Firefly Creation Convention Report
Firefly/Serenity Creation Con Report
October 2007
Once upon a time, fall meant Halloween, pilots, Back to School sales at Staples and leaves doing that color-changing thing. Now fall means convention season, and this year we’re attending three. Two Firefly cons in three weeks? Obsessive, you say? I blame Nathan. And suspenders. And Fox News.
Anyway, the first stop on a five-week student-loan-spending extravaganza is Creation’s Salute to Firefly/Serenity, held at our home away from home, the Burbank Marriot. In a rare display of restraint, Megan, Jenn and I are attending Sunday’s events only. Nathan’s not scheduled to appear on Saturday, a fact which has nothing at all to do with our newfound self-control.
Tradition dictates that we hold a party reminiscent of the famous Flan-B bash. (Remember the blender drinks and the storytelling? Remember when I turned your DVD player upside-down, Tams, with a DVD still inside? Remember when Megan was butch? Remember Darren? Me either.) We arrive at the Marriot Saturday evening, toting about fifty pounds worth of candy/Firefly stuff/decorations. (“Now I’m learning about carrying!”) Megan and I are late, having stopped for ice, caffeine and Taco Bell. We spend several hours transforming two, ordinary adjoining hotel rooms into Inara’s shuttle (read: hanging paper lanterns we bought the week before in Chinatown). Megan watches the Red Sox, and we make fun of her. Jenn does everyone’s hair. If you read this, Joss, you should hire Jenn to do hair on Dollhouse. You should hire me too, but not to do hair! I can’t even do my hair. I’d like to run my fingers through Nathan’s hair . . . Okay, we’re getting off track. Regroup.
The second annual Tams-Megan-April-Jenn-Other People party is as successful as its predecessor. The Browncoats start arriving after the dessert party. Watching old con footage and chatting about TV gems soon turns into a giant massage party on the king-sized bed. (Those crazy Browncoats!) It’s three or so before everyone leaves, and Megan and I decide that 4am is as good a time as any for a slumber party. It’s not like we have to get up early. Oh, wait, yeah we do!
Morning dawns, and with it fashion emergencies. Basically, Megan and Jenn tell me my shirt makes me look like a whore. Sorry, Companion. Anyway, fortunately Tams has left her clothes scattered about the room (?), and I slide on a cover up and, with it, some measure of respectability. After all, it’s not every day you take a picture with Captain Tightpants.
After buying our photo op tickets-and haranguing Megs for being too much of a wimp to get one with Sean-it’s time for the first big event, Sean Maher’s panel. He’s very sweet and less shy than I expected, having watched some of his previous panels on DVD. He says he’s been taking some time off but is ready to get back to work. He answers questions, but the audience seems to be informing him rather than the other way around. The Firefly DVDs are in space? Did you guys know that? (Yes, Sean!) Zak Efron played young Simon in Safe, really? (Really, Sean.) It’s actually pretty adorable.
Yan’s panel is next, and he’s very funny and charming. I ask him if he had a chance to talk to Joss at all re Fanty and Mingo’s history with Mal. Apparently-yay for new backstory-the twins are supposed to be Badger’s cousins. “Cousins by marriage,” Yan jokes.
After Fanty or Mingo’s (I can never remember, but then again, neither can Joss) panel it’s time for Nathan’s photo ops. Jenn and I wait in line with a sizable group of preening girls (and guys!) eager for a picture with the captain. Nathan is his usual adorable/charming/handsome/personable self, not that I’m biased or anything. When it’s my turn, he holds out a hand and asks my name. “April,” I answer, because I can still remember my name. Nathan’s response? “I love that name.” I think I blanked out for a few seconds. Seriously, there’s this glowy-gold haze in which Nathan shakes my hand and introduces himself: “I’m Nathan.” Yes, Nathan, I know. I did pay 50 bucks for the privilege of touching you. C’mon people, let’s acknowledge the true purpose of the photo op! I’m blushing as I type this. It takes me the space of a few seconds to remember that we’re supposed to be posing. Luckily Nathan seems to know what to do. He puts his arm around me-I seriously can’t think about this, I’m blushing again-and oh my Gods the man is tall! My head ends up at his chest, which, honestly? Not a bad place for a head.
I sort of float out of the photo op room, go find Megan in the main auditorium. I tell her the news: “Nathan loves my name!” She says I sighed, too. She’s probably right. In the lull between panels, I call my mom to thank her for naming me. She’s excited. “I have to go tell your father!” I think he’s probably less excited. Anyway, Summer’s panel is next so we take our seats.
Summer is very pretty (and thin) with new blond highlights in her hair. She seems a little intimidated by the turn out, or at least surprised by it. She talks about training for Serenity and auditioning for Sarah Connor-“I wasn’t going to go, my mom made me.”
A half hour or so into her panel, Nathan surprises her (and us) by crashing. The Summer-Nathan panel turns into the Nathan panel, Summer hanging around. Nathan has brought a collection of awesome random stuff from his house, including Serenity money and pictures, which he gives away to audience members who ask questions. I ask if Mal and Inara have a future and, if so, what that relationship would entail. “I think they’d be like the Honeymooners in space,” Nathan says, and gives me a picture of him and Katee from White Noise 2. “I’ve actually seen that movie!” I tell him. “What’d you think?” I tell him it was awesome-(Um, he and Katee were!)-and he responds, “Great question!” Other great moments include my friend asking who would be the better doctor, now that he and Sean have played a gyno and a surgeon respectively. Nathan explains that Simon is an excellent surgeon, while Nathan is just really good with his hands.
Nathan’s panel includes a surprise visit from a heavily accented man in a trench coat, hat and sunglasses. Of course it’s Alan, and he asks Nathan why Mal doesn’t fly the ship like Han Solo. Nathan says he took the cool aspects of Han and eliminated the lame ones. He also says that Mal doesn’t need to “micromanage.” Eventually Sean too joins the panel. There is much hugging-Nathan and Sean hug for an adorably long time. Watching the “crew” interact is really one of the best parts of the con experience.
Our last event is the autographing session. Now, I’ll admit I’ve always been a Nathan girl. I enjoy Simon-from both a watching and fanfic-writing perspective. But, unlike most of my friends, I had little desire to know Simon/Sean in the biblical sense. That was before I saw the man smile. You see, Simon doesn’t really smile . . . a lot. Something about the whole leaving his family and career and entire life behind to abscond with his crazy fugitive sister thing. So I was unprepared for the fact that Sean Maher really does smile a whole lot. Sean Maher’s smile is like a thousand clichés about the sunshine. If Dick Cheney witnessed Sean Maher’s megawatt smile, gay marriage would be legal in about a week.
We inch our way toward Sean’s table, watching as his handler handles him. Apparently Sean hurt his neck/back/shoulder somehow, and the handler is massaging him, causing his shirt to fall open in an increasingly precarious manner. So, to recap, megawatt smile + open shirt = inhuman treatment of fangirls. Megan and Jenn merely laugh, cruelly pleased that I too have finally fallen victim to the famous Maher grin.
I get Nathan’s autograph first, offering the picture of him and Katee and telling him that I’d be seeing her at the Battlestar con in a few weeks. Nathan gushes about Katee-one of my favorite hobbies as well. “She’s a sweetheart,” he says. “She’s kicking ass on Bionic Woman. Tell her I said that.” Why yes, Nathan, I will!
I get Sean’s autograph-I already got Summer’s; she signs her name with a heart, aw-and weekend one of the Fall Con Season comes to a close. “Good times, good times.”
~April
October 2007
Once upon a time, fall meant Halloween, pilots, Back to School sales at Staples and leaves doing that color-changing thing. Now fall means convention season, and this year we’re attending three. Two Firefly cons in three weeks? Obsessive, you say? I blame Nathan. And suspenders. And Fox News.
Anyway, the first stop on a five-week student-loan-spending extravaganza is Creation’s Salute to Firefly/Serenity, held at our home away from home, the Burbank Marriot. In a rare display of restraint, Megan, Jenn and I are attending Sunday’s events only. Nathan’s not scheduled to appear on Saturday, a fact which has nothing at all to do with our newfound self-control.
Tradition dictates that we hold a party reminiscent of the famous Flan-B bash. (Remember the blender drinks and the storytelling? Remember when I turned your DVD player upside-down, Tams, with a DVD still inside? Remember when Megan was butch? Remember Darren? Me either.) We arrive at the Marriot Saturday evening, toting about fifty pounds worth of candy/Firefly stuff/decorations. (“Now I’m learning about carrying!”) Megan and I are late, having stopped for ice, caffeine and Taco Bell. We spend several hours transforming two, ordinary adjoining hotel rooms into Inara’s shuttle (read: hanging paper lanterns we bought the week before in Chinatown). Megan watches the Red Sox, and we make fun of her. Jenn does everyone’s hair. If you read this, Joss, you should hire Jenn to do hair on Dollhouse. You should hire me too, but not to do hair! I can’t even do my hair. I’d like to run my fingers through Nathan’s hair . . . Okay, we’re getting off track. Regroup.
The second annual Tams-Megan-April-Jenn-Other People party is as successful as its predecessor. The Browncoats start arriving after the dessert party. Watching old con footage and chatting about TV gems soon turns into a giant massage party on the king-sized bed. (Those crazy Browncoats!) It’s three or so before everyone leaves, and Megan and I decide that 4am is as good a time as any for a slumber party. It’s not like we have to get up early. Oh, wait, yeah we do!
Morning dawns, and with it fashion emergencies. Basically, Megan and Jenn tell me my shirt makes me look like a whore. Sorry, Companion. Anyway, fortunately Tams has left her clothes scattered about the room (?), and I slide on a cover up and, with it, some measure of respectability. After all, it’s not every day you take a picture with Captain Tightpants.
After buying our photo op tickets-and haranguing Megs for being too much of a wimp to get one with Sean-it’s time for the first big event, Sean Maher’s panel. He’s very sweet and less shy than I expected, having watched some of his previous panels on DVD. He says he’s been taking some time off but is ready to get back to work. He answers questions, but the audience seems to be informing him rather than the other way around. The Firefly DVDs are in space? Did you guys know that? (Yes, Sean!) Zak Efron played young Simon in Safe, really? (Really, Sean.) It’s actually pretty adorable.
Yan’s panel is next, and he’s very funny and charming. I ask him if he had a chance to talk to Joss at all re Fanty and Mingo’s history with Mal. Apparently-yay for new backstory-the twins are supposed to be Badger’s cousins. “Cousins by marriage,” Yan jokes.
After Fanty or Mingo’s (I can never remember, but then again, neither can Joss) panel it’s time for Nathan’s photo ops. Jenn and I wait in line with a sizable group of preening girls (and guys!) eager for a picture with the captain. Nathan is his usual adorable/charming/handsome/personable self, not that I’m biased or anything. When it’s my turn, he holds out a hand and asks my name. “April,” I answer, because I can still remember my name. Nathan’s response? “I love that name.” I think I blanked out for a few seconds. Seriously, there’s this glowy-gold haze in which Nathan shakes my hand and introduces himself: “I’m Nathan.” Yes, Nathan, I know. I did pay 50 bucks for the privilege of touching you. C’mon people, let’s acknowledge the true purpose of the photo op! I’m blushing as I type this. It takes me the space of a few seconds to remember that we’re supposed to be posing. Luckily Nathan seems to know what to do. He puts his arm around me-I seriously can’t think about this, I’m blushing again-and oh my Gods the man is tall! My head ends up at his chest, which, honestly? Not a bad place for a head.
I sort of float out of the photo op room, go find Megan in the main auditorium. I tell her the news: “Nathan loves my name!” She says I sighed, too. She’s probably right. In the lull between panels, I call my mom to thank her for naming me. She’s excited. “I have to go tell your father!” I think he’s probably less excited. Anyway, Summer’s panel is next so we take our seats.
Summer is very pretty (and thin) with new blond highlights in her hair. She seems a little intimidated by the turn out, or at least surprised by it. She talks about training for Serenity and auditioning for Sarah Connor-“I wasn’t going to go, my mom made me.”
A half hour or so into her panel, Nathan surprises her (and us) by crashing. The Summer-Nathan panel turns into the Nathan panel, Summer hanging around. Nathan has brought a collection of awesome random stuff from his house, including Serenity money and pictures, which he gives away to audience members who ask questions. I ask if Mal and Inara have a future and, if so, what that relationship would entail. “I think they’d be like the Honeymooners in space,” Nathan says, and gives me a picture of him and Katee from White Noise 2. “I’ve actually seen that movie!” I tell him. “What’d you think?” I tell him it was awesome-(Um, he and Katee were!)-and he responds, “Great question!” Other great moments include my friend asking who would be the better doctor, now that he and Sean have played a gyno and a surgeon respectively. Nathan explains that Simon is an excellent surgeon, while Nathan is just really good with his hands.
Nathan’s panel includes a surprise visit from a heavily accented man in a trench coat, hat and sunglasses. Of course it’s Alan, and he asks Nathan why Mal doesn’t fly the ship like Han Solo. Nathan says he took the cool aspects of Han and eliminated the lame ones. He also says that Mal doesn’t need to “micromanage.” Eventually Sean too joins the panel. There is much hugging-Nathan and Sean hug for an adorably long time. Watching the “crew” interact is really one of the best parts of the con experience.
Our last event is the autographing session. Now, I’ll admit I’ve always been a Nathan girl. I enjoy Simon-from both a watching and fanfic-writing perspective. But, unlike most of my friends, I had little desire to know Simon/Sean in the biblical sense. That was before I saw the man smile. You see, Simon doesn’t really smile . . . a lot. Something about the whole leaving his family and career and entire life behind to abscond with his crazy fugitive sister thing. So I was unprepared for the fact that Sean Maher really does smile a whole lot. Sean Maher’s smile is like a thousand clichés about the sunshine. If Dick Cheney witnessed Sean Maher’s megawatt smile, gay marriage would be legal in about a week.
We inch our way toward Sean’s table, watching as his handler handles him. Apparently Sean hurt his neck/back/shoulder somehow, and the handler is massaging him, causing his shirt to fall open in an increasingly precarious manner. So, to recap, megawatt smile + open shirt = inhuman treatment of fangirls. Megan and Jenn merely laugh, cruelly pleased that I too have finally fallen victim to the famous Maher grin.
I get Nathan’s autograph first, offering the picture of him and Katee and telling him that I’d be seeing her at the Battlestar con in a few weeks. Nathan gushes about Katee-one of my favorite hobbies as well. “She’s a sweetheart,” he says. “She’s kicking ass on Bionic Woman. Tell her I said that.” Why yes, Nathan, I will!
I get Sean’s autograph-I already got Summer’s; she signs her name with a heart, aw-and weekend one of the Fall Con Season comes to a close. “Good times, good times.”
~April