Pikachu Hugs and My First Fan Expo
written by Kim Gelera (@kgelera13)
OK, here we go. My first Fan Expo Vancouver weekend has ended. My friends and I are feeling the effects of 2 days walking around in costume shopping and posing for pictures. It’s definitely hard work!
With the appearance of several guests, including: Stan Lee (legendary Comic book writer, editor, and publisher) and actors Michael Rooker (Merle on Walking Dead) and James Marsters (Spike on Buffy) the number of attendees at Fan Expo was quite high for a Vancouver convention.
The weekend started off at 10:30AM with a 3 hour wait in a line that looped around the building and itself numerous times to pick up my wristband while my other friends, who had come a few hours later than I, got into the convention centre in 20 minutes. I guess this is the result of only having two booths set up for pre-registered tickets. Next year, I hope that this will be something Fan Expo will remember to consider.
When I entered the building my mood immediately did a 180º. There were so many things happening in one room! As a novice con-goer I’ve never been to one like this. Along one side of the room was where the photo ops and autographing signing were, two-thirds of the room was taken up by an endless amount of vendors selling their merchandise, and the rest of the space was where the meet and greets took place.
a gorgeous Vancouver day makes long lines that much more bearable...
You think this is a joke?! You think just because you’re dressed as Pikachu you can shock me?
One of the biggest things I noticed about this convention was that it was a lot more family oriented than most. There were children everywhere dressed as their favorite superhero or movie character. You could find these mini-Batmans and Ironmans full of energy bouncing around near the video game stations, Lego booth, and the Back to the Future DeLorean replica.
Michael Rooker gives Pikachu a BIIIIIIIIIIG HUG!!
My most memorable moment of Fan Expo Vancouver 2013:
While walking around a friend and I were handed a business card that said we had been bitten by a zombie. We had to go to ROCK, PAPER, CYNIC’s booth to get free stuff and participate in their mini game experiment. Now to have this zombie outbreak spread throughout the convention, we needed to give these cards out to other people so they too can participate. My friend and I thought it would be hilarious to go up to Michael Rooker and “bite” him so we lined up. So my Pikachu friend hands over the business card and the next thing we know...
Michael: “You think this is a joke?! You think just because you’re dressed as Pikachu you can shock me?”
Pikachu: “......... Umm..... Can I shake your hand?”
Michael: “No! I’m going to give you a hug!”
Definitely will remember her being yelled at and hugged by Michael Rooker forever.
In my opinion, the best part of conventions will always be the costumes. If you haven’t been to one yet, go. I highly recommend it even if you don’t cosplay yourself. It’s just such a surreal feeling to see some your favorite characters come to life.
So I’d like to end this with some pictures of my favorite cosplays of Fan Expo Vancouver 2013.
Kim Gelera is an official LFTD Friend and new to the cosplay/con circuit. She's also an aspiring actor/singer/dancer hailing from Seattle's Canadian neighbor to the North, Vancouver B.C. Check out her Facebook page and follow what she does! We look forward to awesome things from her.
