by separate shots for Overwatch and World of Warcraft.
Blizzard cosplay meetup at Emerald City Comic Con — World of Warcraft and Overwatch characters.
Those were the only games represented.
At one point a whole group of photographers showed up — probably a dozen people — all taking photos at once.
We even did some silly photos like Mercy healing Xal’atath and a lightsaber duel between Jaina and Xal’atath.
After the meetup, Jaina and I walked around the rest of the con together as BFFs.
Lore-wise that makes absolutely no sense.
Which made it even funnier.
Photos and Connections
I only managed to get one photographer’s contact information.
I posed for a lot of photos for attendees and photographers while walking around, but many of them were quick interactions where we didn’t exchange contact information.
Because of that, I don’t actually have many photos of myself or with my group.
Next time I want to be better prepared.
I’m thinking of bringing something like:
- a QR code
- a sticker
- or maybe a Hearthstone-style card with my info
For meetups, it might also be useful to create a quick Google Form so people can share emails or handles and everyone can exchange photos afterward.
Being Xal’atath
Every morning of the con I would wake up and think:
“I get to be Xal’atath today.”
That felt really special.
Then Monday came, and instead of being Xal’atath, I was staring at a giant pile of armor pieces that needed cleaning, repair, and organization.
Looking Toward BlizzCon
I have six months before BlizzCon.
That means six months to repair things, upgrade parts of the costume, and complete pieces that didn’t get finished before ECCC.
ECCC was interesting in one particular way: I was the only Xal’atath I saw the entire weekend.
That meant a lot of people didn’t know the character, but it also meant that when someone did recognize her, it felt really special.
BlizzCon will probably be the opposite.
Xal’atath is one of the main characters in The War Within and Midnight, and BlizzCon attracts some of the most dedicated Blizzard fans and cosplayers out there. There will almost certainly be other Xal’ataths — and some of them will be incredible.
Part of me is excited about that.
Part of me is also a little self-conscious.
ECCC felt a little like being in high school and earning highest honors. You stand out. People congratulate you.
BlizzCon feels more like stepping into an Ivy League university where everyone is talented.
And that’s both exciting and intimidating.
But it’s also an opportunity to learn, meet other Blizzard cosplayers, and see how people interpret the same character in different ways.
Still, I’m curious what it will feel like the first time I walk into a room and realize I’m not the only Xal’atath anymore.
And honestly?
I’m looking forward to finding out.