I’m back from MegaCon Orlando and so excited to share with you all everything I saw and did! For once, my planned schedule actually pretty accurately lined up with what I was able to see and do which, considering my health the past year or two, is incredible. I will admit, at times I was a bit overwhelmed and my goodness, was I exhausted running around the huge convention. However, this is the first time in a couple years that I’ve been able to attend all days of a multi-day con without any big health issues which is MAJOR progress! It makes me so excited and hopeful for my two biggest cons coming up in July, Anime Expo and San Diego Comic Con.
For those that don’t know, MegaCon Orlando is a 4-day convention held at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. It covers several fandom genres such as comics, anime, science fiction, gaming, fantasy, and cosplay and attracts in big name guests related to those communities. This year it took place Thursday to Sunday, May 24-27, 2018.
MegaCon’s Preview Night
The first day of the convention reminded me a bit of SDCC’s Preview Night where attendees can get an early look at the exhibitors, booths, and some panels before the main crowd shows up the next day. Unlike the other days that would start at 10 in the morning, Day One started at 4pm. Also unlike the other days, the con ended at the later time of 9pm giving con goers 5 hours to explore. Since MegaCon didn’t start till later in the afternoon, I spent the day with my family at Universal/Islands of Adventure before it was time to check into our room at the Rosen Centre Hotel.
What I Wore
Because it was a short day, I decided to do just a simple cosplay and wore my red original series Star Trek uniform that I bought off the Wish app (super affordable and great quality – highly recommend!). My hair was a mess from the theme park so I just pushed the front back with a braided headband (also from the Wish app – just $1!) and pulled it back into a bun. Also, I had a great start to my con day as I left one of my boots in my dad’s truck. I had to walk down to the lobby back outside in my one boot to have valet retrieve it for me.
Arrival
My dad and I headed over around 5pm to pick up our press badges then proceeded to the exhibit floor. There, we got to take in the layout of the exhibit floor – something I like to do on the first day so I’ll know where everything is. We checked out the artist’s alley, cosplay area, exhibitors, cosplayers and many food stands.
The Exhibit Hall
Without the overwhelming crowds that would sure be there Friday and Saturday, it was nice to take our time looking at the various booths and exhibitors as well as get a gauge of the cosplays. Unlike me who decided to go simple on Day One, plenty of people still went all out in their outfits.
Hocus Pocus, anyone?
This would be cute if it weren’t so creepy.
Batman and Batgirl!
Not sure what this plant creature is from but it looked pretty cool as was this Gonk Star Wars droid!
Such great prints and the artist was super friendly!
Found some Mystic Messenger plushies! Loved seeing my two faves Jumin and V!
Cosplay Photo Fun
My dad and I had some photo fun with the cosplay backdrops and props in the “Cosplay Alley” area. Some were really unique and interesting (such as an interactive Walking Dead set with zombies or a cool Jurassic Park set with real cars designed to look as the ones from the movie) and you had to pay a little to take photos in them.
I’m kicking myself for not taking advantage of an original series Star Trek bridge set they had but I totally missed that day. I don’t know if it was a pay set or not but those photos would’ve been so cool. Even though we didn’t do any of the pay sets, there were still more than enough free backdrops to use and we had a lot of fun working with them especially since I knew I wouldn’t be able to do this any other day with my busy schedule and incoming crowds.
Had my dad act as a model so I could show him how I wanted my shots framed.
Doctor Who
I honestly don’t take very many photos of myself at conventions so it was a different experience to take all these photos with my dad but we both ended up having fun with it. Plus, as I keep mentioning, without tons of people everywhere possibly watching you, I was able to relax and not be so self conscious.
I had so much fun imagining different Star Trek crossovers in my cosplay! It really felt like I was playing dress up! I especially loved having fun with the TARDIS from Doctor Who! As seen in one of the above photos, they even had a prop table with various sonic screwdrivers, hats, and the fourth Doctor’s iconic scarf!
I seem to have lost the Enterprise…
Hoping there are no Daleks or Cybermen nearby.
Ready to be the Doctor’s next companion!
Star Wars
Of course I had to get some shots with the Star Wars backdrops! Two of my all-time favorite fandoms make this another dream crossover – Disney, get on that!
Hmm… wrong packaging and wrong ship?
Had some issues with the shadows from the camera flash, but I kind of like how this turned out.
Me attempting to do something other than just smile in photos.
Smiling is my default though.
But then again, how could you not smile with BB-8?
2001: A Space Odyssey 50th Anniversary
I only went to one panel on Thursday and it was one I had been extremely excited for. It was the 2001: A Space Odyssey 50th Anniversary panel with stars Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood. It’s one of my favorite movies and I’m actually a big fan of Gary Lockwood (he also played Gary Mitchell in the second Star Trek pilot, “Where No Man Has Gone Before”). It was so fascinating listening to him and Keir talk about their experiences working on the movie as well as giving us some interesting behind the scenes info. They both had nothing but admiration and praise for director Stanley Kubrick.
Gary Lockwood (left), Keir Dullea (center), and the moderator
Gary in particular was super entertaining in how he would go off on a tangent after being asked a question and then forget what the original question was. I love hearing old Hollywood stories and you can tell he’s got lots of them having been good friends with the likes of Elvis, Warren Beatty, and Steven McQueen. I’d listen to a whole panel of him just retelling stories from those days in Hollywood.
I unfortunately didn’t get a chance to do a photo-op with Keir and Gary like I’d originally planned. I do hope I’ll get the chance again someday.
Making Reptile Friends
We returned to the exhibit floor to spend the rest of our time until the con closed for the day. A major highlight for me was coming across a booth for the Dragonwood Wildlife Conservancy, a non-profit dedicated to the conservation of endangered species as well research and education on amphibians and reptiles.
I saw these men holding alligators like children and, at first, I wasn’t sure if they were real or not. Upon a closer look, I saw they were indeed very real. They asked if I wanted to hold one and I, being the huge animal lover that I am, said yes! This little one I’m holding here is a Cuban crocodile, a small critically endangered species of crocodile found only in Cuba. Although considered a modest-sized crocodile and this little baby is so small, the males can grow up to 11 feet long!
I can’t believe I’m saying this about a crocodile, but what a little cutie!
Next, I got to meet this beauty.Her name is Moogi, she’s 28 years old (the same age as me!), and she’s a Chinese alligator – also a critically endangered species and the most endangered in the crocodilian species. I read there are only about 120 of them left in the wild which breaks my heart.
I’m so grateful that there are places like Dragonwood helping to bring their numbers back up and educate people about these beautiful and often misunderstood animals. While I only held Moogi for a couple of minutes but she was so sweet and calm in my arms (and has the prettiest eyes), I felt such a bond with her. I mean, just look at this photo…
Wrap Up
That’s all for Day One! After a long day, we wanted to go to bed early to prepare for the next day! Look out for a string of MegaCon related posts coming up! I got a TON of photos so it’s taking some time to go through and edit everything. However, I’m doing my best to get it all up ASAP! In the meantime…
