According to reports, around a billion people are expected to tune into Sunday night’s premiere of the final season of HBO’s blockbuster series, Game of Thrones. Mr. R and I will be two of those people. If you’re a fan of the show, you know what I mean.
If you’re one of those who hasn’t seen a single second of the show, I get it. Normally, I am that person. The one who bucks the trend and avoids that which everyone else seems to obsess over. I was that way about Breaking Bad, but I eventually saw the error of my ways.
I was also late to The Sopranos party. I don’t think I saw a single episode until after the entire series was over.
Fun Fact: Mr. R and I are currently binge-watching The Sopranos for at least the second time, LOL.
When Game of Thrones was first coming out in the spring of 2011, I read a lot about it from a lot of different sources. It really didn’t sound like my cup of tea. An epic fantasy filled with kings, queens, knights, wars, dragons, etc? On the other hand, did I want to miss getting in on the ground floor of the ‘next big thing’? So I decided to watch the first episode. Worst-case scenario, I waste an hour of my life.
But then I watched the opening sequence. In seven minutes and twenty-two seconds, I was totally in. I had no idea what was happening, but I was hooked. Eventually after that first season, I went back and read the books.
Game of Thrones is based on A Song of Ice and Fire, an epic fantasy series of books by George R.R. Martin. And he has worked closely with the creators of the show. As a writer, I’m fascinated at Martin’s ability to create a whole world–no really, the books include maps, and the locations in the show are based on those maps. He’s created characters that are rich and diverse and strong and flawed. Dragons aside, for me it’s the human drama that makes the show the achievement that it is.
Westeros and beyond is populated with strong women, ruthless warriors, noble folk, and monsters of the human variety as well as the supernatural ones. I was impressed by the fact that dwarf Tyrion Lannister (expertly played by the excellent Peter Dinklage) has a hugely prominent role.
Granted, the show is not for the squeamish–scenes of violence abound. And there is quite a bit of sex as well. These are not well-behaved characters, for the most part. But I wonder if you might see a few things that ring familiar, as well.
Music plays a huge part in Game of Thrones. In fact, it’s almost a character within itself, setting the mood, identifying the various families and banners. The opening theme, A Song of Ice and Fire, is iconic, and for tonight’s serenade, I’ve included two versions. The first one is an acoustic quartet, and the second is an entire orchestra featuring 2Cellos.
And…
If you’re still on the fence about Game of Thrones and haven’t seen a second of it…
Please grant me seven minutes and twenty-two seconds and watch the first sequence of Season 1 Episode 1.
Oh, and rule of thumb for watching GoT–don’t get too attached to anybody. Just saying… And be careful online–The internet is dark, and full of spoilers.
I hope you’re having a wonderful weekend. Be sure to hug those you love.
Mr. R. and I are enjoying a few days off together here between Christmas an New Year’s. Coincidentally, there’s been a Game of Thrones marathon for the last few days. Not that we’ve been watching for ten hours a day. But we’ve seen our fair share.
At one point today, I shouted at the television, because I’m reasonably certain you can change the outcome of a scene if the characters can just hear you.
Mr. R. jumped. “You startled me.”
I sheepishly apologized.
“No, that’s alright,” my sweet replied. “I’m glad you’ve got some passion.”
Please permit me one final homage to the Season 5 Premiere of Game of Thrones. Diehard fans love the opening title theme and the model depiction of the lands of Westeros and Essos. I’m hoping you enjoy the Game of Thrones theme done in Legos.
I present to you A Game of Legos.
I swear, it’s out of my system. Tomorrow, back to regular programming.
This post was originally published back in August, shortly after Mr. R. and I returned from our adventure at Tampa Bay Comic Con. To say that we had a blast is an understatement. We pre-purchased three-day passes to the convention, but having media passes was the cherry on top. The distinctive lanyards afforded us easy access to celebrity events for which we would otherwise have spent hours waiting on line. The celebrity photos would have been off-limits without our having purchased a very expensive photo package.
You may be wondering why I’m choosing to repost this article now. On the second day of the convention, Mr. R. and I used our media passes to get early admission to and preferred seating at the only Q&A session featuring both Richard Madden and Pedro Pascal from Game of Thrones.
So in honor of the Game of Thrones Season 5 Premiere Eve, I present to you:
Tampa Bay Comic Con: Day 2 (At Last)
There was so much that happened on Day 2 of Tampa Bay Comic Con, I’ve had trouble deciding how to organize the information. I’ve decided to create sections with headings. Celebrity photos are at the end of this post. Here goes…
General Observations: On Saturday, as we waited in line to park (and an exceedingly long line it was), we watched herds of people moving along the sidewalks towards the convention center. Many were in costume and everyone moved with purpose and confidence. My thought was, “I love Comic Con.” This is a place where everyone can unapologetically proclaim their fandom for whatever floats their boat. It’s extremely liberating. Speaking of costumes, before we left home I read about San Diego Comic Con on someone’s blog, and she described attending in costume as a cross between the most humiliating moment of your life and your fifteen minutes of fame. As we watched crowd reactions to costumes, I could see that comparison. Random strangers stopped costumed attendees to ask for pictures. “Hey, Wolverine, can my son get a picture with you?” In terms of costume categories we saw plenty of Poison Ivys, Batman characters in general, some Star Wars, Dr. Who, a couple of Oberyn Martells, and not as many Game of Thrones characters as I expected.
An Oberyn Martell with an angel
Cosplay with props
Costumed fans
Things That Were Annoying: If you don’t want to hear me bitch and moan, skip this section, because although overall we had an amazing time, there were a few things that were very wrong at Tampa Bay Comic Con.
First of all, parking was problematic, which shouldn’t be surprising given the number of people in attendance, however, we prepaid $61 to Parking Panda for guaranteed valet parking a short walk from the venue. When we arrived on Friday, the parking garage was full so we were sent to another parking garage a short distance further down and we had to self-park. On Saturday, the line going to the valets was blocking traffic, so once again we were sent to the other garage to self-park. We arrived on Sunday, truck loaded with our bags for the return trip home, prepared to self-park and just as glad about it at that point. But since the crowds were much thinner, we actually made it to the valet who informed us that if we chose to park ourselves, we’d probably be charged $20 when we left. Unwillingly, we let him park us. It seems petty, I suppose, because we always did have a space to park, but the whole situation really chapped my behind.
Then there was the heavy handed way convention staff treated guests. Entering and moving around the complex was unbelievably complicated. You could never get where you wanted to go from where you were. Someone was always yelling at you that you were going the wrong way, out the entrance or in the exit. Or you had a wristband for re-entry, but there was ONE re-entry door in the entire complex. One of the most infuriating rules was that from where you entered the building, you had to press through the crush of the exhibit hall in order to go to the other end of the complex, rather than use the empty walkway immediately outside the exhibit hall, and again, the traffic flow was one way only. We heard the word “flow” a lot as we (read, Mr. R.) expressed displeasure with being treated like errant school children. They really could do better.
The “flow” through the exhibition hall.
Food and drinks were difficult to find and the facility had precious few places to sit. At any given time, there were masses of people sitting on the floor in odd places like beneath the escalators and along the walls, hunched over slices of pizza or cardboard holders of nachos. I nearly crushed countless smartphones that were plugged in and sitting on the floor next to their owners. I kept thinking, this is a convention center. Conventions are what they do. Do you suppose Rotarians have to sit on the floor under the escalators? Now, I’ve gotten that out of the way…
Weary fans with nowhere to sit
Sometimes you’ve just got to sit.
Interesting Folks: Luckily, Mr. R. and I were able to snag a table about forty-five minutes before we went to the first Q&A panel. We had two extra chairs and were happy to share with people looking for a place park their weary behinds. The first to ask were Holly Moran and Jeremy Druley, a local couple in subtle gothic dress on their first visit to Comic Con. She wore a top with a pattern of rainbow skulls, accessorized with a bat pendant. He wore a cannibal t-shirt and silver anchor ear gauges. They told us they were just checking it out and people watching, being fans of horror more than comics, but they said they were having fun.
Ned Stark (Ed Padilla) & Daenerys Targaryen (Danielle Myers)
After Holly and Jeremy left, we were joined by Ed Padilla and Danielle Myers, dressed as Ned Stark and Daenerys Targaryen, respectively. I was glad to see them since up until then I has seen very few Game of Thrones costumes. This was their second Comic Con and they offered some interesting information. It seems that last year, organizers expected ten thousand attendees and ended up with thirty thousand. I’m thinking that poor planning on their part resulted in big fines, which perhaps explains their inflexible rules regarding “flow.”
Did I Mention Celebrities?: Let me just begin this section by saying that press passes rock. This is because they can get you into unbelievable places. Case in point, celebrity photo ops. The average attendee was invited to purchase photo op tickets for $30-$50 dollars apiece, depending on the celebrity, then at the appointed time wait in a huge line to have a picture snapped with said celebrity, and take home a personalized souvenir of the event. Press passes allowed us to bypass the line completely and walk right into photo sessions with Evan Peters of American Horror Story and Brighton Sharbino and Kyla Kennedy of The Walking Dead.
The official line for celebrity photo ops
Brighton Sharbino & Kyla Kennedy cutting up with fans
Evan Peters of American Horror Story poses with Coven fan-girls
Brighton Sharbino & Kyla Kennedy of The Walking Dead pose with fans
We didn’t want photos with the actors, we just wanted to see them, and we did, up close and personal. I practically bumped into Brighton Sharbino. It was amazingly cool. Mr. R. tooks photos of people taking photos while I took copious notes.
Later we attended two back to back Q&A panels, the first with Evan Peters and the second with Pedro Pascal and Richard Madden from Game of Thrones. With the press passes, we once again avoided the long lines and were ushered into the VIP section, literally the second row in front of the stage. We could have chosen the front row if we’d liked but I preferred the end of the second row for the angle it afforded. Ultimately, I sat taking notes while Mr. R. moved freely around the stage snapping photos.
Evan Peters answering fan questions
Just after showing his boxers
Evan Peters answered fan questions for half an hour, gamely responding to questions he’s undoubtedly heard a thousand times, at one point even dropping trou in answer to the predictable question of ‘boxers or briefs’ (for the record, pastel plaid boxers). Mind you, his parents were in the audience, directly in front of Mr. R. and me, making this particular follow-up request from a young fan-girl even more inappropriate than it would have been under any circumstance: “Thank you. Also please sit on my face.” Obviously, Peters is promoting the new season of American Horror Story: Carnival, due out in October. I, for one, am looking forward to the premiere.
After this session, the room had to be emptied out to accommodate the long lines waiting to get into the Pedro Pascal/Richard Madden panel, but if you had a press pass you were allowed to sit tight and wait. So wait we did. When they finally opened the doors, it was to admonitions of, “Don’t run! Don’t run!” They seemed to be letting fans into the ballroom a few small groups at a time and eventually the entire room filled. The crowd went crazy when Richard Madden and Pedro Pascal were announced and they strode out onto the stage, and there were hearty shouts of “King in the North!” throughout the hall. I have to admit to being a bit starstruck for a few moments, even writing in my notes that I was having trouble focusing.
Allow me a bit of snark, if you will. When the questions began, the first one up was an annoying blogger (also with a press pass) who sat in front of us and during the previous session, she really buddied up to Evan Peters’ mom, simpering and acting like a big shot journalist. So little Miss Annoying steps up the the mic and welcomes Pedro Pascal and Richard Madden to “our country.” Mind you, Pascal was raised in California and Texas. A serious journalist should do a little research. The two men simply looked at each other and shrugged.
Pedro Pascal & Richard Madden
View over my shoulder
Getting a sense of the crowd
Answering questions
Words fail…
Pascal and Madden also answered questions with good natured enthusiasm. They said they hadn’t met before that day, and at first I thought they were kidding. It’s true that they never shared any scenes. Pascal was in the process of auditioning for the role of Oberyn Martell when the “Red Wedding” episode aired. Not having read the books, Pascal described his reaction as, “Just. Fucking. Traumatized.”
Some of the most interesting moments of the panel came when the two men conversed between themselves.
RM: Did you ever sit on the iron throne?
PP: Yeah. (smiling) It wasn’t comfortable. It was very uncomfortable.
RM: I never thought I should.
PP: And look where it got you.
Another conversation stemming from a question about whether they’d kept anything from the set:
RM: I kept a dressing gown and I kept one map piece representing each family.
PP: They wouldn’t let me have anything.
RM: I suppose I sort of stole them. (laughing)
PP: I was stupid. I asked. (shrugging and grinning)
Up next for Richard Madden is the role of the Prince in Disney’s Cinderella. Pedro Pascal is working on a series for Netflix called Narcos, about the takedown of Pablo Escobar. I can truthfully say that sitting in on these sessions was the coolest thing I’ve probably ever done. I can’t wait to do it again.
So, overall, my impression of Tampa Bay Comic Con? Despite the militant rules and regulations, I had a great time. Having tickets for all three days eliminated the pressure I’d have felt to ‘see it all’ the first day. Having press passes made for the coolest moments, and I don’t think I’d want to go without them. I would definitely go again, hoping that the convention organizers will spend the year getting their act together to make for a more pleasant experience.
*Note: With the exception of the postcard at the top of the page, all photos are by Mr. R.
I love this quote from George R.R. Martin, author of A Song of Ice and Fire, otherwise know as the Game of Thrones books.
I’ve known people who don’t read. It boggles my mind, really. Because, like this quote points out, that means they only get the one life they’re currently living.
Not that I hate my life, I’m a very lucky girl. But I can’t imagine being so incurious that I could be satisfied without ‘trying on’ other lives, other situations and emotions.
I think that’s why I write as well. The world is full of infinite possibilities. How can you not explore them?
Of course, I should also mention that we’re mere hours away from the Season 5 premiere of Game of Thrones.
You know how you get busy during the week? When work is your first waking thought in the morning and the last thought that drifts through your mind as you fade off to sleep?
Mr. R. and I stumble through morning routines and gripe through the morning rush hour, spend eight or nine hours getting beaten up by the world. Then we fight our way through the afternoon rush hour, stopping off to pick up necessities at the grocery store. We go through the mail, feed the critters, decide on what’s for dinner, prepare and clean up from dinner, and settle down to relax for a couple of hours before going to sleep, only to get up and do it all over again. Before we know it, days pass into weeks, weeks into months, and months into years.
I want to take a moment to remind Mr. R., and myself, that I love him with all my heart. There’s no one else I’d rather be with as we take on the world and slay all the dragons that come our way.
And speaking of dragons, we only have four days, three hours, and thirty-five minutes until the Season 5 premiere of Game of Thrones. Mr. R. and I will be side by side on the sofa, popcorn and wine at the ready.
There was so much that happened on Day 2 of Tampa Bay Comic Con, I’ve had trouble deciding how to organize the information. I’ve decided to create sections with headings. Celebrity photos are at the end of this post. Here goes…
General Observations: On Saturday, as we waited in line to park (and an exceedingly long line it was), we watched herds of people moving along the sidewalks towards the convention center. Many were in costume and everyone moved with purpose and confidence. My thought was, “I love Comic Con.” This is a place where everyone can unapologetically proclaim their fandom for whatever floats their boat. It’s extremely liberating. Speaking of costumes, before we left home I read about San Diego Comic Con on someone’s blog, and she described attending in costume as a cross between the most humiliating moment of your life and your fifteen minutes of fame. As we watched crowd reactions to costumes, I could see that comparison. Random strangers stopped costumed attendees to ask for pictures. “Hey, Wolverine, can my son get a picture with you?” In terms of costume categories we saw plenty of Poison Ivys, Batman characters in general, some Star Wars, Dr. Who, a couple of Oberyn Martells, and not as many Game of Thrones characters as I expected.
An Oberyn Martell with an angel
Cosplay with props
Costumed fans
Things That Were Annoying: If you don’t want to hear me bitch and moan, skip this section, because although overall we had an amazing time, there were a few things that were very wrong at Tampa Bay Comic Con.
First of all, parking was problematic, which shouldn’t be surprising given the number of people in attendance, however, we prepaid $61 to Parking Panda for guaranteed valet parking a short walk from the venue. When we arrived on Friday, the parking garage was full so we were sent to another parking garage a short distance further down and we had to self-park. On Saturday, the line going to the valets was blocking traffic, so once again we were sent to the other garage to self-park. We arrived on Sunday, truck loaded with our bags for the return trip home, prepared to self-park and just as glad about it at that point. But since the crowds were much thinner, we actually made it to the valet who informed us that if we chose to park ourselves, we’d probably be charged $20 when we left. Unwillingly, we let him park us. It seems petty, I suppose, because we always did have a space to park, but the whole situation really chapped my behind.
Then there was the heavy handed way convention staff treated guests. Entering and moving around the complex was unbelievably complicated. You could never get where you wanted to go from where you were. Someone was always yelling at you that you were going the wrong way, out the entrance or in the exit. Or you had a wristband for re-entry, but there was ONE re-entry door in the entire complex. One of the most infuriating rules was that from where you entered the building, you had to press through the crush of the exhibit hall in order to go to the other end of the complex, rather than use the empty walkway immediately outside the exhibit hall, and again, the traffic flow was one way only. We heard the word “flow” a lot as we (read, Mr. R.) expressed displeasure with being treated like errant school children. They really could do better.
The “flow” through the exhibition hall.
Food and drinks were difficult to find and the facility had precious few places to sit. At any given time, there were masses of people sitting on the floor in odd places like beneath the escalators and along the walls, hunched over slices of pizza or cardboard holders of nachos. I nearly crushed countless smartphones that were plugged in and sitting on the floor next to their owners. I kept thinking, this is a convention center. Conventions are what they do. Do you suppose Rotarians have to sit on the floor under the escalators? Now, I’ve gotten that out of the way…
Weary fans with nowhere to sit
Sometimes you’ve just got to sit.
Interesting Folks: Luckily, Mr. R. and I were able to snag a table about forty-five minutes before we went to the first Q&A panel. We had two extra chairs and were happy to share with people looking for a place park their weary behinds. The first to ask were Holly Moran and Jeremy Druley, a local couple in subtle gothic dress on their first visit to Comic Con. She wore a top with a pattern of rainbow skulls, accessorized with a bat pendant. He wore a cannibal t-shirt and silver anchor ear gauges. They told us they were just checking it out and people watching, being fans of horror more than comics, but they said they were having fun.
Ned Stark (Ed Padilla) & Daenerys Targaryen (Danielle Myers)
After Holly and Jeremy left, we were joined by Ed Padilla and Danielle Myers, dressed as Ned Stark and Daenerys Targaryen, respectively. I was glad to see them since up until then I has seen very few Game of Thrones costumes. This was their second Comic Con and they offered some interesting information. It seems that last year, organizers expected ten thousand attendees and ended up with thirty thousand. I’m thinking that poor planning on their part resulted in big fines, which perhaps explains their inflexible rules regarding “flow.”
Did I Mention Celebrities?: Let me just begin this section by saying that press passes rock. This is because they can get you into unbelievable places. Case in point, celebrity photo ops. The average attendee was invited to purchase photo op tickets for $30-$50 dollars apiece, depending on the celebrity, then at the appointed time wait in a huge line to have a picture snapped with said celebrity, and take home a personalized souvenir of the event. Press passes allowed us to bypass the line completely and walk right into photo sessions with Evan Peters of American Horror Story and Brighton Sharbino and Kyla Kennedy of The Walking Dead.
The official line for celebrity photo ops
Brighton Sharbino & Kyla Kennedy cutting up with fans
Evan Peters of American Horror Story poses with Coven fan-girls
Brighton Sharbino & Kyla Kennedy of The Walking Dead pose with fans
We didn’t want photos with the actors, we just wanted to see them, and we did, up close and personal. I practically bumped into Brighton Sharbino. It was amazingly cool. Mr. R. tooks photos of people taking photos while I took copious notes.
Later we attended two back to back Q&A panels, the first with Evan Peters and the second with Pedro Pascal and Richard Madden from Game of Thrones. With the press passes, we once again avoided the long lines and were ushered into the VIP section, literally the second row in front of the stage. We could have chosen the front row if we’d liked but I preferred the end of the second row for the angle it afforded. Ultimately, I sat taking notes while Mr. R. moved freely around the stage snapping photos.
Evan Peters answering fan questions
Just after showing his boxers
Evan Peters answered fan questions for half an hour, gamely responding to questions he’s undoubtedly heard a thousand times, at one point even dropping trou in answer to the predictable question of ‘boxers or briefs’ (for the record, pastel plaid boxers). Mind you, his parents were in the audience, directly in front of Mr. R. and me, making this particular follow-up request from a young fan-girl even more inappropriate than it would have been under any circumstance: “Thank you. Also please sit on my face.” Obviously, Peters is promoting the new season of American Horror Story: Carnival, due out in October. I, for one, am looking forward to the premiere.
After this session, the room had to be emptied out to accommodate the long lines waiting to get into the Pedro Pascal/Richard Madden panel, but if you had a press pass you were allowed to sit tight and wait. So wait we did. When they finally opened the doors, it was to admonitions of, “Don’t run! Don’t run!” They seemed to be letting fans into the ballroom a few small groups at a time and eventually the entire room filled. The crowd went crazy when Richard Madden and Pedro Pascal were announced and they strode out onto the stage, and there were hearty shouts of “King in the North!” throughout the hall. I have to admit to being a bit starstruck for a few moments, even writing in my notes that I was having trouble focusing.
Allow me a bit of snark, if you will. When the questions began, the first one up was an annoying blogger (also with a press pass) who sat in front of us and during the previous session, she really buddied up to Evan Peters’ mom, simpering and acting like a big shot journalist. So little Miss Annoying steps up the the mic and welcomes Pedro Pascal and Richard Madden to “our country.” Mind you, Pascal was raised in California and Texas. A serious journalist should do a little research. The two men simply looked at each other and shrugged.
Pedro Pascal & Richard Madden
View over my shoulder
Getting a sense of the crowd
Answering questions
Words fail…
Pascal and Madden also answered questions with good natured enthusiasm. They said they hadn’t met before that day, and at first I thought they were kidding. It’s true that they never shared any scenes. Pascal was in the process of auditioning for the role of Oberyn Martell when the “Red Wedding” episode aired. Not having read the books, Pascal described his reaction as, “Just. Fucking. Traumatized.”
Some of the most interesting moments of the panel came when the two men conversed between themselves.
RM: Did you ever sit on the iron throne?
PP: Yeah. (smiling) It wasn’t comfortable. It was very uncomfortable.
RM: I never thought I should.
PP: And look where it got you.
Another conversation stemming from a question about whether they’d kept anything from the set:
RM: I kept a dressing gown and I kept one map piece representing each family.
PP: They wouldn’t let me have anything.
RM: I suppose I sort of stole them. (laughing)
PP: I was stupid. I asked. (shrugging and grinning)
Up next for Richard Madden is the role of the Prince in Disney’s Cinderella. Pedro Pascal is working on a series for Netflix called Narcos, about the takedown of Pablo Escobar. I can truthfully say that sitting in on these sessions was the coolest thing I’ve probably ever done. I can’t wait to do it again.
So, overall, my impression of Tampa Bay Comic Con? Despite the militant rules and regulations, I had a great time. Having tickets for all three days eliminated the pressure I’d have felt to ‘see it all’ the first day. Having press passes made for the coolest moments, and I don’t think I’d want to go without them. I would definitely go again, hoping that the convention organizers will spend the year getting their act together to make for a more pleasant experience.
*Note: With the exception of the postcard at the top of the page, all photos are by Mr. R.
It’s the morning of Day 2 and we have to get going BUT I wanted to post a brief “sum up” of yesterday. We arrived late, about 5:00 in the afternoon, and we spent a good half hour waiting for the official to meet us and give us our press passes.
It was around 6:00 when we finally made our way into to the exhibit hall, only to hear the announcement, “It’s 6:00. The exhibit hall is closing. Please exit.” Sigh. But it was all good. We found our way downstairs, got our bearings, and made our attack strategy.
Again, this is a quick post, I have copious details to share, but I want to tell you the highlight of our Day 1 experience. Suffice it to say that Mr. R. is tons more observant than I am, and that being the case, he noticed this guy sitting all alone enjoying a burger and beer.
(Probably) Not George R.R. Martin Photo by Mr. R.
Steely-eyed newman that he is, Mr. R. struck up a brief conversation and asked permission to snap a pic. That accomplished, we thanked the gentleman and walked away, Mr. R. immediately tweeting the photo with this witty caption: “For the love of the 7 gods, don’t kill anybody.”
The live Twitter feed shown on the many screens throughout the venue soon displayed Mr. R.’s picture, bringing the entire place to a virtual standstill. Choruses of “It’s him!” were heard echoing through the cavernous spaces of the Tampa Bay Convention Center.
Tampa Bay Comic Con. It is, in fact, the Mother Ship.
Taking Date Night on the road this weekend, Mr. R. and I are attending Tampa Bay Comic Con. I am beyond excited. We’ve had our tickets for months and just this week we discovered that we will have media passes as well.
I’ve followed San Diego Comic Con longingly for years, but as we live on the east coast, attending is not very feasible. When I learned about this one in Tampa, I was totally in. Now truthfully, neither of us is actually into comic books.
We are, however, HUGE Game of Thrones fans. And, as it turns out, Richard Madden (aka Robb Stark) will make an appearance. We told you not to marry that girl, Robb. Can you say ‘red wedding?’ Pedro Pascal will also be there. We’re talking Oberyn freaking Martell, everybody’s favorite bisexual Dornish prince. Sans the squished head.
Veteran actor John Rhys-Davies (Lord of the Rings, Raiders of the Lost Ark) will be there, as will Evan Peters, from every season of American Horror Story.
Although Mr. R. doesn’t really follow it, I am a big fan of The Walking Dead. Appearing at TBCC will be Brighton Sharbino (“Look at the flowers, Lizzie!”) and Kyla Kennedy (cute little sister Mika, killed by Lizzie who lost her mind).
Ybor City is one of my favorite places on the planet and as it happens, we’re staying there for this adventure. I’ll have to tell you about it sometime. But for now, you should know that we also have tickets Saturday night’s After Party at The Castle, a club in Ybor City. I’ve had my costume for months. I’m going as Ashara Dayne, a character mentioned in the A Song of Ice and Fire books, although she has yet to actually appear. Mr. R.’s costume is more difficult to define. He has this really cool black suit coat with a large hoodie that will cover his face. He’s like a mysterious, scary assassin.
Stay tuned for photos and updates from this adventure.
Geek, by the way, is NOT a bad word. Just letting you know…
Adventures in Date Night 
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