For the purpose of space, and assuming that if you're reading my blog, you probably follow my other social media, I'll post only some photo highlights here. You can see more photos on my Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, and of course Facebook.
Nowadays, my cosplays are my primary concern in con planning, and, like I said, this starts months in advance. There are so many things to think about: Which cosplay(s) have I yet to debut? Which cosplay(s) do I want in my photo ops with "X" celeb? Which cosplay(s) are seasonally appropriate for where I'm going, how crowded the con will be, and how feasibly wearable are they for potentially extended periods of time/distance walking? And most of all, which cosplay(s) can I pull completely together by con time? When I tell you I have a database for tracking all of these things, I'm not exaggerating. I decided on my updated Day of the Moon as well as 2 new ones from Let's Kill Hitler:
Friday
With everything planned and packed, I hit the road for the short 4-hour drive to STL. Turns out, this was the exact amount of time needed to make my way through the new audio drama from Big Finish: The Diary of River Song. I would save Doom Coalition 2 for the ride home. I lucked out with virtually zero traffic and a beautiful stretch of highway. Stephanie and her sister-in-law were headed from Alabama, so they were well on their almost twice-as-long drive. It takes nothing short of military precision to plan a con with friends who live in a different part of the country. But for the past few months at least, Stephanie and I have chatted almost every day. I can definitely count on her for doing whatever it takes to get to the con on time and to care as much about the details as I do. Luckily, our fandoms are pretty much the same, so it's usually a given that we will want to do most, if not all the same things over the weekend. There's a long list of decisions to be made: Which celebs do we NEED photos with? Which ones do we want by ourselves and which ones are we OK to share? Which ones do we NEED autographs from? Which panels do we NEED to attend? And, oh yeah, where are we having dinner? Most of our conversations in the weeks leading up to the con consist of things like, "Did you pack this?" "Well, I'm bringing that." "Look at this cool thing I didn't know existed but that will make my life so much easier!" (That last one is in reference to a folding cart that will tote all my stuff from car to hotel with ease so that I don't need to be my own pack mule).
We arrived in the hotel parking garage within minutes of each-other and loaded in. If you've never attended a con with a full-on cosplayer, let me tell you that the amount of stuff needed is a sight to behold. I brought more with me for a 3 day con than I do for a 2 week vacation. But after having done this a few times, I know that it's far better to bring something "just in case you'll need it" than to have to find it there or go without. Con prep is definitely an under-appreciated art form.
Our hotel definitely deserves a mention at this point. We booked at the Missouri Athletic Club based on the price and the proximity to the con itself. It's in a beautiful old building and we were under the impression that, since they have a dress code, it would be pretty swank. Well, it was a little different than that. I'll probably save the majority of the issues for a forthcoming Yelp! review, but if you've seen the latest season of American Horror Story: Hotel, you might have a feeling of the scene we found ourselves in. We did kind of wish we had some Daredevil cosplays lined up, since our windows opened right onto the perfect rooftop for a photo shoot. Or rabid raccoons, you know, whatever. Just to give you an idea of the creepy ambiance, here are some shots we took in the hallway, straight out of The Shining:
Stephanie and Tabitha opted for street clothes on Friday since we weren't getting any photo ops and there really weren't any celebs there that we just had to meet. I changed into my LKH relatively quickly, got my con bag together, and we made our way to the con, which was less than 2 blocks away. This was the day to feel everything out, get a sense of the layout, and to buy anything in the artist/vendor area we just couldn't live without. I was a bit surprised at how long the line to check in and get our badges was. However, it's nothing like it is on a Saturday morning. As VIPs, we had the option to pick everything up 2 hours before the con opened, but with travel and check-in time, that wasn't good for us. I was happy to see that this Wizard World was quite a bit larger than the last con of theirs I attended in Louisville last year. We would definitely be able to pass the time just walking around and having general con fun. With the David Tennant/Matt Smith VIPs, we received some really beautiful lithographs of each of them as well as some con-exclusive variant covers of their respective comic books:
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| Swag |
Let me just say how very much work the first LKH cosplay truly was. There's always the research, of course, in finding the exact patches, pins, insignia, etc. for a uniform such as this. But with the help of some of my River Sisters, as well as a lot of prowling military websites, I pieced it together. At the end of the day, my tunic and cap were 100% screen-accurate and virtually 100% authentic pieces. The tunic, patches, shoulder boards, pin, & cap were all purchased separately. The pin is the only piece that I couldn't go authentic with, as that piece alone runs well over 1000$, so what I wound up with was a perfect replica for less than $20. I purchased a plain black slip and applied the pink lace trim and rosettes. I decided against the officer trousers, as I'm allergic to wool, so I wore some plain grey pants, black laced boots, and clip-on pearl-drop earrings. Here are some shots of Friday's outfit:
As a side note, I had been cautioned against wearing a Nazi uniform in public, albeit at a con, but I chanced it. Turns out, everyone recognized my character of River Song immediately, and I had absolutely no issues. I didn't want to destroy the insignia for both the fact that it would make it non-SA, but it would decrease the value of everything overall. I'm glad I didn't. It was very well-received, and while I wouldn't wear this one in a professional photo op with a celeb, I felt perfectly fine posing for pictures all around the con. This was one of the most fun cosplays I've done to date!
Something we all noticed right away was the low level of cosplay. There were some, don't get me wrong, but they were few and far between. I'm pretty sure I saw less than 10 Deadpools the whole time we were there. Weird. I would have thought the Doctor Who cosplay would be off the charts, what with David, Matt, and Billie there. Who knows? Maybe after shelling the exorbitant amount for tickets, cosplay budgets may have been blown.
Going up and down all the aisles and checking the layout took a couple of hours, so by the time the con was winding down for the day, we were ready to head to dinner. Having the hotel so close was so convenient, as I was able to stop by and change so I wouldn't be mistaken as a Nazi in the muggle world. As I've said in previous blogs, eating at cons is always quite a feat. Thanks to technology, we found there was an Old Spaghetti Factory within walking distance. At home in Louisville, the OSF is right by the convention center, so it's become kind of a con tradition. OSF buildings are always cool to look at, and you basically know what you're getting into with pasta and free ice spumoni ice cream. It was on. Most unfortunately, the Murder Hotel didn't equip us with a fridge or microwave, so what was leftover was wasted. We should have probably split a meal. Next time, I guess. As Saturday was to be the biggest and busiest day, we turned in pretty early. I know lots of people party from beginning to end at a con, but I just can't do that anymore. Turning myself into River for 3 days in a row takes a lot of work, and I need to at least pretend to be rested!
Saturday
With the hotel falling flat with any kind of continental breakfast, we choked down some proteins and prepared for the day. I was SO thankful to be out of the boots I wore on Friday and to be in some nice, flat, comfy boots for the day. Thanks for wearing sensible shoes for once, River. This cosplay is updated from the first River Song cosplay I did 2 years ago. The dress is a REALLY great ALT that I found on eBay that is about as close to the SA version as I'm going to get without commissioning a custom one. But I'm really happy with it, so I'll roll with it for a while. The wide belt and the gun holster are commissioned pieces from Archaic Leatherworks. The lower belt and the large pouch are my husband's. The small pouch is a phone case. The vortex manipulator is official merchandise from BBC. The flashlight and gun are modified (painted) pieces. The boots are SA (All Saints Crillo in Brown) that I found on eBay. As well as my individual shots, we stopped at the Fish Eye Fun booth for some group shots with Tabitha as Rose Tyler from The Idiot's Lantern and Stephanie as a fem Tenth Doctor. I personally think we make quite the trio!
Upon arriving, we discovered that David Tennant's flight had been delayed, which pushed back everything on his schedule for the day. We had originally planned on hitting his and Billie Piper's panel at 1:00, but it was now bumped to much later. We found ourselves with quite a lot of time on our hands. I had done so well with not spending any money on merchandise the day before, I had decided, as had Stephanie, that we would be getting autographs from Charlie Cox (Daredevil). We checked out his schedule and decided that Sunday would likely be our best opportunity to take care of this, and he would certainly have less of a line. We made our rounds and decided on getting a caricature done of the three of us. I had had our same artist do a caricature of me at a previous con and he recognized me right away, which I thought was pretty cool. I also had several people recall me from Chicago TARDIS, from other cons, and from my online presence. This is always a nice surprise. So, back to the caricature. For some reason, not a one of us saw that the price for this was per person - so we ultimately spent a little more than we wanted. However, it was a fun experience and it's a great keepsake of time spent with con friends. And I totally agree with Stephanie in that he somehow made her look like Maggie from The Walking Dead. There are worse things, I suppose.
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We toured a little longer and then decided to check out the potential chaos of lining up for our dual photo ops with David Tennant and Matt Smith. I mean, can you believe it? In between these two? It was enough to cause heart palpitations at the mere mention. Tabitha was off plotting her time with Billie, so Stephanie and I played it cool in the "no lining up but this is where you'll line up" area. If it hadn't been deduced by now, it was quick to be revealed that I have a knack for being in the right place at the right time. Sans any pushing or shoving, we managed to land in the que about 10th place or so. With this being the first-ever photo op with David & Matt, it was even more unbelievable that we were so far up. As many photo ops as I've had over my con time, I still get butterflies with some. This was surely no exception. You've only got a few seconds to get a great pic. Smile, but not too much. Suck it in. No duck face. Generally, try not to look like a blundering idiot with these massively famous and charming guys. No bigs. I opted for all-out cheekiness and landed one of the best photos ever:
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| Matt Smith, Always River, David Tennant |
These two played right along, and I'm floored by everything about this pic. And for those wondering why my back is turned to David, I'm kind of playing out a scene here. See, 11 is River's Doctor. Pure and simple. And because of River's relationship with 11, I can't help feeling the same way toward him. Yes, they're all the same man, with different faces, but this is the face she falls in love with. And, noting that I'm in the Day of the Moon outfit, River doesn't know 10's face yet, even though he knows her. I love Matt's hand on my back and the looks on their faces. You can bet your ass I held onto Matt as long as was legally allowed by the powers that oversee Celeb Photo Ops. Absolute pricelessness and well worth every penny I shelled out for this. Every. Single. One.
Since the times for everything were all over the place at this point, we thought we should go ahead and grab something to eat and then scope out the situation for the panels. After choking down quite possibly the most disgusting soft pretzel I've ever had, we walked the million miles to the room where the Daredevil panel was already happening. One of the pitfalls of the #conlife is that things overlap and so you must choose where you need to be, if that choice isn't thrust upon you by delayed flights and such. The room was absolutely packed, and, to our dismay, we were informed that they would not be clearing the room in between panels, even for David/Billie or Matt. Having experienced this at Matt's appearance at Wizard World Louisville in 2014, it was not good news. In all truthfulness, there is no 100% way to ensure that the VIPs are getting their "reserved seats" unless the room is cleared and they are made to show their badges upon sitting down. So we stuck it out along the wall while I plotted my plan of action. When the Daredevil panel ended, up next was William Shatner. I drug Stephanie to the front and, as they were only reserving the first 2 rows for Shatner, I snagged us a place along the aisle on the right side in the 3rd row. And, as my luck would have it, I was able to bound (through the air & over the tops of the seats as I imagine it) to the 2 end seats in the FRONT ROW as soon as Shatner took his leave, almost taking out the poor guy sitting there previously (many laughs were had over this & no one was hurt). Compared to some panels of this size, we were of course beyond lucky to be just feet away from the stage. And we could camp out here, as Matt's panel was immediately following David and Billie's. Here are a couple of shots from our vantage point:
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| David Tennant & Billie Piper |
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| David Tennant & Billie Piper |
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| Matt Smith |
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| Matt Smith |
There's also a few video clips on my YouTube channel for both of these panels!
Due to the compressed nature of the day, and the fact that David most likely had to catch the red-eye back to NYC, we scampered as quickly as our abused feet would take us back over to the main area for David's autograph. As per usual, they'd sold as many tickets as they could for David's VIP options, thereby expecting him to sign way more autographs than he had reasonable time for. We stood in the que for a good deal of time, dreading the inevitable decrease of our face time with David as the night wore on. By the time we reached the front, we were told he was no longer doing personalizations. I guess we should count ourselves lucky that we even get to see him at all, but it's nonetheless a huge bummer when you're told this. I brought along this magnificent gem I had procured shortly after returning from a trip to London in 2013 (eBay, again) after having seen one on display at the Victoria & Albert Museum. It's quite the rarity! In the Doctor Who episode, The Runaway Bride, The Doctor needs to obtain some money for a cab for Donna. The Doctor never has money, of course. A little known fact is that you can't show real money on television, nor the Queen's image in such a capacity. So...they had these made for that scene, and yes, this was actually used on the show. I know, I know, I can't believe it either! I joked with David that I lifted it from the V&A. He gave a great laugh and commented on what a good one this was. I'm quite sure he rarely sees this sort of collectible.
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| David Tennant note from the set of The Runaway Bride |
Although there was the promise of an after-party at the elusive Tipsy Wizard, we were spent. And having adhered to the horrible nutritional practices of the #conlife, we'd consumed little to nothing of sustenance. We had seen an Irish Pub not far from our hotel the night before and ventured out to find nourishment. We found Tigin Irish Pub & Restaurant and proceeded to put away potentially poisonous amounts of water as well as full plates of delicious sandwiches, potatoes, and cheese. Very Irish of us, indeed. There were no leftovers to set outside the window this night. Again a relatively early turn-in, we decided to save our partying selves for our next con together: #DragonCon2016
Sunday
The last day of a con is always bittersweet. The #conlife is so much fun, but you can feel like you're in a bubble both of time and place. It at once feels as if you've been there for weeks yet only just arrived. A lot of times, you must be prepared to leave straight from the con floor and dive back into your "real" life, which is jarring and quite a let down, for the most part. But we still had a lot on our agenda for the day, including a good deal of time with Matt Smith.
My final cosplay of the con is the other LKH. The dress is SA (Urban Outfitters Sparkle & Fade), the jacket is a very doable ALT I'd actually had before I ever got into cosplay. And note the banana flask.
The majority of the photos weren't until early afternoon, so we once again found some time to roam about, talk to friends new and old, and stop for family pictures. By this point, we had some running jokes about things we had encountered over the weekend. But let me ask you, have you heard of Cirque de Soleil? And, quiz time, how do I feel about Snickers? Or, worst of all, what are my thoughts of there being real live snakes at a con? Answers in my next blog.
Another thing about the last day of a con is the difference between pretty much any time on Saturday to Sunday morning. It's an almost deafening silence in comparison. Most everyone takes care of all their ops and such on the biggest day. I prefer the quieter first and last days. However, most people that have cosplayed on Saturday are done in by Sunday and so they're even fewer and farther between. I did meet one amazing cosplayer who deserves a shout-out. He came all the way from across the pond just for this con. Ironically, con appearances for the majority of people from Doctor Who are few and far between. I think this is an absolutely wonderful excuse for a vacation! Ali, if you're reading, I hope you had the best time. You were fantastic. And you know what? So was I.
Since we had arrived particularly early, we had plenty of time to assess the lines again. Charlie's autograph line was starting out pretty hefty already, so we opted to save him for last. Matt's line was shockingly non-existent, save for a handful of people. There was no use waiting around, so we went ahead and hopped in the que and settled in for our wait. I'll say this much - the lines this time around were not bad at all. Stephanie and I actually met in line for Matt's panel at WW NOLA 2014, so my tolerance for lines is pretty high. We got to do a fair share of people-watching and generally decompressing as the end drew ever nearer. Matt arrived pretty much on time and quite chipper. Being at the front of the line was our best assurance that we would be able to get some personalization. I regret not bringing my Regeneration box set, so I guess I will just have to see Matt again. Oh, darn. They had very few 8x10s available for the auto, so I went to a nearby booth to find another one. The thing with my Matt items is that I'm pretty set on them being from his time with River. Call me obsessed, but it's just how I roll. When I came back from buying a photo of Matt from The Impossible Astronaut, they had just put this one out. Funny enough, when my husband and I met Matt 2 years ago, he snagged this very same picture for my collection. It's good to have doubles, I suppose. Stephanie managed to record her entire conversation with Matt, and the beginning of mine, which consisted of his greeting of, "Hello, River!" and then, "Lana." There's a certain pleasure that comes with your faves just even saying your name. I'll be turning that into a notification of some sort on my phone, yes I will. I asked him to save room for Alex to sign this when I see her later this year and he laughed, saying that she gets very cross with him when he doesn't. I can't wait to take this to her at #DragonCon2016! So, the autograph experience with Matt was the best of 3 I've had so far with him. I'm sure they'll be more to come...
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| Matt Smith autograph |
I'm not sure what the reasoning is behind scheduling photo ops at the very same time, but we had to call upon our scheduling skills to work it out so that Stephanie could get her 1:00 op with Charlie Cox and then make it over to our 1:00 op together with Billie Piper. We managed, thanks to the generally calm and accommodating nature of this particular con crowd and staff. Billie greeted us warmly and said we both looked amazing. Well, obviously likewise, you stunner, you. So here we have the mother-in-law, the girlfriend, and the wife. This was clearly the day of The Doctor's women.
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| Stephanie Gentry as Amy Pond, Billie Piper, & Always River |
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| Matt Smith & Always River |
We really only had one thing left to do at this point which was to get our autographs for Charlie Cox. As we'd assumed, there was no line for him now, and we would be able to actually talk to him for a few moments without being rushed through. Again, the selection of 8x10s was minimal, so I went across the way and picked this up. He remarked how much he loved this costume. Well, duh, it was awesome. I managed to record my convo with him in which he said hi to the husband, so, bonus! The guy in front of Stephanie let out a big ole spoiler for the last episodes of S2 of Daredevil, though, which Charlie so graciously tried to rectify for me. I tried to binge them before then con, really I did, but there's only so much awesomeness that can be packed into a single day's work. I really can't express how much I love this programme, only to say that it's the best thing Netflix has ever done. Daredevil has always been one of my favourite vigilante superheroes and Charlie Cox has done nothing but perfectly personify this character, bringing him to life in a way that's never been done before.
So that's basically it, fellow con-goers and generous readers. I made it home safely and am of course already planning my next adventure. Next up on my definite schedule is Fandom Fest in Louisville, KY at the end of July, at which I'll be debuting 3 mash-up cosplays. If I hit up some smaller cons in between, you'll be the first to know!
Thanks for reading, and keep living the #conlife!
#AlwaysRiver
#WizardWorld
#conlife
#bewarethefallout2
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