Ah, Fan Expo. Whether you love it or hate it, it’s one giant, monolithic event. This year we weren’t hidden away in the basement, which was a definite improvement. Seated at the endcap of the Silver Snail island, we had a pretty prime position -- and our bright orange tablecloth was beacon to all nerds.

We met many fine folks -- many of whom were repeat visitors over the weekend -- and the people watching was pretty awesome this year.

Our table was fairly crowded. Not only were we plugging our NGP wares (prints of pinups, our calendar, our new T-Shirt designs, and some mousepads), a part of the table went to Yarn of Despair (that’s me!), the Nerd Mafia and Star Trek Day TO. There was a whole lotta nerd packed into one table.

Friday night was the second annual Questy Awards, which I unfortunately couldn’t make it to. But I hear that it was an awesome night, with plenty of nerdy music and entertainment to be had. And it was hosted by Katherine Curtis -- what more could you ask for?

Saturday was our game night... and that wasn’t exactly what we were expecting. Since most of us had worked the entire day (no rest for the nerdy!), the gaming didn’t start until 10pm. (To give us a chance to grab some food after packing up the convention for the evening.) By the time we got there, though, the music was loud and the tables were mostly taken. We managed to find some space, but it was definitely louder than comfortable. That said, I played a rather vigorous game of Asshole and can proudly proclaim that I never once held that particular position. (Though I was vice-asshole at least once.)

We are likely going to hold another game night, though, to make up for it. Special note -- Pretty in Geek was kind enough to DM a D&D game for us that night, and we look forward to playing with them again!

If you happened to go to Fan Expo this year, you may have encountered Loretta Jean, Delicia Pastiche, Kenickie Street, Katherine Curtis, Bad Wolf, Bella Fox, Ruby Pixel, Valiant Hart and Holli Gram.

Of course, no convention is complete without a visit to Sick on Sin’s booth -- I’ve been seeking them out at every convention since I learned of their existence at last Fan Expo (courtesy of Mia’s ninja cupcake T-Shirt). I still find that SOS gear is the best way to break the ice with people -- the style is so iconic and is immediately recognizable.

This year we also ran a Scavenger Hunt -- this year you had to obtain a pin, business card or flyer from Dragon Lady Comics, Toronto After Dark, Red Moon Creation, Wild Things Creations, Bizarre Comics, Pretty in Geek, Omake and TDotComics. It was fairly successful and we’ve already got bigger plans for next year, so stay tuned.

There were a couple of highlights for me this year. First was on Saturday night, when I started the game of Asshole and yelled out, “Would all the assholes please come here!” The second was showing J.Bone how to make Cthulhu tentacles. Not only is he a talented artist, he’s an awesome crocheter, too! If you were lucky, he showed you his Khal Drogo (not a euphemism!).

Fan Expo was a blast, but I’m pretty glad that I’ve got a year to recover before the next one. I learned a few things this year: I'm not meant to stand for four days straight; whatever I end up bringing is never enough; Jayne hats are a hot commodity; the dark side has cookies.

What were your favorite Fan Expo memories?