RTX 2014: Street Style

I love merging style and geek culture, and since I wasn't cosplaying at Rooster Teeth Expo, I decided to photograph street style this year. This was my first time taking photos of other people like this, and I had a lot of fun with it!

Austin is known to be a fashion-forward city, and geek girls have some mad style, so I found no shortage of awesome outfits this weekend! I only wish I'd been able to photograph more people.

My friend Jelfish matched her outfit to her gorgeous purple hair with a galaxy dress, ombre tights, and cloud-shaped purse. I also love her necklace supporting her company's game, Capsule Force!

I loved this retro lady - look at that gorgeous hairdo and spot-on makeup! I spotted her dress from across the hall and knew I needed to take her photo.

Cute dress, structured jacket, and convention-appropriate shoes - love it! 

I love skirt-overalls, too cute. Paired with a matching bandeau, boots, and sunglasses, she's ready for anything that could come her way.

A con celebrating video games seems like the perfect place to wear this blood splatter dress! She informed me it's from Black Milk. For similar styles, Gold Bubble Clothing is also an option.

This trio looked like they could be comfortable at a con or a music festival. The matching converse are a sweet touch.

Another trio in Converse! I love the fun hair colors too.

This woman's whole outfit was super adorable - if you look close, you can see her Sailor Moon necklace and heart-shaped sunglasses!

I think these ladies nailed it! Comfortable yet stylish, with a few geeky touches here and there - that's the perfect formula for a convention outfit.

What do you usually wear to a convention?

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ATX: Emerald Tavern Games and Cafe

Being a geek in Austin is a real treat! Austin is known for keepin' it weird, so I feel like we're lucky when it comes to geekery. So today I want to share with you one of my favorite local businesses - Emerald Tavern Games and Cafe!

Emerald Tavern is a tabletop gaming paradise mixed with a cafe. Aside from an extensive game library that is free to borrow from and play in-store, Emerald Tavern also offers games and accessories for sale. On top of all that, the cafe serves coffee and tea, light food like sandwiches and pastries, and even local brews.

So basically, you can sit and relax with your friends, play all the games you want, and just hang out. No pressure! They have everything from classics like Catan and Munchkin to games so bizarre that I swear they aren't even real, but they totally are. The staff is also incredibly kind and has always been accommodating to any requests or questions I've had.

I love getting my friends together for a fun night of gaming! I usually grab a big latte or mug of green tea, a game I've never heard of, and get started. Most recently, we picked out Oh Gnome You Don't and Snake Oil. My favorite of the night was definitely Snake Oil - it was basically the "arguing your point" part of Apples to Apples, which is the best part anyway.

I love trying out games I've never heard of before, and Emerald Tavern gives a way to try before you buy. Genius!  Plus, if you're not a pro at tabletop games (and I am definitely not!), this helps you learn more about games in general. I'd never played Munchkin, a super popular card game, before finding it at Emerald Tavern, but now it's one of my favorite games!

If you are ever in town, I definitely suggest stopping by. Check their Facebook ahead of time for their specials! It's such a simple, but flawlessly-executed concept, and I want to show them all the support I can!

Do you have any dedicated tabletop gaming places where you live?

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South by Southwest Interactive 2014

It's the busiest time of the year for an Austinite in the digital media field - South by Southwest! What started as a music festival has evolved into a giant conference with film, music, and interactive components. Through my MBA tuition, I received a platinum pass, which gives access to all (official) events. This is my first year attending, and it is as exciting as it is overwhelming! It reminded me of San Diego Comic Con, actually, in terms of scale, brand takeovers, and programming.

Naturally, I am most interested in the interactive parts - I love learning what's up and coming in my field. I went to a lot of really fascinating panels and keynote presentations, met up with others in the industry, and learned about all kinds of companies, brands, and apps. For me, the music, film, and parties are bonuses (but super fun bonuses!).

The interactive component ended yesterday, so I wanted to look back on my favorite parts before saying goodbye.

(Clockwise from top right) 

1. My business cards and my badge. Business cards make it easy to keep up with people you meet!
2. I met Grumpy Cat! She was asleep but still the most adorable little grump ever. 
3. This beautiful chalk art by the Radius Design Team was so impressive and detailed.
4. Pacing yourself is important! I spent a lot of time in the Samsung Blogger Lounge recharging with coffee. I also won a little plush of Owly, the Hootsuite owl, which is the most adorable thing ever.
5. I saw an early screening of Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey followed by a panel discussion with the creators, including Neil DeGrasse Tyson. This was one of my favorite events from SXSW!
6. The Game of Thrones exhibit stopped in town. I loved seeing the details of the costumes up close and previews of the upcoming season. Of course, sitting on the Iron Throne and giving my best Cersei face was also fun.

For more photos, be sure to follow me on Instagram!

Have you heard of or attended SXSW?

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Wizard World Austin Comic Con 2013

I've been putting off this post because this convention was unlike any other I've been to. Usually, I drive a few hours to a different city, stay in a hotel room crammed full of friends, and have cosplay plans with other people.

This con, however, was totally different. It was in Austin, so I didn't need a hotel room - score! - and I decided to go last minute. But at the same time, not many of my friends that are at the bigger Texas cons went to Austin Comic Con. I went alone to a convention for the first time.

Despite all of that and my fears that the convention would be lonely, I ended up meeting up with several friends, old and new. Not having plans and commitments was a relief and made the con a lot less stressful. This experience was different than my usual con experience, but still special in its own way.

The convention itself was a little different too. I usually go to anime conventions, so comic cons are different in a few ways. They tend to be more expensive, but have programming with industry guests instead of fan-run panels. The costuming is predominantly from comics or sci fi (though you wouldn't be able to tell from my photos!), which is interesting since anime cons seem to have a wider range of cosplay. 

I wore Fionna and Ramona - and for the first time, there weren't lots of these characters running around. Usually if I am dressed as a more popular character, I have fun taking photos with everyone else in the same costume, but not at this con! 

 

I also tried circle lenses for the first time with my costumes, and I absolutely LOVED it! These lenses change your eye color, but the main reason I wanted to use them was to make my eyes big and cartoony. With cosplay, I love exploring the border between fantasy and reality. Anything I can do to help me look more unreal is welcome. I feel like these lenses and the makeup I tried with them really made a difference in the overall effect of my costumes. I'm hoping to give a full review of the lenses I ordered soon, so stay tuned!

The highlight of the convention for me was meeting up with my friends from around the internet. I ran into Betty Felon, comic book fashion writer extraordinaire, who I've been following online for years and is among those who inspired me to start blogging. I also got to meet up with Mindy and a few others I've known online for a while. I realized recently that most of the friends I have I've met online before I met them in person, and I think that's awesome!

It was great to go to a con spontaneously and by myself. I'm definitely looking forward to the 2014 convention season and the new costumes I have planned!

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What I Did: ACL Music Fest 2013 + 5 Festival Essentials

This past weekend was week one of Austin City Limits, commonly known as ACL, one of the biggest music festivals here in Austin. Normally, music festivals aren't my thing. I've been to a few and enjoyed it, but I don't actively seek them out. I have a ton of other hobbies that keep my time and dollars occupied! So it was a little strange this past weekend when a lot of my friends were at Dallas Comic Con's Fan Days and I was at a music festival... who am I?!

I actually won my ACL pass through my grad program -- it was an incentive prize for an assignment that wasn't graded. I didn't expect to win, but when I found out I did, I was suddenly really excited about going to ACL! The lineup seemed pretty neat, I love Zilker park, and a few of my friends from my cohort were going too. Soon enough, the weekend was here and I was at the park!

Was it fun? A big, resounding YES! I got to hoop my little heart out (which I've barely done at all in 2013), see some of my favorites live, and hang out with lots of cool people. With ACL, it seems you can go at your own pace. Some might opt to get there early and go to the after parties later, but I took it a little slower. I arrived a little later in the afternoon, took my time in between sets, and made sure I was drinking water and applying sunscreen. I left after the last sets and made sure to sleep a lot to try and recover my sore, tired muscles. And you know, I don't feel like I missed out on anything at all!

Oddly enough, it was still hot even though it's October - Friday was in the mid-90s. I was sweating like crazy! Luckily Saturday and Sunday cooled off and it was way more tolerable. Also, I didn't expect to eat as much as we did. Turns out ACL brings in a lot of local restaurants and food trucks to make up their makeshift food court, and I got to try out lots of new eats I'd never had before. I also didn't realize my body would be as sore, achy, and downright grimy as it was. A small price to pay for good music, though!

If I ever go again, I know I'd be much more prepared for what ACL is actually like. My top 5 essentials for this ACL fest were:

1. Sunglasses. But not an expensive pair, just in case they get scratched up or lost.
2. A large water bottle. I brought my Camelbak and it was just barely big enough. I brought a smaller bottle one day and totally regretted it.
3. A portable phone charger. I used this a lot during SDCC too. I have a charger that works in the wall but also on its own and can supply some much-needed juice when my phone's charge is running low.
4. A super cute backpack. At first, I thought my bag was overkill, but it was the easiest to take through crowds, distributed weight evenly, and held whatever I needed it to hold.
5. Hoops! It doesn't matter what your skill level is, hooping is just plain fun and my favorite way to celebrate live music.

Also, a bonus: someone filmed me hooping during Kings of Leon and used his phone to make it slow mo! I think I look way cooler in this video than I did in real life.

Do you like going to music festivals?

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