Dragon Con 2023: 2 Weeks to Go!

As always, while my Dragon Con schedule is subject to change right up to the convention starting (I had panels dropped at the last minute in both 2021 and 2022 due to guest schedule changes), with just two weeks left until Dragon Con 2023 I wanted to share where you can find me!

However, first things first – this year’s annual Drinkin’ Con webcast – Drinkin’ Con v7.0 – will be livestreaming THIS Saturday, August 19th, at 7 PM Eastern! Join myself and some friends for this pre-Dragon Con webcast for newbies & oldtimers alike πŸ™‚

That said, I hope to see you around at Dragon Con this year…

Friday 9/1
@ 1 PM PANEL: Please Adapt This (Marriott L401-403)
@ 2:30 PM PANEL: Tress of the Emerald Sea (Marriott L401-403)
@ 4 PM PANEL: End of Days: The Loner vs. The Community (Westin Chastain F-G)

Saturday 9/2
@ 11:30 AM PANEL: Shadow & Bone Season 2 (Marriott L401-403)
@ 4 PM PANEL: The Madness of the King: Depictions of Mental Health in High Fantasy (Marriott L401-403)
@ 5:30 PM PANEL: The Worst Person in Westeros (Marriott L401-403)

Sunday 9/3
@ 1 PM PANEL: The Princess & The Queen: Exploring Alicent & Rhaenyra (Marriott A601-602)
@ 4 PM PANEL: House of the Dragon Season 1 (Hilton Crystal Ballroom)

Now, while I’m not revealing my exact Saturday secret cosplays, I will say that my daytime one is Barbie themed πŸ™‚ Otherwise, you might see me out and about in the following…

dragon con 2023 tara lynne

WEDNESDAY
Find me in my Gang Goes to Dragon Con shirt!

THURSDAY
Day: AFC Richmond Football Player
Night: Bunny Hutch-style Stede from OFMD

FRIDAY
Night: Modern Masquerade-style Viserys Targaryen from HotD

SATURDAY
Day: *New* Secret Cosplay (Hint: Barbie themed!)
Night: *New* Secret Cosplay (No hints for this one, sorry not sorry πŸ˜‰ )

SUNDAY
Day: Ted Lasso!
Night: Security Person (From the technically non-existent Dragon Con Disaster Movie)

Dragon Con 2022: 2 Weeks to Go!

Last year I chose to wait until much closer to the convention to share my schedule, but in the end things changed anyway, so for Dragon Con 2022 I figured what the heck…might as well go for it and make updates later if need be!

Don’t forget, the 6th Annual Drinkin’ Con Webcast – a pre-dragon con webcast for newbies and oldtimers alike – is THIS Saturday, 8/20, at 7 PM Eastern!

Friday 9/2
@ 1 PM PANEL: Game of Spinoffs (Marriott L401-403)
@ 3 PM PHOTOSHOOT: Red Dead Redemption (Hilton Steps)
@ 4 PM PANEL: You Can’t Go Home Again – Diaspora in High Fantasy (Marriott L401-403)

Saturday 9/3
@ 1 PM PHOTOSHOOT: Pirates of the Caribbean (Hardy Ivy)
@ 2:30 PM PANEL: Red Dead Redemption Actor Q&A (Westin Centennial II-IV)
@ 5:30 PM PANEL: The Great Tourney at Harrenhal (Marriott L401-403)

Sunday 9/4
@ 2:30 PM Red Dead Redemption Fan Panel (Westin Augusta E-H)
@ 4 PM PHOTOSHOOT: Spider-Verse (Hilton Steps)
@ 5:30 PM PANEL: House of the Dragon (Marriott L401-403)
@8:30 PM GAME SHOW: Blackwater Squares (Red Dead Hollywood Squares – Westin Augusta E-H)

Monday 9/5
@ 1 PM PANEL: Fear the Walking Dead – An Hour with the Cast (Westin Centennial II-IV)

Now, despite swearing up and down that I would be laid-back with my cosplay this year, I’ve gone against that [probably better] judgment and scheduled myself silly. That said, most of what I’m planning on is fairly comfortable and doesn’t require a ton of hair or makeup work so hey, there’s a chance I’ll actually fit them all in πŸ˜‰

dragon con 2022

WEDNESDAY
Find me in my Gang Goes to Dragon Con shirt!

THURSDAY
Day: *New* Secret Cosplay (Hint: Thor Love & Thunder Themed)
Night: *New* Secret Cosplay (Hint: [Sort of] Bunny Hutch Themed)

FRIDAY
Day: Sadie Adler – Bounty Hunter Outfit (Red Dead Redemption 2)
Night: Strawberry Dress (Group Outfit)

SATURDAY
All Day/Night: Elizabeth Swann (Pirate Outfit from POTC: Dead Man’s Chest)

SUNDAY
Day: Spider-Gwen (Marvel Rising laid-back cosplay)
Night: Conspiracy Charlie (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia)

MONDAY
Find me in my Color War (Fear Street 1978) Outfit!

Dragon Con 2021: 1 Week To Go!

I’ve been waiting and waiting to share my Dragon Con 2021 schedule because the one thing I’ve learned in the past year and a half or so is that all things are constantly, constantly, CONSTANTLY subject to change…but hey, we’re a week out so at this point if anything else about this year’s convention DOES change, I’m at the ‘oh well, I don’t really care’ point πŸ˜‰

Friday 9/3
@ 1 PM Red Dead Redemption Fan Panel (Westin Augusta E-H)
@ 4 PM Red Dead Redemption Photoshoot (Hilton Steps)

Saturday 9/4
@ 1 PM Shadow & Bone Season 1 (Marriott L401-403)
@ 8:30 PM Nailed It or Failed It: Jon Snow (Marriott L401-403)

Sunday 9/5
@ 11:30 AM ASOIAF 25th Anniversary (Marriott L401-403)
@ 2:30 PM Tolkien’s Trickster Tropes (Marriott L401-403)

As for cosplay…well, most of this year is going to be laid back. I’ve got a lot of ‘mystery question marks’ on this graphic, some of which are actually new secret cosplays (though admittedly, pretty lazy ones)…others are simply “I’m wearing a cute outfit this evening that’s not really a cosplay and I haven’t quite decided which outfit it’s going to be”…

WEDNESDAY
Find me in my Gang Goes to Dragon Con shirt!

THURSDAY
Day: Color War Outfit (Fear Street 1978)
Night: *New* Secret Cosplay (Hint: Jurassic Park Themed)

FRIDAY
Day: Sadie Adler – Bounty Hunter Outfit (Red Dead Redemption 2)
Night: *Possible* New Secret Cosplay…or a cute outfit, who knows!

SATURDAY
Day: Jungle Cruise-Themed Outfit
Night: Probably just a cute outfit πŸ™‚

SUNDAY
Day: Edwardian Gown
Night: *New* Secret Cosplay (Hint: Sort of Dragon Con Themed)

MONDAY
Find me in my Gang Goes to Ice & Fire Con shirt!

Additionally, I still have a handful of Fantasy Bitch stickers, so if you see me feel free to ask for one!

dragon con 2019 fantasy bitch

Red Dead IRL: Saint Denis/New Orleans, Part 2

After nearly a year of putting off doing, well, anything with the pictures from my RDR2 photoshoot in New Orleans, I finally sat down and made a few TikTok slideshows with them…and after THAT, I sucked it up and gathered all of those slideshows together for a YouTube video πŸ™‚

I’m hoping to do some more with these – or at least with the information I gathered on my trip – but for now, I had a lot of fun throwing this together, at least!

Red Dead IRL: Saint Denis/New Orleans, Part 1

New Orleans has always been one of my favorite places to visit, so I’m sure you can imagine how excited I was to see so many familiar places copied over into RDR2’s Saint Denis. From the moment I first rode through those streets as Arthur Morgan, I knew I had to go back to NOLA and place as many of them as I could in real life.

And hey, this is me, so ya know, why not do it in cosplay?

Also me being me – that is, super type A – I did a TON of research prior to going on this trip. Not just a lot of googling and searching through every Red Dead subreddit that I could find; I also talked to people I know who live in (or are frequent visitors to) New Orleans, poured through an old NOLA guidebook that I own, and even went back through photos from my past trips there.

I definitely didn’t get to map every single spot that exists both in game and in real life, but I added the following locations – plus a few other fun photo spots – to a Google Map for sharing purposes.

Starting from the ‘top’ of the French Quarter and working your way down through it, here’s what I found:
– LaLaurie Mansion – Bastille Saloon
– 1041 Royal Street – Doyle’s Tavern
– Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop – Random building
– Jackson Square – Tailor, statue, etc.
– Napoleon House – La Riviere Cafe
– Latrobe’s – Lemoyne National Bank
– New Orleans Police Department – Lemoyne Supreme Court
– Ochsner Urgent Care French Quarter – Barbour & Crosby Real Estate

Next, a few quick stops in the Garden District can be sandwiched between visits to Lee Circle and St Stephen Church.

– Confederate Memorial Hall in Lee Circle – Quincy Harris Memorial Hall
– Seven Sisters – Random homes in game
– Women’s Opera Guild Home – Random home in game
– Morris Israel House – Random home in game
– Commander’s Palace Restaurant – Random building in game (on edge of Saint Denis)
– St. Stephen Church – Larger cathedral in St Denis

Despite spending the better part of a day wandering around New Orleans, we still didn’t even get to make stops at all of the places I marked on my map…but hey, that just means I have an excuse to go back to “Saint Denis” and finish my explorations, right?

I’m still in the process of gathering decent screenshots of the Saint Denis versions of these buildings, as well as marking them on a game map, so stay tuned for part 2 of my Saint Denis/New Orleans comparison!

Dragon Con 2018: 23 Days To Go!

As per the usual, it’s already August and I’m just now starting to get my ish together for Dragon Con 2018…but I’ve made a lot of progress in the past couple of weeks and my schedule is coming together, so I’m nearly at the point where all I have left to do is wait…impatiently, of course.

First things first, the second annual Drinkin’ Con webcast is scheduled for Saturday August 18th at 5 PM Eastern! I definitely suggest following the Facebook event I created for it to get updates and so that you can post any thoughts or questions you might have between now and the 18th. Like last year, this webcast will feature news and tips as well as Dragon Con 2018 prep discussion.

dragon con 2018 webcastNow, barring any schedule changes on the part of the three tracks I’m working with, my Dragon Con 2018 panels – and events! – are pretty much set in stone:

Friday 8/31
@ 1 PM Author Reading: Excerpts from The Way of Reckoning, How to Start Living in the Zombie Apocalypse, and She’s Kinda Hot, But Then She Talks: Essays & Insight from a ‘Fake Geek Girl’ (Hyatt Vinings)
@ 2:30 PM
Join the Resistance: Dystopias of Change (Apocalypse Rising (Westin Chastain F-G)
@ 4 PM Sons of the Dragon: A Song of Ice and Fire Novella (Marriott L401-403)

Saturday 9/1
@ 4 PM Friend Zone: The Importance of Platonic Relationships in an Apocalypse (Westin Chastain H)
@ 5:30 PM There Must Always be a Stark at Dragon Con (Marriott L401-403)
@ 10 PM The North Remembers How to Party: A Game of Thrones-Themed Bash (Hilton Grand East Ballroom)

Sunday 9/2
@ 2:30 PM Religion in High Fantasy (Marriott L401-403)
@ 10 PM Loony ASOIAF/Game of Thrones Theories (Marriott L401-403)

Monday 9/3
@ 1 PM White Walkers, Wargs, & Weirwoods (Marriott L401-403)

Cosplay-wise, most of my ‘schedule’ for this year involves repeats. A couple of these will have some minor upgrades, and I have two entirely new costumes, although one of them is just a party cosplay for Friday night, so it’s not stressing me out TOO much (minus some drama with the wig I ordered).

Of course, I say all of that, and just this past weekend I realized that the belt I was going to use for one of my new costumes is suddenly about two sizes too big, so who knows what will happen between now and the convention itself!

dragon con 2018 cosplay

THURSDAY
Day: It’s Always Sunny-themed t-shirt
Night: Suicide Squad-style Poison Ivy

FRIDAY
Day: A Disney-themed Dapper outfit – possibly not the one pictured, but it will be close…
Night: Secret Cosplay!

SATURDAY
Day: Aurora-as-Prince-Phillip
Night: “Hot Mess” Party Melisandre

SUNDAY
Day: Victorian-era Captain America
Night: Steampunk Hufflepuff

Finally, a Reddit user who clearly doesn’t know me at all has been going on a rampage, reporting every single thing I post to my local subreddit…and when they make these reports, they leave some pretty interesting comments to go along with them. Some have been more rude than others, but my favorite ‘epithet’ of the lot was “Fantasy Bitch”. So if you see me at Dragon Con, ask me for one of my Fantasy Bitch stickers! (Just please don’t approach me after a panel that I’m on, as I’ll almost always be rushing off to another panel or to do a quick costume change.)

dragon con 2018 fantasy bitch

I also have some Fantasy Bitch koozies to give away at my author reading on Friday, so if you’re interested in one of these bad boys, make sure to come to the Vinings room in the Hyatt at 1 PM on the 31st! (And yes, I might also have some Ice & Fire Con water bottles on hand…)

dragon con 2018 fantasy bitch

So yeah, 23 days until Dragon Con (at least for those of us arriving on Wednesday)! I can’t wait!

Tara Lynne’s A Geek Saga Podcast: Episode 1, The State of the Cosplay Community

tara lynne's geek saga podcast

I’ve been meaning to share my webcasts and the panels I’ve been on at conventions as podcasts for some time now, and I finally got around to separating out the audio and adding some little intros – so welcome to the first episode of Tara Lynne’s A Geek Saga Podcast: “The State of the Cosplay Community”.

This podcast was originally aired as a live webcast on March 25, 2017.

SUBSCRIBE ON iTUNES

What is cosplay bullying? How do you recognize it, and how do you avoid it? What about being “cosplay famous”? Is it problematic to buy likes for your cosplay page? We discussed all this and more!

 

geek saga podcast episode 1 webcast tara lynne

MegaCon Tampa Bay 2017: Come Say Hi To Me This Weekend!

Convention season is starting to wind down (for me, at least), but it wouldn’t be complete without MegaCon Tampa Bay 2017. My booth is located in the celebrity autograph area in the exhibit hall, so make sure you come say hello!

megacon tampa bay 2017 tara lynne a geek saga

I had a great time at the first ever MegaCon Tampa last year, and I’m super excited to be returning as a cosplay guest this coming weekend. Check out my cosplay lineup:

megacon tampa bay 2017 cosplay toothless cersei lannister jessica jones tara lynne a geek saga

Fellow cosplay guest Scarlett Rose is wearing a Daenerys Targaryen cosplay on Saturday, and I decided to reprise Cersei Lannister so that we could get some fun photos together! We’ll also be decked out in party Game of Thrones attire at the live rock band karaoke after party Saturday night, so make sure you get your ticket for that event, too!

In addition to my booth, I’ll be hosting two panels. Both take place in Room 1 at the Tampa Bay Convention Center:

Saturday 9/30 @ 11 AM: Game of Thrones Season 7 Lookback
Sunday 10/1 @ 4 PM: Ladies’ Guide to the Apocalypse

MegaCon Tampa Bay 2017 kicks off at 2 PM this Friday, September 29th. I hope to see you there!

Three Weeks ‘Til Dragon Con 2017!

A lot of my Dragon Con 2017 plans have been up in the air for a while now, but it finally seems like everything is coming together, which means I’m finally getting excited!

First things first, barring any schedule changes on the part of the three tracks I’m working with, my Dragon Con 2017 panels are pretty much set in stone:

Friday 9/1
@ 5:30 PM History’s Vikings S4 Review (ASFFM Marriott Track Room)

Saturday 9/2
@ 11:30 AM Game of Thrones S7 Review (Marriott L401-403)
@ 10 PM ASOIAF/GoT Loony Theories (Marriott L401-403)

Sunday 9/3
@ 1 PM Ladies Guide to the Apocalypse (Apocalypse Rising Westin Track Room)
@ 2:30 PM Game of Toxic Masculinity (Marriott L401-403)
@ 5:30 PM Defenders Unite! (ASFFM Marriott Track Room)

Monday 9/4
@ 1 PM The 100 Fan Panel (Apocalypse Rising Westin Track Room)

Cosplay-wise, I’m in *far* better shape than I was last year around this time – shoot, two weeks before Dragon Con 2016 I still had a couple of costumes up in the air. This year I’m wearing a couple of previous cosplays – a couple of which will have some minor upgrades – and only two entirely new costumes, come to think of it – so anything I have left to do is pretty minor. I’m almost…dare I say it…relaxed about my to-do list.

(Watch me suddenly remember ten things that I’ve totally forgotten about, now…)

Dragon Con 2017 cosplay

THURSDAY
Day: Liberty Belle from Glow
Night: Efffie (Hunger Games) for the [Playboy] Bunny Hutch

FRIDAY
Day: Suicide Squad style Poison Ivy
Night: Team Casterly Rocket (Pokemon Team Rocket & Game of Thrones House Lannister mashup)

SATURDAY
Day: Secret Cosplay πŸ˜‰
Night: “Queen Bitch” Party Cersei

SUNDAY
Day: Gwen DeMarco from Galaxy Quest
Night: Steampunk Hufflepuff

Now, last year I planned on having a secret cosplay and then ended up doing a preview of it nearly two months before Dragon Con – that being my original Disney Princess Kylo Ren mashup, of course. But after a very strange case of imitation being the sincerest form of flattery at Dragon Con 2016, I’m keeping my Dragon Con 2017 secret cosplay a mystery. I think I can keep my lips sealed long enough…

dragon con 2017 countdown

Suicide Squad Style Poison Ivy Cosplay


tara lynne a geek saga suicide squard poison ivy cosplay
As much fun as I have putting together screen accurate(-ish…) cosplays – or ones that are based on fan art – sometimes it’s simply more fun to let my creative side loose. I have quite a few mashup/AU cosplays in my repertoire, some of which I have yet to write about and one being, of course, my Disney Princess Kylo Ren.

While the Suicide Squad-style Poison Ivy cosplay that I debuted at MegaCon Orlando over Memorial Day wasn’t the first mashup cosplay I’ve put together this year, I’m really excited about it and already have plans for some minor upgrades before I bring it back at Dragon Con. In fact, originally I wasn’t planning on wearing it at DCon, but then I had an absolute blast with it at MegaCon!

suicide squad poison ivy cosplay tara lynne a geek saga

The idea for this particular cosplay came to me after stumbling on some fanart that depicted Ivy and Harley together, with Harley in her Suicide Squad outfit and Ivy in one that was somewhat SS-inspired, but without as much…shall we say…pizzazz…as Harley’s outfit. At first I thought about creating something entirely based on the fanart that I’d found, but then I decided it would be more ‘me’ to put an outfit together that was more closely based on Harley’s outfit…especially knowing that my friend Bekah was going to be donning a SS-style Harley cosplay and was more than willing to tweak it so that instead of focusing on Harley Quinn’s relationship with the Joker, she would be with Ivy (which is hands down a far healthier relationship for Harley, plus ?️‍??️‍??️‍?).

tara lynne a geek saga poison ivy cosplay harley quinn suicide squad

Hence, green lace up boots with heels, green fishnets, green sparkly booty shorts, a raglan-style shirt (but with green sleeves), and a green choker necklace made up my original version of a Poison Ivy cosplay. As you can see I wore the wig down, but for Dragon Con I might go with pigtails…that’s just one of the handful of changes I’m considering, anyway! My plan is to wear it on Friday of DCon, and either shortly before or after that I might even have prints of me in this cosplay available for sale πŸ™‚