Twelfth Reel: 2012's Weekend of Canadian Geekery (Part 3)
This panel was the ever-famous Atop the Fourth Wall LIVE!
Thing is, though, we apparently didn’t get going early enough. You know how I said before that the lines for panels started 45 minutes before the time the panel started? Well this panel was supposed to start at 6pm so we got to the line at 5:16. … They were already past the cut-off point by that time! It was very disappointing. We for a bit thought they should have been monitoring the area better so people didn’t line up so early… but even then they would still be waiting right outside the area. It’s just so unfair. You could argue that it was our fault we didn’t come early because we decided to go to the marketplace instead, but what about the people who were at another program during that time? So disappointing. And we weren’t the only ones who felt that way as we heard several people around us make the same complaints. All of us, though, stayed in the line anyway, in the forlorn hope that we might, just might be able to make it anyway. “Maybe they will suddenly decide to change to a bigger room to fit all of us,” someone said. But alas, this never happened, and the rest of us were deprived from seeing a new episode and possibly having some part in a Linkara video.
(This is what we missed apparently.)
Some people opted to instead go downstairs and line up for the D20 battle, which would involve Linkara and Spoony, while the rest of us went for what Ry and I believed to be an even better alternative - stay there and be the first in line for the “Music and the Internet” panel with Paw and Todd in the Shadows (there were also two actual internet musicians with them, Mega Ran and Skrypnyk? I'm not 100% sure, somebody please correct me if I'm wrong). The wait was long but we passed the time starting what would soon be for the con a long series of Hangman games. I’m sure the D20 thing was awesome, but I will say right now that missing it for this was totally, totally worth it and the best option we could have chosen.
But here is the D20 battle if anyone is interested:
As you would expect from a title such as “Music and the Internet”, the topic here was, well, music and the internet. More specifically, we were discussing how to use the internet to your advantage as a musician, the issue of copyrights when you’re make remixes, video sites and music, and recommendations for users looking for good music websites to buy from that also support the indie artists.
Paw Dugan and Todd in the Shadows. Three guesses which is which.
It reminded me of how funny Paw and Todd are - I mean, it’s not like I didn’t already know, I watch a good number of their videos - but this was them right here, in reality. There was an easel next to the table with the topic written on it and Paw drew the music notes above it (so he boasted) - with those music notes he made one of the funniest-looking linefaces ever. The conversation itself was very interesting, the reviewers and the musicians getting to know each other during the actual session and learning how the other handles their careers, what they know, things like that. Pogo was also mentioned and the world of remixing/sampling in general, and how you can’t really make money off such music but it’s an excellent starting point and really adds to your resumé and makes you recognisable. That particular part of the discussion made me feel much better about my vidding hobby. Ry did record the last bit of the discussion, but due to a fan being placed within the room to lower the temperature, the dialogue isn’t even audible. But we have it anyway.
Paw's funny drawing would've been viewable if not for the uproarious power of the Loudest Fan Ever.
After the panel, Paw said he would go downstairs for anyone who wanted a signature or anything, so we followed - but not before catching Todd since he had to return to his room to work on a video. Ry had bought some chocolate Canadian money to give to Channel Awesome members as a bit of a joke and token, so by “catching” Todd, I mean Ry managed to give him some of this money… and then accidentally bumped into him while trying to get back to me. Thankfully that was not the high point of our experience with Todd. And almost immediately after that I saw a girl hurrying down the hallway to get to Todd and, unsurprisingly but still awe-inducingly, it was Lindsay Ellis the Nostalgia Chick! It’s funny how someone can look so normal when they aren’t famous, but then when they are they look so distinctive.
Downstairs we did find Paw surrounded by several people wanting autographs, including a chick who was getting every Channel Awesome member to sign her catbus. We were instead boring and had him sign the front page of our booklets. I really like his signature - it’s illegible but has a little pawprint in the middle of all the scribbles. It was an excellent touch. Paw also had the best reaction to Ry giving him money. “Ooh, energy to keep me going! Thanks!”
We then took a washroom break and when we returned to the lobby, we did not expect to find a Doug Walker there! We couldn’t get his signature because he had to leave, but Ry managed to give him some chocolate money. “Hey thanks!” he said, which was the standard reaction we got to most receivers of this gift. Now back upstairs to catch Lindsay’s panel, where we didn’t beat the line starter this time but even if we didn’t make it into the panel, the reason why was so so worth it.
AND WE DID MAKE IT IN YAAAAY.
We even ended up in the second row. The girl next to me said, “Isn’t this exciting? It’s Lindsay Ellis and Elisa Hansen, less than five feet away from us! And Todd and Paw Dugan in the corner! [They were sitting on the floor against the wall.]” She wasn’t wrong - it was indeed very exciting. The topic, unsurprisingly for those who know Lindsay’s field, was “Being a Girl on the Internet”. Most of you are probably thinking, “Oh, the feminist topic then,” and the funny thing is that feminism itself was part of the very topic - how many women shy away from calling themselves “feminists” because such a word has been given such a bad wrap on the internet thanks to some “radical feminists”. Someone in the audience even dared to call it “female supremacism”, which led Lindsay to joke, “Yeah, at least white supremacists are honest and tell you exactly what they want.” There was also the discussion of women getting a hard time from said “feminists”, like Lindsay herself, and of course men - still. Mostly how some like to comment on the cleavage or the appearance in general or how much she swears instead of the actual content. It wasn’t a panel to say, “Look at how we as women are still beaten down,” but to brainstorm how we as women can handle it to hopefully improve everyone’s overall internet experience. And pretty much the biggest conclusion was, “Have a thick skin, ignore 90% of the negative comments, take heed to the other 10% that’s constructive, and if it starts to become dangerous, call the police.” I loved both Lindsay and Elisa, as well as the third girl who was a web comic artist named Katie Shanahan, and how all of them talked about this civilly, logically, and without holding any hate or degrading to anyone, even the biggest insulters (to them they just held confusion and bewilderment).
Here be Lindsay.
By the way, I know I’ve been mostly talking about Lindsay in this and Elisa very little, and that is because Lindsay was the one heading the discussion and doing the most talking and having the most stories to tell. Elisa talked, of course, but as a sort of subsector to the Nostalgia Chick, she doesn’t get near as much bad reception, thankfully, from others. Questions directed at her were mostly ones like, “Did feminists hate you for playing the part of the Makeover Fairy in Lindsay’s review of Grease?”
And here be Elisa.
Also notable was that there appeared to be at least three journalists at this panel - all women of course, probably web journalists or bloggers or something along those lines - but I’m sure they were journalists because they each asked a question and were jotting things down in a notepad. But for me personally this was another panel that inspired me and made me feel more self-confident. Lindsay in particular was very amusing and intelligent and it just reminded me of how much I like her as a person by just being who she is.
What was even better about this panel was that Lindsay, Elisa, Todd and Paw invited whoever wanted to to come and meet them at the elevators for talks and signatures and so on and so forth. And this is truly where the meaning of “Awesome” comes from.
When we all go there, us fans lined up along each wall in the hallway and Paw opted to run down and high-five all of us. “Now just stay down that end,” said Lindsay. Paw went, “Awwww,” and pathetically lowered his head and moped. “Nah, you can come back.” “Yay!” And he high-fived all of us again on the way back. Lindsay then came over near us to sign that same chick’s catbus (she even called it by its original Japanese name, the “nekobus”), and so the session for a brief while turned into an autograph moment. Lindsay signed both of our programs and Ry gave her and Elisa some chocolate loonies. Then Ry and I briefly got separated as the group gathered closer because Lindsay and Todd had surprises for us. The surprise? They actually had posters to sell us! And not just Todd- and NChick-specific. There was a little poster each of Todd and NChick, but even better was the big surprise poster which was…
Well… you remember the Top 11 video Lindsay did for the Least Awful Disney Sequels? And how there was a certain poster displayed in it as a horrible inside joke?
That’s right… they actually had printed copies of the Disney’s Anne Frank poster! Glossy and big-sized and everything!
They were selling that one for $10 and the little ones for $5, and as soon as I saw that beautiful poster, ohmygodmustget! Even if they weren’t doing autographs with them (which they were), I wouldn’t care because I’d have that poster and I knew already that it was going to be the best purchase of this year’s ConBravo!
Except then we were interrupted by a volunteer who told us that we had to move down to the lobby.
So us fans and Elisa took the elevator down while the other three took the stairs. Once the doors shut Elisa turned to us and said, “Now I have you all under my power.” Ry and I were united.
We came down to the lobby and were happily greeted by Lindsay, Paw and Todd, who were now setting up everything on a table instead of the floor. We were all just kind of gathered around for the first bit, but then apparently a line was eventually formed. Ry and I were confused… were we the second people in line? Were we in the line at all? Several people, meanwhile, were coming up asking what was going on. Ry explained it to one guy and he responded with, “Oh, I have to troll them!” We had no idea what this meant.
Apparently it meant the guy was going to return in an LMFAO costume with a stereo that was blaring “Party Rock Anthem”. Believe it or not, the New York gang were perfectly okay with this, even Todd who hates the song. They all had a friendly chat with the guy while continuing to sign and hand out posters.
Somehow, after several minutes Ry and I had ended up pressed against the wall where the table was while still not being in the line. Eventually one guy to our left was buying posters next and meanwhile we were expressing our confusion to each other. The guy overheard and told us, “You just have to be assertive!” Lindsay overheard him and then apologised to me in which I flustered, “Nono, it’s okay!” right before thinking to myself, “Ohmygod Lindsay Ellis just apologised to me.” I am a terrible fangirl.
But then we finally managed to get all three posters, the Todd one going to Ry while the others to me. All four reviewers from the New York gang who were there ended up signing that gorgeous Anne Frank poster, I thanked them all so much, and then we went to put all of this in the car.
I was extremely jittery afterwards. That time with them was so amazing! It was like we were one big happy family where all of us were important. They didn’t treat us like fans, they treated us like good friends. I wasn’t squeeing over the fact that I had something of theirs, or for the status symbol of having something from them with their signatures - I was squeeing because they had acknowledged my existence. They now all know of LilbunUWiz (even if they don’t know the name), who didn’t have the assertiveness to say I was the next in line. And with the friend who gave everybody chocolate CADs.
And after looking myself in the mirror soon after, I realised that I actually had quite a distinctive appearance; I was wearing glasses, a scarf, a director’s hat, and was carrying a kangaroo.
So in all our jitteriness, we didn’t really want to go back to the hotel just yet. It was about 10:30 by this point and the night felt young. So we came back into the building and that was when I saw myself in the mirror. And speaking of Joey my kangaroo…
We turned back into the lobby and Lewis where did you come from? He was giving out signatures so we lined up to get one in my program. (Ry also asked me if I wanted to get a picture with him and I was like, “Ajjfaajeoifh shush.”) And when I got to him, he asked me if I wanted an autograph in my program… or on Joey? I hadn’t even thought about Joey but that was such an awesome idea! I was being overly modest about this, though, in my nervousness, so he was like, “Okay, I’ll try.” It didn’t work because Joey’s fabric doesn’t agree with permanent markers. So he ended up signing under his picture in the program instead. Joey did get a token, however, since the permanent marker left a smudge, so it wasn’t all a loss for him - just nothing to boast about. Ry also wasn’t able to give Lewis any of the chocolate because she was saving the rest for Spoony the next day. Poor guy - we imagined all of them conversing about it when they got back to their respective homes:
Todd: “This girl gave me some Canadian chocolate money.”
Doug: “Hey, I got that too!”
Lindsay: “Well, I guess she must have been passing them around, because I also got some.”
Paw: “Me too!”
Elisa: “Same!”
Lewis: “… I didn’t get any…”
We decided to go to the second half of the panel where they were having a trivia game for Yu-Gi-Oh! The Abridged Series. It was done up in a Jeopardy!-type format and it finished soon after we got there. I did get some of the questions we caught though.
And then we were finally heading back to the hotel where we would spend the last half-hour of our day catching up on a few of Doug’s Disneycember videos, since we’ve been watching them by how far we are in our Disney Marathon. And we both peacefully went to sleep… or at least I did… knowing that we had just had what some would coin as, “The Best Night Ever”. Could Sunday possibly exceed such a night?
To be continued... for the last time, and for not near as long a wait, promise.
Thing is, though, we apparently didn’t get going early enough. You know how I said before that the lines for panels started 45 minutes before the time the panel started? Well this panel was supposed to start at 6pm so we got to the line at 5:16. … They were already past the cut-off point by that time! It was very disappointing. We for a bit thought they should have been monitoring the area better so people didn’t line up so early… but even then they would still be waiting right outside the area. It’s just so unfair. You could argue that it was our fault we didn’t come early because we decided to go to the marketplace instead, but what about the people who were at another program during that time? So disappointing. And we weren’t the only ones who felt that way as we heard several people around us make the same complaints. All of us, though, stayed in the line anyway, in the forlorn hope that we might, just might be able to make it anyway. “Maybe they will suddenly decide to change to a bigger room to fit all of us,” someone said. But alas, this never happened, and the rest of us were deprived from seeing a new episode and possibly having some part in a Linkara video.
(This is what we missed apparently.)
Some people opted to instead go downstairs and line up for the D20 battle, which would involve Linkara and Spoony, while the rest of us went for what Ry and I believed to be an even better alternative - stay there and be the first in line for the “Music and the Internet” panel with Paw and Todd in the Shadows (there were also two actual internet musicians with them, Mega Ran and Skrypnyk? I'm not 100% sure, somebody please correct me if I'm wrong). The wait was long but we passed the time starting what would soon be for the con a long series of Hangman games. I’m sure the D20 thing was awesome, but I will say right now that missing it for this was totally, totally worth it and the best option we could have chosen.
But here is the D20 battle if anyone is interested:
As you would expect from a title such as “Music and the Internet”, the topic here was, well, music and the internet. More specifically, we were discussing how to use the internet to your advantage as a musician, the issue of copyrights when you’re make remixes, video sites and music, and recommendations for users looking for good music websites to buy from that also support the indie artists.
Paw Dugan and Todd in the Shadows. Three guesses which is which.
It reminded me of how funny Paw and Todd are - I mean, it’s not like I didn’t already know, I watch a good number of their videos - but this was them right here, in reality. There was an easel next to the table with the topic written on it and Paw drew the music notes above it (so he boasted) - with those music notes he made one of the funniest-looking linefaces ever. The conversation itself was very interesting, the reviewers and the musicians getting to know each other during the actual session and learning how the other handles their careers, what they know, things like that. Pogo was also mentioned and the world of remixing/sampling in general, and how you can’t really make money off such music but it’s an excellent starting point and really adds to your resumé and makes you recognisable. That particular part of the discussion made me feel much better about my vidding hobby. Ry did record the last bit of the discussion, but due to a fan being placed within the room to lower the temperature, the dialogue isn’t even audible. But we have it anyway.
Paw's funny drawing would've been viewable if not for the uproarious power of the Loudest Fan Ever.
After the panel, Paw said he would go downstairs for anyone who wanted a signature or anything, so we followed - but not before catching Todd since he had to return to his room to work on a video. Ry had bought some chocolate Canadian money to give to Channel Awesome members as a bit of a joke and token, so by “catching” Todd, I mean Ry managed to give him some of this money… and then accidentally bumped into him while trying to get back to me. Thankfully that was not the high point of our experience with Todd. And almost immediately after that I saw a girl hurrying down the hallway to get to Todd and, unsurprisingly but still awe-inducingly, it was Lindsay Ellis the Nostalgia Chick! It’s funny how someone can look so normal when they aren’t famous, but then when they are they look so distinctive.
Downstairs we did find Paw surrounded by several people wanting autographs, including a chick who was getting every Channel Awesome member to sign her catbus. We were instead boring and had him sign the front page of our booklets. I really like his signature - it’s illegible but has a little pawprint in the middle of all the scribbles. It was an excellent touch. Paw also had the best reaction to Ry giving him money. “Ooh, energy to keep me going! Thanks!”
We then took a washroom break and when we returned to the lobby, we did not expect to find a Doug Walker there! We couldn’t get his signature because he had to leave, but Ry managed to give him some chocolate money. “Hey thanks!” he said, which was the standard reaction we got to most receivers of this gift. Now back upstairs to catch Lindsay’s panel, where we didn’t beat the line starter this time but even if we didn’t make it into the panel, the reason why was so so worth it.
AND WE DID MAKE IT IN YAAAAY.
We even ended up in the second row. The girl next to me said, “Isn’t this exciting? It’s Lindsay Ellis and Elisa Hansen, less than five feet away from us! And Todd and Paw Dugan in the corner! [They were sitting on the floor against the wall.]” She wasn’t wrong - it was indeed very exciting. The topic, unsurprisingly for those who know Lindsay’s field, was “Being a Girl on the Internet”. Most of you are probably thinking, “Oh, the feminist topic then,” and the funny thing is that feminism itself was part of the very topic - how many women shy away from calling themselves “feminists” because such a word has been given such a bad wrap on the internet thanks to some “radical feminists”. Someone in the audience even dared to call it “female supremacism”, which led Lindsay to joke, “Yeah, at least white supremacists are honest and tell you exactly what they want.” There was also the discussion of women getting a hard time from said “feminists”, like Lindsay herself, and of course men - still. Mostly how some like to comment on the cleavage or the appearance in general or how much she swears instead of the actual content. It wasn’t a panel to say, “Look at how we as women are still beaten down,” but to brainstorm how we as women can handle it to hopefully improve everyone’s overall internet experience. And pretty much the biggest conclusion was, “Have a thick skin, ignore 90% of the negative comments, take heed to the other 10% that’s constructive, and if it starts to become dangerous, call the police.” I loved both Lindsay and Elisa, as well as the third girl who was a web comic artist named Katie Shanahan, and how all of them talked about this civilly, logically, and without holding any hate or degrading to anyone, even the biggest insulters (to them they just held confusion and bewilderment).
Here be Lindsay.
By the way, I know I’ve been mostly talking about Lindsay in this and Elisa very little, and that is because Lindsay was the one heading the discussion and doing the most talking and having the most stories to tell. Elisa talked, of course, but as a sort of subsector to the Nostalgia Chick, she doesn’t get near as much bad reception, thankfully, from others. Questions directed at her were mostly ones like, “Did feminists hate you for playing the part of the Makeover Fairy in Lindsay’s review of Grease?”
And here be Elisa.
Also notable was that there appeared to be at least three journalists at this panel - all women of course, probably web journalists or bloggers or something along those lines - but I’m sure they were journalists because they each asked a question and were jotting things down in a notepad. But for me personally this was another panel that inspired me and made me feel more self-confident. Lindsay in particular was very amusing and intelligent and it just reminded me of how much I like her as a person by just being who she is.
What was even better about this panel was that Lindsay, Elisa, Todd and Paw invited whoever wanted to to come and meet them at the elevators for talks and signatures and so on and so forth. And this is truly where the meaning of “Awesome” comes from.
When we all go there, us fans lined up along each wall in the hallway and Paw opted to run down and high-five all of us. “Now just stay down that end,” said Lindsay. Paw went, “Awwww,” and pathetically lowered his head and moped. “Nah, you can come back.” “Yay!” And he high-fived all of us again on the way back. Lindsay then came over near us to sign that same chick’s catbus (she even called it by its original Japanese name, the “nekobus”), and so the session for a brief while turned into an autograph moment. Lindsay signed both of our programs and Ry gave her and Elisa some chocolate loonies. Then Ry and I briefly got separated as the group gathered closer because Lindsay and Todd had surprises for us. The surprise? They actually had posters to sell us! And not just Todd- and NChick-specific. There was a little poster each of Todd and NChick, but even better was the big surprise poster which was…
Well… you remember the Top 11 video Lindsay did for the Least Awful Disney Sequels? And how there was a certain poster displayed in it as a horrible inside joke?
That’s right… they actually had printed copies of the Disney’s Anne Frank poster! Glossy and big-sized and everything!
They were selling that one for $10 and the little ones for $5, and as soon as I saw that beautiful poster, ohmygodmustget! Even if they weren’t doing autographs with them (which they were), I wouldn’t care because I’d have that poster and I knew already that it was going to be the best purchase of this year’s ConBravo!
Except then we were interrupted by a volunteer who told us that we had to move down to the lobby.
So us fans and Elisa took the elevator down while the other three took the stairs. Once the doors shut Elisa turned to us and said, “Now I have you all under my power.” Ry and I were united.
We came down to the lobby and were happily greeted by Lindsay, Paw and Todd, who were now setting up everything on a table instead of the floor. We were all just kind of gathered around for the first bit, but then apparently a line was eventually formed. Ry and I were confused… were we the second people in line? Were we in the line at all? Several people, meanwhile, were coming up asking what was going on. Ry explained it to one guy and he responded with, “Oh, I have to troll them!” We had no idea what this meant.
Apparently it meant the guy was going to return in an LMFAO costume with a stereo that was blaring “Party Rock Anthem”. Believe it or not, the New York gang were perfectly okay with this, even Todd who hates the song. They all had a friendly chat with the guy while continuing to sign and hand out posters.
Somehow, after several minutes Ry and I had ended up pressed against the wall where the table was while still not being in the line. Eventually one guy to our left was buying posters next and meanwhile we were expressing our confusion to each other. The guy overheard and told us, “You just have to be assertive!” Lindsay overheard him and then apologised to me in which I flustered, “Nono, it’s okay!” right before thinking to myself, “Ohmygod Lindsay Ellis just apologised to me.” I am a terrible fangirl.
But then we finally managed to get all three posters, the Todd one going to Ry while the others to me. All four reviewers from the New York gang who were there ended up signing that gorgeous Anne Frank poster, I thanked them all so much, and then we went to put all of this in the car.
I was extremely jittery afterwards. That time with them was so amazing! It was like we were one big happy family where all of us were important. They didn’t treat us like fans, they treated us like good friends. I wasn’t squeeing over the fact that I had something of theirs, or for the status symbol of having something from them with their signatures - I was squeeing because they had acknowledged my existence. They now all know of LilbunUWiz (even if they don’t know the name), who didn’t have the assertiveness to say I was the next in line. And with the friend who gave everybody chocolate CADs.
And after looking myself in the mirror soon after, I realised that I actually had quite a distinctive appearance; I was wearing glasses, a scarf, a director’s hat, and was carrying a kangaroo.
So in all our jitteriness, we didn’t really want to go back to the hotel just yet. It was about 10:30 by this point and the night felt young. So we came back into the building and that was when I saw myself in the mirror. And speaking of Joey my kangaroo…
We turned back into the lobby and Lewis where did you come from? He was giving out signatures so we lined up to get one in my program. (Ry also asked me if I wanted to get a picture with him and I was like, “Ajjfaajeoifh shush.”) And when I got to him, he asked me if I wanted an autograph in my program… or on Joey? I hadn’t even thought about Joey but that was such an awesome idea! I was being overly modest about this, though, in my nervousness, so he was like, “Okay, I’ll try.” It didn’t work because Joey’s fabric doesn’t agree with permanent markers. So he ended up signing under his picture in the program instead. Joey did get a token, however, since the permanent marker left a smudge, so it wasn’t all a loss for him - just nothing to boast about. Ry also wasn’t able to give Lewis any of the chocolate because she was saving the rest for Spoony the next day. Poor guy - we imagined all of them conversing about it when they got back to their respective homes:
Todd: “This girl gave me some Canadian chocolate money.”
Doug: “Hey, I got that too!”
Lindsay: “Well, I guess she must have been passing them around, because I also got some.”
Paw: “Me too!”
Elisa: “Same!”
Lewis: “… I didn’t get any…”
We decided to go to the second half of the panel where they were having a trivia game for Yu-Gi-Oh! The Abridged Series. It was done up in a Jeopardy!-type format and it finished soon after we got there. I did get some of the questions we caught though.
And then we were finally heading back to the hotel where we would spend the last half-hour of our day catching up on a few of Doug’s Disneycember videos, since we’ve been watching them by how far we are in our Disney Marathon. And we both peacefully went to sleep… or at least I did… knowing that we had just had what some would coin as, “The Best Night Ever”. Could Sunday possibly exceed such a night?
To be continued... for the last time, and for not near as long a wait, promise.