Cosplay at Dragon*Con

The cosplay at Dragon*Con this year was once again phenomenal. First we're going to cover how my costumes turned out and then I'm going to put up some pictures of my favorites!

So my steampunk costume from last year fared well this year with one exception. I broke my fascinator. I got it all the way from Albuquerque to Atlanta and then broke it at the Atlanta Airport Marta Station, when I tripped. It fell out of my hands and the gear box exploded everywhere. Luckily, I was able to salvage it using my friend Allison's superglue. So though it looks correct in the picture, it doesn't actually tell time. The hands are just glued on. Despite that, I still got a ton of compliments. People loved the fascinator.

Also, I did manage to find an awesome pocket watch. You can totally see the gears and it's windup so I don't have to deal with batteries any more. Yay!

So the steampunk costume went well. And my Loki costume was awesome. There were a lot of Loki's run around, but most were Avengers Loki, and none were trying to cosplay the specific outfit that I was. So it was nice to be a little bit different. So below are two pictures of it. One is with me holding the jacket/vest back so you can see the under tunic and how it looks. The second is with me holding the throwing knives.

So yay! There were two other days of the con, but for those I didn't cosplay. I just dressed geeky. Geeky t-shirts, geeky skirts, etc. 

So what cosplay did I find particularly impressive at the con? Well this Iron Man was really impressive. He might as well have stolen it off of the set, it was so awesome. It was made of metal and he could still walk in it. It was truly fantastic.

Also, I saw these fantastic Evening Wear Avengers. These ladies made these dresses themselves, and really, you could wear a lot of them on the red carpet.

This cosplay of Rand al'Thor and his ladies from the Wheel of Time series was truly fantastic. The Aviendha was actually part of the seperate group, but the lady dressed as Elayne completely made her dress and her husband's (the guy dressed as Rand) jacket. Including the embroidery. It's just beautiful.

Also, since he's my favorite character, I can't not show this amazing Mat. Be still my heart. 

Steampunk-wise, here are some great outfits, starting right off with a steampunk flux capacitor.

And to finish off, a completely ridiculous and yet awesome Loki. You're welcome.

Happy Labor Day!

No post today! (I'm still at Dragon*Con). Go out and have fun!

Dragon*Con is here!

So I am officially at Dragon*Con and this post is being published in advance.

Every year I like to make goals for Dragon*Con, the things that I must do or have. Everything else is flexible. So what are my goals this year? Glad you asked!

• Get Richard Dean Anderson's autograph. 
• Get Connor Trinneer's autograph. I collect fictional engineers, and Connor Trinneer played Trippe in Enterpise. I loved him despite his unnecessary Southern accent. (Really, Trek writers? People in Panama City do not sound like that.)
• Buy a fancy pocket watch. Specifically, the kind that self-winds from the kinetic energy of the wearer's movements. Also, one that you can see the inside clockwork on. I know Dragon*Con has them. I've seen them before, and my crappy pocket watch has annoyed me enough.
• Buy a geeky T-Shirt. I do this every year.
• Get a copy of Legion and have Brandon Sanderson sign it, if available. Legion is a new novella by Brandon that comes out this weekend. A booth is supposed to have it. Hopefully, I can get my hands on a copy. :)
• Eat at that one restaurant that let's their waiters cosplay. I can never remember the name of it, but its right next to the Dragon*Con hotels. My parents and I eat there every year. 
• Hang out with friends and have a good time.

So that's it! My goals. Short and sweet!

If you are at Dragon*Con, I hope you are having a fantastic time. If you're not, I hope you have a great Labor Day weekend whatever you are doing!

Countdown to Dragon*Con: Where to Hide

Countdown: Today

In case I haven't already established with these posts that Dragon*Con is crazy crowded, let me restate it here. Dragon*Con is crazy crowded. And unless you are one of the lucky ones staying in a Dragon*Con hotel like the Hyatt, Marriott, Hilton, or Westin, then there is no fortress of solitude for you to escape to in the middle of the day when you can't handle the people anymore. 

Well never fear! Because this blogger knows your pain, and I've got you covered!

Where To Hide From the Crowds at Dragon*Con:

• Hyatt: The International Tower is hands down the best place in the Hyatt to hide, especially the bottom of the International Tower. This area is home to some small panels, and there is plenty of room to curl up in a corner and relax your feet. It's fairly quiet and not very populated. This is probably my favorite place to just escape into. 
• Hilton: The Hilton is actually a great place to hide in general, because not much beyond the Walk of Fame goes on here. However, if it's evening time and you just want a chair to sit in and a table to lay your head on, go to the Hilton basement. This is the gaming room, as in an entire ballroom with tables and chairs where people are playing board/card games. I can't vouch for during the day, but in the evening it gets quiet and cozy. And of course, if you just want to rest your feet, you can always join a game too!
• Marriott: There are no places to escape people (that I've found) in the Marriott. It is crazy crowded all the time. However, for people watching, the Atrium level where the two big vendor rooms are is great. Find a corner, curl up, and take pictures of all the people passing by.
• Sheraton: The Sheraton has lots of nooks and crannies you can curl up in. This building is the home to the Trek Track, though, so beware the Trekkies!
• Westin: I honestly don't know. It's not that it's crazy crowded, it's that I haven't spent a lot of time here.

So those are my secret places! What about you? Do ever have to find places where you can just hide from people at a convention or conference because you can't take the crowds anymore?

Countdown to Dragon*Con: My Schedule

Countdown: 1 day

So other than stalking Richard Dean Anderson and Brandon Sanderson, where will I be this weekend at Dragon*Con? Excellent question!

I love Dragon*Con but not just for the big panels. A lot of fun happens in the small fan panels. Below is my rough draft of my schedule, which is subject to change at a moment's notice at any moment when actually at the con. :)

Friday:

Note: the great thing about Friday is that it's fairly low attendance, especially in the morning. So any big panels on Friday are ones you should go to and will probably get good seats in them. Or at least be in the same room.

Time	Event	Location
10:00 am	The Torchwood Panel	Hyatt Centenial I-III
11:00 am	The Richard Dean Anderson Panel Queue	Outside of the Marriott Atrium Ballroom
1:00 pm	The Richard Dean Anderson Panel	Marriott Atrium Ballroom
2:30 pm	The Lt. Uhura Panel	Sheraton Grand Ballroom A-F
4:00 pm	The Firefly Panel	Westin Peachtree Ballroom A-F
5:30 pm	Looney Theories (WoT)	Westin Roswell 1-2
8:30 pm	Writer's Track/Gods and Goddesses or YA Track/Beyond Hunger Games	Hyatt Embassy D-F or Marriott A707

And I will probably go to bed early on Friday, because Saturday is going to be a crazy long day!

Saturday:

Note: This is hands down the most crowded day of the con.
 

Time	Event	Location
10:00 am	The Parade	Peachtree St.
11:30 am	The Eureka Panel	Hyatt Centenniel II-III
1:00 pm	Remembering Anne McCaffrey or Cabin in the Woods	Hyatt Hanover C-E or Westin International DE
2:30 pm	Which? Where? What's Coming?	Marriott A704
4:00 pm	The Connor Trinneer Panel	Sheraton Capitol Ballroom
5:30 pm	The TNG Panel	Sheraton Grand Ballroom A-F
7:00 pm	Coming Soon (in books)	Marriott A707
10:00 pm	Heroes and Villains Ball	Sheraton Grand Ballroom A-F

Sunday:

Note:This day will be almost as crowded as Saturday.
 

Time	Event	Location
10:00 am	Timey Wimey Literary Stuff	Hyatt Greenbriar
11:30 am	Whedon Universe Countdown         or Book Club-Ender's Game	Westin International DE or Marriott A707
1:00 pm	In line for Supergate IV	Outside of Hyatt Centennial II-III
2:30 pm	Supergate IV	Hyatt Centennial II-III
4:00 pm	The Memory of Light Preview	Westin Atlanta Ballroom
5:00 pm	Dinner with my Parents
7:00 pm	Robert Jordan's Legacy	Westin Roswell 1-2
8:30 pm	Editors and Agents Tell All	Hyatt Embassy D-F
9:30 pm	Steampunk Ball	Westin Peachtree Ballroom A-F

Monday:

Monday is my free day, when I do whatever whim enters into my head. Like sleeping in, lunch with my local friends, and mostly wandering the dealer's rooms. So I have no planned events, but I will be there all day.

If you're going to Dragon*Con, are there any big panels/events that you are looking forward to?

Countdown to Dragon*Con: Do's and Don't's

(Did I forget to mention that Countdown to Dragon*Con is all I'm doing this week? Yes? Well, here is your PSA. This week is all about Dragon*Con. And next week is all about post-Dragon*Con processing. I apologize to the people who don't care about this stuff, but such is life.)

(Also apparently I'm posting every day this week. Turns out I have too much to say about preparing for Dragon*Con!)

Countdown: 2 days

So you're going to Dragon*Con, and you are super excited, because well it's super exciting! But maybe it's your first time or maybe last time you didn't get to do everything you wanted to do because Dragon*Con is just crazy! Well, never fear. A Dragon*Con vet is here to help you! This will be my fifth Dragon*Con, and despite it's insanity, I love it. So let me be your guide.

So what can you expect? What should you do? Let's look at my handy-dandy list!

• DO carry cash. Always. Sure with modern technology you can swipe a credit card on a cell phone, but when you're in the Vendors room in the basement of the Marriott there is very little cell phone reception. Not to mention that with dozens of dealers trying to do the exact same thing at the exact same time, the signals can get a little erratic. You may not be able to buy that limited edition Sailor Moon if you only brought a card. I also recommend, for those of us without unlimited pockets, taking out your entire budget in cash for the weekend and then refusing to use credit cards for anything. This way you limit how much money you spend by how much cash you have and you don't end up spending tons of money. Because with credit cards you can forget how much you've spent. 
• DO pack snacks, if not entire meals. I don't care if you're local or flying in from Europe, you should bring snacks with you. When I lived in Atlanta, I packed my lunch everyday for Dragon*Con. Now that I'm coming from far away, my parents and I will be hitting up a grocery store Thursday night to stock our mini fridge. Food at the con is crazy. There is Peachtree Center with it's complete food court, but the lines are probably some of the worst lines at the entire con, especially at food times. The only other restaurants around are sit down. There will be little kiosks that sell like Papa John's Pizza in the hotels, but the prices are ridiculous. At some point you will be hungry, and you will want to eat. It's so much easier to eat a sandwich you packed while sitting in line then trying to get through the Checker's line.
• DO pack extra clothes and sensible shoes, ESPECIALLY if you're cosplaying. Even if you're not cosplaying, after a spending Saturday morning outside watching the parade and then heading to the incredibly crowded dealer's room, you're going to be more than a little sweaty. You may find you want to change clothes at some point during the day. And if you're cosplaying, this is rachetted up a few extra knots. Depending on your schedule and wear you're staying, you may want to wear regular clothes to the parade and then switch into your costume after it. The parade is outside in Atlanta. It gets hot. And the extra sensible shoes are a must. Sure your steampunk costume calls for Victorian boots, but unless your feet are made of steel, at some point your feet are going to hurt so bad that you'll want to curl up in a corner and just die there. Trust me, I know. Bring sensible shoes.
• DO plan your entire schedule before hand, BUT don't forget downtime or to be flexible. If you haven't looked through the Pocket Program for Dragon*Con yet, do it now. Dragon*Con has dozens of tracks, and trying to figure out what you're going to do at the con can be overwhelming. So look through program and figure out what you want to do. But remember things change. Sometimes panels get cancelled at the last minute and sometimes you realize you just really don't want to sit in the very back of the Atrium Ballroom and squint at the stage. So always plan secondary panels. With so many tracks, there is literally a panel you can be going to at any time, but don't forget that you'll need plenty of time to exploring the dealer's rooms. There are three, and they're huge. You'll want to explore all of it, and you'll need free time to do so. Also don't forget that schedules are made as guidelines, not rules. Feel free to change what you want to go to at the last minute.
• DO bring a camera. Seriously, the cosplaying at Dragon*Con is intense. It's one of the better cons in America for cosplay. If you forget your camera, you will highly regret it. Also, don't be afraid to ask people to stop for a picture, but DON'T do it in highly trafficked crowded areas. You don't want to be the person responsible for creating a Dragon*Con traffic jam.
• DO sit early for the parade. I don't think I can stress this enough. The parade is a big deal. People who don't buy tickets for Dragon*Con or go to any other event go to this, and since they're local (usually) they get there early. If you're not sitting on the curb by nine am, odds are you won't be able to sit on the curb. You need to claim your parade spot by nine am at the latest. 
• DON'T ever wait longer than two hours for an event, EXCEPT for that one event you care about more than anything. I've never had trouble getting into a panel at Dragon*Con. Granted, sometimes I've had to sit in the very back. Also, technically at Dragon*Con, lines aren't allowed to form more than an hour and a half before an event (i.e. you can't form a line for an event until the event before it has started). I say "technically" because sometimes you can get little pre-lines starting. But generally, if you're there an hour and a half before, you'll get a good seat. However, I suggest looking at the schedule, and figuring out which event you'll never forgive yourself if you don't attend. And if it's something big, get there early. I waited 5 hours for Anne McCaffrey's signature, and I don't regret a single second of those five hours.
• DO talk to total strangers. Part of the fun of a con is making friends, and it's really quite easy to do. Sitting in a line by yourself waiting for the Firefly panel? Strike up a conversation with the people around you, or join in on theirs. You are all in line for the same event, so odds are you all have a passion for Firefly. Talk about it. I've made tons of friends at cons: the college kids sitting behind me at the Adam Baldwin panel, the writer's I've met at the writer's track, some steampunkers at the Masquerade, and more. These are my con friends, people I touch base with every year at the con. It's fantastic. And that's the joy of a con. Everyone who is there cares just as much as you do about something fabulously geeky and accept you for who you are.
• DO ask questions during panels, BUT make sure you know what your question is beforehand. I highly encourage asking questions at panels. I try to as much as possible. There is nothing like asking a question of one of your favorite stars/authors/casts and getting an awesome answer. But don't be that person who (A) gets up there and has no idea what they want to ask so rambles for a while, taking valuable time away from people who actually have questions, or (B) doesn't actually ask a question, just gushes. This time is for ASKING QUESTIONS. So...ask a question. The answers are usually awesome. Trust me.
• DON'T PANIC when you get lost. It's going to happen. There will come a time when you realize you were supposed to go to the Roswell room in the Hyatt, not the Westin, you're already ten minutes late, and the Westin is a couple of blocks away from the Hyatt.  There might also come a time when you realize not every escalator in the Hyatt leads to the same place, or if you're really clever like me, there might come a time when you accidentally lock yourself in a stairwell that you apparently weren't supposed to use. Don't panic. Just remember, it's all for fun, you'll probably be able to get a seat in the back, and ask a stranger for help. (Or wait at a door of the stairwell and shriek at the next person who opens it, "DON'T CLOSE THE DOOR." As the case may be).
• DO go outside and use the sidewalk instead of cutting through the hotels. Dragon*Con gets really really crowded. I remember a time when I literally could not go the direction I wanted to because the sea of people was so great, and I ended up on an escalator going the opposite direction then I wanted to. Trying to get through the Hyatt or the Marriott is like trying to swim against the tide. I don't recommend it. Cutting through never makes for a shorter amount of time. I know it's hot outside. I know that in some directions, the steep inclination is unappealing. But in the end, it will be faster. Trust me.
• DO obey the laws of the line. Most of you are probably Americans, and so recognize that waiting in line is a sacred pastime.  Dragon*Con is usually really good about lines. The people who come are good about waiting and the staff are really good about making sure the line enters the room in the same order it was formed (i.e. first people in line are the first people in the building). If you are confused about where a line is, ask the volunteers. They are the keepers of the line. If you think you may  be waiting in the wrong place (aka an unrecognized line), ask. There is nothing worse than realizing you've been waiting two hours for nothing. Also, if you're saving places for other people, making sure the people around you in the line know. My general rule is you should never save a place for more than two people in line. Anything more than that is unfair, and even that I only use rarely. Usually, everyone in my party is in line, except when they have to go to the bathroom/grab food/remember they forget their purse in another room. If you're confused about what is fair and not fair, just ask yourself, would you be ok if the person in front of you in line was trying to pull this over on you? And talk to the people around you. Make sure they are aware of what's going and aren't going to be upset. The last thing you want is for someone to get upset and call a volunteer over to kick the rest of your party out of line for cutting. 
• And just in general, DON'T PANIC or get upset. Remember, this is all for fun. And if it stops being fun, you're doing it wrong. Take a deep breath, wander through a dealer's room or the Walk of Fame, and above all, do not take it out on the volunteers. They are not paid to be there or to help you. They are doing it out of the kindness of their geeky little hearts. And do not freak out on the hotel staff. We are eternally grateful they allow Dragon*Con to come back every year, despite the insanity. 

Well, that's all I can think of right now! Above all, remember to  have fun. If you have any specific questions about Dragon*Con or cons in general, please ask in the comments. I'll be answering up to noon tomorrow, when I will be getting on an airplane for Dragon*Con. :)

Countdown to Dragon*Con: Prepare to Go Fangirl

Countdown: 3 days

I don't care who you are, how old you are, or whether you are male or female. If you are a geek, there will be a time at Dragon*Con when you will find yourself turning into a twelve-year-old girl, squealing and jumping for joy as your favorite person walks by/gets on stage/autographs your poster. 

Case and point: My middle aged father with a career of being an awesome cool pilot in both the military and airlines, when Richard Hatch from BSG walked by, pratically bobbed on his feet and squealed, "It's Apollo!". Suddenly this middle aged, military-vet, pilot was transformed into a fangirl.

There is at least one person for every geek that turns us into squealing balls of excitement. For me, there are a couple. I have this habit of stalking Brandon Sanderson, who is my favorite author. (Luckily, now that I'm done with my thesis, I'm allowed to read his books again). I tend to be the sit in the front row, shove a book in front of him for his signature, and then a walk away kind of person. I have no idea what to talk about. (Networking is not something I'm good at). But last time, at Jordan*Con, when I walked up to Mr. Sanderson and handed him my book, he looked at me and said, "You look familiar, do you go to these things a lot?" Cue fangirlish glee. 

(Of course, on the outside, I just said, "Well, I live in Atlanta and have been to Dragon*Con every year for a while plus some of your signings, so yes?")

And of course, there was the time I met LeVar Burton, where I walked up to him, shook his hand, and while he was signing, I blurted, "I'm an engineer because of you." I imagine he gets that a lot, because he took it well.

But this year, I get to go fangirl on a completely new and awesome person: Richard Dean Anderson. That's right, MacGyver and Colonel O'Neill himself. My love of Colonel O'Neill knows no bounds. When I was in high school, I used to wear O'Neill shirts, which are surfing shirts, but I wore them to show my love for my favorite member of SG-1. When the writers decided it would be a good idea to freeze Colonel O'Neill at the end of season 7 of Stargate: SG-1, one of my friends and I did an entire project on Colonel O'Neill....in Latin. That's right, we did an entire presentation in Latin about how SciFi better not kill off Colonel O'Neill because he was our favorite character. (They didn't kill him, for the record, but they did phase him out of the show. Sad day.)

I've arranged my entire Dragon*Con schedule around Richard Dean Anderson's Dragon*Con schedule, so I can stalk him all weekend. :)

I will not be the only one going crazy over Richard Dean Anderson, since he rarely makes appearances in the United States. So I imagine getting into a Richard Dean Anderson panel is going to require getting in line early and waiting a long time. However, as a Dragon*Con vet, I'm prepared to do just that. Everything else I want to see/do is flexible. Luckily, or unluckily depending on your perspective, he's only doing two panels. One is on Friday and therefore, will be less populated, so it will be easier to get in. But this panel is just him. Sunday is the "Supergate" panel, Richard Dean Anderson plus several other Stargate stars. Sunday is the second most crowded day, and the Stargate panels are always super crowded, so this one is going to be crazy. I will definitely have to get in line early. But at least, I'll have already seen him on Friday if I don't make the cut.

So, if you were going to a Con (or if you are) who would you go fangirl over? Who is the one actor/author/artist that you would love to meet and shake their hand?