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Asatira writes...

Gathering 2006 (aka, my first con)

Oh, man! It was fun. Smaller than AWA, but that was a good thing. The Gathering didn't have the overwhelming feeling a larger con has, and once you started meeting people, you felt really welcome. And it was great getting to actually meet the people I've known through galleries and message boards only.

For all purposes, the trip for me started Thursday. Got to the Atlanta airport easily and a little earlier than planned, but that was good. Had a delay in departure due to the airconditioning, but otherwise uneventful. Met up with Becky's mom at the baggage claim, took a very long time to get to her house to meet with Richard, then we went out to lunch. This was enough to make me hate LA traffic. Overall, sort of reminds me of Miami, but I didn't see much of either, so not a fair comparison. Becky arrived later that evening, we talked a little and got ready for the next day.

Friday We left the house and got to the convention early. I was nervous because we had signed up to volunteer, and I wanted to make a good impression. Karine -- whose name I found I'd been mis-pronouncing -- we found after registering, and I think she and Carol were glad to have us. We weren't needed for that day because there weren't many guests, so the two of us kind of wandered and soaked things in. Checked out the dealers' room, she drew and I read the Grimorum anthology until the first panel. The sketching and character design panels were so much fun; part review and part new things to consider. We found the mall (the main food place within walking distance), eventually ran into Sonia, auditioned for the radio play. The big event was the opening ceremonies. The AMVs were varied: I loved the Beauty and the Beast video, and wanted to smack and shake the hand of whoever did Feel the Love Tonight (you'd have to have seen it to get it). After hearing about it for the last few years, I finally got to see the Bad Guys reel. Looks like it would have been fun, if just because they can't stand each other. A treat was the Atlantis episode, a semi-fan project of storyboards to the actual episode audio. I need to contact the person about helping with it.

Saturday Here's when the fun really started. We arrived early and were given the general directions of helping escort any guests to their panels. Which wasn't really called on for most of the morning. Meanwhile, we sat in the hall to be on call and drew. Eventually, we went to the art room and started hanging out with the artists. I finally got to meet Eden, Karlyl, Shinga, and a number of others. It was fun to listen in on the conversations and look at their sketchbooks. The only panel we really went to was the gargoyle physiology and sociology panel. First experience where I opened my mouth where I should have kept it closed. The hosts were late showing up, and Christine asked for volunteers, to which I admitted to actually taking part in a recent S8 discussion. Got roped in to go to the front. Thankfully, Greg showed up and I escaped back to my chair and basically contributed nothing for the discussion. Learned alot, like the tricky nature of the stone sleep and suggestions on the skeletal nature of gargoyles. More was filled in later at the Blue-Mug. After that, we went to lunch, came back and hung out some more at the artist alley. That evening, Becky, myself, Taylor, and the kidnapped Sonia went to lunch. It was nice grill, but I can't remember the name of it though. Back to the art room, where we drew, and I was asked to teach how to draw a face by Abbi, something I was honored and embarrassed to do. Good ravioli. The Radio Play was fun. They did "The Mirror," and there were some fun bits, namely Crispin trying to do Hudson. Abbi did an exellent job as Elisa (she looked like she was going to melt when Keith said Goliath's "how beautiful you are" line.). Eventually, we got to the Blue Mug. I have never been in so crowded a room. It was so much fun, because we got to talk with Greg, Crispin (who really is hot), Thom, and Keith. High points included hearing Keith sing a little (I can only imagine what he'd sound like when warmed up and really belting), and the Thom-Crispin holds. Unfortunately, we got kicked out because of noise complaints (understandable, no problem). The problem was downstairs. The prick of an employee told us we couldn't meet in the foyer, we couldn't be allowed back into the rooms we rented, and wouldn't shut the fuck up so we could figure out where to go or whether to dismiss ourselves. That was only the start of the problems that I knew about. Not sure about everyone else, but Becky and I called it a night.

Sunday Oh, man! Sunday. That was the busy day for the two of us. We met up with Karine and Carol, and began to do what we intended to do Saturday. And we were put to maximum use. From around 10am to just after 2pm, we were pretty much running around, getting items, guiding guests to their panels, checking things. I got to meet Bridgette Bako, Elisa Gabrielli, "Petros Xanatos" himself, Morgan Sheppard, a few members of the WITCH cast, and I got to deliver coffee to Keith at one of the panel. At one point, Becky was told we should be cloned. We eventually got a break at 2pm, grabbed lunch with Taylor, and met with some of the others briefly in the food court, and returned in time to do one last escort. While it was fun, that was enough to make me hesitant to volunteering again (still open, just hesitant). Hung out in the art room until the room closed. I won my bid on one of Brianna's pieces (yay!). That evening, saw the masquerade. There were a lot of good ones. Abbi had a lovely Princess Katherine costume. Loved the Puck costumes, am scarred by the "hatchling gargoyle." Had a reprise of the Blue Mug, more subdued but fun and informative. Had to leave part way because it was getting late and we had to get up around 5 so I could get to the airport with time for the security check.

Monday, got to the airport with surprisingly little trouble. Uneventful flight and drive home. That's it. Hi, to anyone who's new. I'm glad I got a chance to meet so many people. Will do my best to contact many of them. Looking forward to the next one in Tennessee, and I hope it's not a Hyatt (those guys are going to get so many complaints)

Greg responds...

I'm glad your first Gathering went well. Lots of guests at an L.A. Gathering of course, because most of us are local. So the need for volunteers goes up exponentially. Notice I said the NEED for volunteers. I'm not sure the NUMBER of volunteers goes up just cuz the need does.

Response recorded on January 26, 2007

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Siryn writes...

G2006 Con Journal - Thursday - THE PRE CON! (1 of 4)

If anyone knows me, I'm notorious for not writing these. I _ALWAYS_ leave out juicy bits (that I end up remembering later), and then after around Friday I forget all of Saturday and Sunday.

I just live in the moment sort of thing when it comes to the Gathering Convention. (Or I'm on staff and still suffering from shock / giddiness, who knows)

However, I was specifically told by Gorebash I *HAD* to write my con journal this year, or he come would find me. So..Tada!

So Thursday started with me literally doing Gathering Staff related stuff AT THE LAST MINUTE on my computer. So last minute, my husband was the one who packed my bags. (He did a pretty good job, save for no elegant outfit to wear to the banquet. Ahh well.) I literally threw my stuff in the car, and ran out the door. This included forgetting my gathering panel presentation material. "Hey, I don't really need that information on the 7 observances of the Bushido way right?"

My plane ride wasn't anything extraordinary. I don't tend to talk to people seated next to me on the plan. (I worry I come off as a bit weird.) I was wearing a Danny Phantom shirt, jeans, and my normal floppy hat AND carrying gargoyles mat full of autographs...so actually, I DID look pretty weird.

On my second flight I met some cool girls, one was from the navy, and one had a father in the army and was actually in LA for the BET awards. (The navy girl had done bodyguard work for a famous basketball player, I forget who now). So we chatted for a bit about missed flights, the war, the military, moving around to pass the time.

I arrived in LA around 4pm....and grabbed a shuttle...and didn't arrive in Valencia until almost 7. My driver was cool, and I gave him a tip because it was only little old me he was driving WAY OUT TO VALENCIA in absolutely horrid traffic.

Our hotel was NICE. I was extremely impressed (I hadn't really seen pictures of it.) And the location was stellar. However, I didn't see ANY Gargoyle people there. Soo... I began calling people. Karine (Kanthara): Nothing. Jennifer (CrzyD): Nothing. Patrick Toman (Puck): Nothing.

At this point I kind of asked aloud. "What's the point in having everyone's cell phone numbers if no one has their phone ON!?" O.o

Jennifer called me back really quickly (or called me from Patrick's phone, I don't remember) and told me where they were. At the same time, a huge group of fans including Aaron, Mara, Spacebabie, Revel, Lynati, Arno, Beedoo, (and more people who I can REMEMBER your faces clearly but blanking on names!)

So, I was shown where BJs was and everyone hanging. I said Hi to all my fellow con staff and then Greg Weisman of course. I hadn't seen Karine since my wedding (she was my matron of honor) so it was GREAT to see her and everyone else!

Finally after a wait, we all were eventually seated. Most of the staff (who had been waiting their longer) sat first. I waited with Greg W for the next seats. All the while I was laughing at Greg staring wistfully at the food and making comments.

Props to BJs though, they seated 35 people!!! That's a LOT. I think the pre-gathering dinners really should only be staff and close company...personally... (Just do to the sheer ZOMG numbers), but I'm *REALLY* happy we could pull off inviting everyone this year.

So, we ate, and talked. I sat next to Greg and talked to him about what he was working on (including W.I.T.C.H.). I asked him about Vinnie, and about Castaway's Mustache. (They were just some random burning questions that went through my mind that I wanted to ask Greg about.) Greg Bishansky and I joked about drinking later on at the con. (I just had soda that night). Liz (Sara Berkley) was pouring over the drink menu, so much Greg W eventually took it away from her and hid it. He he.

Meanwhile, the 'staff' table was having its own game. (I swear, the G2006 staff is made up of the school kids who were always passing notes and whispering and causing havoc. Hehehe.) They started passing notes and drawings, which eventually got to our table. At one point, I retaliated, with one of my juicy little secrets from a previous convention which caused everyone to laugh.

I had this MEGA barbecue chicken salad. It was REALLY good. But I could barely finish it. Then Greg W asked if anyone wanted dessert. Most of the murmurs were 'no'. Greg made an expression like "b-b-but...dessert!", so I offered to get dessert with him. We ended up splitting an apple cobbler pie which was REALLY GOOD.

So, I had pie with Greg Weisman!! Go me!

After that, the staff pretty much headed straight up to the con suite and once again began the tradition of stuffing con envelopes, putting together badges, arranging t-shirts, that sort of thing. Patrick and I ran to Fedinkos (aka Kinkos), to grab the convention programmes and get some last minute things printed out. (Mainly the mug a guest sheets).

The Mug- A - Guest sheets came out BEAUTIFULLY. I loved them! Greg Weisman had requested them, because he wanted them pre-made this year. (They were the things I was working on last minute before running out the door). Greg really liked them too! So, that made me happy.

Yay, I can contribute to the con! Go me! ^_^

So Patrick and I brought con booklet's back, we had printed 350 in all. Stephanie Lostimolo (RaptorWoman), Cindy (Eden), Kythera, and myself went to work writing the con suite number in each and every book, while the others packed the programmes into the con packets. All in all, I think we got done by 11 or so. RECORD TIME! So, the staff chatted for a bit, but soon after everyone piled into bed. Yours truly, ended up on the couch in the con suite. (It was comfy though!)

Greg responds...

You are such a sweetie! When no one else would make a pig of themselves with me, you were there! Thanks!

Response recorded on January 26, 2007

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KingCobra_582 writes...

Sorry for the content in G2006 part 2, Greg. I meant to edit it before posting.

I'll be more careful with the next (and final) installment.

Greg responds...

That would be appreciated.

Response recorded on January 25, 2007

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KingCobra_582 writes...

Saturday, June 24th, 2006

THE GATHERING, DAY 2

9:00 AM

I woke up and upon looking in the mirror, decided I needed a shave. When I emerged, David poked fun of me hogging the bathroom. We caught the last hour of Star Wars Episode III on HBO, and, as a result, we were a little late for the con. Oops.

12:00 PM

We arrived at the Hyatt just in time for the "Gargoyles: Physiology, Psychology, and Society" panel, though I'd actually thought I'd had a little more time to browse the Art Show Room, but I was wrong. Thank god I allowed David to take me to the panel first. Every seat was packed, and there were even a few people leaning against walls/sitting on the floor. Very fun stuff at this panel. I was intrigued throughout. Also, this being my first con, there were people (both fans and guests) I decided I wanted to keep in touch with. Christine Morgan gave me her business card after the panel. She was a very nice person, and I was glad to have met her in person.

Greg W., as he did in the Villians panel, came and stayed for a little bit before leaving for panels unknown. The last question he'd answered before he left was from David in regards to Stone Sleep and Sunrise, in a very articulate manner, but, unfortunately, it was also too lengthy, and Greg had to cut him off ("Way over my head") and then gave an equally intelligent response that David seemed to be satisfied with. From there, the topics swayed from everything from Gargoyles catching transmittable diseases to Hudson's bad eye, to, in the last 5 minutes, clan mating habits. This was definitely up there on my list of Informative Panels.

1:00 PM

Settled down in the Dealer's Room for Mug-A-Guest with Thom Adcox. I've been a fan of his for a few years now, so it was a treat to sit down at a table with him for an entire hour. Darklord started things out by asking if he was the character model for Lex, to which Thom said no. There was a discussion of his various radio commercials and TV work. I'd never thought that he was so close to being the voice for Bobby from "King Of The Hill" though I had heard of his Pauly Shore replacement for A Goofy Movie. Thom really liked working with Bette Midler, dispelling rumors that "she was a bitch" and "bitchy", though he did refer to Spielberg (they'd worked together on Invasion America) as a dick. Same for Tony Jay. *snickers* When he was filming something in Utah (I want to say it was "My Life As A Teenage Babysitter" but I don't remember now if that's right), there was this bar that apprently required people to have meberships there or NO SERVICE. Wow. I'd made mention of how much of a film geek I was, and Thom seemed impressed by my movie knowledge.

I asked Thom what his first acting gig was, and he said it was as Tom Sawyer, back in a play in 6th grade. During the conversation, my Zombie movie "Wormwood" came up, and I offered to bring Thom a copy (and probably a copy of the upcoming sequel) at next year's con. Thom said "sure" and offered me this demo tape he'd had of his various roles over the years. Wicked cool. David thought it was just a loan, but I wasn't entirely sure at the time.

Darklord brought up the Thom being gay thing again, and Thom pretty much confirmed it, which I'd pretty much already known. I hadn't known about Cam Clarke, though. Go figure. And, no, I had no problems with it, being bi and all.

I was going to wait until tomorrow to get Thom's autograph, but then he'd started giving other people his signature, so I figured why not, and get in on it. Cool. Right after that, David and I left for the next panel.

2:00 PM

David and I, unknowingly, walked in on the last 2 minutes of the Development Process. Oops. We took our seats once the Writing Process began, enjoying what we could in-between the lights going out every few minutes. LOL.

Greg W. introduced Brynne Chandler, Michael Reaves, himself, and another show writer whose name currently escapes me. There was talk about the "Silly MachBeth" 2-parter (which I personally thought sounded like it would've been fun to see.), and the "4 Tricksters" ep, (which would've featured Puck, Anansi, Coyote the Trickster, and Raven) both of which had been abandoned. Crud.

The Would-Have-Been DTVs (which eventually became the "City Of Stone" 4-parter and the "Hunter's Moon" 3-parter) were also discussed. Asked Greg W., once the panel ended, if I could get a picture with him. He said "later" and left. I have a really lousy sense of timing, though David (the sneak) took one of Greg (with his back turned) and I anyway, effectively surprising the crap out of me. I considered trying again later, at a better time.

3:30 PM - 5:00 PM

The Darkwing Duck panel was enjoyable. Tad Stones and Jim Cummings were absolutely entertaining, with Jim going into "Darkwing mode" and "Negaduck Mode" and Tad sharing amusing ancedotes with all of us, as well as their thoughts and experiences in creating the series. They were obviously having a lot of fun, and David and I (and the rest of the attendees, I'm sure) did as well. Big plus. :-)

And, of course, Darklord was there, asking more then his fair share of questions. *grins*

Not to mention Jim's autograph after it was done. I'm just a sucker for autographs, I guess.

5:00 PM

The Radio Play. Fun. Fun. Fun.

It was a reading of a script for "The Mirror", narrated by Greg W. Series regulars Keith and Thom (reprising their roles) were joined by several newcomers, including Crispin Freeman as "Hudson" and a delightfully evil Jennifer "CrzyDemona" Anderson as "Demona". Whoever was playing "Broadway" (his name eluded me and still does) did a fairly decent Fagerbakke. Great times.

The room was really crowded, but once I eventually reached him, Keith David agreed to Autograph and a Picture with me, but we ended up having TWO pictures taken, one by David, and one by someone else who had just offered, out of the blue. There was another autograph (on the comic) and another pic with Thom before David and I left for dinner at a Jack In The Box. He had a shake, and I had a giant Cheeseburger.

Oh, and I'd bid on the "Gummi Bears Trio" in the Art Show, too.

6:30 - 10:00 PM

There wasn't much to do at the moment, so a bunch of us played Munchkin. Fun game at first, but got boring fairly quickly.

10:00 - 11:00 PM

Finally, the Blue Mug-A-Guest. Another program that I almost thoroughly enjoyed. Someone had asked Greg W. "Is it true you're a werewolf?" and Greg responded "No, I'm a robot," effectively cracking me up. LOL. Thom was asked by Christine Morgan that, to quote, "throwing plausibility out the window, who he would see Lex getting naked and sweaty with." His answer? "He's a horny little fucker. He'd have sex with anything moving." ROFL.

Thom and Crispin's "Half-Nelson" act also made me laugh so hard I was crying.

There weren't too many adult-themed questions (Too Bad) but Hotel Officials still had to break the party up after repeated warnings of excess noise, and we couldn't finish it in the hall outside the 1st floor Ballrooms, so Greg W. announced that we would reconvene at the Masquerade the following night.

David wanted to leave so he could sleep after that, even though I'd wanted to hang out at the restaurant/bar with some of the guests for a while first. David won out, though, so we said our goodbyes for the night, and everyone who was there waved at us as we left for our own hotel.

It was intriguing hearing Keith David sing at the Blue Mug-A-Guest, though. I can see why he's a nightclub singer. :-)

Sunday, June 25th, 2006

GATHERING, DAY 3

9:00 - 9:50 AM

We woke up, showered, dressed, watched some "Madagascar" on HBO, and left.

10:00 - 11:30 AM

David and I registered for G2007! Very cool that it's gonna be in Pigeon Forge, cause we can simply drive down and not have to pay for Plane Tickets (I'm not used to flying) or Car Rentals (expensive), and the Grand Hotel is affordable. Off-topic, I bought more Gargoyle goodies from the Dealer's Room: A fan CD from the 1999 con ($5), and a Flikbook from 2001 (also $5).

12:00 - 2:00 PM

We started out the day in the Voice Acting Panel, which consisted of (from left to right) Greg Weisman, Elisa Gabrielli, Brigette Bako, Morgan Shepperd, plus (once they'd arrived) Keith and Thom. Thom's "Snap" story was funny, and Morgan Shepperd was a dedicated, fascinating speaker.

Got autographs from all of them afterwards too. I was just planning on getting Brigette's, Elisa's, and Morgan's, (since I'd already had autos from Greg and Thom), but I didn't want to run the risk of alienating them, so when I got closer to their end of the table, I decided "Heck with it", and bit the bullet. David wanted me to stand behind them both for a picture, but it took me a few seconds to stand right where he wanted me.

Also got a picture of Brigette and I. David took extra pictures when I was in line for autos too.

2:00 - 3:00 PM

The Production Process was decent, but nothing to write home about.We stayed for most of it before leaving for...

3:00 - 4:00 PM

The Writing Erotic Stories panel! It was fun. Christine made mention of some of her fan fics (which I made a mental note to read more of as soon as I got a chance), and I got to plug a adult-oriented-erotic-comedy-fanfic-trilogy I'd written a while back. Afterwards, David stayed for the Drawing Erotic Stories Panel...

4:00 PM

... while I checked out the Gathering Auction. There was only one item I'd spotted as soon as I entered that I wanted.

The Milton Bradley Gargoyles Board Game. So help me god, I love games almost as much as I love movies. And Gargoyles, of course.

It started off at a $2 bid.

I took it all the way up to $15.

Nobody outbid me for it after that.

I was a very happy camper.

I love my life. *smiles*

5:30 PM

Hung around the Art Show. Saw a lot that I liked. Kathara's entries and Bri-Chan's Timedancer pieces were all exquisite. Too bad I couldn't afford them. Especially Bri-chan's. Greg W. showed up, and I half-jokingly asked about Lex's mate, knowing that he would refuse to give anything away, which, in essence, he did. I actually had the fleeting thought of offering Greg $100 to tell me, but dismissed the notion almost immediately. A) It would've been stupid and made me look pathetic, B) It would've been ridiculous, and there's no chance Greg would've caved, and C) I didn't have $100 anyways. I can wait until it shows up in the comic or some other medium. Greg believes in drawn-out process, and so do I. No rush.

So far, nobody had outbid me for the Gummi Trio. Nice.

6:00 - 8:30 PM

Didn't have any money for the Banquet and nothing on the menu had looked edible to David or I anyhow, so we joined some other guests for the "6th Annual Anti-Banquet" (sorry the name sounds insulting, but I didn't make it, obviously.) in A Fan's room, complete with Gargs DVDs and Pizza. Still, though, I found myself almost wishing I could've gone to the Banquet. I walked by a couple times, and it looked... nice... in there. Maybe next year.

8:30 PM

The Masquerade began and all of the costumes were impressive. Pucks and Foxs. Princess Katherines and A Lexington. Even an "Inuyasha 1 and a half". Kudos to you, Jade Griffin. What really amazed me was Lance as "Set". I really liked the costume. Lance, who won Best In Show, as I'd expected, did a really great job.

Thom and Tony won "Best Couple" award.

9:30 (I think) PM - 12 AM

We finished the Blue Mug-A-Guest after The Masquerade, just as Greg said. It wasn't quite as raunchy as I'd hoped (Dang, I wish I'd gone to the very first Blue Mug. THAT must've been fun!) but it was still enjoyable. Especially when Crispin showed up. Poor Thom. :P

I'd asked Greg about whether Cyborg Lex (from Future Tense) would ever happen, and, as I should've foreseen, Greg wouldn't answer except for "Not saying." I should've expected as much.

David and I left at midnight. We were exhausted from the day's events. I was mildly annoyed that the following day was the last day. *sighs* Time flies when you're having fun.

Greg responds...

So did you ever get that picture with me? I'm feeling guilty now for not making the time.

Response recorded on January 25, 2007

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KingCobra_582 writes...

Gathering 2006 Report, Part 1.
Thursday, June 22nd, 2006

PRE-GATHERING

David and I boarded our plane to Los Angeles from Port Columbus. I'd never flown before, and even though I more or less got used to it, the height and the ascent themselves still bothered me.

It was a layover, so we landed in the Dallas/Fort Worth airport, finally taking off for Los Angeles at 10:40 am, arriving at LAX at 1:00 PM. We hopped a bud to Advantage Rent-A-Car and picked up our rental before driving to a Hotel 6 in Sylmar, where we checked in and relaxed the rest of the night.

Friday, June 23rd, 2006

THE GATHERING, DAY 1

We arrived at the Hyatt in Valencia (after what would have been a 15 minute drive turned into us getting all turned around temporarily) at 11:30 AM, and I met Greg Weisman face-to-face at the registration desk. Very cool, meeting the guy who created the Gargs universe in the 1st place in person. Forgive the fanboyism. :P. Now if I can meet Keith, Jeff, and Thom, things would be just as (if not more) great.

12:00 PM

1st event was "Creating A Compelling Character" with Christine Morgan, Ellen, and Spacebabie. In the middle of discussing Villian redemption, Christine somehow made the mention of if "Anton Servarius' mind in the body of a Gargoyle stripper". LOL. David raised the point that the Trio had named themselves somewhat abruptly after arriving in 1994 Manhattan, and Christine agreed, but responded that they had probably heard those names while they were out exploring the city (i.e. Awakening Part III) and those names had just stuck.

Greg W. popped in for a surprise visit, which was kick-ass. One guy (you'll see more on him later. Quite a interesting fellow, this Darklord.) brough up Homoculi (from Fullmetal Alchemist) and also started asking questions about Naraku (from Inuyasha). I was intrigued. Who knew that Naraku, upon translation, meant 'Hell'?

1:00 PM.

Next came Character Design And Drawing. The Inuyasha/FMA guy was there as well, and asked about Villian Drawing, David whispered in my ear, very quietly, "Here comes Naraku again," which cracked me up. David took a picture of Karnie A.K.A. Kythara, (and other pictures, of other people, of course, though not all at once, but all of them are coming soon on my website.) while I left for a few minutes to check out the Dealers Room (cause I couldn't avoid buying that Gargs comic ANY LONGER.). I also ended up getting A Trio white T-shirt, ($20) The Phoenix Gate Anthology from G2004 AND the Grimorum Arcanorum Anthology from this year's con, ($15 each) before sitting down and talking with Greg W. I probably went a little overboard mentioning autographs on the Gargs S1 DVD though. Chalk it up to fanboyism. I really don't know what I was thinking. *sighs*

I was disappointed that Jeff wouldn't be there, but some of the others would be. Thom was due "any minute now", Keith was due to arrive tomorrow, and Brigette was set for Sunday, with Bill Fagerbakke possibly making a cameo Monday. I started feeling a little TOO straight-forward and awakward at that point, so I sheepishly said I'd be back later and quickly shuffled off, embarrassed that I'd stopped at all. I returned to the CCD&D panel, where Darklord (a.k.a. Anime Guy, as I thought of him at the time, since I hadn't gotten a look at his name tag yet.) was asking questions about Sesshomaru (from Inuyasha, if you didn't know) and Transformers.

Jen "CrazyDemona" Anderson appeared in the doorway for a brief second, and I mean BRIEF. Once everyone started applauding, she vanished before anyone could even blink. 1 guy nearby, not sure who, commented about how we had "scared her off".

2:00 PM

Left at the start of "My First Con" cause Nature called. On my way back from the Men's Room, I was stopped by a businessman (there was some kind of business meeting also going on at the same time, at the same hotel) sitting in a chair who wanted to know more about our Con, so I explained to him about Gargoyles as best as I could, and noticed another fan walking towards us (who, looking back on it, I now know to be Greg Bishansky.) and called him over. I gave him the 411 and Greg took over for me, telling the guy about Gargoyles, while I returned to the panel. I was happy. I'd brought my boyfriend into the fandom a few months back by showing him the DVDs, and it was nice to be able to help another potential fan see the light. :D. On my way back to the panel, I met Michael Reaves (another familiar face. I'd seen the S2 DVD documentary) and, after introductions and a hand shake, continued on upon our own business down seperate directions. Finally made it back to "My First Con" in time to catch a mild discussion about Thom. It was the "Thom's Pants" thing and the Thom/Crispin rivalry thing that (from what I've read of past Con Reports) had happened at the last L.A. con.

There was also a Q&A about Margot and Brendan Yale, and whether it was or was not them that had been smashed in City Of Stone, and the answer? "No, that was her... evil twin... sister... Fargo..." LOL!!

I myself asked about the S2, Vol 2 DVD and was told it would be addressed at the Opening Ceremonies at 5. I'm a patient guy when I have to be. I can wait.

3:00 PM

Noth much happened here. Just David and I having an hour to kill and deciding to spend it at the Town Center Mall for a late lunch. He had a Pepperoni Pizza from Sbarro's, and I had fries from Charley's Grilled Subs. We poked around the mall a bit cause I'm kind of a mallrat, before we headed back to the Hyatt.

4:00 PM

After returning from the mall, David took a seat in the couch in the lobby while I moseyed on over to the Dealer's Room to get my new Grimorum Anthology autographed. I also met Crispin Freeman there and it was the same as with Michael Reaves. Introduction, and a hand shake. Lucky guy, though. What do I have to do to get that tall? :P I commented how I liked his performance in the English Dub of "X". But for some reason, I was thinking he did the MOVIE, not the TV series "X-1999". My bad. I'm usually more knowledgeable (sp?) about stuff like this, being a film geek and all. Dang.

Checked out the Art Room next. Saw some very nice pieces there. I especially enjoyed the "Gummy Bear Trio" (as I think of it) computerization by Jade Griffin. Overheard Anime Guy/Darklord asking a few people up front if Lex was gay because Thom was, and, also, if Thom even was. We all said "no" in regards to Lex and "we don't know" about Thom. I admit that I'd wondered the same thing myself before, but I also thought that it wasn't the appropiate time or place for Darklord to bring it up. He apologized, though.

5:00 PM - 8:00 PM

The crowd was getting pretty massive as we waited to get into Opening Ceremonies. Makes me want to run a con myself, then David and I wouldn't need to stand in line. Unfortunately, I lack the finances, the resources, and, above all, the know-how for such a venture.

While we waited, David and I got into a Gargoyles/Inuyasha discussion with Darklord (where I FINALLY saw his nametag) It got a little repetitive, but I drowned it out and let my mind wander onto other things. Like when we'd be able to actually GET INSIDE.

Finally got in, and took our seats, and it was cool. Greg Weisman showed the original Pilot Pitch (which I had already seen on the S2 DVD), as well as Music Videos (I really liked Hemorrhage (In My Hand)), plus the pitches for The New Olympians and Dark Ages spinoffs which I would've loved to have seen actually made. There was also the Bad Guys reel which I'd heard about but had never actually seen until that moment. All I can say about it is WOW!! What a kick-ass reel! And, of course, there was the unfinished-and-thus-unreleased Atlantis episode "The Last" which was interesting. There was a lot of grunting involved (it was a lot of storyboards overlapped with the VAs' lines), but I'm not even gonna go into the thoughts in my head. :P

Afterwards, I noticed Thom Adcox across the room, and, before I had time to think about it, found myself getting a picture taken with him (David, you little shutterbug.) which he was all too happy to do. Then Thom offered to take one with David, and I snapped the picture. Then we chatted with him a little bit, and I asked him about the "Hernandez" which, in the back of my mind, I'd always sort of wondered about, and he said it came from his father. Also, I'd never known that he'd been born in Detroit, Michigan. Then he had to run off to eat. They say you learn something new every day. I certainly did that day.

8:00 PM

Next up? After Thom left for dinner, along with most of the guests, we remnants stayed in the room and sat down for a session of MGT3K. Of all the things I'd looked forward to, this was one of the things I enjoyed doing the most. This years' seemed to be Dracon-related, with episodes "Deadly Force", "The Silver Falcon", and "Protection". I had fun with it, spitting out one-liners ("They stole my last Pop Tart!") not all of which were funny enough, but I digress. It's harder then I'd thought to come up with really good riffs everytime.

David and I started getting tired (though I wouldn't admit that I was) at that point, so we said our goodbyes and left for the night to drive back to our hotel in Sylmar. I wanted to check out the Art Room for any possible new submissions, but it was locked already, so that was a bust.

That's all for Day 1. Days 2 and 3 coming soon.

Greg responds...

That's a pretty full Day One. That's what's great about the Gathering. Lots of stuff going on. Always something new to learn, even for me.

Response recorded on January 25, 2007

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Gabriel writes...

Hey Greg,
A brief con-journal. First off, I forgot the con was this weekend. I was bored Saturday night and I dropped into Ask Greg, and quickly realized that the Gathering was in progress. Fortunately I was doing absolutely nothing on Sunday. So I printed out directions and some quick info and woke up early the next morning to trek up to Valencia (I live and work in LA so it wasn't that much of a trek.)
I got there just before 10 am, and I was poking around the hotel looking for the registration desk. While wandering, slightly lost, I look up at a man walking down the hall and instantly recognize you- Greg! I didn't say anything, figured you were a) in a hurry and b) plenty swarmed by fans already. My passing thought was "Definitely in the right place!" Found the registration table, and high-tailed it back to Ballroom D for the Comic panel. Got there in time to see a few pieces of art on the TV screen, before the grand wall-panel-redistribution! Will wonders never cease? All the panelists' stories and thoughts on the comic and the comic book industry were great.
That ended and I stepped out to grab some food, came back for the Voice Acting Panel. Morgan and Keith were definitely jockeying the whole time for best anecdote. However, I think best story has to go to Brigitte for her recounting of the tale of her worst moment in showbiz; shooting a bathtub scene and having to "lubricate her own snake." I even managed to not only get question in, but it ended up being the last question! I really appreciated the insight from both Morgan and Brigitte on voice direction. The follow up question would have been how one builds up to a career as a voice director, but I guess that's incentive to make the pilgrimage to Tennessee next year.
Came back once again to ballroom D for the production process panel, and boy if I thought the first two panels of the day were something, well this was the cherry on the Sunday! First off I didn't realize Frank Paur was going to be there, so that was just awesome! I know you were next-door for the W.I.T.C.H. reunion, but that production panel was truly great. Frank, Paca, Marc and the others lead a great discussion on not only the state of animation back during the time of "Gargoyles," but also on the current world you guys are working in, and even gave some speculation on where new technologies are going to take animation as the tools and processes become more refined.
All in all I had a great time, and if I wasn't working Monday I would have loved to hear your discussion of time travel. Ah well, maybe you'll put out a pamphlet or something. Anywho- Thanks for all your hard work and for sharing the fruit of your fertile imagination with the rest of us. Also please pass on my thanks, and kudos to the Gathering organizing committee and staff, I appreciated all their hard work and effort. Oh and thanks to the guests too for carving the time out of their schedules to make an appearance. (hmm...guess that wasn't as brief as I'd thought.)
Ciao,
Gabriel

Greg responds...

Thanks for coming, Gabriel. One of the only things that is disappointing to me about the Gatherings, is that I can only be in one place at any one time. I'd have loved to have been a part of the production panel too. But we also had a great time over with W.I.T.C.H. Huge turnout of writers and voice actors. I'm glad both panels were fun.

Response recorded on January 25, 2007

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Charisma82 writes...

Monday, June 26, 2006: 4TH AND LAST DAY OF THE GATHERING OF THE GARGOYLES

First off, I was looking through questions and comments that you've answered on this website last night and I noticed that a few people mentioned that you don't like to get questions about different subjects all in one writing, but to post them seperately. When I read through the rules on the first page, I didn't see this mentioned, but if you did say something about this in the rules and I'm missing it somewhere, I appologize for my last journals that I wrote. They had different subjects asked about in them, and I didn't know that you prefer not to get them that way. I hope that it didn't complicate your answering questions, I certainly didn't want to do that. Again, I'm sorry. I won't do it again, and I'll understand if you don't answer some of my questions on those posts.

Today is Monday so I had school again. It's half way over, so I'm glad. Today in class, one of the other students (one of the louder ones I might add) kept going on about how she got to go to the premier for the Pirates of the Carribbean 2 movie at Disneyland. She had pictures and autographs for anyone who would pay attention to see. It's funny, she said she waited 11 hours on Main Street to see the stars of the movie. I was thinking how cool it would be to go to the one for the 3rd movie, but then I realized that they had this last movie the same weekend as the gathering this year. I really hope that they don't have it at the same time as 2007's gathering, because I'd really love to go to both.

Since I'm talking about Disneyland, and you work for disney and all, I think I'll end this journal with questions about Disney for you (because I don't want to detour to other topics and make it longer than it needs to be). Have you been to Disneyland? It's a great place, I think. My family and I have obtained family passes for the place a couple of times in the past. I'm Disneyland sick right now because we haven't been in a year or so (I know it sounds stupid that I should complain about this, because other people only get to go once in their lives). One memory I like best of Disneyland was the year they were building California Adventure next door to it. We had season passes that year, so we got to see California Adventure being built from the ground up as we went to Disneyland over the year. I've heard from people before who work at Disneyland and they say they hate it. One must wonder why? I guess you'll never know unless you work there. Is it the same for people who don't work at Disneyland, but still work for Disney? I mean, do you ever get tired of working for Disney? I think that is why the others hate the place now, they had too much of what is supposed to be a good thing.

I also want to say that I saw your name at the end of the WITCH credits tonight. My sister saw it and pointed it out and said that I over react to seeing names that I am familiar with. I always get excited when I see a name or hear a voice that had to do with gargoyles. You all did a great job with that show, and I hope you continue your ideas on through this new show (and into other new gargoyle developments).

Well, I guess this is it. The Gathering of the Gargoyles is officially over with today. No more me rambling on and on about.... well, nothing really. I did enjoy taking the time out to put up these posts. I hope that next year I get to put up posts of what happened at the 2007 gathering and not what is happening in my normal life.

I hope you and everyone else had a great time at the gathering and has a safe trip back to your homes. Thank you for listening (actually reading), and letting me, and everyone else who puts up posts, take up some of your time. It is appreciated.

It has been a pleasure and a privelege to write to you.

-Charisma82

Greg responds...

I do not work for Disney right now. Used to. But not at the moment. I have been to Disneyland. I'm a born and bred Angelino, so I've been going there since I was a kid.

Response recorded on January 23, 2007

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dph of rules writes...

Gathering Journal - Pretrip or "The trip that almost wasn't"

One note, I do make mention of when I was writing the journal, just as points of reference, so if I don't mention when I catch up to the present that I stopped to write my journal, it is an oversite.

Anyways, in my own words, my experiences.

Here am I, at 6:51am, Saturday morning, writing my journal entry the story of how the events leading to the day I arrived. Jet lag caught up with me, otherwise I would be asleep at this point. Anyways, back to the story of how I got here. Sometime in September 2005, I sent my payment for the registration costs for the Gathering through the post office. A few weeks passed by, and I didn't hear a thing back, so I emailed Patrick and nagged him once a week for a few weeks to see if my payment had arrived. Patrick asked me to stop, so I did and thanked him for his patience. I got really tired of waiting, so I finally paid online with the promise that whenever my gathering payment (I used a cashier's check) arrived from the post office, they would send me a check back. Three months after I sent my payment through the post office, I got the letter back, because I put the wrong zip code in. (In polite company, I can not say what I think of this . . blu . . mistake by the post office in taking so long to get me returned mail back.) I sent it in a new envelope and paid to have it delivered in 2-3 days so I could get my money back (banks are funny about cancelling a cashier's check). Thankfully, I got my check from the gathering and deposited it, thus passing obstacle #1.

Obstacle #2 was acquiring the plane tickets. I learned expedia.com and my local bank (Harvest) transaction processing systems don't exactly work well together (it's a technical issue). So I resolved to buy my tickets in person during spring break, which I did. (Murphy's law & I are acquitances so I didn't want to risk making a mistake scheduling my flights going through an airline.). That cleared obstacle #2.

Obstacle #3 was finding a roommate. I found that difficult being a new person to attend. Then, there's the paradox: I didn't want to book a room without a roommate (fear of getting stuck with a bill by myself), but nobody wants to sign up with anybody unless they already have a room booked. Finally, out of desparation, I decided to book a hotel room myself, only to discover that all the rooms reserved at the Gathering Rate were booked. Then panic sank in. Fortunately, I was able to share a room with A Fan and everything was set except for Obstacle #4.

Obstacle #4 was the scariest/most dangerous obstacle of them all for me. What was it? Telling my dad that I was going. (my mom died passed away in January 1995 after battling cancer for years). As some people in the tgs cr, I have frequently referred to him as "the moron". We don't have (and haven't) had a good relationship in years. We have virtually nothing in command except we're related by blood. So two weeks on the Sunday before I was to go, I worked up my courage to tell him and told. I have never ever seen him so upset and I was scared/terrified. Initially it was about the money. I'm a college student graduating in the fall without a full time job at the moment. Then the issue became about other things. Thank goodness for good stepmothers, that's all I'm going to say. The Saturday before the trip, I lost my checkbook and spent the next few days hunting for it, only to discover it was in my brother's couch in his home. (My brother and I are extremely close and have been for several years - this despite a 12 year age difference). Thursday, while packing, Murphy's law struck and I got only a few hours of sleep.

To be continued with Gathering Journal day 1 - what happenned that Friday . . .

Greg responds...

Wow... obstacles indeed. Glad you made it though!

Response recorded on January 23, 2007

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Charisma82 writes...

Saterday, June 24, 2006: 2ND DAY OF GATHERING OF THE GARGOYLES

Again, it's me. Not much happened today (there seems to be a pattern in this in my life). I've been wishing I was where you all are. But, instead, I'm here, typing to you. I was thinking about the gathering today and what you guys might be doing. So, I decided to ask you something (since that is kind of the purpose of this website). If you had to convince a person who's never been to a gathering before and you could only name three things to them that happens at the gathering, what would those three things be? What is it that you enjoy the most at gatherings is basically the question here. Since I'm asking about the gathering, I might as well keep asking. About how many people were at the last gathering you attended? (You might not read this for a few years, so answer this to the last gathering you attended, not the one that's going on right now in 2006, unless that was the last one you went to). I keep hearing about radio plays. What exactly is this? I've seen some stuff about it, but I want to know from you what it is and your opinion on it. Did you come up with the concept or did someone else?

I think it is great that so many gargoyles fans are being able to get together and celebrate a great show. I've loved gargoyles for so many years, and it would be great to meet other fanatics like me. Maybe someday... But until then, I've got my sister to nag about this stuff. She's not a hard core fan like me, but she has watched the show since it first came out just like me. We know all the dialogue to each show. In fact, sometimes we put the TV on mute and put the lines in ourselves. Other times we just mess around and make up funny stuff for the soundless characters to say. We get a kick out of that. Another memory that comes to mind is having to explain each confusing show to my sister. She's four years younger than me, so she started watching the show when she was 3 years old. She's in high school now and still I have to explain some of the more confusing shows to her.

Possession is one of my favorites and is one my sister complains of being the most confusing. I always liked the 3 episodes that came before Hunter's Moon. They were: Turf, The Reckoning, and Possession. Their story lines were great. I liked Turf because Elisa has to help Tony Dracon when they really can't stand each other, and she has a different look going on for her (plus you find out what happened to Mase Malone's step son. He went from working out in a gum with the witness protection program to being a hired thug). I liked The Reckoning because Angela and Demona finally meet face to face and know who each other are for the 1st time (that time in Paris doesn't really count). When I was younger, I had been anticipating the meeting between them since I knew that they were mother and daughter. It was a great story to tell about the two of them. Then there is Possession. What can I say, I love to solve puzzles. Who is in who's body? Good question. I love how it was all just a lesson for little Alexander. The kid has potential.

Anyways, I've rambled off a lot of stuff, and I should let you go answer other people's comments and questions. Thank you for your time and I hope your having a great weekend at the 10th annual Gathering of the Gargoyles.

-Charisma82

Greg responds...

What do I enjoy most? There's a lot I could say, but certain friends would cough loudly and force me to admit that it's the 72-hour non-stop EGO-BOOST!!!! (I mean, really, who am I kidding?)

But there are a lot of specific things I love about the Gathering. You asked for three, so...

1. The Radio Play is always a real blast for me. I like the whole process: auditions, casting, rehearsal and performance. As for what they are, it's not too complicated. I bring a script. Sometimes Gargoyles, sometimes something else (often the something else is some unproduced script). We hold VOICE auditions for the various parts. Casting is usually done by myself, Thom "Lexington" Adcox and Jennifer Anderson. Then we gather for a rehearsal. And then we perform for the con. There are no props, costumes or make-up. We just stand-up and read the lines ... like a radio play. (I didn't come up with the concept of a radio play. I'm guessing radio did that. But I am the guy who came up with the idea of doing it at the Gathering, starting in 1998.)

2. The late night chats. The Blue Mug (though not always Blue) is always a lot of fun, but even informally, it's hard to top the good times of hanging with folk, just talking. Each Gathering is really a family reunion, complete with new additions to the family showing up every year.

3. The talent and intelligence of our fans. Whether it's the radio play, the wonderful Art Room, the Masquerade or just listening to them talk in panels, I'm always blown away by what our fans can do.

4. Also eating. I love eating.

Response recorded on January 22, 2007

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Charisma82 writes...

Friday, June 23, 2006: 1ST DAY OF GATHERING OF THE GARGOYLES:

Again, if you don't remember my last post from yesterday (which is likely, there are a lot of people who like to talk to you) I was not able to go to the Gathering of the Gargoyles this year. I'm posting what is happening to a person who can't get to the gathering. Besides spontanious cries of wanting to be at the gathering and break downs every now and then, things are pretty much normal. My sister gets a kick every time she hears my little outbreaks.

Today there was no school, so I stayed home and pondered with my sister about the gathering and past experiences we've had due to gargoyles. I reminded her about the gargoyles games we used to play and we both laughed for a long time as we reminisced. We were bored so we looked through some old board games that we might enjoy playing. As we did, I started thinking about how fun it would be to have a gargoyles board game. You know how Monopoly has different versions? There could be a gargoyles monopoly, or the game Life could throw its hat into the ring. I know it is unlikely, but wouldn't it be cool?

While conventions are on my mind, I just wanted to put out there that Pirates of the Carribean 2 is having its premier tomorrow at Disneyland. I thought it was really funny that the premier for that is at the same time as the gathering. What a conincidence, huh? They should've done a joint thing, with pirates and gargoyles at the same time. That would be the best. I know that the gathering doesn't have to do with Disney promoting the Pirates of the Carribean movie, but just imagine with me...

I can only imagine the great time everyone is having right now, getting to the gathering. Okay, I lied, I can't imagine because I've never been to one. The closest thougts that I have to a gathering are the few scenes that were shown on the DVD for the 1st season of gargoyles. I really liked that. It was kind of a bummer to see that there was nothing on the gatherings on the second DVD. Oh well.

Well, we're almost half way through with these journals (at least I am almost through). I only have Saterday and Sunday to record, and maybe Monday if you're lucky (hahaha). It's funny how I don't end up writing about my day, but more about jibberish.

One more thing, I saw the new episode of WITCH tonight and it rocked! You're doing a great job with that, along with all the other talents working on the show. If only those talents could go towards another gargoyles show....

Thank you for your time and patience. I also hope you have a great time at the convention.

-Charisma82

Greg responds...

There is a gargoyles board game. I've got a copy. Plus there was the Gargoyles Video board game that came with the video release of "The Heroes Awaken".

Response recorded on January 22, 2007


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