Avalyn's PAX Recap

PAX was fabulous this year. We really enjoyed ourselves. Here are some photos I took! 

SmallRiniLady and Avalyn lunch at Gordon Biersch on Friday while dressed as Serah from Final Fantasy and Riven from League of Legends.

New this year, Riot had the League of Legends NA Regionals up on the sixth floor of the convention center. They should host that at PAX every year! It drew a huge crowd, all day long, all three days.

Found a Dragon Age 2 cosplay group! Excellent workmanship on those costumes.

On Saturday we went to the Make a Strip panel by Gabe and Tycho from Penny Arcade. We always try to make that panel every year, it's a hoot. I still remember the first time I saw this panel at the Meydenbauer Center and I discovered the magic that is the Hotdog Fairy.

There was an insane amount of League of Legends cosplay at PAX. Riot had a cosplay showcase every day at 2PM so I signed up on Friday. Got my photo with Riot Nikasaur on KOMO News here!

Here's me with a couple of my favorite LoL champions!

my favorite support, Soraka (with me as Riven)

the lovely Ashe... and Riven (me again)

I also found a lot of Rivens! What do you call that, a pack? A horde? A roost of Rivens? Anyway, here are some of them!

WOW big sword!

Her sword lights up!

Her armor and sword were made with expanding foam - durable and rubbery/squishy!

Got a wee potato! You never know what kind of swag you'll get but PAX never disappoints. (I always come home with at least one free T-shirt.)

Went to the Magic the Gathering party on Saturday with my husband. They had mushroom appetizers on trees! How cool is that?

Made another  friend! Actually, first I made this little hat out of pipe cleaners while waiting in line for Wil Wheaton's awesome hour.

Wil Wheaton did not disappoint. Just wish I could have sat a little closer. They didn't have video on the screens while he was talking and the sound was very quiet so it was hard to hear him about 10% of the time.

Wow, check out these wings! They are motorized and can fold down and collapse!

I dressed as Riven on Friday and Sunday. Unfortunately my Warcraft costume just did not look like it would survive the day so I didn't wear it. It may need to be retired. I really enjoyed wearing the Riven costume though! Full album with more photos: http://photobucket.com/PAX2012avalyn

Convention Report: Pax Prime 2011

No longer called just Pax, but Pax Prime to separate that it is the origins of Pax and not to be mistaken with the east coast version called Pax East.  Pax in the Penny Arcade Expo which is all about video games. 

Jerry and Mike, the Penny Arcade authors in their Making the Strip Comic panel.  It's a Q&A panel while the audience gets to watch their process of making the next comic strip that is released.  It gets quite humours.

Once Mike is done with his Comic strip but the panel isn't over he goes on to amuzing the audience with some very   . . . unusual drawings.  I wont post any more cause it gets to a naughty level.

How could me and Ava be at a convention without of course.  COSPLAY!  I'm cowarding here because my little wand can't compare to her giant staff.

Welcome to the Exhibition Hall of PAX, where game publishers show off their lastest work, most of them yet to be released.  It is a gamers paradise

Game Companies try to get to you to come to their station using the WOW factor.  cause we all want to touch the shiney mechas.

Outside of exhibition hall sits a display to the FireFall game.  But it's better than what you see, it moves! and mists! 

Me and Ava aren't the only cosplayers there.  I caught a Yoshi playing the FireFall game.  Awwww, he should eat the monitor

FireFly even had advertisments in the bathroom, that while you are washing your hands you can see what you would look like if you had the body of one of the main characters.   .. . . I had a hard time with this one becuase I was too short.

So all the fun isn't just inside.  Recognize these guys?  From Plants VS Zombies game.  They were outside for 10 minutes getting their groove on dancing to that funky music of the 70s.

At the Castle Crashers booth they had the Japanese Gashapon Capsule Machinese that sold little Castle Crasher toys.  But had to buy the three tokens (for $5) to use the machines.  When I got the tokens I realized . . . they gave me three Japanese Yen.  They sold me money????

We bumped into a Swag Monster.  Basically he wants your swag, if you have something you dont mind giving away you can pin another free t-shirt to him, he had at least 15 covering his body.  He walked around like the swamp monster

Back to the show floor.  http://www.gog.com/ is a site that sells retro games, and their booth babes were 3 old grannies baking cookies and knitting.  It was so out of place but it brought in the curious crowds.

I can't believe I figured this out because I recognized it to be Steve from Blues Clues.

So is this

1) cool, dont have to be a video to cosplay to video game convention

or

2) Everything has a video game now (even counting the LeapFrog devices) . . . . why isn't there Leap Frog representated at Pax?

Video games aren't just about the games, but can also be about the machines that play the games.  This is the most rad PC ever!

This was by far the best cosplay I saw the entire day.  The plastic parts also made him walk like Buzz!

Halo Fest.  A floor dedicated to Halo, it was basically a giant museum.  Me and Ava needed another funny picture to match up to our D&D picture of last year. 

Halo Fest also had a charity auction to support the non profit organization Child's Play

Being PAX let's end our time looking at the Deck Building Penny Arcade game.  So colourful, both the art and the characters.