Trying Something New At Leaky Con 2022

Halloo!

I'm still easing back into a full work schedule, so what better way than with MORE FUN CON COVERAGE?

John and I weren't even planning to attend Leaky Con this year, but they surprised us with Press passes - when we didn't even apply - and it's right here in Orlando. Can't say no to that! So we dropped in both Saturday and Sunday to do a little filming *and* flash portraits, as y'all requested.

Leaky Con is like no other con; it's tiny, super niche, and filled with the friendliest, most welcoming Harry Potter fans you could hope for. (They kicked off with an onstage announcement emphasizing their support for trans rights and all people, and happily that was reflected in the crowd.) The vibe is super relaxed, and with so little to do or see, nearly everyone is there to socialize and have fun.

(Risa Hale)

In fact this was the perfect test run for John's latest build, which allows us to film and take flash photos at the same time. By attaching a flash to the opposite end of his camera gimble, John can carry a flash in either hand along with the video rig, while I carry the DSLR. This lets us switch seamlessly from John taking video to me taking flash portraits, zero downtime.

Plus we look EXTRA profesh with all this gear, ha.
(Except John is trying to... twerk?... here, so not THAT profesh.)

Mixing portraits with video is a new adventure for us, and I love not having to choose between the two. Hopefully we captured the best of both worlds?

Tell you what, let's find out:

Eh? Eh?

This took us FOREVER, it's so, so much work. But dang, it pretty.

But wait, I have more to tell you!

MegaCon Orlando 2022: Final Cosplay Batch & Videos

Hi, friend!

I've been stretching out my MegaCon posts here since they've been filling me with much-needed nerdy joy the past few weeks - I hope they've done the same for you.

So let's jump back in with my final batch of favorite cosplays in our big Saturday video:

That Yzma Mando, y'all. I was howling. And the two-sided Wanda? And the rancor puppet? Sooo goooood.

Remembering all this joy and silliness has been a life-line when I had shut off the news and even social media for a couple days, just to heal up my soul a bit, get my mental health in order.

I find people in the abstract - or in the news -  can make me lose faith in humanity, but people in reality give me hope. That's what cons are, at their best: a reminder that there's still love and celebration and community out there.

 Every time I get to laugh and play and lock eyeballs with people being themselves out loud, I know we're - eventually - going to be ok.

Just look at the characters that inspire us!

And the way the next generation looks to us:

AdoraDroids, Sonny Eclipse, & The Sweetest Snakey Hair Tie

Happy Friday, droids and Noids!
(That's a deep cut for you 90s kids.)

I want to show you the prettiest vendor booth in all of MegaCon:

The appropriately named AdoraDroids.

Renee Miller customizes real droids from Disney's Galaxy's Edge, giving them sweet new paint jobs, accessories, and the most swoon-worthy "dock stations" that surround them with lush florals.

Best of all the, the droids are still completely functional and removable from their docks! Renee turns a novelty item you might only use a few times into a stunning art display, something you'll want to have out and enjoy forever. Needless to say, I am a HUGE fan.

Be sure to follow AdoraDroids over on Instagram and TikTok, where Renee posts cute droid videos like this:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Renee Miller (@adoradroids)

My heart. How are you supposed to pick just one favorite?

Next I have a shop for my fellow theme park history fans:

My Top Ten Moments From Star Wars Celebration 2022

For those of you who haven't been obsessively stalking the Celebration coverage all weekend, here come my top ten moments I've found from fans and cosplayers:

1) This Bantha distributing swag:

(Cosplay by @LisaMeiLingFong)

Aaaand now I need to cosplay something with a giant tongue.

2) Literally everyone doing the Spider-Man meme:

(photos via this thread on the Celebration FB page)

They're all pointing different directions and I'm not laugh-crying you're laugh-crying.

3) Tusken Raiders of the Lost Ark

(@GrinningGeeks)

The C3PO statue! The staff! And could that be a Sallah-cious Crumb?

4) The famous "Running of the Hoods":

WE'RE HOME: MegaCon Orlando 2022

WHEW.

Y'all.

What a weekend.

For our first convention of 2022 John and I dove in head-first with Florida's largest, the appropriately named MegaCon. To give you an idea, Mega is bigger than even Dragon Con, hitting 100K attendees several years ago and growing steadily up 'til Covid. This year they came back strong and broke all records with 140,000 attendees - and more than 70,000 of those on Saturday alone. It's big. It's overwhelming. And once you navigate the hours of traffic gridlock and parking nightmares to get inside, it. is. GLORIOUS.

The calm before the storm.

John and I attended all 4 days as Press, and we set a goal of filming, editing, and uploading a new cosplay video to YouTube every night. It's a massive amount of work for four days in a row - we both get very little sleep - but also SO DANG FUN. The cosplay, merch, and crowds were all off the charts, and I never wanted it to end.



In between filming for YouTube I also captured lots of photos and video for my Stories on Instagram/FB, which some of you have been following. Plus on Friday we delayed filming for a few hours so John could officially bring out Boba Vet to play:

The Celebration That Must Not Be Named, 2022

Last weekend was one of my favorite local fan events: The Celebration That Must Not Be Named. When Universal Orlando cancelled their official Harry Potter Celebration back in 2019, the fans took it on themselves to keep the event going, and so the "Uncelebration" was born. I think I may like the fan-run version better; it's smaller (but growing!), more close-knit, and focuses more on the community and making friends. The regulars I see year after year are some of the most lovable goofballs I know, they always inspire me to be just a *little* sillier, in the best ways.

(Photo by Nona Sandberg-Zierler)

Sadly I wasn't able to attend this year's Uncelebration, because John and I were helping a friend move. (Which was actually super fun, no regrets.) HOWEVER, thanks to my relentless internet stalking, I still have tons of highlights and photos to share! So let's gooooo.

The fan group that organizes the Uncelebration is the Central Florida Slug Club, and admins Melissa and Stephanie are the most welcoming, enthusiastic hosts you could hope for. Love these ladies.

That's actually admin Melissa Penatzer on the right.

You don't have to live in central Florida to join the Slug Club, so feel free to join me over there in fangirling over everyone's photos and posts, they're good people.


(photo by Nona Sandberg-Zierer)

D'awww.

... though I'll admit some are a little shiftier than others:


(photo by Diane Lewis)

Oh hey, I just realized Peter is even "missing" a finger. That's some excellent attention to detail!

  Here's Nona Sandberg-Zierler herself as the Gray Lady, one of the ghosts of Hogwarts:


... with a gorgeous Rowena Ravenclaw.

Then Nona's hubby was Nearly Headless Nick!

You May... Take A Viking... To These Photos

Last week we needed something boring at Walmart, so for obvious and necessary adulting reasons, John and I detoured through the Valentines' plushie aisle.

This little ginger viking is adorable, but plays a terrible rendition of "I'm Too Sexy."

The pun was gold, though, so a few days later I decided to do this:

... and then this:

Here's a non-flasher pose in my cold weather outfit, since I like it a lot:

YAY LAYERS

The fair was a last minute decision for me, but my friends Arielle and Karen were prepared and dressed like actual Vikings:

My First Asian Lantern Festival: "Into The Wild"

Happy Friday, you ferocious firecracker! Have you smiled yet today?

If not, I got you:

Last weekend John and I visited our first ever Asian Lantern Festival at the Central Florida Zoo. These lighted festivals are apparently all the rage in zoos across the U.S. but I'm told ours is an especially snazzy example. Even better, this particular exhibit, "Into The Wild," travels! So some of you have seen these exact displays in your state, and some of you might see them soon. I love that, really spreads the joy around.

If you can't watch the video where you are right now, never fear; I also have photos, and there's so much more to see! I tried to video the ones with a lot of motion, but I took regular pics for the rest.

A line of giant candy-colored snails greeted us in the parking lot. Peep that reflection in the pond!

The entry is flanked by these froggy friends:

If you saw my video, you know they blink! ("JOHN, THEY BLINK!! YES I KNOW I'M BEING TOO LOUD.") Going in I only expected a few static displays, so this was my first inkling that we were in for something special.

These festivals are a DELIGHT to photograph, because by the time you lower the exposure enough to capture the colors, all the people in frame practically disappear.

("De-light"? See what I did there?)

The narrow entry path was flanked by lighted cacti, snakes, and even a giant scorpion and spider. This iguana was my favorite, though:

HolMat 2021: We Went To The Christmas Con! And I Have PEEKTURES

Note: Today's post has some PG-13 content in the form of a few risque cosplay photos & some NSFW candy, ha. Enjoy/avoid as you see fit.

It's been 4 years since John and I've been to Holiday Matsuri, aka the Christmas con. Every year we hope to go, but then December happens, we get behind, and poor HolMat gets cut from the schedule.

BUT NOT THIS YEAR.

This year I was determined, dangit, so we crammed a few hours into our over-stuffed schedule and actually made it to Holiday Matsuri last weekend for the first time since 2017. WOOT WOOT! We were only able to stay a few hours, but ohhh, what a few hours. This little holiday con has grown up, y'all. I was so overwhelmed (in a good way) that I couldn't start taking photos for a good 30 minutes; I just staggered around taking it all in.

(Catbus by Allison Chase)

HolMat takes place in an enormous hotel/convention center here in Orlando, and Saturday was slam-packed. Nearly everyone dresses up at this con, which is amazing, and most regulars tend to stay all weekend at the hotel, too, so it has a distinct Dragon Con vibe to it - if Dragon Con was a lot younger and into anime.

Here's that same Hocus Pocus group with flash:

If you're a geek who loves Christmas then this is your con, even if you're not into anime. Most cosplayers add some holiday flair, ranging everywhere from adding a Santa hat to fully re-imagining their character in Christmas colors and fabrics.

It's amazing.

Not only has the con grown in numbers (and WOW has it), the vibe feels older, too. The HolMat regulars are growing up, and there are far more 18+ events now. I think Saturday night had an 18+ cosplay contest, which would explain a few of the costumes you'll see in a bit, haha.

My own outfit for the day:

Snapshots From A Florida Renaissance Faire

Last weekend we got the gang together to visit the Lady of the Lake Renaissance Faire just outside Orlando - a new one to me. Want to see?

Trust me, you want to see.

That's Traci, Karen, & Arielle. We spent Craft Night working on our outfits.

Ironically that IS my Death Eater cloak. It's fun having a cosplay closet to pull from.

Rest assured, John was not spared:

He is VERY PROUD of that hat, y'all.

Also those are women's pants he thrifted for the occasion, and he was completely befuddled by the lack of pockets. "But where do I put my wallet?"

All together now, ladies: EXACTLY.

:D

Parking lot portrait so you can see our full outfits:

Right, I suppose I should talk about the actual Faire now, huh?

Lady of the Lakes surprised us in the best ways. It was bigger than I expected, with more people, more shows, and located in a shady grove filled with tall trees, so everywhere you looked there was gorgeous green canopy overhead.

There were little campsites and wagons throughout:

Dragon Con 2021: The Funniest Cosplay You Missed

What, you thought just because I wasn't at Dragon Con this year I wouldn't have any cosplay roundups?

P'ffft.

P'FFFT I SAY.

 I spent most of my free time this last week relentlessly seeking out and saving the funniest, punniest, and overall best of the best cosplays to share with y'all, which has been such a blast.

Let's start off strong with the most popular fandom all weekend: Loki. Dragon Con's famous Marriott lobby was actually featured in the show, so you knew folks were going to have a field day making their own variants, right?

Well never fear, because it looks like the Time Variant Authority is here to prune both Totoro-ki and Ky-loki:


(via tjblackburn 81)

Ky-loki, y'all. C'mon. GIVE IT UP. 

Ahh, but wait, I think I can do you one better. In fact, this may be the punniest cosplay of the whole con this year. I'll give you a sec - can you guess who this is?

(via August Blake)

Did you guess?

Look again. Now?

She's the Delta Variant, y'all.

I'm not sure if that's a wink or a wince, Tom, but really, either works.


I also have to show you this adorable Miss Minutes:

(via tjblackburn 81)

The mask! The clock purse! The TVA belt buckle! I hope she wears this to Disney's next Dapper Day.

Now the coolest TikTok pruning EVER:

Tampa Comic-Con 2021: Stories & New Cosplay!

Gosh, it feels like just last week that I was sharing new cosplay photos with y'all, when in fact it was a week and a half ago.

::taps nose:: ::nods knowingly::

I hope the novelty hasn't worn off yet, because I'M BACK, baby, this time with colorful portraits from Tampa Comic-Con: 

Imagine Rod Stewart's "Broken Arrow" playing for this Warrior Poison Ivy. That's what I'm doing.

Ivy teamed up with Executioner Harley Quinn:

I'm hearing more "Back in Black" from AC/DC for her. :p

Also her dragon shoulder armor is SO COOL.

John and I originally planned to spend the whole weekend at the con, but due to the new Covid wave - and the con's lack of mask requirements - we cut our visit in half. We popped in for the last three hours Saturday afternoon, then a few more hours Sunday afternoon before driving home. The crowds were actually less than Metro from the week before, and I'd say 80% or more were unmasked. Considering most stores here in Florida just re-instated mask policies, it felt strange to be one of the very few in masks.

Here are all my Stories from the weekend, do NOT miss the dancing Spider-Man at the end. It'll renew your faith in humanity and leave you with a big ol' grin, I promise:



HEART... FULL.

We even got a flash photo of Spidey, complete with bubbles:

MetroCon 2021: Cosplay, Dancing, & Coming Home Again

I am SO EXCITED to share all the fun and pretties with you from Metro last weekend, bots, but first, quick moment of realness: I'm concerned about con season this year. Especially here in Florida and Georgia. As of today John and I don't know if we'll be attending the rest of the conventions on our schedule, which has us pretty torn up. We want to be smart and safe and protect our loved ones, so just know if we do attend any more cons this year, it will be with every possible precaution.

I'm also happy to report that Metro felt safe. They required vaccination cards for anyone who didn't want to wear a mask, so the bare faces in the crowd were actually nice to see. Plus I know some - perhaps many? - of the mask-wearers were vaccinated but chose to wear masks anyway, like our group.

All that said, let's jump in to some happy:



Here's a compilation of all my Stories from the weekend, a few have loud music near the middle, so watch your volume. If you're on a desktop hit the fullscreen option so it's not so tiny.

(That incredible mushroom fairy at the end is @aundi_lanea, and I was *this close* to going Awkward Fangirl and asking her to be friends with me. :p)

In addition to shopping and dancing and just taking it all in, John and I also brought our trusty flash rig out for a few hours, so prepare for some PRETTIES. Woot woot!

Let's start with the incredible cosplayer I ended my Stories with, Duy Truong:

Duy always blows us away; he specializes in DRAMA and making jaws drop. I couldn't light the whole skirt with the flash, so go back to my video to see just how enormous it really is.

Look at all the details on the jacket. Look at them:

::swoon::

I almost tossed this next photo, but the more I looked at it, the more it became my favorite:

There's something about the stream of people in the background ignoring us that feels so surreal, and the visible flash gives it a behind-the-scenes vibe. I dig it.

There's a lot of Lolita fashion at Metro, and I'm a fan. Give me all the ruffles and sweet pastels!

Stunning.

And here's a Lolita Diva from Overwatch: