Creature of Mad Enthusiasms

I care too much about Jennifer and the con to vent anywhere with more traffic than LJ but OMG, one of my favorite parts of ChicagoTARDIS is the Thursday night elbow-rub with the guests and It. Was. A. DISASTER!

None of the regulars were there. No Big Finish. No Tony Lee. No "Winston Churchill. The only two stars attending were "Sgt Benton" and "Cap. Yeats" -- and I had to bail when John Levine (Benton) sat right next to a little girl, said "fuck" about 187 times in 10 minutes, insulted her father's pizza and covered it up ("I'm a vegetarian, that has meat, it's disgusting"), told miserable stories about death and hatred in his family and graphically described a murder and did I mention while sitting *right next* to a little girl?

Wow. The best part of the con, the part I pay a lot extra for, the part I leave Thanksgiving dinner for -- now a horrific miscarriage of time and money.

I'm clinging very hard to the memory of sitting next to Tony Lee and Terry Molloy talking shop at one of these gatherings two years ago, because I sure as hell don't want to think too much about this. I'm not even going to tag it with the con name so it won't hit in future searches.

ETA: Nick Briggs hugged me this morning and apologized for the Big Finish guys not being there. I feel a little better.

Entire transcript of Moffat/Gatiss interview
http://www.sherlockology.com/news/2015/6/4/sherlocked-steven-mark-transcript-040615

Sherlocked's writeup of John Watson's career
http://threepatchpodcast.tumblr.com/post/117271231105/john-hamish-watson?utm_campaign=SharedPost&utm_medium=Email&utm_source=TumblriOS
There would be later photos of fans correcting it with post-it notes

Benedict's talk:
http://welovethebeekeeper.tumblr.com/post/117334178563/benedicts-talk-at-sherlock

Tweets from Benedict's talk
http://alexxphoenix42.tumblr.com/post/117487028668/superbbatch-2015-04-25-benedict-cumberbatch?utm_campaign=SharedPost&utm_medium=Email&utm_source=TumblriOS

Mark and Steven talk
http://threepatchpodcast.tumblr.com/post/117345734465/mark-and-steven-talk-at-sherlocked

Sue Vertue's talk
http://fffinnagain.tumblr.com/post/117470363393/just-wondering-if-you-were-at-either-the-sue-talk

Rupert Graves & Lars Mikkelson panel writeup
http://saziikins.tumblr.com/post/117364334363/sherlocked-talk-transcript-rupert-graves-and-lars

Mark and Andrew talk
http://threepatchpodcast.tumblr.com/post/117457829085/mark-andrew-talk-sherlocked-snippets
also
http://57circlesofhell.tumblr.com/post/117465636384/mark-andrew-talk-sherlocked-snippets?utm_campaign=SharedPost&utm_medium=Email&utm_source=TumblriOS

Andrew says something nice about fans
http://jaradel.tumblr.com/post/117969717586/one-is-asked-a-lot-in-interviews-in-the-press

Quite a few twitter pics of Rupert Graves making silly faces during photo ops.
http://alexxphoenix42.tumblr.com/post/117484756033/rupert-graves-is-a-real-treasure-a-beautiful-and?utm_campaign=SharedPost&utm_medium=Email&utm_source=TumblriOS

Three Patch and photos of the apartment set:
http://threepatchpodcast.tumblr.com/post/118145224123/cumberbatchweb-close-up-look-at-the-actual-221b

There was a free online convention the same weekend called Unlocked. One of the panels was on alternate universe BBC Sherlock fic all the recommendations are here:
http://asortofbookevent.tumblr.com/post/117500677523/au-fic-rec-spreadsheet-from-unlocked?utm_campaign=SharedPost&utm_medium=Email&utm_source=TumblriOS

I have to remember that there was a lot I liked about the convention. I have to work on remembering that, because the complaints outnumber the compliments about 5 to 1, and I'm no longer willing to cut much slack for "oh, but it was a first convention" after the 221BConcom pulled off their first without a hitch during the weekend.

And this weekend had a LOT of hitches.

I liked getting to hear the British guests speak (including Terry, who was skyped in.) Given the chance - and I intend to get that chance in next year's British Discworld con - I will totally con-stalk "Duckman" who told a hilarious story about trying to bring rubber ducks en masse through TSA security.

I liked the masquerade, but it was surprisingly small. It, unlike many things, ran like a machine, because it was in the hands of someone who's been doing them for decades.

I liked shopping the Discworld Emporium so that I could hold things in my hands and judge, rather than take a chance on an internet photo. I liked that there was a massage therapist in the dealer's room. I liked talking to friends when I could. I liked the bag swag, that included a small canvas bag, a lanyard, and - every convention should do this! - a combination highlighter/pen.

I liked the costumes. While the halls weren't quite as chockablock with costumes as 221BCon had been, I'd say that a good half were in costume. Lots of witches and wizards, quite a few Tiffanys, scores of seamstresses, but now and again some people stood out from the crowd. There was the Lady Sybil in leather protective gear and stuffed dragons, the occasional Vetinari, an Auditor, and one of my favorites, Casanunda. He had a powdered wig and his stool, and would make a point of going to flirt with any women of a certain age who reacted to his costume.

( Three of my favorites under cut to spare post length )

But then there was what went wrong. EVERYTHING I've bitched about the panels and more was true. It turns out that panelists weren't even given the panel descriptions in the brochure; they were just given the twee titles and told where to show up. (Which is why I should have gone to make-your-own-words, because it wasn't make your own words, it was Terry's British editor discussing the words that he uses and makes up -- precisely the kind of panel that I'd WANTED all weekend to see!) The crowd was starving for meta discussions; whenever we were allowed to ask questions, we usually asked about the kind of meta that I wanted to hear. Someone even posted a desperate note up on the voodoo board asking if anyone else wanted to discuss themes and edits.

Panels were stuffed into far too tiny rooms while larger ones were lying empty, or the room next door could be made available if a wall was opened. One panel had to be run twice because simply not one more body could be wedged in... even though the grand ballroom was empty. The next overflow panel was moved into the empty grand ballroom, but for some reason not run from the stage, so they had people turn their chairs *away* from the big microphone speakers and strain to hear the panelists. Panels ran late - we weren't even let into the skype session until 10 minutes after it was supposed to have started.

And yes - it was mostly Arts and Crafts for Adults time. When it wasn't exercise or meditation time. Which is why we were all gagging to actually TALK about the books!

The "included with your registration" breakfast wasn't worth the price of being included, even before the sausage fiasco. (I have to add - although I couldn't do vegan unless I wanted to walk into Little Italy and eschew parmesan and garlic bread and hope the marinara wasn't on egg noodles, I could and did do two vegetarian meals a day. Even if it took The Great Sausage Shitfit of '13 to accomplish.)

There was an extraordinary amount of typos in most of the text flashed onto the screen for the sing-a-long and the Church of Om service. The Con chair couldn't keep up the Vetinari act and between him saying "um" and reverb from the mikes, the opening ceremonies were impossible to understand.

I'm not sorry I went. But the only reason I'm sorry that I left early is that I can't con-stalk Duckman for another day.

Last year, I attended my first Scintillation of Scions, a one-day, one-track series of Holmesian presentations with a Friday reception and a Sunday optional trip loosely sponsored by Watson's Tin Box.

This year, I was on the developing concom, running raffles alongside M.

Yeah, I'm that kind of a person.

Today I'm feeling incredibly proud of myself - with a little of M's nudging, a lot of Team Wench skills, and generous donations (especially from Big Finish, The Baker Street Babes, and Adagio Tea) I doubled last year's raffle take. I don't expect to double it again next year, but I do feel that I've created a new set point for future raffles.

Presentations included: Dan Andriacco and Dan Stashower talking about their books - in Stashower's case, drawing silly parallels between the reality of The Hour of Peril (a Lincoln assassination attempt foiled by a female Pinkerton) and The Great Detective, with obligatory "The Woman" reference. Brandon Perlow talked about the changes that needed to be made to reset the Holmesverse in modern Harlem NY. (Watson and Holmes came out before Elementary was announced, but he did go into the parallels and contrasts a little bit.) Donna Andrews talked about learning to love Holmes. June Matics talked about how to find Holmesian and show-related material online. (There is a whole tumblr devoted to putting Sherlock BBC quotes on Padgett art! Internet, why did you not tell me this?!) Dana Cameron and Lyndsay Faye talked about how history informed canonical Holmes. And Kristina "Curly" Manente talked about resetting the Reichenbach Fall into Big Ben's gearworks in Great Mouse Detective.

Raffle prizes included the complete set of Big Finish Holmes CDs, an "I am SHERlocked" pendant, the complete run of convention exclusive Watson and Holmes (1-3) and a hand painted skull, bee, and pipe still life.

The theme baskets I created included "Mrs. Hudson" (4 bags of Adagio tea, teapot, book on tea celebrations, and cloth with a teacup knitting on it) and "Rainy Sunday: Babes/Audio" (Big Finish's Perfidious Mariner, Peter Cushing's Adventures of Sherlock Holmes vol 1, B. St. Babes trivet and mug & 6 individual samples of Adagio teas.) I also stuffed a Babes tote with a T-shirt and some Malice books as "Take the Babes to the Beach."

As for me, I was pretty well behaved in the dealer's room, mostly because I shocked myself and my budget right off by springing for a copy of an original Strand Magazine. It was a tough choice between the one with Musgrave Ritual and Copper Beeches, but I finally went with Copper because it was in better shape.


Elsewhere in the Holmesverse, apparently another Great Sherlock Holmes debate was held this weekend, this time including Elementary as well as canon, BBC, and Ritchie. Whenever video or audio is announced, I'll pass it on.


There's a post-con trip today - M's going, but even if I felt I had the energy, I'm out. They're coming to look at my soggy phone line today -- and of course the moment the rain stopped, so did the problem on my line. So I told the guy that I was going to meet him with the garden hose. He said I didn't need to. I told him it wasn't my first rodeo.

Much more later. But, lost at tea dueling, although was given a whole packet of biscuits (cookies, y'all) to practice with later. Saw some fun panels. Masq very but but with surprising. Umber of scratches. Just a Minute halftime show with the price of admission right there. But making a good seat at the Masq contingent on standing among smokers for 30-90 minutes? NOT ON!

Technically, Gally doesn't begin until noon today, CA time, but last night's lobby on was already stressfully full. Chicago's spread out lobby system spreads out the crowd; Gally herds it all together.

First panel, Big Finish - possibly the only panel I'm hitting today. Trying to hook up with Stggering Stories!

Only three panels today, and not much to share about the knitting circle or the con feedback panels. (Me: Get the Master back!) Apparently I missed a kickass panel yesterday when Matthew Waterhouse showed up for "The Perils of Male Companions."

So... I'll go on about the "Fifth Doctor Era QA" which was ostensibly about the Big Finish 5th Doctor range but was mostly about Peter Davison, Janet Fielding, and Matthew Waterhouse ragging on each other with Nick Briggs and Jason Haigh-Ellery getting the occasional word in edgewise.

It started without enough mikes for everyone on stage, so Peter gave his to Janet, then jumped down and sat in the first row. Then he popped up to the (then unoccupied) mike for audience questions and asked "What was your favorite story and what was the plot?" Janet: "That's an excellent question and someday I shall forgive you for it."

That was the last Big Finish question they actually got for about a quarter of an hour, as Jason and Nick occasionally mourned. (Janet's favorite bit of the new series - which she loves, because she feels 45 minutes gives you so much more time to develop character without rushing to the next cliffhanger in 20 minutes -- is Rose touching the dalek in Dalek. She mentioned that several times yesterday too, how powerfully emotional a scene that was.)

When they did get to talk Big Finish, they got to talk a bit about how they got into character without costumes or props (Peter: You just do it, really) and the perils of falling into Radio Acting with modulated voices instead of making the listener feel it. Nick, who records the rehearsals because sometimes he feels that's the best, least over-rehearsed take, said that Peter never read the scripts in advance. Peter said he'd never read the TV scripts in advance either, so his whole Doctor was based on never reading the script.

This evolved into a discussion of how Peter tends to overbook and be late, leading to people reading his part in readthrough. Matthew and Janet gave him crap about that. Janet: "I come back and he's working five jobs!" Peter: "I did that just for you." Janet: "We'd believe it if you weren't late all the time." Matthew: "Remember when he was late because of a gerbil in his kitchen?" Peter and Janet: "It was a mole!" Matthew: "It was a gerbil in my book."

This continued evolving until Janet *very* reluctantly said how good she thought Peter was as an actor, compared to the performances turned in by people playing Peter until he showed up.

Janet's favorite audio was The Cradle of the Snake; Peter didn't pick a favorite, although he mentioned Spare Parts many times. Matthew had been brought in to be a voice for the Dark Shadows series, and I have to admit, although my usual reaction to the Dark Shadows promos is "stop smoking the curtains" I went and picked up that audio in the dealer's room. (And a bunch of other things. This took me over budget, although not cripplingly so; I hope I don't end up regretting that.)

With barely two hours left of the official convention, I hope I finally get to see calapine! I haven't seen her all weekend!

Before I talk about the con, some random links of interest:

sadbhyl on twitter: "Sat, 02:36: RT @cabin_pressure: Made me laugh: The first rule of Thesaurus Club is, you don't talk about, mention, speak of, discuss or chat about Thesaurus Club..."

Benedict Cumberbatch describes his holiday in the Seychelles Swimsuit pictures, y'all!.

Okay! Friday at ChicagoTARDIS was more interesting than I'd expected it to be, considering. Hung a bit with nnwest and dark_aegis talking Sherlock fic in general (if Aegis is going to admit liking the latest werewolf fic, then it's not just me and I'll rec it with the next set of links) and the stuff we're doing for Pyramids Press in specific.

Kevin dragooned me for his NASA talk so that there would be at least one warm body in the audience. I found it really interesting, actually, with compare-to-reality discussions of what was expected of the Mars rovers vs what they've got, and the photos of what the Hubble can show vs what is hoped for the next telescope.

Robert Shearman's 1-on-1 is a not-to be missed experience, so I didn't miss it. (I would later get The Best book autograph from Rob; I don't know how to get it from Tubso to LJ, so it will be posted later.) Missed a lot of the Big Finish Q&A because I was on a search for lunch (which I ate in the back of the auditorium; it is hard to get lunch at this con). Intend to make up for lost time today at the "Not the Who" panels because I'm really more interested in their Holmes line and the announcement that they're going to start marketing The Scarifyers.

Went to the tumblr panel, but didn't come out feeling that I had a blueprint of how to start from scratch. (Also? Don't talk about how strange Sherlock fandom is with the jam jokes and the cat sweater meme and then talk about tumblrs called "Peter Davison's Toes" or "Peter Davison's Eyebrows." I'm just sayin'.)

Peter Davison's question and answer session was fun, but the most fun really was the final question, when a strong Australian accent asked "Who was your favorite companion?" "You leave me up here alone for an hour and you ask me who my favorite companion is?" he roared at Janet Fielding. "IT WAS SARAH SUTTON!"

TBH, I left the Nick Courtney tribute in 5 minutes, hinked out horribly by the giggly "I've been in fandom so long, I went to these cons and have these old interviews" self-congratulatory attitude of the presenters. It's supposed to be about mourning NIck, not praising your fandom cred!

But for me, the biggest thing was being able to talk to Dr. Paul Booth of DePaul University on his research study "trying to learn more about the role that the academic study of fans has had on fan practices." I marched up to his table in the dealer's room and said "I'm credited in Textual Poachers, I was there for Enterprising Women, I know about the transvestite-and-slash debacle, and we ARE going to talk!" We talked for half an hour and I want to go back and talk some more. Most of what I banged on about was the difference between descriptive studies (fans do x) and prescriptive ones (fans do x because they are y) and how the latter is incredibly offensive because it infantalizes us - we are self-aware and intelligent! - and is usually someone else's bias being imposed upon us. And I put in a bit about my "fandom is a gene" theory.

Today: The Making of the Doctor's Wife; Is Doctor Who Feminist; two Big Finish panels; Goodbye My Sarah Jane; Mark Sheppard's only talk; Masquerade, Mysterious Theater 337, and Paul Booth needs pepper spray to keep me from throwing more opinions at him.

Tiki Dalek! I wasn't making it up.

There was also a gold dalek and a bronze dalek AND a WWII tea dalek, and Jean of Staggering Stories got a shot of all 4 of them lined on up Sunday.

Sunday I pretty much hung out with either Fake Keith or Jean of Staggering Stories, with a few minutes with spatasmagoria & hubby. The Ravellers of Rassilon had a crafting corner in a room with a "donate & take" bag of homemade wooden straights and worsted; I plunked down some and got Fake Keith (Karen) her own needles, showed her how to cast on again, and by the end of the day she'd gotten a pretty good looking inch or so on the beginnings of an afghan square. (Karen, if you forget - remember, look up "cable cast on.")

I followed the Staggering Stories crew to the "Classic Companion Roundtable" and I'm glad I did, because it was a raucous panel of everyone who'd ever been in Who, basically. (And the Peter and Janet show still can't be beat!) They also replayed the video Peter brought to introduce himself which is a riot.

The flights home were uneventful, if long; the snows across the country didn't delay any of my flights, although now that I'm home I'm listening to sleet hit the windows as I type. It was Southwest, which is known for its puckish flight attendants; when we landed in Houston, one sang with more enthusiasm than scansion:

"Ta ra ra boom-de-ay
Thanks for flying Southwest today
If you don't like my song
Next time fly TWA!"


PS - I was selected for the Porn-o-matic at LAX. For the record, I took the pad and driver's license out of my pocket, but not the tampons.* They didn't feel me up after, but they did go over my green tote with explosive wipes and unpack it and send the books and ipad through separately. He also asked if it was a dangerous ipad (as he wiped it for explosives) and I said "that depends on your opinion on..." and swapped "...literature" for "... internet porn" just in time.

The TSA guy loved the Etch-a-Sketch frame so much he showed it to all the other agents. However, he was polite to me and careful with my stuff, so I'm not upset that he took a lot of interest in something that I got because it generates a lot of interest, y'know?


*Sorry for the TMI, but other women will want to know what to expect at the porn-0-matic.

Gareth David Lloyd & Kai Owen are a very profane, very funny pair. GDL is tired of bring Ianto back stuff ("He's fucking dead!") but is also making jokes about being out of work. The money shot - which I did not get but which is doubtless all over the internet by now - was him auditioning as Rhys' & Gwen's baby, by curling into Kai's lap, thumb in mouth.

In other news, GDL's band is in the top 20 for a prize; go vote for them on facebook. ("Even if you hate rock and roll, vote for Ianto! Do it for the Jones!")

GDL is tired of being asked what it's like to kiss Barrowman. He's still being asked it.

On learning to use the props, they work with them for several takes "until it stops being a piece of plastic that John put his willy on."

Kai has read a Torchwood audio-only adventure in which Rhys breaks Ianto's coffee machine, prompting a long riff about breaking Ianto's knob and screwing it back on. Both men claimed they had no idea why the audience was laughing.

After them, Tommy Knight of the SJA was an anti-climax. He was very gentle with the young kids asking him questions, though. He did say that he took lots of Bubble Shock stuff from the set. (GDL said he'd taken most of Ianto's suits, but was givg them away bit by bit to costumers.)

This keyboard continues to be a brat.