And the pounce goes on...
Hey all!
So Dragon*Con has come and gone for 2009.
Charlie and I had an absolute blast. We are so exhausted because it was non-stop. I not only saw a lot but I learned a lot and made some new friends (HI CAROLINE!). The panels I went to were not to be missed. The music that was everywhere was wonderful (I think I might get into Cruxshadows...) and it was just such a spectacle. I really did feel at home and like I knew something about everyone because... well when everyone wears their fandom on their sleeve, you can't help but strike up a conversation.
The con was a different beast from what Charlie and I experienced last year. There weren't as many people dressed as specific characters, save the huge super hero following. It was more just generic styles or genres. Belly-dancers, goth, storm troopers, and pirates to name a few.
This is, of course, because Steampunk is king in the costuming world these days. Goggles and copper piping were everywhere and the getups were astoundingly intricate. I admit I was sort of skeptical of the whole thing. It sort of mushroomed onto the D*C scene last year and I was honestly surprised to see that it was not only still around, but still going strong! They were outnumbering the 501st!
Long story short, Charlie was bitten by the steampunk bug and I'm not far behind myself. It's a pretty compelling creative outlet since you really make your own character. I'm already contemplating a grizzled pilot who is missing an eye (replaced with a clockwork prosthetic).
The only shortfall I saw was that the drumcircle kept repeatedly getting screwed over by room and rule changes by the hotel and con staff. I really wish the organization on that could be better.
But on to the famous people!
I got to meet the actor of one of my all time favorite movie characters, Cameron from Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Yes, Alan Ruck was there and I got my copy of the movie signed and a picture. He's another case of, "How did this cheerful man with an easy smile get picked to play one of the most depressed, paranoid and neurotic characters ever?"
Charlie and I both got to meet Michael Hogan of the Col. Tigh from BSG fame. He is a sweet perky old man and as with Alan Ruck... how did he end up playing such a crotchety bastard on TV?
If I had to venture a guess as to the highlight of Charlie's time at D*C it was meeting Felicia Day, getting her autograph and having her recognize his costume (Atrus). We also got to ride in an elevator with her, and when we rounded that corner and Charlie saw her standing there waiting, his knees made an audible sound as they gave.
Also, my music crush, Marc Gunn was there. We bought all (and I do mean ALL) of his CDs and caught his filk song concert. That was so much fun. The world needs more good geeky music.
The panels were not to be missed.
The big chunk of my panels were the Michael Stackpole and Aaron Alston's writing workshop. You paid $10 a piece for each and they taught about how to write a novel, covering subjects like building characters, how to edit and outline ect. I loved Mr. Stackpole. He had this wonderfully bastardy dry sense of humor and as for the the content... they were worth every fucking penny. Charlie videotaped some of them and I took copious notes. I'll be happy to share.
Though I have to say, my favorite panel was the Erotica and Horror panel. As one might expect there was much smut-talk and giggling (It took a stiff screwdriver to scrub the conversation about zombie sex and using Icyhot for lube)... but there were some rather intense moments as we discussed things like why to choose not to close the bedroom door, whether or not books that depict teenage sex and are written for teenagers are child porn, or how the line on homosexual sex is drawn differently depending on whether or not its gay or lesbian. It was really fun and thought-provoking.
I also went to a free writer's panel that included an author I've been reading named Gail Z. Martin (books are the Chronicles of the Necromancer series starting with The Summoner) She is both a sweet and gracious lady and an utterly ruthless author. She was asked a question about what to do when you have your world and your characters but are having trouble coming up with a plot and her answer was "Kill one of the characters and see who cares."
The dealer and art rooms were amazing. We managed to refrain from utterly breaking the bank... the only big purchase we made aside from autographs was a black satin steel-boned corset. I'm in love.
It was a great con all in all, even though I got the sniffles (not con-crud... just allergies) right at the end. And if you're my friend on Facebook, check out my pictures.
I'm off to go get caught up on homework.
Love and Cookies,
Birdie
So Dragon*Con has come and gone for 2009.
Charlie and I had an absolute blast. We are so exhausted because it was non-stop. I not only saw a lot but I learned a lot and made some new friends (HI CAROLINE!). The panels I went to were not to be missed. The music that was everywhere was wonderful (I think I might get into Cruxshadows...) and it was just such a spectacle. I really did feel at home and like I knew something about everyone because... well when everyone wears their fandom on their sleeve, you can't help but strike up a conversation.
The con was a different beast from what Charlie and I experienced last year. There weren't as many people dressed as specific characters, save the huge super hero following. It was more just generic styles or genres. Belly-dancers, goth, storm troopers, and pirates to name a few.
This is, of course, because Steampunk is king in the costuming world these days. Goggles and copper piping were everywhere and the getups were astoundingly intricate. I admit I was sort of skeptical of the whole thing. It sort of mushroomed onto the D*C scene last year and I was honestly surprised to see that it was not only still around, but still going strong! They were outnumbering the 501st!
Long story short, Charlie was bitten by the steampunk bug and I'm not far behind myself. It's a pretty compelling creative outlet since you really make your own character. I'm already contemplating a grizzled pilot who is missing an eye (replaced with a clockwork prosthetic).
The only shortfall I saw was that the drumcircle kept repeatedly getting screwed over by room and rule changes by the hotel and con staff. I really wish the organization on that could be better.
But on to the famous people!
I got to meet the actor of one of my all time favorite movie characters, Cameron from Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Yes, Alan Ruck was there and I got my copy of the movie signed and a picture. He's another case of, "How did this cheerful man with an easy smile get picked to play one of the most depressed, paranoid and neurotic characters ever?"
Charlie and I both got to meet Michael Hogan of the Col. Tigh from BSG fame. He is a sweet perky old man and as with Alan Ruck... how did he end up playing such a crotchety bastard on TV?
If I had to venture a guess as to the highlight of Charlie's time at D*C it was meeting Felicia Day, getting her autograph and having her recognize his costume (Atrus). We also got to ride in an elevator with her, and when we rounded that corner and Charlie saw her standing there waiting, his knees made an audible sound as they gave.
Also, my music crush, Marc Gunn was there. We bought all (and I do mean ALL) of his CDs and caught his filk song concert. That was so much fun. The world needs more good geeky music.
The panels were not to be missed.
The big chunk of my panels were the Michael Stackpole and Aaron Alston's writing workshop. You paid $10 a piece for each and they taught about how to write a novel, covering subjects like building characters, how to edit and outline ect. I loved Mr. Stackpole. He had this wonderfully bastardy dry sense of humor and as for the the content... they were worth every fucking penny. Charlie videotaped some of them and I took copious notes. I'll be happy to share.
Though I have to say, my favorite panel was the Erotica and Horror panel. As one might expect there was much smut-talk and giggling (It took a stiff screwdriver to scrub the conversation about zombie sex and using Icyhot for lube)... but there were some rather intense moments as we discussed things like why to choose not to close the bedroom door, whether or not books that depict teenage sex and are written for teenagers are child porn, or how the line on homosexual sex is drawn differently depending on whether or not its gay or lesbian. It was really fun and thought-provoking.
I also went to a free writer's panel that included an author I've been reading named Gail Z. Martin (books are the Chronicles of the Necromancer series starting with The Summoner) She is both a sweet and gracious lady and an utterly ruthless author. She was asked a question about what to do when you have your world and your characters but are having trouble coming up with a plot and her answer was "Kill one of the characters and see who cares."
The dealer and art rooms were amazing. We managed to refrain from utterly breaking the bank... the only big purchase we made aside from autographs was a black satin steel-boned corset. I'm in love.
It was a great con all in all, even though I got the sniffles (not con-crud... just allergies) right at the end. And if you're my friend on Facebook, check out my pictures.
I'm off to go get caught up on homework.
Love and Cookies,
Birdie