Ship of Fools: Conventions, Cosplay & Geek Meets. Shipmates up for any of those?

Thread: Conventions, Cosplay & Geek Meets. Shipmates up for any of those? Board: Oblivion / Ship of Fools.

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Posted by luvanddaisies (# 5761) on :

In my mission this year to get a life and meet people I've 'met' a couple of people online, and I'm going to go to a couple of conventions.
I'm definitely going to a fan-funded convention in Telford in April First Contact Day 2016 , at which I'm hoping to meet some new people.

I'm thinking about going along to a Comic Con sometime, just to see what it's like. I don't really have a wide enough portfolio of geek interest (Trek & OUAT really), but I'd like to see one.

I looked for a UK OUAT Convention, but the one I found was well expensive! Can't say I wasn't tempted though...

I've also joined a couple of MeetUp groups, a Star Trek one and a Cosplay one (always fancied cosplay, never done it because I don't know anyone else who'll do it).

Anyone going to any convention things, or got recommendations for good ones? Maybe fancy hooking up with shipmates? Any cosplaying shipmates fancy meeting up or something?

[i think this is an AS thread as it's sort of about meeting up. If it's better off in Heaven, I'm sorry]

Posted by Brenda Clough (# 18061) on :

You missed the World Science Fiction Convention in London, but it'll be in Helsinki in 2017.
Eastercon is the main SF convention in Britain. alas, I have never gone, but some day.

Posted by Eigon (# 4917) on :

I enjoyed WorldCon in London so much that I signed up for EasterCon last year, when it was held in a hotel at Heathrow, and had so much fun there that I'm going again this year, to Manchester (Mancunicon). We won't be staying in the main hotel this time - it's the Hilton in Deansgate - but in a budget hotel we've used before across the town centre, but it's only about a 20 minute walk away, if that.
I'll be cosplaying as a Jedi librarian, and a Tardis engineer.
Next year, EasterCon will be held in Cardiff.

I went to a Comic Con at Excel in London once, and it was all right, but I wouldn't go out of my way to go to another one (even though I did meet Mike Grell, who is one of the artists for Green Arrow, and Peter David, who has written many Star Trek novels). Mostly it was set up for selling stuff, with people cosplaying around that.
My Young Man was with a group cosplaying 1960s Batman characters - he was the Penguin, and he looked fantastic! He hired a suit from Moss Bros, with a purple top hat, spats, umbrella, and cigarette holder - and a monocle - and people kept stopping him to have his picture taken.
My cosplaying highlight that weekend was meeting a young Asian girl cosplaying Ms Marvel while I was wearing my Captain Marvel costume, and we posed for photos together.

Posted by Brenda Clough (# 18061) on :

I have a great Huntress costume -- I should've joined you. At LonCon I did accompany Derwin Mak, who was dressed as Kim Jong Un. I was his movie-starlet wife, and spent a good deal of time earnestly asking people, "Would you like to meet Dear Leader?" (Pictures could be linked to if there is interest.)

Posted by Doc Tor (# 9748) on :

I'm at Eastercon. I'm also (inexplicably) GoH at Inconjunction in Indianapolis this year.

Posted by Mrs Shrew (# 8635) on :

Nine worlds geek Fest is an awesome UK based convention, with a wide variety of interests covered, plenty of cosplay, and a strong emphasis on diversity and inclusion.

Mr Shrew and I have been for the last two years. Sadly, this year we will be missing it as baby shrew is due two weeks beforehand!

Posted by LeRoc (# 3216) on :

I'm following geek culture a bit — from the sidelines. I like reading hard core SF, but apart from that it's mostly through reading blogs for me. I think it would be interesting to go to a convention one day, just to see what it's like.

Posted by Lothlorien (# 4927) on :

A quick encouragement from a friendly AS host.

The thread is fine here with anecdotes and talking about meets etc. That goes with one of the concerns mentioned in OP

Please don't let it slide into little more than a list of dates.

Lothlorien, AS host.

Posted by Brenda Clough (# 18061) on :

Genre conventions have fractured into dozens of different types. There are comics conventions, anime conventions, ones relating to specific fandoms of many stripes -- I heard the other day of a Sailor Moon Ballroom Dance, to take place in Canada next year. There is a convention devoted specifically to the works of Terry Pratchett, J. K. Rowling, lots of others. So for your first one, select a flavor that you will really enjoy.

Posted by Nicolemr (# 28) on :

I have been to several conventions, two specific to a fandom (Starsky and Hutch, if you must know [Big Grin]

) and others more general. They are very fun.

I have never cosplayed, though I have friends who do.

Posted by Eigon (# 4917) on :

Brenda - I saw you with the Dear Leader at LonCon, but at a distance, on our way to the Fan Village, and I had no idea it was you!

Posted by Brenda Clough (# 18061) on :

I laughed so much that evening, my chest hurt. Derwin has a great line in deadpan Leaderspeak, and by the time we were done he had propounded Worldcon Domination, the 2033 Pyongyang Worldcon bid. This would be the 50th birthday of Dear Leader, and would clearly be a springboard to the 2040 North Korean Olympics bid. Derwin undertook to have electric and running water in all the con hotels by then. We got it to where the Future Worldcon committee asked if we wanted to present at their meeting. I said no.

Posted by luvanddaisies (# 5761) on :

In my trying to meet new people drive, I'm now booked up for two Star Trek conventions, both fan-funded ones, one is First Contact Day in the beginning of Apil in Telford, and the other is Starbase 24's Starfleet/Klingon Banquet in September.

I'm also planning to go to Destination Star Trek in October. Initially the general feeling on social media was that it was going to be in London but then William Shatner tweeted something about going to a con in the UK in Birmingham in October, so now it looks likely it'll be in the NEC. I've reserved a hotel where I can cancel for free, and I think a lot of people have been doing that. They release tickets and venue on Tuesday 2nd, so I guess I'll find out for sure then.

I managed to find a Once Upon A Time one in London, but it was all sold out when I found it, and apparently it doesn't have a waiting list for returned tickets [Frown]

So I'm considering some Klingon cosplay for First Comtact Day... I've never done anything like that before. Anyone got any good ideas about colouring and blending headpieces, or about no you go about sticking the things on, and what sort of stuff you need to remove them?

Posted by luvanddaisies (# 5761) on :

I'm going to be at the spring London Film and Comic Con on Saturday 27th and Sunday 28th, helping on a table with a StarTrek group (all part of my trying to meet new people thing, thy seem nice online), is anyone else going?

Posted by Brenda Clough (# 18061) on :

I will be at Balticon and Capclave, both in the DC area this year. I will not be at Worldcon in Kansas City this year, nor in Helsinki next year, but after that who knows.
The World Fantasy Convention is going to be in Baltimore in future (I think 2018 or 2018) and I will be there, probably running a party.

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