#i met him at megacon last year | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

1slightly-mad1 · 3 months

Text

This is gonna be a long one so bear with me…

Emerging once again with some more fun stuff! I attended Megacon this past weekend on Saturday and Sunday and did some pretty awesome stuff. First off I met Daniel Logan (played Boba Fett in Attack of the Clones) and he was such a sweetheart to me! I started it off by telling him I apologized in advance for how awkward I am and he said, “That’s okay! I’m awkward too! Just in an extroverted way!” He didn’t even stay behind his table he came around to stand next to me and talk and ended it by saying, “Come here, give me a hug.” And gave me the nicest hug (I always want to hug celebrities I meet but always freeze up and forget to so it was really nice of him to offer it).

Then I went over to his space dad, Temuera Morrison! The line was super long but I had my Lula plush and headphones to get me through it. Unfortunately they had to hurry things along because he had to get to his panel (which worked for me because I wanted to see the panel too) but I did manage to tell him that I think his portrayal of Boba Fett is the coolest, to which he said, “Thank you so much, but really, look at you! You’re much cooler!” And gave me a fist bump (I was wearing a Boba Fett shirt, Boba Fett jacket, Boba Fett backpack, and had Bad Batch pins on my jacket).

Then I went to the panel and met up with my friend to go meet Dee Bradley Baker afterward and we got super lucky because he was on a break so there was a very very short line to see him. We both walked up together and got Bad Batch prints and he used his Tech voice when signing mine and Wrecker voice when signing theirs. I then really wanted to tell him how much all of the Bad Batch mean to me because I’m an odd one out, but the one I really feel connected with it Tech. I told him how much the moment in Season 2 Epsiode 9 between Tech and Omega meant to me and how it made me feel seen and while explaining to him he continued using his Tech voice and then told me, “You’re not alone out there.” And that pretty much wrapped up Saturday.

Starting Sunday off early of me practically running to catch the Clone Wars panel (and accidentally making my friend think it was a different panel that they really wanted to see) and we got a free print! (I’ll show off my haul in a different post) During the panel, Dee Bradley Baker was asked who his personal favorite clone is and he talked about how much he likes the Bad Batch because they’re the odd ones out, much like him. Then someone asked the cast what their favorite mental health moment in Star Wars is and Dee Bradley Baker brought up the exact moment I told him about the previous day and talked about how he’s had people come up to him to tell him that that moment made them felt seen (I have a video of it that I’ll post as well). Once he started talking about it I was tearing up something awful (which was bad because I had done my makeup up a bit more than usual). The whole panel was so happy and meaningful, I think several tears were shed among the audience at some points. However, the main event of the day was yet to come.

I was going to meet the man who started this all, who started my social media presence in Tumblr and opened up a whole new experience for me. I, after 12 years of being a huge fan, was going to meet Tom Hiddleston. Unfortunately, the people in charge of keeping his autographs and photo ops coordinated gave me severe run arounds. I was told several different things, so luckily I covered my bases on all ends to finally make sure that I was going to the right spot at the right time. He had a panel at the end of the day right before the last batch of autographs (which I was part of) and my friend had a ticket to it (it was prepaid and I didn’t want to spend a fuck ton more) so we both went over to the area of the panel and autograph together at 3:00 PM. My ticket for the autograph was 5:45. After some extra run arounds I finally figured out where I was supposed to be and met someone who talked with me the whole time we were in waiting. For the general admission line, I was second in line.

Then comes time for the panel to start, and it gets delayed by an hour and 20 minutes (because Megacon couldn’t coordinate things properly, surprise surprise). The panel started 5 minutes after my autograph ticket said that I was meant to be at the autograph room. I was lucky to be sitting with someone who talked with me the whole time because we were both in line for 4 hours. 7:00 PM rolls around and we’re finally getting ready to go into the room, and I already know that they’re going to keep everyone’s interaction brief because the rest of the convention closed at 5:00 PM.

As we walked in I could see him and I went dead silent because I’ve never seen him in person before. I brought my Lula plush with me again for Sunday and I don’t think I’ve held onto something tighter in my life. Then I heard him talk and I was absolutely stunned. When I say this man is so soft spoken and just has such a calming energy about him, I mean it. And he’s so pretty in person, I couldn’t believe it. The person I talked with in the line was the first person in line for general admission and was wearing Slytherin robes. She started to cry and was covering half her face with her sleeve and he looked up from the print he was signing for her and said, “I can see you.” In a joking way to make her laugh. Then it was my turn and at this point I probably looked like a scared toddler clutching their plushie against them. I luckily found words and it went something like, “I’ve been a fan of you since I was 12 and I’m 25 now and your work means a lot to me and Loki is my favorite and I think you’re great I’m sorry I’m just super starstruck” (said very quickly with no breaks). I didn’t even say hi, I just started with that. His smile was so sweet and he was so kind even though they had him keep everything brief and before I walked away I told him, “Thank you so much for being here” and he stopped the interaction with the next person in line to smile at me and say, “No, thank you for being here.” I was barely holding it together now and I walked out of the room like everything was fine.

Then my friends and I stopped outside of the room to talk and dry off my autograph and they were telling me how good I did. Well, I wasn’t speaking much and my hand was trembling. My close friend immediately noticed what was about to happen and hugged me, and I hugged them back and that’s when the tears began. I apologize if this part is a little dark for some, but this is what was going through my mind as my friend hugged me. The moment I started crying, I had my eyes closed and I imagined telling younger me, “We did it, we made it.” I had some really down and dark moments in my past between 2012 and now. I’m much better than I have been, but it hit me that I lasted long enough to see the day that I met the man who basically helped me get through some of my dark moments. Tom was such a sweetheart, and super fucking tall might I say. He was sitting down and we were at eye level with each other.

Thus the Megacon weekend concluded, and I do have to say that the coordination of things was… Not great. The celebrities there were absolute sweethearts to everyone, but some of the staff were very rude, some were giving people run arounds, and some were just straight up unhelpful. There were only a handful of staff that actually helped us out and were nice enough to not give an attitude about our questions. I knew that going Saturday and Sunday would be pretty packed, and luckily it wasn’t like last years Megacon event where we literally couldn’t move if we were in the Artist Alley. Outside of the celebrities there and panels that they had, the experience really wasn’t the greatest. This portion is basically just a warning to people, if you go to Megacon Orlando you’re likely not going to have the absolute best experience (unless you pay a fuck ton of money for VIP). Overall, it was a good and bad experience, I’m just happy that I met the people I wanted to meet. If you made it this far, thank you for reading. Until next time.

65 notes · View notes

barmadumet · 3 months

Text

My dad’s surgery is behind us 🙌 We got kicked out of the hospital until tomorrow. He probably won’t be awake until then anyway. Long recovery ahead, but the triple bypass was a success!

After 5 days of megacon craziness (and getting news of the heart attack in the middle of it) then running to my parents’ house the next state over as soon as I got home, I can finally kick back this evening. Hello, tumblr 😃

It was one week ago, almost to the minute, when @wibzenadarksiderwithasoftheart and I met face to face. I had jokingly asked her to bring the snow with her when she came, and she did! Look at this! It really is snow from Denmark! We are full-on spring weather here now, but I can’t wait to decorate with these gorgeous handmade ornaments next winter… But the Vader key ring is year round 😍 I love him! Thanks so much 💕

I have also received this adorable little collection of obikin loot all designed and created by @pararararablof 🙏 ❤️ Thank you! You are so talented, and all of these things are so CUTE! It was a pleasure to meet again… I have a feeling it won’t be the last time lol. The cons call us! 🥰

I also brought home some new pins:

AND this amazing art that almost brought me to tears…

Me to the artist: “You don’t understand, sir; I have these ships tattooed on my body! 😭”

Artist: “Really?? Where?” 😆

BEYOND THAT, I brought home some amazing memories 🥰 I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: meeting the boys is SECOND to meeting fandom friends 🥲 You guys give me life, and I hope to meet more of you in person in time 😘

#megacon loot #i love you people

28 notes · View notes

thefallenfangirl · 2 years

Text

Just want to share this here real quick.

Megacon happened during May 19th - 22nd. They had a lot of guests invited : Nathan Fillion, the cast of LOTR, The Undertaker, Matthew Lewis, Giancarlo Esposito, etc. . But the main guest that I was excited to see was Brendan Fraser.

He was scheduled to appear last year’s con but due to conflict in schedule, he had to cancel. But for this year, he showed up ❤️

At first he was only scheduled to appear Saturday, but due to changes, he came in Saturday & Sunday. I was so happy because his Saturday photos were sold out. I immediately bought a photo op for Sunday when he added that day. His autograph was sold out too but wait…

I was on the 3rd floor when I got the call saying they opened up his line to everyone and only takes cash payment. I honestly didn’t know I can run and withdraw that fast.

So yeah, when I was in line, I’m already practicing the speech. I know that they’re rushing everyone, so I want to keep it short. When it was my turn, I honestly couldn’t believe that I didn’t stutter. I met other actors and sometimes, I couldn’t even say anything. But with Brendan, it was different. He even held my hand when I was talking to him. He is such a gentle human being. So nice and very sweet.

I would definitely try to meet him again when he’s in the city. He deserves all the love in the world.

#brendan fraser #the mummy #rick o'connell #encino man #brendan fraser appreciation #brenaissance #megaconorlando

131 notes · View notes

seburath-aryes-ancunin · 1 month

Text

Greetings, Welcome to my little corner of chaos!

I go by many names online but you can call me Trish. Click on the read more to find out a bit more about myself but be warned, it might get a bit chaotic.

My name: Trish

Nicknames: Aryes, Seb/Sebby, Toni

Age: 29

Birthday: June 9th

Gender: varies by day.

Height: 4'9 (am smol)

Sexuality: Pan, Poly and gender fluid.

Pronouns: any but DONT call me ma'am. I prefer to be called Sir.

Nationality: mixed PoC but im like 50% British? (im adopted, dont fuss at me)

Relationships: married to @astridanalisenightshade and I have a bf not on Tumblr (he's banned from my Tumblr)

Hobbies: cosplaying/fursuiting (a few pictures are posted below), gaming, streaming, writing and drawing.

Zodiac sign: Gemini

DND alignment: chaotic neutral

Current residence: Florida. On the gulf side.

Favorite color(s): Ultramarine, Crimson, Onyx and Indigo.

Favorite food: SUSHIIIIIIII!!!! and anything my wife makes (I love her cooking)

Favorite movie(s): Spirit Stallion of the Cimmaron, Dr Strange and Priest (subject to change)

Favorite TV show(s): Sherlock BBC, the Witcher and impractical jokers.

Favorite videogame(s): Baldur's Gate 3, 7 days to die, Skyrim, ghost recon widlands and Minecraft.

Current hyperfix: ASTARIONNNNNN.

5 random facts about me

I have an iguana named Dröko 'Bowser'

All of my cosplays Ive done are make by me and my mom.

My first fps game was Destiny 2 (I quit playing but I have the last 3 dlcs. I won't be getting final shape)

I met the amazing Neil Newbon at Megacon 2024 (and I got to ask him a question at the panel he had that Sunday.)

I have a Chevy Cavalier named IronThor3.

Time for pics!

In order of appearance:

My cosplay of my BG3/DND character Aryes (she's a tiefling dragonborn) with Neil Newbon from Megacon 2024

Murtagh the Dutchie (the blue dragon is me. The others are my friends. Taken at Megaplex 2023)

Diaval the Skull Dog with Shaxx (taken Megacon 2023)

Dröko 'Bowser' my iguana (he's 3 years old and much bigger than this picture)

My Fem!WinterSoldier cosplay (needs updating but this was TBCC 2018 I believe)

Kage the Wyvern (a partial cosplay I made as my first attempt at a fursuit. This was Megacon 2018 I think?)

Cat tax!! Cayde, Lexington and Teiga!

Also my favorite moment (so far) in my BG3 playthrough.

Hope you had fun! I'll see you later!

#blog bio post #thought id make one finally #ill probably edit it as i see fit #but for now #it's pretty good

0 notes

ivythewitch · 5 years

Text

Megacon has been so incredibly amazing and fun and i got to meet 2 of my childhood heroes, stars of Boy Meets World Cory and Topanga! I met Topanga at a signing and i met Cory just completely randomly (I told him he was awesome and he said thank you!) Danielle Fishel and Ben Savage just made my life. I also got to see Shawn and Eric up close and it was so cool

My boyfriend has video of me crying seeing my Doctor(David Tennant) and I also cried after talking to Danielle and Ben. Its been an emotional weekend for 12 year old me. I told Danielle that her character helped me learn how to be myself and gave me the courage to become who i am today and she said "that is my favorite thing to hear. I'm so glad I could make your life better in someway!" I asked about her baby (she's expecting) and she said that she and baby were doing well.

Today is the last day and I'm so excited to get home and show off the amazing art work we have bought!

1 note · View note

natefromcomicburst-blog · 6 years

Text

STABBITY BUNNY CREATOR, RICHARD RIVERA INTERVIEW

Stabbity Bunny Creator Richard Rivera Interview FEB 8TH 2018

Richard Rivera is the affable sort of guy you want to buy a beer for just to hear him spin a yarn. His engrossing approach to storytelling is evident in his breakout hit Stabbity Bunny, which is flying off the shelves. Despite its recent rise in popularity, Rivera has had to work hard to get to today, self-publishing Stabbity for several years and working directly with his fans through a grueling convention schedule. More recently Rivera has not slowed down his travel schedule, but he does have a strong partner via a publishing deal with indie darling Scout Comics. Amazing variants from up-and-coming studios like The Brain Trust have also helped create buzz for Richard’s work and fans have clearly decided to “make mine Stabbity!”

With stores selling out of Stabbity Bunny, Rivera and team have obviously hit on something special. Comic Burst reached out to Richard, who was gracious enough to grant us the following interview, which is edited for clarity and length.

Comic Burst: Thanks for taking the time to speak with us today, especially considering how busy you have been with the huge success of Stabbity Bunny. There is a lot of talk in the comic community about the book. What do you think of the success?

Richard Rivera: Oh it’s great! I’ve spent the last three years driving to conventions and I pretty much drove to them all. I’m pretty much the guy who doesn’t like to stop when driving either. I have driven 18 hours before, only to show up just in time to set up for the convention, work that day, and then crash hard that night, and I love it. I love meeting all these people who want to know more about the book. Especially going to a city for the second or third time, and having more and more people come up wanting to know if there are more issues. To get the story out was the whole point and it feels great. What Scout [Comics] has done is given me the opportunity to get the word out on a larger stage. It feels like every store is now helping me, and all the conventions are going on for my book.

Richard Rivera Stabbity Bunny Signing Forbidden Planet London

CB: Does it feel like “finally, my time has come?”

RR: (Laughing) I’m much simpler than that. I’m just happy there are more people being exposed to the book and some of those people are excited about it. I’m really, really happy for the people who bought the book over the years, and now some of those people are selling those books for hundreds and hundreds of dollars.

CB: Collectors certainly love your books! The other day a variant was spotted auctioning for around $400. That’s a lot of money for a new indie book.

RR: Yeah, I couldn’t believe it! I had not seen many for sale and then maybe a month ago an issue number one convention variant came out--because I do watch these things you know--and the numbers pretty much stick in my head. It went for $57, and then a one-through-four set went for $43. Soon after that, prices started climbing fast and I was surprised. A one-through-five is at over $400 today!

I wish I had kept a few of those issues. I had set aside ten copies of issue number five--which you can see on the inside cover is a limited 100 print run--but at Megacon people were coming up like “Hey! Do you have any new issues?” and I’d be like “yeah I have a number five” and I’d give it to them. I gave them all away, but I’m really happy people got them. I want to get the story out there! Something like this I can honestly say I never expected.

CB: You have left readers wanting more. Are there any other projects you are currently working on?

RR: Yes. I have another series called Shadowplay co-created with Alex Lobato , artwork by Clara Meath, and color art by Liezl Buenaventura, who is also the color artist on Stabbity Bunny. I can’t say much but I can say that it’s a shared universe with Stabbity Bunnyand there is a potential crossover for sure.

CB: So there is a lot to come from you and Scout Comics on the horizon.

RR: I’m incredibly happy with Scout. I have gotten to meet pretty much everyone at Scout and every time I met up with them I’m more encouraged.. A bunch of cool guys really working hard to get stories out there, to get some fresh titles. Rather than shopping Shadowplay around I want to stay with Scout and do whatever small part I can be to help them grow into the next Dark Horse.

CB: That’s an admirable sentiment, such loyalty is hard to come by today.

RR: Thank you. That’s nice of you to say!

CB: Who are your influences?

RR: It was the mid-to-late 70’s and I read whatever was on the spinner rack of comics at the store. Back then, I wasn’t conscious of writers as much as I was artists, but Marvel stuck with me with all the Neal Adams and Barry Windsor-Smith stuff. A particular memory is Vision going crazy and beating up the Skrull because they had taken Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch. To see him so enraged and actually kill and hurt more people than he had to...there were no Wolverines or Deadpool or Punisher or whoever. I enjoyed moments like that, that showed the more human side of things. I’ll always enjoy Silver Age storytelling because of the innocence.

CB: Was that a defining moment in regard to showing you the dark side that’s sometimes present in comics?

RR: It was. The next thing that really got me was Daredevil 191 along with Warrior Magazine from England. Alan Moore stories were in there, and a number of things were black and white, which were a revelation to me. Alan Moore’s Swamp Thing made me realize that writing could be structured in multiple layers, with symbolism, literary references, and foreshadowing all in a story that didn’t feel unwieldy. It flowed so well. So much depth.

A lot of my writing I feel is empathetic. Where will this fall on your emotional scale? Are these people I’d like to know? Are these people I would be scared of? Why are they doing this? The moustache twirling days are long in the past. There is a lot of cast in Stabbity. The cast of Stabbity Bunny are everyday people like you and I. I once described the characters in Stabbity as “people who put away their hedge trimmers and cook books, and show us that everyday people can make a difference.”

CB: How did you meet Dwayne Biddix (artist/visual designer) and Liezl Buenaventura (color artist)?

RR: I started working on Stabbity nine years ago, and about five years ago wrote 36 issues to start making into comic books. At first I approached a couple folks over at Deviant Art and was ignored completely, which I completely understand; every day an artist is approached by people saying “hey, I want to make a comic book!” and they don’t know that person. They didn’t know me. Then I decided that it was more important to me to find an artist on Facebook where you can see not only their work, but you can kind of get to know them and see if you can work together. After stalking Dwayne Biddix for a few months, I approached him and asked if he would check out the script. Knowing how nice of a guy he was, I knew he would at least read the script. I sent it to him at night and the next morning I’m like “so…did you look at the script?” and he was like “yeah I did…” and then “DUDE! THAT WAS THE BEST SCRIPT I'VE EVER READ!”

Then we needed a color artist. There were some really strong submissions, but nothing that made the light shine down and angels choir start playing. We eventually found this moment with Liezl though. I’ve let people try out for other series, but I always go back to Liezl.

Stabbity Bunny "Donnie Darko" Brain Trust variant cover, graffiti found Leake Street Tunnel, London

CB: Thank you very much for speaking with us today and we are excited to see where Stabbity Bunny goes from here!

RR: Thanks for having me and thank you to all the fans and stores for buying the book.

Interviewed and written by - Nathan Liberty

Edited by - Dr. No

Want more info on the smash hit Stabbity Bunny check out their website http://stabbitybunny.com and their awesome publisher Scout Comics at http://www.scoutcomics.com

Click this link below to see the original article at comic burst, now!!

https://www.comicburst.com/blog/stabbity-bunny-richard-rivera-interview/

1 note · View note

fugandhi · 4 years

Text

Christian Jacobs is RAD!!!

Not too many are familiar with this dude, but he is TOTALLY AWESOME and has been for a very long time! The man, the myth, the legend - the one and only CHRISTIAN JACOBS (AKA MC BAT COMMANDER)! He is totally one of my personal heroes (for so many reasons even going beyond his work)!..Let’s take a stroll down memory lane....ya might have seen him in things such as...

1. “V” (The TV Series - I LOVE The original Mini-Series! I totally met Marc Singer at MegaCon years ago before I even knew what “V” was! DUDE!)

2. “Gloria” (Another TV Series, here seen with Sally Struthers)

3. TV Commercials (Here in a Kellogg’s Rice Krispies cereal TV ad)...”Hey Guys! Guys! Whatcha listening to? .....”That’s SOME SoundSystem.” UGH! PERFECT CASTING! IF ONLY THEY KNEW BOY BAT-COMMANDER WOULD TURN INTO MR. BAT-COMMANDER. SO RAD!

4. “Pretty in Pink” (The kid swipin’ tapes - no worries - Annie Potts had the last laugh that day)

5. “Gleaming The Cube” TOTALLY RAD! Rockin’ ‘em Shades, brah (yeah Tony Hawk’s the dude in back)

6. “Married... With Children” When Bundy worked Fast Food - Totally Christian Jacobs makin’ the “food”

7. “Roseanne” When Roseanne worked at the fast food joint - A Master of Disguise - Christian Jacobs in full chameleon mode (LOVE that episode).

8. “Major Dad” That one dude who “just wasn’t a morning person” among other things Hahaha (seen with Gerald McRaney)

9. “YO GABBA GABBA!” He also totally co-created this show you may have heard of.. (seen here with Lance Robertson aka ‘DJ Lance Rock’ & co-creator Scott Schultz, as well as Tracy Fraun [Brobee], Robert Allen [Plex], and Wallace Robbins [Muno] )

10. THE AQUABATS! (SUPERSHOW!) Need I Say More?

THE MC BAT COMMANDER & HIS BROS! EVIL-DOERS! BEWARE! AWESOME FORCES GALORE!

Ya see, kids?! REAL HEROES DO EXIST! This is just ONE of MANY out there! Out here! KAPOW! EXCITEMENT!

0 notes

somerandomcannibalburrito · 7 years

Text

Reasons I hate Vic Mignogna

I may have an unpopular stance on him, but this is based on years of working behind scenes at conventions and speaking with one producer at funimation. Is he really a pompous douche? Yes, yes he is and Ill share with you why. For years I've been in a participant in all sorts of places in the Florida cons. This man is infuriating. AFO is where I saw him first all those years ago and he treated convention cast so terrible. Made one girl cry when he yelled at her for I think something about a drink? Because he thinks we all should cater to him because he thinks he's "famous". He really is a religious nut and at metrocon a few times has preached in his panels too much and caused a lot of fans to be uncomfortable. He does not really like gay things, especially when it comes to characters in anime. He used to be rude about it and even declared that he hates people who like yaoi in one panel. He has always acted like the greatest actor even though he plays the same voice in everything. If he's calmed down over the last few years, it's because the bosses at funimation got wind of his personality and tried to curb him. I spoke with a producer while being a cashier at Disney world. I asked him about Vic because I thought maybe at some point that it was conventions making him act that way but no. He said Vic was quite a diva when behind the scenes too. The look on his face was pretty cringing at just the mention of his name, hinting that there definitely were no pleasantries. Mind you, this was probably over 5 years ago when I let him know how he treated con casts. I have a voice actor friend who was trying to get into the anime VA that was not hentai. He was auditioning for a (I want to say one of lead) role for a dub by funimation. He was almost picked except Vic Mignogna stepped in and convinced them to pick him instead because he had much more experience. To be honest, even so, other people should have a chance to be known, no need to steal spotlights and be a VA whore who literally feels the need to be in every English dub of anime no matter how small the role. This is what turned me off from most English dubs. I remember he brought his wife to megacon one year. A trophy wife. He was signing autographs and his back was faced towards cosplayer traffic. There were a group of girls in bikinis coming by when he turned around and gawked at them, being caught by his wife. She was so pissed. I saw her face contort and walk away as soon as it happened...never saw her at a con again. I like the other voice actors in funimation because a lot of them are pretty humble and sweet. This man...has the fakest nice guy face I've ever seen, unless you are Christian them by all means you're excused, and i know fake nice since that's what most Disney workers are. Think what you want, but my experiences say otherwise and to me, I was there, i witnessed it. That is truth more than someone who has had brief contact or never met his unplesantnest repeatedly.

#Vic Mignogna #I hate Vic Mignogna #Vic Mignogna is a douche

19 notes · View notes

twodeadchicks · 7 years

Text

Meet "TRICK GRIMES"

At first glance your heart might plummet to your stomach. You might think to yourself, "It can't be him, right? There's no way! IS THAT ANDY LINCOLN?! IS RICK GRIMES REAL?! WHAT IS HAPPENING?!?!' These are all thoughts I had when I saw Rick Grimes cosplayer Trent Roberts at Walker Stalker Nashville. Though I can assure you, after careful inspection, he is in fact NOT Rick Grimes. But he's pretty damn close. First, tell me a little background on you. What is your day job? How did you get into cosplaying as our favorite python wielding badass? [caption id="attachment_21760" align="alignright" width="225"] Roberts with his sons Josh and Zak[/caption] I live in the Dallas area but [am] originally from Louisiana. My "real" job is Regional Sales Manager for a Whiskey company so I stay very busy with a lot of travel. That's why I have to be selective on how many events I can do as a cosplayer. As for how this started, I have been a fan of the show since day one. From the age of about 20 or so I've always had a beard and longer hair. Every once in a while I would change up and shave but it wouldn't last long, so I've looked like Rick way before there was a Rick. Starting about season 3 I started having people notice and comment on my resemblance. Then early in 2016 my sons wanted to go to a comic con in Dallas and suggested I dress as Rick and they ended up regretting the suggestion. We started getting stopped for pics in the parking lot and once we entered we couldn't walk more than 10 feet at a time before getting stopped for another picture. It didn't help that my youngest son dressed as Carl. He quickly got tired of hearing "Ccooorrallll". This is where someone mentioned to me that I should go to a Walker Stalker Con. I had never heard of it but went home and looked at future dates. How many Walker Stalker conventions have you attended? [caption id="attachment_21763" align="alignleft" width="300"] Roberts in Trick Grimes mode[/caption] The first one was Dallas last year and then Atlanta last October. Nashville was my first working WSC. I did attend Dallas FanExpo twice and another smaller con or two in the Dallas area. Megacon the week before was my very first con to work. I will be attending A-kon this weekend but not cosplaying because I want my boys to be able to enjoy themselves even though they realize even in regular clothes I will probably still get stopped some. Oh and I forgot one of the most fun things I've done with this, the cruise. Do you have any memorable moments from this past weekend's convention in Nashville? Too many. Even though I am working some of these now I still have a hard time thinking of myself as a professional cosplayer. This is for fun and to give fans a great experience. I guess a couple of times this weekend we had fans with either physical or mental disabilities and to see their faces light up makes it all worthwhile. Also, it's funny how many of the fans that I have to actually convince I am not Andrew. What's been the best part of attending WSC? The fans. I didn't realize how close knit a family this was. I have started seeing the same people now at multiple events and started forming friendships. I also have to say that through this I have had the pleasure to meet many of the stars of the show and they have all been incredibly nice. [caption id="attachment_21762" align="alignright" width="262"] Roberts with Michael Cudlitz, who played Abraham on The Walking Dead[/caption] Which ones did you meet and what was their reaction to you? Have you met the elusive Andy Lincoln yet? I've met Steven Yeun, Scott Wilson, Greg Nicotero, Michael Rooker, Michael Cudlitz, Chandler Riggs. In Nashville, Irone came up to me hugged me and complimented me on my resemblance as did Chad Coleman who I happened to run into in the restroom of all places. I was lucky enough to get to ask Andrew a question at his panel in Atlanta. Norman was on stage and saw me first and said to him "he looks just like you" and then Andrew asked if I could fill in for him at work on Monday. It was nice to get the acknowledgement. I have also met a couple of the saviors and they have said the resemblance is uncanny. Norman passed me on the walkway as we were boarding for the cruise and even he did a double take when he saw me then even in street clothes. Gave me a thumbs up. Kia and I were majorly creeping on you in Nashville because you look SO much like Rick. All the way down to the swagger. As someone who has met Andy in person, the swagger is an integral part to being Andy/Rick. Is the swagger learned or is that just you being you? I've had people say I even walk like him but that is just my normal walk. For most of my life I have worn cowboy boots almost daily, so I'm sure that is part of the natural walk. I'll admit though that once the jacket and gun belt go on it probably amplifies it a bit. So, be honest, is it weird when people stare you down (*ahem* kind of like we did?😳)? Sometimes. I'm still wrapping my head around all this. It is weird to me the way people act towards me and I'm not even the guy. I just look like the guy. The one thing I want to make very clear to everyone, I am not the celebrity here. Even when fans know I'm not him they get all emotional around me or are afraid to approach me. Please don't do that. I'm just a regular guy who happens to look like someone famous. That doesn't make me famous. I have been around enough cons now to see that there are too many professional cosplayers who think they are celebrities and have the attitude to go with it. That's not why I'm doing this. I enjoy cutting up and having fun with everyone and I hope that if nothing else people will know me as the fun, nice Rick cosplayer. How difficult was it to acquire the Rick Grimes wardrobe (including his famous murder coat)? [caption id="attachment_21759" align="alignleft" width="225"] Roberts showing off the infamous Murder Coat[/caption] I'm kind of a perfectionist about this. If I'm going to do it I have to be true to the character. There are a lot of Rick coat options out there but I wanted to make sure the collar was the right color and pocket zippers were at the right angle. I also had a few comments early on that my wardrobe was to new and clean so I took the jacket with me to my deer lease and drug it down the gravel roads behind my 4 wheeler. I also would freeze frame the show to see exactly where there were rips or fraying on his shirts and pants in order to duplicate as accurately as possible. The only other two significant expenses were the gun belt and Colt Python. I ordered the exact Tex Shoemaker holster that he uses in the show and again made sure I had all the accessories on the belt exactly as he does. The Python was a CO2 pistol that I modified the grip and replaced with actual Colt grips. It looks and feels just like the real thing now. The beat up boots, jeans and tshirt were obviously easy. Do you have a favorite wardrobe item? The gun belt. I grew up watching westerns and reading Louis Lamour books and always said I should have been born in the 1800's. When I put that on I just feel like the sheriff getting ready for a gun fight. Do you ever get stopped when you're out and about because people think you're Andy Lincoln? Everyday. Especially because I do spend a lot of time in airports due to my real job. It always happens when I'm walking through and out of the corner of my eye I see people sitting at gates tapping the person next to them and pointing at me. Or, I walk by a group and over my shoulder I hear " OMG that was.....". It was just funny to my friends and family but now it's kind of like, can we not go anywhere with you that someone doesn't come over. We were at Universal Orlando for spring break and my sons wanted pics with they people in the Bart and Homer Simpson costumes. Now I'm on vacation in shorts, flip flops, tshirt and sunglasses. When my boys were finished and we were about to walk away we hear Homer say "excuse me but can we get a picture with Rick". I've been to Senoia) about 3 times now and have had interactions with people there who have been face to face with Andrew, sometimes on a regular basis. They have approached me and started a conversation as if I'm him. I've had to stop them and identify myself. [caption id="attachment_21761" align="alignright" width="284"] Trent Roberts (left) side by side with Andrew Lincoln (right)[/caption] What do you love most about cosplaying as Rick Grimes? Having the opportunity to due some charitable work due to this resemblance is great. I have committed to due an event for a children's charity in Vancouver this October and hopefully this will open doors for more. Talking to fans and hearing that I may be the closest they ever get to meeting Rick is another motivation to make sure they have a memorable experience when they meet me. Make sure to follow Trick Grimes on Facebook and Instagram.

#rick grimes #the walking dead #twd #TWDFamily #two dead chicks #Walker Stalker #Walker Stalker Nashville #walking dead podcast #WSCNashville

0 notes

twentysomethinginorlando · 7 years

Text

MegaCon Part Two: Meet Your Heroes

New Post has been published on https://twentysomethinginorlando.com/megacon-part-two/

MegaCon Part Two: Meet Your Heroes

Memorial Day decided it wanted to be even busier than usual this year. Rather spending my Thursday night finishing my cosplay preparations, I found myself at a movie in full pirate garb with my friends before our trip to MegaCon on Friday. You can read about this, and the morning’s adventures in MegaCon Part One: But First, Cosplay.

Thankfully, it didn’t take me too much longer to find the most important booth at MegaCon: Karen Hallion’s. If you’re not familiar with her work, Miss Hallion does amazing art. She is most famous for her crossover art with Disney characters and Doctor Who, but she does so much more than that. Lately she’s developed an original character named Celara that I really like. My favorite part of her is this cute little orange fox/cat/critter sidekick who reminds me of a cross between Duffy and my cat. I can’t wait to see what kind of adventures the little guy goes on. I’ve met Miss Hallion at the last two MegaCons. She’s just the nicest person and takes time with everyone even though her booth is always slammed. The best part is I somehow manage not to turn to Jell-O when I talk to her. I picked up a print of Celara and the TARDIS. I was torn between that one and the Hamilton one, but that’s just because the little fox looks so darn cute in his outfit. I like Hamilton but I’m much more a Whovian. I asked her if the fox has a name yet, and she told me the two she’s debating between but she’s stuck because she wants it to be just perfect.

I completely understand. This blog had a whole lot of titles before I settled on this one.

As I was finishing talking to Miss Hallion and putting my print away, someone tapped me on the shoulder. I turned around expecting it to be someone asking for a photo and there was a guy with a microphone asking if he could interview me. Okay. That’s different. Well, why not.

He asked me about why I was Korra with a keyblade, and then he asked me about how I felt about the lesbian undertone of the ending of the series. I might have slightly bitten his head off without meaning to when I corrected him that Korra and Asami are bisexual, not lesbians. I get really angry about that. I also talked about how annoyed I am that is literally all anyone wants to talk about now that it ended that way. The show stood on its own well before that final scene.

Frozen Gaming interviewing me.

I think my aggressiveness sort of scared him and the interview ended quickly. At least I think it did. Apparently I do better when you put a camera in my face than I do when trying to talk to celebrities. The guy with the camera man was dressed as Ash from Pokémon and he apologized for their ambushing me, and gave me a card with their YouTube information. Their name is Frozen Gaming and much like me, I think they’re just starting out and I wish them luck.

You can see the interview here, but they cut most of it. Warning: Some of the language in the video is NSFW.

The new print wouldn’t fit in the bag with the first two prints, so I stopped at a random booth to see if they had a bag. They did, and she was very nice, and I wound up buying three postcard prints from her. Pikachu and Barry Allen for me, the Punisher for Jay.

We wandered the floor until a little after two when I was starting to get over whelmed with the crowds. I have worked in one of the world’s busiest theme parks and yet MegaCon phases me, because that makes sense. We headed back to the food area to find a place to sit for a bit and I rechecked the schedule. I had forgotten about the Improvengers show and now it was too late to line up. There were only two other panels I wanted to see: the Hillywood Show and James Marsters’. Sadly they were within half an hour of each other, and James Marsters obviously won.

I wasn’t sure what the line would be like for his panel, but I remember how crazy the Firefly panel lines were two years prior so we went ahead upstairs to line up. Basically this meant we got to camp on the floor for a while and rest and recharge, and look at our phones for the first time all day. I reached out to a couple of friends I knew were there, but hadn’t seen yet, and we agreed to meet after the panel. I had also been looking for a particular booth all day in Artist Alley and hadn’t seen it, so I went to their Facebook to ask the booth number.

While we were waiting, I saw a Black Widow and Star Lord walk by with their own keyblades, and I had to chase after them to get a photo. I didn’t want to interrupt them before they got in line, and we got some nice person in line to take photos on both Black Widow’s and my phones. We compared construction techniques, and I have a few ideas I want to steal to improve mine in the future.

Kingdom Hearts crossovers are popular this year!

They let us into the room around 3:30, and, boy, do I like walking around a keyblade on my shoulder. It makes it really hard for people to move past you. Having an intimidating pirate next to you also helps. We wound up in the second row after the VIP section and I left the keyblade across our laps until the row was filled. We talked through what all we still wanted to do before we left and made a list so we wouldn’t miss anything.

The panel actually started exactly on time to my surprise. I thought he might be late again. They played a highlight reel of his many roles over the years, and I was extremely disappointed the shot of him jumping on top of the coffin in “Once More, With Feeling” was not in there. The host welcomed him out and went over the rules for questions. Before he took the first question, James asked everyone in the audience to put their hands in their air and “scream like your team won the thing”.

Someone asked about a charity he just won an award for, and he talked about CASA, which is an association that helps foster children. Someone asked about how he got into acting, and apparently when he was fourth grade he played Eeyore in a school play. The live action Winnie the Pooh film Disney is doing got brought up and now someone would want him to do Eeyore’s voice. His response was absolutely perfect, in the exact voice, “Oh, Pooh.” Now I will be heartbroken if anyone but James Marsters plays Eeyore. He was asked about his work on the audio books of the Dresden Files, which Jay tried to explain to me and I quickly shushed him. I have never gotten around to reading them, but I know about them. “I have no idea why Jim Butcher picked me. No idea whatsoever.” He was asked about the hardest episode he had to shoot on Buffy, and he talked about how difficult the bathroom scene was, and the toll it took on him. “It put me in therapy. Which actually turned out to be a good thing because I’m much happier now.” He talked about where that story line came from, and the struggle and triumph of Spike gaining his soul. He talked about some of the struggles of going from stage acting to film, and “trying not to lie to the audience”.

Someone asked about his role on Torchwood. He had been on tour with his band, Ghost of the Robot, and his road show manager refused to go out to dinner with him because Doctor Who was on. So they ordered room service and watched it in her room, and within fifteen minutes he was hooked. He went down to his agent’s room and asked him to try to get him a role on Doctor Who. Russel T. Davies said no, but they had a perfect role for him on Torchwood, and they had been looking for someone to fill it. He also talked about being interviewed by the BBC for the homophobic backlash against Torchwood, and his response was apparently, “We’ve got a backlash!? That’s great!”

He was asked his favorite role he had ever played. Without hesitation he said, “Spike. Absolutely Spike. If you asked me to pick between Hamlet and Spike, and Joss is good but Shakespeare’s just a little bit better, sorry Joss, but I’d pick Spike. Absolutely.” Then my favorite question was about his favorite episode, because it turns out we have this in common.

Apparently the cast was very nervous about the musical because they thought Joss was “flushing the show”, but they decided to do the best they could anyway and hope it didn’t suck. Well, it certainly doesn’t suck. It’s my favorite episode of anything that has ever happened.

He also loved killing the Anointed One.

The time was up far too quickly, but I’m so happy this was the one panel I made time for. Three years ago, I had never seen Buffy. Then I didn’t understand why Spike was so popular when he was such a bad guy, then I was cheering as he and Buffy kissed at the end of “Once More, With Feeling”. His line to Buffy at the end of the series about how he loves her was one of my favorite quotes long before I ever saw the show, and I was so beyond happy it was his line.

We filed out of the panel and I stopped for a picture with a spot-on Buffy cosplayer before we went to find my friend Kimberly. Sadly she was in the South Concourse and I was in the North, but she was leaving soon and I was determined to find her. Tradition must be upheld and I have pictures with her at every MegaCon.

It thankfully didn’t take us too long to get across the building and I found her as Black Widow with our friend Mihn as Chirrut. I finally got to introduce Jay to her and we talked for a few minutes before we headed back to the floor. It was already five and we still had several things to cross off our list.

Our first stop was the Hillywood Show table. I had been putting this off because I wanted to meet them, but didn’t know what to say. They’re two sisters who do parodies, and while they aren’t the only reason I started making them myself, they definitely influenced me. Going up and telling them that would be awkward though, and probably giving them too much credit. So I decided I would just ask for a photo, because then I could meet them and it wouldn’t be weird, right?

Wrong.

The only way to get a photo was to buy something, which is fine except they only had merchandise from their three latest parodies: Sherlock, Supernatural and Suicide Squad. Three fandoms I am not a part of to begin with, and I like their older parodies better. I told them as much when they asked which was my favorite, “Harry Potter Deathly Hallows Part 2.” “Oh but that one’s so old!” Long story short, I wasn’t getting a photo without paying ten dollars and it just wasn’t worth what I make an hour to me. Not when I just wanted to talk to them for a moment. Lesson learned, never meet your heroes. (Well, sometimes. Miss Hallion and Robby Cook were great!) I tried not to tear up when I walked away. It wasn’t that upsetting, it was just a very long day without a lot of sleep and it hurt my feelings a little.

Author Nick Braker.

Our next destination was the booth whose number I had to track down on Facebook. Nick A. Braker is a science-fiction writer from my hometown, and his son Chris was one of my best friends in college. Last year I’d been posting on Twitter about heading to MegaCon and he’d texted me I should go see his parents. Well I did, and then I had dinner at their house when I was home for my birthday last year, so I wanted to go say hi.

He’s one heck of a writer. He’s turned out three books in a very short time and he’s got two more coming. If everything goes according to plan, I’ll hopefully be venturing back into video production to produce some book trailers for him.

Now all we had to do was find the three booths we wanted to buy things from and we could leave. This should have been simple. It was not.

I wanted to find Brandon Kenney’s booth so I could buy his Lilo and Stitch Splash Mountain print and the booth with the Disney Parks style buttons. Jay wanted to find the independent fairy tale comic so he could get the preview issue. After wandering in circles through the aisles for twenty minutes with no luck, I went back to Karen Hallion’s booth because I knew I could find her. She collaborates with Mr. Kenney on occasion so I knew she would know where his booth was and her sister and business manager gave me directions. Miss Hallion happened to be standing in front of his booth when I got there, and I said, “Oh, I could have just followed you!” I couldn’t decide if I wanted the big or small Splash print, and Jay told me to just get the big one. I also picked up the pack of three Stitch stickers he had.

We resumed our wandering and I still had the change in my hand, which proved dangerous as I impulse bought a big Pikachu sticker for my bullet journal. Well, at least it has a purpose.

I straight up lucked into finding the Disney Parks buttons booth. I even followed him on Instagram earlier in the day and wasn’t smart enough to look there to see if he had his booth number posted. They were two for five so I picked Gaston and BB-8. I could have happily bought them all, and some of his prints, but I was trying not to go overboard. The artist’s name is Joey Quintin and he had a series of Disney characters dressed as cast members that was just fantastic. I asked him why Anna got to be a Skipper, and admittedly his reasons were good. He asked who I would want to see. “I don’t know, but I am a Skipper so I’m a little picky!” “That’s fair.”

Jay was ready to give up on finding the independent comic booth, but I was determined. It was the only thing he had really wanted all day, and it did look extremely cool. One of the main characters was the son of the Big Bad Wolf and he was on the cover with a brunette Aurora. We thought we knew the general area and we knew they had black and white sketches hanging on either side of the booth, but of course after a while everything just blends together. We went in circle after circle, and I must have passed the Brakers ten times now that I knew where they were. I was getting increasingly frustrated, but I do not give up easily. The warning message played that the show floor would be closing in half an hour, so we were almost out of time. Neither of us had been smart enough to take a picture of the booth or the name of the comic to look in the program.

ARGH.

Hero Cats!

I got distracted by the Hero Cats booth and wound up buying a comic and a button, but it’s literally about cats saving the world so I feel like that was another good impulse buy.

After about fifteen more minutes of circling, I finally spotted the booth and raced over to them. “Oh thank goodness.” The artist had returned and I honestly think we confused him and the nice woman we’d spoken to earlier, but I was so out of breath.

They had two comic options, the normal one which was one out of five hundred, or the variant which was one out of a hundred. The normal was $10, and the variant was, well Jay heard $50 and I heard $15 and I don’t which one of us was right because I bought the normal one. It came with a free black and white print, but of course the one Jay wanted wasn’t actually a print.

It was an original sketch. He offered to make a print of it and we could pick it up at a future con, but I elected to take the Beast print home and buy a second comic in the future. The series is titled The Chronicles of Zelaria: Dynasty of Darkness and Jay now owns #106 out of five hundred of the preview issue. I haven’t looked at it much yet, but I am already looking forward to seeing more after the description the author gave us while we were there.

We could finally head out, and began the long trek back to the car. I had tried to be good about switching which shoulder I carried the keyblade on throughout the day, but my back was aching. Jay’s pirate boots were killing him, and we were very happy to start stripping off the outer layers of our cosplays. I hadn’t realized how little my vest breathed until I took it off.

I hadn’t wanted to try to carry Duffy and the keyblade so he had to stay in the car. He didn’t seem too mad at me thankfully, I did let him watch Pirates the night before.

MegaCon is absolutely one of my favorite things about living in Orlando. I’m a little sad I didn’t get to go more days, there were other celebrities I would have liked to see like the Flash stars and Stan Lee. I’ve seen Stan Lee twice before, and he’s wonderful but this is his final Florida appearance. Getting off work on a holiday weekend is just too difficult in the hospitality industry, but I’ll be there at least one day next year. I never plan on missing it.

A pretty good haul!

Cost: A one day ticket purchased in advance was $41 after tax. The four day option I was looking at previously was $99 before tax. My portion of the photo op was $35. I probably spent close to $40 on cosplay supplies, and another $30 towards the keyblade, but a good chunk of that was the jigsaw which we won’t have to purchase again. I came home with a little less than half of my original spending cash. Parking was $15.

Duration: All day, whether you go for one or four.

Value: Absolutely worth it. Can’t wait to see who they announce for next year.

Add Ons: There are VIP ticket options, autographs and photos. The prices change from year to year based on what guests are attending.

#cosplay #megacon #Adventure Report

0 notes

twentysomethinginorlando · 7 years

Text

Star Wars Half Marathon Episode II: The 10K

New Post has been published on https://twentysomethinginorlando.com/star-wars-half-marathon-part-two-10k/

Star Wars Half Marathon Episode II: The 10K

2 o’clock occurs once a day and it is not in the morning, unless I’m running a RunDisney race. Then that’s usually when my alarm goes off. I was horrified at the Expo when I realized this morning would be even a little earlier since I had to factor a bus ride into my plan for the 10K.

A Challenge consists of two races, a 10K on Saturday and a half marathon on Sunday for a total of 19.3 miles. Today was the Star Wars 10K. The plot of this year’s Star Wars Half Marathon – the Dark Side is that everyone is trying out to join Captain Phasma’s Stormtrooper forces. I didn’t know we needed a plot for a race but character integrity and what not. Both races are on brand new courses that start at Ticket and Transport Center (Magic Kingdom‘s parking lot, the TTC) and end at Epcot. I have personally never seen a race start at the TTC, but I’ve only been doing RunDisney since 2014 and they’ve been doing these races for almost twenty-five years. This meant I had to park at Epcot and get on a bus to the TTC. After my experience at the Wine and Dine Half, I wanted to make sure I had plenty of time so I left around 2:20 am. That was the time same I set my alarm for my first ever half marathon, but at least today didn’t involve waking anyone up for emergency costume modifications.

On the bus!

I applaud the poor Cast Members working these events. I can only imagine what time they had to get up. I was slightly miffed they didn’t give the parking attendants lightsabers to use instead of their normal wands, but the guy pretending to use the Force to park the cars in the correct spots more than made up for it. I was unable to find the actual row number for where I parked but I tried to note I was in the third or fourth row. I was really early! They actually were not letting us in yet, we were held at the bag check tables for about five minutes before the Cast Members started letting us through. Volunteers were inside handing out red glow stick “lightsabers” to everyone. I was on the second of the charter buses, and my efficiency training made me sit go all the way in the back instead of the front like everyone else but it worked out since it got me a seat to myself.

I got off the bus at the TTC about 3:45 am. I had already been up almost two hours and the race wasn’t even starting until 5:30! At least it gave me plenty of time to meet characters. The first line I came to was BB-8 and I haven’t made it to his new meet and greet at Disney’s Hollywood Studios yet, so he was my immediate priority. His line moved fairly quickly and I only waited ten minutes. Then I moved onto the Jabba the Hutt line, which was a little longer. Jabba was more of a backdrop than a character, but he’s also the only one you can’t really find in the parks.

BB-8!

Jabba the Hutt.

Well, you can’t meet Boba Fett, but I’ve met him before. Thank you, Star Wars Weekends. I’m so glad I was exposed to them when I had the chance. My last stop was the backdrop that is apparently from Cloud City. I just thought it made for a neat photo and the rest of the lines had gotten to the point I didn’t think I’d get through them before they pulled the characters. They had Captain Phasma, Kylo Ren, Darth Vader and Boba Fett in addition to Jabba and BB-8.

DJ Elliot.

This little girl is going to grow up to be awesome.

After I got that shot I wandered over the stage to watch DJ Elliot and a guy from the Disney Parks Blog (I have no idea what his name is even though they said it like four times, but I’ve seen him on live streams) give away prizes to people who correctly answered trivia questions. My personal favorite was a ten year old girl dressed as Rey who managed to finish a ridiculously hard quote. It’s the scene in the Millennium Falcon where they’re flying through the asteroid field and we thought it was going to cut off after C-3P0 so she could yell, “NEVER TELL ME THE ODDS!”, but instead it cut off as C-3P0 says, “The odds are-”

So this adorable little girl responds, “Three thousand… seven hundred… and twenty?” SHE GOT IT RIGHT! Let me tell you how I would not have gotten that, and they gave her like three prizes. Adults answered easier questions incorrectly. I hung out there until they said it was time to head for the start corrals. I made a stop on the way at my longest line of the day, for the bathroom.

This is my least favorite part of any race I have ever run, standing in the starting corral waiting for it to start. It’s usually staring at my phone except nothing much is happening at 5 am for me to read and no one is awake to talk to. I had several friends running but they all had their own groups, and I didn’t even know for sure what corrals they were in. I wound up behind a group of Tie-Fighters. They had the wings tied to their arms, and while it looked amazing I don’t know how you’d make it through the more narrow parts of the course without knocking someone out. I applaud their construction though: foam core and duck tape. Simple, cheap and lightweight! They screened The Last Jedi trailer which was awesome, but I was too far back to see it very well. I did hear a guy yell, “QUITTER!” After Luke’s line about the Jedi needing to end.

Corral D.

Waiting to start.

The final bit before they sent the wheelchair racers off involved two Stormtroopers scaring the announcers off stage and giving everyone an intro about their tryouts to serve Captain Phasma. I was just disappointed it wasn’t the two Stormtroopers from the Star Wars Weekend intros and Hyperspace Hoopla. It lacked the genuine hilarity and playing off each other, and the voice actors weren’t the same. I think all park Stormtroopers should always be them, and I want them to get their own TV show. Seriously. Get on that, Mouse.

They were trying something new in sending each corral off in three “mini waves”, which best as I can tell reduced the number of fences they had to put up but still sent people off in the same quantities as usual. I wasn’t watching the time very closely to see what time I actually started but according to my runner tracking it was 5:52 am. I was itching to get going by then and was so relieved when the fireworks for Corral D finally went off.

I did no training for this race. I always mean to and yet I never do. Ever since I infamously ran a marathon once without training for it, it makes it even harder to convince myself to put the time in that I should. I can run one race without training, but I usually limp for a few days afterwards. (I stayed in bed for like three days after the marathon.) On the last Challenge I ran, Lumiere’s Two Course Challenge, I overdid it on the 10K and had nothing left in the tank for the Half. In order to prevent that from happening again, my plan was to walk as much of this race as possible so I could run tomorrow instead.

I crossed the starting line at a run but I held it only about as half as long as I normally do. Even when I do train, I’m lousy at intervals. I kept it at a fast walk from there for most of the race, which honestly I was still keeping pace with a lot of runners around me. We passed a high school marching band that was playing a medley of Star Wars music.

The first character I came to was R2-D2 probably three-quarters of a mile from the starting line. I didn’t stop for him and I wish I had, but his line was pretty long. For someone who doesn’t train, I end up worrying about time a lot. I passed the characters from Star Wars Rebels somewhere around mile two, and had I known who they were that might have been more tempting.

This is hands down my least favorite RunDisney course I’ve ever run. We had an almost three mile straight away between the TTC and the ramp to Hollywood Studios with only two character stops and a whole lot of nothing. There were a couple screens just playing the different movie clips. They had Vader’s chair for a photo op at the start of the ramp, and that is a LONG ramp. Even if I hadn’t been walking most of the race, I would have had to walk that. My bad knee does not like it when we run on uneven ground like that. Maybe it was because I was purposely going slow or the lack of volunteers cheering, but it just seemed to take forever to get to Hollywood Studios. (I would like to clarify there were lots of volunteers handing out water and I am grateful, but there seemed to be less than I have seen at other races.)

My first genuine moment of encouragement came from a security guard as we made the turn into the backstage area of Hollywood Studios. Darth Maul was right around the turn, but his line was HUGE. I kept going and found myself backstage between Tower of Terror and the “Fantasmic” stadium. The 501st was out in full force inside the stadium with tons of random characters, main and minor, from the series. For those who aren’t familiar, the 501st Rebel Legion is a group of dedicated Star Wars fans with screen accurate costumes. They had a big event at Star Wars Celebration last weekend and they have been present at every nerd event I’ve ever been to in my life, (MegaCon, Tampa Bay Comic Con, Star Wars Weekends, etc.). Coming out of the stadium I saw Boba Fett and Jango Fett, and they were so good I honestly can’t tell you if they were 501st or Disney.

There were several bellhops out in front of Tower of Terror before I got to Sunset Boulevard, but I decided it was better to just take a selfie. There was a set of two Stormtroopers that I passed, followed by another set. Had I realized I would be out of Hollywood Studios in the next few minutes, I probably would have stopped. My fault for not studying the course more carefully. I ran through most of the park since I was hyped up and there were Photopass photographers everywhere. Ever since my mom got worried by me walking in a previous race’s photos, I refuse to be caught walking on camera.

The run between Hollywood Studios and Epcot through the Boardwalk is a very tight one. It’s a sidewalk, a literal sidewalk, and it’s not wide enough to accommodate many people at once. There’s a lot of bumping and unintentional shoving. I’m also not a fan of running on the Boardwalk. It wasn’t wet this morning but it’s been wet previous races, and I watched a guy wipe out super hard taking a turn too fast during the Wine and Dine.

However, I did see one of my favorite shirts during this stretch! Anyone who’s not super familiar with RunDisney probably doesn’t know who the Balloon Ladies are, and I actually had to Google them before I ever encountered them. They are a group of lovely ladies that cross the starting line last and run at exactly sixteen minutes per mile, the longest average time you can maintain without getting pulled from the course. They run just in front of the bikes that do the actual sweeping. They don’t work for Disney, they are volunteers and their goal is to give people the encouragement they need to stay ahead of the sweepers. Naturally, there are some people who are afraid of encountering them and there’s gotten to be quite a few running jokes about them. Like this shirt! The only time I’ve seen the Balloon Ladies I’m proud to say was during the 2016 Walt Disney World Marathon, they were coming into ESPN Wide World of Sports as I was heading out.

Walk around the grass. IT IS NOT THAT FAR.

Chewbacca!

Coming around the turn from the Boardwalk into the World Showcase entrance to Epcot, I spotted Chewbacca. Since I knew I was getting close to the finish line, I figured I could stop. I also seized the opportunity to get a Pokestop and catch a Magikarp. There was a Cast Member directing runners to go around the patch of grass in the median due to the pot holes in it. As I waited in line, the people behind me kept loudly complaining about her and the other Cast Members enforcing the rules. I had to bite my tongue in order not to say anything as one girl yelled in protest as they made her friend go around instead of going through the grass. All it takes is one person not paying attention, charging through and hurting themselves, and Disney has a lawsuit on their hands. Then the Cast Member that failed to stop you is in trouble and probably unemployed. I really, REALLY don’t like it when people give Cast Members crap for doing their jobs.

That is a strange looking Deathstar.

I ran through most of Epcot from World Showcase to Spaceship Earth. They had Stormtroopers standing on the stage next to the fountains looking menacing. People were taking pictures with them, but then I saw the Cast Members telling the next person who stopped no, so I kept going until I hit Guest Relations for another selfie.

I entered the backstage area that lead to the finish line to find more of the 501st waiting. I saw two more Mandalorian Bounty Hunters, including a female one with purple-blue armor. The last two characters were Rey and Tarfful off to the side, but I kept going. I’m not stopping for any Rey that isn’t an official Disney Rey or Daisy Ridley or herself. There was a sign stating these characters were fans and not official representations of Disney or LucasFilm.

I rounded the corner and broke into a full run until I hit the finish line, and had to pull up short because so many people were stopped just past it. I made my way down to the medals and was once again handed my medal instead of being presented it. I really don’t like that. The volunteer next to one I was in front of was putting them around peoples’ necks but I couldn’t get to her without cutting someone else off, so I just put it on myself. Not nearly as fun. The drink stations were next, just past first aid. I headed straight to the end for the blue powerade. I passed the photo booths and moved into the snack station and kept going all the way to the main area with the characters.

It took me a few tries to find Boba Fett’s line. I just wanted to get one photo with the medal and head out. He seemed to take forever but it was probably only half an hour. I was very surprised to learn he talks now! He didn’t do that the last time I met him!

My very last stop before the struggle to find my car was to ask a group in line behind me if I could take their photos. Absolutely best costumes I saw all day: Legends of the Jedi Temple. I couldn’t tell what the exact teams were but they had four different ones represented. They were also super cool about me asking them if I could take their picture. One of the girls just yelled at the rest of them, “GUYS! Photo time!”

Now I am sitting around in my pajamas and I’ve already watched Episode I and all of the Hyperspace Hoopla videos. BRING THAT BACK DISNEY!!! I’m trying to wait until at least 7 pm to try to go to bed so I sleep straight through to my alarm. Assuming I make it to the finish line, I’ll have that report up tomorrow.

#disney #rundisney #running #star wars #Adventure Report #Running

0 notes