Tag Archives: Fan Expo

Making the most of my time

It’s my day off again, but with Mrs Dim going back to work, there’s no lazy lie in for me. And that’s a good thing, because FanExpo Vancouver is only two weeks away, and I have a lot to do. Most of Mrs Dim’s costume is done:

This photo is actually a little behind the times, since I have completed and painted the toe caps (the white thing in the front of the picture) and I also managed to produce the apron/skirt thing:

If all this is looking a bit weird, maybe I should post the picture of what we’re aiming at:

I’m left with the belt and boot tops to produce (the gauntlets came in the post the other day, and can be used for gardening after Fan Expo is over, much to Mrs Dim’s delight.)

For Tiny Weasel, I have to produce the character pictured at the top of the post. That’s Hollow Knight. Tricky as it may seem, I already have the helmet, made for a past Fan Expo but never used. I also made the sword. Today’s real task is coming up with the cloak. I had a plan for that, but then I decided to do my research properly and I’m having to rethink things. At rest, the cloak looks like a leaf:

But in motion, as at the top, it’s lots of separate…what? Tentacles? Strips? Anyway, Tiny Weasel has had the material and the sewing machine for a fortnight and hasn’t touched either of them, so I guess it’s down to me. Luckily, Derek the Dalek looks like this:

He has a working voice box, sound-reactive undersill lighting, and a compressed air canister to squirt out of his gun. He doesn’t need any more work, just a test run when Eldest Weasel comes over for brunch on Sunday.

For once, I’m glad I don’t have a costume to wear. Life is busy enough!

Fan Expo Vancouver 2014

Thor and Loki, fighting as usual...

Thor and Loki, fighting as usual…

This was our third visit to FanExpo Vancouver, but only the second year we actually got inside. We’d been planning the day for ages – tickets bought well in advance, Weasels’ costumes worked out – but the last couple of days before were a blur of activity. Somehow, this did not include me getting the adjustments to my own costume done. Next year. Maybe.

Tiny Weasel had settled on a version of Ana from Frozen who is only onscreen for a few moments during the song “Do you want to build a Snowman?” but it came out pretty well, thanks to Mrs Dim’s sewing skills and some decorating on my part.

Tiny Weasel on the right, with a borrowed Olaf, meeting an older version of Ana.

Tiny Weasel on the right, with a borrowed Olaf, meeting an older version of Ana.

Middle Weasel had chosen the slightly more obscure computer game character Juno Eclipse. I built the hat, the gun rig, the rank badge and belt buckle, and Mrs Dim produced an awesome uniform jacket that will see plenty more use in everyday life.

These two members of the 501st made a good honour guard for Middle Weasel's arrival.

These two members of the 501st made a good honour guard for Middle Weasel’s arrival.

Eldest Weasel is usually quite shy and retiring, but she wanted to be a Time Lord, so Mrs Dim produced some fabulous robes, and I put together a headpiece based on the one worn by Timothy Dalton as Rassilon. She walked everywhere with an amazing poise and confidence, even though she was stopped every few feet by people wanting photographs – even at Subway!

This TARDIS cosplayer has used latex to make Gallifreyan writing appear burned into her skin. Amazing job.

This TARDIS cosplayer has used latex to make Gallifreyan writing appear burned into her skin. Amazing job.

This year the venue was larger, and we arrived early on the Sunday, so things were quieter for the first hour or so. We had a good chance to wander the booths and chat to the vendors and exhibitors, and saw some of the big names arriving for their signing sessions – Tom Felton, Charisma Carpenter, Eliza Dushku, Robert Englund…. (No photos of them this year, sorry!)

Attending in costume, even if only through the Weasels, was a very different experience to last year’s plain clothes day. There’s more of a sense of cameraderie with the other cosplayers, and it’s such fun meeting with other groups and taking photos together, or swapping notes on costume choice and construction.

I’m going to end with a photo reel without comments : These pictures have been posted on my Facebook page and my G+ account, so I’m all commented out, but feel free to ask for explanations or identifications!

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The best convention…I never got to. Vancouver FanExpo 2012

Middle and Eldest Weasel meet a Clone Trooper and The Master Chief.

It’s the first Fan Expo here in Vancouver. Sure, we have V-Con, and probably there are other comic-based events happening now and then but there’s one crucial difference. We were going to this one. We’d missed San Diego Comicon the year we were in town, and the planned trip to Emerald City didn’t pan out. Flu prevented our attending the Bellingham Comic convention.

Hey, hey, the gang’s all here…Well, except for Robin. And Joker. And the Penguin…

So we checked out the website. We downloaded the vouchers that would get the younger weasels in free. We didn’t buy the actual tickets though. How busy could it be?

Hey look! It’s…er…ah…Well, her dress is pretty.

Maybe we should have raced to the Convention Centre as soon as we woke up, but it was a lovely day. We walked the dog, dawdled at a yard sale…we enjoyed ourselves. And meanwhile, it seemed, every other person in North America was arriving at the Convention Centre. When we reached the doors at noon, they were having to turn people away, since they were already sold out.

So…we took advantage of the sunshine and the wandering cosplayers to amuse ourselves.

It was a great spectacle, and we probably saved ourselves a fortune by not wandering the halls and seeing the wonderful merchandise, or the various stars arrayed to sign their photos…But we’ll be back for next year. And we’ll be in our OWN costumes.

I will not be going as Supergirl. Even though I have the abs for it….

What’s the greatest event YOU’VE ever missed?