The Con is Afoot (Doctor Who Meetup!)

Dear readers,

As Comic-Con 2013 continued, I made plans to get to events I could enjoy without having a pass for the actual con.  SherlockeDCC was the first of those, as detailed in my last post.  I had two things planned for Saturday, both of which promised to be awesome.  Let me tell about the first.

The Doctor Who fan meetup

Another fandom of mine is Doctor Who.  It just so happens that this year marks the 50th anniversary of this, at times wacky, but enormously lovable sci-fi show.  To celebrate, BBC America and Tumblr put together a Doctor Who fan meetup on Saturday.

Boom.  http://doctorwho.tumblr.com/post/55035752235/it-is-with-great-excitement-that-we-get-to

Don’t blink. Don’t even blink.

Doors would open at 2pm, but the line would “officially” begin forming at noon.  For those who don’t know, Comic-Con is all about lines and knowing when to get in them.

Ten on the left, Eleven on the right. Taking on lines? I think I’m ready to take on the universe.

Saturday morning, then, I got up and prepared for a Whovian bash.  You know what they say, after all…

My brother and sister, along with her boyfriend, were headed downtown as well to check out the scene.  Initially, they walked with me over to the line and waited for some other friends to show up before heading off to explore.  All I can say is, it was a good thing I decided to show up a bit before noon – the line was already at the second block from the venue upon our arrival.

Going as the bold and daring Amelia Pond, awesome companion of the Eleventh Doctor. And she’s got her Rory. Enough said.

As I was in the cosplay spirit from Thursday night, I thought why not?  So there I was in line as companion Amy Pond, and in the company of many Doctors, TARDIS’s, Daleks, and the like!  (There was even an extremely clever cosplaying couple to walk past; a pregnant Amy Pond with her ponytail Rory.  I know that sounds very odd, but trust me on this, it was a win.)

It was refreshing to see some Tardis suits thrown in the mix with the many Tardis dresses. (And an amazing ood!)

While waiting in line I got to know the people in front of and behind me.  Wouldn’t you know?  One of them has a parent who went to the same university I did – you never know the sort of connections you’ll make with the people around you!

Line buddies 🙂

But I have to say, one thing I learned first hand this year is that if waiting in lines is a big part of Comic-Con, meeting the people you wait in line with is one of the best parts of it.

Amy and the Roses. Biding our time by the slightly confused though highly amused fork lift workers inside this building

As luck would have it I managed to get a wristband and make it inside before they capped it off.  The party was great!

The venue (Block16 in downtown SD)

The venue was a good size for the crowd and it was fun to see all of the remarkable cosplayers there (especially the one Sherlock).

This picture just makes me genuinely happy.

There was a photo taken of the many people who had dressed up, followed by a select few to perform some short scenes for us.

Giant cosplay photo. Do you see that pair of red-clad double fist-pumping arms? Yeah, that’s all me.

The highlight was definitely when Mark Gatiss and David Bradley showed up, followed by Matt Smith (the Eleventh Doctor), Jenna-Louise Coleman (current companion, Clara), and Steven Moffat.

This pic is great. One because that’s Mark Gatiss on the left there, and two because I really want to remember what the host was saying here

Although, there was a pretty awesome DJ as well.  Eclectic Methods.  This guy put together a very cool “50 years of Doctor Who” remix.

And there was a Who-themed drink – it was blue, of course – and drink specials.

The “two hearts” drink special – I love it!

It was a fun time and, again, I loved meeting some fellow fans and seeing all of the creativity Doctor Who has inspired.  I was definitely doing some internal fangirling at the fact that I was in the same room as Gatiss and Moffat, oh you know, AGAIN.

Fanart and fan made videos circulated the screens in the room before all the commotion

Next time.  Next time I’ll work up the courage and get a photo with them or at least say hello.  I mean, those guys are just fantastic.  Sure, yes, they created the Weeping Angels, the Silence, and are much too fond of tall buildings.  But they really are brilliant writers and contribute a wonderfully humanizing element to their shows, and it’s no wonder so many people have climbed aboard as fans in recent years.

And then Matt Smith.  What else needs to be said?

So yes, part one of this day was amazing.  Why?  Because fan meetup geek parties are cool.  Thanks for reading, cheers!  Stay tuned for part two of my Saturday at Comic-Con, and then Sunday.  Until then…

Mischief managed

Oh and if you happen to be reading this and went to the meetup and/or see yourself in one of these photos, leave a comment or find me on tumblr (brookenado) so I can say hi!

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