This year was my second year attending this particular convention. I traveled with two friends who were veterans from last year as well. We had a larger group of people who converged on Calgary along with us. Our first adventure was the drive from Saskatoon to Calgary. The trip was pretty standard until we approached Drumheller. About half an hour out we managed to hit the "stealth pothole of doom!" It was essentially a trench on the far side of a set of train tracks, and was not visible until you were on top of it. I managed to swerve and miss the worst of it, but one of my wheels still took a hell of a hit. Fortunately the tire didn't blow, but it was mortally wounded, with a bulge in the sidewall. We were able to limp my car into Drumheller, and find a tire shop (a really busy tire shop). As soon as I mentioned where we were travelling from the clerk knew the pothole that got us. We were not the first victims. But we did fare better than most. She told us about many blown tires and ruined rims. So we spent some time there while they found us a replacement tire and got us road worthy again. The rest of the journey was uneventful (thankfully).
The rest of our first day was spent getting registered for the convention, getting checked in at the hotel, and getting fed. Then we all spent some time doing last minute sewing and modifications to our respective costumes. This was Thursday.
FRIDAY
The convention kicked off with a parade through downtown Calgary. It had a good turn out of people dressed up as their favorite characters, as well as celebrity guests, and the Calgary mayor riding in a Delorean! A handful of the celebs were presented with the White Cowboy hats that Calgary is well known for. And then the Con began.
The three of us headed back to our hotel to suit up in our Friday costumes. We dressed up as characters from "Sailor Moon". Now, most of the characters from this series are girls, and the majority of our group was guys. So our costumes were a bit of a gender reversal take on the series. My friend Megan had wanted to do a costume of Tuxedo Mask for a while, a male character. So her idea was to do a lady version, and she asked us to do dude versions of the girl characters. I was skeptical at first, but her and Jeff were really excited, so I went along with it; and am very glad that I did. Megan did a fantastic job of sewing her whole costume from scratch, while Jeff and I were able to rely on some found material that we could modify and build on to. Jeff was a master here with adding patterns and gold leaf to our uniforms. I designed our spats, and Jeff fabricated them.
The costumes were a hit. We met lots of other "Sailors" who represented the normal series. And one of the best parts was the delayed reactions of some people at the show. They would stare with puzzled curiosity, until it finally kicked in; then WOAH! It was also fun meeting people I vaguely knew, who did not recognize me until I spoke to them by name. Most of the first day was spent just wandering around, and seeing where everything was. The show was packed with celebrity guests, exhibitors, artists, and costumes. A few of our friends took advantage of the photo ops and got pictures with the Lannisters (Game of Thrones).
After the excitement of the day we all went for supper at a nearby pub. On the way one of our friends got called out on the street by one of our old university friends as she drove by. She had party plans for us later. After supper we located some beverages, and relaxed in the room for a while. Then a few of us headed to a local bar where our aforementioned friend was hanging out supporting some local music, as well as One Bad Son (they are from Saskatoon). So we hung out in the basement of this bar, drinking cheap beer, catching up with a few old friends, and listening to good tunes. It was a great day and night in Calgary.
SATURDAY
Saturday was all about the quests for Nathan Fillion and costuming greatness. I am glad to report that we were successful in both. Our whole group (along with most of the convention attendees) are big fans of Nathan Fillion. He plays many awesome characters, such as Captain Reynolds, Captian Hammer, and Castle. His autograph line was constantly packed. We had no chance of reaching him in the morning. So, we attended a panel or two. We checked out some scientists talking about the geoscience of Star Trek, and how they do all the cool stuff they do. It was pretty good. After that I went and suited up in my space marine armour.
This armour has been a project of mine for the last year, with research and development for it extending for many years before that. It filled half of my car. But it fits really well. I became famous before I even made it inside the doors! It looks like this:
After this I just wandered around the show for a few hours. Photo-ops were frequent, but always fun. I ended up playing a card game with some kids in the gaming area. They seemed pretty stoked to be gaming with a space marine. As the day grew long, it was time to get ready for the costume contest. I headed to the green room, and my friends headed to the auditorium early.
Inside the green room I got to hang out with the 50 or so awesome cosplayers. There were soo many excellent costumes. I was blown away. And really great people too, very friendly and fun to talk to. Those of us who made our own costumes, got to chat with the judges about our costumes and how we made them. I have never been in a costume contest before, but walking (stomping) on stage in front of a few hundred cheering nerds was a very awesome experience! Most of us just did walk-ons, showcasing our gear. But, some people did little comedy routines, or skits, one girl sang some opera, and one guy even proposed (she said yes). It was all very cool.
And when it all came down to the end, they announced my name as one of the Judges Choice winners! I didn't believe it at first. The other two winners had awesome costumes, that were all hand made:
So, Saturday ended on many very good notes. It was also nice to take the boots off at the end and stand in the grass (because my feet were sore, and because Calgary has grass!!!).
SUNDAY
We were all tired by the time Sunday rolled around but there was still lots to do. I had a photo session with Nathan Fillion in the afternoon, so I dressed as Dr. Horrible. I spent some time wondering through the exhibitors, and picking up a few things that I hadn't had time to before. I then attended a panel for WETA workshop (the company that did the effects for Lord of the Rings, and others). It was hosted by the founder, and one of the head modelers. And it was fantastic. Just listening to them speak about how they make such magic was great. And afterwards, as people cleared out, I stuck around and got to meet them. It was super cool to shake the hands of the guys who created some of the most memorable movie magic in the last few decades. I was in awe. They were very kind and encouraging.
After this I went to a panel with Nathan Fillion (notice a theme here?). It filled a small hockey arena. Lots of people love this guy. He shared some great stories, and smoothly dealt with a few odd questions. After this I headed out to line up for my photo op. I ended up meeting one of the costume contest people in line again, and we chatted as we waited. The system was set up really well. They processed photo ops for several hundred people in a very short time. The closer we all got, the more excited everyone became. My plan was to ask him to grab me by the scruff of the neck, as it is very iconic to the Dr. Horrible/Captain Hammer characters. But when I got to him, he welcomed me with a handshake, then grabbed me before I even got a chance to ask! He read my mind, and this is how it turned out:
It was getting late in the afternoon by this point, and we still had a 6+ hour drive home. So it was time to say goodbye to the Calgary EXPO for another year. It was fantastic, and a major highlight of my past year. I had so much fun; met and hung out with great people; and felt the most normal I have in a long time.
Now, what to wear next year...
