The Diary of Always River: Lexington Comic & Toy Expo 2016

A new year means it's con planning time! It's been almost 4 months since my last con (Chicago TARDIS), so I was definitely ready to get back to the #conlife! For my first con of 2016, I headed to Lexington Comic & Toy Expo in Lexington, KY. I'd been planning on hitting this one for quite some time, ever since they announced an appearance by Peter Davison (the 5th Doctor of Classic Doctor Who). This would bring my total number of Doctors I've met in the past 3 years to 6! I was also excited that I was going to see Manu Bennett again, but he most unfortunately canceled a few weeks back. My expectation was that #lctc2016 was going to be a relatively small con, and with it being less than 2 hours from home, I made plans to just hit it on Saturday. I'll go ahead and say that it was SO huge and SO enjoyable, that I'll be booking my room and getting my 3-day pass for next year and likely every year after. However, I did manage to fit quite a lot into my short visit, so here's my experience in a rather stuffed nutshell:

As per usual, I had been planning my cosplay for quite some time, even before the Christmas episode, The Husbands of River Song, aired. Here's a side-by-side of the debut of my completed cosplay for River Song's first outfit from THORS:

Cosplay photo by Sci-Fi Photo Guys

I am really happy with how it turned out, and I received several compliments and posed for lots of pictures. My only complaint is that wearing a leather jacket, 2 belts, and high-heeled boots for a full day at a crowded con is not the most comfortable. I don't know how River runs all over time and space with all this going on. For those interested, 2 of the components of this cosplay are screen-accurate: the dress is by All Saints and the necklace is from House of Fraser. The top belt and holster were commissioned and created for me by Archaic Leatherworks.

First on the agenda for me and my good friend Becca was to pick up our badges and have a trip around before heading to the one panel I wanted to catch. Lines were crazy long but we didn't manage to have to wait too long at all, strode right up and got our wristbands and our badges for the James Marsters concert later that night. This con was pretty spread out and there was a lot of back-and-forth between the first and third floors. We wound up on the the 3rd floor straightaway, which was apparently just overflow from the main floor. In the entryway we found a couple of TARDISes as well as a familiar door:

Carol Singers will be Criticised

Knock Knock Knock Sherlock

We then entered a small-ish room that we thought was the main event, so I initially thought there were an awful lot of people there for such a small vendor room. HA! Well, we popped around in there for a bit before realising that there was much more on the 1st floor, so down we went. We figured out where the photo op room was and spied James Marsters through the back entry, much to the delight of Becca. Past the op room was the primary part of the convention - now it all made sense! This room was huge and, like I said before, way too much to sufficiently check out all in one day. As I was not in the mindset to pour over comics, and I'm fairly certain there's nothing new on the River Song front that's not already in my collection, we decided to see who we could find in the autograph arena.

The lines for The Doctors were not bad at all. We only had to wait a matter of minutes before getting up to Colin Baker (the 6th Doctor). He was the first of the Doctors I met at my first con in 2013, so he holds quite a special place in my heart. I had brought some bourbon balls from Schimpff's Confectionery near my home as a gift for all 3 of the Doctors. We all had quite a laugh when I told Colin he had to share with Peter and Sylvester. He ate one right then and there and was just as gracious and lovely as the first time I met him. He signed my Doctor Who stamp (photo below) for me to add to my growing collection of these. I'm quite happy I got to see him again and he will remain one of my favourite people I've ever had the pleasure of meeting.

Right next door was Peter Davison (the 5th Doctor). I don't believe he does many appearances in the states, so this was quite a special occasion. I of course had him sign my stamp as well. So I now have signed stamps from 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, & 11. I do someday hope to add a couple more to that collection, even though it can sadly never be complete. I told him about the chocolates and we had some good razzing with Colin. I hope in the end Peter and Sylvester managed to snag at least 1 bourbon ball a piece!

I didn't have anything for Sylvester to sign, as he'd signed my stamp at Dragon Con, so I didn't want to take up space in line just to say hello (even though that's totally acceptable, if you're ever wondering if you can do that without having to buy anything). Peter and Colin were also offering voicemail shout-outs, which I think is super cool, but the problem is, no one calls anyone on the telephone anymore, so really, who would hear it except someone calling to tell me I've won a free cruise?

We found ourselves with just a tad bit of time before the panel, so we walked around for a while just admiring cosplays and seeing all the things there are to see. We ran into these characters and I got some T-Rex kisses. Or they were trying to eat my face, you know, whatever:

We got in line for Karen Gillan's panel and met some lovely people. I was asked to pose for a few pics, some of which are popping up on my Instagram. The line was really nothing compared to some I've been in, so it was totally bearable. As I've said in previous blogs, some of the best people you'll meet and the most fun you'll have will be in a que. I asked about the panel room and found out it was quite small, which could be good or bad. But we were fairly far ahead in the line, so I didn't worry too much.

We filed right in and I managed to snag us 2 seats 4th row centre - not too shabby. Unfortunately, no photos or videos were allowed, so I've nothing to show for that. Karen was, as always, perfectly delightful, funny, and generous with her time and attention to the fans. I'm pleased I was fortunate enough to see her this close and didn't have to view on a screen from the back of a huge room. This is one of the many things I enjoy about "smaller" cons like this one.

Immediately after the panel, it was time for my photo op with the 3 Doctors. Again, while in line, I met some fabulous cosplayers, most notably a Missy and a 12th Doctor, both of which who were great fun and with which I'm pictured in the aforementioned Instagram. I also cornered a Matt Murdock cosplayer and snagged this sauciness:

River Song meets Matt Murdock

The op room seemed, for the most part, quite organized. They only had 1 backdrop and therefore 1 op going at a time, which I thought was unusual for a con with so many guests. As far as I can tell, though, no one had to wait too horribly long and everyone seemed pleased with how everything was functioning. Upon my turn, Sylvester remembered me from Dragon Con and Colin joked that he'd already put away all the bourbon balls. Peter said it seemed like I had quite a history with these fellows. Well, they are my husbands, after all! This has got to be one of my all-time favorite photo ops. I'm looking like a bad-ass, and there are my goofy Doctors - such a hoot! This here is perfect is what this is:

The Husbands of River Song
clockwise: Sylvester McCoy (7), Peter Davison (5), & Colin Baker (6)

This was the only op I purchased, since I've got quite a few cons coming up and well, you have to make some executive decisions. With 3 or so hours until the James Marsters show, we headed back to the main hall before grabbing a little something to eat. Both Becca and I were excited that Henry Winkler was there (she didn't know he would be, so another fantastic surprise). As a kid, I was a huge fan of his (and still am, truth be told). I had a Fonz shirt that I literally grew out of. I will always associate Henry with the good parts of my childhood. He was so lovely to meet, and I'm glad we took the time to get this little memento:

River Song and Becca meet Fonzie

Before dashing out to par down my cosplay, we found a Dalek. He should check his records again, though, because, you know, I'm River Song:

A rather docile Dalek, unsuspecting of my sonic trowel

Back into the main hall we went, just to see if there was anything on our not-to-be-missed list. Unlike other cons, the artists and vendors seemed to be mixed in and there was no specific designation as to who was where. We saw quite a few professional cosplayers, several comic book vendors (which is always good to see), a splattering of authors and quite a few artists. I picked up a couple of River Song stickers as well as some promotional discs from Big Finish, but that was about it. Again, when living the #conlife, you start to think of money in terms of photo ops and autographs (if that's what you're into, and I certainly am), as well as how much space you actually have left in your house for memorabilia. At the end of the day, my scores were minimal, but perfectly satisfying:

LexCon Loot

The James Marsters show was to be in the same room as Karen Gillan's panel, so we went ahead and staked our place in line. Front row seating was more than twice as much as a standard ticket, so we decided to just take our chances. We did some great people-watching, as on the other side of the convention center, Disney on Ice was about to start. There were of course lots of kids in costume, which was adorable. There was even a dad dressed as Prince Charming. I'm sorry, but that's just a little too sweet. Moving on...

While we were several rows back for the show, the room was, as I said, not big at all. I've never seen a concert at a con, so this was an extra-special opportunity. I didn't bring my actual camera, so just took a single phone shot from my seat. You can, however, see the entire show on YouTube!

James Marsters One-Man Show

The show marked the end of our day at LexCon, but I will definitely be back next year for the full experience! Thank you to everyone who took the time to compliment my cosplay and/or to get their photo with me. It's the best feeling to have all your research and work recognized. And thanks to the staff, volunteers, and everyone who worked to make this con so enjoyable. You are appreciated!

Next up for me is EvilleCon, at which I'll be presenting my first panel,

"It's All in the Details: Creating Screen-Accurate Cosplays."

Join me, won't you?