Vampire queen Krul Tepes took selfies with fans and fellow characters at the Reitz Union on Sunday.
But underneath the pink wig, black boots and vampire fangs was Ashley Bresch, a 20-year-old from Ft. Pierce, Florida, handing out Hershey’s Kisses to her followers.
She was there as a participant at SwampCon on Sunday, an annual event hosted by UF’s anime club. The event provided Gainesville residents with panels and contests about popular culture, such as anime, superheroes and Disney. Over the course of the event, over 20 Krul Tepes fans revealed themselves to snap a picture with Bresch.
“People who follow me on Instagram will come say hi,” Bresch said. “I also get to see other characters from my fandom and take pictures with them.”
She said she owns a total of five character costumes, but Krul Tepes is her favorite character to play.
“I actually spent all my Christmas money on this costume,” she said.
Ben Rice, a UF Japanese and computer science freshman, came to SwampCon for the first time.
On Sunday, he came over to Bresch to say hi for a second time.
“Yesterday, I saw her across the room and got really caught up in the moment,” Rice, 18, said. “I don’t know what came over me, I just bowed down to her.”
Rice said he hopes to cosplay, or dress up, as a character from “Attack on Titan.”
“It’s really cool to see so many anime fans walking around,” he said. “It’s been pretty rad so far. “
Robert Adams, lead singer for Japanese-Rock band S.S. HANAMIi, performs in the Reitz Union Grand Ballroom during Swampcon on Sunday.
Max Dunevitz, SwampCon’s event coordinator, said he thought the convention was a success.
“Every year I’ve seen our attendance increase,” the 19-year-old computer science sophomore said. “This year for the first time it’s on Valentine’s Day, so it kind of changed our whole theme. We’re focusing on the idea of love.”
He said main events took place in the Reitz Union Grand Ballroom, but the convention featured panel rooms and auditoriums for mini-shows throughout the Reitz and Weimer Hall.
Sunday afternoon, event guests lined up for the main event of the day: a fanmade Vocaloid hologram concert featuring a hologram, Hatsune Miku. In the concert, holograms created on a computer sing.
Bresch and Rice both said they were excited to attend.
“I need another hobby,” Rice said. “Except I don’t, because I just like anime too much. I can’t wait to come back next year.”
Contact Molly Donovan at mdonovan@alligator.org and follow her on Twitter @Mollyidonovan.
Jacksonville resident Josh Sutton (left), 21, and Newberry residents Summer Sturgill, 17, and Elizabeth Edwards, 15, play blackjack with vanilla and chocolate sandwich cookies in the Reitz Union during Swampcon on Sunday.
