Wednesday, September 4, 2019

STORY TIME: Dragon Con 2019

If you've been following along in my Instagram/FB stories then you're probably a little sick of Dragon Con by now, heh, but I want to get all these thoughts and photos here on the blog, just for me.

So first, here's most of those Stories put into a video with fun music, courtesy of John and his editing skills. These aren't polished like our official daily vids, but they're still super fun and have some real gems not in our other videos:


(The FedEx sign from my preview pic had its own hashtag and shrine by the end of the convention, bahaha. Some people are already talking about cosplaying #FedExJohn for next year!)

Now here come some more favorites I didn't have time to post over the weekend.

My friend Alexie LOST HER MIND when she saw this woman in armor, but it wasn't 'til the guy turned around that I recognized them:

Willow! I need to watch this movie again.

A close up of my friend Avera Cosplay in her Maleficent WoW armor:


Avera is also the incredible Ursula bunny in my video up there, the one with the puppet Flotsam & Jetsam. Now lemme blow your mind: Avera is 6 MONTHS PREGNANT. Whaaaaaat. She's out here winning contests and working the floor like a Queen with a baby on board! MAD RESPECT.


This Fast Food group was so clever: 
My favorite is the Dairy Queen with her ice cream swirl hair! You can't tell here, but the giant cherry was covered in sparkles. 

More Fast Food lolz:

SO SALTY.

That moment when you find a flaming sword in the bottom floor of the Marrott:

 No one was around, but I think if I'd tried to touch it, I'd have received some kind of epic quest.

The prettiest use of ThinkGeek's Twinkling Stars skirt I've ever seen:

 Aren't they gorgeous together? I love these two!


Han Solo frozen in...comforter?

 Ha! I've definitely never seen this in pillow form, much less as a cosplay.

I never watched MTV as a kid, but these guys were a hit:

(In case you can't tell, Dragon Con is all about nostalgic throw-backs.)


"Candy-gram!"

 "We're gonna need a bigger balloon."

(Yes, I know I'm mixing up my quotes. It makes me laugh.)


Big Hurricane Dorian vibes from this one:

 (I had to Google this; it's from a fashion show.)

 ... as I sit in a city completely shut down by a hurricane that never showed. (Definitely NOT complaining. It's just weird when stores are cleared out or closed, most folks are off work, and it's not even raining.)

 I fell hard for this take on Mr. & Mrs. Claus:


I've seen several warrior versions of Santa, but I love that this one still looks sweet and kind, like he's about to ask which battle axe you want for Christmas.

Then look! Dapper Ghostbusters!

They're 'bounding as the animated series with their different color suits, plus the two on the left have Ghost Trap ties. And my gosh, LOOK at Gozer's dress! Covered in sparkles and bubbles! 

My other favorite Ghostbusters find is a deep dive from Ghostbusters 2:


These are the Scoleri Brothers ghosts from the opening court room scene, with the Judge in the middle. This cosplay is GENIUS, from the way the fake chairs and legs work, to the inner blue lighting that gives them that ghostly glow. SO GOOD. (There's also a clip of them in motion in our videos.)

Dragon Con has lots of yearly traditions, and the Shatner Action Figures group is one of them:

They update these every year to reflect the most current pop culture trends, and they are SPOT ON. Breaking Shatner has 1 Kilo of Romulan Ale, The Amazing Mrs. Shatner has a Replicator Brisket, and look at the print on Shatner Things' clothes! YASS.

I left some Stories out of that video earlier, because as the weekend went on I got a lot wordier, ha. Many of you requested that I share this particular thread here, though:

 



 

 








 After I posted that I learned there was a tribute to Beverly in Saturday's parade:

I believe Merrill pushed Beverly's empty chair the whole way.

(I'M NOT... Ok, yes, I'm crying.)

Plus many fans wore badge ribbons to honor her: 


What an example, you guys. What a legacy. Beverly inspired people by simply doing something she loved, and doing it joyfully. 

Let's all do that. Let's do what we love, and let other people see us doing it with joy. For ourselves, for Beverly, and for those people watching on the sidelines, just waiting for someone else to go first.


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Today I'm still recovering from the long weekend, still bone-tired, still dogged by a migraine (I think I was dehydrated too long), but happy to be sorting photos and answering messages.

I got a DM this afternoon from someone we ran into at the con on Monday, just an hour or two before we left to drive home. I was completely fried by then, and so had no idea this person was nervous. Had no idea this person had spent the last ten years hoping to find me and John at Dragon Con, or how much anxiety they had to overcome just to approach us and say hi.

I didn't know, so I did the same thing I always try to do with you guys: I stopped, I smiled, chatted a bit, asked for a hug. However I'm feeling; these things always make me feel better - and besides, I know what it's like to be on the other side.

I didn't know what an impact that had at the time - didn't know I would get a thank you message three days later that would make me cry - and that's my point. We never know. So keep your eyes forward, friends, keep chasing those goals and dreams... but remember to do it with joy, and always leave love in your wake.

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Stay tuned for more Dragon Con coverage, since I still have my flash portraits to edit and post, my Bunny Hutch favorites, AND my yearly Punny Cosplay roundup! I'll try to space these out so you don't get too overloaded, though. :)

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If you like my Dragon Con coverage and want to help me and John keep at it, you can support us directly through Paypal! Whether it's a one-time thing or a monthly donation, every little bit helps us keep pouring our time and effort into these posts, so THANK YOU. We love you all, very much.

31 comments:

  1. "always leave love in your wake" is my new personal mantra. Thanks Jen, for all you do!

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  2. The flaming sword is a bonfire from the Dark Souls games. They're respawn points, which could be helpful in packed conventions!

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    1. Thank you!!!!! I was just about to comment and point that out. It's missing the bones though.

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  3. Jen, I want to take your advice about doing things you love, but I just got out of something really unhealthy that was completely consuming my life, and I don't really remember what I used to love doing anymore. It's like all my old hobbies have vanished into the aether. What are some hobby recommendations that don't cost a lot of money?

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    1. If you have Pintrest and/or Instagram accounts, what do you find yourself gravitating toward? For me personally, it's jewelry making & rock painting. I'm always saving ideas from those sites. Though, I do more jewelry making than rock painting. Then I look for video tutorials for techniques. To challenge myself to do more than string beads (after years & years), I looked into metalsmithing and I'm hooked! If you like painting, get some cheap acrylic paints, find some rocks and paint to your hearts content. Then leave them around your neighborhood as a surprise for others to pick up. There are thousands of designs on Pintrest to inspire a person. Craft stores usually have some kind of workshop to introduce a person to a new to them craft. Marnie's suggestions below are excellent! ~Elsiegirl

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    2. I suddenly have the urge to widdle something, and to paint some encouraging rocks. My suggestion is origami. All you need is paper, a pair of scissors (or a hobbyknife), a ruler and some patience. The hardest part is cutting the paper into exact squares. Almost any paper will doo. An old book, a magazine, wrappingpaper. Just not too fragile or too dense/ sturdy. A good place to start is at origami-instructions.com. Their instructions are really easy to follow. And for a feast of all kinds of origami go to origami-resource-center.com. Happy folding!/ Karin Beronius

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    3. Oh, good lord. I am so sorry! I meant whittle. Nothing else. I've got tonsillitis, not UTI./ Karin Beronius

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    4. I would add it doesn't have to be an official hobby or craft: maybe you love having friends over for game night, or reading YA fiction, or setting up your Pop figures in silly poses and taking pictures of them with your phone. Whatever fills your happiness cup, no matter how mundane or wacky, that's the thing to chase after right now. Get used to chasing after joy again, just for its own sake. Once you start down the path, I think you'll find all sorts of things to try and do and love.

      Also, hugs.

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    5. the anon from beforeSeptember 5, 2019 at 9:28 PM

      The origami suggestion seems like what I'm looking for. It's something simple and cheap that I could do for a long time and get distracted by without it becoming its own issue. I will try it. Thank you.

      Thank you everyone else for your suggestions as well. That was just the one that clicked.

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  4. I don't know if it's a direct reference, but that warrior Santa makes me think of the Kris Kringle from the fairie Winter Court in Jim Butcher's Dresden Files series!

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  5. @Anonymous 6:45 a.m.: Don't worry about finding something you love--do what you do with love, and you'll find the things that you love. That's my best advice (although I'm sure there's a better way to word it). Just don't pressure yourself by thinking "I need to find the thing I love", because then you set yourself up for more frustration. Read a book, learn to crochet or knit, go to a craft show and find someone who makes something you like and talk to them about it, find free activities at your local library, take a class or join a sports team through your local parks and rec department, volunteer at a soup kitchen or homeless shelter, whittle animals out of sticks you find in your neighborhood, go to an animal shelter and pet the dogs and cats, put up a bird feeder, and then track the different types that come to visit. Spend time doing for others, doing something new, and doing mindless things that let your mind wander. Be patient and you'll find what you were meant to find.

    I hope that's not too cheesy!

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    1. To go off of this, check groupon or your local community center for fun activities on the cheap as well. Paintball, yoga, cake decorating, painting nights, belly dancing lessons... try lots of things and see if something clicks. A two month yoga pass from groupon made me realize, I really like how I feel after I do yoga, and now I'm losing weight, getting fit, and making new friends. I also learned, I really don't like spin classes through groupon, lol. My mom found a hip hop country line dancing class at the community center she had a blast at (it's line dancing to hip hop music, so she feels cool with her friends when she talks about all the music she knows).

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  6. Thanks for sharing the word about Beverly. I always loved seeing her pics. <3

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  7. A friend of mine met Beverly before the viral cosplay and she gave him a little yellow flower. He wears it in his hat every day. You could take his wallet before he would give up that flower.

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  8. That Sorcia is a dead ringer! I love Willow, with it's combination of hilarious script, amazing costumes, cutting edge first-of-its-kind morphing tech, and some of the cheesiest low budget practical effects ever, hahaha! The story holds up, even if the trolls don't.

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  9. As always, outstanding pictures and vivid stories. So much to love - Money for Nothing, Fast food reps, all the love. Question: Do the Kirks travel in their boxes or leave them when they walk the floor? Brilliant concept.

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    1. The Shatner figures never move from that spot; they set up there and just STAY. Which is wise, given the crowds!

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  10. That Men in Tights bit at the end made my day, my whole week, my year, it has watered my crops and cleared my skin. I. AM. LIVING.

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    1. Bahaha!I feel this. I swear I've watched it two dozen times, and her smile at the end still gets me every. time. :D

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  11. I think "always leave love in your wake" is my next Cricut project. Awesome post - I live vicariously through you guys for now on DragonCon but can't wait till kiddo is old enough for us to make the trip!

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  12. Thanks for the great photo of a portion of our Fast Food babes group. I was the Dairy Queen and the hours I spent rhinestoning that cherry and making that wig now feel that much more worth it. Thanks for all you do for our weird lil community of costumers!

    (Also, myself and the rest of the fast food ladies are on IG, if you want to see more of our nonsense - DQ: @ginger.oh.snap ; Little Caesar: @galacticat ; Arby's: @smackmystitchup ; Starbucks: @firebirdcostumes ; Taco Belle: @vanna.redd )

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    1. Ginger Oh Snap,

      Thanks for identifying the fast food ladies. I couldn't identify Little Caesar. Got everyone else tho :^} . ~Elsiegirl

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    2. Ginger! You ladies were so great!! I'm just said I didn't get a better photo - and that I couldn't fit McDonalds in on the edge. :( We do have all of you in our video, though! (And omigosh, seriously, your hair with the rhinestone cherry was one of my favorite things the whole con! SO GORGEOUS.)

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  13. Jen, my husband and I met you and John/hung out with you for an evening years ago at Magic Kingdom, and honestly, you probably barely remember it - except maybe that I didn't realize you were struggling with panic at that point and sorta made you ride the train around to Fantasyland. But I remember how funny and kind you both were, that it felt like spending time with old friends, and we truly appreciated your warmth and generosity of time. You guys are awesome and always leave love in your wake.

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  14. This is the one blog where you should *always* read the comments. FOEs leaning in and lifting each other up. I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!

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    1. YES!!!! This is the only place I'll bother reading comments.

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  15. Love everything but especially the Willow cosplay!!!! I know what movie I'm watching this weekend!

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  16. Thank you so much for posting this!! My husband did Jeopardy and we didn’t get ANY pics so I’m so glad I was able to screen grab this. We ran into you later when you were filing- he was LEGO Batman that time. You post such amazing coverage and I love seeing everything we missed �� thank you so much for what you do!!

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