Archcon 2018 - A Love Letter to the Geeks of Cebu

There were lots of parties all over the Queen City of the South during the Halloween weekend. Bars, Haunted Houses, even Coffee Shops had their own different gimmicks, but they all had one thing in common.

People came to unwind and be someone else for a night. Costumes were worn, lines were memorized, all for temporary authenticity. But there was one celebration that was different. Yes, costumes were still worn, lines were still memorized, but not to unwind or to be someone else. People came to Archcon to be who they really were. To be free.

That was the whole feeling of Archcon 2018. A safe haven for everyone to be themselves. 

I met an American war veteran who was telling me about his handmade Warhammer 40,000 figures. I saw kids cosplaying as their favorite anime characters that I honestly didn't even know of. I took it all with an open mind and listened to their different stories. Stories of how many hours it took to make this specific figure 

or what made them choose to cosplay as this character. I could really feel the passion swelling from them as they were sharing with me their personal stories and beliefs. I was in total awe of these individuals. They were what made Archcon great.

It also was a showcase of how talented Cebuanos were. Flooding the floor was a wide array of booths and competitions which ranged from up and coming Cebu Game developers, Special effects schools(FMA), Overwatch tournaments, a Tekken booth, Mario Kart machines and many more. This made me realize how much i didn't know about Cebu and the talents of its individuals. 

I mean come on, who would've thought we were making games for the ps4 or even being responsible for special effects in movies?

I also want to say that the organizers did a helluva job with the event. Archcon's inner circle and volunteers didn't just meet expectations, they surpassed it with flying rainbow colors. The staff was super friendly, the hosts were spot-on! The booths were also spaced out in a way that was just right for adults to casually walk and kids to run along or vice versa.

It was an awesome day to be a Cebuano. All's well that ends well and the day's festivities were capped off by a concert of a local band playing your favorite Ost's from different Anime's. I sat in the background through it all, just taking everything in. From the vocalist expertly singing in a foreign language, the people coming together on the dance floor. Singing and Dancing without a care in the world.

With everything being illuminated by a beautiful array of lights coming from atop the stage, i couldn't help but let out a smile.

In that moment, I was happy. Seeing these kids and adults, that have felt left-out or misunderstood at some point in their lives, were finally free to be themselves. I was quietly pondering when this came on....

My heart just swelled, I was powerless against it. I held back tears and with arms raised, I joined the crowd. We were singing at the top of our lungs. To my surprise, I felt something that I haven't really felt much of in my life. I felt like I finally belonged.

By: Kurt John Palomaria

For all things geeky. Keep it here @Cebu-X-Geeks

check out the video coverage of the event below!