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RIPOSTES 2006-08 (Aug)

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Vashkoda writes...

Gathering Report Part II, condensed version

Saturday:

Since I'd promised everyone I would audition for the Radio Play, I was forced to get out of bed around 9. Gore had apparently stayed up late at the Mug-a-Guest the night before, and told us to go on ahead to breakfast without him. I spotted a lot of con-goers this time around, and members of the staff eating at a table beside us (it was amusing to watch the con staff wander around the hotel forming a train behind Karine).

I thought I'd be too nervous to eat, but Sean reminded me I'd need energy for the auditions, especially with Greg calling for loud projections. So I forced myself to have a few croissants, then began hunting for a restroom (which took me ten minutes because the door had been left open so that the sign wasn't visible. Ugh). I tried calming myself by meditating/resting with my hood over my eyes (not that that did much good). Finally I settled on talking to Carol Wagner, who was manning the line. I asked her what she did as a living to have the role of Guest Relations at every con, and how she managed to have so many contacts that she was able to get all those voices on the tape Greg aired. I figured she was a talent agent of sorts. It turns out she's simply in the animation industry, though she still deserves lots of props for what she's managed to do. Then I got the script, and having done Angela, Hudson, and Goliath before, I decided to do Xanatos this time. Greg saw me and instantly said, "Vash!", and I was gratified he had actually recognized who I was the day before. I spoke my lines, then spoke them from the back of the room. I didn't even have to be told to project this time, though I was asked to have more fun with the lines. I think my sarcastic tone must've impressed him most, because I snagged the role of Maria Chavez, who has a few lines of irony in her dialogue with Bluestone. I also tried to mew like a cat, though I made the admission that if I tried to project, it would sound like the cat was being tortured. ;)

Afterwards, Sean and I dropped by the Dealer's Room/Art Gallery. I spotted Siryn making gargoyle masks with Becca Morgan and another fan's child. It seemed like a lot of fun, but after Si admitted that the crafting was a little costly, I relented in my efforts to join in. I then spent at least an hour looking at the different art pieces and voting on the best ones, changing my mind several times (my favorites were a blended image of Demona and Elisa's faces called 'Red, Blue and Gray' (I think), and a picture of Demona's hand crackling with magical energy that Kythera made called 'The Storm' that ended up winning best in show). A very cool picture of Puck looking devious and another of a Mary-Sue harassing Brooklyn also later won awards. Gore was up by this time, so we decided to have another go at finding a Radio Shack and lunch. Thanks to his net connection, Sean was able to get directions. Unfortunately, these directions did us little good, as we discovered that most of the shops were actually underground. If not for a disappointing stop at another computer store, we would never have known this subterranean mall existed, as apparently the entrance was through the bank across the street. We finally find a universal remote for the hotel tv, and grab lunch in the food court (not wanting to ruin the banquet meal to come, I limited myself to McDonalds fries). We get back just in time for Greg's Mug-a-Guest, though I'd been to one of those before as well, and was interested in checking out the SCA weapon's demonstration in the room next door. So I sat in the back of Greg's panel so that I would be able to slip out unnoticed now and then, but Greg caught me and made me feel horribly guilty. Since the SCA people were taking forever to get ready, I decided to stay put and take notes. Topics ranged from Hudson's "Dark Ages" name, to Mab's appearance in the show, to Disney's old plans to make the Gargoyles Universe their equivalent of the DC and Marvel superhero universes (it seems the Gargoyles spinoffs weren't just a pipe dream). Greg also discussed his attempt at making a Stargate series, and his opinions of the "Atlantis" movie. The biggest revelation came as Gore brought up a topic we had discussed in his car, asking Greg in a very indirect way whether G&E's adopted child was G2198 Nick's ancestor. Greg answered "yes" after a moment of hesitation, though there were other good questions he refused to give answers to. Afterwards came the Radio Play rehearsals, and I discovered Gore, Seth and I had all been given roles. Since it was in the same room, we chilled for a while as we waited for everyone else to arrive. It was "The Journey", as Gore and others had guessed from the character initials at the bottom of the audition sheet. A big difference was that this was the original version that Greg had submitted; not the version that the TGC staff had edited. It was exciting, as many of the voices were dead-on (and some, like Lex with a French accent, were a lot of fun to listen to). Amazingly enough, we finished on time with fifteen minutes to relax before showtime. I would have returned to the room, but Gore stopped to look at BrooklynX's cells, and I couldn't help but admire them as well. Before we knew it, it was time to assemble in the large, lecture-hall-like room. Luckily, since I had a scene with Gore, we got to sit next to each other and chat while the room filled up. Of course the DVD crew was there, but since I was in the second row, I wasn't too anxious. Everything went smoothly, and it was a lot of fun!

Afterwards came the banquet. I usually skipped these to save myself some money, but I figured it would be nice to at least have one meal where you didn't have to worry about where you would eat. Gore, Sean, Seth and I chose a table together, and soon we were able to rope Silver and her mother in with us. The appetizer was shrimp, which I'm sure was amazing for those who liked it, but most of us filled up on the bread (which had suspicious colored lumps in it that I'm really hoping were olives). The salad was all right, except that Silver's poor mom couldn't have any because they didn't know if there were any nuts in the dressing. The quail and dessert were great. Keith David finally arrived and took his seat at the table that had drawn his name. Though both he and Greg offered to take questions, Keith was obviously the center of attention, and had to sneak bites in between answers. He said, "I don't think there's a more avid fan of Gargoyles than me. If I wasn't doing it, I'd be watching it." If he were to be remembered for two things, he would want it to be "Jelly's Last Jam" and "Gargoyles". Keith gave no short, simple replies, but told long, thoughtful answers to each question (often going off-topic). He himself loved Shakespeare, and appreciated Goliath's elevated language. He most admired gargoyles' humanity, "their sense of being, to not be of the world, but in it, to not fall prey to it. It's something extraordinary".

Greg also threw in a few anecdotes about how listening to Elisa say Goliath backwards created the name "Thailog", and how Keith was able to bring life into a small part character like Officer Morgan. I took more detailed notes on all of this, which will again have to be limited to my website version, but I can say the evening was a blast, despite the neighboring convention's attempt to drive us all mad with their horrible singing. Afterwards, Sean and I went back up to the room to catch a nap before the masquerade, but I overslept and just made it to the awards segment. The costumes were amazing, though.

Although there's still Sunday and Monday to cover, I'll have to end here to make the deadline. It was a great con, and a big thank you to the staff and fans that made it possible.

Errata: I got the name of the G2005 hotel wrong. It is indeed the Palace Station Hotel and Casino

Greg responds...

I had a vague memory that the posting function shut down at midnight, but I'm glad you made it in under the wire, Vash.

Response recorded on August 16, 2006


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