Anthrocon 2014

Just as I thought, Anthrocon turned out to be quite the adventure!

Bishop and I left our house at 8:00 am sharp, eager to be on the road and on vacation.  We’re good road-trippers; we listen to music and get lost and then laugh at our own map incompetence.  To start this drive, we listened to several hours of Jim Gaffigan stand-up, and even after a minor McDonalds-related bathroom break, we were still feeling pretty good.  This lasted approximately 6 hours until we got to Ohio, where construction spanning roughly the width of the entire state slowed us to a crawl. That, compounded by a trumped up speeding ticket from a very disagreeable state trooper, and we were just about dead by the time we rolled into Pittsburgh, almost 6 hours later. 

Thankfully Bone and our friend Kindle were already waiting for us, and life perked back up again after some good food and laughs. 

The next morning, the con began.

Anthrocon leads as one of the largest cons in the country, and it certainly wins as the largest anthropomorphic convention.  Thousands of people attend each day, and it brings millions of dollars into the Pittsburgh economy.  And walking into the convention center on Friday morning, there’s no doubting that fact.  We pre-registered to save time and still spent over an hour in line; the line to enter the Dealer’s Den wrapped around the entire floor of the center and kept growing even people headed through the door. 

Costumes are everywhere: fursuits, anime characters, someone wearing an actual TV on his head, anything I could imagine.  And no one blinked! I love this about Anthrocon, about cons in general, and I barely let Bishop look around the Den before I sprinted back to the hotel room to get suited up and debut Tali’Zorah vas Normandy. 

The finished product! 

Bishop’s costume, as beautiful as it turned out, takes less than 5 minutes to put on. He went as an Imperial Guardsman from Warhammar 40K: Space Marine, and the costume’s simplicity makes it perfect.  It’s mostly armor and a helmet; otherwise, he’s wearing cargo pants and a surplus Army BDU with some boots, and he looks exactly like the Guardsmen in the game. 

My costume is a little more complex, and sadly, not nearly as perfect as Bishop’s.  (However, mine took about 75+ hours, where his took about 8, so I’m still claiming mine as better J)

For the first time since I was a little kid, dressing was suddenly a two-person job.  I managed to slither into the jumpsuit, stretching the painted diamonds out as I went, and I could get the shrug over my arms and up onto my shoulders, but from there I was basically helpless. When I attempted to wiggle into my knee-high boots, I toppled backward onto the bed and lay there, defeated.  Bishop laughed himself silly. 

Once we finally managed to get the boots on and zipped (allow 30 minutes), Bishop set about pinning the leg wraps in place while I started Velcro-ing my armor to my torso and arms.  The forearm plating snapped within moments, the foam board I’d been using unable to tolerate actually being put on (of course, it worked perfectly in the comfort of my living room!).  And somewhere along the line, between making the belt and harness back in April to putting the costume fully on in July, I must have lost weight because the belt promptly slipped down my hips and off my butt.  The ‘gun’ in the holster was out – I’d never be able to keep it on. 

Finally I was dressed and ready to go, suited up and helmet in hand (too hot to walk outside with it on), and we set out. 

 The trek through the lobby earned some looks, the soldier and the god-knows-what (me), both wielding weapons that certainly appeared realistic and getting high-fives from the fursuiters.  There was a Pirates-Phillies series in town that weekend, and some of those fans may not be reappearing in Pittsburgh anytime soon – too much weird. 

The walk to the convention center let us get into character. Bishop’s Guardsman is very prejudiced against xenomorphs, that is, aliens, and as a quarian, Tali is obviously an alien.  We spent most of the walk ‘yelling’ at each other over the obvious conflict. Bishop actually got stopped by a Warhammar fan who said, “Be alert! There are xenomorphs everywhere!” And there certainly were. 

The Imperial Guardsman and the Tech Priest, both from Warhammer 40K. She lost her shit when she found Bishop in costume :) 

In my dreams, we walked into Anthrocon and got mobbed with people demanding pictures, people begging us to participate in parades or contests, all sorts of things.  This didn’t quite happen, but we did still get quite a lot of attention -- pictures, hugs, high-fives, salutes, questions, requests for cosplay advice, and my personal favorite, people wanting to commiserate over how their own games of Mass Effect ended.  After an hour or two of hiking around, taking pictures, and sweating profusely (remember Tali is in a head-to-toe suit and this is July – even indoors, it was hot), we headed back to change, declaring our first attempt at cosplay a success.  

Saturday, I went as Lady Bone, our friend Bone’s female alter ego.  This surprisingly easy cosplay – a black dress shirt with a hot pink tie, skinny jeans, and some pink lipstick and I was ready to go – turned out to be a blast.  Bone is a semi-celebrity in the furry community, so I definitely got some waves and looks from people who weren’t quite sure if I was Bone or just pretending.

Bone and Lady Bone

Sunday started with a trip to the auction to place my bids on the art I wanted and oogle the art that I couldn’t afford or was stunned by, especially as I ventured into the “Mature” section of the gallery.  Some of what I found was absolutely amazing – my favorite piece was a painting of a dragon guarding a mountain done all in dark greens and grays and blacks that ended up going for about $700.  Some pieces I just didn’t understand; the most expensive piece at the auction, for a total above $5,000!, was a small blue bird statue, less than a foot square.  And some pieces were just plain freaky, even for someone at a furry convention, like the  fursuit genitalia available for purchase in the “Mature” area, if I had happened to be inclined.

I avoided the freakier stuff, and sadly some of the more expensive dragon paintings, but I did manage to get some pretty amazing stuff.  Pics and artist names below:

These Chucks have dinosaurs drawn on them!! They are so freaking cool, I may never even wear them so I don't ruin the design, just put them on display in my house! 

This gorgeous phoenix drawing went for only $40, and no one even fought me for it.  I couldn't believe it! Especially when a fox in the same style went for over $500! Artist: Makoto

As Bishop and I went to pick up my prizes, we ended up in line behind the guy who bought the dragon piece I’d had my eye on, and we chatted with him for a quite a long time.  He ended up being an Australian on his first trip to the US, as well as a fursuiter with a 7 ft tall blue and red dragon suit, and he regaled us with tales of his experiences with hot dogs, Walmart, and Budweiser, those distinctly American pastimes that he wasn’t quite sure what to do with.  By the end of the line, we had an invitation to a concert DJ’d by this man, who wears his suit while he DJ’s, if we were ever in Australia as well as a number of tricks for keeping that suit smelling fresh, should I ever decide to acquire one. 

The people are, by far, the best part of Anthrocon.

That afternoon, I suited up as Tali again, and for the last time for the weekend.  Bishop threw on his Guardsman costume too, and away we went. 

This time, we almost really did get mobbed.  Seriously.  Just as we entered the Dealer’s Den, someone stopped us to take a picture.  Then, as we were saying bye (a crucial element of the cosplay routine – gotta be in character!), a guy stopped me to discuss how I was his favorite character from Mass Effect ever and could he please oh please take a picture with me? Of course, and when I looked up again, about ten other people were standing in a semi-circle around Bishop and I, all with either cameras flashing or waving as they had finished taking a picture and wanted acknowledgement before they left.  This went on for several minutes. 

And then repeated itself about ten minutes later.  Sunday was a very popular day. 

It wasn't a perfect costume -- the helmet was a little too large, in my opinion. But it was one of the most awesome experiences of my life! 

When the picture frenzy died down a bit, we just walked around, enjoying the con and relaxing – Tali and the Guardsman, no big deal.  Then a skinny guy with a backpack came up to me and said, “Tali? I need you to come with me.”  Okay, so off I went, Bishop close behind. 

It turned out that this guy had been sent on a mission from two artists stuck at their table: Go find Tali and bring her back for pictures! They both practically lunged out from behind their table to hug me and ask for pictures, which I was happy to pose for.  Both guys were super enthusiastic about finding me, maybe more excited than I’d been for dressing up in the first place, which was totally awesome.  One guy, after we’d chatted for a while and were about to leave, went, “WAIT!” and ran back to his booth, where he produced a ‘doodle’ he’d been working on.  I say ‘doodle’ because the drawing was on a scrap piece of paper; there was nothing remotely doodle-like about the work itself, seen below.

The caption says, "Oh sure it looks delicious, but can my suit handle the mass effect on my hips?" The only artist name I could find on the table later was Mike Gibbons -- I'm not sure if that was the guy who drew this or his buddy at the table, but no matter: Thank you!!

I couldn’t believe it! This was the coolest drawing I’d ever seen, and an original, and he just gave it to me! He said he wanted me to have it, since I was Tali.  Blown away, I said thank you and promptly sprinted back to Bone’s booth to brag to him and Kindle about my adventure.  Bishop thought it was pretty cool too ;)

Eventually, Sunday afternoon wasted away into Sunday night, and Tali had to be packed up for the trip home. Anthrocon 2014 was over.

Bishop and I in the Dealer's Den

The cosplay experience was totally worth it – the hassle, the creation time, the money, and everything else.  I loved being Tali, even if the costume wasn’t perfect.  I loved getting to play as someone else for a little while, and I really loved bringing a character to life.  The look on someone’s face when they see a favorite character is priceless – I know from experience, having discovered cosplayers as Shepard from Mass Effect and Gandalf from LOTR before – and I’d never realized it was so fun.  I can’t wait to do it again!! I even think I’ll bring out Tali again in the future.  Next time, I know what changes I need to finalize to make the costume even better.  And now I can start on cosplay #2! I’m looking forward to the next con. 

Dragon Age Love

I've been absorbed with Bioware's Dragon Age: Origins for the last few weeks, and like any new hobby, I just can't get enough.

The plot may not be the most unique ever -- it's a pretty standard good vs. evil, gather the army to defeat the bad guys type of story -- but the characters elevate its simpler plot to grand heights that I absolutely adore.

No doubt about it: Alistair is my favorite character.

His whole personality hits all my "fall in love with a fictional character" requirements: he's sweet, funny in a dorky, adorable way, and awkward in an endearing, non-Michael-Cera kind of way.  I played as a female human noble Warden, so of course I romanced him (which is perhaps my favorite Bioware feature), and his romance is cute as hell.  He likes to talk to you, and plenty of the conversations feel semi-realistic so it stays fun. I could even come on to him early on, which is hilarious.

Eventually, when I romanced him, Alistair admitted he was a virgin, a character quirk I'm not sure I've seen admitted in a game before.  Sure, there are assumptions one can make -- Morrigan is probably a virgin too, considering her isolated life, and I'm willing to bet that maybe Tali from Mass Effect could be, but I've never heard one of them admit it.  Hell, when I went to romance Garrus in Mass Effect 2, the "come on" line happens right after he tells Shepard about banging some turian chick! Not exactly virgin territory there.  So the Alistair is a virgin element was a unique addition, and one that I found even more endearing.  He's so awkward and cute when he asks to sleep with you! Plus, the speaking options don't write the Warden into a corner -- I could be a virgin or not, and it didn't seem to affect much for him.  There's a hilarious conversations about licking lamposts, wink wink, to walk you through that revelation.

And then of course, there's the ending. Spoiler Alert! You can marry Alistair if you are indeed a female human noble, which I was and so of course I elected to do this.  Eventually, if I can make it all the way through Dragon Age II, some dialogue crops up where Alistair refers to my PC (player character) as 'the old ball and chain' :). I may not be loving II, but I can't wait to get there.

Alistair looking all suspicious near the end of the game -- I can just hear him saying, "Swooping is... bad." :)

I can't talk about Alistair without talking about Wynne, the 'grandmotherly' mage full of wisdom, an admittedly cliche character type who thankfully breaks the mold.

Wynne fills the necessary magic role in the game better than Morrigan ever could (in my opinion).  She's funny without being bitchy, and she's a fantastic, strong NPC that adds a lot to the party I've been playing.  Seriously, even though she's old, Wynne is a total bad-ass: I even have her take on Loghain at the end of the game, and she always kills him.

She should be the kind of character I can predict, right? She's got lots to say on how to be a strong Grey Warden, and she always wants to help me or Alistair or anyone else in the party. Wynne comes across as grandmotherly, and Alistair's request for her to mend his socks at one point certainly boosts that point.  But somewhere along the line, some programmer/writer with a sense of humor decided that, underneath it all, Wynne was going to be a dirty old woman. And it works, and it's awesome.  Oghren, the dwarf, and Zevran, the elf assassin, hit on Wynne constantly; Zevran, in particular, is fascinated with her 'bosom,' as he puts it.  And while Wynne might turn them down consistently, her banter with them is full of hints at her former less-than-grandmotherly adventures.

Those boobies have seen some things, apparently.  

Plus, since I was in a romance with Alistair, Wynne continuously teases Alistair about being into the Warden. She calls him on watching my character's ass while we're out on a mission, and eventually, when I brought the two of them on enough quests, she 'lectured' him on where babies come from, an exchange that cracks me up every time I hear it. Listen here and be amused! Their mother-son relationship, even when it goes off the rails, adds even more depth, like they really are friends inside the world of the game.

 Wynne's magic leads me to Morrigan, one of the earliest added NPCs and one that I'm not totally sure I love.  She's an out-there character, a Witch of the Wilds who technically should be chased/threatened by the templars (which include Alistair, to a certain degree).

And Sten.  A qunari, a giant race of warriors, stranded in Ferelden and absorbed into the Warden's party as penance for a crime of rage and loss: his character bleeds darkness, mystery, and a cold detachment that takes lots and lots of work to overcome.  For a long time, Sten is silent, standing off to the side of camp in near-silence. Few conversation options exist, and new ones are few and far between as the game goes on.

This is Sten, when the Warden finds him.  He's gigantic and intimidating, all white hair and purple eyes, and only slightly less so once you get him into some armor and a giant sword

Eventually though, the Warden can get Sten to talk, and even more eventually, I got his personal quest.  By the last push of the game (just barely pre-Landsmeet), I had Sten's approval close to 100 points, although the label of his approval is still "neutral" in a funny twist.  (For comparison, Alistair's at 100 points is "love" and Wynne's at about 80 is "friendly.") I really liked Sten and his warrior mentality, dark as his outlook is.

Other than Alistair though, I think I love Shale the best.  He's a golem, which is basically a huge rock-man brought to life with magic, and he is absolutely hilarious.  I only got him by chance -- the copy of DA:O I bought has all the DLC included and he's part of a quest called The Stone Prisoner.  I am so glad I did.  Shale is somewhat effeminate both in voice inflection and word choice, which creates a fun contrast between his intimidating appearance and his personality, and he really enjoys pushing the buttons on the other characters, who never seem to quite know what to do with him.  There's on exchange where Alistair asks Shale about his sleeping patterns, and Shale expresses that he doesn't sleep, he just watches the rest of the party while they sleep, counting breaths because "it helps to overcome the overwhelming urge to crush their faces."  Yet the way he says it doesn't seem that intimidating, more like a casual, almost joking comment.

Ah, Shale. Intimidating to look at, yet terrified of birds.

He's also got this quirk where he just hates birds, obviously from years spent frozen in place and having pigeons crap on him.  Hilarious.

Also: SPOILER, but apparently on Shale's personal quest, the player discovers that, prior to being a golem, Shale was actually a girl. I didn't know this, and since Shale refers to himself as a "him," that's what I'm going with. It doesn't change how much I love the character, regardless.

I love this game so much, and the characters make it. I may just re-start it again the second I finish it.