The Fangirl Revolution

Hi ladies. (Hey Andy. Does it bother you that I confine you to parentheses? I often wonder..)

I am typing this on my laptop in the computer lab here at the college, as my next class (Computer Applications I) does not start for another hour and a half, and I finished all my lesson plans for this week on the way home last night. (Yes, that is precisely what I was doing all hunched over with my tiny reading light. Motion sickness be damned. Gravol and ginger ale are a busy traveller’s best friends.) There is a sign that says “please, no food or drink in the computer lab”, but I have an extra large coffee at my feet and a Mars bar in my pocket. My only excuse for this is barely an excuse: I was up until four o’clock in the morning uploading photographs from the convention and mulling over an outline for a potential multi-chapter saga inspired by the latest news that Jeremy Ryan and John Patrick are now sharing a house in Vancouver during filming. Caffeine is required if I wish to remain upright, I am afraid.

Anyhow, I mean to talk about the convention and the weekend in general, for the sake of posterity. I kept a journal, so the bulk of what follows is taken directly from there, with some editing and elaboration in various spots.

We arrived at our motel just outside of Toronto – a Rest Stop in Aurora – a little after midnight on Saturday. We’d hoped to get in sooner, but certain circumstances prevented that, and, anyway, I think something we can all agree on is that the main point is that we got there, relatively intact.

The motel seemed fairly…nice, but the clerk was a disagreeable sort with an unfortunate case of halitosis. (Later on in the day he also made some inappropriate comments that I believe were meant to be directed at those of us wearing costumes.) The room was small but comfortable, though apparently the hotel had run out of cots, which meant that Andy had to sleep on the floor. (Sorry Andy.) Everyone but Sam and I retired right after dropping all their luggage. Sam did not regret the lack of sleep in the morning, but I certainly did.

It was the first time I had been to the Toronto Convention Centre (TCC). It appears to be an awfully large building from the outside, but it was dwarfed by the sheer amount of people gathered inside. The line up for registration extended out the door, but, fortunately, we had all pre-registered online, so we were able to bypass the crowd. (That said, there were many other lines we had to wait in throughout the day; I know Spark already alluded to one of them.)

There were eight guests lined up for the weekend, though of course the greatest draw was Jeremy Ryan. The six of us split up in the morning, and Andy and I visited the Kingdom of Loathing booth at the south end of the convention centre. (Convention volunteers dressed in orange t-shirts gave us maps at the entrance along with our hand stamps.) We met Jick and Mr. Skullhead (for those uninitiated into KoL, their real names are Zack Johnson and Josh Nite, and they designed the game) and received compliments on our costumes. Andy was a Pastamancer, and I was a Sauceror. I bought a tote bag and button with “An adventurer is you!” inscribed upon each, and then Andy followed me around while I photographed nearly everything, including the mile long washroom lines. We only paused to lunch on cotton candy and hot dogs.

The question and answer panel with Jeremy Ryan and Highwaymen director Eric Knowles started an hour later than it was supposed to. The Master of Ceremonies (and then Knowles himself) apologized profusely and joked about traffic in the greater Toronto area. It was worth the wait anyway. They played the trailer for the upcoming Highwaymen film, and both Ryan and Knowles answered questions about season four of the show. Most importantly, Ryan answered questions about his relationship with his co-star, John Patrick. There was a collective squeal of glee that could undoubtedly be heard all the way at the other end of Yonge Street when Ryan let slip that he had moved in with Patrick (“JP”).

We’re almost always together during filming, rehearsing lines and stuff, so it just seemed like the natural thing to do.

Ryan was extremely charming and eloquent, much like his character. He signed autographs and took photographs with fans. He signed my fan guide to The Highwaymen and confessed that he owns a copy as well, which made me laugh, because that really seemed very typical of him.

Saturday evening, for me, was reserved for sleeping. I’m sure you ladies (and Andy) can offer your version(s) of the night’s events.

This is more than likely becoming long and tedious, so I will simply write that Sunday involved more of the same. The costume contest grand prize went to a woman in a modified Darth Vader costume. I did not enter, as I had spilled diet coke on my navy blue Sauceror’s gown the previous day.

I have a little less than an hour remaining before my class, but nothing much of interest to share. I am on MSN, if anyone wants to chat. I will keep you updated on the progress of my story. (The following is an entirely serious question: Who do you think does the cooking?)

Have a nice day!

-Annabel