beccaelizabeth's dreamwidth journal

continued from last post
Saturday

Then there was lunch.
Which meant time to wander around the Armoury, and should have been cool.
Unfortunately by this point I was thoroughly soaked with information. Data flood, all sponge like I had been, and now kind of drippy and not retaining. Er, which is a rather messy metaphor... ANYways, what I mean is, by this point I really was ready for a bit of sitting and rocking in a corner. Or, sitting and meditating.
Lacking handy corners, I sat right in the middle of the room instead.
Theres this bit in the Armoury, the Wall of Steel. Its a tower full of swords and armour and other weapons and more swords. Its huge, tall, full of shiny steel, and absolutely gorgeous. You know, for those of us as drool about metal. Its a big octagonal tower, and so at the base is an octagonal room. And to look up the tower you have to sort of stand in the middle and put your head back. Or, as I did, sit in the middle cross legged and lean back.
Someone else was lying down in the middle to get good camera pictures, so I wasn't being weird.
Or rather I was, but not alone.
ANYways, I was sitting there in the middle of this room, really needing a time out, and I figured, if I was going to be weird, do it with style.
So I got lined up neatly in the center of the space, sat in as close to lotus as my legs will go, put hands on knees and started to meditate.
At which point I had a very weird experience.
See usually when I meditate its just about the inside of my head. Where I am doesn't generally matter, I just get my headspace right.
This time, I emptied my mind, and was suddenly filled with an awareness of all the shiny weapons above me. All around me. And what they were for. The way they were products of civilization, works of humans who put time and skill and cooperation into the making of them, and yet they had as their purpose making death.
It was like being ambushed by a spiritual experience. I've really not felt quite like it before.
So I thought on them some more, on what swords symbolise. In several different systems, they stand for intelligence, mind and awareness. Rational insight. Analysis, and penetrating wisdom. Cutting to the heart of the matter. Taking an idea apart.
So I guess I applied sword type thinking to trying to deal with this sword inspired experience. Huh.

So, anyway, other people wanted to be standing where I was sitting, and I wanted to be somewhere with less talking in it, so I got up and went looking for a quiet corner. But that was an interesting moment.
Er, from the inside, interesting. Probably not what anyone is here to read about...

Thing is, whilst Highlander might not be the most obviously philosophical show on television, I associate it with philosophy. And morality, and mortality, and dealing with all that. So the weekend was full of handsome men waving swords around, yes, but it was also full of these thoughtful moments, for me. And that seemed appropriate.

Lunch was some lucozade and hula hoops. I wasn't big on food, or being able to eat food.

Then there were autographs.
Have to say, it wasn't the most organised autograph q I'd ever been in. They were trying to make sure no one was left with nothing to sign, so they were pulling people out of the q and putting them back after having gotten one signature. It was rather confusing. At least I was rather confused, which I realise isn't always the same thing.
I got all the signatures :-)
I got AP to sign a pic I've had since Chron 99 which is DM and RR together, probably season 2, with Richie with the gold sword and the fluffy hair. I got PW to sign a PWFC pic I've had for I don't know how long, a while. The AP pic was easy to choose, the PW pic was the third one I'd pulled out and would probably have been swapped again if we'd stood there for longer.
Only one autograph each. Hard to choose.
Everyone else had to sign the con book, for there is only one picture of the horsemen together, and I've had that all signed since Chron 99.
Richard Ridings took the longest signing stuff. He was being nice to people and hugging and shaking hands. He shook my hand. Didn't quite crush it... Big guy, big handshake.

After lunch

Q&A with Marcus Testory and Richard Ridings
this one I must confess I do not recall the content of. However, I do recall the form.
There were people filming all weekend, and before this Q&A the guy at the side of the stage took the camera off the fixed tripod and put it in this steering wheel thing for carrying around, because he thought they might move around a bit.
Little did he know.
They charged around the audience, brought the mic to the fans, climbed over seats... Max got stuck, he climbed in but he couldn't get out. Had to ask Rich for help. Ended up picked up, over his shoulders I think...
It was *fun*, and silly. Very them.
And... at this point I can't remember a single thing they said...
*facepalm*
Probably MT talked about his music and RR talked about Brothers Grimm here.
At some point in the weekend someone asked MT about becoming a paramedic, like any advice, and he said something like 'Get a proper job. And look after your back.' er, which was funny, at the time.
I'm no good at writing up the funny. *sigh*


Watching and Being Watched – the ethics of the Watchers
before this panel, there was a short video. A memorial vid. I think it started out about characters, then went to actors, then fan people.
Lots of people have died.
It was a nice video. Sadness, and remembering.
It used that thing Duncan told Methos about Alexa
You live as long as someone who remembers you.
When the vid finished it was supposed to be a panel on Watchers, but first DA stood up and said kaddish (? spelling or possibly word), prayer for the dead. He said it felt appropriate. I agree. Solemn moment.
Then, panel about Watchers.
Which actually to my mind missed the point. I wanted to say to the microphone, but I didn't have a question, it was just an observation, and nobody paid all that money for my observations. The basic reason for Watchers to exist is what they just had on the video – to keep memory alive. To keep alive through their institutional memory every Immortal who ever lived. For as long as there are Watchers and Chronicles, no Immortal is truly gone. Like the runestone says, word fame never dies. (Except I can never remember where I read that or who it was about, so, er, imperfect kind of immortality there...)
Watchers exist to observe, record, and remember. And that way keep them all alive.

But the panel didn't say that. I think.
I don't remember much of what it did say.
I think DA talked about how the Watchers were a handy plot device.


Schedule says next was talking about the Highlander video game.
Aka, we pay for the privelege of doing their market research for them.
... okay, that sounds bitter. Which, er, yes, not entirely inaccurate...
the thing about this weekend was, there was much advertising. For new and coming soon projects, and a few things that might not happen, and generally lots of 'tell us you love us enough to spend money' type talking.
If you were spoiler averse, this was a very bad weekend. Impossible to avoid spoilers.
Personally I've seen too much bad come out under the Highlander label to dare go near anything new without spoilers. I mean Joss stuff I'll happily buy things sight unseen, but Highlander? Not a chance. Haven't watched much of anything from the end of season 5 onwards, and Richie is not the only reason.
So, the game, specifically.
We learned... less than we told. See it was a research session, an us talk to them session. They asked what we'd want from it.
The good news is its a major game company (Eidos? Tomb raider dudes.) and they seemed enthusiastic about the things fans were saying.
There will be full motion video, there will probably be a very old Immortal we already know to be the mentor character, there will be playing as a new Immortal and there will be a bar. Its action/adventure, but with a Highlander core, questions asked.
Beyond that... I have no clue. The answers wandered into abbreviations I know nowt about (games systems I expect) and mostly I wasn't interested. I mean I'm not going to buy a games system just to play a Highlander game. I think it has a good chance of being a good game, but I didn't retain much because it wasn't what I mostly cared about.

Last of the day, Peter Wingfield Q&A
Have I mentioned I love Peter?
He makes me happy. Just by existing. I can watch him all day. I can listen to him read the phone book.
I cannot, at the moment, remember a single thing he said.
*sigh*
Even at the time I was aware I wasn't tracking any more. I couldn't keep my attention focused. I remember the Giles/Methos plot bunnies (well, porn bunnies mostly) that my mind kept wandering off to during this Q&A, but I do not remember what the world outside my head was doing. Which is *very* frustrating, and was at the time, but... full up. Reached capacity. There was no more.
I did like seeing him again though.
I'm sitting here typing with a smile on.


So, then there was going home. Shared a taxi with Andi, and Gary and Sylvia, which meant them being squished in the back. Sorry, and much gratitude, for I was processing very little of the world by then and quite zombified. Too many people, too much data, not enough brains.

I don't know why this con felt so much longer than I'm used to, but it really did. Like, marathon convention. I guess even though the event started at 9 the me parts started much earlier, and there were no hiding breaks for I found nowhere to hide, and there was no going back to my room for it was across the city.
I thought I'd got the hang of conventions. I discovered from this weekend the parameters are a bit narrower than that. Conventions in the con hotel with start and end times within certain limits. Or, possibly, conventions at the Thistle.
*sigh*

Still, I survived, and had fun, so yaay.


Back at the hotel, getting dressed up for the evening entertainment. I found a skirt that matched some gloves I've had for ages that don't match anything (they were supposed to be 'wine' colored, but that turned out to mean a funny kind of red purple, rather than the burgundy all my other 'wine' stuff is). And they both match my Buffy backpack. So put them with a black shirt and I had an outfit.
:-)

It was a fun evening.

{/sunday typing}

Saturday night dinner/concert

The dinner was full of food. I think the people I gave it to liked it.
Me, I ate a whole bread roll (which was very nice). And also about a fork full of mashed potato.
My life would work so much better if my digestive system did...
But, I got small tastes of melon (which I turn out not to like) and I sat and talked with other people at the table.
And a lady from the hotel put her hands in my lap, so yaays.
/cheap joke phrasing: went around getting the napkins out and putting them on people. Now me, I find that sort of rude. Like as if we're mini people with needing bibs. But apparently posh manners says different, and if a guest has not yet put large bit of cloth on laps well they obviously expect it done for them.
Weird.

There was quite a lot of talking, about books and careers (of the interesting and sometimes sword related kind) and... bazillions of things really.
I like talking. Talking is cool. ;-)

Then there was the famous people bit, with them on stage.

PW did a reading, a short piece from a book. I'll dig out who/what/where. But it went with VP's section, and VP's play ended with Lennon getting shot. So... not so much the smiley happy, but powerful. Something about spot the crazy, about the way famous people are treated. Topical I guess.
VP was there on video, bit from his play, presumably the end. Good stuff, powerful again, though the picture was teensy because he's just standing there on his own.
DA sang 'memories'
RR and MT sang a lot, many things.
AP did the joke with the punchline “In my country they call me a Queen. I outrank you.”
and then he did a mime
'Bad day in terminal A'
which was funny all through, and easy to read, and culminated with revelation of where Immortals keep their swords :-)
(possibly where Captain Jack keeps his gun)

there was also this little sketch with what 'wheel of history' really was like, with AP and PW and RR

It was silly and funny.

RR started with the song 'That's why I hate the French'. Something to do with Rugby apparently. Song goes into great detail.
And he said someone asked him how his voice got so low, so sang a song to demonstrate, starts high / goes low:
“On the good ship lollipop I used to sing like this / til me bollocks dropped”

see, *classy* entertainment.

I don't remember all the songs RR and MT did. After a while they were sort of relay singing, swapping who was on. And it went on a while. Quite a long while. Not that it was bad. Just... well, I'd been awake since 5am. So, I wouldn't have minded if it went on just a teensy bit less.
But it was still fun. Had fun, nice music, lots of interesting people, and opportunities to stare at PW.
Discreetly, mind. I've practiced this at length. The trick is to look out the corner of your eye and not turn your head...

The evening was great.

Saturday, on the whole, fun. A lot of fun. Very fun. But very very long and full. And I was a total zombie by the end of it.
But then there was sleep, for whole numbers of hours, so that worked out okay.


Sunday

{typed up a week later}

Up for the first bus again, so early starts. Got to the armoury and sat in line.
Then I found I had smiley stickers in my bag. So I started giving them out to people. Not for any reason, just, I had smileys, so I thought I'd share.
People's reactions were mixed enough I suspect I was doing something strange, but I couldn't figure what. *shrugs*
Anyways, many people took a sticker. Smileys all round :-)

Then there was sitting in the hall.

And then there was starting the day with talking about

Highlander Anime
We'd seen a short clip on the promo the day before. There had been robots. DA told us that they were there because it was set a few years in the future, but it has extensive flashbacks. He told us a lot about the plot. It is about a life wasted in vengeance. The guy we follow is a guy who had his first death when the Romans came and butchered his village and killed his wife. She tried to make him swear not to avenge her, but he instead he swore to avenge her if it was the last thing he did. But of course the Roman guy is also an Immortal, so here he is thousands of years later and they've been on opposite sides in bunches of battles and its a whole long complicated story. The Roman guy thinks Rome was the best civilization ever and wants to make everywhere civilized again, so he runs a city. Which is where the robots are. The other guy wants to kill him. The Roman guy is a musician and a painter and really good at everything. The other guy wants to kill him. So its about all that time passing, and all this guy has is wanting to kill him, while the other guy has all this productive stuff.
Actually it made me wonder why we're following vengeance dude.
Apparently the director is some famous Anime guy. Unfortunately I have little recall for names, and remember it not.
DA went to Japan to do talks about the plot. He had this story that was fun to watch told where all he could get out of the director's side was the translator telling him 'Director says, Okay'. I don't think it would be good to type. But it was funny.
Also there was the bit where he got taken out for food. I think he said sea cucumber. Which is... not good. But it was a test, so he ate it.
See, personally, I'd figure that was a sheep's eyeball sort of test, and say no thanks. But thats just me. And I have no job.
He said also that cultural differences made an impact on the plot. Originally the man's wife asked him to avenge her, but the Japanese guy said in their culture that would be a curse, if she used her final words to say that then it would be a curse, and that wouldn't be right. So instead he swears it against her wishes.
That seemed smart to me, the curse bit.
There were also different limits on doing anime, like crowd scenes suddenly being more expensive than FX.
The film will be done in English and dubbed to Japanese, so the mouths will match the English.

The anime actually sounds kind of promising. It could easily go wrong, yes, but it sounds like it has solid philosophy at the core, and an interesting setup.

Talking of interesting setup, there was also this weekend mentioned the plot bunny of 'what if Immortals were out?'
My first thought is 'ooooh!' and that it could be interesting.
My second thought is 'Dark Angel, X-men comics... quite a lot of mileage done...'
so, I think its interesting, but not necessarily brilliant.
Which, hey, is only a bunny, isn't going to be perfec.

ANYways

Group Q&A with all the horsemen
This was moved to the morning because MT was going home early and couldn't stay for the afternoon. iirc he wasn't exactly talky that morning either. Also, he came on a bit later. With cap pulled over his eyes.

I don't remember a whole lot of this one until it got on to the sword choreography.
I think they showed clips and talked about them.
And giggled about Quickenings. Which, obviously, giggleworthy.
Oh, and The Buzz. I can't rememeber which Q&A most of this goes in though...
The Buzz – when a newbie comes on the show, they get a lot of words they get no context for. Like The Buzz. “You feel the Buzz”... er, okay... and you act that how? AP says he tells people its like theres a fly in the room and you can't figure out where. That makes a lot of sense actually.
The Quickening... is like having an orgasm, duh. AP: “I don't know about you, but I don't” sticks arms out and waves them around.
Also saying how PW having a Q (on the big screen, part of the double Q) was 'obviously faking it'. I think there were 'was it good for you' comments, but I might have just filled them in in my own mind...

The sword parts were fun because AP got a sword out and started demonstrating.
They were also difficult to write up, because lacking technical language I can say “swung sword around a bit” and thats... not terribly helpful.

His first thing to say about fight choreography in the Horsemen episodes, when we'd just rewatched the big double fight at the end, was that it wasn't the sword work that made it work. It was the moments. The fighting was to connect the moments. I really wish I could remember his exact phrasing, because he said it right. But basically he was saying that it isn't the fancy moves, its the emotional content of a scene.
And he is so right there. Whenever I rewatch the Matrix sequels I'm always surprised by how long the fights go, because I only really remember the emotional beats, not the random beating up.
So when they were saying about the Source that they wanted a new audience, and they kept referencing the Matrix, that worried me a bit.
But AP was the boss of most of the fights, as I understand it, and he is the Executive Producer and has some say in how things stick together I think, and basically since he seems to understand about the fights I have hope that the FX and fights won't drown the story.

RR said that the axe they made for Silas was not balanced, was just this huge clunky thing he could swing ponderously. Had something to say about how if it was more balanced he could have done more with it. But as it was, it was just a chunk of metal on a stick, and went *mimes big swing and thud*. Also, it broke, and nearly sliced up a stunt guy. Bad.

MT's fight with the knives, AP was saying how knife fighters are more vicious, so it was close in and nasty.
Also, he got told off for making it too dark. Too dark for TV. But he doesn't want to film it like TV, he wants to film it like film.

Someone asked about an apparent similarity in style of sword work between Kronos and Methos, and if that was coincidental. PW says no, that was [F. Braun McAsh (sp) the swordmaster] being obsessive. He knows all about different swords, different styles of fighting, what moves would have been used at what times, and he keeps that in mind for all the characters. So, usefully obsessive. But the similar moves, that was because they'd have learned to fight at similar times. That was deliberate.

Someone asked AP about... ack, I should look this up, but I'm on the wrong computer. Working with... some known name martial arts film guy? I presume in one of the films I haven't seen. I might forget the name, but I remember the answer.
“What was it like working with [that guy]?”
*big long pause* *longer* *really long*
*audience starts laughing*
At this point, the polite version? Going to be a hard sell. ;-)
So AP starts saying:
[martial arts guy] came from being the star. And then he wasn't.
“Would you work with him again?”
“Yeah. But I'd win.”
He said it good.
So, big laugh.
But then PW says “Turn it around, what did you learn from him?”
And then AP got really enthusiastic. (I actually admire that in a person, his learning from experiences he has to work to say nice things about.)
He got the sword out and showed moves, and showed other bits with no sword (I say sword, it was a wooden sword for this bit)
He learned about being aware of where the camera is relative to his moves. How moves look much stronger if you can see more of them from the camera. He said it better, and showed us. Like if the camera is on his left and the sword moves are on his right, can't see it so good. But if the moves come over his head to also be on his left, looks much better. And that other actor was always aware of those technical aspects.
Also, if they were filming a sequence and it would go '1,2,3,4' (with hand moves) then when they start filming other guy would go '1,2,3,4,5'. Because that extra move makes the sequences stronger. You don't stop with 4, there's a feeling of still moving on to 5. And also for that 5 the other guy is reacting to you (I think I figured that from movement not heard it said). So of course once AP figured this he went '1,2,3,4,5,6'.

It looked better than it reads. I can see it in my head still and it was interesting.

Also someone from the audience asked about why did AP take up [some martial art I didn't catch the name of. Kali?]
AP answered with use of sword again.
In first season, a lot of the time, his sword work was all (uses sword with right, holds left hand still). And that means one half of his body is dead. No movement. So later on he started to do (two hands on sword, big swooshy moves, looks more familiar from memorable fights). And that looks stronger because his whole body is in it. So with [martial art I missed the name of] he learned a lot of moves like (sword still doing moves, and off hand doing something complicated too), which looks stronger again, because more movement and more complicated.

Actually I think it was way earlier in the weekend, but someone asked about the progression from hack and slash to more elegant/complex fight scenes. AP looked rather nonplussed at the 'hack and slash' description. But he took their meaning, and said that if you do something a lot, you get good at it. And he was doing martial arts every day for 6 years.
That was one of the talks with DA, because he was eloquent about the beautiful katas, the way he can write 'Duncan does a kata' but its AP that makes that look so good.

... what else ...

PW said about the Ivanhoe, right from the start the swordmaster knew it was Methos' sword, but the thing is balanced really strangely, all the weight near the tip, so its a pain to lug around and swing and stuff. Actually I think he said that while auctioning it...

They watched and giggled at the Bad Hair Day missing scene from the Horsemen eps.
That was really bad. PW said you can see that he and VP's hearts aren't really in it.
So it was fun watching them watch it.

{/later}

Auction
bidding in US dollars, which makes the prices sound even more insane. Also, makes it real difficult for me to figure the worth. I guess for an international con then currency is always an issue, but I'm kind of used to it being the currency of the country they're actually in... Anyways...

PW and AP were auctioneers, and they were *funny*. Sadly, as usual, writing it down seems to take the funny out. But I have notes, so I shall try.

The prices were way out of my league. They always are. But I was determined to bid anyway. I'd seen the auction list, and circled the best bits. Signed scripts. I would bid on them and have them for my very own.
Best laid plans...
The first item sold was a bolt from the submarine base in Bordeaux. Someone had picked it up there. Just a little bit of metal. But with creative convention sales techniques (which iirc included Adrian Paul rubbing it all over his body) it sold for $50.
As far as my notes say, that was the cheapest item in the auction.

I had about $150 if I really pushed it. One of the scripts went for $500, the other for $1525. Yes, four figures. Ouch.

But I did indeed bid. Which means PW and AP looked directly at me at least twice. Joy! ;-)

The funnest bit was watching them sell things. There was rubbing, and kissing, and posing with, or sometimes in. There was the rather more serious stuff with the swords.
There was this huge great sword, like five feet tall, Monarch claymore. Huge. AP demonstrated how it was used. Swoosh one way to chop the horse legs out from under them, then the other to smash the rider. Two big swings, mincemeat. Ouch!
I saw after the auction the person who bought that one. They're about the same size as the sword... and I think they have to get it back to another continent...
And the less serious stuff with the katana. Like, pay up or PW gets it bit. AP holding a katana in striking pose aimed at PW's neck...
Or PW calling up to RR on the balcony “Don't play with it... Or it'll drop off.”
AP... played.


Whenever something sold for $1000 or more, PW did a little jump in the air and click his heels thing. AP tried it too, but made a big production of being too creaky to do it properly. Funny.

Two things for sale that were quite unique, letters to be sent by PW or AP from Wales and Glenfinnan respectively.
PW's sold first. He said for $1000 he'd write anything (which the author in me promptly thought up a dozen ways he could regret), but sadly it only got up to $500.
AP's one went up for sale, and it got to $500. “$510! I'll give you the 10.” says AP.
Eventually it sold for $700.
I think that was when PW knelt and bowed to AP.

There was a long coat for sale. Highlander coat, but very plain.
PW tried it on. Sleeves a bit too short. So he did the patent Methos hunch, hands in pockets and shoulders around ears. Then it fitted ;-)
AP got a photo of that.
PW surely can do cute...
So, there was bidding. And at one point it got a price and they were saying what good value it was. Someone in the seats called out it was $10 less in Ponty. AP points out that PW is currently only worth $10.
“I'll take him.” sings out from the back.
*looks at Fides again*
yup, really good timing.

In the end the coat went for $500 according to my notes. That much money I do not have. *sigh*

Next the disposeable cameras.
These had been great fun. I don't know which genius came up with it first, but a few conventions now give the guests cameras at the start of the con and then auction them off. They get full of backstage pictures, candid shots, all sorts. Legend has it one ended up in the shower with someone. But you never know until you buy them.
AP said he had shots of the wall. But good shots.

Earlier he'd been taking pictures of PW. He knelt on the stage in front of him, snapped a pic, then rolled it forward trying for another shot. But the camera keeps rolling.
“I think you shot your load.” PW tells him.
... yeah, that one was mostly in the relative positions.

PW's camera went for $425, AP's for $1000. But as audience pointed out, we knew AP's had PW pics on it...

There were also mugs. Bought for the guests to drink out of that weekend, they'd signed them early on, since they knew they'd end up in the auction. Leather mugs. Decorated by guests.
PW's had a shiny on it, possibly a rose.
AP's said “God.”
:eyeroll: (he silly, but fun)

So there was much fun with the saying there had been lips on them, and much bidding. AP's went for more than seven hundred, PW's for eight hundred and fifty.
PW said his would be “filled with the libation of your choice”
once again this author can think of ways that isn't quite the thing to say... I mean I'm pretty sure libation is liquid offerings, and not therefore confined to usual beverages, but potentially including more personal fluids... Not that I'd go there as a fan. Nope. We're all far too sane.

Though earlier in the sword auction one of them pointed out that if they did cut themselves on one of those swords the price would skyrocket...

Most fun of all, the auction for the chairs. These were 100th episode chairs they'd been using all weekend, to be signed by everyone, even VP, since the organiser would take the chair backs back with her to get his. And they'd all been sat on, by all the guests.
To make sure that was so, PW starts sitting on each in turn, moving down the line between bids.
AP starts to follow him.
PW gets to the last chair and stays...
$350? AP sat on PW's lap. :-)
Says PW, for $400 he'll sit on AP.
See becca's right hand shoot up. See becca's left hand grab it down quickly, for be has not the money for such at all.
So the person who first bid $350 bids again :-)
After some dispute, this is agreed fair, and PW gets up to go sit on AP.
Looks at him.
Asks “Which side do you dress?”
Ends up perched on his knees (at AP's insistence).
“I don't want to go back in the box!” PW
“And my hand is up his back.” AP

:-) :-) :-)


Basically, auction? Very fun.
I've even missed out the bits with ye ancient AP merchandise being auctioned. There were pictures from “Oh Boy” magazine. PW reckoned AP should be bidding just to get them off the market... And there were Tarzan tapes. “Does anyone have the machines that play these?” PW checks. But can be converted and kept forever, AP points out. Yup, and downloaded, and shared, and methinks they'll be hitting the net some time in the not so distant future...
I won't go looking for them, but its just that bit more amusing to know they're out there somewhere.

Also there was a book of Byron poetry on auction. AP read some out (once someone went and got a photocopy or printout or something for him. Larger print??? or just couldn't find the page.) He said that the poetry at the end of the Byron episode was his idea. It was something about a bull, and the fight choreography was designed to support that, be a bullfight thing too.
So, er, one of the things about the episode I most loudly disliked was AP's idea...
I think he said writer people didn't like the idea, but he did it anyway.
Not sure.


{sunday week later writing up}

I realise according to the schedule I've only got as far as the lunch time again. But I think I've written in everything I remember.
My memory goes by topic, not time, so these con write ups are always a challenge.

In the lunchtime this time I got around the Armoury a bit. I've mentioned that in previous entry. I only saw the Oriental Gallery, but *wow* that's some pretty metal. Katana so smooth and with the cloud line, and kris blades so wiggly, like completely the opposite, pattern welded and wonderfully chaotic. My mental video recorder has almost as much of looking at those as it does of looking at PW. Just that pretty.


So, end of the day, closing ceremony. Everyone gets a box made of Australian wood. Much thankyous for everyone. All had a nice day.
And then we all go home.

Well, back to our rooms mostly, but... no party. None. No dancing, or disco, or shiny lights.
*puzzled*

So I went to bed.
And slept through until waking up time the next day. Guess I needed it.



Travelling home worked really well. I travelled as disabled again, that is I put myself in the hands of the train company staff and they got me on the right trains all the way home. Worked much better than me on my own would. I was wrong about where the train would be in the middle, so that would have worked out not well at all. But they make sure I get a seat, so all working instead. And then I phoned for a taxi home, and the taxi company knew my name without me saying. Which is kind of nice. And they knew where my house was too. I hate having to give directions after 4 days of much doing. I could end up anywhere :eyeroll:
But I ended up home, and happy.

I felt so much happy after this weekend. Like I was full of sunshine. I meditated while waiting for the taxi, to share the happy, for there was plenty for the whole world. I still have happy.

This is why I still do conventions. Four days of nausea and not being able to eat, but it is so worth it, for I am still full of happy to think about all the good bits, and will be for years.

All in all, a very very good weekend.


Anyone has any links to pictures or other con reports, would be grateful to have them in the comments. I'll stick links I find in there too. I lacked camera, so have 0 pictures.
Except in my head, which is full.

:-)