I know people who go to Comic Con etc. and I always thought it was a little weird. Never thought I'd be one of THOSE people.
I started watching the TV show Supernatural this spring and loved it. It has been on for 12 seasons - started filming its 13th this week! and has a huge following. Sociologists have written books about Supernatural's fandom - about how the relationships between the cast and fans accomplished amazing things together.
The main stars are Jensen Ackles, Jared Padalecki, and Misha Collins and all three of them do a lot of work for charities - especially for mental health issues. Jared has been really outspoken about his battle with depression, anxiety, and thoughts of suicide. Actors that have had pretty small roles on the show attend the conventions and they all have created an amazing support network. Many of them sing or play musical instruments and often perform with Louden Swain - which is the house band for the conventions.
I just started watching this spring and watched all 12 seasons! and saw clips of the conventions on You Tube and they had one in Chicago in July. I already had my plane ticket for Texas so I wasn't able to attend the convention on Friday without paying a ton to change my flight so I decided to get the cheapest tickets I could for Sat/Sun. I didn't know what to expect and was a little nervous about going by myself even though I go to places like Cambodia and Sri Lanka by myself!!
On Friday nights they have Karaoke which most of the stars participate in and it is free to attend even if you don't have a ticket for the convention that day. It was fun to see that and I started to realize how many of these people are invested in wearing costumes to every event, decorating their hotel doors etc. I am just tiptoeing into this so I didn't do any of that :)
I had seats in row X on Saturday. I was hoping to make some friends with people around me since we have something big in common. 2 teenagers who were here for the first time were sitting next to me - they were nice but we didn't talk much. The two women in from of be were obviously pros at this convention thing, but seemed snotty and didn't respond to my attempts at conversation. I was disappointed and concerned that I would be lonely all weekend. Glad I was wrong!
Richard Speight Jr. and Rob Benedict are like the MCs. I loved Richard on the show Jericho and he plays the archangel Gabriel on Supernatural. I have loved Rob since his Felicity days and he plays the prophet Chuck and someone else, but I won't spoil it for others who haven't seen the show!
They were great and then Kim Rhodes and Brianna Buckmaster came on and they are so fun. I was shocked at how many 9 year olds were up there asking questions - the girls are known for their very bad language!
After that panel, I went outside to warm up and a woman taking a smoke break chatted with me. She teaches in Guatemala so we chatted about international teaching and I thanked her for being the first person to reach out to me.
I got to see Mark Sheppard who plays Crowley and this was his last season on the show so people wore crowns for him (he plays the "king of hell")
Ruth Connell is seriously the sweetest person on the planet. I've see her panels on You Tube and knew I wanted to meet her. She collects soap and shampoo from hotels and gives them out as "prizes" for people brave enough to ask her a question in front of a huge audience!!
Misha Collins plays an angel, Castiel and is super funny in panels. He grew up really poor and runs a charity called "Random Acts of Kindness" and does a lot of good for a lot of people.
I went out to the lobby to eat lunch and asked two women if I could sit with them and they were sooooo nice. They had driven up from Indiana and this was their second time attending the Chicago Con. They were passing out bracelets and gave me a lovely one.
On Saturday nights they have Saturday Night Special concerts with Louden Swain and many of the stars join in. Rob Benedict is the lead singer and I could listen to him forever. Brianna, Kim, Ruth, Richard, Orsic Chau, Matt Cohen, Gil McKinney all participated and I had so much fun!
Sundays are the days "the BOYS" come - Jared and Jensen - the main stars. They are both Texas boys and clicked immediately when starting the show. Most of the show's success is credited to those two being best friends - it makes their brother relationship on the show more believable . They day is filled with meet and greets, photo ops etc. Some people spend a lot of money!
I asked two women if I could eat breakfast with them and we had a great chat - they only came for Saturday and were leaving before the boys' panels. At lunch I sat with two men, the son of one of them, and another woman. The woman has been to FIVE Supernatural conventions and some for other shows. The two men have been to many conventions for different things and I learned a lot. They were also really into Supernatural lore and we had a lot of fun discussing it.
The Photo ops are very weird things - they go by really fast and a lot of people are nervous or even crying because they get to meet people they admire. Some have elaborate fan art to have in the pic etc. The volunteers literally tell people "no kissing, biting, or groping the stars" seriously. The girl behind me asked if that was a problem and the volunteer said she saw someone bite one before!!! crazy people! I chatted with a bunch of people in line - two of them were from SAO PAULO!!!!
I'm really happy with my one with Misha Collins and Jensen Ackles - their faces look like their characters.
Ruth Connel is the most adorable person ever. I felt like a giant. She is TINY! I squatted down to hug her.
Misha looks so tired/stressed in this one. They were rushing everyone really fast because he had a plane to catch. I wasn't even sure if I smiled in this one. Jared is TALL - 6'4 so he put his chin on my head. He was also rubbing my back and I was really distracted! He is someone I would love to chat with - He has inspired so many by being open about his battle with depression and anxiety. Here is my story of why his work means so much to me if you are interested.
I do not wear jewelry but this one stand caught my eye. The woman makes them out of aluminum and stamps each letter one at a time. She sells them at a few cons during the year. I got one that says "My story isn't over;" She shaped it to fit my wrist - which is ridiculously tiny so she had a lot of work to do! I wore it all day and enjoyed it so much that I went to go see her later in the day. She remembered me and I picked out one that says "she believed she could, so she did" She fit this one to my tiny wrist and we chatted quite a bit. Even though I got to hug and high five celebrities, meeting her was a highlight. Meet Joelle from Figments and Fripperies.
I started watching the TV show Supernatural this spring and loved it. It has been on for 12 seasons - started filming its 13th this week! and has a huge following. Sociologists have written books about Supernatural's fandom - about how the relationships between the cast and fans accomplished amazing things together.
The main stars are Jensen Ackles, Jared Padalecki, and Misha Collins and all three of them do a lot of work for charities - especially for mental health issues. Jared has been really outspoken about his battle with depression, anxiety, and thoughts of suicide. Actors that have had pretty small roles on the show attend the conventions and they all have created an amazing support network. Many of them sing or play musical instruments and often perform with Louden Swain - which is the house band for the conventions.
I just started watching this spring and watched all 12 seasons! and saw clips of the conventions on You Tube and they had one in Chicago in July. I already had my plane ticket for Texas so I wasn't able to attend the convention on Friday without paying a ton to change my flight so I decided to get the cheapest tickets I could for Sat/Sun. I didn't know what to expect and was a little nervous about going by myself even though I go to places like Cambodia and Sri Lanka by myself!!
On Friday nights they have Karaoke which most of the stars participate in and it is free to attend even if you don't have a ticket for the convention that day. It was fun to see that and I started to realize how many of these people are invested in wearing costumes to every event, decorating their hotel doors etc. I am just tiptoeing into this so I didn't do any of that :)
I had seats in row X on Saturday. I was hoping to make some friends with people around me since we have something big in common. 2 teenagers who were here for the first time were sitting next to me - they were nice but we didn't talk much. The two women in from of be were obviously pros at this convention thing, but seemed snotty and didn't respond to my attempts at conversation. I was disappointed and concerned that I would be lonely all weekend. Glad I was wrong!
Richard Speight Jr. and Rob Benedict are like the MCs. I loved Richard on the show Jericho and he plays the archangel Gabriel on Supernatural. I have loved Rob since his Felicity days and he plays the prophet Chuck and someone else, but I won't spoil it for others who haven't seen the show!
They were great and then Kim Rhodes and Brianna Buckmaster came on and they are so fun. I was shocked at how many 9 year olds were up there asking questions - the girls are known for their very bad language!
After that panel, I went outside to warm up and a woman taking a smoke break chatted with me. She teaches in Guatemala so we chatted about international teaching and I thanked her for being the first person to reach out to me.
I got to see Mark Sheppard who plays Crowley and this was his last season on the show so people wore crowns for him (he plays the "king of hell")
Ruth Connell is seriously the sweetest person on the planet. I've see her panels on You Tube and knew I wanted to meet her. She collects soap and shampoo from hotels and gives them out as "prizes" for people brave enough to ask her a question in front of a huge audience!!
Misha Collins plays an angel, Castiel and is super funny in panels. He grew up really poor and runs a charity called "Random Acts of Kindness" and does a lot of good for a lot of people.
I went out to the lobby to eat lunch and asked two women if I could sit with them and they were sooooo nice. They had driven up from Indiana and this was their second time attending the Chicago Con. They were passing out bracelets and gave me a lovely one.
On Saturday nights they have Saturday Night Special concerts with Louden Swain and many of the stars join in. Rob Benedict is the lead singer and I could listen to him forever. Brianna, Kim, Ruth, Richard, Orsic Chau, Matt Cohen, Gil McKinney all participated and I had so much fun!
Sundays are the days "the BOYS" come - Jared and Jensen - the main stars. They are both Texas boys and clicked immediately when starting the show. Most of the show's success is credited to those two being best friends - it makes their brother relationship on the show more believable . They day is filled with meet and greets, photo ops etc. Some people spend a lot of money!
I asked two women if I could eat breakfast with them and we had a great chat - they only came for Saturday and were leaving before the boys' panels. At lunch I sat with two men, the son of one of them, and another woman. The woman has been to FIVE Supernatural conventions and some for other shows. The two men have been to many conventions for different things and I learned a lot. They were also really into Supernatural lore and we had a lot of fun discussing it.
The Photo ops are very weird things - they go by really fast and a lot of people are nervous or even crying because they get to meet people they admire. Some have elaborate fan art to have in the pic etc. The volunteers literally tell people "no kissing, biting, or groping the stars" seriously. The girl behind me asked if that was a problem and the volunteer said she saw someone bite one before!!! crazy people! I chatted with a bunch of people in line - two of them were from SAO PAULO!!!!
I'm really happy with my one with Misha Collins and Jensen Ackles - their faces look like their characters.
Ruth Connel is the most adorable person ever. I felt like a giant. She is TINY! I squatted down to hug her.
Misha looks so tired/stressed in this one. They were rushing everyone really fast because he had a plane to catch. I wasn't even sure if I smiled in this one. Jared is TALL - 6'4 so he put his chin on my head. He was also rubbing my back and I was really distracted! He is someone I would love to chat with - He has inspired so many by being open about his battle with depression and anxiety. Here is my story of why his work means so much to me if you are interested.
I do not wear jewelry but this one stand caught my eye. The woman makes them out of aluminum and stamps each letter one at a time. She sells them at a few cons during the year. I got one that says "My story isn't over;" She shaped it to fit my wrist - which is ridiculously tiny so she had a lot of work to do! I wore it all day and enjoyed it so much that I went to go see her later in the day. She remembered me and I picked out one that says "she believed she could, so she did" She fit this one to my tiny wrist and we chatted quite a bit. Even though I got to hug and high five celebrities, meeting her was a highlight. Meet Joelle from Figments and Fripperies.
 |
| My store isn't over; |
No comments:
Post a Comment