FACTS 2015 | Day 1 | felicia change

FACTS is a comic convention which takes place Ghent, Belgium at the Flanders Expo. This year was the 25th year and I was lucky enough to have attended this magical event. I bought an early bird ticket for both days to make sure I would see everything there is to see. I’m also glad I did because I missed an entire hall the first day.

Saturday started off with me over sleeping and then slowly getting ready. I decided to dress up as a witch from American Horror Story: Coven. So basically I wore black. It was an easy and affordable look, seeing as I already had black clothes. After arriving at Flanders Expo I started searching for my friend. We haven’t been there before so we were both clueless on where what was. She had to stand in line to buy a ticket and I was searching for her in all the wrong lines. I’m actually glad it happened cause I got to see why it is necessary to buy a ticket in advance. The lines went on and on with cosplayers and fans waiting eagerly to enter. After a lot of time searching and communication through the phone we finally found each other – and then the fun began!

I was so overwhelmed by the entire event that I spend the first half hour trying to control my inner fangirl and trying not to cry from joy. I’ve always wanted to be part of something this magical where diverse people come together and share their love for various fandom’s. The cosplayers were extraordinary and you could see the detail which they put into creating their costumes and how proud they were of it. There were so many different characters walking around, it was like being stuck in the TV or a comic forum on the Internet.

There was also different stalls selling merchandise. I didn’t think there was going to be such a wide variety of merchandise for movies, games, manga, anime, books and cosplay. I think every person could find merchandise for their fandom and a variety as well. I bought mugs, a cushion, stickers, badges and even candy. No regrets.

There were also a lot of props where photos could be taken, like the Iron Throne. Of course taking photos with my favourite characters was also possible. A tap on the shoulder a smile and then I had a photo. The cosplayers also didn’t mind taking photos (obviously), which was great. Most of them even got into character when I asked for a photo.

The highlight of my day was taking a photo with a cosplayer dressed as Mr. White from Breaking Bad and attending a Q&A featuring Alfie Allen from Game of Thrones. Yes, ALFIE ALLEN. After watching the last episode of the last season, my emotions towards his character, Reek, has changed immensely. I was so excited to be able to attend the Q&A. He seemed like a great guy and had the audience laughing numerous times. His responses were quick and informative, giving the audience a piece of his mind.

The only downside of the day was when lunch time came closer. The lines were long and the food was too expensive for the quantity. So I got the brilliant plan to walk to IKEA for lunch, they are affordable and there food is delicious. So we made our way to IKEA and had a lovely filling lunch while enjoying the break. The rest of the day was spent shopping, exploring and taking photos of almost everything. Day one of FACTS was epic, and day two did not disappoint. If you liked this post make sure to check out my post on FACTS Day 2 (coming soon!)