Saturday at the Vancouver Fan Expo

This past weekend was the Vancouver Fan Expo. Thousands of fans of countless shows, games and movies descended on the Vancouver Convention Centre. Waiting for them beyond the glass doors were vendors, celebrities and musicians, all ready to give the fans an experience of a lifetime.

I was there on Saturday, working at the Peliplat booth. Our goal was to try and bring new users to our English site. The plan was to hook them in with our trivia game and wheel of prizes. Our questions ranged from easy (what does gollum call the ring?) to hard (what kind of being is Treebeard?). For those who could answer three answers correctly, they won a prize—we had free movie tickets, t-shirts, coffee mugs and more. Luckily, our stand was right at the Expo's entrance, so we received a lot of foot traffic and people were enthused to talk with us. We received hundreds of new signups and, hopefully, this will translate into a more vibrant community on the Peliplat English website.

For me, I was a little nervous about working this event. I had never attended a Fan Expo before and I wasn't sure what to expect. Would our questions be good enough? Would people be interested in our website? Luckily, my worries were quickly put to rest. The Fan Expo was a collection of the most positive and welcoming people in Vancouver. They were enthused by what Peliplat offered and the trivia challenge turned into a fun, laugh-out-loud event. Some fans flexed their knowledge while others suffered stage fright as the answers to the simplest questions slipped their minds under the bright lights of Peliplat trivia. I felt totally welcomed by this crowd and it was the fans that made the Expo so memorable.

The Fan Expo was a collection of the most positive and welcoming people in Vancouver.

I was also able to see some celebrities! The meet-and-greet station was in eyeshot from the Peliplat booth. From there, I saw the one man who I was most excited to see—Christopher Lloyd aka Doc Brown from Back to the Future. To me, Lloyd is a legend. I've watched Back to the Future countless times. Seeing him, even from afar, was a dream come true.

Other celebrities I saw included William Shatner of Stark Trek and DJ Qualls from Road Trip. I missed some celebrities, but by talking to the fans, it sounded like they exceeded their expectations. These included stars like Hayden Christensen from Star Wars, and Andy Serkis from The Lord of the Rings. There were also a ton of voice actors from anime shows and video games like Death Note, Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Last of Us.

My favourite thing about the Fan Expo was all the cosplay! I hadn't expected so many people to come dressed as their favourite characters, but I was in the minority in my regular laymen's clothes. What really amazed me was the details in the outfits. One person was dressed as a Ghostbuster. His ghost-sucking machine was fully rigged with flashing lights and tubes. If I didn't know any better, I'd think it was the same contraption they used in the actual 1984 movie.

On Saturday afternoon, the Expo hosted a cosplay competition. This is where the cosplayers really able to shine. The main stage was flooded with fans who wanted a glimpse of all the elaborate costumes, and to see who would take home the top prize. To be honest, I didn't know who anyone in the competition was cosplaying as—they seemed to be from anime shows, but can't say for sure. Besides, I was only able to watch a portion of the competition. I still had a job to do.

While working at the Peliplat stand, I still got to see tons of amazing cosplays. Some of my favourites were a perfect portrayal of The Crow, a villainous Darth Maul, and a towering Batman. Michael Myers was there, with his mute personality, rigid walk and a plastic, bloody dagger. He came by the stand and I actually had a chance to talk with him. Despite his terrifying look, he was actually a really nice guy.

As a diehard Fallout fan, I was pleased to see that some vault dwellers made the trek to the Fan Expo. There were explorers from all over the wasteland, from D.C. to Vegas. Plasma rifles, raider armour and pinstripe suits—these fans had it all. The only thing that was missing was the mysterious stranger (or was he there the entire time?). I just wonder if any of the vendors accepted caps for payment.

Vendors at the Expo were selling everything to satisfy the needs of superfans. What I liked the most were the vendors who weren't just selling IP merchandise, but their own unique items. For example, a vendor stall behind ours was selling medieval armour and weapons. You could even rent a helmet and some chainmail if you wanted to walk around the Expo like a feudal lord. Then there were the women who were making their own tapestries, as if time stopped in the 11th century and never continued. I thought their tapestries were so creative and cool. I already regret not buying one. Other things that were available included rare comics, thousands of figurines, LED lamps of your favourite characters and many other treasures.

Even by standing still at the Peliplat booth, I couldn't help but see some things you can't see anywhere but the Fan Expo. For example, at one point, a group of Storm Troopers walked by. Their outfits were pristine white and their helmets glistened under the brights lights. They were followed by a bagpipe player and a drummer. Behind them was the man, the myth, the legend: Darth Vader. Standing much taller than I expected, this Darth cosplay was perfect. The helmet, the cape, the buttons on his chest—all immaculate. Rumour has it that it was Hayden Christensen under the mask, but I can neither confirm nor deny that statement. All I know is that when the whole Sith group was together, accompanied by a few more Death Star Troopers, the bagpipe and snare started to play and they all marched through the Expo.

By the end of the day, I was exhausted. Hundreds of people had signed up for Peliplat. We were out of prizes. My belly was full of intergalactic chicken tendies. My feet were screaming. We closed up shop, as the last few cosplayers exited the Convention Centre, and the Saturday Fan Expo, in all its craziness, was over. I had the Sunday off, but the rest of the Peliplat team were ready to return for the third and final day of this extravaganza.

Next year, if I were to do anything differently, it would be to wear a cosplay of my own. I thought only a few people would be dressed up, but boy was I ever wrong. I felt a bit like a fish out of water in normie clothes. In hindsight, I think I should've dusted off my old Master Chief costume for a surprise appearance. Alas, there is always next year.

If you are reading this because you met us at the Fan Expo, thank you for signing up to Peliplat and joining our community. We are super thrilled to have you and I hope to read your articles, hot takes and criticisms soon!

And thank you to Vancouver Fan Expo for creating this wonderful and positive weekend. In this world of divisive opinions, it's nice to see everyone brought together under the harmony of fandom. What an event and I can't wait for next year!