Gallifrey One - Thursday and Friday
I've decided to break my con report into multiple entries over the next couple of days, because otherwise, it would be book length. Photos are included, of course, along with fangirly squeeing.
In the days leading up to the con, it took me awhile to get into the spirit of it. I'd just spent a stressful week worrying that I wouldn't be able to attend, and even after I found out I could pull it off - barely - I felt rather guilty beforehand. And it didn't help that several guests cancelled, including Peter Davison and Sarah Sutton. I really should be used to that by now, really, considering my luck with other cons. But I needed the vacation and, dammit, I was determined to have fun. And get away from snow for awhile.
THURSDAY
Whoever said 'getting there is half the fun' is a dirty rotten liar who should be hunted down. My ride to the airport had to cancel, I couldn't get ahold anyone else, and I couldn't afford a cab. So I had to walk the 2+ miles to the airport, which wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for my bags and the snow-covered sidewalks. I was also half-frozen because I was determined not to drag my winter coat to California.
To make matters even better, my first flight got delayed. I had to leave the gate area and go back to the service desk to try to arrange a back-up plan in case I didn't arrive in time to change planes, which means I got the pleasure of going through security TWICE. And let me just say, brand new Converses are NOT good when you need shoes you can slip off and on quickly.
I did manage to make it to my next plane on time, barely. I landed just as that plane was boarding, and naturally, it was on the opposite side of the terminal. I'm quite shocked I didn't pass out by this point.
Everything else went smoothly, if you ignore the fact that the person sitting next to me on my long flight (Chicago to LAX) was half in my seat. I suddenly see why overweight people are urged to buy two seats - it's really not comfortable for the person next to them.
But when I finally got to the hotel, met my roomies, and hung around the lobby where the con seemed to unofficially begin, I finally began to get into the spirit of things. I've been to several cons, but never one this big, and there were just soooo many fans! And I was introduced to the concept of collecting ribbons for my badges (I only acquired three - I fail.) I also got to finally meet kyrina 's Pika and PlushieTen, who are quite adorable.
Sadly, I was still running on Michigan time, as well as being exhausted by the trip, so I didn't accomplish much on Friday. Ha! I just wasted a few minutes of your life babbling about nothing!
FRIDAY
The next day, the fun began. Not immediately; I woke up at about 6:30am (time zones are a bitch!) and had to entertain myself for more than five hours before the con began. Joy. But when it did... It was so worth it!
I started off in the Dealer's Room, despite my determination not to buy anything. It was like trying to walk through a stampede, and I'm surprised I got out of there alive. But it was worth it, because I got to meet this guy:
I've seen him on deviantart (here, if you're interested,) and I've been wanting a chance to see his outfits up close. I didn't realize I'd actually get that opportunity! I have costume envy...
After extracting myself from the Dealer's Room, I had to decide what to attend. Several of the guests were doing interviews, but there were also live commentaries of episodes. I ended up attending a commentary for Midnight, done by Alice Troughton. It was very interesting! Highlights include the revelation of a green screen that the production crew missed but was caught by Gallifrey Base, a bit of backstory for Skye (apparently, she intended to commit suicide once they got to the sapphire waterfall), and a bit of explanation about how the synchronized speaking was accomplished. The poor actress who played Skye nearly went crazy trying to keep up with David's warp-speed dialogue. You could tell, as she spoke, just how much Alice loves this episode, and how impressed she was with David's ability to act with just his eyes. In fact, she seemed to love working with David in general.
I wasn't sure what to do with myself until 4:00, when I caught another commentary. This one, for The Doctor's Daughter, was a last-minute addition to the schedule, since it was replacing Sarah Sutton's talk. This commentary was done by Alice Troughton and Georgia Moffet, and had a completely different tone. Clearly, Alice wasn't as proud of this episode. The commentary was light-hearted, with Alice and Georgia acting like giggling old friends as they discussed bra sizes, and Georgia's fear of fish. Highlights include Alice's rant about Hath Peck drowning, despite having gills, which parts of Jenny flipping through the lasers were Georgia and which weren't, the cast's inability to comprehend the date/seven days thing (you can actually see David's eyes glaze over), and David's uncertainty about how to handle some of the Doctor/Jenny interaction. They also have a laugh over the end, when the wind is blowing everyone's hair, but David's doesn't move. Alice also explained Jenny's return to life - it wasn't a regeneration, it was because she'd inhaled the Source, and it'd revitalized her.
Most fun I've ever had watching that episode.
After, I went to my first autograph session. Since I'd gone to the commentary, I was late, and they tried to make me leave before I got the last two autographs because it was past the cutoff time. I managed to get them anyway since the final two, the authors Jon Blum and Kate Orman, were only signing that day.
And then came the opening ceremonies, and the special messages. The first was from Steven Moffat, who said he wished he were there, and he was doing his best to make us fall in love with Matt Smith - even the straight men. It was the second video (which I'm hoping will pop up on Youtube) that really made my day. It was from Peter Davison, and included a cameo from David Tennant. It was a cute little skit where Peter makes fun of himself, and made me like him more. Gotta love someone who can poke fun at himself!
Next came the ice cream social (at which point I realized I'd begun consistiong mostly on sugar, and that I had forgotten my toothbrush.) It was at that point that I began to crash; clearly a three hour time difference is just too much for me. I managed to watch the live band, Tanuki Suit Riot, who lured me in when I realized they were playing music from Mega Man 3 of all things, and tried to stay through the Mystery Science Theater 337 presentation of Aliens of London/World War Three, but only made it halfway through before I had to go to bed. So no nighttime lobby party for me.
I'll conclude with some photos of things I saw during the day
Female Six!
I loved this Dalek; it moved around, and interacted with the crowd. In this one, the Doctor is pointing out the Dalek's true enemy: the escalator!