BELIEVE that sometimes dreams can come true ♥ - PART 1
It's been a week since my return to the reality my life is, but the need to write down all the amazing things that happened to me in the Fairytales II Convention was there from the moment I got on the train to Paris from the Versailles on Sunday evening. I am not that into sharing life events online anymore, but I'll try to keep it as impersonal as possible, because this was a VERY HUGE deal and there are some online friends that I'd love to discuss this experience with.
Deciding to go to the Con was not easy. It demanded ALOT of money I didn't have and, with the crisis going on, the last penny in our pocket doesn't go unnoticed. The truth is, though, that I'm sick of putting my dreams aside for whatever the reason is, most commonly fear and lack of money (oh you stupid money). I did it for years and, damn it, time passes by and I don't want to spend my life without at least trying to make them come true. Going to the convention was just the beginning and it was something that I think will help me make some important life decisions (or at least I hope it will). So, one morning, I just woke up and said that this was a gift I would get to do to myself... and I just did it!
A month and a half later there I was. In France again, after 6 whole years, this time to get lost into fairytales! On Saturday morning I woke up at 5am (!!!) in order to prep myself both mentally and physically for what was to come. Me and Maria, my SUPER friend that came along for my sake (THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART DEARIEEEE ♥ ) took the train and bam! Versailles here we are. To a place packed with ONCErs and excitement! We got in and those super kind people from the staff gave us an envelope with our passes and our extras - at this point I do feel the need to thank those super, amazing volunteers that kept the whole thing going for two days, there were some magnificent and hard-working peeps and they deserve recognition for their efforts - and we went on stage to take our sits. And moments later, Sean and Emily came out!! AND I GO CRAAAAAAAAAAAAZYYYYYYYYY!
It was the first of like 6 panels, so I was simply trying to take in what exactly was ahead me in only a couple meters of distance. Sean Maguire and Emily DeRavin, talking, laughing, joking and being wonderful!! I was screaming and cheering through at least half of the panel! And of course, every time something Outlaw Queen related came on, the crowd went nuts (which was wonderful if you think how many SQ shippers were there!). Emily was so fun to watch because it was obvious she was still a bit hangover from the day before (jetlag can result into late night drinks with your costars, lol), but she was delightful. As for Sean... I could have stayed there and simply hear him talk for ever!!! REALLY!!!
I had decided to do my solo photos the next day, so after the panel was over, I took a walk to explore the place. Which was A GREAT IDEA because when I went back to the main entrance, guess who was coming in, quietly, with no fuss, carrying a suitcase and being awesome?? LANA PARRILLA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How that woman managed to be so effin' stunning when she had just arrived in Paris less than 11 hours ago, tired, sleepy and jetlagged is beyond me! I stayed there staring at her making her way up the stairs, not able to say a single word. I THINK I managed to shot her a smile when she looked at me, but really... BRAIN MULFUNCTION PEOPLE! It was moments after she went up that I managed to move from my spot, look incredulous to the poor girl that happened to stand next to me and be like "HOLY CRAP, WAS THAT LANA??" Yeah, it took me a while to get there, lmao!
Next would be my first face to face encounter with my cuties, Lana and Sean, for our duo shot. I wasn't in any rush, trying to enjoy every single second spent in the same room with them. I watched them being lovely with all the fans, saying hello and shooting smiles to the camera and to each and every one of us. It was just a marvel to they common eye. I was carrying A LOT of things, my camera, my bag, my 2nd bag with the props for our shot and the artwork I had made to give to them to sign, so I just went by the window and let everything there. When my turn came and they both looked at me expectantly, I think I could not move from my spot. The security guard put his hand in my back to get me moving and that's when my feet decided to go on. Lana gave me the most incredulous look, from top to bottom, seeing that my outfit was a bit striking, mostly my tights that were light gray lacey-like (I cannot really describe it!), which was SO funny!! I went and hugged and kissed Sean (that smell of forest... yummy, really yummy!!! ♥ ), and he did the same to me, and then gave him the arrow to hold and he said "Oh my, this is fantastic!" and then turned to Lana to do the same but got SO DAMN nervous that I didn't know which side of her cheeks I should give a kiss first! She burst out laughing and I LOVE her laugh! She looked at the red apple on my hand and she asked "So, I suppose, this one is for me, right??" all Regina like, with the voice and the look AND I FORGOT HOW TO BREATH! I went giggy and said "well, of course, if you want it!". I told them the concept of the photo and they loved it, as apparently did the rest of the peeps that were in there, cause I saw them all shooting big smiles upon seeing our pose. There wasn't much time to say anything more to them, unfortunately, even though there were only like 4-5 people left to take their pics. It appeared that EVERYTHING in this con was going on fast forward mode. Yet, I was so happy with what had just happened that I just had a huge smile on my face and went back to collect my things. When I was finally done, Lana and Sean were finishing off with their photos and, on a moment of impulse (no1 for that day, as were more to come later) I stood behind the photographer as I was making my way out and started sending them kisses to say bye!! Sean waved at me and Lana shot me kisses back enthousiastically (I DIED AGAIN!!! ISN'T SHE THE CUTEST EVER??) and just as I was ready to leave, she calls for me and says "hey, did you find your piece of the arrow?". I stayed there dumbfounded "what on earth is she talking about?" and she explains "oh, you dropped a piece of the arrow earlier, did you find it? did anyone give it back to you?". I CAN'T EVEN! She noticed I dropped the damn thing, yet I hadn't even a clue! And she cared enough to point it out to me. It's nothing really, but to me every single word she addressed to me was super important. "Oh my God, thank you so much!" - "You're welcome honey, see you later!". OIUDNYFASFHASFDHAFHAFIHSFAHISFHOSIFU *DIES DIES DIES*
After that, I found it even harder to function properly and to not walk around wearing the most IDIOTIC smile on my face! I fooled around with my wonderful new friends, some of them I knew from online interactions, some of them I just met them there, and then the lunch break came, in which I never actually ate a thing less than air! Honestly in the two days of the con, I didn't have a bite of food! Which is weird, because for me a day without food is a day lost, hahahaa! But that didn't matter at the time! All that mattered was what was coming up next, which was LANA'S Q&A!!!
The Queen came on stage and the crowd lost its vocal chords from all the screaming! She owned the damn room! Every step she took, she owned it! She gave those wondeful smiles of hers, expressed how happy she was to be there and meet us all (god,I hope that in the end she left with nothing more than good memories and that we didn't give her a hard time) and then the interview began! I was lucky enough to get the chance to ask her a question. When she turned to me and looked at me, she said that cute little "Hiiii" of hers and iuadsadaghnfhiaifa *insert more brain mulfunction*! "I'm going to faint before I get to ask you anything" and she laughs and the crowd agrees with me! "I love you, first of all..." - "Awwww I love you too".
Ok, pause there!
HOW CAN ANYONE SPEAK PROPERLY AFTER LANA PARRILLA HAS JUST TOLD THEM SHE LOVES THEM??? No really! I don't know Lana in person, I don't know what kind of human being she is and how she is with the people she socializes with, but all I always knew, even before I became such a huge fan, was that a person that can smile the way she does is definitely a GOOD person. I don't know her but she has touched my heart, especially with that radiant smile of hers, and I do feel that there is a love of sorts (not romantically of course) from my part towards her. But, when she says "I love you too" to us, complete strangers, it just hits me that she might actually feel the same way we do for her. She doesn't know us in person, but she sees all those faces, talking to her with admiration and looking up to her and having experienced the impact of her work in their lives. And she loves us for being at her side. And she has the guts to say it on every occassion! Every fan who told her they loved her received the same answer and, for me, that's wonderful to see so much love between strangers. She has united us all into a big "family" of sorts and I cannot be prouder to belong to it, to the "Evil Regals", thanks to her and her wonderful heart that is big enough for all of us.
I finally managed to articulate my question and got Lana's wonderful answer ("I think that they (Robin and Regina) are destined to be together" between other so sweet stuff she said), thanked her and tried to walk back to my sit... before I had a complete theatrical melt down in front of it, sharing a laugh with Maria and the rest of the oncers that were sitting nearby. :P Lana kept answering and we had lots of fun during her Q&A, mostly because she said so many great things about OQ AND because she was... well, she was simply there!
Up next were Rebecca, Robbie and Jared. Ok, let me just say this: Rebecca looks like a fairytale!!! Truly, the fairest of them all! Like, I have never seen such an obvious beauty in my eyes! And she is SO funny! She has that incredible laugh (dear lord, I thought it was a vocal effect for the show until I realized it was her natural laugh!!!), so gracefull and unbelievable and she is SUCH A CLOWN!! I had so many laughs just by watching her being her awesome self, she is fantastic! I would gladly be her bff if I could! I would never cry ever again, I'm sure!! She said some things that really stuck in my mind and I think she had the most impact on me than anyone, probably because my mind was so focused on Lana and Sean that I did not pay the necessary attention to who else I was going to meet! The fact that she had such hard years as a kid, being bullied (REALLY??? THAT WOMAN BULLIED?? WHAT KIND OF WORLD DO WE LIVE IN?) and then wanting to be an actress but not getting the support she needed by her family, but still believing in her dream and fighting to make it true... So many things that have stayed in my heart and I will always cherish what she said, because her words gave me so much strength and hope...
Robbie, on the other hand... Dudes, that young man has a new fan! I mean I did already admire him for his EXCELLENT portrayal as Peter Pan, but upon hearing him talk and share his opinions on so many different subjects, some non OUAT related, made me realize what a mature person he is and that he is way of thinking is very well put together. Plus he is such a pleasure to talk with and have convos and he is REALLY funny too!! And Jared, he tried his best to live up to everyone's expectations and he did manage to do so wonderfully, even if he is so young and it as his first time to attend such an event. I think I mostly related to him at this aspect: I felt as lost too, at times! hahahaa!
After the last panel was over, the time came when I had my autograph with Sean (THOSE EYES... REALLY GODS, THOSE EYES, THOSE BEAUTIFUL EYES♥♥♥). Me and Maria went on the line (there were actually quite a lot of people waiting for him and I got really and truly happy about that) and waited patiently for out turn. I watched him interact with his fans, so kind and so english! It was just unbelievable how close to me he was, I mean, even though we did share a picture earlier that day, I still could not comprehend what on earth was happening. I still haven't, actually, but that's besides the point. Anyway, it was finally my turn, and I walk up to him and I raise my hand to shake his. "Hi Sean.." - "Oh hi!" (at this point I am not sure if he said something more to me, maybe he did or he didn't but all my brain could take in was smoke!!) - "May I give you a kiss?". I mean, ok shoot me, but I HAD TO!!! "Oh sure, of course!" and he gets up and holds me to this beauuuuutiful embrace and we share a one-cheek little kiss and I CAN'T BREATH CAUSE THAT SMELL OF FOREST IS JUST TOO AWESOME FOR MY POOR LITTLE STARSTRUCK NOSE!!! He thanked me for coming to the con and for being so supportive of his work (he actually did that every time he interacted with a fan, which was unbelievably sweet, because it felt like he thinks he owes us and that he could not thank us enough! it's like ying and yang, we thank them for that wonderful opportunity and they thank us for the same thing! if you think about it, it's crazy!), and we talked a bit about Tanya. I asked him if she would manage to attend the party that night, cause he had said earlier she had a small operation and she needed some rest, but he said that it was probable she would come. Then, I gave him the OQ pic I had brought to sign. He takes a moment and starts writing down (shit, I had forgotten to tell him my name!!! autograph sessions are not for me, when it comes to this matter, I screw up so badly!!!). Upon finishing he looks at it weirdly, then turns to me and says "in case you cannot distinguish my terrible hand writing, it says "All our love"" and laughs! I asked him to include a fav line from the show and MY CUTE LITTLE PIE CHOSE "I wouldn't dream of it"! fsufnasfaiysfisoifsimfoisuwioyiufonm!! "I have to say, you have beautiful eyes..." YES I DID HAVE TO SAY IT OTHERWISE I'D LOSE IT, THE MAN'S EYES ARE A MARVEL!!! "Awww thank you so much". And I smile like THE TOTAL idiot for the rest of the evening.
There was this small, wonderful moment later on, that would mark my moment of impulse no3 (my 2nd was during my question to Lana, I made such a complete foul of myself so I won't even comment on it..^_^ ). I met a group of ER's from Spain, some extremely funny ladies and we became friends immediately! Thank God for Granada, my spanish was still working quite well, they too thought I was spanish (like everyone does lately). They wanted to take a group pic with Lana, after her autograph session was over, wearing some special t-shirts they had made (so totally cool, btw) and they asked me if I could be the one to ask this favour from her, seeing that my english "sounded" a bit better. I decided to just go upstairs and check out the situation and BAM!! CUTE ALERT, CUTE ALERT PEOPLE!!! Fred was there, on Lana's side, standing by the window and watching her work! They were being so sweet with each other,I just stood there and watched them for a few minutes. They shared a couple of small kisses in between autographs, and he was carressing her back at some points and they were talking and MY HEART MELTS!!! They are just so cute together!!! I'm so happy Lana has her soulmate (as she herself put it during her Q&A) and that Fred seems to love her this much! A couple of minutes after I went down to tell the girls she was finished, we see the ABSOLUTE CUTE ALERT - TIME TO DIE -CANNOT BREATH - OMG I'M LOSING IT *faints* moment: Fred and Lana (on flats) coming down the stairs, holding hands and being awesome for just existing!!! I look at them and my puppy dog eyes and voice come out: "Laaaanaaaaaaa...." I pouted, I actually pouted like a dog! Really, someone hit me! "Would it be possible for you to take a group pic with the girls here? They wanted a picture with you and them wearing the t-shirts they made for you". She wanted to say yes, but the organizers were right behind her, as was that huge security guard that was beside her the whole time. "Oh I'm so sorry, I can't... They won't let me". The girls were disappointed but at least we tried. And when she went on with Fred down the stairs, they both turn to us so she can say she was sorry again (I LOVE HER!!) and BAM! Moment of impulse comes out: "Hey Fred!" - "Yeah!" (his face was depicting such amusement!! I adored that!) - "Marry her the soonest possible, ok? *insert conspiratory eye blinking*". And the both burst out laughing and Fred goes all "Oh I will definitely keep THAT in mind!" and they keep going down, laughing! OK SO SUE ME, I COULDN'T HELP IT!! I wanted them to get married like right there and then, in Paris!!! THEY SERIOUSLY LOOK AMAZING TOGETHERRRR!!
Before I had the chance to start on the brain function again, the cocktail with no cocktails party time arrived. Like I said earlier, it seemed that everything went on on a fast forward mode, and that party was the biggest proof! They let the guests stick around at each of the only 10 tables for like 3-4 minutes. But no matter, I managed to make the most of it once more.They all arrived together (all except Emily, who unfortunately felt so sick that couldn't attend), along with their partners and families. SO GLAMOUROUS! They all looked fabulous! Seeing Lana on the Comic Con leather dress, with Fred on her side... CHRIS FREAKS OUT NO1! Seing Sean entering with Tanya on his side... CHRIS FREAKS OUT NO2!!! GAaaaah, how wonderful it was to have them all there. I felt extremely happy that Tanya was also there and I really wanted to go talk to her but of course I never got a damn chance. I watched them going at the back room, to take some group pics, and then they started visiting the tables. With my luck striking red that day, my chair was right next the one each of them was going to sit on. So, Robbie was the first one to come to us and we talked like we were old buddies from years!! "You are blonder than you look!" I said and he went on about how he had recently visited the beach, so it was probably the aftermath! He talked to us and, from what I can remember we were not talking OUAT, but general stuff. He asked us where we were from, he said how wonderful he felt to be back to Europe, where his home is, and that he has been living in the States for the last 3.5 years, talked a little bit about how he was finishing high school when his OUAT gang came on... I enjoyed chatting with him so much, he is such a sweetheart! And then he was like "hey, they promised us alcohol, where the hell is it?? I'm putting down some complaints here" and we all laughed!!!
Next on the line was THE HOTTY! Sean sat next to me, that smell of forest filling my poor nostrils for the third time that day (and I found it very hard to not just lean on and kiss smell him more!). He thanked us like a gazillion times for being there, for being so supportive and loving and he said that he felt extremely lucky to be working with the people he works with and that half of the credit goes to us, because if it weren't for us, he wouldn't be doing something he loved so much, he would probably be looking for another, less satisfying job. Really! I mean it, really!! He then asked us if we were having fun at the con, and what has been our favourite part thus far... and went on to comment on the lack of proper food! "Really, that's all they have for you?? And where is the alcohol?????" HAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAA, WHAT'S UP WITH THE BRITS AND THE NEED FOR ALCOHOL???
You should see how Bex decided to come to our table. Sean hadn't even gotten up his chair yet when she finished with the table she was at, and she comes to us, stands above him, he gets up all "freaked out" and she says "ok you're done here, move it move it!!!" and starts hitting him playfully to make room for her!! SO FUNNY, HE WAS TURNING RED OUT OF LAUGHTER!! It's so refreshing to see how great friends these people have been and that they spend time together and enjoy it. Bex sat down and she was just too awesome for words again! All snarky and so much like Zelena, only in her good days! AND THE LAUGH!! That laugh would be the end of all of us!! She shared a couple of very funny moments with me, one of them being the Wicked Witch look, shot RIGHT ON ME!! She was like inches away from me, looking at me like Zelena, talking with that voice and joking! I tried my best to keep up with her, but needless to say I failed!! She was being extremely friendly, she talked about how all her costars have been great, how she speaks like 7 languages and how she loves to sing (at which point I told her about my idea of a musical OUAT ep and both her and her assistant loved it and said they should totally do it), a little bit about Lost and how "John Locke" coming on OUAT would rock the world... AND I tought her a bit of greek, in which she added "oh great, now I can speak greek too!". When her assistant said it was time to go, she pouted like a baby, but she did get up and moved on, sending us kisses.
And then the Queen came!!!! I was at such loss!! She was tired and jetlagged and her head had started hurting, but she was gleeful and happy and her usual wonderful self!! I asked her for a hug and she obliged, even gave me a small kiss, and I got a bit teary eyed! I told her how I just absolutely thank her parents for doing what they did those years ago and how she came out of it (insert moment of impulse no4! I K R????) and she talked to us about how she adores her mother and how this time of hiatus they all go crazy about spending time with their families. She said how important family is to her, especially now that she is a stepmother of three kids (at which point I was like "WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT??? :O:S", thankfully only in my head... I didn't know Fred had kids, let alone at such ages!!! Holy shit, there are people out there who can call Lana their mum!! SIUFHNSIFUSNHOGIMSHFIODUOIUSMPFOOP AWESOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOME!!!). She commented on the lack of a proper dinner and said that she'd demand some lobstar of some steaks for crying out loud! Before I got the chance to tell her how much she means to all of us and what a great impact she has had on us, her PA called her to leave. "It's alright maybe Robin Hood will come up next... Oh dear, what am I saying, Sean! Sean may come up next!" hahahaaaaaaa, just when you think you had reached the ultimate level of love for that human being, she goes and gives you even more reasons to adore her!!!
And finally, Jared! That kid was simply adorable to watch. He was nervous, you could tell, because he asked us two times how we liked the con so far and how we were all doing. But still, it is wonderful to see how this kid has spent his last years of childhood working along with those wonderful people, growing into a hardworking teenager and giving his best self to what he does. I don't have much to say about the time he sat with us, because really, they didn't let him stay there enough!
After they did their rounds to all the tables, they spent some time giving interviews, checking out the posters about their characters and they hanged out for a bit. At some point, there was this table fist hitting contest between us, which was a lot of fun, especially later when we did a "we want Fred" table fist hit session, at which point another table responded by an equally strong "we want Tanya" one!!! seriously, BEST FANS EVER!!! :D Fred also cheerleaded us for a bit, jumped up and down out of excitement, he even joined Lana at one lucky table for some moments! BUT, everything was over before I even managed to take it all in. Lana and Fred were the first to go, and the only ones escorted out from the main entrance. The rest of the cast stuck around a little bit more, but they were on the other room, and then they waited outside on the back door for their cars to pick them up.
After they left, we knew it was time for us to return to Paris as well. Because in less than 10 hours, there would be part 2 coming up!!! So the first day of AWESOME ended, leaving me with that still IDIOTIC smile on my face the whole time!
Deciding to go to the Con was not easy. It demanded ALOT of money I didn't have and, with the crisis going on, the last penny in our pocket doesn't go unnoticed. The truth is, though, that I'm sick of putting my dreams aside for whatever the reason is, most commonly fear and lack of money (oh you stupid money). I did it for years and, damn it, time passes by and I don't want to spend my life without at least trying to make them come true. Going to the convention was just the beginning and it was something that I think will help me make some important life decisions (or at least I hope it will). So, one morning, I just woke up and said that this was a gift I would get to do to myself... and I just did it!
A month and a half later there I was. In France again, after 6 whole years, this time to get lost into fairytales! On Saturday morning I woke up at 5am (!!!) in order to prep myself both mentally and physically for what was to come. Me and Maria, my SUPER friend that came along for my sake (THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART DEARIEEEE ♥ ) took the train and bam! Versailles here we are. To a place packed with ONCErs and excitement! We got in and those super kind people from the staff gave us an envelope with our passes and our extras - at this point I do feel the need to thank those super, amazing volunteers that kept the whole thing going for two days, there were some magnificent and hard-working peeps and they deserve recognition for their efforts - and we went on stage to take our sits. And moments later, Sean and Emily came out!! AND I GO CRAAAAAAAAAAAAZYYYYYYYYY!
It was the first of like 6 panels, so I was simply trying to take in what exactly was ahead me in only a couple meters of distance. Sean Maguire and Emily DeRavin, talking, laughing, joking and being wonderful!! I was screaming and cheering through at least half of the panel! And of course, every time something Outlaw Queen related came on, the crowd went nuts (which was wonderful if you think how many SQ shippers were there!). Emily was so fun to watch because it was obvious she was still a bit hangover from the day before (jetlag can result into late night drinks with your costars, lol), but she was delightful. As for Sean... I could have stayed there and simply hear him talk for ever!!! REALLY!!!
Click to viewI had decided to do my solo photos the next day, so after the panel was over, I took a walk to explore the place. Which was A GREAT IDEA because when I went back to the main entrance, guess who was coming in, quietly, with no fuss, carrying a suitcase and being awesome?? LANA PARRILLA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How that woman managed to be so effin' stunning when she had just arrived in Paris less than 11 hours ago, tired, sleepy and jetlagged is beyond me! I stayed there staring at her making her way up the stairs, not able to say a single word. I THINK I managed to shot her a smile when she looked at me, but really... BRAIN MULFUNCTION PEOPLE! It was moments after she went up that I managed to move from my spot, look incredulous to the poor girl that happened to stand next to me and be like "HOLY CRAP, WAS THAT LANA??" Yeah, it took me a while to get there, lmao!
Next would be my first face to face encounter with my cuties, Lana and Sean, for our duo shot. I wasn't in any rush, trying to enjoy every single second spent in the same room with them. I watched them being lovely with all the fans, saying hello and shooting smiles to the camera and to each and every one of us. It was just a marvel to they common eye. I was carrying A LOT of things, my camera, my bag, my 2nd bag with the props for our shot and the artwork I had made to give to them to sign, so I just went by the window and let everything there. When my turn came and they both looked at me expectantly, I think I could not move from my spot. The security guard put his hand in my back to get me moving and that's when my feet decided to go on. Lana gave me the most incredulous look, from top to bottom, seeing that my outfit was a bit striking, mostly my tights that were light gray lacey-like (I cannot really describe it!), which was SO funny!! I went and hugged and kissed Sean (that smell of forest... yummy, really yummy!!! ♥ ), and he did the same to me, and then gave him the arrow to hold and he said "Oh my, this is fantastic!" and then turned to Lana to do the same but got SO DAMN nervous that I didn't know which side of her cheeks I should give a kiss first! She burst out laughing and I LOVE her laugh! She looked at the red apple on my hand and she asked "So, I suppose, this one is for me, right??" all Regina like, with the voice and the look AND I FORGOT HOW TO BREATH! I went giggy and said "well, of course, if you want it!". I told them the concept of the photo and they loved it, as apparently did the rest of the peeps that were in there, cause I saw them all shooting big smiles upon seeing our pose. There wasn't much time to say anything more to them, unfortunately, even though there were only like 4-5 people left to take their pics. It appeared that EVERYTHING in this con was going on fast forward mode. Yet, I was so happy with what had just happened that I just had a huge smile on my face and went back to collect my things. When I was finally done, Lana and Sean were finishing off with their photos and, on a moment of impulse (no1 for that day, as were more to come later) I stood behind the photographer as I was making my way out and started sending them kisses to say bye!! Sean waved at me and Lana shot me kisses back enthousiastically (I DIED AGAIN!!! ISN'T SHE THE CUTEST EVER??) and just as I was ready to leave, she calls for me and says "hey, did you find your piece of the arrow?". I stayed there dumbfounded "what on earth is she talking about?" and she explains "oh, you dropped a piece of the arrow earlier, did you find it? did anyone give it back to you?". I CAN'T EVEN! She noticed I dropped the damn thing, yet I hadn't even a clue! And she cared enough to point it out to me. It's nothing really, but to me every single word she addressed to me was super important. "Oh my God, thank you so much!" - "You're welcome honey, see you later!". OIUDNYFASFHASFDHAFHAFIHSFAHISFHOSIFU *DIES DIES DIES*
After that, I found it even harder to function properly and to not walk around wearing the most IDIOTIC smile on my face! I fooled around with my wonderful new friends, some of them I knew from online interactions, some of them I just met them there, and then the lunch break came, in which I never actually ate a thing less than air! Honestly in the two days of the con, I didn't have a bite of food! Which is weird, because for me a day without food is a day lost, hahahaa! But that didn't matter at the time! All that mattered was what was coming up next, which was LANA'S Q&A!!!
The Queen came on stage and the crowd lost its vocal chords from all the screaming! She owned the damn room! Every step she took, she owned it! She gave those wondeful smiles of hers, expressed how happy she was to be there and meet us all (god,I hope that in the end she left with nothing more than good memories and that we didn't give her a hard time) and then the interview began! I was lucky enough to get the chance to ask her a question. When she turned to me and looked at me, she said that cute little "Hiiii" of hers and iuadsadaghnfhiaifa *insert more brain mulfunction*! "I'm going to faint before I get to ask you anything" and she laughs and the crowd agrees with me! "I love you, first of all..." - "Awwww I love you too".
Ok, pause there!
HOW CAN ANYONE SPEAK PROPERLY AFTER LANA PARRILLA HAS JUST TOLD THEM SHE LOVES THEM??? No really! I don't know Lana in person, I don't know what kind of human being she is and how she is with the people she socializes with, but all I always knew, even before I became such a huge fan, was that a person that can smile the way she does is definitely a GOOD person. I don't know her but she has touched my heart, especially with that radiant smile of hers, and I do feel that there is a love of sorts (not romantically of course) from my part towards her. But, when she says "I love you too" to us, complete strangers, it just hits me that she might actually feel the same way we do for her. She doesn't know us in person, but she sees all those faces, talking to her with admiration and looking up to her and having experienced the impact of her work in their lives. And she loves us for being at her side. And she has the guts to say it on every occassion! Every fan who told her they loved her received the same answer and, for me, that's wonderful to see so much love between strangers. She has united us all into a big "family" of sorts and I cannot be prouder to belong to it, to the "Evil Regals", thanks to her and her wonderful heart that is big enough for all of us.
I finally managed to articulate my question and got Lana's wonderful answer ("I think that they (Robin and Regina) are destined to be together" between other so sweet stuff she said), thanked her and tried to walk back to my sit... before I had a complete theatrical melt down in front of it, sharing a laugh with Maria and the rest of the oncers that were sitting nearby. :P Lana kept answering and we had lots of fun during her Q&A, mostly because she said so many great things about OQ AND because she was... well, she was simply there!
Up next were Rebecca, Robbie and Jared. Ok, let me just say this: Rebecca looks like a fairytale!!! Truly, the fairest of them all! Like, I have never seen such an obvious beauty in my eyes! And she is SO funny! She has that incredible laugh (dear lord, I thought it was a vocal effect for the show until I realized it was her natural laugh!!!), so gracefull and unbelievable and she is SUCH A CLOWN!! I had so many laughs just by watching her being her awesome self, she is fantastic! I would gladly be her bff if I could! I would never cry ever again, I'm sure!! She said some things that really stuck in my mind and I think she had the most impact on me than anyone, probably because my mind was so focused on Lana and Sean that I did not pay the necessary attention to who else I was going to meet! The fact that she had such hard years as a kid, being bullied (REALLY??? THAT WOMAN BULLIED?? WHAT KIND OF WORLD DO WE LIVE IN?) and then wanting to be an actress but not getting the support she needed by her family, but still believing in her dream and fighting to make it true... So many things that have stayed in my heart and I will always cherish what she said, because her words gave me so much strength and hope...
Robbie, on the other hand... Dudes, that young man has a new fan! I mean I did already admire him for his EXCELLENT portrayal as Peter Pan, but upon hearing him talk and share his opinions on so many different subjects, some non OUAT related, made me realize what a mature person he is and that he is way of thinking is very well put together. Plus he is such a pleasure to talk with and have convos and he is REALLY funny too!! And Jared, he tried his best to live up to everyone's expectations and he did manage to do so wonderfully, even if he is so young and it as his first time to attend such an event. I think I mostly related to him at this aspect: I felt as lost too, at times! hahahaa!
After the last panel was over, the time came when I had my autograph with Sean (THOSE EYES... REALLY GODS, THOSE EYES, THOSE BEAUTIFUL EYES♥♥♥). Me and Maria went on the line (there were actually quite a lot of people waiting for him and I got really and truly happy about that) and waited patiently for out turn. I watched him interact with his fans, so kind and so english! It was just unbelievable how close to me he was, I mean, even though we did share a picture earlier that day, I still could not comprehend what on earth was happening. I still haven't, actually, but that's besides the point. Anyway, it was finally my turn, and I walk up to him and I raise my hand to shake his. "Hi Sean.." - "Oh hi!" (at this point I am not sure if he said something more to me, maybe he did or he didn't but all my brain could take in was smoke!!) - "May I give you a kiss?". I mean, ok shoot me, but I HAD TO!!! "Oh sure, of course!" and he gets up and holds me to this beauuuuutiful embrace and we share a one-cheek little kiss and I CAN'T BREATH CAUSE THAT SMELL OF FOREST IS JUST TOO AWESOME FOR MY POOR LITTLE STARSTRUCK NOSE!!! He thanked me for coming to the con and for being so supportive of his work (he actually did that every time he interacted with a fan, which was unbelievably sweet, because it felt like he thinks he owes us and that he could not thank us enough! it's like ying and yang, we thank them for that wonderful opportunity and they thank us for the same thing! if you think about it, it's crazy!), and we talked a bit about Tanya. I asked him if she would manage to attend the party that night, cause he had said earlier she had a small operation and she needed some rest, but he said that it was probable she would come. Then, I gave him the OQ pic I had brought to sign. He takes a moment and starts writing down (shit, I had forgotten to tell him my name!!! autograph sessions are not for me, when it comes to this matter, I screw up so badly!!!). Upon finishing he looks at it weirdly, then turns to me and says "in case you cannot distinguish my terrible hand writing, it says "All our love"" and laughs! I asked him to include a fav line from the show and MY CUTE LITTLE PIE CHOSE "I wouldn't dream of it"! fsufnasfaiysfisoifsimfoisuwioyiufonm!! "I have to say, you have beautiful eyes..." YES I DID HAVE TO SAY IT OTHERWISE I'D LOSE IT, THE MAN'S EYES ARE A MARVEL!!! "Awww thank you so much". And I smile like THE TOTAL idiot for the rest of the evening.
There was this small, wonderful moment later on, that would mark my moment of impulse no3 (my 2nd was during my question to Lana, I made such a complete foul of myself so I won't even comment on it..^_^ ). I met a group of ER's from Spain, some extremely funny ladies and we became friends immediately! Thank God for Granada, my spanish was still working quite well, they too thought I was spanish (like everyone does lately). They wanted to take a group pic with Lana, after her autograph session was over, wearing some special t-shirts they had made (so totally cool, btw) and they asked me if I could be the one to ask this favour from her, seeing that my english "sounded" a bit better. I decided to just go upstairs and check out the situation and BAM!! CUTE ALERT, CUTE ALERT PEOPLE!!! Fred was there, on Lana's side, standing by the window and watching her work! They were being so sweet with each other,I just stood there and watched them for a few minutes. They shared a couple of small kisses in between autographs, and he was carressing her back at some points and they were talking and MY HEART MELTS!!! They are just so cute together!!! I'm so happy Lana has her soulmate (as she herself put it during her Q&A) and that Fred seems to love her this much! A couple of minutes after I went down to tell the girls she was finished, we see the ABSOLUTE CUTE ALERT - TIME TO DIE -CANNOT BREATH - OMG I'M LOSING IT *faints* moment: Fred and Lana (on flats) coming down the stairs, holding hands and being awesome for just existing!!! I look at them and my puppy dog eyes and voice come out: "Laaaanaaaaaaa...." I pouted, I actually pouted like a dog! Really, someone hit me! "Would it be possible for you to take a group pic with the girls here? They wanted a picture with you and them wearing the t-shirts they made for you". She wanted to say yes, but the organizers were right behind her, as was that huge security guard that was beside her the whole time. "Oh I'm so sorry, I can't... They won't let me". The girls were disappointed but at least we tried. And when she went on with Fred down the stairs, they both turn to us so she can say she was sorry again (I LOVE HER!!) and BAM! Moment of impulse comes out: "Hey Fred!" - "Yeah!" (his face was depicting such amusement!! I adored that!) - "Marry her the soonest possible, ok? *insert conspiratory eye blinking*". And the both burst out laughing and Fred goes all "Oh I will definitely keep THAT in mind!" and they keep going down, laughing! OK SO SUE ME, I COULDN'T HELP IT!! I wanted them to get married like right there and then, in Paris!!! THEY SERIOUSLY LOOK AMAZING TOGETHERRRR!!
Before I had the chance to start on the brain function again, the cocktail with no cocktails party time arrived. Like I said earlier, it seemed that everything went on on a fast forward mode, and that party was the biggest proof! They let the guests stick around at each of the only 10 tables for like 3-4 minutes. But no matter, I managed to make the most of it once more.They all arrived together (all except Emily, who unfortunately felt so sick that couldn't attend), along with their partners and families. SO GLAMOUROUS! They all looked fabulous! Seeing Lana on the Comic Con leather dress, with Fred on her side... CHRIS FREAKS OUT NO1! Seing Sean entering with Tanya on his side... CHRIS FREAKS OUT NO2!!! GAaaaah, how wonderful it was to have them all there. I felt extremely happy that Tanya was also there and I really wanted to go talk to her but of course I never got a damn chance. I watched them going at the back room, to take some group pics, and then they started visiting the tables. With my luck striking red that day, my chair was right next the one each of them was going to sit on. So, Robbie was the first one to come to us and we talked like we were old buddies from years!! "You are blonder than you look!" I said and he went on about how he had recently visited the beach, so it was probably the aftermath! He talked to us and, from what I can remember we were not talking OUAT, but general stuff. He asked us where we were from, he said how wonderful he felt to be back to Europe, where his home is, and that he has been living in the States for the last 3.5 years, talked a little bit about how he was finishing high school when his OUAT gang came on... I enjoyed chatting with him so much, he is such a sweetheart! And then he was like "hey, they promised us alcohol, where the hell is it?? I'm putting down some complaints here" and we all laughed!!!
Next on the line was THE HOTTY! Sean sat next to me, that smell of forest filling my poor nostrils for the third time that day (and I found it very hard to not just lean on and kiss smell him more!). He thanked us like a gazillion times for being there, for being so supportive and loving and he said that he felt extremely lucky to be working with the people he works with and that half of the credit goes to us, because if it weren't for us, he wouldn't be doing something he loved so much, he would probably be looking for another, less satisfying job. Really! I mean it, really!! He then asked us if we were having fun at the con, and what has been our favourite part thus far... and went on to comment on the lack of proper food! "Really, that's all they have for you?? And where is the alcohol?????" HAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAA, WHAT'S UP WITH THE BRITS AND THE NEED FOR ALCOHOL???
You should see how Bex decided to come to our table. Sean hadn't even gotten up his chair yet when she finished with the table she was at, and she comes to us, stands above him, he gets up all "freaked out" and she says "ok you're done here, move it move it!!!" and starts hitting him playfully to make room for her!! SO FUNNY, HE WAS TURNING RED OUT OF LAUGHTER!! It's so refreshing to see how great friends these people have been and that they spend time together and enjoy it. Bex sat down and she was just too awesome for words again! All snarky and so much like Zelena, only in her good days! AND THE LAUGH!! That laugh would be the end of all of us!! She shared a couple of very funny moments with me, one of them being the Wicked Witch look, shot RIGHT ON ME!! She was like inches away from me, looking at me like Zelena, talking with that voice and joking! I tried my best to keep up with her, but needless to say I failed!! She was being extremely friendly, she talked about how all her costars have been great, how she speaks like 7 languages and how she loves to sing (at which point I told her about my idea of a musical OUAT ep and both her and her assistant loved it and said they should totally do it), a little bit about Lost and how "John Locke" coming on OUAT would rock the world... AND I tought her a bit of greek, in which she added "oh great, now I can speak greek too!". When her assistant said it was time to go, she pouted like a baby, but she did get up and moved on, sending us kisses.
And then the Queen came!!!! I was at such loss!! She was tired and jetlagged and her head had started hurting, but she was gleeful and happy and her usual wonderful self!! I asked her for a hug and she obliged, even gave me a small kiss, and I got a bit teary eyed! I told her how I just absolutely thank her parents for doing what they did those years ago and how she came out of it (insert moment of impulse no4! I K R????) and she talked to us about how she adores her mother and how this time of hiatus they all go crazy about spending time with their families. She said how important family is to her, especially now that she is a stepmother of three kids (at which point I was like "WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT??? :O:S", thankfully only in my head... I didn't know Fred had kids, let alone at such ages!!! Holy shit, there are people out there who can call Lana their mum!! SIUFHNSIFUSNHOGIMSHFIODUOIUSMPFOOP AWESOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOME!!!). She commented on the lack of a proper dinner and said that she'd demand some lobstar of some steaks for crying out loud! Before I got the chance to tell her how much she means to all of us and what a great impact she has had on us, her PA called her to leave. "It's alright maybe Robin Hood will come up next... Oh dear, what am I saying, Sean! Sean may come up next!" hahahaaaaaaa, just when you think you had reached the ultimate level of love for that human being, she goes and gives you even more reasons to adore her!!!
And finally, Jared! That kid was simply adorable to watch. He was nervous, you could tell, because he asked us two times how we liked the con so far and how we were all doing. But still, it is wonderful to see how this kid has spent his last years of childhood working along with those wonderful people, growing into a hardworking teenager and giving his best self to what he does. I don't have much to say about the time he sat with us, because really, they didn't let him stay there enough!
After they did their rounds to all the tables, they spent some time giving interviews, checking out the posters about their characters and they hanged out for a bit. At some point, there was this table fist hitting contest between us, which was a lot of fun, especially later when we did a "we want Fred" table fist hit session, at which point another table responded by an equally strong "we want Tanya" one!!! seriously, BEST FANS EVER!!! :D Fred also cheerleaded us for a bit, jumped up and down out of excitement, he even joined Lana at one lucky table for some moments! BUT, everything was over before I even managed to take it all in. Lana and Fred were the first to go, and the only ones escorted out from the main entrance. The rest of the cast stuck around a little bit more, but they were on the other room, and then they waited outside on the back door for their cars to pick them up.
After they left, we knew it was time for us to return to Paris as well. Because in less than 10 hours, there would be part 2 coming up!!! So the first day of AWESOME ended, leaving me with that still IDIOTIC smile on my face the whole time!