In Roan Mountain ballroom in Plemmons Student Union, cosplayers convened at tables to watch a presentation on Lego Ninjago. After a Hatsune Miku cosplayer finished setting up their computer, Mika Nachlis, an artist from Raleigh who is a friend of the event organizer emerged from behind the desk and got the audience’s attention by shutting down a conversation about the dynamic between “Ninjago” characters, proclaiming they would not talk about the love triangle in his panel.

The panel took place on Saturday as a part of NerdCon, an annual convention organized by App State’s Geek Guild. NerdCon at App State brings in attendees from across the state, but is entirely organized by the Geek Guild.

Other panels included “What’s a Furry?,” “Exploring the Viral Phenomena of Hatsune Miku!,” “Why You SHOULDN’T Watch Miraculous Ladybug” and “A Serious Psychological Analysis of Shadow the Hedgehog (2005).”

“Ninjago” is an animated series produced by The Lego Group that has been running since 2011 and is currently in its 15th season, with the 16th coming later this month. The show evolved from an advertisement for Lego sets to an intricate series dealing with mature topics including generational trauma, PTSD, technocracy, the ethics of warfare and grief. Nachlis decided to focus only on details he found interesting instead of the entire story.

“I’m not going over the lore of ‘Ninjago,’” Nachlis said. “I’m going over the insane lore of ‘Ninjago.’”

Nachlis began the presentation with an explanation of the elemental powers of the ninja. The basic powers of the original four ninja are earth, fire, lightning and ice. As the series went on, more powers were added. He also described the new elements introduced in the “Dragons Rising” series.

“Technology is a stupid element,” Nachlis said, “I’ll speak my truth.”

Ellie Gibbs is the organizer of the event and the current president of Geek Guild. Gibbs, a senior sociology major, has been running events like this from an early age. Her dad organized the Fayetteville Comic Con until it closed at the end of 2024. Gibbs took part in planning these events, making connections with vendors and North Carolina’s geek community.

In her first year at App State, the Geek Guild’s annual comic con was on hold after COVID-19. When Gibbs took a leadership role in the club, she was able to give new life to the event, using her connections from the Fayetteville Comic Con to bring in new vendors.

The panels were only one aspect of NerdCon — the event hosted vendors from App State and from across the state as well as cosplay events. Over seventy vendors came to Grandfather Ballroom.

“It’s a hobby and a passion,” said Alex Grenga, leatherworker who owns Raiders Horde, a business selling medieval-style accessories. 

He runs the business with Syd Wheeler, a Fayetteville native who makes jewelry and attended the event dressed as Gandalf the Grey from “The Lord of the Rings.” Grenga and Wheeler are App State alums. 

At 2 p.m., a cosplay competition was held on the top floor.

Joe Carpenter, a cosplayer from Claremont, came dressed as Art the clown from the “Terrifier” horror film franchise. Carpenter worked with friends of his in the 3D-modeling industry to make a realistic silicone mask and acrylic mouth prosthetics to achieve the look.

“I enjoy being around people that are my level of weird,” Carpenter said.

The community aspect of NerdCon is something Ella Kate Jordan, a junior psychology major who is the president and founder of App State Cosplay Community, hopes to foster.

“It gives nerds a place to feel comfortable and do what they care about without judgement,” Jordan said.

Although she started this work with her family, Gibbs is proud of becoming an event organizer in her own right. She plans to continue this work after graduating, gathering the geek community of North Carolina wherever she can.

Gibbs is close with the rest of the organizing team in the Geek Guild and is confident in the survival of NerdCon after graduation.

“NerdCon is going to continue to be great after I’m gone,” she said. “I’m leaving it in such good hands.”