SFX Weekender - The Report
It's all over. Done. Finished. After months of waiting it was gone in a flash. Did I enjoy it? Oh yes. Do I want to go the next one? ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR SHINY HELMET, HELL YES!
The Geek began the moment we drove through the gates of Pontins, Camber Sands. We were pulled over by the reception building by a group Stormtroopers and Boba Fett. They asked for kitty_poker1's licence and registration, which she didn't have, and when she she guessed at her registration number, Boba checked the front of the car and shook his head sadly. Another 'trooper decided we all seemed human apart from sweet_exile. The back door was pulled open and suddenly the Doctor (Ten) was half inside our car running his sonic screwdriver over sweet_exile's head. Finally we were given the all clear and I got out of the car to check us in while Kitty and the others parked out of the way. While inside I witnessed several marines chasing an Xenomorph. The alien got halfway up the stairs, shook its tail in a playfully cocky fashion and scampered off.
I've seen lots of complaints on the SFX forum and on Twitter about the accommodation, but ours was actually pretty good. Plenty of space for five people and it was clean. My only complaint was the bunk bed. I got the bottom because the top scared me too much, so instead I also got a waterproof matress, a completely flat pillow and back ache.
The welcoming event went off with a bang, lots of smoke and sparkes, dancing girls and nazguls, all to Rammstein's Du Hast (Soooo love that song). One of the first things we did was queue for James Marsters. The VIP queuing system was made of fail and we stood in line for a very long time. James was his usual wonderful self. I thanked him for his appearance at Hallowhedon even though he was in so much pain after his accident and he clapped his hand over his mouth, giggled and said 'Oh my god, I was so ridiculous!' Bless him.
We did lots of wandering around. Lost Kitty and darkhavens for a while and then mirasol joined us. Lots of the day was spent Con Gazing. Everything was so shiny. Stormtroopers were patroling everywhere. Jedis (Is that the plural of Jedi? It doesn’t look right) floated past and sexy women on stilts taunted us with whips (and tripped up poor sweet_exile).
The highlight of the day was the Buffy Sing-a-Long. Yes, I sung my heart out!
That was the Friday, but we managed to pack much more into the Saturday. We started out queuing for Gareth David-Lloyd, but he was late starting and it clashed with the YA Fantasy panel with China Mieville. I jumped out of the queue and went for the panel. I've met Gareth several times already so I wasn't too worried about him, but the panel was on YA fantasy, which is the area I'm trying to get into as an original writer. The panel was interesting and the others joined me in time for the Being Human panel with Toby Whithouse. I love Toby. He's intelligent and witty and I'm very interested in season 3! Next was the comics panel and their influence on films and then it was time for Tom Baker. Basically, I sat in one place for nearly three hours and my back was killing me, but it was completely worth it.
Tom Baker was the highlight of the day. He was absolutely hilarious, going off on huge long tangents that had nothing to do with anything. He told us many stories and had us all in stitches. My favourite moment was during a story about badgers digging up his lawn and he said, 'I don't know if any of you have ever been out at night ...'. Tears rolled down my face.
Next there were more signings. Gareth and Tom Baker in one long-arse queue (Which was very silly!). Gareth had been there for a while and the staff wanted to get the people queuing for him through before he went off for his panel, because otherwise they would be caught-up in Tom's queue and miss him. So when a member of staff shouted, 'Anyone else for the young guy!' I squeezed my way through and he led me right to the front of the queue. I got Gareth's signature, then took four or five sneaky steps to the right and suddenly I was slap bang at the front of Tom Baker's queue. Naughty, but I consider it payback for getting kicked out of James' VIP queue the day before even though I'm a VIP! I told Tom he was fabulous and he tipped back his head and laughed like a drain.
Gareth's panel was funny. He was on top form. Lots of stuff we'd heard before, but he made me laugh anyway. He'd been told not to swear, but a few words slipped out now and again, and I'll say nothing of all the smutty innuendo because that wasn't his fault at all and at one point his on-stage interviewer was burying his head in his hands when he innocently mentioned Gareth was a 'backdoor' boy.
After Gareth's panel I zipped across the Main Void to the True Blood signing. Michelle Forbes (appears end of season 1/all of season 2). They had just shut the gate, no more people to be allowed through, but the kind man who had previously put me right at the front of Gareth and Tom's queue let me through and pretended not to see. Michelle was very gracious and gorgeous and I handed her the one-shot True Blood comic I'd discovered the day before. She flipped through it with a puzzled look and I told her it was produced to promote season one and it was about The Revelation, when the vampires 'came out of the coffin'. She said 'I don't get it,' but signed it for me anyway with a big smile.
We went to True Blood screening next, first ep of season 2 (I've already seen S2, but it was True Blood on a big screen so I had to go!). Michelle Forbes introduced it. I think I was the only one of our group that actually wanted to go to the screening, but we all ended up there in the end (although darkhavens only for the last 15 mins). I'm reasonably sure that I have irritated everybody to the point of violence with my constant True Blood Squee and Eric Northman obsession. I regularly performed the 12 inch extended club mix of 'But he's just so BIG! But he's just so BLOND! Isn't he SEXY?! SEX-SEX-SEXY!'
Next were the 2010 SFX Awards. Robert Rankin hosted and he was hilarious. Much fun! After the awards we went back to our chalet to change for the SFX Maskerade. While in costume as Robin, I had an altercation with the Joker. I put up my fists for a fight and he tried to squirt me with his flower! I only remembered to take a photo halfway through the party after much jumping about on the dance floor so I look totally wrecked. Also, the quality is crap, but that's the iPhone camera for you:
Pat Sharp was the DJ and he was brilliant. There was more women on stilts and a robot man on stilts with bright coloured lights and an enormous cod piece that was just at eye level. sweet_exile and I happened to be dancing right in front of him and we totally lost our rhythm.
Next there was a metal band called Attica Rage and they were fantastic. We rolled back to the chalet and didn't hit our beds until three o'clock. As I'm sure you can imagine, it took a long time to get ourselves moving the next day.
I wish I could hang out with Darth Vader and the Doctor and a giant eight-foot fluffy armoured troll every day. *happy sigh*. The SFX Weekender has left me with a Stormtrooper fetish (like I needed another one!) and an urge to read Luke Skywalker/Han Solo. I'm also very curious to know at what point someone decided to have sex (and get caught) in the Tardis. It was a fabulous weekend.
The Geek began the moment we drove through the gates of Pontins, Camber Sands. We were pulled over by the reception building by a group Stormtroopers and Boba Fett. They asked for kitty_poker1's licence and registration, which she didn't have, and when she she guessed at her registration number, Boba checked the front of the car and shook his head sadly. Another 'trooper decided we all seemed human apart from sweet_exile. The back door was pulled open and suddenly the Doctor (Ten) was half inside our car running his sonic screwdriver over sweet_exile's head. Finally we were given the all clear and I got out of the car to check us in while Kitty and the others parked out of the way. While inside I witnessed several marines chasing an Xenomorph. The alien got halfway up the stairs, shook its tail in a playfully cocky fashion and scampered off.
I've seen lots of complaints on the SFX forum and on Twitter about the accommodation, but ours was actually pretty good. Plenty of space for five people and it was clean. My only complaint was the bunk bed. I got the bottom because the top scared me too much, so instead I also got a waterproof matress, a completely flat pillow and back ache.
The welcoming event went off with a bang, lots of smoke and sparkes, dancing girls and nazguls, all to Rammstein's Du Hast (Soooo love that song). One of the first things we did was queue for James Marsters. The VIP queuing system was made of fail and we stood in line for a very long time. James was his usual wonderful self. I thanked him for his appearance at Hallowhedon even though he was in so much pain after his accident and he clapped his hand over his mouth, giggled and said 'Oh my god, I was so ridiculous!' Bless him.
We did lots of wandering around. Lost Kitty and darkhavens for a while and then mirasol joined us. Lots of the day was spent Con Gazing. Everything was so shiny. Stormtroopers were patroling everywhere. Jedis (Is that the plural of Jedi? It doesn’t look right) floated past and sexy women on stilts taunted us with whips (and tripped up poor sweet_exile).
The highlight of the day was the Buffy Sing-a-Long. Yes, I sung my heart out!
That was the Friday, but we managed to pack much more into the Saturday. We started out queuing for Gareth David-Lloyd, but he was late starting and it clashed with the YA Fantasy panel with China Mieville. I jumped out of the queue and went for the panel. I've met Gareth several times already so I wasn't too worried about him, but the panel was on YA fantasy, which is the area I'm trying to get into as an original writer. The panel was interesting and the others joined me in time for the Being Human panel with Toby Whithouse. I love Toby. He's intelligent and witty and I'm very interested in season 3! Next was the comics panel and their influence on films and then it was time for Tom Baker. Basically, I sat in one place for nearly three hours and my back was killing me, but it was completely worth it.
Tom Baker was the highlight of the day. He was absolutely hilarious, going off on huge long tangents that had nothing to do with anything. He told us many stories and had us all in stitches. My favourite moment was during a story about badgers digging up his lawn and he said, 'I don't know if any of you have ever been out at night ...'. Tears rolled down my face.
Next there were more signings. Gareth and Tom Baker in one long-arse queue (Which was very silly!). Gareth had been there for a while and the staff wanted to get the people queuing for him through before he went off for his panel, because otherwise they would be caught-up in Tom's queue and miss him. So when a member of staff shouted, 'Anyone else for the young guy!' I squeezed my way through and he led me right to the front of the queue. I got Gareth's signature, then took four or five sneaky steps to the right and suddenly I was slap bang at the front of Tom Baker's queue. Naughty, but I consider it payback for getting kicked out of James' VIP queue the day before even though I'm a VIP! I told Tom he was fabulous and he tipped back his head and laughed like a drain.
Gareth's panel was funny. He was on top form. Lots of stuff we'd heard before, but he made me laugh anyway. He'd been told not to swear, but a few words slipped out now and again, and I'll say nothing of all the smutty innuendo because that wasn't his fault at all and at one point his on-stage interviewer was burying his head in his hands when he innocently mentioned Gareth was a 'backdoor' boy.
After Gareth's panel I zipped across the Main Void to the True Blood signing. Michelle Forbes (appears end of season 1/all of season 2). They had just shut the gate, no more people to be allowed through, but the kind man who had previously put me right at the front of Gareth and Tom's queue let me through and pretended not to see. Michelle was very gracious and gorgeous and I handed her the one-shot True Blood comic I'd discovered the day before. She flipped through it with a puzzled look and I told her it was produced to promote season one and it was about The Revelation, when the vampires 'came out of the coffin'. She said 'I don't get it,' but signed it for me anyway with a big smile.
We went to True Blood screening next, first ep of season 2 (I've already seen S2, but it was True Blood on a big screen so I had to go!). Michelle Forbes introduced it. I think I was the only one of our group that actually wanted to go to the screening, but we all ended up there in the end (although darkhavens only for the last 15 mins). I'm reasonably sure that I have irritated everybody to the point of violence with my constant True Blood Squee and Eric Northman obsession. I regularly performed the 12 inch extended club mix of 'But he's just so BIG! But he's just so BLOND! Isn't he SEXY?! SEX-SEX-SEXY!'
Next were the 2010 SFX Awards. Robert Rankin hosted and he was hilarious. Much fun! After the awards we went back to our chalet to change for the SFX Maskerade. While in costume as Robin, I had an altercation with the Joker. I put up my fists for a fight and he tried to squirt me with his flower! I only remembered to take a photo halfway through the party after much jumping about on the dance floor so I look totally wrecked. Also, the quality is crap, but that's the iPhone camera for you:
Pat Sharp was the DJ and he was brilliant. There was more women on stilts and a robot man on stilts with bright coloured lights and an enormous cod piece that was just at eye level. sweet_exile and I happened to be dancing right in front of him and we totally lost our rhythm.
Next there was a metal band called Attica Rage and they were fantastic. We rolled back to the chalet and didn't hit our beds until three o'clock. As I'm sure you can imagine, it took a long time to get ourselves moving the next day.
I wish I could hang out with Darth Vader and the Doctor and a giant eight-foot fluffy armoured troll every day. *happy sigh*. The SFX Weekender has left me with a Stormtrooper fetish (like I needed another one!) and an urge to read Luke Skywalker/Han Solo. I'm also very curious to know at what point someone decided to have sex (and get caught) in the Tardis. It was a fabulous weekend.