Dragon Con 2017: The Best Cosplay, Part 3

Ahhh, it's been too long! Have you missed my Dragon Con meanderings as much as I have? (Don't answer that.) (But here's part 1 and part 2 if you missed them.)

Tell you what, let's dive back in with John's favorite photo from the whole con:

[Cody Dills] 

It's like an antique oil painting of some European king, am I right? This guy had the pose (and wardrobe, of course) down to a T.

Side Tangent: John and I have a running disagreement over whether to show cosplayers their photos on the camera right then and there. I think it's bothering them and would rather move on, but now that we have this new flash John wants everyone to see. So after this shot - and a quick whispered argument - John actually took my camera from me and chased the cosplayer down to show him his photo, while I pretended to be fascinated by a nearby floor plant.

The cosplayer apparently loved the shot, but I still maintain it's better to take up as little of someone's time as possible. When I cosplay myself it actually unnerves me when photographers insist on showing me their cameras - it means they have to come very close (sometimes too close) and they often end up blocking other people trying to take a photo at the same time. So, at the risk of all of you agreeing with John... thoughts?

Egadz, one photo in and I'm already side-tracked and talking too much. Onward!

 These photos were taken at Dragon Con's annual Mechanical Masquerade, the big steampunk ball where it's pitch black inside and impossible to take any photos without flash. This year's theme was Wild West, so I really love this Western Superman and Wonder Woman!

Two more highlights from the ball:

Now let's head back out to the Marriott for a fabulous Victorian take on some of the Avengers:

Check it out: Iron Woman's dress has blue ground effects! Hee!

Here's a hilarious Lucille Ball from her famous chocolate factory scene:

Sorry for the terrible photo, but can we talk about how brilliant this is?? She made her own candy conveyor belt.

I'm sure you know the scene it's from, but here, let's watch it again anyway:

We need more laughs this week.

Now on to a beautiful evil Queen and Cinderella:

And another brilliant use of props: check out the crystal raindrops on Queenie's umbrella!

Look how they catch the light! Magical.

I spotted those two from waaaay across the floor in the Marriott and fell in love, but the crowds were so thick I didn't think I could get to them. So imagine my delight when they slowly worked their way right over to me and John.. and then told us they were Epbot readers! Yay!

Everyone wanted to photograph this Diana from behind - but not for the usual reason, ha:

Really digging her photo super dark like this, so I left in more shadows than usual.

A fantastic Fallout Police 'bot:

And a whole crew of pretty Pokemon:

Oooh, I'm so excited for this next one: how many of you remember Good Idea/Bad Idea?

I even got to choose which idea I wanted; s/he turns the arrow on the sign!

Time for another videoooo!

Am I really using my Dragon Con photos as an excuse to waste your entire day online? YEP.

Animated Lydia Deetz and live-action Lydia Deetz make a perfectly "strange and unusual" pair:

And WOW is she a Wynona Rider look-a-like!

At one point we popped outside for an Overwatch meetup (you'll get those photos later), and found a stunning Twi'lek and the General herself:

That's a flash photo and a no-flash photo. Believe it or not General Leia's photo is the one with flash, and I am OBSESSED. Now to get all my pics to look like that! (Of course the sunlight is key, so I'm not sure I can manage it for interior shots - but I'll keep trying.)

This Harley from the Animated Series has the most perfect makeup:

And this femme Oogie Boogie actually had lights through her dress!

[Jenumi Cosplay] 

Sadly my flash washed out most of the green glow (you can see a little at the bottom right), but as a trade-off, you can really see all her amazing details, snake-y jewelry, and glowing eyes!

More cosplay for those of us raised in the 80s:

I've never seen anyone dress as the The More You Know screen, ha!

Plus she has the loveliest galaxy makeup and dress - seriously, you guys, I have a feeling this idea is gonna take off. 

More 80s greatness, the walking Statue of Liberty from Ghostbusters 2:

 

 Yessssss. And so well done.

I don't know either of these characters (help?), but they each stopped me in my tracks:

Update: Look like that's Morrigan from Dragon Age on the right. Thanks, guys!

An adorable Arthur & The Tick, plus a rad lady Bowser:

Yaya Han was out on the floor again this year. I've photographed her before - back when I had no idea who she was - and I like that she doesn't have an impenetrable posse around her, but rather seems pretty approachable. (Pro cosplayers sometimes huddle up in large groups, which makes it super intimidating to ask for a pic.)

One sign of a pro: when you ask for a second shot, they give you a different pose. That surprised me a few times, but I really like it!

Some unexpected Star Wars mashups:

A Darth Vader/Lost In Space Robot and a Dorothy/Leia with her little dog...Chewie? Ha! I like her Ruby Rebel slippers. :D

Prepare to have your socks knocked off by this Greta from Gremlins 2:

[Makeup by Nick Wolfe]

WHAAAAAT. Look at that body painting! Incredible.

Wonder Woman's Antiope in her battle armor:

And another impressive warrior, this battle-scarred Hawkgirl:

I'm loving her expression in that close-up. That's another thing that sets cosplayers apart: the experienced ones know you don't always have to smile for the camera, and sometimes it's better when you don't!

Sophie from Howl's Moving Castle and the tallest Lady Tremaine I've ever seen:

Lady Tremaine had to be 6'5 - and her fan reads "Madam Will Do." :) (That's Thranduart Cosplay, btw, if you want to follow him!)

  I told this Joker/Guy Fawkes I needed a second shot of his pretty face, and he rewarded me with an even better pose with a surprise in his jacket:

John finds it extremely creepy, but dang that mask is beautiful. I love how perfectly it frames the eyes.

And while we're talking creepy beautiful things, BEHOLD THE SKEKSIS:

This is one of those cosplays that I *will* break into a run for from across the lobby. Look at just the side view. The detail, the silhouette, the weathering!

I was SO in awe I even photographed it both ways for you guys:

It takes me a moment of camera jiggery-pokery to switch between methods, but happily Mr. Skeksis was too big to take off on me. ;)

(The perils of being short; I had to have him tip the head way down to see the eyes!)

Here's another brilliant Epbot reader: she's dressed as the opening credits to Game of Thrones!

Her dress is the map of Westeros, and her headpiece is the spinning sun orb! That orb is SO gorgeous in person, I hope she has it on display somewhere now.

Speaking of gorgeous, I'm drooling over these Art Nouveau Disney Princesses based on the art of Hannah Alexander:

Look at those color fades on Aurora & Belle! And Tiana & Merida's headbands! SWOON.

And now, a story:

One of the biggest highlights for me this year was the Steam Powered Giraffe concert, which took place at the eye-watering hour of 3AM Saturday morning. It was supposed to start around 1AM - which was late enough already - but then massive technical difficulties & a lack of communication meant the audience was left to sit and wonder what the heck was happening for over an hour before any announcements were made. It was badly handled all 'round, and by the time the robots took the stage roughly half the audience had left, but I'm so glad we stayed. Even with continued technical problems - no show video, mics cutting out, etc - the band was incredible, and somehow managed to never break character. (I think I would have been throwing things by then, ha!)

Also, not to brag, but I totally washed my hands next to Rabbit in the bathroom several hours before the concert. I told her she looked amazing, she thanked me, and I resisted the urge to chase after her with a camera, because DANG is her makeup even more incredible up close.

After the concert the band stayed to sign autographs, and as much as I desperately wanted photos, it was 4:30 in the morning and we were pooped.

So when the band all showed up to their panel the next day in full makeup, I was BESIDE myself with glee. All I wanted was a good flash photo of each of them. After the panel we followed the crowd to their merch table, and then, while we were standing in line, HEARTBREAK. Rabbit left, and we were told she wasn't coming back. (Noooo!)

But! We still got to see the rest of the group, even chat a little, and they were all super gracious about letting us take their photos:

The newest band member Zero had already won me over at the concert, and in person he's just as laid back and lovable. The Walter Workers, too, were so open, so friendly; I really think these three balance out some of the Bennett twins' (understandable) distance with fans. (I've never seen a more... shall we say, "emotionally charged" fan base. So many people straight up SOBBING. That's gotta take a toll.)

So now I'll end with MY favorite photo of the con: because while I'm heartbroken I couldn't photograph Rabbit, The Spine is actually my favorite, and this makes me so happy:

He's incredibly well-spoken and gracious in person, though I'll admit John did all the talking. (Did I just stand there with a shy dopey smile on my face? Yes, YES I DID.)

Now let's end with one more videoooooo:

Hang on 'til 1:35 - that's when the magic happens.

 I still have more Dragon Con to get through, of course, so stay tuned for my favorite Overwatch finds, some Vintage Vogue Fashion Show, and maybe a little more miscellania. I'll also be posting everything - including the photos I don't feature here - over on Flickr eventually, so watch my gallery for that!