Off to see the Wizard World

Last weekend, my friend Amanda and I left husbands and kids at home while we drove to St. Louis for Wizard World.

It was announced back in October that David Tennant and Billie Piper were going to appear at Wizard World St. Louis. Chris, knowing how much we love the 10th Doctor and Rose, suggested we have a ladies weekend and go. Plans were made.

We planned our cosplay, Amanda as the 10th Doctor, me as Donna Noble. Donna was an easy pick for a companion. She is one of my favorites, plus I felt I could pull her off. (I'm most definitely not a Rose Tyler, plus I look terrible as a blond.)

Many of our costume pieces were found at Goodwill. My fabulous leather jacket was found at Vintage Vogue by Goodwill. I dyed my hair.

Doctor Who nail wraps from Espionage Cosmetics

We both did our nails in Doctor Who style. Fittingly, since it was announced a month or so before the convention that Matt Smith would also appear, the nail wraps included a TARDIS (duh), a Dalek (of course), and the 10th and 11th Doctors.

We knew our chances of seeing David Tennant, Billie Piper, or Matt Smith were slim, since we didn't pay the exorbitant price for their VIP experiences.

The St. Louis Arch, from the Martin Luther King Bridge, as we arrived

We arrived in St. Louis around sunset. We had taken I70 across Illinois, and our directions pointed us either to the I70 or I55 bridges across the Mississippi River, but we chose instead the smaller Martin Luther King Bridge, which afforded us a lovely view of the Arch as the sun set.

This being our first Wizard World, and our main convention experience being Gen Con, we weren't sure what the lines for wrist bands would be like in the morning, so we woke up early (well, we woke up before our alarm anyway), dressed for the day, had breakfast, and walked across the street from our hotel to the convention center around 8 a.m. The line for a wrist band was very quick, then we were shuffled into the line to wait the opening.

The 10th Doctor and Donna, ready for the day!

During the hour and a half wait, we met some lovely people in line. The group in front of us, a mom and 4 of her teen/twenty-something kids, were also huge Whovians and Harry Potter fans. Sharing our fandom was a big part of why we went to the con.

Once on the con floor, we wandered our way toward the autograph and photo op area to pick up the tickets for our autographs and photograph with Elizabeth Henstridge (and check the schedule). When we discovered she would be at the convention, we decided to get autographs and a photograph with her since we both love that show and her character in particular.

Wandering the floor, we ran into the 4th Doctor and K-9. His K-9, while not as functional as the original, dispensed stickers to kids. The 4th Doctor is Chris's favorite, the Doctor he grew up watching.

Posing with a 4th Doctor cosplayer and K-9

We also saw this group of cosplayer representing the 4 modern Doctors, the 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th. There were very few 9th Doctor cosplayers, which is sad, because I really like Christopher Eccleston's Doctor. (For the record, there were a lot of 10 and 11, which makes sense since they are the most popular and because those actors were at the con. We did see a handful of twelves.)

Four Doctors

There was a booth with a home-built DeLorean raising money for the Michael J. Fox Foundation. Amanda took a picture with the DeLorean. We also stopped by the Nerditure booth and took photos with their TARDIS. They had some really cool furniture, including a TARDIS laundry hamper and and toy box shaped like a Lego brick.

Just stepping out of my ride.

Elizabeth Henstridge, who plays Dr. Gemma Simmons on Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., had her first autograph session early, so we got in that line about half an hour before. She was absolutely delightful. She took a moment to talk to each person in line. When it was our turn, she noticed our nails and asked questions about the nail wraps. All in all, she just seemed so genuine and, yes, delightful.

After the autograph, we rushed upstairs, across the entire convention center to the ballroom for the David Tennant/Billie Piper panel, hoping we might get a seat, only to discover the panel was rescheduled for later since David Tennant's flight was late arriving. This worked in our favor.

So, on to lunch, then a panel discussing Doctor Who with the local Whovian group, St. Louis Celestial Intervention Agency. At the panel, I won an 11th Doctor comic for knowing what show Matt Smith and Billie Piper were in together (an episode of Secret Diary of a Call Girl). 

After that panel, it was time to head back to the convention floor for our photo op with Elizabeth Henstridge. Once again, we joined the line about half an hour before the photo op. Once the session started, the line moved quickly through, with each photo taking about 30 seconds. She recognized us from the autograph session earlier as we went in.

Our photo with Elizabeth Henstridge, (c) Celeb Photo Ops

As we left the photo op, we stopped to get a picture with a Dalek, because it's a Dalek and we were cosplaying the Doctor and Donna.

Oh no! It's a Dalek!

Knowing the David Tennant/Billie Piper panel was going to be one of the most popular events at the convention and that many people camped out in the ballroom to get seats, and the Matt Smith panel immediately before would be well-attended, we headed back upstairs, to the opposite end of the convention center to join the line outside the ballroom to wait about an hour, hoping to get in.

Once again, we were able to chat with the folks near us in line, so it was a nice opportunity to meet some people. We also admired the costumes as cosplayers wandered past. The line grew, snaking around and down the hall. A second line for David Tennant VIPs formed.

As the Matt Smith panel ended, some people actually left the packed ballroom. The David Tennant VIP badge holders were allowed in to the special VIP seating. And we waited, hoping. Luckily there were only about a dozen people ahead of us in line, so we were able to get in to the panel. A few people behind us did as well. I'm sure many people in that long line were turned away.

Our view of David Tennant and Billie Piper on the giant screens

Although we found seats about halfway back, we couldn't really see the stage. But the giant screens on either side allowed us to see David Tennant and Billie Piper as they answered fan questions. The questions were quite good, mostly not stuff that could be found with a simple online search or look at IMDb.

David Tennant and Billie Piper had a great rapport. He was quite funny. They were both lovely to listen to. Best moment of the con. 

By the time the panel ended at 6:30, we were both hungry but looking for something quick so we could watch the costume contest at 7. We hurried back to the show floor, which closed at 7. Most of the food vendors had closed, but one still had hot dogs, pretzels and nachos left, so pretzels for dinner it was.

By the time we made it back upstairs, all the way across the convention center, back to the ballroom, it was about 7:15, but the costume contest was actually just getting started. They were just introducing the judges. There were some really clever costumes. Plenty of creativity: Han frozen in carbonite, Rainbow Dash Dalek, Sailor Deadpool. Fantastic Batman v Superman Wonder Woman, Jack Nicholson Joker (amazing makeup!), anime characters, female Loki, Jack Skellington with moving mouth (awesome makeup!).

Costume contest winners and honorable mentions

And after the costume contest, we were exhausted and headed back to the hotel, our day at Wizard World St. Louis over.

The next morning, we decided to visit the Arch while we were in St. Louis, before heading home. Unfortunately, there is a lot of construction going on at the Arch, so only those with "Journey to the Top" tickets can go in, but we were able to wander the grounds and walk right up to the Arch. (We didn't pre-order online because the tickets are timed and we weren't sure of our schedule; they were sold out so we couldn't purchase onsite.)

The Arch

The view of the Arch from the Old Courthouse across the street is perfect. The Old Courthouse serves as a museum of St. Louis history and is where you can purchase tickets for tours of the Arch or the river cruise. There's an exhibit on Dred Scott, and one about the early history of the city as a French town in an area governed by the Spanish. 

The Old Courthouse

While we couldn't go in the Arch, we could walk around it, and right up to the base on the other side. 

The Arch up close

Walking from the Arch back to the car, we came upon this bit of public art. 

Sculpture band

And then it was time to drive home. 

All in all, it was a fun weekend. Would I go to another Wizard World? Maybe. I would consider going to one in a smaller city nearby if a celeb I really wanted to see was going to appear. But I'm not looking for the next Wizard World to attend.

Wizard World is all about bringing in the celebrities and then charging a lot of money for people to see them. Which is fine. 

I would have liked to see more panels, but we spent a lot of time in lines waiting. We didn't know the schedule until very soon before the convention, and some schedules, like autographs, were't available until we were on site, so it was hard to plan. 

The user experience of the website and the convention left some to be desired. Too often on the website, I would click on a section and be taken out of the St. Louis convention information back to the main Wizard World site, have to reselect my convention, and start over. There were too many times when we had to find someone to ask something that we should have been able to discover online on our own--the information provided online was not clear or missing. 

There were too many times when we had to approach a line and ask the people in it if it was the correct one, only to hear that they thought it was because that was the line they were supposed to be in. Maybe it's because we've been spoiled by well-run conventions that have volunteers at the end of long lines, especially when it is unclear where the start is, to help people get into the correct line. I notice these things now. I can't help it. 

Gen Con 2014 in review

Gen Con: a tiring, fun weekend.

Since school started 2 weeks ago, we weren't able to get to Indy until Friday evening. I made sure to do my nerdicure before we drove to Indy, applying Espionage Cosmetics' Critical Hit nail wraps.

My nerdicure: Espionage Cosmetics' Critical Hit.

Since we were only at Gen Con for a few hours Friday night, I decided to cosplay in comfort. I donned a bathrobe, pajama pants and a towel to play Arthur Dent from Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. For anyone looking to get into cosplay but intimidated, this is a super easy one to do.

Friday night cosplay: Arthur Dent

 Of course, we stayed up way too late Friday night, playing a new board game, Epic Resort, with friends until sometime after midnight.

We tried not to over schedule ourselves this year, but we did have a few fun workshops and seminars Saturday. I started off my day decorating cupcakes to look like 1-Up Mushrooms. We rolled fondant, cut shapes, and learned how to apply it to the cupcakes. Of course, my cupcakes only lasted long enough for me to show them off before Chris and I ate them.

My cupcakes

Saturday was the big cosplay day, as usual. I dressed as Kiki from Kiki's Delivery Service. This is actually the easiest costume I've made, with a pretty simple black dress and a big red bow. Of course, creating the pattern for the dress was a challenge, but Amanda helped me do that. A big bonus to this cosplay? It comes with a bag to carry stuff!

And I must share the cosplay pictures: me as Kiki with Amanda as Elsa, and me as Kiki with Chris as a Scotsman (he wanted to wear his kilt).

Elsa and Kiki

Me and my Scotsman

I actually didn't take a lot of pictures of people cosplaying this year. I enjoyed seeing all the costumes, but didn't feel the need to document them all. Plus, I was usually too busy doing my own thing to stop and ask. I did go to a seminar on cosplaying on a budget. I knew a lot of the tips, although there was some good information shared. I think the best part of that seminar was the people attending sharing their tips and tricks.

Chris went to a leather working workshop in the afternoon. He cut and prepped all the pieces to make a new sporran. He still needs to sew it together, but that shouldn't be too difficult. This was actually a perfect project since he wanted to buy or make a bigger sporran than his current one. 

Saturday night in Indy was crazy busy, with a pre-season Colts game at the same time as Gen Con. Restaurants downtown were packed, but we really wanted to sit down to eat dinner rather than hit the food trucks again. We ended up at California Pizza Kitchen, which was a great choice, because the wait for a table was only 25 minutes. It was nearly 2 hours at Ram and 4 hours at Harry and Izzy's!

Oh, and the food trucks? Best addition to Gen Con. The variety of food is awesome, plus there is a lot less waiting than when convention hall food or waiting for a restaurant table were the only options. And there are cupcakes. 

We brought the boys to their first Gen Con Sunday. This year we've introduced them to cons, starting with Indy Comic Con in March, followed by Indy Pop Con in May. They were less overwhelmed by Gen Con, even though it's bigger than either of the others. I think having the experience of the other cons helped them feel more comfortable since they already knew some of what to expect.

New to Gen Con (I think) was a button hunt for kids. There were 9 Gen Con buttons to collect in various parts of the convention center. This was a smart way for Gen Con to draw kids into areas they might not otherwise go. And the kids loved it! The button hunt kept our two engaged and entertained for a good hour. They were able to collect 8 of the buttons (the mercenary was gone)--and then we ran into some friends who had only collected the mercenary and gave them to the boys. They were so excited to have a complete set!

The boys with their buttons!

We were actually able to stay for over 4 hours with the boys, a record. (Previous con record was 2 hours before they were overwhelmed.) They were excited to see Waldo, Steve from Minecraft, and other cosplayers. Then we saw a Wookiee. And the Wookiee was playing cello in a band. They didn't quite know what to think about that!

There's a Wookiee in the band!

 On our way out, we stopped to watch Rusty Bawls performing in the hallway. He's a Gen Con tradition. The boys didn't want to watch at first, but they soon were charmed by his juggling and antics.

Rusty Bawls, a Gen Con tradition

And then it was time to go. We were tired, and the boys were done with the crowds. They also needed time to play with their new dice and cards once we got home. Until next year....

Gen Con 2013 in review: part 3

This is part 3: Sunday

Sunday was a little more relaxed, with us spending time in the exhibit hall or just hanging out, and one last panel for Chris, on 3D filmmaking. We ran in to several friends who just came for Family Fun Day.

This was also my steampunk day. I chose the shorter day because wearing a corset all day is not fun. I completed my outfit early on in the hall with the purchase of the overskirt and a map holder. I'm quite pleased with the results. I received a lot of compliments on my costume, including one from a self-professed history geek, who delighted in my very Victorian (other than the corset as outerwear) costume. That pleased me because I built it from the Victorian base and then steampunked it, rather than the other way around.

Sunday was Steampunk day for me

I was delighted to see some Battlestar Galactica cosplay. Starbuck and Apollo, perhaps? A few years ago I had BSG and Firefly on my Bingo card and didn't see any cosplayers. This year, I found both.

Yep, Battlestar Galactica pilots

There was something interesting I noticed this year. A lot of attention has been spent on women who cosplay, and the number of sexy outfits. My thought on that is that if you want to feel sexy, if you have the confidence, go ahead. But I don't, so I have more conservative cosplay. Sure I'll wear a corset, but it has a shirt underneath. 

Now, what I really noticed this year, perhaps because I was paying attention, was that, while the 'sexy' cosplay got plenty of attention, there was a lot of admiration for the 'non-sexy'* cosplay. Even from men. Which is only worth remarking on because there has been so much attention paid to the more lascivious attention. So, I'm just putting this out there: good cosplay is good cosplay. Men who enjoy seeing the costumes, men who aren't just looking for half-naked women, are out there. They are there admiring the hard work and creativity. And they aren't getting enough credit. Some of them are cosplaying as well. 

I like dressing up. It's fun. Sometimes Chris joins me (this year he was just too busy so he didn't). I love seeing what costumes other people wear. 

And a final note on cosplay: If you like the idea but find it intimidating, here's an easy costume just about anyone can put together. Wear a bathrobe and carry a towel. Viola! You're Arthur Dent from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. There are plenty of easy costumes. They don't have to be handmade (my steampunk outfit is all purchased). They don't have to be expensive (mine usually are, despite my best intentions). The point is to have fun. 

* By non-sexy, I don't mean to say that a costume isn't sexy, just that it isn't overtly sexy. 

Gen Con 2013 in review: part 2

This is part 2: Saturday

Saturday I cosplayed as Lady Sybil from Downton Abbey. At least one person recognized my costume, calling out "Downton Abbey!" and asking for a picture with me. I got a lot of compliments and a few pictures taken, but I'm not sure how many people got the costume. Considering I don't recognize half the costumes I see, that's ok.

Cosplaying with Amanda

Amanda got compliments for her costume as Elizabeth from BioShock. She chose the early version of the costume rather than the corseted later version, and a lot of people seemed to appreciate that. I'm not familiar with the game, but I can concur that a day in corset is not fun.

My Little Ponies!

I saw several people throughout the weekend cosplaying as My Little Ponies. These are just the first. Yes, men and women alike were cosplaying ponies. I saw several Rainbow Dashes, a couple Pinkie Pies, Rarity, Fluttershy.... I love that so many people love the ponies. And I am kind of excited about the MLP collectible card game coming out in November. I think it's something they boys might enjoy.

Superheroes!

There were superheroes galore at Gen Con. Just after taking this picture, The Joker appeared and joined the group. Even though they didn't know each other, Batman and the Joker did a little role playing for the cameras. I saw a lot of Wonder Woman cosplayers this year.

Balloon-thulhu

There was a balloon artist at the con this year. Balloon-thulhu was in the corridor outside the main exhibit hall.

Lady Sybil

There was a Gen Con backdrop next to Balloon-thulhu to take pictures, so of course I had to get my picture taken there. I'm really glad I had comfortable shoes for my costume, because my feet were still sore by the end of the day just from all the walking. Chris's mom lent me the gloves that really pulled the outfit together. She also lent me a necklace and the pin in my hair (not shown), and she made matching earrings Friday evening while we were walking the halls! I think she enjoyed helping with the costuming.

Cosplayers in the halls

Transformers!

One of the things I love best about Gen Con is wandering the halls and floor admiring all the wonderful and creative costumes. Three of the wizards from Lord of the Rings (Saruman the White, Gandalf the Grey and Radagast the Brown) posed next to Boba Fett and a Transformer. (I don't know who the woman in blue is.) Just down the hall were Storm Troopers and Clone Troopers, including one in a kilt. There's always one in a kilt, because kilts are awesome.

 

Storm Troopers and Clone Troopers

Another group posing together

 And just past the Transformer was this group posing for pictures together. Saturday is the big costume day, with the costume parade and costume contest. It's the best day for seeing cosplayers if you can only go one day.

A harpy?

 The wings on this costume were fantastic. She spread them out for the picture, but they folded in to walk around.

I love turning around to find some of my favorite characters. Who wants to take a ride on the Serenity?

 

Wash, Kaylee, Simon and Captain Mal

Harley Quinn Vader

We finally hit the exhibit hall Saturday. I got there late in the morning for a bit, then had lunch and wandered the floor again with Chris. 

One of many TARDIS dresses.

Rhonda on the exhibit hall floor

Spaceballs!

Thor and a watcher

Steampunk Iron Man

She made this costume!

With Michelle Hartz, zombie belly dancer

Street performer

Some costumes I saw but didn't get pictures of: Prince Leia, Katniss Everdeen, Merida from Brave, many versions of Doctor Who, a knight is real armor, pirates galore....

We spent a delightful hour Saturday afternoon enjoying the music of the Doubleclicks. I highly recommend checking them out.

ZOE/DG crew

Gamers 3: Hands of Fate cast and director

Saturday evening was dedicated to film. Actually, to Dead Gentlemen/Zombie Orpheus Entertainment films. We screened the rough cut, test screenings of The Gamers: Humans & Households and The Gamers: Natural One. Both were quite fun and should be released as webseries once editing and effects are done.


After the test screenings came the big event: the extended edition premier of The Gamers 3: Hands of Fate. We missed the world premier of the festival cut Thursday. I loved one of the themes the crossed several story lines in the film: that women are not a prize to be won.

Gen Con 2013 in review: part 1

Gen Con 2013 is over. We have a whole year to wait for the next convention. In the meantime, I want to remember the last 2 1/2 days (we couldn't make it up to Indy until Friday night).

This is part 1: Friday night.

A group of cosplayers in the hall

posing for pictures

and entertaining a crowd.

Wandering the halls at the convention center Friday night filled a decent portion of my Gen Con Bingo card. We came across this group of cosplayers posing for pictures, pulling in more costumed folks as they walked by.

Dr. Horrible stopped to take a picture of the group and ended up in the pictures. Also in the group: Secret Snake, Mario and Luigi, Spiderman, a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle... I actually don't recognize all the characters. Secret Snake set his box behind the group before joining in.

Dalek in the hall.

 A dalek was also wandering the halls. Yes, there is a person in there. It moves and speaks. And a pair of zombies. And Captain America.

Zombie mom and daughter.

Captain America