PAX Prime 2012: In Photographs

Ah, so PAX prime has come and gone, and it was another lovely year of cosplay, swag, and awesome video games. I did not take near as many photographs this year, but I did run around with Angeline Oliver and we made a video blog, so watch for that in the near future.

I planned super poorly for this year's PAX, as it just kind of crept up on me and I was doing other things. I didn't make any press appointments or RSVP to any after parties, however, it was still an insanely wonderful time, full of friends and all sorts of other silliness. I cosplayed as Dark Phoenix on Saturday and Sunday, which despite destroying my feet in heels was totally worth it. It's awesome to cosplay as such an iconic, well known character, because it makes people really invested in you. You ARE that character, and it's kind of delightful to have children exclaim "PHOENIX!", and men my age tell me that Jean Gray was their first crush. I'm not even a big fan of Jean (she's whiney and annoying to me), but Dark Phoenix is a pure badass.

Some of my highlights from the convention this year:

• "Pie Force", a ridiculous inside joke that will forever remain inside with Nixie Pixel, Chelsea Porter, Cortana Infinity, and Angeline Oliver. I expect we will be making t-shirts to represent our weird club in the near future, but until then it's probably for the best that all of us never be allowed in public together again, as we are very good at making a scene.
• Playing Borderlands 2 and Neverwinter. These games are seriously both incredible and I cannot wait until they are released - particularly Neverwinter. I'm such a nerd for D&D.
• I was filmed for Maxim Online as Dark Phoenix! And photographed for G4 TV. These links will be coming shortly.
• The Final Fantasy Experience for the 25th anniversary. It was an exhibition they put together at the ACT theatre, and it made me very emotional. You walked into the theatre, and around in a circle were four different sets of TVs, all with the Final Fantasy games available to play on them. However, the TVs were in the same "era" as the games. I could literally stand in the middle of the room and turn 360 and I could see my childhood happen around me, in the correct order. As such a huge fan of Final Fantasy, it meant a lot to me. It elicited a lot of feelings. And on top of that, there was the live tech demo of Final Fantasy XV, which looks AWESOME. It's all middle eastern and grimy and gritty and badass. Cannot wait.
• Running into very well known Video Blogger MrRepzion cosplaying Deadpool. Angie and I swooned at his feet in a video for our video blog, and he put it in his as well! It's here at around the 4:00 minute mark.
• The Bethesda party! This was seriously one of the coolest after parties I have ever been to. It was in an old mansion on Capitol Hill (Seattle's hipster neighborhood), and it was sort of "murder mystery' themed. There were people walking around in insane masks, completely in character, breathing creepily over your shoulder and staring wide eyed at you. There was a game with clues and all sorts of nonsense that I didn't play, but I had a couple of friends who were playing. Most of them got stuck at the riddle "How do you insult a lady in red?" They kept approaching the lady in red and insulting her, and she would dismiss them or laugh in their faces. Their was a fully open bar, and I had a VIP wristband so I got to go to the cool VIP area with lots of free cheese (and anyone who knows me knows how much I like booze and cheese). And some Square Enix employees saw my chocobo tattoo and got really excited, which was fabulous.
• FarCry 3 was doing this promotion at their booth where if you got your head shaved at their booth they would give you a free glass and a copy of the game. My friend Ty, a beautiful half Japanese man with impeccable fashion sense, decided to go through with it and shave his gorgeous long black locks into a mohawk. And let me tell you: he looks like a total badass. Video coming shortly.
• I surprised Daniel with a Sunday pass so he could wander around the con with me. Since he only moved to Seattle in September of last year, he had never been to PAX before, and seeing his wide eyed wonderment upon walking into the expo hall for the first time seriously made my life. He clutched to my arm and jumped up and down like an excited child. I like making the people I care about that happy :-) (Also check out his rad blog if you like fantasy, good writing, and sick male fashion sense)
• Seeing all of my out of town friends. I love it when conventions are here in my city, because I literally cannot walk down the street downtown without running into someone I know every 10 feet. It's the best! Like everyone I love all decided to come visit me one weekend.
• Gangnam Style being everywhere, and all the geeks knowing the dance. It made me happy. They even played it at the club for the Frag Dolls party and half the dance floor did the dance perfectly.
• Insane amounts of awesome cosplay that forever inspires me to be better faster stronger geekier.

Best Swag:  Neverwinter Beer Stein and my amazing new Bit Trip shirt. I will make a swag post later this week.
Favorite Indie Game: Monster Loves You. It's a choose your own adventure game and it's ridiculously cute and clever.

I can't wait for PAX next year, but until then I'm going to recover mentally... and give my liver a break for a bit.

These photos are selected pics from PAX. The rest can be found over here on my Facebook fan page: YAY PAX GALLERY

My friend Heather's amazing Mass Effect nails.

She's so cute!

My friend Cortana has amazing fashion sense. She dresses like this every day - ears and all!

My bestie Becki as Sakura from Street Fighter.

EXCEPTIONAL Firefall cosplay. Holy crap.

Ty getting his lovely head shaved at the FarCry 3 booth.

Daniel showing the most pure joy I have ever seen, EVER.