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Ryan's MegaCon report


Nick and Amber	Ryan and Nick

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Well, I ended up getting to MegaCon kind of late. I was supposed to meet Raven, the wonderful and incredibly talented webmistress of Raven’s Realm there. I was supposed to call her and we were to pick a meeting place, but I left one message on her machine at her hotel and was unable to call her again. So, at about 10 am I entered the convention center and set about wandering with my sister Megan.

I actually didn’t notice what happened to my dad. More on that later in the story.

So… Megan and I went on a hunt to track down some photos of Amber Benson. I had brought my copy of the Buffy Monster Book to have Amber sign her section, but I wanted something else, too. A photo more specifically. I knew photos were in short supply so I went about trying to acquire one as quickly as I could. I was also keeping my eyes peeled for exactly where the signing would take place ‘cause man, I had no freakin’ clue. The convention wasn’t that big, but it was big enough to get lost when you first get in there. Where was my dad, anyway?

We found the location of the singing first. The panel was set to begin at 12. It was now a little past 10. I made a plan to come back at 11 and wait in the line until they arrived. So- me and Meg were on a mad dash for an Amber photo. I had $60 bucks with me. Unfortunately, I found a stand selling Buffy figures. It distracted me momentarily and my quest was forgotten. Megan was attracted to the pretty things at an Anime booth. I found the Fandom exclusive Spike figure which I never though I’d ever have. I bought it for $15. Meanwhile, Megan had stumbled on some Sailor Moon Bandai figures (which we’ve been looking for for years- out of over 10, we only had four at home). I gave Meg $24 to buy Sailor Mercury and Venus at $12 a piece. My funds were low, but I always had my father… where was he, anyway?

We finally found a both that finally had Amber Benson photos after over half an hour. I bought another Nick one for luck, and then bought two Amber ones for me and my sister. At $5 a pop, that was $15. I know had $6 left from $60. There wasn’t really anything else I could buy at the convention, so me and Megan went back to the line and stood there. I donned my Spike/Buffy ‘Bite Me’ T-shirt which I wore to Visions ’99 and which I had told Raven to look out for me in. She eventually found me in line and I decided to leave Megan with, what Raven and I would latter dub ‘the Bandana Girl.’ The Bandana Girl looked to be about my sister’s age, but was really 24 and married (I found this after I got back from Florida). She wanted to intern on the set and had never seen the Monster Book before, so I let her flip through my copy. I was convinced the Bandana Girl was good people. My dad would have approved of her as well, but I wasn’t seeing him anywhere.
Anyway, Raven took me back to her hubby, who I immediately dubbed ‘Mr. Raven,’ (big into the nicknaming, wasn’t I?) and Laz, webmaster of SMG Underground and the new ‘Key Guy’ Xander site (he also has an Amber page in the works, for the record). It must have been over two hours in the line that we just stood around and talked about Buffy. We eventually got into the conversation about ‘The Body’ (which I saw in Florida courtesy of the WB18 -- my regular is the WB56) which Raven didn’t know I’d seen yet. My fondest memories of the convention stem from waiting around in line talking to Raven and Laz. At Visions, I had been with my sister, mother, and my mother’s friend who I don’t always I like. I don’t always like my mother, either, but that’s a good story for when I’m in a hotel room late at night with nothing else to say (wink, wink, nudge, nudge~ Raven, Laz, and Chad get that, but really this whole report is kind of our own little in-joke). I had no one to talk to at Visions. This time, I had two of the wisest Buffy minds on the web at my disposal. My little pages, such as The Coven of Amy (which I just happen to plug now~ http://www.geocities.com/coven_of_amy/) hadn’t even made the map yet. These two were feared and respected across the Information Super Highway. I really wanted them to meet my dad, but he must have been busy elsewhere.

We finally got up to the booth. I got Nick to sign the photo and took a picture with him. I got to see his conversation with Laz, if not hear it, and see that he was deeply touched by Laz’s admiration. Laz also presented them both with gifts (I believe Raven did, too, but she was before Laz and I don’t really remember well or could see well, so the combination of the two clouds my judgment). I felt kind of under-prepared. I just wanted John Hancocks and pics. They both signed my photos and I was kind of awestruck, but not as much as I was at Visions. I did prefer Amber, possibly because she was a girl and I found her more attractive, but she also seemed more down to earth and nice. Nick was super nice, too, but I can see why people love meeting Amber. I mean, her smile just melts you. She asked my name and signed it personalized. Nick did the same before her. It was pretty cool. Was my dad even seeing this?

Turns out… (story reaches critical climax here) HE WAS SPYING ON ME THE WHOLE TIME! The filthy bastard! My dad, wishing to be frugal (that’s a big word for ‘cheap’) had decided to not pay the $18 admission and be let into the convention! From a big window overlooking the signing area, he was watching me the whole time. I felt violated.

After I got my things signed, I hung out with Raven, Chad (Mr. Raven), and Laz off to the side. I lost sight of my sister and Bandana Girl a few times, but always managed to find them with a little Raven assistance. Megan got her stuff signed, too (including a book I had asked her to get signed for me, which Nick personalized and is now hers. I tell you, kids today…).

I thought I would have to part ways with my new friends when my dad wanted to leave, but Raven introduced herself very professionally and must have impressed Mr. Cheap. He had snuck into the convention area illegally to seize me and my sister away from our happiness. I bid a retreat, and innerly cried, knowing I would miss out on some pre-promised dinner fun Raven and Chad would be taking Laz out to.

My dad took us to lunch outside of the exhibition room still in the center. We were there for awhile. I was kind of basking in the glow. He decided to let me stay (!!??) so I immediately called Raven on the cell phone and found her again. I decided to go off with Laz, sign a b-day card for Nick, and hang out with the Nick posting board girls, in particularly ShellBell who I immensely liked. Raven shopped around while I waited in line again, talking the Buffy talk with Laz and ShellBell. I got a magnet signed by Nick and the Monster Book signed by Amber. I also gave Amber some gem stones I had bought at MGM ‘cause I think Raven gave her rose quartz (somebody did, I think it might have been Raven) so I thought lesser gems would go with it. Besides, Nick was being showed with gifts and I signed his birthday card. Plus, Amber remembered me from the second time around, and that just touched me deeply. So, I gave her them gems. She apparently loved them and gave me a great big hug. That was my one great joy of MegaCon: being hugged by Amber.

I took a lot of pictures alongside Chad after that. Raven got some good shots, too. Including one of a lady’s pet iguana, which wins the Weird Award for MegaCon. In my opinion, Amber handled it very professionally. If someone asked me to pose with their pet iguana, I might say ‘no.’ I’m pretty sure Nick was on the sidelines laughing a lot. It was pretty funny. It was a weird sort of funny though. Then Raven gave the Iguana Lady her business card ‘cause she took some quality shots. Nick agent was in the back being a jerk. He was screaming at everyone saying ‘One per customer!’ referring to the autographs. He also made it so that all pictures with the stars were ceased. It was a good move on their part, because the line wasn’t moving at all, but it disappointed - and pissed off - a lot of the people who had been waiting in line with cameras. The mean thing was that the last line of people got to take pictures and get more than one thing signed. One dude was getting a whole inventory signed, and Nick’s agent started bitching at him. They also did a radio interview. There was a lot of questions for Amber about Tara’s sexuality (too many, in my opinion, but then ‘The Body’ had just aired) and Nick was asked if things seemed like they were different after 5 years on the show. He made fun of the gigantic banner hanging up, saying Sarah and David aren’t even together anymore (this humongous banner -- you literally had to see it to believe it -- was of the WB18 logo and Buffy and Angel. It was a season two promo shot, or at least I think it was). Nick also talked about the “all naked, all gay Buffy” which Raven assured me was a previous quote, not just from Nick, but from Joss Whedon and other members of the cast as well. I didn’t get an opportunity to hear the entire thing and didn’t get the radio station in my hotel. It was probably really good.

Nick and Amber eventually had to leave and we were all sad. While leaving, Laz and the Nick Posting Board girls got a photo in. Laz almost didn’t make the picture, but at the last second, there was bright camera flash and he was there. After that, Raven, Laz, Chad, and I all roamed the convention. We saw a women who had the bottom of her breasts exposed and took away Laz’s innocence. We saw Dr. Smith from Lost in Space who was slowly getting older every time we looked at him. We also saw the mom from Lassie who does not like to be photographed. Laz talked to her! He had talked to her once before and nearly been mauled to death. “No pictures!” she said. We all thought he was going to die, but he came out okay. We didn’t get a picture. Yeah, that was a loss. I’ll cry myself to sleep over that one.

We drove around International Drive for awhile, talking webpages and other things of Buffy. I believe we went to a TGIFridays restaurant- I’ve not been in one since my 6th grade graduation (another special event in my life). We just talked and it was really cool. Raven is a really cool person to hang out with, though the part of Chad that was taken hostage might disagree. I got chicken, I think. No, I know. It was chicken. It tasted like chicken. We all went back to her hotel room after. We watched ‘Go Fish’ (courtesy of tapes I’d brought for her to replace her collection that had been ruined in a flood). ‘Go Fish’ was our choice because Raven’s ex-roommate was in the background of the Bronze. We also had to settle a debate on Buffy’s father’s short appearance in ‘When She Was Bad.’ He was in it and I was right. Buffy tapes were made possible by me, since I had brought some old copies of the first two seasons to give to Raven as a “boss” present (I work for her- writing reviews and such. I’m more like her advisor now, but that’s even cooler). We spent a lot of time making fun of the pelvic, cross-eyed Spike figure and my psychotically deranged mother. It was definitely a time.

We dropped Laz off at his hotel a few hours later. It was obvious he’d had a great time and was a little shell-shocked from the whole experience. I gave Raven and Chad bad directions to my hotel and gave them the wrong exit. I felt like a total ass as we drove all the way through the entrance of Disney, but we eventually got back home to my hotel. It turned out to be a truly awesome day.

I’d like to thank Nick for showing up on time this time (he was late at Visions), Amber for being such a sweetheart, Laz for being so cool, ShellBell for being interesting to talk to, Chad for his pointed ‘Oz’ silences that seemed to capture the moment, and first and foremost Raven, who was the angel who made the entire event and actual *event*. It was great to finally meet “the boss.”

Laz, Raven, Chad, and I all became part of “Raven Investigations” that night, too. We probably help the helpless, too, but I'm not sure since we kept it kind of loose. If you need anything, though, don’t hesitate to ask. We actually might answer your call :-)

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