What an AMAZING weekend. So much to tell you guys. Let’s dig in…
When I met Em & Cheryl at Flarrow we had a whirlwind few hours together, but we text every day. We wanted to spend more time together, so the idea for a girls weekend was born. Cheryl suggested we tie it to a Stephen event and VOILA we were off and rolling. We chose Wizard World Chicago because, in addition to Stephen, the line up was pretty good.
From left to right (Natalie, Em, Cheryl and me)
Once everyone was in town we each gave one another little surprises. Both Natalie and Cheryl brought Lord Mesa prints for me and Em. I brought Arrow charm bracelets for everyone.
*You can find the vendors for all my favorite purchases on my announcements page.
It was pretty quiet on Thursday, but we went to the convention center to redeem our tickets and get our VIP badges. Since Stephen canceled Sunday and added Friday, we weren’t sure which day our VIP badge would be good for. We spend weeks discussing the schedule, trying to figure out our best options. When we checked in they told us our VIP badges were good everyday. Oh…if we could only have the 4 weeks of text messaging time back.
So much $$$$ sitting on this bed.
Since it was me and Em’s first con, Cheryl took this picture before we went inside - Con Virgins no longer!
I have never seen so many t-shirts in all my life. Holy Moses. There was so much to take in- we needed all four days. I was blown away by the talent. People put their heart and souls into their work. After the last four days, and discussions with Cheryl (the Con Guru), I realized it’s EXTREMELY difficult to find Original Team Arrow or Felicity art at comic cons. We found this beautiful artwork and each of us bought a print.
There’s another artist who makes STUNNING work.
He’s watches Arrow, but hasn’t had time to draw the cast yet. I spoke with him at length and asked him to create some Original Team Arrow or Olicity artwork. He was very interested and we’re going to communicate further, so I’ll keep you guys updated!
We discovered these amazing Arrow necklaces and Em bought one for each of us. My favorite find!
All our swag. Can you call it swag if you paid for it?
We bumped into Laura - a fellow guest writer from Just About Write and her friend Raya.
Laura & Raya are so sweet and nice. I love making new friends!
We hung out and went to dinner together at Gino’s East (a must if you’re ever in Chicago).
Sinceriously Shirt Day!!! Left to right: me, Em, Natalie, Cheryl, Laura and Raya
We were headed back to the hotel one night when we saw these fine folks in their awesome cosplay.
We wanted to take a picture, but couldn’t figure out if the woman was Black Canary (Laurel) or The Canary (Sara). Only one of those options would warrant a photograph.
We stepped closer and said, “It’s Sara. Definetely Sara.” Then we took a picture. The woman stopped us before we left. She heard our conversation as we debated if she was Laurel or Sara and thought it was hysterical. So, we took a picture together. :)
Bumped into The Flash one morning on the elevator.
Stephen Amell
Em needed an autograph from Stephen for a friend’s artwork. We were on our way to the autograph line when the convention center erupted in some majorly loud screaming. We saw a few people running too. The four of us looked at one another and said in unison, “He’s here!” I must say, we were quite chill about it. No screaming or running.
Although, the convention center did feel more handsome.
While Em & Natalie waited in line, Cheryl & I watched Stephen sign autographs. Natalie managed to sneak this photo as Stephen was signing. How I do not know. You weren’t suppose to take pictures. Nat is just damn good.
The security guard was too busy chatting up underage girls to pay us any attention (eye roll) and the Wizard Con guy was nice. He stood enough to the side so Cheryl and I could see Stephen signing autographs. It was sweet. Occassionally, Stephen would glance up and look in our direction as we watched him sign. Yup. That’s right buddy. I’m watching you sign pictures. I’d also watch you read the phone book if you are so inclined.
Next up…PICTURES!!!! We were in the VIP line so our wait wasn’t too bad. Unfortunately, the convention center was freezing, which didn’t mix well with my cute but sleeveless green blouse. Sacrifices for fashion must be made sometimes (or all the time).
By the time it was our turn with Stephen I was pretty friggin cold. I wasn’t shaking from being nervous. I was shivering from the near hypothermia.
The moment just before we met Stephen!
Cheryl was up first, then our photo together with Stephen, then my individual with him. I made Stephen laugh while we situated ourselves for the group photo (WIN!!!).
Then, Stephen put his arm around me for the picture.
First thing I noticed? He was soooooo warm. Seriously. It was like a heating blanket wrapped around my shoulders. I was literally whispering in my head “Thank you thank you thank you thank you” because he warmed me up and saved me from the hypothermia. My hero. For reelz.
Obviously, he’s very strong. He had a firm, but gentle, grip on my shoulders and he sort of pulls you in. Yes, you can feel the muscles. To be honest, I was expecting him to feel like granite. I was surprised by how snuggly he is. Honestly, there’s no other way to describe it. He’s like a teddy bear with abs.
He is very tall, but I’m sort of use to tall. Stephen and my husband are the exact same height. It came in handy because I knew I could wear 2 to 3 inch wedges and still be shorter than him by quite a bit (I’m 5′6″ and Stephen/Nick are 6′1″). Thank you Nick and your fabulous height. It’s the gift that keeps on giving.
How does he smell? I don’t know. He smells like Stephen Amell. Buy a photo ticket and find out. I highly suggest it. He was wearing some kind of cologne I think, but it wasn’t overbearing. He smelled yummy.
We were sort of mid laugh when the photographer snapped our picture together.
After we finished my individual picture, he looked right at me and said “Thank you.” Oh sure, because of all the joy I bring to your life. You bet buddy. You’re welcome. Honestly, he couldn’t be nicer. Very intense blue eyes. It’s a little ridiculous how good looking he is. His smile is like a million watts of light. I know I always joke he’s like a living Apollo, but truthfully that really nails it.
While you stand in line they Wizard Con handlers shout all kinds of instructions at you like, “Move through the line quickly. No handshakes. No hugs. No gifts. No special poses. No talking. No breathing.” Okay, the last two are a slight exaggerations, but it’s close. It’s understandable. These stars have HUNDREDS of people to get to in a very short amount of time. I really don’t know how Stephen would have done it if he didn’t add Friday.
BUT…when you get in the room with Stephen, he sort of throws the rules out the window. He shakes hands, he gives hugs, he talks and jokes with you. He’s sort of like, “Eh…fuck it. I’m gonna do what I want.” I love that about him. If you’ve purchased a photo ticket, especially VIP, you spent a lot of money for about 5 seconds of time. Stephen takes a second to make eye contact, give you a smile that makes you melt like butter and says thank you. I truly believe he tried to carve out a moment to make certain I felt seen and appreciated. He loves his fans. He appreciates how far you’ve traveled, how long you’ve waited, and the investment you’ve made to meet him. He’s incredibly gracious, humble and genuine.
The build up is more nerve wracking. The minute I was in the room with him I was very calm. Happy & excited, but calm. He’s so nice and relaxed it was hard to be nervous and honestly…he’s just a person. An insanely good looking (it’s almost criminal) person, but a person nonetheless.
Panel
First things first - Cheryl is the Comic Con Guru. I never want to con without this woman. SHE IS AMAZING. She has all kinds of insider tips. Her organization was pretty hot if I’m being totally honest. I love nothing more than a Type A person. Organization is the way to my heart. You are a queen among us oliverqlovesfelicity.
Cheryl, Natalie and I are big TVD fans, so we wanted to watch Ian Somerhalder’s panel. It also killed two birds with one stone. His panel was right before Stephen’s, so we could position ourselves for good seats in Stephen’s VIP section.
We sat in the general admission section right behind the VIP section at Ian’s panel. Then, Cheryl asked a couple girls from Ian’s VIP if they would save their seats for us. They graciously agreed (THANK YOU IAN VIP GIRLS. YOU ARE THE BEST) and TA DA!!!! Second row. Dead center. Looked right at the man.
You can watch the live panel but I posted my vid on my Youtube account. I didn’t get the whole thing. Sorry. I was taking pictures first then I switched to video because Cheryl’s pictures were amazing.
Just to give you an idea about how popular Stephen is, Ian Somerhalder had three rows of VIP. Jeremy Renner had around nine or ten rows of VIP. Stephen Amell’s VIP section was fourteen rows – all three sections. It was unbelievable. I don’t know if he was at Nathan Fillion level (who’s the King of Con) but he was pretty damn close.
Seeing Stephen in person gave me a better understanding of his emotions behind his words, facial expressions/tone/context. Video feels more removed and losses something in translation. Why am I rambling about this? Because Stephen lights up whenever someone asks about Felicity or Olicity. Truly. He exudes joy when discussing Felicty or Emily. My impression is he has genuinely fallen in love with the love story of Oliver and Felicity. He’s a big fan like us because he loves the story for the same reasons we do. This is not an astounding revelation to most of you. We know he ships it. He’s The Captain. But there’s just something about seeing him discuss the relationship in person where you can really see in his eyes how much joy the story brings to him.
This, however, doesn’t stop him from screwing with us. He said Felicity wasn’t Oliver’s only relationship this season. We called shennaigans on him. Immediately we started shouting, “FLASHBACKS!” He looked down at the first couple rows and just smiled at us.
Time was running out and the moderator said one more question, which Stephen answered, but then the next girl in line was dressed as Felicity. He said he couldn’t end the panel without taking a question from the girl dressed as Felicity. Too cute.
I do have one minor…I don’t want to call it a complaint because people can ask Stephen anything they want. However, one person challenged Stephen on his 2014 SDCC interview when he said the ship had sailed on Laurel/Oliver & Sara/Oliver.
I assumed it was a Lauriver fan, but I was informed later it was an Olicity fan who asked the question.
Sigh. I wish fans would simply accept the gifts we are given. Stephen’s 2014 interview was an anomaly because of the way the interviewer phrased the question. She wasn’t asking Stephen for his opinion. She was asking Stephen about what was happening in the show. It gave Stephen a slim window to be blunt in his answer about Olicity versus Lauriver. I wrote an entire meta on it because it was so stunning.
Furthemore, SDCC versus Wizard World is an entirely different enviroment. SDCC is one big commercial for the show. The actors discuss with the press what’s coming up in the season. Stephen has clear talking points & can frame his answers within the context of plot. Comic Cons are fan events that are focused more on Stephen’s opinions. The distinction is important.
Pushing back on Stephen about the interview, especially the word “never”, boxed him into a corner. He had to say “never say never”, thereby back tracking on one of the best and most gratifying interviews he’s ever given. Fortunately, he’s still The Captain. He stressed the importance of non romantic female relationships for Oliver. Then Stephen finished with “I doubt it” at the end. The overall take away was Lauriver is still sunk. Still, I was frustrated by the question. I’d rather we appreciate the gifts Stephen gives the fandom without pressuring him for more. But like I said…to each their own.
Okay, stepping off my soap box. Still with me? Let’s get back to the fun.
Autographs
Autographs were a little funny too. Cheryl was ahead of me and was able to visit with Stephen for a bit. I was so busy listening to the two of them I didn’t notice when Stephen moved over to my picture to sign . I didn’t say anything to him! He paused, looked up and said “How are you?” Fortunately, my brain starting firing neurons again and whispered, “Psst…it’s your turn now.” So I said he’s amazing and he said thank you and that was that.
Group Photos
I have to give props to my ladies. The group pose was 100% their idea. I was the only one who voted for a normal pose. Why? I don’t know. I’m boring. You guys know that by now. I was the minority, however. Democracy works in many enviroments. Yes, I touched Stephen’s bicep. Yes, it’s very muscley.
The Saturday photo line was a bit more stressful than the Friday photo line. Between autographs, his panel, photographs and the Knocking Point party, Stephen’s schedule was tight, so the handlers were more aggressive when you entered the room. After my picture with Em, I was suppose to ask Stephen to pick Em up for her individual. Quite frankly, I just forgot after being told to move by a couple handlers. I suck. I’ll have to make it up to her at Heroes and Villains.
Am I a little too excited my picture with Em are the colors of my blog? Yes.
Knocking Point Party
To be honest, Stephen wasn’t my focus for the Knocking Point party. I know, I know. I took several photos with the man, plus the autograph, so I was more than happy with my Stephen time. Seriously, a few more pictures and I would have taken more with Stephen than I did with Nick on our wedding day. Nick would be…displeased. Rightfully so.
My focus for the Knocking Point party was to meet as many fandom members as I could.
Thank you to EVERYONE who came up to introduce yourself and talk with me. It was amazing. Definitely a highlight from the trip. It’s so nice to finally put faces (and real names) with Twitter/Tumblr names. I’m not going to name each of you individually – you know who you are. Please be sure to send me a reminder via fan mail so I can make sure I’m following you either on Twitter or Tumblr. I hope to get together with those who live nearby soon!!!
The Knocking Point party itself was really fun. Wine club members were allowed to enter a half hour early. I was Em’s plus one, cause that’s how we roll.
After spending a weekend with me, it became clear to Cheryl I am cold all the time. She almost had me convinced to buy a Knocking Point sweatshirt to add to my abundant collection, but the line was insane. Why? Because Stephen was handing out merchandise and The Swarm followed.
What’s The Swarm? The Swarm is the conglomerate of the multitudes a.k.a the people following Stephen around at the party. It was particularly hilarious because you never had to wonder where Stephen was. You just looked for The Swarm. Stephen would bepop around, either pouring wine, selling merchandise or mingling with guests. It was highly entertaining watching his bodyguard trying to keep up with him.
Stephen took to the stage for a Q&A. I happened to be right next to the stage when it began, so I had an excellent view, especially when he turned his back. God bless. By this time, I smartened up and recorded the entire Q&A. Yes, I captured the Felicity spoiler question. Yes, he used the word “sexy” of his own volition. The man lives to thrill us, I swear.
Someone asked how Stephen and Drew met. I didn’t know the story so it was my second favorite ask of the night. They retold it like an old married couple. In fact, I’m not entirely convinced they aren’t married.
Brother Sal played
Don’t Stop Believing
and the party erupted in singing and dancing.
So much fun. Stephen & Drew just stood on stage, watching & recording us…smiling.
Their joy came from our joy.
I did speak with Stephen twice. The first time is sort of a blur. I think we just said hello and then he was off. Insert Flash comparison here. The second time, he was exiting the stage and basically walked right into me. I touched his arm (Yes. Ya damn right I did)
and he sort of scooted over to me.
I thanked him for the party. He asked if I was having a good time. I said yes and the party was awesome (which it was). He looked genuinely pleased and responded “Good!” and then he was off again.
His eyes are electric blue even in dim light. I think if the power went out Stephen’s eyes could serve as a flashlight.
I feel very lucky. My Stephen interactions were short, sweet and…
Wrestling
Em had to leave early on Sunday because she had a meeting in New York…and tickets to Summer Slam. Nat, Cheryl and I decided to get in a little shopping at the outlet center in Rosemount. You haven’t done Chicago unless you’ve shopped Chicago. My Mama raised me right.
Nat had her photo with Summer Glau so Cheryl & took in a couple more panels (Gotham and Jeremy Renner). More on those below. I think we were still high on our Stephen feels, so we decided to watch Summer Slam.
I bought an online subscription to the WWE so we could text with Em and because we lost our damn minds.
Luckily, it was a free one month trial. Let’s just hope I don’t forget to cancel the fucking thing.
Plus…this happened.
I thought Stephen was being way too adorable in the interviews. He needed to strike a more frightening tone.
I cannot stress to you how much I am NOT a wrestling fan. None of us were.
But when Stephen came out in the Green Arrow costume (well half of it), hood up, we went nuts.
Then he took off his shirt.
We texted Em, “Totally worth the money.” Am I right? Of course I am.
As we watched him wrestle, we screamed and cheered like actual wrestling fans. I think it was one of the seven signs of the apocolypse. For obvious reasons, we were highly concerned for the face, but there were a series of kicks to the stomach. So, then we became concerned for the abs.
We need to protect what God made for us folks. It’s just that simple.
I have not watched wrestling in 25 years, but I have to say…Stephen did AMAZING.
What a show. We know Stephen does 98% of his own stunt work, but he was able to showcase his athletic ability to an entirely different audience. I thought it was great. He could have a fine career as a stunt man, but he’s too pretty. It would be criminal for him not to be on camera.
I would like to thank this ridiculous American past time for giving us the opportunity for this picture.
Side note: Stop sending me tweets Stephen is Canadian. I know he’s Canadian. I am referencing THE EVENT, which is American. Chillz folks. That said…yes thank you Canada for Stephen.
Ian Somerhalder
Cheryl and Nat are big Delena fans. Everyone knows which direction my TVD flag flies but I wasn’t about to pass up the chance to see Somerhalder in person. Please.
As I explained, Ian’s panel was right before Stephen’s so we killed two birds with one stone. However, I failed to adequately prepare Em for Ian’s panels. She doesn’t watch TVD and has never seen one. As a long time TVD fan, I’ve watched countless. Don’t get me wrong, I think Ian is a great guy, but the man loves a good ramble.
Em’s hilarious texts to me as she experienced the Somerhalder Ramble was quite entertaining.
Em’s Texts: A Summary
I will say there was one particularly funny moment. One young fan asked Ian a question.
Q: I’ve always been interested in middle aged actors who star in sci fi shows…
Pause. Yes, she said middle aged. I am 33. Ian Somerhalder is 36. His face when she said “middle aged” was priceless. He was completely bemused. Unpause.
Ian: (polite yet strained smile) Keeping going.
Q: Is it weird to still win Teen Choice awards?
I don’t know who this kid was, but I wanted to adopt her. It was hysterical. Speaking as a thirty something, IAN AND I ARE NOT MIDDLE AGED.
However, she was from another country and I don’t think she understood the American connotation for “middle aged”.
Ian gave a rambling response, cause that’s how he rolls, but it included “Those little shits [teens] better love me.”
Natalie and Em needed to get their Stephen autographs, so Cheryl & I decided to get our picture taken with Ian. It was a last minute decision. When we bought the ticket the line for general admission wasn’t very long. However, it filled up quickly. We felt confident it would move quickly though.
We were wrong.
Ian was a half hour late. Probably due to the rambling. Then the man had the nerve to go to the bathroom. How dare he?
Kidding aside, I was rapidly approaching my Ian Somerhalder Patience Limit.
It’s shorter than Stephen but longer than Nathan Fillion. It’s a wide birth but I’m trying to give you a ballpark. I mean he’s pretty but…
Finally, the line started moving and it was our turn. Immediately, I figured out WHY the line was moving so slow. It’s Somerhalder.
First thing he does is say hello. Then he immediately scoops you up into his arms. He wraps his arms around you SUPER tight. It’s like a bear hug. Again, I was cold and he was warm. Thank you Men of the CW. He’s shorter than Stephen and his muscle mass isn’t as bulky, but he is ripped. You could feel the abs against your skin. Then the photographer takes the picture.
And Ian doesn’t let go. Seriously. He kept holding onto us. It was almost a straight minute. He just kept his arms around us, hugging us close. Finally the handlers were like, “Okay, Ian…you have to let go now.” He does. Reluctantly. Then he turns to me, looks me dead in the eye and in the spot on Damon voice says, “It was very nice to meet you.” Then gives me the SmolderHolder. The man drips sex. He’s nothin’ but trouble.
IT WAS UNBELIEVABLE. Cheryl and I lost our fangirl shit after we left.
Totally worth the wait. The man is pure gold.
He was incredibly gracious and sweet. He wanted to be sure to give us an awesome fan experience and he absolutely did.
Gotham: Ben Mckenzie, Milo Ventimiglia and Sean Pertwee
Cheryl and I went to the Gotham panel. They were on prior to Renner and we were meeting Natalie after Renner. We were late, but we caught some really great parts.
I fell in love with Ben Mckenzie . Don’t get me wrong. I liked the OC. I like Gotham. I thought Ben was a swell dude prior to the panel. But at the panel, Ben spoke to my heart. He talked about how we need as many interpretations of the comics as possible because they are America’s modern day mythology.
I screamed, “YES!” loudly enough that a few people turned around.
Cheryl can attest to this.
He officially became a precious unicorn under my protection with that one sentence.
He’s also incredibly funny and honest. He recognized the faults Gotham had in the first season. He discussed how they tried to make Gotham a procedural…
and how it was the wrong call. He also joked about how the writers hit us over the head with characters becoming villains. Our complaints were his complaints and he promises they’ve fixed it for Season 2.
Jeremy Renner
Jeremy was dressed in all black - black jeans, black jacket, black shades. I didn’t think I was cool enough for The Renner, but then he took off his jacket and revealed a grey t-shirt. Totally different story. I was fine…but just barely.
My impression of Jeremy is he’s a chill guy with a healthy perspective on Hollywood. He enjoyed making The Avengers, but from an artistic standpoint he’s more enthused about other projects. Avengers was a paycheck project for him. At least in my opinion. That’s not a bad thing. He seemed to really enjoy making the movie and had fun, but it wasn’t a passion project. He’s a little meh. I think he’s a little meh about most Hollywood things, which I loved.
Both Cheryl and I were very impressed with Jeremy after the panel. He stayed on stage and signed autographs, kneeling down to talk with fans. Cheryl explained it was rare for stars to do that at Comic Cons and Jeremy was the first star we saw do it in Chicago.
Conclusion
We finished up the weekend with me typing out this post and watching Arrow episodes with Cheryl - The Fallen, My Name Is Oliver Queen and the Flarrow crossovers (our first date episodes).
We said spending time together was the point of the trip and Stephen was simply a bonus. It could not have been more true. Getting to spend time with Em, Cheryl and Natalie was amazing. They are truly some of the kindest, funniest, most generous people I’ve ever met. I feel so blessed to call them friends. We made so many memories that I will cherish. I LOVE YOU LADIES!!!! YOU ARE MY FOREVER CUPCAKES AND PRECIOUS UNICORNS!!!!
And now the countdown to Heroes and Villains begins!!!