Mecha Con

There is no better feeling in the world than driving through the streets of the city you love. For me, my heart belongs to New Orleans. I love everything about NOLA, from the food to the culture. The city's history... my family's history... could never be burned or drowned. My ancestors fought against the British and the Union to protect this city... our home, needless to say our roots run deep for Louisiana. So when it came to attending this event, it was really easy to twist my arm.

Day 1 at Mecha Con:

This was the quiet day. Mostly hung around the booth and talked with the other exhibitors. There were a few awesome cosplayers but I didn't get a chance to get their pictures. I did take some pics of the city...

Day 2 at Mecha Con:

Today was much busier. It started off with the Voice Actors Panel with great talents like Steve Blum, Johnny Yong Bosch, Kyle Hebert, Scott McNeil, and J. Michael Tatum. It was hilarious watching them up there. I mostly came to listen to Steve Blum but it seemed everyone wanted Johnny or Michael to speak... oh well. Right after the panel, I had to go prep for the costume contest... missing out on getting the autographs of these amazing voice actors. 

 

I really didn't expect many people to recognize who Commander Shepard was. Especially since I was approached by a lot of people asking what my costume was... and most of them confessed they don't play video games. But one of the judges was thrilled about seeing a femShep, she apparently wouldn't shut up about me to the other judges. I had a tough act to follow as well. The people before me did Delta and Big Sister from Bioshock 2... impressive costume and even the drill spun around! I was thinking, "Well damn, no one will cheer for me now." The moment they announced who I was portraying, I could hear the crowd being just as loud as when Delta turned on his drill. I get up on stage acting super serious and when I get down the runway, I pointed my gun at the crowd and then started doing Shepard's bad dance moves. When I got backstage, one of the Team Fortress 2 cosplayers came up and said they loved my act. I didn't win but Shepard did get a lot of hugs that night.

Day 3 of Mecha Con:

The final day. I started with Cosplay Chess, playing as a pawn in the first round and a knight in the second. I love doing cosplay chess because I can get away with trash talking... in fact they encourage it! 

My team from Round 2. I stood next to Alphonse Elric. And yes... that's Neo.

 For the first time I didn't get to attack anyone... which is sad because I did work up an epic kill. No one took me out in the first round but Vash the Stampede defeated the knight. They stuck their finger down my barrel and no matter how many times I attempted to get medi-gel, I still ended up with Critical Mission Failure. 

Right after the cosplay chess was another chance to get Steve Blum's autograph. They were lining up people and I got in right behind the Vash that took me out. Since I had a few minutes to burn, I decided to show a certain cosplayer who is the best in the galaxy...

When we got into the room for autographs, I immediately went to the line for Steve Blum. I'm glad I did too since he was going to be leaving fairly early too. When it was my turn, I couldn't contain my giddy fangirl side from coming out. You have to understand one thing, Cowboy Bebop was the first anime I ever got into and Steve Blum is the voice of Spike Spiegel. Not only did he voice so many other animes/games/etc but he voiced Grunt in Mass Effect 2 and Oghren in Dragon Age, so he became even more epic to me. He was on my list of "People to Meet in My Lifetime" and I finally got my chance. I asked him if he would be willing to do a quick little skit with me and he agreed... (*squeals in delight*)

 

That will be by far my favorite video I have ever recorded! Thank you Steve Blum!

The last thing I attended at Mecha Con was an auction benefiting the NOLA Japan Quake Fund. Steve Blum, who does a lot for charities, donated an autographed copy of the script of Cowboy Bebop: The Movie, if I had more money I would have totally gone for it, as well as his voice acting for 30 seconds. I bid on three items and actually ended up walking away with one. The Black Lagoon Second Barrage collectors tin signed by the voice actor of Rock, Brad Swaile. After that, Matt and I packed up and headed home. Another successful convention and another great time spent doing what I love...

Sometimes it's worth all the driving I do...

See you space cowboy...

Featured Artists

This is dedicated to all the great artists who have done something for me. I thought this would be a good way to say thank you. Be it commission, trade, request, gift, whatever… I love you all for making these for me. This is the ENTIRE list of everything I have received. (I organized them by when I received it and I am only putting up finished items. Just so you know.)

ARTWORK

LadyGrush

 

 Krinkels

  

Nyhgault

  

Agirl3003 

  

Pyromaniac03

Cobyfrog

Dragonsmoke

CallMeMina

AbsoluteApril

Helenovision

Hanyogirl

COSPLAY

  

OoEdenXoO aka EdenX Cosplay

TheyCallMeWeirdo

ACCESSORIES

Jadiekins

Katlinegrey

SolarDiamond

Thank you everyone! I will update this list once I get more!

See you space cowboy...

Chicago Comic Con

First off, I have never been to Chicago... and driving there is NUTS! It's one thing to weave through traffic, it's a completely different thing to drive 20 miles over the speed limit in a construction zone! I did get lost the first night while trying to find the TGI Fridays... went the complete opposite direction and ended up at the restaurant 2 hours later than expected. I made it up to myself by getting a Chicago Dog, which was delicious! That said, let's talk about the Wizard World Chicago Comic Con!

Day One at CCC:

I was attending with Dee Dunn, it was her first time ever going to a Comic Con. So I figured a smallish one like Chicago would be a good way to start the convention addiction, or pop her cherry. The first day was a short one, only being open for 4 hours. Mostly it was to see some of the vendors and take a gander at the artwork in Artist's Alley. I knew Aaron Goodwin from Ghost Adventures was going to hang out with Adam Michaels. Aaron immediately recognized me and we had to get a pic of us Big Steppin'.

Aaron and I

Big Steppin'!

Artwork from Adam Michaels... now I owe him 100 Nazi scalps.

After walking around some more and seeing some great cosplayers. I notice a very particular name in Artist Alley. The artist was away from the table but as I checked out their artwork, it was definitely them. I am speaking of none other than the great James O'Barr. If you need to google who that is, please slap yourself. James O'Barr is the creator of the Crow, the mastermind behind the comics that inspired the movies. When he walks behind the table, I freeze up... then blurt out, "You're James O'Barr!" "Yeah, I am." He was one of the coolest people you could ever talk to. And REALLY humble! I tell him how amazing his artwork is and how he was the first person to get me into the darker style comics. He was flattered. We talked about a bunch of things and in the end he gave both Dee and I a little Crow pin. What an epic way to begin Chicago.

James O'Barr and I... (goes and squeals in the corner)

Day Two at CCC:

I actually had to spend that morning fixing the plug in my oil pan on my Volkswagen. The threading was shot and the rubber was chipping away. One of the people at AutoZone helped me since the plug was stuck. We got it fixed right there in the parking lot. Nothing beats a dirty morning covered in oil and grease.

The second day seemed to be our quiet day. We attended a panel with Alan Goldsher and his discussion about Scary Funny novels. He read a snippet from his book "Paul is Undead: The British Zombie Invastion" and a little bit from his new piece which is "The Sound of Music" with vampires. As well as we hit the rest of the tables at Artist Alley where I picked up Headless Horsewoman and had it signed by the artist.

Headless Horsewoman by Tommy Castillo

Day Three at CCC:

The busy day. First thing on my agenda was to meet the Boondock Saints. I had the chance to meet Sean Patrick Flannery at last year's SDCC. He is as stunning in person as he looks on the screen... I will say that. This time, not only did I get to say hello to Sean again but I got to meet Norman Reedus and David Della Rocco, which BTW he is just as scatterbrained as in the movie but loves hugs.

Norman Reedus and I

Sean Patrick Flannery and I

David Della Rocco and I

 Just before the Costume Contest, the 501st Legion was doing a raffle. If you got caught with their badge, they would give you a ticket. At 5:01pm (lol) on Saturday they picked about 23-25 winners of random Star Wars memorabilia. I had a total of 3 tickets and I actually won something, Micro Machines collectables! One was a set of three vehicles from Return of the Jedi (a Speeder Bike with Rebel Pilot, an Imperial Shuttle Tyderium, and an A-Wing Starfighter) and the other one is an Imperial Landing Craft diecast.

When it came to the Costume Contest, there was roughly about 150 contestants. There were some awesome cosplayers like Johnny the Homicidal Maniac, underwear model Dead Pool, Ed from Cowboy Bebop, and a Joker with a flower that actually shot out steam. By the time they got to me, they had to rush the contestants. Most of us had to wait until they were on stage to announce their costume. When I stepped up in line, one of the judges immediately pointed at me, knowing exactly who I was. I took a single step forward and she announced, "Commander Shepard!" The crowd actually cheered, typically they applauded but they cheered for me! So I decided to give them a show. I do the epic fail dance all the way to the stage. I get up there and after doing some poses for the photographers, I say as loud as I could, "I'm Commander Shepard and this is my favorite store on the Citadel!" I took a bow and exited the stage. I knew I wasn't going to win but I was going to make one hell of an appearance, as well as have fun doing it.
 

Nyan Cat onstage at the Costume Contest

The contestants waiting around in the lobby for the winners

After the Costume Contest, Dee and I went to see Unicorn City. A new movie that should be released by the end of this year or early 2012 and it is a total gamer movie. We were rolling on the floor laughing and we especially love the Centaur. It's about some d20 gamers who make a utopian city where they are their characters. I highly recommend seeing it, definitely check out their trailer: http://www.unicorncity.com/

Dee and I with the Centaur from Unicorn City

 Some of the people from Unicorn City invited Dee and I to join them for dinner at The Ram. We agreed, of course. Ended having a blast with them. One of the kookiest bunch of people I have ever had dinner with... I'd say they are nearly as kooky as dining with the newgrounds.com people.

Day Four at CCC:

Final day at Chicago Comic Con. The first thing I do is get in line for the Boondock Saints panel. Because of the pass I had I actually got to enter first (thank you Dee) and have front row seats. I was laughing so hard the entire time. Sean Patrick Flannery just kept cracking out one line gems and doing the funniest things. Norman Reedus started playing songs on his cell phone and putting it up to the microphone. And David Della Rocco said a joke just as epic as in the movie. I hope to upload it to youtube when I get a chance so keep an eye out there. It's just too funny to not share!

Sean Patrick Flannery, Norman Reedus, and David Della Rocco

 During the final hours of the convention, I decided to walk the floor again. I found Christopher Mitten who made the Kane & Lynch comic that takes place in between the games. I picked up my copy (which was on my list of things to buy) and he signed it for me. It's always nice finding other people who love video games as much as I do... speaking of that... As I was going around Artist Alley, someone recognized my Commander Shepard costume and asked me to come to their table. They told me that one of their artists was a big Mass Effect fan. When they pointed at them, it was the judge who announced me at the Costume Contest! Her name is Mina Sanwald and she is one hell of an artist. She told me how she voted for me to win, apparently so did one other judge, so I was actually one of the best ones there. YAY! Since we share a love for Mass Effect and for a certain turian... she made me a quick sketch of me hugging Garrus. What a perfect way to end another convention.

Garrus & I by Mina

 See you space cowboy...

San Diego Comic Con

So I am finally getting around to starting my own blog. With all the places I travel to and all the conventions I attend, I figured it was about time. So why not start with the biggest convention this year... San Diego's Comic Con.

I have been attending SDCC for 5 years now. Every year I become immersed in the crowds of other dorks, nerds, and geeks to enjoy everything from comic books to animes to video games. Most of the time I cosplay. One year I went as an original character from the anime Bleach, another year I was Sniper from Team Fortress 2, this year... I was Commander Shepard from Mass Effect. I have been in love with the Mass Effect series since the first game released. My husband brought it home one day and when he began playing it, I was immediately hooked. Ever since then I joined the Bioware bandwagon. I have played other Bioware games prior, like Jade Empire, but Mass Effect was the one that took my heart.

My Commander Shepard outfit is the Cerberus uniform she wears while on the Normandy. My friend Gena Hernandez helped me with the jacket and I did the rest. Even modified a Nerf gun to look like a custom N7 weapon. The whole costume was complete by 05/25/2011.

Cerberus Jacket

Custom Weapon

While traveling in Colorado, I get word that Bioware was going to hold a costume contest at SDCC! I was beyond excited and couldn't wait to participate! Not only that but it was my chance to play the demo for Mass Effect 3... which I have pre-ordered ever since December 2010 (as a birthday gift to myself). 

Day 1 of SDCC:

We arrive on Thursday morning, settle into the hotel and wait for Luis Castanon from Newgrounds to join us. Once we are all together, I get dressed up in my costume and we take the shuttle to the Convention Center. I look out to the left from the bus and there it is... the Bioware Base at the Hilton... with a gigantic sign showing Commander Shepard. We grab our badges and start walking the exhibition floor. 

First we stop at the Saints Row 3 booth. Taking a moment to see the preview, we go inside and I couldn't stop laughing. The new additions to the game will certainly make it even more fun to play. And I am really REALLY looking forward to the hover jet. Oh and hitting people with a big purple dildo. 

Next stop, the I-Mockery booth. They have been working on Abobo's Big Adventure, something my husband Matt got to help be a beta in. It's looking great so far and I cannot wait to see the final product!

After lunch... it was time to finally go over to the Bioware Base.

You could see this all the way from the Convention Center

While standing in line for the demos, I got to play with the N7 Rifle Volpin Props created for SDCC and take a seat in the Illusive Man's chair (which I did his exact pose, even held my cigarette the way he does). And then the stage came to life, showing previews from the demo while being recorded for BiowareTV. Casey Hudson, the executive producer of Mass Effect, came on stage and talked a little bit about the demo we would be playing and about the game I'm so eagerly waiting to play. While he was walking away, Luis and Matt "helped" push me into going up to him and asking for his photograph. I introduced myself and said how much of a big fan I was... even told him how excited I was to be meeting him (my heart was literally pounding against my chest this entire time). Then he said, "I actually know who you are. I've seen your pictures online." O_O <--- that was my face. He knew who I was... HE KNEW WHO I WAS! Hearing him say that topped the list of most memorable moments, knocking meeting Adam West last year straight out of the ballpark.

Casey Hudson and I

It took a good ten minutes for my heart rate to slow back down, which was fine because we were still standing in line. My husband and Luis left to go see the Batman: Arkham City panel while I stayed in line. In the words of my husband, "It looked awesome! And there's penguin with a posh-British accent!" So needless to say, another game that is looking promising. I was nearing the front of the line when I see out of the corner of my eye... Garrus. Well, someone dressed up as Garrus but still! The costume was done by the great Holly Conrad of Crabcat Industries. I immediately knew I had to get my photo taken with him, after all what is Shepard without her turian vigilante (especially my Shepard who romanced him). So I have the person I was speaking with in line take my camera and take a photo for me. The moment I stood next to Garrus, all I could hear is the clicking and flashing from cameras. I guess everyone noticed how in-game we looked. : 3

Due to time constraints, I had to leave the line to meet up with several people from Deviant Art. So I wasn't able to play the demo but I would attempt again the next day.

Day 2 of SDCC:

We started the day by walking the exhibition floor some more. Then we attend the Legendary Pictures panel with information about the new Mass Effect movie. I am typically against video games being turned into movies and when they announced the Mass Effect movie, I threw up my arms and screamed, "NO!" I still attended the panel to see if maybe Casey Hudson could persuade me to change judgement or at least give me some hope that this would not be a total failure. Upon hearing that it will be based on the events in Mass Effect 1 and following around Commander Shepard, I opened up a little to the idea. The thing I enjoy most about Mass Effect is the ability to have your own story. In the movie adaptation, it may or may not be what I decided to go with in the game and I understand that. I'm still a bit skeptic but I have changed my opinion from refusing to see it to going on opening day.

After the panel, we stopped by Maddox's Best Page in the Universe booth. He has a new book coming out titled "I Am Better Than Your Kids." Both Matt and I are fans of him and enjoy meeting him at SDCC every year. Even Matt made him some artwork to get graded... it didn't end well.

Matt received an F+... his gem was lumpy.

Matt's failure left us to wander the floor again. At this point, I had a chance to meet Jennifer Hale (the voice of female Shepard), Holly Conrad (the one who made the Garrus costume and is known for her great Shepard armor), and Rana McAnear (the face model for Samara). Every single one of them were extremely wonderful to speak with! They were down to earth and I would love to meet them all again (which I got to later on at the Bioware Base). It was getting closer to the time for the Costume Contest so we headed over to the Bioware Base to try and play the ME3 demo. Again I didn't have a chance to because I needed to register for the Contest but I had a blast hanging out with the other cosplayers. Made friends with a bunch of them, they are that awesome! (BTW, Shepard loves her Isabellas!) I also got to chat with Jesse Houston, producer for ME3. We swear we know each other... but to this date I still can't figure out how or where. 

A bunch of the cosplayers for the Costume Contest.

The Bioware Costume Contest was a ton of fun. I didn't win but that's okay. According to Nick Clifford, assistant project manager at EA, I was his favorite Shepard and that was enough for me. ^_^ Okay, so I'm a pushover! I was about to go back to the hotel (just from the sheer exhaustion of walking around nonstop in my costume since 9am) but since so many people wanted me to stay... I stayed. I got interviewed a bunch for BiowareTV and for PopChips, had lots of photos taken, and people were actually coming up to me saying they recognized me from online! I'm an internet celebrity now! There goes my 15 minutes of fame. =P

Day 3 at SDCC:

Still exhausted from the prior night, I was debating on wearing my skater shoes instead of my military boots. But since Saturday at SDCC is when everyone is completely dressed to perfection, I stayed true to the costume. Many of us from Newgrounds went to see the Quick Draw! Panel and the Cartoon Voices Panel, kind of a tradition with us. This year Robin Atkin Downes, the voice of Medic in Team Fortress 2, was on it. As soon as we were finished with the panels, we made our way to the Bioware Base determined to play the ME3 demo. This time, due to my involvement in the costume contest and making friends with the people at Bioware, I was bumped to the front of the line. Matt and I walked into the room, listened to the introduction conducted by EDI telling what Shepard needed to do, and proceeded to play the demo (both as soldier). The best part was playing the demo dressed as Commander Shepard... priceless.

First thing I did was allocate the squad points. I maxed out Concussive Shot, my favorite power in the whole game, and made it bone-shattering. For Garrus, after squealing like a fangirl when I saw him, I maxed out his Turian Rebel ability and placed the rest in Concussive Shot and Proximity Mine. For Liara, I maxed out her Biotic Training and placed the rest on Singularity. Then I started playing the best demo I laid hands on. I enjoyed hearing the explosion each concussive shot made... and the shock wave of destruction from maxing it out! When I discovered the omni-blade, it was addicting. No matter how close I came to reaching "Critical Mission Failure," I enjoyed the feeling of stabbing Cerberus operatives! Matt and I even had a contest going on who stabbed the most people with the omni-blade. I won... that's because Shepard always wins. The demo ended when the Atlas Mech dropped in. I wanted to start the battle with it right then and there but alas I have to wait until March to take him down. On the way out, we chatted with Chris Priestly, community coordinator for Bioware, about our reactions. It's looking amazing so far and the dedication Bioware has put into it can clearly be seen with every improvement. 

I stuck around the Bioware Base to do the Mass Effect March while Matt went back to the convention floor to play other demos like Dead Rising 2: Off the Record. He says Off the Record is extremely slow at the moment, poor frame rate. There was still a lot of work that needed to be done with the demo. The March consisted of a bunch of us going around the Gas Lamp District in San Diego, holding up our inflatable omni-blades and screaming "Mass Effect" and "Save the Earth!" I would occasionally throw in "Vote for Commander Shepard" and "I'm Commander Shepard and this is my favorite march in the solar system." At the end of the March, they revealed the 6 candidates for the default femShep. My vote goes to the blonde Shep... but I love the black one too. Many of us stayed around afterwards for the after party, I couldn't stay too long due to a meetup with the Newgrounds peeps, but had a blast with my fellow Mass Effect nerds. 

Me, Nick Clifford, and Holly Conrad

Just when I was leaving, I noticed Ross O'Donovan (from Newgrounds) and some of the Crabcat Industries people. I sat down and chatted with them a bit. The person who was cosplaying as Garrus was taking a break and I found this as the perfect opportunity to ask him to recreate, in my opinion, the best scene in the game. He agreed. After getting Garrus's head back on, we did the headbump...

Achievement Unlocked: Paramour

Of course, Holly Conrad had to add the fact that we just had the Bioware version of turian sex. XD From what I can tell, this was the only photo taken the entire Comic Con with the headbump so I feel really special. (It's amazing what being nice can do.) I made it a point to say goodbye to all the people I met and thank them for a great time before leaving, just the way I am. Then headed to meet up with the Newgrounds people for our annual get-together. We all ended up at the Fox Sports Bar at the Hilton next to the Convention Center. What happens when you get a bunch of animators, programers, and fans together? We just sit around drinking and talking. Nothing wrong with that.

The next day, Matt and I left the beautiful city of San Diego. I look forward to it every year and SDCC never ceases to disappoint me. This year easily tops the previous ones. I got to spend all three days dressed up as my favorite video game character. I got to meet so many wonderful people and be a part of the events Bioware was holding. I couldn't have asked for more.

Goodbye San Diego... until next year.

See you space cowboy...