We got up bright and early to get in line for the Firefly reunion panel. Just barely early enough. The line ended up being massive, and we were all the way outside the convention center down by the marina. Then it was "hurry up and wait" as it was still a couple hours before the first panel even started. We had snacks and books and cool people nearby us in line, so we waited.
While we waited, I took pictures of some of the costumed attendees.
King Renly Baratheon, about to get offed by Melisandre's shadow monster
Kaylee ready to go to the ball.
Doctor Who as you've never seen him before.
His and hers Halo cosplayers.
A more conventional Doctor Who.
As much as I tried to maintain a Zen state of mind and accept that we might not get in, things were looking pretty grim. The first panel, for Community, let out but hardly anyone exited. Things were a little better for the next panel, Legend of Korra. It was clear that most of the people in Ballroom 20 were there for the Firefly reunion. Things were really looking grim when we were very close to the entrance of the Ballroom, but the Con employees were asking for people to come in allotments of 5, or even 2. I think this was the point when my leg started jittering uncontrollably, which Karen noticed but was kind enough not to comment on.
But wonder of wonders! We got in! And the panel was wonderful. On hand were Joss Whedon, Jose Molina, Tim Minear, Nathan Fillion, Alan Tudyk, Summer Glau, Sean Maher, and Adam Baldwin. It was wonderful to see the creators and cast together, share memories of the show, and appreciate the considerable respect and affection they have for each other and their appreciation of our fandom.
UPDATE: Karen's photos turned out better than mine did, so here's a few!
Nathan Fillion, happy to be there.
Alan Tudyk and Nathan Fillion, happy to be there.
Joss Whedon, Summer Glau, Sean Maher, and Adam Baldwin at the Firefly panel.
Alan Tudyk, Nathan Fillion, Joss Whedon, and Summer Glau at the Firefly panel.
Afterward, we had planned to see if we could get into the Game of Thrones panel but from what we'd seen of the line we knew there was no way in hell we'd get in. So we skipped that, ate some lunch, and then hit the vendor floor. I bought a few things for friends and family that I won't describe here as I don't want to spoil the surprises. For myself I got:
- A bootleg DVD of the bizarre horror film Possession (NOT an adaptation of the A. S. Byatt novel - this has Isabelle Adjani losing her shit and having sex with an octopus creature).
- A poster of Westeros.
- A plush Blue Meanie from Yellow Submarine.
- The book Alfred Hitchcock's Ghostly Gallery, which I remember from my childhood. The bookseller, William Wu of William Wu Books, even knocked 5 bucks off the price for helping me reclaim a childhood memory.
I also snapped a few pictures of costumed attendees.
Princess Leia in disguise to rescue Han Solo from Jabba's Palace.
A Tusken Raider out and about on the vendor floor.
After shopping Karen and I headed up 4th street and had dinner at Sammy's Woodfired Pizza. She had the vegetarian pizza (which she describes as "damn good" with caramelized vegetables). I had the brie and truffle oil pizza, which was utter bliss for my taste buds. (We've found that a good dinner at Con makes up for living off power bars and whatnot during the day.)
Then it was back to the hotel for some much-needed relaxation. We're both pretty stiff from sitting on cement so much, and also ooching our way through the vendor floor crowds.
Tomorrow: Another early rising, this time for Django Unchained. And then: COSTUME!
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