The Con is Afoot (SherlockeDCC!)

Dear readers,

Comic-Con is afoot.

The convention that began in 1970 has morphed into the largest pop culture gathering in the States over the years.  Flocks of fans, artists, writers, actors, producers, etc. descend on San Diego for a week of total, unabashed nerdom.  I’m not going to lie, it’s pretty amazing and as a fellow geek/nerd, I absolutely love it.

Gaslamp Quarter, downtown San Diego

While I wasn’t able to get tickets this year (boy do they sell out fast these days!), I am finally beginning to learn the ins and outs of the Con.  With so much fan spirit and big names, there are a ton of events and venues to check out downtown for everyone – even non-pass holders.  Check out blogs like Outside Comic-Con and Nerd HQ (and follow their Twitter for updates on the awesome panels and events Zachary Levi has set up for the fans) for more.

You probably know by now that one of my fandoms lies in the Sherlock Holmes realm.   I mentioned some awesome geekery going on in my life at the end of my last post, so let me explain.  I’m part of the team working on Sherlock: The Game is On; a full sized, (super legit) RPG game which will be free for fans to download and play.  It is a huge collaborative labor of love of which I am a puzzle designer and side case writer and working with other fans around the world.  How stinking cool is that?

You can find more info on the game and progress updates here! http://sherlock-thegame.tumblr.com/

The thing is, the BBC Sherlock series has inspired me to get off my butt and do things as a fan.  In addition to helping create this game, I have been writing stories and teaching myself programs such as Photoshop and now Gimp in an effort to create some Holmesian designs (which, added bonus, can be purchased as shirts etc. on Redbubble http://www.redbubble.com/people/brookenado – yay money!).   Yeah, I’m still developing my skills, but I am developing!

The takeaway is that I feel as if I’m actually contributing to the fandom now, more than just my dedicated Pinterest board or tumblr blog (which is totally fan participation too, I don’t want to discredit that – after all, it’s all fine).  But in my mind, I now have some sort of fan cred which has given me the confidence to go out and interact with my fellow fans.  And so I have!  SherlockeDCC marks the first true fan gathering I’ve been to and I went in cosplay (my first time doing so – yes, I’m a total nerd).

Molly Hooper, summing it up.

I took the ferry across the bay and made my way to the venue at Brick+Mortar, Molly Hooper style.

Almost ready…

There was already a line to the end of the block for the upwards of 400 fans in attendance.

Just got our wristbands and almost in the door!

I hadn’t had anyone to go with, but I ended up meeting Beth; a really nice, super awesome person in line who was going alone as well.  The two of us hung out for the night as we mingled and explored.

Props? Um, yes please. Yep, there was a photo booth!

Beth was representing Irene Adler as well, so here we are – the women of Sherlock! (Minus Mrs. Hudson, of course…)

It was so much fun getting to interact with these fellow Sherlockians, geek out about the squee-worthy merchandise, and meet some of the well known artists that frequent our tumblr dashboards.

The talented Cara McGee drawing a sweet sketch for me

There were other people dressed up, many sporting a very Sherlock look in general, and fans from around the area as well as from across the country.

John Watson cosplayer! Help us find our Sherlock please?

The event was a collaborative effort put on by 5 amazing women in the fandom (see all the great people who made this happen at http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/sherlockedcc-the-sherlock-fan-party-of-san-diego-comic-con–4).

We walked in and I have to say, it was extremely surreal to see Sherlock episodes playing in a bar.  I couldn’t help but grin!

Oh good, we found him! John, Sherlock, and Molly 🙂

Then there were the Sherlock themed drinks!  The big prize of the night was a signed copy of The Scandal in Belgravia script, but I actually did win two of the raffle prizes (Two!  I never win anything!).

I went for a refreshing glass of “The Woman”

Out of nowhere, the show’s creators and writers show up to our humble, non-affiliated party.  Yes, Sue, Moffat, and Gatiss themselves!  (Mark Gatiss also plays Mycroft Holmes in the show and is a wonderfully talented guy!).

Steven Moffat! One of the brilliant men behind both Sherlock and Doctor Who.

All in all it was an amazing night.  From what I’ve experienced with the Sherlock game and SherlockeDCC, I am continually impressed with what this fandom can do.  I am so glad I got over any shyness and doubts and decided to go.

Plus, my cosplay as Molly Hooper got lots of smiles, “I love it!” ‘s, and conversations about the character (we’re all agreed she is a bamf – I could go on, but then I would need a whole other blog post to go into Molly’s character!  Hmm…).

Molly Hooper is the type of character who is a quiet badass.

At the end of the night the two of us were chatting with some of the event’s coordinators and thanking them when we were sent off with even more goodies for free!

So. Much. Swag. I am loving all of the Sherlock (and a few Star Trek) goodies I ended up with by the end of the night!

SherlockeDCC made for an epic night that I am still smiling about.  Thank you Baker Street Babes, Sherlock DC, Being Geek Chic, The Nerdy Girlie, and Cara McGee for such a wonderful time and to all the fans who were there and made it extra special.  I can’t wait for the next meetup/party!

Official SherlockeDCC badge!

Thanks for reading, cheers!  More to come on Comic-Con in the coming days (stay tuned Whovians, Sherlockians, and Browncoats).  Until then…

Mischief managed

P.S. For anyone reading this who was at SherlockeDCC, send me a note or connect with me on tumblr (brookenado)!