JEZ'(RE): Comic-Con International SAN DIEGO 2017

This is usually the part where I talk about my trip on the road to con—but, SDCC 2017 was a bit different.

I’m already here.

Came last year, fell in love; and, stayed.

I mean, who wouldn’t want to be in San Diego?!?

Suppose, there has been a road to con this year—and, it’s been a LONG year.

Last September, our website was hacked and we lost everything.

I lost everything.

…still haven’t learned the lesson of backing shit up… sigh…

Started working at the hostel I stayed at for SDCC’16 in exchange for rent—had a job, thus a roof, in 4 days of arriving in California—before my scheduled, conscientiously missed return flight.

BOOM! I’m good.

NO clue what I’m doing…

Anyway…

Did a gig the next month for an L.A. based event company and worked several others after—as recently as two months ago.

Got a part time winter gig with a photography company based in Ohio contracted with Toy’s-R-Us for the first year EVER doing Santa photos—minimal marketing so that was a bust—not even a call to action on the HOMEPAGE…

SERIOUSLY?!

…SIGH…

January—hooked up with a hospitality staffing company for the PGA Farmer’s Insurance Open PRO Golf Tour—I was on TV.

Started weekly working with them some time in March—been to some pretty neat places—Military bases; at least six different (6) Marriotts—which is the largest hotel chain in the world presently—Hilton; Sharadin; Gaslamp’s The Westin; The MusicBox—which I love!

…speaking of…

I presently have one hundred (100) tickets across five (5) shows next month at the Music Box to give away—because I took my own advise and opened my mouth—horrible phrase; I reached out to them and got a response.

Maybe it helped I’ve worked there several times; asked for Suicide Girl show tickets; and then emailed for a promo.

…maybe I DO know what I’m doing…

…shhhhhhhhh…. Don’t tell anyone…

So—everyone knows I panel at con, here.

They all knew con was coming up…

I reminded regularly; and officially the Friday before; they still get mad when two days before con, there is no one to cover.

NOT ME PROBLEM.

I was willing to give up my roof / job just to make sure I paneled at con.

Why?

Because it’s what I do.

Stayed up all night into Wed. morning crafting the last piece to my cosplay—a giant pair of scissors…

So, I play VAINGLORY which is essentially the mobile version of DOTA 2—which I use to play with muh dudes…

But—I now have shitty internet… sigh…

Anyway…

I found VG looking for a game for me and the other half to play together.

Generally a ranged player, I somehow acquired the EPIC Broken Doll (I’m guessing that is what the “E” stands for) skin for ALPHA and wanted to try her out.

Instant <3.

…still can’t play with her regular form…

Subconscious thing, I guess.

Maybe cosplay as her one day… OMG, though, she’d be so much work…

She wacks basic attacks with a giant pointy thingy; laser scans then leaps at target; has this wicked attack/healing boost ability; and reboots herself as an ulti.

So nasty…

Thinking what to be for con, realized I have a dress that would suffice—if Broken Doll Alpha was LIVE Action, what would she look like?

I think about this all the time…

Like, Super hero’s regular clothing would still mimic their uniforms because it’s practical and tactical.

…knee pads spray painted, cardboard scissors…

Body Paint.

Which I order two weeks ago, arriving on the 13th.

My roommate / co-worker got an opportunity to work con so I urged her to take it but she lost her job and rook over it—something about loyalty…

…let’s just get through con…

Keep your head down, lay low and go to work.

Everything will be fine.

And—it is now—mostly.

Hayato and I go to preview night together to pick up badges and do a little scooping:

And—I couldn’t believe how many people were there!

But why pay extra for a preview and not go?

Instant comic-con high:

For the first time in four (4) seasons of conning, I saw something I HAD to have…

Seriously.

Who WOULDN’T want a lifesized facehugger?!?!?

AND!

It came with a TEE, hat, bad ass key chain bottle opener and 6 pins for fifty (50) dollars.

WORTH.

I thought to myself: If I don’t buy this now, I’ll never have the chance to get it again…

…woke up at 6AM THURS morning to start make-up—and I’m glad I did.

It wouldn’t layer and I couldn’t get it to smooth.

The silver wasn’t opaque and you could see my arm skin—I started to freak but stilled, working on the face.

I’m not the best painter but the paint smeared and blotted and it was a horrible experience.

I plan on complaining to get my money back since a hug part of my costume could not be accomplished.

Luckily, it still worked out.

I think I looked pretty rad.

So, other half shows up around 930…

He tells me I look cooler than he thought I would.

I’ll take that as a compliment…

Boys are stupid…

We head out but I still need to run by the hardware store for silver spray paint to finish my prop… then find a place to use it…

As we near the convention center, I see I construction fence and a foot under it so I head in to ask if I could do it there—as I round the corner, I both startle and am startled by four other guys I didn’t see sitting there.

I ask if I could spray paint, one of the guys got me a board and I quickly went at it—Wellford said after, they didn’t tell me no because none of them wanted the be that guy to tell the girl she can’t finish her costume…

Start to head in the door, only to be told I have to have my cardboard scissors prop checked… sigh…

So, we stand in line for a moment and it doesn’t move.

It’s not going to.

My panel, at this point, was in 30 minutes and I did not have time to wait.

So I ask if there is anything else to do and the guy suggests bag checking the item.

…sigh…

Okay.

Luckily, Wellford had $3 dollars on him and there were only 4 people in line.

However, there is an issue with someone at the front and it takes forever—of course, by this time, the prop check line starts to move and they whip through them—had I just waited, I could have gotten through… sigh…

Patience is a virtue I have yet to master…

So we get through and head up the escalator, only he tells me to walk ahead since his shoes were horrible and hurt his feet… but, gets temporarily stuck trying to follow me up through a non attendee area and I wait at the top to make sure he got through before dashing off again.

We’re all sitting there on the panel with only a few people in chairs—ummm… Okay, so I guess no one is coming…

Until they finally open the doors and people start coming in.

Sigh of relief.

But, no boyfriend.

…sigh…

He walks in right as we’re about to begin.

Sigh.

OMG. I would have been so pissed.

Like, I think I would have been so distracted by him not being there it would have gone horribly.

But—he was; and it was great!

Tells me later he got lost asking for my panel directly… ROOM NUMBERS PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So, I’m sitting between Francis Sky and Holly GoLightly…

Several people on the panel I didn’t know.

But a vast diversity with ranges of experience.

Several editors.

Self published writers who are also media reps.

etc.

I mean, Holly’s title (written by husband, Jim Balent) “Tarot” has been running 17+ years…

Lots of great advise and discussions.

You’d have to be there, though ; )

I do think we need some sort of collaborated presentation however because with the number of people on the panel, it was a bit hard to get a word in.

Also, someone came late then left early.

I mean, great you have advice for people, but if the panel isn’t worth your time to sit through the whole thing, then don’t be on it…

…seriously… sigh…

Anyway…

At least 5 people came up to me throughout the rest of the day and said they loved my panel! <3

I’M AWESOME.

If you’re not there, you’re not there…

And yes, dressing up Thursday was a bit strategic.

I knew I would be there on that day all day, but wasn’t sure what other times/dates so I needed to do it then for sure.

Also—if I’m wearing my costume, I’m more likely to be recognized later—”shameless self promotion” ; P

OF COURSE boyfriend didn’t take a single photo… sigh… but he was there at least and that was all I could ever ask for.

At least I snagged one with FEMME FATALE Holly GoLightly<3

OMFG she’s so hot…

After the panel, boyfriend and I walked around a bit looking at things…

I showed him the hugger, and of course he’s like, “Where are we going to put that?!?!?”

I was a bit disheartened.

After he left, I explored on my own:

Scoped out artist alley, of course—IS me favorite part of con.

…

ANNNNNNNNNND costumes were on fleek:

…

Starving, and in serious need of a beer, headed into the gaslamp.

Made it to Hooters…

Wellford brought me there last year during con…

sigh…

Anyway…

I ordered a beer (angry orchard on tap) and browsed the menu.

Didn’t have much money to spend and I still wanted another beer—and the hugger—so, I opted for chocolate cake.

If you’ve ever read any of my articles—which no longer exist, chocolate cake is generally a pre-con tradition.

But, I’ll take it where I can get it.

While there, I overheard the bartender tell these foreign guys, “No I will not clean up this ‘shit.”

Because apparently they asked her to “clean up this shit.”

They call the manager over and complain about how rude she was… etc…

Now, she WAS a bitch—had gotten a bit haughty with me before them.

But, I’m a server—and chalked it up to being a stressful day.

However, these guys were way out of line.

I see it a lot at the hostel—men from other countries come here and don’t really understand the American Bitch.

I know, because I’m a bitch. : )

So, I totally talked to the manager for her in defense.

Bitches stick together—and, I’m sure I’ll bump into her again at some point—the city really isn’t that big.

…

So I head back to con.

Then walked back by the huggers…

It’s Thursday afternoon and the inventory had clearly dwindled.

Soooooooooooo I bought one : )

I’m so glad I did.

I’m funny.

Wellford named him JIMMY.

We’re funny.

END of DAY 1

I had to work at the hostel Friday so I didn’t get to go to con that morning, but was going to try to check out the late afternoon / evening stuff.

Chatting with a Hayato about the nerdy themed Suicide Girls Black Heart Burlesque Show at the Music Box I looked forward to attending Saturday, he looked it up and it was actually that night—I almost missed it! EEEK!

Immediately got dressed and headed to Little Italy.

Despite walking past it many times, I had only experience the MB via the hospitality staffing company I work for—working several banquets.

It has this small hidden appearance from the outside but it opens up inside.

Super cute place!

At one of them, I chatted with the PR chick and told her whom I was and what I wanted to do and that I was interested in going to the show.

She was all about it.

Cool.

I still had not received an email from her two (2) weeks before, and had another event there, so I asked her again—she emailed the box office and they approved right there on the spot—JEZ plus 1. BOOM!

NETWORKING, PEOPLE!

Wellford had to work that night, and IDK what Hayato was doing—so I went stag.

And—of course boyfriend couldn’t let me go to a naughty show without bending me over the sink in the bathroom before hand.

…I’m so bad…

Anyway…

Pre-gamed with a beer at Queenstown Pub—tried to get a job there a few times first arriving in SD but they’re snooty—before the show; only because I had limited fundage and knew mixed drinks at the MB are, like, $13…

WELCOME TO SAN DIEGO!

Plus, I didn’t want to show up too early.

It’s a thing.

Anyway…

It was the first time being at the place as an attendee—the door guy recognizes me and I walk right in.

A bartender recognizes me an serves me first—maybe I shouldn’t have said that, but oh well.

They have two really bomb ginger flavored drinks—they haven’t updated the online cocktail menu, and I can’t remember what they were called—mmmmmm gin and ginger : )

One ginger beer—the other with a slice of ginger root.

I’ve always been a fan of gin, but was exposed to ginger beer only recently in MI.

You know, Kava Lounge has a bomb ass ginger drink too, now that I’m thinking about it.

Totally dig that place too…

Anyway…

Suicide girls : )

I actually applied to SG and was approved when I was , like, 22, but some shit happened and I chickened out.

…sigh…

Anyway…

I down my first drink fairly quickly—fuck—and have to get another one… Oh! no! 😛

And—of course—I HAD to buy meself (not a typo) some SG panties—the girl was like, “We can hold them for you back here until after the show…”

No. That’s okay—”Jessica No Panties,” as my girl D calls me, will just go put them on.

Now, the venue also has limited seating since it IS a concert hall—I hate standing—so, I found a slim space on a bench couch along the wall and plopped down to wait for the show.

As the place filled, people started crowding each other—humans really are interesting creatures—and on at least two separate occasions I had ask them, as politely as my bitch self could, to move out of my way—because when I finally stood for the show, they’d literally be standing in that space I would occupy.

…I’m funny…

When the show finally started, there were some really tall people in front of me and I noticed other people standing on the couch, so fuck it—I stood too—I’m sure I was blocking people behind me but, there was no way they could have seen anyway annnnnnd they should have gotten there son for a better spot. Just sayin’