Day 2:
As tradition dictates, I got up around 6 am to start getting into my costume before everyone else as mine took longer to get ready then everyone else. This year's line up of cosplay included me as Lulu from Final Fantasy X, J as a new and improved version of his Jayne from Firefly that he did last year, R as Waldo of Where's Waldo? fame, and D as Amy Pond from Doctor Who in "The Beast Below" episode.
We headed down to the Expo around 8:30 and there was a bit of confusion as to where we were supposed to go but we ended up herded down to the corral. I did enjoy the pre-show entertainment in the corral, but I got separated from D, R and J. The were sent up into the stands and I was directed to sit on the floor as it was very difficult for me to climb stairs in my costume. Luckily I was sitting with a really nice gentleman dressed as Doctor Jones who had broken his foot. You could see the cracks in organization beginning to form at this point. People who were there earlier were seated higher in the Corral while those who arrived just before the doors opened got to sit on the floor much closer to the doors than those who came earlier. There was no separation between people who had purchased advanced passes and those who still needed to purchase resulting in a bit of a cluster. We managed to find each other when the crowd just started moving wherever they wanted to. I got the impression there were quite a few people who were upset that they arrived early and were sent to sit higher and farther away from the doors than those who came later. I felt really bad for the poor volunteer who was trying very hard to keep the crowd moving and seated, but he was very young and people just ignored him.
We decided that since we had done most of our important stuff the day before not to fight the crowds to much and just take the opportunity to pose for some photos and check out other people's costumes until the sea of people parted a bit. We eventually got inside and wandered for a little bit before heading to the Boyce Theatre for the voice actors panel. We waited to long to get in line however and didn't make it into the room. Lesson learned. Get in line for a panel super early or miss out. That was totally our fault and we knew it. So we did what any other cosplayer would do and wandered the floor trying to bring a few smiles to peoples faces. Our plan was to have R photobomb as much as humanly possible the rest of the weekend. People LOVED it. We did get a little tired of hearing "Found You!" constantly all weekend, but it was all in good fun. R even saw someone post on Tumblr later that weekend that the highlight of their Expo experience was playing Where's Waldo in the Corral and looking for him in the crowd. Around noon-ish, J and I stepped outside to cool off a bit as I was overheating and needed a quick break. The crowd outside was enormous! There were thousands of people lined up down the street waiting to get in. We headed back inside and made it to the ticket area at the main entrance to the Corral when they suddenly closed the gates in front of us. Rumors began to circulate through the crowd. "Oversold" and "Over-capacity" were the terms flying around. We heard that we may not get back in. You could feel the tension in the room beginning to mount. I was seriously worried there was going to be a riot on there hands and we were trapped like cattle in a holding pen. There were A TON of people jammed in that room. I totally understand why the Fire Marshall shut things down. My Twitter was blowing up with irate people in the line farther back. We figured if we just waited for a bit and a few more people left we could get back inside. I texted R and told him and D what was going on and NOT to leave the hall no matter what. Then they closed the doors behind us as well. I was really getting overheated now and I had no water (it was with D) and that room started to feel awfully small and really crowded. I began to feel faint. J inched us closer to the wall area where there were some tables set up so we would have left people around us but I was really getting worried that I was going to faint. Just when I was about to declare a medical emergency, they opened the gates and let those of us in the "holding cell" back into the room. We found R and D and had a happy little reunion. Luckily we were only in that room for about 20 minutes. We heard later that many others were not so lucky. There were a lot of people turned away and even more who waited for 3 or 4 hours to get back in. Let me tell you, the mood it that place changed on a dime! People get very grumpy and short with each other. We did our best to brighten each other's moods and those around us but it was crazy!
J really wanted to go to the Adam Baldwin panel so he and I went to line up (about an hour before it started) We jumped in at the end of the Amanda Tapping line so we would be near the front for the next seating. Everyone was talking about the lockdown. At one point a very nice volunteer came by to let the people in the Amanda Tapping line know that the panel was running later starting. He had a counter in his hand and clicked them all off and let them know that they would get in. More confusion. Her panel was supposed to start at 1 and it was now almost 1:30. Then a lady came by and told everyone that the panel was full. In fact, it seems like it was full and going for a while at that point. I thought there was going to be another riot. They moved us forward for the Baldwin line up. The line started to get really long so they split it off about 15 people behind us and moved the "second line" way down the hall and closer the the Boyce than we were. Then the rumblings started in our line that we were going to get screwed and not seated as they had us father away and potentially would forget about us. Thank goodness there was a woman volunteer there who was very loud and very organized. She made sure that then line was counted off correctly and told people when it was full before we had even been seated so they didn't end up waiting for no reason. Now this is where we are considerate Con-goers. R and D had gone to get some food and it took longer than anticipated. When they came and counted off the line, they hadn't arrived back so they didn't come with us to the panel. No line jumping for us. They went and watched the costume contest instead. That way 2 people father back in the line wouldn't end up without a seat.
Adam Baldwin's panel was quite enjoyable. He's quite a funny guy and it was neat to see him in real life. We had great seats and i was nice to relax for a bit. After the panel we went to the Costume Contest. I was a little disappointed with it this year as it seemed very short and not many entrants. (From what I heard later there were a few people who had entered but were unable to attend due to the lockdown) There were some great costumes and some pretty awesome skits as well. I really enjoyed the Jay and Silent Bob/Mortal Kombat crossover where Jay and Silent Bob pretended to play the game and the Mortal Kombat guys enacted it. My favorite was the Lego Star Wars Darth Maul whose costume "fell apart" just like in the Lego games. Fantastic!
After the contest we wandered the floor for a while more and made the decision not to leave. Initially we had intended to leave around 4 or 5 and go back to the hotel, change and eat before the TNG EXPOsed that night, but we were worried about getting back in. We decided not to risk it and stayed there (in costume) through the rest of the evening. I decided to go back to Linsner and pick up my commission. He was so gracious. He flipped to the sketch he had done for me of Dawn and I loved it! He asked me about what got me interested in Dawn and his artwork in general. We talked about how I loved that he drew women "real" I told him that my favorite piece of work was the one that showed a little tummy roll on her and that I appreciated how he made the one woman in comic books who deserved to be perfect, real. He took my sketch out of his book and added color to it while we talked. He didn't have to do that and I didn't pay for color. I was so very impressed by him. I have to admit, I was very leery to meet him. I have loved him from afar for so long I was very worried that he would not live up to my expectations. (They say never meet your hero's right?) Thankfully he exceeded everything I hoped he would be.
We wandered the floor some more, met some awesome Cosplayers, posed for countless photos and had a good time. I was amazed at how well my costume was holding up, even if my train was getting filthy from being stepped on constantly. Around 4:30 we ran into a volunteer who loved my costume. He asked if he could take a picture and requested that I do the victory pose. That was the moment I came to a crushing realization. I had spent the whole day wandering the con and I had forgotten to put on my necklaces! I was wearing an unfinished piece of work. How did I let that happen!
The Expo came to a close and we jumped in line for TNG EXPOsed. We had seats way up in the nosebleeds which wasn't an issue until I realized how many stairs I would have to climb in that belt skirt. I got quite the work out! We settled in and waited for the show to start. The pre-show was entertaining with a couple of Trek guests and a cute video of celebs at other cons discussing Next Gen. Once the video ended they told us there was going to be a half hour "intermission" before the show started. Once again, there was the threat of a riot. People were not pleased to wait and I heard plenty of grumbling that they should have started the show later instead of having an intermission. I was inclined to agree, but R used to time to go get me some food at the concession since I hadn't eaten at all that day and was starting to feel it again. The show itself was fabulous. The highlights for me were the surprise appearance of John Delancie and the "sick kid from Vancouver" Aaron Douglas. The exchange between Douglas and Wheaton was priceless. We really enjoyed the show. Once it was over though, I was ready for bed! We headed back to the hotel and called it a night.
Here's a few photo's of our Day 2:
