PAX South 2015

Since my first visit to PAX Prime several years ago, I have been anxiously awaiting my next chance to attend another PAX convention. When they announced a new location to their schedule here in my home state of Texas I couldn’t contain my excitement! I bought tickets as soon as they became available and counted down the days until the con.

It’s now been a few weeks since my visit to PAX South in San Antonio, but looking through my photos have brought back all the wonderful memories. I went to Prime by myself so I was really happy to go to South with my family. We are all first and foremost gamers. My mom and brother especially! So it was super special to be able and share this convention with them and nerd out over all the games and merchandise.

After the 5 hour trip from Dallas to San Antonio, we checked in to our hotel and walked next door to the convention center. To me that is one of the best things about PAX conventions is how they place the events in large centers around great hotels and fantastic night life. We headed straight in and to the Nintendo booth to try and grab a paper Majora’s mask souvenir. It was already gone for the day, but we did manage to get one the next morning!

Another great thing about PAX is the chance to try out new and upcoming games. My mom and I played the demo for Dungeon Defenders II and loved it! It was really colorful and interactive. I was so proud of my mom for trying out a PC game. She’s usually into console gaming. We were on easy mode but still enjoyed the gameplay and features. Plus we got a code for an early release and also a limited edition pin.

That evening we explored the rest of the convention center and checked out the Magic: The Gathering tournaments as well as some panels. I was excited to see my friend Mia Moore at the Women in Geek Media Panel!

The next morning I woke up really really early to get in line for the Guild Wars 2 panel. They weren’t letting people in the doors until 8am so my dad and I got there around 7:15am. There was already a line outside the building but once we got inside most everyone went a different direction than the main theater where the panel was to be held. So me and my dad and the two guys in front of us went straight to that queue and began our 2 hour wait until the panel started. Lucky for us we were awarded a Corsair Gaming Mouse for being one of the first 5 people there. I also got to meet two of Arena Net’s marketing team members and also cosplayer Sarah Cain who was dressed as a Guild Wars 2 character. The best part was seeing my face on the live Twitch stream. I was seated close to the front and in the center and my white hoodie and pink hair showed up nicely in the sea of black shirts. (See top right photo; I’m above his shoulder.) You can watch the stream here.

We spent the rest of the day collecting street passes on our Nintendo 3DS and then exploring some of San Antonio. My family and I ate at a great Mexican restaurant on the River Walk. Even though it was chilly it was just nice enough to be able to eat outside. Then we walked along the rest of the River Walk and found the The Alamo. I visited this once when I was very little but sadly don’t remember it. (How dare I not remember The Alamo!!) So I was very very excited to make up for it and take in all the history of this monument.

One of the best things about a PAX convention is all the free swag! I came home with SO many goodies! I bought a few of the collectable pins and adorable books they had and also a sticker sheet and patch. But literally everything else was free! I got Magic: The Gathering cards, the Majora’s Mask, lanyards, several coupon codes for online stores, and best of all a Guild Wars 2 Heart of Thorns shirt and pin!

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This was a very memorable trip and one I am happy to have spent with my family. I am looking forward to PAX South growing and becoming bigger and better next year.

Dallas Fan Days 2014

This past weekend was the October edition of Dallas Comic Con! It was originally called "Fan Days" but I just learned that they will be renaming their 3 conventions. (If you're curious – February's will be Fan Days, May's will be Dallas Fan Expo, and October's will be Dallas Comic Con) But anyway I will probably still refer to this one as Fan Days for now 😀

They had announced early on that Elijah Wood and the Phelps twins from Harry Potter would be attending! I immediately bought a premium badge because I knew I would want to meet them. They also announced Alex Kingston (Doctor Who), Dave Bautista (Guardians of the Galaxy), and Burt Ward and Adam West (Batman and Robin) but they all sadly had to cancel. There were still several other great guests from Indian Jones and The Goonies as well as some big named comic book artists. I am totally blaming the Ebola scare that happened in Dallas this month for the cancellations. Thankfully I think it's all under control now!

Anime Fest 2014

This was my second year to attend Anime Fest. The first time was in 2012 (you can view the posts here and here.) This is a very fun convention because it's similar to AKon but just a little smaller in size. I can tell it's still grown since my first visit, though. The hotel it is at is one of my favorites in Dallas – the Sheraton. I love the layout and location. Anime Fest had many guests in attendance including the band FLOW as well as several voice actors and game developers. The other best part of this con are the fan-run panels. I was happy to provide some prizes for the Disney Panel which is always a very popular one to attend!

The Vampire Diaries: Dallas Convention 2014

Last year I had attended Creation Entertainment’s Vampire Diaries Convention and had one of the best times! (You can read about it here.) These cons are a little pricey but smaller in size and run incredibly professionally. It’s a lot more intimate setting and a better chance to see/hear/meet the guests. However, Paul Wesley canceled last year, and I was super bummed because I had already met Ian Somerhalder before. So I decided to go again to try and get Stefan’s autograph added to my poster!

I wore the shirt I bought at last year’s con along with my Salvortore ring.

The convention was held at a nice hotel and had these cute standees in the dealer’s room. Since I didn’t pay for a photo op with the fellas I decided this selfie was good enough.

There was some great Vampire Diaries merch for sale including t shirts, mugs, stickers, jewelry and hats. I didn’t buy anything this time since I already have 2 shirts and a hoodie … and tons of jewelry :p

I found my seat in the panel room to watch the trivia contest and auction then saw my face on the screen!!! If you used the hashtag TVDDallas on Instagram they were posting the pics of fans on the screens! How cool is that!

The guest list was great but most were only coming on specific days. Since I was only attending on Saturday I got to see Stefan and Damon and Haley (Phoebe Tonkin). Haley was a werewolf on VD and also on The Originals. I was bummed that I couldn’t meet Michael Trevino (who played Tyler Lockwood) because he was only attending Sunday. Oh well.

And here is Stefan and Damon!! I was so excited to finally see Paul Wesley! He was hilarious!! His character on VD is so serious all the time that it was a nice treat to see him more relaxed and make jokes. Ian Somerhalder was his usual “I’m so hot” self that he was kinda annoying to be honest. But the two together were great because they called each other “brother” and really seemed like good friends.

I couldn’t take any pictures while getting Paul Wesley’s autograph, but he was super super super super cute. Oh my god. He was so handsome!! When it was almost my turn I asked the lady in front of me if I looked okay then tried to remember to breath normally. I got to the table and he started signing my poster and I said how it was so nice to finally meet him since I missed him last year. He shook my hand and said thank you then I told him good luck at the Teen Choice Awards (which were the next day). Then I asked if I could shake it his hand one more time and he laughed and said sure. 😀 😀 😀

The Vampire Diaries will always be one of the favorite TV shows, and I think it’s the neatest thing that I’ve had the opportunity to meet several of the cast members. I only need Tyler, Alaric, Jenna, and Elena’s autograph to have my poster finished.

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Are you Team Damon or Team Stefan?

North Texas Comic Book Show: July 2014

When I was asked to attend the North Texas Comic Book Show as a cosplay guest, I couldn’t have been more excited! I attended this event in January (you can read about it here) and loved the smaller size and feel. They have two large rooms full of comic artists, vintage toy sellers and other cosplayers. 

When I arrived I saw my face on this giant poster and said WOW out loud 😛 This is also the convention I debuted my Steampunk Princess Leia cosplay. I couldn’t have done this costume without the amazing corset from Corset Story. You can read my tutorial for this costume here.

I brought along several prints and accessories to sell. A few of these are still available in my Etsy store.

I was happy to see quite a few of my friends in attendance. Here’s my good friend and fellow blogger My Geeky Geeky Ways!

Photo by My Geeky Geeky Ways

I even hosted a panel! I’ve been a panel guest one other time (at Animation Celebration) but I was joined then by 4 other girls. So I was really nervous to talk by myself this time. The topic was about basic cosplay construction. I made note cards and listed out the steps I go through to determine how to pick a character, what materials I’ll need and work well, and the best places I’ve learned to find them. The crowd was small but still had at least 20 people there! I loved that I knew most everyone and they all joined in the discussion. 🙂

I held a drawing to win a giant Spider-Man 2 poster and my friend Mindy of The Geeky Seamstress won it!

I also had some Punisher posters and my friends Jesse and Ricardo won them! Jesse’s PikaPool was great!

Courtney wore her Azula cosplay and brought along her fireball. I was excited to see this in person since I missed her at Comic Con!

Photo by Trevor Jaro Chambers

I helped out as a judge for the cosplay contest, too! This was so much fun and, all the contestants did a great job!

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The next North Texas Comic Book Show is in November. 

Be sure to check it out because it’s awesome!!

ScrewAttack Gaming Convention 2014

This year the ScrewAttack Gaming Convention was held at my favorite downtown hotel – The Sheraton Dallas. This is a smaller gaming convention that still packs a lot of punch. It’s guest list included Smooth McGroove, The Angry Video Game Nerd, the creator of Nyan Cat – Chris Torres, and the co-creator of Mega Man – Keiji Inafune. 

I wore my Annie cosplay from League of Legends. After picking up my badge I immediately ran into another Annie, too! (You can read my tutorial for this cosplay here.)

There was also a lot of fun things for sale like shirts and apparel, Nintendo plushies, and vintage games.

In the open area you could play arcade games for free.

My favorite part is the console room where you can play against your friends and watch tournaments. 

I loved this Sylveon cosplay!

Don’t mess with the Khaleesi.

These two girls were from Gears of War and looked amazing!

This was my second year to attend SGC. You can read about last year here. It was fun wearing my Annie cosplay again and seeing the convention grow. Gaming conventions are fun because I pick up so many Street Passes on my Nintendo 3DS! 😀

Dallas Comic Con 2014

My favorite convention of the year is the Dallas Comic Con. It's one of the largest in Texas, and I always look forward to seeing my friends here. The convention was held at a larger venue for the first time, too. This had its pros and cons. It was nice not having to wait in line outside in the heat. It also meant the lines inside were managed better since it was mostly all on one floor. At the old convention center, people were getting stuck on the *single* escalator and missing panels because they couldn't get upstairs!

Animation Celebration 2014

Animation Celebration was a 3 day convention in Lewisville, Tx where I was invited to be a guest! I made several wizard wands, starfish necklaces and ordered extra prints to sell at my table. Last year it was called Brony Fest, but this time they expanded their genre a bit to include some great names like Kevin Conroy (the voice of Batman), Steve Cardenas (the Red Power Ranger), and cosplay guests Nicole Marie Jean and Destiny Nickelson.

G33K3: The Con

G33K3 (pronounced “geeky”) was a new convention in McKinney, Tx. It was quite a bit smaller than others, but that’s great because it was only $10 to get in! Although it was a 3 day convention, I only went on Saturday. I still had a really fun time!

I decided not to wear a costume, but that gave me the chance to wear some fun clothes for a change.

Batman shirt – ThinkGeek

Batman leggings – Hot Topic

Black skater skirt – Wet Seal

Pink checkered shoes – Vans

Legend of Zelda earrings – Ragin’ Gauges

When I walked in I was shocked by how many vendors were there!

The selection of items was incredible.

I was excited to see my friend Long Le with a table full of his handmade D20s!

Another booth had these amazing trinkets for sale.

My friend Geline hosted an armor making panel, too. It was SO informative! I learned a lot about Worbla and craft foam.

Several people were in cosplay, including my friend Enasni Volz. She also had handmade charms for sale at her table.

Fangirls: Dames of the Round Table is an all female video cast you can watch on Sundays on Deep Ellum Air. I enjoyed seeing Taylor and Natalie at their table!

Photo credit: Cosplay With Me

This photo was taken by Cosplay With Me of Morgan as Rapunzel and Krystle Starr as the Pink Panther! I wanted to share how cute their costumes were!

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I hope this convention happens again next year because it was very well run. If they would advertise a little bit more then I imagine more and more people will come out!

Do you prefer bigger or smaller conventions?