Tuesday, March 19, 2013

MegaCon 2013, Saturday Favs!

Day two of MegaCon was the most overwhelming day of the con, since the crowds were, quite simply, NUTS. I'd hoped to arrive early enough to see Wil Wheaton's panel, but traffic was at a standstill miles out from the convention center, so by the time we made the long trek in from the parking lot and had my alter ego fully assembled, the panel had already begun. (Fooey.)
 
Happily, the rest of the day more than made up for it:


 

We have John to thank for all of today's photos, with me occasionally pointing him towards a costume that looked interesting through the colorful blur of my goggles. Heh. Oh, and thanks to a new addition to my costume - a microphone and speaker box - I could actually be heard most of the day. That was a HUGE benefit, since we met and chatted with so many of you readers!

In fact, do you guys remember last June when I mentioned the story of an autistic boy named Ben who loved Snow White's Scary Adventures at Disney? (If you don't remember, go see this.) Well, BEN WAS THERE! Here we are together with his dad, Ron:

In fact, this is a good time to mention that Ron has recently finished a beautiful book about Ben called 3500: An Autistic Boy's Ten-Year Romance with Snow White. I haven't read it all yet, but Cory over at BoingBoing gave the book a glowing review, so you should definitely check it out!

Here's my friend Christie again, together with her sister Robyn and their friend Dana as - are you ready for this? - the My Little Ponies of the Apocalypse:
  From the left, that's Death, War, and Famine.

After we chatted for a bit John suggested I get a photo with them, and even through my goggles I could tell most everyone around started to laugh once I got in position. I think you can see why:

 SHORT VADORE IS SHORT.

Props to Death for not cracking a smile while even War and Famine were succumbing to the giggles. Ha! (Oh, and Robyn & Christie have just started a new FB page with all of their cosplay pics, if you want to see more of their work!)

 K, time for some eye candy:

 Absolutely lovely.

 And here's the most stunning GLaDOS cosplay I've seen:
 
I might even have a little girl-crush. WHAT.

I just finished watching all of Avatar: The Last Airbender, and OMIGOSH THAT SHOW IS AWESOME. So, of course, I had a whole new appreciation for the Avatar cosplay groups:

Female Zuko FTW! (Per the comments, the gal in burgundy is Katara in her Painted Lady disguise. A-ha! Thx!) Oh, and we saw another group on Sunday that had Ang's glider - that'll be in my next post.



I'm not generally a fan of zombies, but I guess John is right: this Leeloo version is pretty rad:

 And also super creepy. Ick.

One of the most represented fandoms in costume was Homestuck, a web comic which I know very little about save there are "trolls" with gray skin and candy-corn-colored horns. At some points during the con it felt like one out of every ten teens was wearing horns and gray face paint - there were tons of them, often traveling in packs of up to a dozen at a time. Not knowing the characters it was hard to say which costumes were best, but these two looked pretty fantastic:

So now I'm thinking I have to go check out Homestuck. :)

Oh, and speaking of obscure fandoms: behold, Steam Powered Giraffe cosplay!

  Rabbit! Love it.

Veering back into more mainstream geekery, you'll never guess who this gal (yes, GAL) reminds me of:
Jareth! (Er, I mean, THE BABE!) She spotted my cane's new crystal ball topper, and called me over to chat for a bit. Isn't she fabulous? 

Bumblebee here upgraded his/her outfit on Sunday to include a green top hat and a "Kiss Me, I'm Irish" smock for St. Patrick's day. It was pretty hilarious:

 

Here's me again with a couple of dapper steampunk gents:

 
The chap on the right had an amazing backpack filled with spinning gears, lights, potions, and contraptions.

While we were stuck in traffic Saturday morning I saw a photo on Twitter of a little girl Hellboy (Hellgirl?), and I was thrilled to spot her in person just a few hours later. Funnily enough, she seemed equally thrilled to see me, so there was a whole lot of simultaneous fangirling and "OMG YOU LOOK SO COOL" going on just before this pic:

 My new hero. 

(I also just realized this is the only photo I have from the con where I'm not the shortest person in it. HA.)

I can't tell you how much I love seeing kids in homemade costumes, you guys. I saw a lot more store-bought costumes on kids, which is wonderful for getting them into the spirit of things and letting them join in the fun, but there's something so much MORE wonderful about the homemade versions. Talk about engendering a love of making and creativity at an early age!

Ok, mini soap box moment over.

And then, this happened:
 
Because WHY NOT.

John chased down this dapper group with a stellar steampunk stroller, so it wasn't until I was sorting photos today that I saw the little girl's expression:

Bwahaha! And, awwww. Someone is NOT happy. 
(Also, see the "Hill Valley" on the side? Excellent Back to The Future reference!)

This Codex used an extra large Christmas ornament for her staff:
Brilliant!

And I'll give you three guesses which of these Monster High girls is my fav:


C'mon. SHE HAS A CAKE FOR A PROP.

In all, I spent over seven hours in costume and on my feet Saturday, with no food breaks or chances to sit down save one five-minute rest. And it. was. awesome.

Granted, navigating the crowds was a nightmare, I'm sure I bumped into a million people thanks to my lack of peripheral vision, and my face was swollen and bruised from my mask by the end of the day, but the interactions John and I had with fans and random fellow con-goers alike were just fantastic. I met readers who were at their first con ever, readers who were overcoming their anxiety just to be there, readers who were wearing the goggles they'd made using my tutorial (!!), and readers who spanned all ages and backgrounds and interests, from parents with teenagers in tow to young pre-teens who dragged their extremely supportive parents all over the con hunting us down.

As usual, you guys made us feel like rock stars, so thank you.

Next up, stay tuned for my third and final installment from MegaCon!

PS - Like my last post, these are just a few of my favorite photos from Saturday, so head over to my Flickr account to see the rest!

PPS - Wil Wheaton has been blogging his thoughts and photos of MegaCon over at his blog, and today's post includes a story of a fan interaction that will leave you in tears - but in a good way. Grab a tissue and go read it!

45 comments:

  1. Burgundy Avatar Gal is Kitara in her Painted Lady disguise.

    And ever since you posted you'd finished up MegaCon, I have been SALIVATING for pics! Thank you for, as per usual, not disappointing, you gorgeous Lady Vadore, you! :-)

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    1. OMG! Just noticed you've got Suki AND Korra in the background on that pic, too!!! SQUEE!!!

      Yes... yes I AM a fan. Why do you ask?

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    2. Apparently, however, not enough of a fan to spell "Katara" correctly... ::: sigh :::

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    3. Ha! To be fair, it's not like you ever see the names written out during the show. If you hadn't mentioned it I never would have spotted the misspelling. ;)

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  2. Come on Jen rock stars that nothing on you guys

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  3. Awww, Shorty Vadore!! You look fantastic! I have to admit that I laughed at you a little in the photo with the apocalyptic ponies. I mean, to be fair, they do all have platform boots on, but still, you're a wee lass. I'm only 5'2" though, so I can't laugh too hard.

    Can't believe you spent seven hours on your feet as Lady Vadore. What a trooper! I'm thrilled that you had such a great time even though you ended up missing Wil Wheaton.

    Before you ship your costume off to the museum, are you going to show us the changes and improvements you made? The new crystal ball cane-topper looks awesome.

    John, thank you for the excellent photos!

    Hellgirl = coolest kid ever.

    Can't wait to see tomorrow's post!

    KW

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    1. Sure thing, I'll include a few detail shots of my new cane topper & speaker box in tomorrow's post! Uh...just as soon as I go take some. :D

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  4. I was really hoping to run over and fangirl a bit when I saw you on Saturday, but I was in the line for the ST:TNG panel (front rows, yay!), and wasn't able to really get out to talk to you (plus I was blistered and extremely sore all over. Being pregnant, having ligament problems, and walking around a con all day probably wasn't the best combination, but I did it!). I've now seen you as Lady Vadore at MegaCon AND Dragon*con, from a distance both times! One day I'll get to say hi, lol!

    I saw the 'War' costume as I was wandering through the artist rows, and it was fantastic!! Such a wonderful job.

    The crowds were crazy on Saturday - I go every year and I don't remember it ever being quite as much a madhouse as it was this year! I love that it gets bigger and bigger though, it's like a mini Dragon*con and that makes me happy ^_^

    Thank you for posting all the photos!

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  5. Oh...that story...thanks for sharing that, Jen!

    I need that book.

    AWESOME pics, once again! :o)

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  6. Just wanted to thank you for the awesome posts on the con and look forward to reading Sundays. I wanted to go to MegaCon this year (for my first con, which add me to the list of those inspired to try to overcome anxiety issues and explore a con thanks to you :D), but couldn't afford it, so I'm living vicariously through your posts!

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  7. The Homestuck girls you have a picture of won a huge prize in the cosplay contest (best technical achievement, I think). So you did pick the best of the best.

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  8. Did anyone happen to get any photos of a steampunk Princess Leia? It was my first ever cosplay and I don't have a single photo of me in it! I was at Megacon on Saturday only. Help!

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  9. I should NOT have gone to Will's blog while at work, I'm now a crying mess! LOL
    Thank you so much for sharing!

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  10. OH.MY.CRAP.
    That story.

    No, no, of course *I'M* not crying. Why WOULD I be?

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  11. I think I love Wil Wheaton - what a great blog - yours and his!

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  12. That little Hellgirl looks just like the younger daughter in modern family!

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  13. I took my daughter for her 14th birthday gift - she was in a homemade Homestuck cosplay! We even made the horns ourselves! The only thing store bought were her socks and shoes! It was the first for both of us and we LOVED it!! Thanks for sharing your pictures, we were walking around too speechless to photograph much! Never caught up with Lady Vadore, though...maybe next year!

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  14. Awesome pictures. Your Lady Vador is still totally adorable!

    My daughter is a huge Homestuck fan. She and her friends literally spend hours reading and discussing and RPGing. I'm about ready for her to find something new. LOL

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  15. So I have been a lurker forever and what is finally dragging me out is AVATAR!! If you haven't yet you should watch The Legend of Korra! It has a very steampunky 1920s vibe, and a great story line. Avatar the Last Airbender is one of my very favorite shows ever, I am so glad that you enjoyed it!

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  16. I saw those orange and yellow horns ALL over a con I went to a few weeks ago, and I had no clue what they are. Now I'm enlightened...thanks!

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  17. I met you and John for the first time at this Con and it was great. I think I was too spazzed out at the moment to speak normally, but you both were SO SWEET. Also... John asked me if he had cilantro in his teeth. hahah he's the best! :)

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  18. Is it bad that I want to meet you in person partly so I can feel like a giant? (I'm 5'10")

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  19. I think your long wavy hair is beautiful, Jen, so please don't take this the wrong way, but I wish you would pose sometimes with it behind you instead of over your shoulder--I think it would really show off all the details on the front of your Lady V costume!

    I really don't mean to sound critical--luv u!

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    1. That doesn't sound critical at all - no worries! For my first photo shoot with the costume I had my hair behind me, and later decided to bring it up front to add another layer of femininity (you now, besides BEWBS. Ha!) My hair's getting pretty long, tho, and I didn't realize it was fanning out so much over my chest this round. Next time I may try to braid it so it doesn't cover up quite so much real estate. ;)

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  20. Thanks for chatting with me and my hubby and letting us take pics with you! I didn't realize how crowded things would be Saturday and was very overwhelmed and pretty much told my husband I'll be sitting in that corner, come get me when your done, lol! Thankfully he spotted you and drug me over to ya to say hi. It really made my day=)

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  21. Homestuck and Steam Powered Giraffe in the same post? Best day ever. Those Homestuck outfits are GORGEOUS. And those Portal costumes are beautifully creative. I'm going to stop writing now, otherwise I'll get too excited. Thank you so much for sharing these!

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  22. Still love your costume. Short Vadore is totes adorbs :)

    Off topic (a lil) but have you ever read Cory from boing boing's books? There's one in particular you might like since you're a huge diz-geek. It's called Makers. Great book, lot of humor and tongue-in-cheek.
    ~erin kristine

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    1. I've read Little Brother & Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom, but not Makers! I'll have to check it out next.

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  23. Okay, I thought I loved you before, but now I REALLY love you!! Why? Because you have now seen Avatar: The Last Airbender. OMG, I love that show. I remember seeing it when it first aired and thought "who is that crazy kid with the arrow on his head?" Then, years later, my youngest son started watching it. My entire family fell in love with the series. The movie is not as good and there's a sequel on Nick right now. We haven't watched it yet - I'm afraid to spoil the love of the original.

    Anyway, I read both of your blogs regularly and in my world you and I are best buds. :-) I mean, you used a cake I sent you early on in the life of Cake Wrecks, so that means we're friends, right? (I mean that in a totally non-stalkerish way.)

    Thanks for sharing all you do and thanks for making my days brighter with your humor! And just because this is the question that my 7 year old likes to ask people ALL the time: "if you were a bender, which bender would you like to be?" I personally think earth bending is pretty cool. My son can't decide so he wants to be the Avatar so he can do all of them.

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    1. I'm just happy so many of you readers recommended it, since otherwise I never would have checked it out! And as for which bending I'd do...hmmm. I'm thinking either Air or Earth. :)

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  24. Is the new term going to be "Vadorable"?

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  25. DON'T READ HOMESTUCK. Please Jen, I love your blog, but homestuck has SO MANY FEELS, (I've caught up and I kind of regret it because the comic is so dang addicting) but it mainly consists of getting mindscrewed every update.
    As you've read from some of the parents on the comments, it's a tiring fandom. (and it is!)
    But seriously, don't read it it's not worth it.
    BONUS! here is a link to the artist who designed the costumes (http://rumminov.tumblr.com/tagged/dreamers/page/2) LOVE her work.

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  26. These pictures are AWESOME!! We've been to Gen-Con in indianapolis a few times and my kids love all the costumes! Your costume is amazing BTW!!! I sereously have envy for the young Hellgirl...her costume is super-cool!
    ~~on a side note: I've seen you use the acronym FTW a few times....today you said "Female Zuko FTW!" What does it mean to you? this does not match the meaning of what I thought this means. Just curious!

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    1. I've only seen FTW used to mean "For the win" - which is obviously a little dated now (a whopping year or two out of vogue - THE HORROR) - but I haven't found a new hip phrase to replace it yet. ;) Now you've got me worried, though; is there some dark and dirty meaning to it I'm not aware of? o.0

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    2. Actually, "For the win" is the new hip phrasing for it. It used to mean "Eff the World" which I didn't know until I was passing a FTW someone had sprayed on a building. I commented cheerfully about how upbeat the graffiti was while my husband looked at me like I was a crazy person.

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    3. Apparently I'M the one out of date! I'd only heard it used in the "Eff the world" conotation...I like FOR THE WIN much better!
      And I would like to say a HUGE "THANK YOU" for your site...not only has it made me realize I am not the only "girl geek" out there...but you have pointed me to many new blogs and sites that I am now an avid reader of (or I'm wasting time at work)! (Wil's being the latest!)

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  27. Wil Wheaton sounds like the most amazing guy ever - just a real sweetheart. I totally teared up reading that post from him!

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  28. Wow - excellent! So glad you had a good time and met so many fans/so many fans met you and John! I love it when you tell us about this stuff and post pictures. (And being short myself I can totally relate to being the shortest in all the photos) Thanks for sharing, Jen!

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  29. I love the men doing Sailor Moon are awesome. It's funny that so many women are more willing to crossplay than men are. When they do it, it makes it totally awesome and noteworthy. Last year, Andrea had to take a picture with the crossplaying mini-moon we saw at AniMinneapolis. He was just too adorable to pass up!

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  30. Will Wheaton's story is awesome. Guess it's okay that my hubby is slowly watching every Star Trek Series made...thanks Netflix.

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  31. I like seeing new fandoms repped at these things. I'm secretly into Monster High and I totally thought of you when Robecca Steam was released. Not only is she a robot, but she's a steampunk girl, too! I always keep saying I'm going to mention it to you but I never remember!

    Actually come to think of it, I come across a lot of stuff that makes me go "Jen would love this!" Somewhere I have a picture of a blow up StayPuff decoration for the front yard. I need to dig through my camera and send it along!

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  32. Hey, that's my daughter in the Hellboy costume! She's going to be so excited to see this. My co-worker just found this while she was looking through your blog and called me over.

    BTW, your costume was Epic. You looked great. :)

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