Nashville was the last CE SPN con of the year, and rounded out the year with a nice little assortment of ops. Been a while since I had an op with Alex.
I honestly don't get multiple ops with the boy at the same con, but I did this time and they both came out pretty cute.
The Moose stopped me as I went in for the hug to ask how I was, which was very sweet. I concur with his assessment that it has been a wild year.
Felicia said she'd never done a totem pole op before but she must have forgetting that she's done one with me before!
The other op. I asked to hug him from behind and I didn't realize until later that he was expecting me to go from behind on the left which is what resulted in the lean, I think.
Right place, right time to snag a Schmelke op.
I've got one more op with Misha that I shared with a friend that I forgot to order a JPEG for... will have to add it when it comes in. One more post coming from RICC to end the year...
Philly and Vancouver were back to back so both were light on photos.
Had to pick up a MishMish because I didn't do one in Van.
And of course this dude... again.
And then Jeannine and I grabbed this Jason op, which needed a retake but I honestly like the first one better <3
And then I was compelled to get a selfie with Billy, because I was enamored with his scarf LOL <3
End of a whirlwind week!
I am so behind on adding con photos here but figure I need to catch up before heading to Nashville. These are back from Vancouver!
I had a reference photo for this one, but the boy apparently wasn't paying attention because he wasn't looking at me. Somehow he picks up on this and turns to me and goes, "Oh, are we lookin'?" "Mmmhmm," says I. Snap photo. And then mister snarky, snarks "Mmmmhmmmm," back at me. Because of course he does.
MooseSquoosh!
I have been in pursuit of a perfect J2M op for years now. And somehow they are always a little off. Someone is always slightly out of sync. Case in point below where everyone seems to be in a different photo... but I got lucky and Chris called for a retake...
Which resulted in the perfect op I've been after forever! Look at my boys!!! <3
This weekend also afforded me a whole bunch of assorted selfies.
We've got these two with Parksopedia himself, Kevin Parks - different days, his wife asked me for the second one to send to a mutual friend.
Without a word of hyperbole, Vancouver was the best con experience I have ever had. And while there were many factors, a major one was the amount of time that little ol' me, the filming locations nerd, got to pick Kevin's brain. Absolutely highlight!
And another was meeting the one and only Brad Creasser in the Film School event. All the crew experiences at this con were unmatched - forget those tall guys, give me more time with these talented crew folks! (Okay, yes, I want the tall dudes too ;-) )
And then there was a surprise appearance from Alona Tal!!
Did I mention how great this con was? I took a group of fans out for a location tour on Wednesday afternoon. And then another group on a walking tour of downtown locations that night (so many alleys!). Thursday was the location bus tour that Kevin led. Monday after the con, we did a hike up to the Spur 4 bridge (the one from the finale) in the pouring rain and had great fun despite the rain!
And then I spent most of the rest of the week visiting a bunch of the new (to me) locations Kevin added to my list and a few others I wanted to check off. Before finally heading straight from Vancouver to Philly! Unmatched week!
Philly photos coming momentarily!
Added SPN Chicago to my schedule at the very last minute (less than a week before the con) because I am weak willed and couldn't resist the Radio Company panel. And I'm glad I did, because this J2 op is quite possibly the best one I've ever taken. After this op, Jensen looks at me and says, "What are you so happy about?" And I was pretty proud of the fact that, for once, my brain was ready was an instant reply, and I looked him straight on and said, "You!" <3
Must apologize to Robbie for this one. But his face is perfect!
And on to Vancouver next... my happy place!!
Only got two ops in Austin because the con was a last minute add to my plans. This very cute MishMish squish.
And this... I was impressed with how well this came together given how very little direction I gave. I basically put myself in the middle, probably had one hand on Misha to sort of hold him in place, and vaguely said, "Can we go back to back and..." and then flapped my hand a bit. Didn't really specify which of them I was talking to. Didn't finish the thought. Didn't even have my hand where Jensen could see it as I was gesturing with it. Gave Misha basically no instruction. Didn't matter, they knew exactly what I meant and it came out perfect. Also... why can't I find a guy who will look at me the way Mish is looking at me? Seriously.
In other news the Radio Company panels are my new favorite thing, and they sang my favorite song in the Austin one and it was wonderful. Which almost made up for how very invisible I felt on Sunday.
SPN Novi was a Jensen and Misha con without Jared (the only one on the CE circuit this year) and I leaned into that hard and just went all Jensen all the time in my photo ops. Starting with this MishMish-in-the-middle JenMish op.
The boy tried to hug me for this one and I had to stop him to do what I wanted (why did I do that?). My face is a little weird, but it's cute.
This one is definitely the best of the bunch with spectacular lighting. It was hella windy outside and while I was standing in line I got to watch several girls in front of me go for the car lean pose and have Jensen play stylist for them getting their hair out of their faces in the wind. The looks on their faces was priceless. But I'm pretty happy with mine even though I didn't end up needing the wind assistance.
This is the first time I've ever been to a con where they did the Robsen op and I definitely took advantage. We had a heck of a time getting them in this pose, and I ended up having to physically turn Robbie around to get it to work - sorry Rob! But look how cute it is!
And then round two with just me.
I was supposed to have a duo with Jim and Steven too but it ended up scheduled smack in the middle of my Jensen M&G so I sold it rather than stress about figuring out how to make that work. Hopefully Steven comes to another con at some point - I did get his auto at least. Added a day and a half in Austin just for the Radio Company panel so that will be my next one but as of right now, I only have one op so probably won't have much to share from that one.
OKC was not my best con and I was definitely struggling with anxiety from chaotic changes in schedule and my worst enemy, "comparison is the thief of joy." But there were still a few cute ops out of it.
Squish with Alaina and Jeannine in which I did know what to do with my arm.
Louden Swain, sans Mike (who was MIA for this con) in which Shanda and I made a confused Billy the star of the show.
I missed out on this op in Austin so was happy to snag one for OKC. The Radio Company panel was the absolute highlight of the con <3
Once again, I failed to look at the camera, but got a good ol' squish. And was briefly delighted that Jensen called me "sweetheart" as I was exiting... until I almost immediately heard two other people say he'd called them the same and it took all the wind out of my sails (I was having a hard time, okay).
This is one of the Cas-iest, Cas ops I've had. And Mish did this cute arm grab squeezy thing as we were separating that did actually make me feel pretty okay for a bit.
I mention I was having a hard time not for sympathy or anything but because sometimes it feels like sharing how many cons I do feels like this ideal world I'm painting, when the reality is that I'm often feeling invisible and like I'm chasing interactions that others grab with ease. I spend far too much time at cons alone, stuck in my own head, and often undermining myself in interactions. And leave each one thinking, "I'll do better next time." Sometimes I do. We'll see if I manage to do better in Novi.
My "home" con in NJ is never my fav of the year as the vibe is always just a little off, but it did produce some cute pics and a truly hilarious op series.
Had to stop by for a couple photos with Jared's Lil Bro.
Haven't had a Jake op in a while but Jeannine and I got a cute squish <3
Could not resist the last minute opportunity to get an op with God and his sister.
Another cute squish with the moose and angel.
And now it's story time... I went in for my Jensen op with a reference photo. It was an older op Jeannine had done and sent me as a recommendation. I gave it to Shelley on my phone, she shows Jensen, tells him "looking at each other." I go to get in the pose, and Jensen stops me and goes "no, no, no, put your arm around me like a normal person."
Now, why there is a photo of this moment I do not know, except Chris must had started clicking early.
So I follow instructions but in my head i'm thinking, "like a normal person? What are you implying, sir?" And that is written ALL over my face in this version. And you can tell, Jensen is just laughing at me.
And then I panicked and looked at Chris and went "oh my god I screwed that up, we have to do that again." And it only occurred to me later, that's not the done thing... but in retrospect Jensen was was also saying do over at the same time, and Chris was clearly on my side. So we got this...
And then Jensen grabs my arm as I'm leaving and says, "That was some serious side-eye you were giving me. The judgement!" And he was not wrong!
Honestly, the second is my favorite of the series despite my face because it's such a moment in time and Jensen's grin is priceless.
Not for nothing but that was the second time I had that grin directed at me during the con, because I had a chance encounter with Jensen when he bisected my path while he was walking into ops and I was walking to a trash can. He pointed that beam of sunshine grin right at me and even after all this time, I am not immune to it even a little. <3
Oklahoma City is up next!
First con of 2025 in Boston, after a five month break for me. So good to get back into the swing again. Outside in the freezing cold to say hi to Jared's Lil Bro, looking handsome as ever.
Julie is the sweetest person and I highly recommend anyone going to a con this year taking the time to meet her.
Getting to meet Danneel was an absolute highlight of this con and boy is she stunning! I have one more duo with Jensen that I did with a friend that I'll add in once she gets her JPEGs back.
Got a retake on this one with the band because Jeannine forgot to take her glasses off but honestly they both came out super cute and she ended up likely the glasses-on one better anyway!
We cute <3 (That sweater was very soft.)
I have no explanation for the duck face here, but dude did go "What's uppppp?!" when I walked up to him so I guess he was just being a goof.
I'm not usually a selfie person but I snagged one with Ruthie because I had something to give her.
And a moose hug to round out the weekend (not sure what happened to my hair in this one).
Next up for me is New Jersey, and I'm already regretting that I didn't squeeze in Minn so here's hoping the next month goes by quickly.
I would be remiss if I didn't also post the two ops from the one non-CE con I did in the long gap between Chicago and Boston.
Was in Vancouver anyway for location hunting so had to stop in to FanExpo Vancouver for a moose hug and to meet John Rhys-Davies, who was the sweetest, most polite human. (Don't ask me why I was standing so far away from Jared - that op definitely came out odd).
Went to go post ops from the first con of the year, and I guess I never put up the ones from Chicago last year? 8 years in and I had never gotten an op with Jason so had to fix that.
This Misha/Baby was ridiculous. I could not keep a straight face and he was just laughing at me.
After a string of better efforts, I once again lost the ability to find the camera with my eyes.
This, right here, is the most ridiculous and chaotic op I have ever taken. Thanks to my friend Carrie who pulled me in at the last second because this is just pure joy. Hope you enjoyed your nap, Mish.
I love this op so much. I got completely flattened.
This was an impulse purchase on the last day because all my ops were Saturday and then I had ended Sat autos on a weird vibe and was heading into five months without cons and needed a better memory to end on. No regrets.
A small but delightful set of JPEGs from SPN Charlotte, starting with this adorable R2M where the instruction was "We're all going to squish Robbie." What is Rich doing? No one knows! But it sure is funny.
Gather round for story time on these next few. I had decided I was going to be brave and do the leaning against the car pose for my Jensen/Baby. Go into the op thinking I'm going to tell the handler this but she walks away right when it's my turn and I'm left to deal with Jensen on my own. Strike one for me being flustered. So I tell him what I want and then get into position against the car and I'm looking down making sure my hands are in an okay spot by my sides and he goes, "No, give me your hand." I do, and he proceeds to place it on his shoulder and hold it. Strike two for me being even more flustered.
I finally look at him and he is way closer and staring way more intently than anticipated and that was strike three. My face immediately starts to break and I am just desperately trying to hold it together long enough for the two snaps and not bust out in giggles. By the time I decided I had fought it long enough I'm curled over with my head practically on his shoulder in embarrassed laughter apologizing, and he's got my arm and goes, "That was so smooth. SO smooth."
The op turned out way better than I was expecting given what it felt like in the moment, but you can definitely see in the close up that we are both trying not to laugh.
Took me a while after that op to recover myself. And then I start panicking because I had already selected another pose for my solo that involved looking him in the eye and in my head I'm thinking, "He's going to think I'm nuts trying this again."
So I go in for the solo with a reference photo and after the handler shows it to him, I walk up and go, "I'm going to keep my shit together this time." And he says, "I don't believe you." And then I proceeded to stare him down like a pro. And after the photo was done he went, "You did it! Look at you!" Yes, yes, I did, thank you very much.
Is it just me or does it look like he is staring extra intently trying to break me?
Finally, moving on to Sunday, we've got this adorable Misha/Alex with kitty ears and bouncy pumpkins. A'int we all cute?
Just one more con for this year, so a few more ops from Chicago coming soon.
SPN DC was very low key compared to the events of my last couple of cons. But still had a cute little batch of ops.
Uncertain how much of this was a misunderstanding on what exactly we were doing for this pose and how much was just Misha being a chaos demon but a) it's hilarious and b) that man is not light and I was struggling not to tip over.
This is the result of me walking up and holding my arms out and saying, "Hugsies?" Moose hugs remain the best hugs.
Not really a fan of how this one turned out (my fault!) which serves me right as Jensen's comment on my pose explanation afterward was "I feel like that was more complicated than it needed to be." :-P
I told them one of them got to hug me and the other was gonna be mad about it and they could choose which was which. Jensen immediately volunteered to be mad. And then one of the handlers goes, "you've been waiting to be able to do that all day." LOL
For context on this one, you need to know a few things... 1) I have been a They Might Be Giants fan for many years and have seen them in concert more than 200 times, 2) I have known Val through the TMBG fandom for more than ten years before either of us discovered SPN, 3) the very first time I got an op with Misha at my first con, Birdhouse in Your Soul was playing in the op room, and 4) I have a tattoo based on a lyric from the song that features the bird I am holding in the op. So when Val suggested we do a Birdhouse op with Cas, it took zero convincing on my part. And Misha was even familiar with the song when Val was explaining the op and started reciting the lyrics. Could not be more pleased with how well this turned out <3
On to Charlotte...
SPN Indianapolis was a bit of a rough one for me. Was supposed to have this fabulous fan week doing SPN Austin, then both Radio Company shows and then Indy with my friend Jordan. And it all went great through the first RC show. But at the second one, my body gave in to the blazing inferno that was that venue and I collapsed and had to be take to the ER by EMTs before the show even started. Missed the whole thing. And everything after that was kind of a messy emotional and physical struggle. But you wouldn't really know it from the photos. Unapologetically stole Billy for myself in this Louden Swain op.
For context on these two you need to have watched the Misha panel and seen the interaction with my friend Jordan. https://x.com/timxoc/status/1827392136305897705 The Cockles op was right after the panel. And, yes, Misha stole Jordan's glasses in the Mishalecki.
This was one we were excited about from the moment it was announced and it came out so friggin cute with the were-pire lovebirds.
This was absolute chaos to get the hands arranged correctly and I am clearly still panicked laughing about it in the photo.
And then there's this. Like I said, I was in a rough place. not finding a lot of comfort in the aftermath of something traumatic. Walked up to the boy and said, "I need the best hug you can muster." He said, "I got you." He most definitely did. Closing my eyes was involuntary. I knew it happened in the moment but wasn't sure when Chris snapped the picture. As usual, he nailed it.
Ended up buying an extra auto to get this signed the next day, so I could say thank you because I needed that hug so badly. And he just grabbed my hand and squeezed.
Here's hoping the next con adventure goes a little more smoothly.
Quite possibly the fastest JPEGs ever from Austin.
Squishes for the birthday boy.
Lil Bro, Jared's screen used car, is clearly the star here.
Jensen gave me such a strong double thunk on the back after this op that I think he knocked all sensible thoughts out of my head for a good hour afterward.
I let him pick the pose for this one and the totally botched the instructions but not at all mad about the results.
Couldn't pass up the first opportunity for an op with Misha and Baby.
Just your typical family photo op. (I assume... I don't actually have siblings.)
This one is just super cute.
Misha understood the assignment here almost too well.
"Do you have bigger cups?" This op was conceived of over a year before Austin ever took place. Moose got it instantly and complimented the good callback.
Had to get these up quick before Indy. More to come soon... and I'll maybe try to throw out some mediocre phone shots from Radio Company in the meantime.