Dragoncon highlights
ok so i suck and this is a bit late, But im brack from Dragoncon! I had a BLAST.. I decided to write out some of the highlights of the event, so enjoy!
Dragoncon 2006
Highlights
Friday:
Meeting the Artists Of Star Wars: Friday morning, Tally and Myself had the pleasure of escorting the artists of Star Wars. I was very excited about this because I had always wanted to meet Amy Provonost, and I was her escort-er. She was very very nice, as were the rest of the artists. Their work was simply beautiful! I admired their attention to details and the time spent. For me, it was a small version of heaven. Throughout the weekend, we made a conscious effort to say hi to them, at their tables and when we saw them out and about.
Meeting Aaron Allston: While Tally and I were waiting for our shift at the Rebel Legion table, I noticed a gentleman come up and look around. This is very normal… It’s a table. As he walked away it finally clicked that I knew the face, it was Aaron Allston. With a bit of encouragement from some Rebel Legion members, I caught up with him and introduced myself. He was very nice, and rather easy to talk to even though I was nervous. I took a picture with him, and headed back to our table to work our shift. He stopped by the table again, and let me know he told Michael Stackpole that there was a Mirax. I thought that was super nice of him. I told him I’d see him at the panel in the morning and he was off.
Rebel Legion Dinner: Although we did not get the room we wanted (or any room at all for that matter), The Rebel Legion dinner was a lot of fun. Tally, Sonja, JediToren and myself shared a table. He is a very nice, funny guy. We had a lot of fun chatting with him about different things, from costuming to life to his brother trying to kill him with a stick (he failed miserably). It was great to meet so many Rebel Legion people!
Saturday:
Cloak Time:There is so much to say about this… Yet I don’t even know where to begin. I’m guessing the story behind them would be a good place.
The Story: A year and a half ago, I was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer. Surgery was tough, recovery was tough. How could it not be? My mind was in places it definatly should not have been, especially for an eighteen year old with potentially her whole life ahead of her. For all we knew, it could have killed me. Even after the surgery, when we found out they got it all before it could spread any further, I still was in the same mindset. I didn’t want to do anything.. Anything at all. I was pretty much content with the thought that I would die, and my life was over. But through the hard times, I found things to make me realize life was worth living for, and that I was given a second chance. I read.. A LOT.. I watched movies, A LOT… And although what I watched and read might not have been to the likes of some, it still helped, and it still DOES help. I find, when I am down, I can grab my copy of I, JedI, or Wraith Squadron, or any of those books and find myself laughing, smiling, and being who I truly am. They bring out the best in me. That costuming fly girl who loves to smile. The fearless rogue, who stopped at nothing to achieve her goals no matter how silly.
That brings me to why the cloaks were made. When I signed on for Dragoncon, I looked through the guests and found a few I was interested in meeting. But I also ventured onto my favorite authors’ websites. Michael A. Stackpole’s did not have any information on him attending or not, and I knew it was a far-fetched hope. But Aaron Allston’s did. It showed that he was planning on attending. I was very happy and decided that it would be perfect for me to give back to him, even if Mr. Stackpole was not there also. I flip flopped between ideas on what I could do, but I wanted something meaningful. In the end I settled on the Yub Yub Lieutenant cloak, from the scene that had my sides hurting from laughter. Perfect. That project went underway. In the middle of it’s completion, Michael A. Stackpole was added to the Dragoncon guest list. With a month and a half to go, I panicked. I struggled to come up with something similar to the cloak for Mr. Allston, and I got nothing. Until Rosemary and I brainstormed. The idea of the Mirax Terrik jacket symbol came up. It was set.
Presentation: There I was… Nervous as anything… Sitting at the EU panel… Waiting… If Rosemary had not been there, I would have chickened out. She had approached Mr. Stackpole and Mr. Allston prior to the start of the panel, and asked for a few minutes of their time after. Unfortunatly Mr. Stackpole had another panel following this one, so it would have to be squeezed in somewhere before my costume contest. The story had to be told twice.
Once the room cleared, with the exception of a few stragglers, as well as panelist Helen Keier, Rosemary made me go up. I began telling Mr. Allston about my story, mentally pacing myself as to not forget anything (even though I think I did). According to Rosemary, I did well. I presented him with my creation, and to my horror, I forgot to cut the threads on one side. Needless to say I was mortified. Thankfully he didn’t even care. From what I could tell, he loved the cloak. Many pictures were taken.. MANY
As for Mr. Stackpole, Rosemary caught him right before the 1-3 panel was supposed to start. That was ok, right? It had to be. So I went on, telling him the story. I was shaking so bad, because of nerves. Nothing against Mr. Allston, but I had met him on Friday so it wasn’t too bad. But here I was, my first time meeting the Maker, and I’m telling him a cancer patient story. He was very nice though, and he loved his cloak as well. We all three took pictures together and to my utter humiliation, I realized the room was packed with people.. And some had seen the whole thing. Lots of flashes went off as we displayed our backsides for the crowd(haha). But they liked their cloaks, and I was glad to finally tell them my story, and let them know they helped me.
Costume Contest:I arrived SLIGHTLY late to the costume contest, because the Prequel Panel ran a bit later than expected. But I got there in OK time, and was given my number. I had a lot of fun on stage, even though I was nervous as hell. I kept it cocky and Corellian (like there’s any other way to be!). From what I heard from friends, I got a lot of screams and claps, I didn’t hear any of this. I did not win but I got to see a lot of great costumes! Congrats to Sister_Sola on winning the best OT category.
Sunday:
Being abducted by Helen Keier: Helen found out i had not seen the Rocky Horror Picture Show live, and decided Dragoncon was the best place! So her, Missy, and Sean abducted me(with the promise from Aaron that i would not die). I had a BLAST! Helen, Sean, and Missy are some of THE NICEST people on this planet. I love love love them to death! We all bonded and got along great. I cant say much about it, cuz there wasnt much TO it, but it was amazing
Monday:
Michael A. Stackpole's reading: The man is AMAZING... Simple as that. His reading was awesome, a story he had created. It was only supposed to last a half an hour, which means he wouldnt get through the whole story, but since he was the last he finished the story. It was seriously.. freakin... amazing...
After, I had him sign my Mirax jacket, and took a picture with him in Blue Mirax(the last of the series :) ). He is such a nice guy!
As you can see, the main days were friday and saturday, but dont think that Sunday and Monday werent just as great. There's just stuff i dont want to write down(it's somewhat personal). And.. Meeting Michael Stackpole was THE HIGHLIGHT for me..
We did have some drama.... which sucked.. Sonja and i were about to kill people! rawr
anyways.. PICTURES! Yes, Kristen, i got a pic of the lovely lady in your lovely cloak.. which she let me examine.. it was boootyful!!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/burntthemacaroni/sets/72157594270704432/
Dragoncon 2006
Highlights
Friday:
Meeting the Artists Of Star Wars: Friday morning, Tally and Myself had the pleasure of escorting the artists of Star Wars. I was very excited about this because I had always wanted to meet Amy Provonost, and I was her escort-er. She was very very nice, as were the rest of the artists. Their work was simply beautiful! I admired their attention to details and the time spent. For me, it was a small version of heaven. Throughout the weekend, we made a conscious effort to say hi to them, at their tables and when we saw them out and about.
Meeting Aaron Allston: While Tally and I were waiting for our shift at the Rebel Legion table, I noticed a gentleman come up and look around. This is very normal… It’s a table. As he walked away it finally clicked that I knew the face, it was Aaron Allston. With a bit of encouragement from some Rebel Legion members, I caught up with him and introduced myself. He was very nice, and rather easy to talk to even though I was nervous. I took a picture with him, and headed back to our table to work our shift. He stopped by the table again, and let me know he told Michael Stackpole that there was a Mirax. I thought that was super nice of him. I told him I’d see him at the panel in the morning and he was off.
Rebel Legion Dinner: Although we did not get the room we wanted (or any room at all for that matter), The Rebel Legion dinner was a lot of fun. Tally, Sonja, JediToren and myself shared a table. He is a very nice, funny guy. We had a lot of fun chatting with him about different things, from costuming to life to his brother trying to kill him with a stick (he failed miserably). It was great to meet so many Rebel Legion people!
Saturday:
Cloak Time:There is so much to say about this… Yet I don’t even know where to begin. I’m guessing the story behind them would be a good place.
The Story: A year and a half ago, I was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer. Surgery was tough, recovery was tough. How could it not be? My mind was in places it definatly should not have been, especially for an eighteen year old with potentially her whole life ahead of her. For all we knew, it could have killed me. Even after the surgery, when we found out they got it all before it could spread any further, I still was in the same mindset. I didn’t want to do anything.. Anything at all. I was pretty much content with the thought that I would die, and my life was over. But through the hard times, I found things to make me realize life was worth living for, and that I was given a second chance. I read.. A LOT.. I watched movies, A LOT… And although what I watched and read might not have been to the likes of some, it still helped, and it still DOES help. I find, when I am down, I can grab my copy of I, JedI, or Wraith Squadron, or any of those books and find myself laughing, smiling, and being who I truly am. They bring out the best in me. That costuming fly girl who loves to smile. The fearless rogue, who stopped at nothing to achieve her goals no matter how silly.
That brings me to why the cloaks were made. When I signed on for Dragoncon, I looked through the guests and found a few I was interested in meeting. But I also ventured onto my favorite authors’ websites. Michael A. Stackpole’s did not have any information on him attending or not, and I knew it was a far-fetched hope. But Aaron Allston’s did. It showed that he was planning on attending. I was very happy and decided that it would be perfect for me to give back to him, even if Mr. Stackpole was not there also. I flip flopped between ideas on what I could do, but I wanted something meaningful. In the end I settled on the Yub Yub Lieutenant cloak, from the scene that had my sides hurting from laughter. Perfect. That project went underway. In the middle of it’s completion, Michael A. Stackpole was added to the Dragoncon guest list. With a month and a half to go, I panicked. I struggled to come up with something similar to the cloak for Mr. Allston, and I got nothing. Until Rosemary and I brainstormed. The idea of the Mirax Terrik jacket symbol came up. It was set.
Presentation: There I was… Nervous as anything… Sitting at the EU panel… Waiting… If Rosemary had not been there, I would have chickened out. She had approached Mr. Stackpole and Mr. Allston prior to the start of the panel, and asked for a few minutes of their time after. Unfortunatly Mr. Stackpole had another panel following this one, so it would have to be squeezed in somewhere before my costume contest. The story had to be told twice.
Once the room cleared, with the exception of a few stragglers, as well as panelist Helen Keier, Rosemary made me go up. I began telling Mr. Allston about my story, mentally pacing myself as to not forget anything (even though I think I did). According to Rosemary, I did well. I presented him with my creation, and to my horror, I forgot to cut the threads on one side. Needless to say I was mortified. Thankfully he didn’t even care. From what I could tell, he loved the cloak. Many pictures were taken.. MANY
As for Mr. Stackpole, Rosemary caught him right before the 1-3 panel was supposed to start. That was ok, right? It had to be. So I went on, telling him the story. I was shaking so bad, because of nerves. Nothing against Mr. Allston, but I had met him on Friday so it wasn’t too bad. But here I was, my first time meeting the Maker, and I’m telling him a cancer patient story. He was very nice though, and he loved his cloak as well. We all three took pictures together and to my utter humiliation, I realized the room was packed with people.. And some had seen the whole thing. Lots of flashes went off as we displayed our backsides for the crowd(haha). But they liked their cloaks, and I was glad to finally tell them my story, and let them know they helped me.
Costume Contest:I arrived SLIGHTLY late to the costume contest, because the Prequel Panel ran a bit later than expected. But I got there in OK time, and was given my number. I had a lot of fun on stage, even though I was nervous as hell. I kept it cocky and Corellian (like there’s any other way to be!). From what I heard from friends, I got a lot of screams and claps, I didn’t hear any of this. I did not win but I got to see a lot of great costumes! Congrats to Sister_Sola on winning the best OT category.
Sunday:
Being abducted by Helen Keier: Helen found out i had not seen the Rocky Horror Picture Show live, and decided Dragoncon was the best place! So her, Missy, and Sean abducted me(with the promise from Aaron that i would not die). I had a BLAST! Helen, Sean, and Missy are some of THE NICEST people on this planet. I love love love them to death! We all bonded and got along great. I cant say much about it, cuz there wasnt much TO it, but it was amazing
Monday:
Michael A. Stackpole's reading: The man is AMAZING... Simple as that. His reading was awesome, a story he had created. It was only supposed to last a half an hour, which means he wouldnt get through the whole story, but since he was the last he finished the story. It was seriously.. freakin... amazing...
After, I had him sign my Mirax jacket, and took a picture with him in Blue Mirax(the last of the series :) ). He is such a nice guy!
As you can see, the main days were friday and saturday, but dont think that Sunday and Monday werent just as great. There's just stuff i dont want to write down(it's somewhat personal). And.. Meeting Michael Stackpole was THE HIGHLIGHT for me..
We did have some drama.... which sucked.. Sonja and i were about to kill people! rawr
anyways.. PICTURES! Yes, Kristen, i got a pic of the lovely lady in your lovely cloak.. which she let me examine.. it was boootyful!!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/burntthemacaroni/sets/72157594270704432/