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redpensandgreenarrows · 7 years ago

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HVFF Nashville wrap-up!

I think the shock has worn off enough for me to remember most of what happened ^_~. So, let’s dig in to the story of my first con!! :-)

Sorry if this gets a little long, but I’m going to gush! THERE WILL BE SPOILERS so be warned! ^_^ Also, any pics I post are mine, please do not use without credit!!

HVFF Day #1

@ireland1733, @emmilynestill, @jedichick04, @laurabelle2930, and I all met up and headed into the con. I was so thankful to have a few HVFF veterans in our group, because I was able to follow their lead! Heading back to the autograph booths, we met up with @scu11y22 and @quant-um-fizzx. Stephen’s line was filling up quick, so we went to David’s booth because there was no one in his VIP line yet!

Poor David. All the hugs to that man, because he didn’t fly in from Vancouver until that morning. Combining that fact with a flight delay, DR was running late (we were able to get the complete run down of his schedule from his con agent who we befriended while waiting in line X-D). In total we probably waited 2 hours or so for David to show up, but we found ways to pass the time. Hanging with this group of ladies is always a good time with many laughs and craziness. Plus, Stephen showed up during the midst of our waiting and since his booth was right next to David’s we got to stare at the pretty for as long as we wanted!! It took a few minutes for it to sink in that I was seeing the pretty IN PERSON. *sigh* it was lovely.

--SIDE STORY-- While waiting for David, we got to watch Stephen take a picture with adorable little baby who was dress up in a green arrow onesie that was made to look like the Arrow jacket. It was precious! And the best part, we found out thanks to @hope-for-olicity - who was also waiting with us - that the baby’s name was Oliver! ADORABLE!

Finally David arrived! Immediately, he tried to grab SA’s attention, and wadded up a piece of paper or something and threw it at him. As Stephen slowly made his way over, David turned to all of us and said, “I gotta go hug my boyfriend.” A+ moment. I will forever live for the David/Stephen bromance.

When my moment finally came to meet David, I asked for a hug and he was all for it. I can back up everyone’s claim that David 100% gives the best hugs. They’re so big and teddy-bear like. For how muscly he is, David is super cuddly. I told him it was my first con and he said I was a natural. He signed the picture I picked out and I asked for his favorite Diggle quote (Stephen also signed this pic, so you’ll see his autograph too):

David: “Oliver, don’t.”

I also asked for a S6 spoiler. I never mentioned anything about Olicity or that I was an Olicity shipper. His immediate response was “Do you like weddings?” ;-)

This man is a precious cupcake and completely worth the wait. We bonded; it was beautiful. ^_^

Once we finished up with David, Stephen’s line amazingly had no one in the VIP section, so we jumped at the chance and he was even taking selfies that day!! Stephen’s line obviously moved more quickly due to the number of people, but he was super sweet as well. Similar to David, I asked for one of his favorite Oliver lines.

Stephen: “Suit up.”

Once he signed the pic, he shook my hand, held it during the picture, and then complimented my Star Wars phone case ^_^. I know it’s silly, but I will never be over that!

Finishing up with Stephen, our group grabbed a bite to eat and then waited to be seated for Stephen’s panel. (Shout out to @hotcookinmama and her adorable daughter - dressed as Felicity - who we ran into before the panel!!)

@jedichick04 asked the very first question of Stephen’s panel, and it was the “two truths and a lie�� question which has been floating around tumblr and twitter. His panel was as fun and humorous as they normally are, and it was so fun to see it in person.

Following his panel, we walked back to the autograph booths to see who we could hit up next...

- Echo Kellum: SUPER sweet <3. Similar to David he’s very much a hugger. His hugs are great too. Echo is just a lovely person and so thankful to his fans. And he was also the first person who got the “Have you all been kidnapped?” question (aka THE QUESTION) that @ireland1733, @emmilynestill, and @laurabelle2930 forced me to ask the actors. He was definitely shocked by the question and wondered why I didn’t want to know if they were even alive! It was pretty funny. He claimed that he didn’t know and wasn’t sure what was happening quite yet. So, I’m not sure if he truly knows, but I didn’t get a definite ‘No.’

- Rick Gonzalez: OMG, THIS PRECIOUS PUPPY. I JUST WANT TO HUG HIM ALL THE TIME. Okay, so Rick is the sweetest, most humble person ever. @laurabelle2930 and I walked up to say hi and get a pic, and he was just so thankful! You can tell he is so happy to be a part of Arrow, and just so thankful to his fans. Super sweet, A+, I wish I had the chance to go back to his booth before the weekend was over. Rick was asked THE QUESTION as well, and his reaction was too funny! His lips pressed together and bulged like he was trying to keep the words from spilling out. He said that he was trying really hard to tell us, but they just wouldn’t come out!! Hilarious. Again, no ‘No.”, but maybe a slight hint?? Who knows *shrugs*.

After Rick, most left to prep for the Nocking Point party, but @jedichick04 and I had time to kill because our photo ops with SA weren’t until later. So, we bopped around the vendor area and ran into @jbuffyangel and her daughter, who too was dressed as Felicity. We chatted about spoilers, and Jen said that she was told there was going to be a conflict between Oliver and Diggle this coming season (almost Civil War style), and I revealed what David told @emmilynestill - how Diggle was going to be the Green Arrow for part of the season. (What is happening on S6 of Arrow!?!?!)

My photo op with Stephen was lovely. I wish I had asked for a true hug, than just the side hug, but I think I still had first con jitters. Plus, IT’S STEPHEN FREAKIN’ AMELL. I touched him in some capacity, and it really hasn’t sunk in yet.

After the photo, Rachel and I met up with the ladies again, and added @mel-loves-all, @vaelisamaza, @smoakingbabbles, @tdgal1, and a couple others to the group for dinner before the NP party. Good friends, good food, A+ time ^_^.

Nocking Point Party

WHAT a blast! I sampled some excellent wine, and danced the night away with my friends. The band was great! Their name was The Remedies, and the were just having a ball! They were an excellent cover band, playing lots of 80s and “fan favorite” songs (think wedding reception band). They were so happy the crowd was getting into it and dancing.

We ran into David’s con agent - Mary - again, and BOY was she having fun!! She was dancing with us, and when David finally showed up to the party, got us a group picture with him! @jedichick04, @emmilynestill, @ireland1733, @laurabelle2930, and I were posing with David when he suddenly lifted up his leg and yelled, “Someone hold my leg!” Like the 5 women around him wouldn’t do that! ;-) It was so much fun!

There was a hilarious Q&A session with Stephen, Drew, Cassandra, and Rick! Highly enjoyable. AND STEPHEN SANG!! He belted out Summer of ‘69 with the band. I love that song, so it was great to hear!! I have a video of the last half of the song, so hopefully I can get it up soon. :-)

However, the best part of the night - coincidently - was the end. Stephen was on stage, saying thank you and good night everyone present. He started to walk off stage when SUDDENLY A WILD DAVID RAMSEY RAN UP ON STAGE AND GRABBED THE MIC!! Because were they done yet!? According to David, not so fast!! He had a few words for the crowd: 1.) Thanking the fans over and over again for their support, because “according to the producers” he was told that viewing had gone UP this passed season thanks to all the fans, 2.) Thanking Stephen for being an amazing leader, and how he loves getting to work with such a great guy, 3.) “Can I get an AMEN!? We are in Nashville after all.” (yes there was an AMEM! ^_~), 4.) CHEEK KISS AND BRO HUG WITH STEPHEN. IT WAS THE BEST THING EVER!

And then just before my storage ran out on my phone, I got one last pic that I think is my favorite from the night: “NAAAAAASHVIIIIIIIILE!”

HVFF Day #2

Arrow panel up first!

And guys... I ASKED A QUESTION. 😱😱😱 I might have been shaking a bit, but I made it through! I asked Rick if the Rene/Lance relationship/moments would continue in S6, because I enjoyed them last season, and will Lance still help Rene get his daughter back. Rick said he hoped so, because he loved working with Paul and their dynamic on the show. And being a father himself, he enjoyed that Rene was a father too, and getting to play that part of his character on the show. Because as Wild Dog, he’s such a “bad ass”, but then you get this different side to him when he interacts with his daughter. I hope we get it too!!

Many hilarious moments, but I think the absolute best question was when a woman asked David what cologne he was wearing the previous night at the NP party, because her friends thought he smelled wonderful and wanted to buy the cologne for their husbands. David’s reaction was priceless! (But he did answer: Tom Ford - Wood)

After the panel the rest of the day was autographs/selfies with the crew, and a couple more photo ops! So lets break it down...

- Katrina Law: First was an autograph and selfie with her - I had a photo op later. She is just a precious sinnamon roll, who is sweet, super friendly and energetic. She complimented my style and was super sweet during the selfie - we did a “normal” one, then she made us do “diva” poses ^_^. I want to be her BFF4LYFE. We asked her THE QUESTION as well, and she just shrugged it off saying “Naw... everyone’s hamburger meat.” Haha! ^_^

- John Barrowman: Similar to Katrina, I had a photo op later, but we hit his line for an autograph and a group selfie. John takes his own selfie, and MAN does he have it down to a science! “Okay, everyone squeeze in, find an opening, you crouch down, look, and smile!” He took like 5 normal ones before yelling “Ugly one!” John and I are the only ones making faces, because the rest just cracked up ^_^. He gives a good hug too.

We hit up Echo and David again for group selfies, and then the end of my day was just checking out the vendors and my 3 photo ops.

The last bit of my story I have to write out is about my last photo op, which happened to be David. When it was my time for the photo I said to David: “You started my con and now you’re ending it too, can I get one last hug?” He said absolutely and gave me a great big bear hug. The photographer took the photo, and then David refused to let me go. Hugging me for a few seconds longer, he did a little rocking motion (like when you give someone a really big hug), and then when he let me go he said he’d see me next con!

Damn. Straight.

So, to say my first con was a success I think would be an understatement. I had SO MUCH FUN, met many of my favorite actors, and hung out with so many of my fandom friends... truly I must be blessed. Everything I did, and every cent I spent was completely worth it.

And I can’t wait to do it again. <3

#hvff nashville #my con story #i love my fandom friends #i love that this show has created this experience for me and my friends #thank you arrow cast for all that you do

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jedichick04 · 7 years ago

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Rachel’s Rambles - HVFF Nashville

So this past weekend, I attended Heroes and Villains Fan Fest Nashville.

I vaguely knew what to expect going in -- I attended the Saturday of Star Wars Celebration back in April -- but I still felt like this was going to be my first “full on” convention experience.

And let me tell you, it was a blast.

Some general things I learned from this convention: always wear comfortable shoes (Saturday I walked 12,523 steps/5.47 miles and Sunday 6,867 steps/3 miles); bring a water bottle (there was a water fountain you could use and keeping hydrated was a must) and snacks; splurge for the VIP pass (it saved a ton of time on lines); and bring a bag that won’t kill your shoulder by the end of the weekend, because you will pack a lot into it and it’ll weigh like twenty pounds.

My full convention experience is behind the cut. There’s a lot of babble and a multitude of pictures. Also beware of spoilers and a side of snark.

I had a few goals with the convention: to meet Stephen Amell (and not faint...okay but it’s been something on my bucket list for the last three years! ;)), to have tons of fun with fandom friends, and to creatively hunt down as many spoilers for the new season as I could. I wasn’t sure how all of this was going to be accomplished, aside from my vague thought that I’d ask a question at a panel.

Fun with fandom friends started off right away in the VIP line. @redpensandgreenarrows, @ireland1733, @emmilynestill, and @laurabelle2930 were all in line with me from the start, and not long after they let us VIP’s into the convention, @scu11y22 and @quant-um-fizzx joined our group. After a few moments of getting the lay of the land, we made a beeline for David Ramsey’s VIP line. I hadn’t decided going into the con if I’d get autographs or not, but you only live once, right? ;) It was a blast visiting with all these lovely ladies, making friends with David’s con agent Mary, and just drinking in the general atmosphere. Stephen’s booth was right next to David’s, and I had that totally surreal moment when Stephen first showed up in his booth where it dawned on me that Stephen Amell was right there in person. (And thank goodness, with no sign of the hideous beard and with his hair at perfect length!)

It was no less surreal when David finally showed up (bless his heart - he’d taken a red eye from Vancouver and had to get over to the convention center from the airport), and I watched as he interacted with each of my fandom friends. It was really touching to me to see the time and attention he spent with everything -- from @scu11y22 and the coffee mug he wanted to use right away, on through @quant-um-fizzx and the increasingly hilarious selfies he took with her. When it was my turn, he opened up his arms right away and I got a David Ramsey Hug. Let me tell you: everyone always says he gives the best hugs...AND THEY’RE RIGHT. Big awesome bear hug. It totally wiped the coherent thoughts from my mind. I think the first thing I blurted out to him was, “Now I’m all flustered,” to which he laughed and said nah, I didn’t have any reason to be. I babbled about a couple of things I barely remember -- I think I told him that I’d gone to Star Wars Celebration and he wanted to know if it was after Carrie passed -- and then he turned his attention to signing the picture I’d picked up of him and Stephen.

As he was signing, I told him, “I want you to know that I’ve been a fan of the show from the beginning. And I especially love OTA, Original Team Arrow.”

I had nothing on my mind besides sharing some positivity about the show and his role on it. So naturally that’s when he made my brain explode by turning and smiling at me and saying, “That’s good, really good. Since there’s going to be a wedding.” Then he gave this little smirk and wink and teased me about “keeping it under wraps,” and sent me on my slightly stunned way. I had to take a minute before I joined my friends over on the (surprisingly short) Stephen VIP line.

Stephen’s signing went really fast. There were a lot of people and my brain was short circuiting on things to say. But I chatted with him a little about the plane ride down from Toronto -- I’ve flown up to Montreal from Nashville a few times, and literally the only thing that makes the Nashville airport an “international airport” is we have a tiny little twenty or thirty seat Air Canada airplane that goes into Toronto a few times a day. I asked him if that was the plane he’d come in on and we kind of laughed about it. Then he shook my hand and off I went with my signed David and Stephen photo. (I wish I would have thought to ask for a favorite quote or a spoiler -- but I’m blaming it on my completely dazed state of holy crap that really was Stephen Amell)

The group of us decided to grab some lunch while we had a chance. During lunch, we discussed the various spoilers we’d already picked up -- the wedding (which David had mentioned to two of us) and the interesting tidbit about Diggle being the Green Arrow for part of the season. After we finished, it was time to get in line for Stephen’s panel. When we filed in to grab seats, it turned out we snagged seats right next to one of the microphones. So when the panel started and the host mentioned we could line up for questions, I hopped up and was the first in line for the microphone behind my seat.

In my most embarrassing moment of the whole con, while we were lining up, Stephen was answering some introductory question up on stage. The HVFF person in charge of my microphone made a joke to me about how getting people to line up correctly was like “herding cats” and I laughed and muttered “I was just gonna say that!” Only...the mic next to me was on and it caught a little of what I said and up on stage, Stephen stopped what he was saying and went “does it sound like there’s someone else talking somewhere?” I just about melted into the ground, y’all.

But I didn’t have long to be embarrassed, because it was time for questions! I was up first. I wanted to ask something that stood a chance of getting some spoilers we hadn’t heard yet, but was also general enough that Stephen would actually answer the question. I went for the standard “two truths and a lie” about 6x01 (and I asked specifically about the episode since I knew he had read the script and would start filming on Monday). Stephen joked about needing to think about it for a minute since he’s known for giving good answers to that question, then slowly gave out the following responses: “Oliver and Slade have a scene together in the present day; Diggle deploys his gun and it doesn’t work; Thea is in a present day scene where [Oliver and Thea] speak to each other.” He was particularly careful with his wording with the Diggle answer, so I’m 99% sure that’s a truth.

There were lots of other great questions and answers during the Stephen panel; some of the tidbits were summarized here on TVLine. One thing that amused me during the panel were when comic book fans (several different times) asked Stephen if Oliver would be more like the Green Arrow in comic books now and the one thing he always made sure to say was that he was looking forward to Oliver smiling more. (And he said “gross” about the goatee, which made me happy.) He also sang “Part of Your World” at one point. Little Mermaid is my favorite Disney movie, so that totally made me happy.

After his panel, the other girls went on an Arrow cast selfie/spoiler scavenger hunt. I volunteered to watch our bags and hung out in front of the booths, people and actor watching. (If there’s one thing I regret, it’s not going ahead and paying for some cast member selfies!) After that, @redpensandgreenarrows and I had some time to kill until our Stephen Amell photo ops. We ended up wandering around the convention floor. We saw this little guy, whose head and body moved around and just delighted everyone in the area:

Then we ended up in the Fangirl Problems Inc booth. (Check out her Etsy shop here!) We were sorting through and choosing buttons when I spotted an adorable mini Felicity -- and a woman who looked vaguely familiar from her Twitter profile pic. So I asked if she happened to be @jbuffyangel, and sure enough, it was Jen and her delightful daughter! We got to visit for a little while and swap spoilers -- about Oliver and Diggle’s rift and how Diggle will be the Green Arrow for a time -- and let me tell you firsthand, Jen is as fun and sweet as you think she is. I’m really glad that we got to visit!

I bought my buttons and an Olicity necklace that I couldn’t resist, and then we headed over to our Stephen photo ops.

Photo ops really do go quickly, but it’s worth it for a nice professional photo. Stephen was very friendly and I’m pretty pleased with how it came out! (I was definitely not creative enough to think up a pose beforehand. Next time, maybe! ;))

After that, it was time for pre-dinner drinks/fic research for @emmilynestill (the Speedy is still my fave!), then dinner at a local favorite restaurant with the girls and a few more friends, including @mel-loves-all, @hope-for-olicity, @tdgal1, and @smoakingbabbles. Then it was time for the Nocking Point party!

We were a few minutes late for the VIP section of the party. I was one of the last through the bag check - the security lady had complimented my flamingo purse. I had just left the security area when I heard a girl behind me also compliment my purse. I said thank you and turned back around to be face to face with Madison McLaughlin (aka Evelyn). She was so sweet and bubbly! Headed on into the party where Echo promptly complimented the group of us on how we looked. Not a bad way to start off a party!

Highlights of the party included the band, playing a great variety of songs to dance to (though I’m still bummed they never got a line dance going -- how Nashville would that have been ;)); the great variety of Nocking Point wines; dancing with friends; David’s agent Mary hunting the group of us down and bringing David to us for a photo in the photo booth (David asked that we hold his leg - holy cow is that man solid muscle!!); Rick Gonzalez joining Stephen and Stephen’s wife Cassandra on stage for a Q & A session; Stephen pouring @mel-loves-all and my wine; Stephen singing “Summer of 69″ on stage (my video on Twitter here); and David joining Stephen on stage at the end (video here). I was sad the night came to an end!

The next morning it was back to the convention center bright and early because the Arrow panel was up first! The group of us were first in the VIP line and snagged some good seats; @redpensandgreenarrows was the sacrificial lamb of the day and went to line up to ask her question of Rick about Rene and Lance and Rene’s daughter. Only a few minutes into the panel and Madison McLaughlin ended up crashing the panel! I’m glad she did -- she had adorable banter with the rest of the cast and had the best comment: “It’s fun being evil, guys!”

A couple of my observations from the panel: first, this cast really seems to get along well. They had a lot of fun banter and smiles and you could tell they’re looking forward to getting back to work. They also were having a lot of fun with the whole “oh yeah we’re all dead” joke that I’m guessing will be resolved at SDCC. Although, I’ll give them credit -- for current character status being “possibly killed in explosion”, they all did a great job of teasing about the new season without just defaulting to “but I might be dead.” David totally fails at the “two truths and a lie” game - he revealed to a member of our group later on that all the answers he gave onstage were truths.

I also wanted to mention that question and answer that Echo had about Curtis and Olicity. If you were in the room, you would have heard the lighthearted joking aspect of Echo’s answer, and even from the question-asker herself. It wasn’t so much that Echo was saying Olicity aren’t together and need Curtis’s help, it’s that Curtis would happily aide and abet another Olicity date night. Which, considering how the last one ended, I’d be in full favor of. ;)

After the panel, @scu11y22 and I went to get some coffee and had a chance to just sit and visit. I didn’t mention this to her at the time, but if it wasn’t for her and her Tumblr, I don’t know if I’d be a part of the Tumblr community and online Olicity fandom. See, back when 3x12 aired, I went looking online for some fellow fans that felt as gutted and frustrated as I did. Tracy’s blog was one of the first I found. When I made my Tumblr a few days later, she was one of the first I followed. When I got brave enough to post my first speculation post before 3x16 aired, she reblogged and commented on it. And when I got really brave and posted my first fic online in years before 3x22 aired, she ended up recommending it on her Tumblr. All that to say, there was something really special about getting to sit and talk to her at a convention that I never would have gone to if I hadn’t stumbled into the fandom via her Tumblr a few years ago.

The rest of the afternoon was filled with shopping and swapping more spoilers and theories and just enjoying spending time with fandom friends. By now, I’m sure everyone’s see the majority of spoilers; if there’s something in particular you’re interested in, take a look at my Twitter or feel free to message me/ask in my inbox. I’d be happy to address it!

All of the Arrow cast members were very approachable and nice. The “junior” cast members in particular (Echo, Madison, Rick) seemed just super happy to be there interacting with fans. Stephen had a ton of people around him at all times yet took the time to shake hands and smile at everyone. But I think the cast member that blew me away the most after this weekend was David Ramsey. If you ever get a chance to meet him, do it. Get that bear hug. Take a few minutes to talk to him. You really won’t regret it.

I don’t think I can emphasize enough how much I enjoyed spending time talking and fangirling with everyone. In particular, my Hogwarts girls/squad/”party girls”/Magnificent Seven: @quant-um-fizzx (hey, we didn’t faint meeting David - and I am SO HAPPY you came!); @laurabelle2930 (one of the few other people I’ve met who watched SGA! ;)); @emmilynestill (I’m still shaking my head at how I knew your writing from HP); @scu11y22 (so glad you decided to attend HVFF after all); @ireland1733 (I’m glad you’ll be getting your Nocking Point wines faster now ;)); and @redpensandgreenarrows (navigating the wild streets of Nashville together!) To all the others I met and got to hug and talk not nearly long enough with (and may have totally spaced on your screennames to tag you), I am glad to have interacted with you! With all the frustrations and ups and downs this fandom has been through, it’s just fun to see the people behind the blogs and remember that we’re all in this together.

And if you made it through that marathon of a blog post, bless your heart. ;) Until next time, HVFF Nashville!

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