Human Feature Extended Edition - How A Group Of Strangers Became Friends At A Ren Faire

1. Meet Allen

Hi, I'm Allen and I've always been drawn to fantasy worlds and stories, whether it is through Dungeons & Dragons, Legend of Zelda, or other chaotic adventures that spark the creative part of the brain. For RenfaireSG 2026, I wore a green ranger outfit that was heavily inspired by Link, specifically from Ocarina of Time!

2. How he found out about the Ren faire

I found out about RenFaireSG on August 6th through Instagram when I was just doomscrolling. I'm really into D&D and was already a fan of the fantasy genres like Skyrim, Baldur’s Gate 3 and other shows on YouTube like Legends Of Avantris and Critical Role.

As soon as I saw the Instagram story, I quickly sent it over to my friend and told them that we are heading for this event no matter what, and they had the same idea. We did not think otherwise because we always loved having a RenFaire experience, but we couldn’t because we were always busy with school/work/NS/other commitments.

 

3. How he found out about the telegram & His experience in the telegram- the beginning & Positive experiences in the telegram

Found out about the Telegram chat channel and joined in on the 16th of Sept through RenFaire’s Instagram story. I joined and was immediately asked about my profile picture because it was me cosplaying as Sniper King from One Piece during a cosplay event. People said it looked great, and I felt very welcomed and acknowledged despite it being a channel full of people. As the channel was only created recently, only a handful of people were talking, but the sudden topic of Dungeons and Dragons came up, and I started to add in my 2 cents. From there, it snowballed to a lot of people talking about the fantasy medieval genre, and it kept ongoing for days and days on end.

A lot of channels were then created to talk about trinket trading, costumes, and an introductory channel of the character people were planning to roleplay during the Renfaire, which really brought more people closer since we all shared the same excitement. I remember having long conversations about Baldur’s Gate 3, Critical Role Campaign, Brendan Lee Mulligan, and The Legend of Vox Machina; these conversations stretched out to days where other people added in their own loves and support and views on it. It was so fun and gratifying to share these kinds of things in Singapore since they are quite underground and not the norm for the usual crowd.

Besides the geeking out of shows, the Telegram channel was super useful for finding advice and information on costume building for the event. Before the channel, I had no idea where to start and build upon what I was going to wear. Once I entered the chat, people were discussing with each other about places in Singapore to get good local fabrics, how to stitch fabrics together, and where to find ethically sourced items and costumes all around Singapore. We collated a whole list of shops that sell fabrics and gems in areas like Chinatown and Haji Lane, as these shops were local, good for value, and a dying art that we as a whole wanted to support. I also remember an instance where we talked about how to make/build/put on tiefling horns onto a head, which was super cool to work together on.

One thing that stood out to me in this channel was that the part of the organising team for Renfaire SG was also taking part in the conversations and being super approachable. They were really friendly and actively texted back and forth to people who asked them for anything, regardless of whether it was about the event or just about their daily lifestyles and hobbies. It has also got to the point where the organising team also joked around with people and connected with them beyond the surface level. It really helped build the foundation and strengthen this niche community together, which in turn really made me want to support RenFaire SG a whole lot more.

Through all of the usual talk, I constantly frequent the Telegram Channel a lot and have started getting closer to a smaller group inside. We talked and clowned around so much that we had our own inside jokes amongst the channel, which often led to late-night chats that sometimes lasted beyond 12am. At one point, we asked in the main channel if anyone wanted to join in on a video/voice call that we sometimes conducted just for the sole purpose of talking about random topics. Anyone was welcome to join, and nobody was forced to show their faces, as we understand that it is a private and personal thing between people. The whole point of the voice/video call was just to bond and have fun.

At one point, the grand opening of SCAPE was happening, which also involved the HearthHart Inn opening up, so a small number of us decided to meet up with each other in real life for the first time and collated the meet-up information on the main Tele Channel. This small gathering was open to everyone to join, as we did not want to push away anyone else who wanted to have a great time. I was definitely nervous at the start, but after meeting with them, I felt that we had the same energy and slowly clicked into place. Our online and real-life personas were similar, with some differences, but the conversations we made naturally flowed.

4. Meeting the gang IRL at the Faire

After all the planning since August, we all met each other in our outfits, and it was such a blast to see everyone’s effort paying off. We had to use our tallest friend as the point of interest to gather since all of us came at different times. To put it simply, they were easier to spot. We were together most of the time, where some of us separated to do other sub-events and meet other friends, but we all came grouped up again to recharge and rest at certain areas.

The majority of us also took part in the Chancellors and Best Dressed Competitions that were hosted for both days of the event, where two of the same Discord members played against each other with the House of Strength Tankard holding challenge. It was jarring to take part, but I felt very confident since I entered with some of the Discord members altogether, which also prompted other people to take part in it as well. For the other competitions, we all cheered and supported each other.

It was a very surreal moment when the day ended, all of us only met each other online, and now we are fully supporting each other inside and outside of the event. Before joining the Telegram channel, most of my interests, such as Dungeons & Dragons, fantasy roleplaying, and medieval fantasy, felt quite niche within my immediate social circles. Through RenFaireSG, I discovered people who shared these same passions and were equally excited to discuss them. That sense of belonging was something I did not expect when I first joined the community. What began as excitement for an event eventually became a group of friends that I still spend time with today.

5. Star pose moment at the Court Revel

At Court Revel, the star pose at the end was my idea to do something fun and funny to do as a group. We always try to have a photo at the end of any expedition or outing we do, so it has become more of a tradition for all of us. It was a little troublesome to get the right angles and be in the right position, but I think I can say for all of us that we did not care and just wanted to do something fun and memorable at the end of the day. I always joked about doing the Star pose at the end of RenFaire itself since it is pretty iconic and funny, but we never actually committed to it until now. I am so glad other people from the same community also helped us out with the arrangement and complimented our enthusiasm.

6. Favourite things about his new friends

One of the few things I can talk about is how one of my friends is super tall, so they are the first thing you see in a crowd of people. During Ren Faire, people thought he was an NPC due to his costume and his tall nature, so it was extremely funny and charming to see them get stopped every 15 minutes or so to either get his picture taken or converse about his outfit/character.

Moreover,  I get to mess around with another friend of mine, and they get to do the same to me. We jokingly insult and fight each other, but we both know that it is all fun and games with no actual meaning behind it. I am so happy to find someone I do not need to tone switch for and just be my usual self, and know that I hold them close.

Another quirk from another friend is that we have similar music tastes and that we converse and rave about indie music and bands that often play in Singapore. Bands like SOBS, which is a Singaporean band that tours rarely locally, are what we both enjoy as a whole, and I got to watch the same band with this friend of mine together. I am ever so thankful that I talked to them through the Tele and the Discord channel because I would not have been able to talk more about my other niche hobbies and explore them more.

7. Aspirations for the Ren faire next year, if any

For next year's Ren Faire, I do hope to gather more connections like this because it really is what made the event so special to me. I honestly can not wait for the next one and hope to see more actions between the NPCs, questing, and especially the Dungeons & Dragons games. Maybe I will also get to do more JOJO poses with other adventures in Xenaria!

Looking back, what started as just a simple decision to join a public Telegram Channel has become one of the most meaningful experiences I've had in a niche hobby community. RenFaireSG has given me more than just a fun weekend; it has given me friendships, experiences, and a community that has grown beyond the faire itself. I look forward to the next edition!