The Real MAGFest 2019 Reflections Post

Magfest was a lot of fun this year. That's pretty standard. I was a lot more tired going into the convention this year because of an intense vacation near the end of December--you know, one of those vacations where you come home more exhausted than before you left and you want a real vacation from the vacation.

Anyways, I think I spent most of this convention in panels. I'm going to go off on a bit of a "Magfest is the best" thing here. I really feel that Magfest goes out of its way to have outstanding programming. Their events are good. Their panels are great, and cover a wide variety of topics. There is always something interesting going on. This year I attended a mix of cosplay makerspace panels, tabletop panels, and MAGES panels. I gave a panel in MAGES on tabletop roleplaying and relationships with Shaun as a follow-up to last year's panel on gaming in general as a couple. We got a bunch of questions related to roleplaying games after that panel, so we put together one on that topic. He gave two other panels that went over well. I think the only thing I've ever been super meh about was the Marketplace. There were many years where the vendor space was too small. This year, there just wasn't much that I wanted to see. I think my favorite vendor was the leather vendor in the very back of the room, who sadly does not have a website to share with everyone. They had some really cool binders and DM screens in tooled leather, and I really need to get one of the leather tunics they have... one of these years, when I have more money.

Anyways, most of the panels and events I attended this year were fantastic. They were either interesting or informative, and bonus if they were both. I came home super motivated to get back into cosplaying, which I've wanted to do for awhile now. I have ideas for several original cosplay designs, plus I have a long list of characters I want to cosplay. I'm also really excited about pushing forward on several of our larger (and smaller) projects. I'm not going to say a lot about them right now, since they've technically been on the board for a couple of years now, and although close to completion now (relatively), I don't have a clear idea of when exactly they will be done. Assuming I can stay out of the hospital this year and have no more major issues, then I'm pretty sure we'll start seeing some of these things wrap up early this year, but I've been saying that for a couple years now, and so far it hasn't worked. =P Anyways, I'll post when things actually happen. 

All in all, Magfest was the best way to start 2019.

MAGFest Panels

Shaun and I will be at MAGFest this year as attendees and panelists. We have two panels this year!

Shaun will be on a panel this morning at 10:30 on Heroes. This is a group discussion on how video game heroes have changed over the years. Many of the tropes that characterized the heroes of our childhood no longer apply to the game heroes of today. Why? What makes a hero now? He and his fellow panelists will be addressing these and other questions.

Tomorrow (Saturday) at 11:30, Shaun and I will be giving a panel together on relationships and tabletop RPG gaming. We've been married for almost 19 years, and playing RPG games like Dungeons and Dragons has been a big part of our relationship. We're going to address topics like playing together as a couple and how that might affect game dynamics. We're going to look at how other players might perceive the impact of the relationship, especially if one involved is the GM. We're also going to look at how to handle couples when they are inattentive and distracted or when things are going south in the relationship and the toxicity is spreading into the game. This is a more focused version of the panel we gave last year. I'm looking forward to it. Yay! My second panel. 

If you're going to be at MAGFest, please stop by our panels! Of course, if these topics don't interest you, don't come. =P We won't be offended. Both panels will be in the MAGES section.

Gearing up for Anime Weekend Atlanta

This year an unprecedented number of people are traveling with me to AWA, and these are all people I'd trust to watch my table while I step away. I thought that this year I might actually set foot out of Artist Alley--something I've never actually done before at AWA. =O Keep an eye out; this might just be a sign of the apocalypse.

AWA posted a rough spreadsheet of the con schedule. While perusing it, I got the crazy idea that I'd post a list of panels I'd like to maybe attend. In the process of compiling said list, I discovered that there were actually quite a few events I wanted to go to. XD I guess that's what happen when I pay attention to what's happening at a convention. So, without further rambling, on to the list.

The Engineer Guy - Two part molds: I have no idea what this might be about, but since I'm interested in learning more about molding for cosplay and this might be about that subject, it's on the list.

Sewing 101 with GSTQ Fashions: This sounds like a basic sewing class, but GSTQ does some really amazing work. Also, being a self-taught "seamstress" it might be nice to learn how to sew something the right way.

Ladies of Leather w/ GSTQ: Another GSTQ panel. Seriously GSTQ is a brilliant seamstress.

Turning Tricks in Photoshop for Fun and Profit: Not sure exactly what this panel involves, but I'm always open to learning new stuff about Photoshop, since this is the program I use for most of my art.

Translating Art into Cosplay: No description, but it includes art and cosplay. It sounds like something I'd like.

Retro Sailor Moon: It's Sailor Moon. Do I really need to say any more?

How to Make Your Own Plushie Mascot: I've always wanted to learn how to make plushies.

ACEO & Art Trading Cards Workshop: This is an aspect of the art world that I've heard of but don't know much about.

Sociology in Cosplay: No description, but I like cosplay.

Inking Workshop: Standard art workshop, but I'm always open to learning new things, which considering that I've never taken an art class or had any official training... I stand to learn even from the basics.

Running a Cosplay Business: I did this once, and creating manga and art isn't too far off (this is what I'm doing now). I'd be interested in hearing from someone else who has tried this.

Indie Manga: I'm hoping this is more of a how-to-publish vs. a what's-out-there panel. Since there are no descriptions with the online schedule, I'll just have to wait to the convention to find out.

Cosplay Start to Finish: Ezio Auditore: So, I don't own an Xbox or Xbox 360. I've never played Assassin's Creed, any version. You might be wondering what this panel is doing on the list. This panel is going to be run by Fev, a cosplayer whom I greatly respect. She does some amazing leatherwork and is an awesome propmaker.

Legality of Cosplay and Fan Art: This is a hot topic for a lot of conventions, especially in Artist Alley, and since I draw a lot of Fanart right now, I think this panel would be worth attending.

Wig Styling with GSTQ Fashions: A 3rd GSTQ panel... with 3 of them here, I might just make it to one of them. Plus, I stink at styling wigs.

Cosplay Science: Dunno, but sounds spiffy.

Clearly there is no way I could attend all of these panels, especially since half of them overlap with each other, so I'll want to narrow down my list significantly once I get to the convention. I also don't want to leave my table to my husband or friends for the entire convention. That would be more than a little inconsiderate. This list is a start, though. We'll have to see where it goes from here.