The Drug of Choice

I think it's probably an age since I last posted. I forgot to check how long. I kinda, sorta, meant to post around Christmas but that didn't happen. (The posting, I mean, not Christmas. Christmas happened fine, thanks.)

I begin the new year with conventions on the brain. I keep having vague thoughts that I don't do much on the convention front any more, but it's not really true. I usually go to Collectormania in MK. Last year I went on my own to an Atlantis one at the Thistle (good old Thistle), and then later to Collectormania at the GMEX in Manchester. The year before that I went to Serenity2 with Meg and Lis. And this year I am down for the Atlantis con again, this time with David Hewlett (he's a GUEST, I'm not going with him ;).

And then?

I'm down to go to a Supernatural con. This may not strike you as odd, except for the fact that I have never in fact seen any Supernatural at all and keep getting the boys names mixed up. When your ownly connnection with a fandom is trying not to read Wincest, should you really be going to a convention on it??

But it's in Coventry which is maybe 40 minutes away from me, as opposed to 2 hours or half a world away, and we'll stay at my place which saves on hotel bills. Actually, the real reason for going is a)hey, it's a con, and b) C is totally jazzed about it and anticipates fainting in the presence of the two J's. Yep, seems both J's are on the guest list, which I am pretty impressed about. At least I did see Jensen in Dark Angel, although I did soundly resent him because I always thought he was getting in between Max and Logan (I'm a girl who looves her ships). I keep teasing C by saying I'll go up for the autograph and say "Which one are you again?" I adore the fact that she's so psyched by the whole con thing. This autographs and photos with cute actors seems to have been a bit of a revelation for her and it's fun to see her so psyched! She's going to lend me the dvd's before we go so at least I'll have watched a couple.

As we get closer to Atlantis I get a little more worried, thinking, maybe she won't like it (GMEX was her first 'event', Atlantis will be her first proper con), and feeling a slight amount of responsibility to make sure everything works smoothly for us during the weekend. As I'm the one who's been before you'd think I'd think it's a breeze but cons are often chaotic and winging it can be the order of the day.

Joe Flanigan was there last year and we had some great additional guests (Ronon, Ford, Chief Tyrol from Galactica). This year the main draw it David Hewlett (MacKay) which is very cool and am looking for ward to him muchly, but the other guests aren't so major as last year. I'm sure it'll be fine, it doesn't take much to keep me happy, but I really want C to have a good time. Well, at least we saw Joe F at GMEX and swooned over him greatly. And I love the character of mackay. So let's hope everything goes aok!

In other news I'm pretty sure I saw Craig Parker in a financial services ad on the tv today. First saw it weeks back, but I took a longer look today and I'm 99% sure it's him. It's for INGDirect (the one with the orange life belt, I think) and it's shot mostly in mono and he's doing a walk and talk. Anyone else seen it??

A month or two ago, I went to a Stargate Atlantis convention. Not my first con, by any means, although it's the first time (due to a combination or circs) that I ventured to go on my own. Random thoughts and stuff now ensue:

I was tipped over into going becuase Joe Flanigan was put on the guest list, and the man is just darn pretty. Shallowness rulez, yay me! I had a good time - not a fantastic time, because to do that I think I would have needed my mates, alcohol and giggling - but definitely a good time.

It was a con of about 400 people, so compared to last years Serenity2 (which came in at about 800) it was cozy. Which wasn't a bad thing, at least I could SEE the guests this time, lol.

All the guests were lovely. Although the casting agent won my grrrrs as she dissed my beloved Farscape, and then did it again later even though she'd gathered from some rumblings in the audience that it was not the thing to do. Worse, she dissed it on the basis of rubber puppets.

Rainbow Sun Francks is a sweetie. A cool, hip looking sweetie who is a laugh and wore a hat.

Jason Momoa is a giant teddy bear like sweetie. I mean, yes, huge and muscley and tall and wide....but yes, awwww!!! Especially when he slumps down in his chair as if he is some kinda sweater someone just threw there, then hunches up, peers at the big screen with his face BIG up on it, and announces that we are scary.

Ellie Harvey (Novak/sneezy person) is a stand up comic in real life! Obviously an actor too, but a genuinely funny comic.

Joe Flanigan is cute. He is sexy scruff personified, and really, looks like someone you'd bump into whilst choosing frozen pizzas in the supermarket.

Woefully I have forgotten much about the other folks there. Peter Grodin (actor name escapes me) was cool, and apparently was doing much wacky dancing at the parties. Oh, Chief Tyrol from BSG was there, and he is shark, knife sharp and funny and hates the CSI Miami dude leik whoa. Definitley worth seeing hiim at a con.

One thing that struck me at the q& a's was that both the lads (Joe and Jason) seems to bypass totally the idea of their characters having romantic entanglements. Jason said basically that Teyla is like Ronon's sister. Joe said (roughly) he thinks that romantics liasons kinda discredit the story and the plot and the angst and the action. Ok, he didn't say ALL THAT but that was the idea. And bearing in mind how shippers ship pssionately, it was interesting to find that there is a definite non romantic vibe going on in their heads.

The other thing that struck me (ok, there were two things) was that some of the questions to Joe seemed to be angling for him to say, "Yes, Rodney is Shep's boyfriend and they will be having hot monkey lovin' just off screen every week. Yes, Shep was jealous when Rodney kissed Carson." Yes, somebody actually asked if Shep would have been jealous, yes, indeedy. (Unless my memory is faulty and they didn't, but I know Joe was nonplussed and uncomfortable for part of the time.)

Wow, I've written a lot (for me) and now I have to go because my frozen potato products are burning in the oven. May be back later though.

Well, I have done it partly to distract myself from the fact that I'm not going to Burbank, that I'll be all Benless and so forth....

...I am signed up to go the the Serenity/Firefly convention at the Radisson at Heathrow that Starfury are running. Just happens to be the weekend of Burbank, 18th November I think.

Can we just say eep??!!

I am trying to persuade Lins to go, and she's expressed interest bless her, despite not having seen Firefly!

I have said that I'm going no matter if I'm going on my own. I know a few of my UK DB folks have been saying "ooh cool" about Serenity, but I have no idea if any of them is into it all enough to go to a con! So I shall go and look at the guests, heavens above, and not worry about getting ratted and dressing in wings (old time DB'ers will get this reference, hee). (Unless Lins is persuaded to go, in which case getting ratted may well happen, lol).

Actually, I'm surprising myself. This is the last sort of thing I'd do normally, and it's not as if I was mega devoted to Firefly. But I must have felt something, because huh, *screening* and reading fan fic. And I love Serenity to bits.

I wasn't going to post this til I actually got my ticket (as I get paranoid about these things) but I have seen that they've taken the money form my card, so, heck I must be going!

Ahem, Nathan "Cap'n Tightpants" Fillion is on the list to be there. He tipped the balance for me, I think. Never let it be said that Ellie won't travel to drool at folks.


Crossposted at the DB.

So, anyway. Not sure if this is going to be terribly eloquent. However, it is going to be a small account of the trip. You know THE trip. Ahem. This is a very rambly account. Not everything is in the right order. Most things are very blurry and I'm just covering the main things I remember. There was LOTS of other wonderful stuff that went on, and folks we met but this is as organised as I get.

( Leaving the UK )

( Squishies and other joyful things )

( The Con starts )

( Random Guestage including Ben and Claud )

Ok, I'm taking a break!!! Be back in another post! And the San Francisco part of the trip will probably be on another day...but btw SAN FRANCISCO is fantastic! Go!