Supernatural Comes To The Capital – DC Con 2017

Right now Honcon (aka Conolulu) is in full swing, and it looks like one of the most amazing cons ever, so I’m sad not to be there – though it’s always a surprisingly emotional experience to follow along at home too. I always end up struck by the generosity of fandom, so grateful for very photo shared, every live tweet, every bit of information, and every video clip. I was especially grateful for the live audio feed for Honcon, which made me feel more like I was there – and made me anticipate the visuals that would eventually be shared even more! I knew that Jared was probably going to play guitar at this con, so I was especially grateful to be able to “experience” it live, even if it was mostly audio. It was a moment that was eventful and meaningful for a fandom that lately has been more fractured than family, and that felt really good – and I desperately wanted to be a part of it. Luckily, the generosity of fandom allowed that, and we all felt like we were sharing the moment with Jared, Jensen, Misha and company.

Today is the Sunday of that convention, so while I wait for more panel news from twitter I thought I’d go through my DCCon photos and post some memories of that con – which was only a week ago!

DC is a political place, and this is a cast of strong beliefs, so it wasn’t surprising that Richard started off the con with a shout out to the #metoo message, an admonition to men not to be assholes and to respect women, and a reassurance to the mostly female audience.

Richard: This is the year of women standing up and not taking shit anymore, and we’ve got your back! Let’s make this the new normal.

Emily Swallow was the first guest on Friday. She shared some shenanigans from the PJ party the night before, where they watched an episode (Hibbing911) that Amara actually wasn’t in. She fixed that by holding up an Amara doll in front of the screen and inserting her into the action.

Emily: Eventually she was just making out with everyone… She ended up kissing Dean a lot. Or Sam. And that was okay too…

Emily has empathy for her character, who she feels had a right to be pissed off.

Emily: I mean, Dean Winchester was the first person she met, so she was like WOAH, Humanity is awesome! Then she met everyone else…

Understandable.

Her other hilarious story was about the fact that there were bears where they were shooting that famous Amara and Dean kiss scene.

Emily: Imagine if a bear bounded into the scene, and it was like oh I thought I wanted craft service, but now that I see this [Dean Winchester], this is magnificent, I want it…

Understandable.

Jason Manns gave a lovely “quoncert”, first singing Wagon Wheel with Richard and Rob and Billy. That went swimmingly, and then they were going to sing ‘Stowaway’. Except Billy started playing ‘Gone’ so Rob started singing that and Jason went along, wondering why they were singing the wrong song. Everything was nonchalant until Rob pulled up the lyrics on his iPad – and they were lyrics for Stowaway in the middle of them singing Gone!

Much laughter ensued, with neither Jason nor Rob able to stop giggling. Or me for that matter.

Jason talked a bit about Jensen Ackles’ evolution as a singer. It used to be Jason suggesting songs for him to sing, like “oh you’d sound good singing this one”. Now Jensen has a good idea of what he wants to do. And he’s about to record with Jason again for the second volume of Covers With Friends!

Next up was the beautiful and inspiring Rachel Miner, who got a huge ovation.

Rachel: When I see you guys, my heart just wants to leap out of my chest and explode. Which is not a pretty image… You guys get me up every morning.

I love the chapter Rachel wrote in Family Don’t End With Blood about how the SPNFamily has inspired her, but honestly, she’s inspired every single one of us right back. She says that working with Random Acts as their new Executive Director happened “because of miracles”

Rachel: It’s incredible to go to bed at night feeling like you’ve accomplished things. And whether you know it or not, you’re all a part of it, you’re all Random Acts.

We are so very proud to be able to contribute a portion of proceeds from every sale of Family Don’t End With Blood to Random Acts – making a difference is exactly why we all wrote the book, actors and fans alike.

Rachel talked a lot about strength, something I think she knows a lot about. It’s one of the things she loved about her character, Meg. That no matter what happened, she was unshakeable.

Rachel is also adorably shippy of Meg and Cas, though she admitted “I’m gonna get a lot of word-that-sounds-like-ship for talking about ships!”

Rachel: I completely fell in love with the idea of Meg and Cas together. They’re such an odd couple and their wit is hilarious. I love that they liked each other despite being flawed.

She cocked her head at the fan at the mic, then asked: Do you ship Megstiel?

Fan: Oh yes.

I also love that Rachel is a self-defined geek and fangirl.

Rachel: The mainstream seems to keep what people like hidden – I’m unabashedly geeky about many things. We should feel free to geek out about whatever we want.

Damn right.

Next up was Kim Rhodes in her awesome red boots and her husband’s jeans. Briana Buckmaster was still filming Supernatural, so Kim did her first panel alone – she and we missed Briana, but Kim can carry a panel any day. Like Rachel, she also defines herself as a geek.

Kim: I’m kind of a Shakespeare geek. I’m just really excited about iambic pentameter.

She also had some very nice things to say about Jared and Jensen. When she first got the guest spot on the show, her first scene was the big emotional scene of her husband and son being killed. Jared and Jensen were off throwing a football around and Kim thought oh no, I’m on my own for my first big emotional scene. Then as they got ready to roll, Jared and Jensen came over and Jensen simply asked her, “What do you need?”

That story makes my eyes water, not gonna lie. Kim’s too.

There were lots of questions about Wayward Sisters, including one about Missouri Mosely being a favorite character and how sad we all were that she was killed off so quickly.

Kim: She’s our favorite too, just hold on…. They say no one dies on Supernatural…

Oh, fingers crossed!

Everything I hear about Wayward makes me more excited for the episode – it’s still very much Supernatural, it’s still scary, it isn’t a stereotypical girls’ show with pink and bows.

Kim: Sam and Dean are in it and it’s still the show I love.

I was at one point a bit upset about the fact that Kim and Briana were asked not to curse when they’re talking about the Wayward Sisters pilot, but it turns out they had a reason – so they could use whatever the actors said to promote the show.

Kim: So if I ever don’t want the network to use something I say, I just say DON’T USE THIS F—KING FOOTAGE!

I felt better after that.

I’m sad to say I missed karaoke, after an epic one at New Orleans a few weeks before. I stayed with my old friend Kathy for this con, who lives just outside DC in Maryland. Kathy my Fangasm so-author and co-adventurer, with whom I discovered this Show over a decade ago. It was so much fun having her at the con with me and to help sell books – we brought lots of copies of ‘Fangasm Supernatural Fangirls’ too, since anyone who bought one could get BOTH author signatures!

Saturday kicked off with Richard and Rob looking dapper in patriotic shades and a Veteran’s Day message about not caring who you love, how you love, what gender you are, because if you’re serving you’re already braver than everyone else.

Damn right.

Richard also spoke up about online nastiness, urging everyone to try to get along.

Richard: Unique is the driving force behind this fandom. This is a family who appreciates each other’s differences. We’re not afraid of uniqueness.

Emily Swallow was back for another panel on Saturday, but this time she brought Doris with her – Matt Cohen’s former karaoke partner and now unofficial con mascot.

Emily talked about all the stuff that happens in the moment on Supernatural, all those unscripted moments, some of which end up on the screen.

Emily: I feel like you guys can probably pick those out.

Me: My favorite game!

In answer to a question about if Amara and Dean had a baby, what gender and name would it have, Emily said that it would transcend gender and flirt with everyone.

Fan: Because there’s sexual tension between Dean and Amara.

Emily: Isn’t there sexual tension between Dean and everyone?? Even inanimate objects?

Me: Yep.

Emily: Dean has such a smoldering look. Sometimes I’m like, who is he looking at? Oh, he’s looking at that wall. He just can’t help it!

Me: Yep.

The R2M panel was as hilarious as always. Case in point:

Rob: Once for Halloween, I was Han Solo and my buddy was Chewbacca, but I lost him.

Rich: (deadpans) So you really were Han….solo…

They were asked how it would be to be each other, a common question that they seem to get almost as often as the other guests get prank questions.

Rich: If I were Matt, I’d be so freaking hot that I’d just be touching myself, like wow, my abs…

Matt: O—o

They also get what animal would they be – Matt said an armadillo (which my phone hilariously corrected to Amarillo when I live tweeted it…)

Matt after a fan says ‘question for Matt’ and then ‘just kidding’: If I was an armadillo, I’d be all curled up right now…

They got the dreaded ‘what was your weirdest interaction with a fan’ question that I loathe, and managed to turn it around perfectly to normalize fandom and talk about their own fanboy experiences.

Rich: I don’t think I’ve had weird interactions with fans.

Rob told the hilarious story of meeting (and fanboying) Eddie Vedder, like asking for a cigarette when he didn’t even smoke.

Rob: I was just saying stupid things so he’d look at me.

Oh, we’ve all been there, Rob.

Emily Swallow had to come back onstage to get her phone (I don’t blame her – never leave a phone unattended around this cast!) She brought cupcakes with her, so we got Rob being adorable eating a cupcake enthusiastically.

Another hypothetical question was which Harry Potter characters they’d be. Rich would be Harry, they all decided, Rob would be Ron and Matt would be Hermoine.

Rob and Matt immediately grinned and threw their arms around each other. Awww.

When Mark Sheppard came onstage, I immediately got emotional – we are all very aware that he has only a handful of Creation cons left to do. A fan had made signs with lots of Crowley’s priceless lines on them, and they were distributed throughout the ballroom. When Mark realized what they were, and how many of them there were, he clearly got emotional too.

Mark: I’ve said some really cool things over the years!

This one says: “Bollocks!”

It’s clear he’s looking back on his time being Crowley now, and that makes me emotional too.

Mark: It’s very humbling to see the things I’ve said that people have written for me. And some of them are mine [that he wrote]. Without Crowley, I wouldn’t have done a lot of other things…. Crowley was a collaboration. He started out a great character, had great writers, and I think I made him my own.

Oh hell yes.

He also indulged us with a “hello boys” which got a huge cheer.

Mark: Is it really that easy?

Hey, what can we say? We’re a sucker for that classic Crowley line.

Mark, reading one of the signs: You’re good, but I’m Crowley.

Kim Rhodes and Briana Buckmaster were up next, and their panel was both amusing and inspiring. Briana and Kim tend to get a lot of questions from female fans about how to survive in this world that’s not always an easy place in which to be female.

Briana: The best thing you can do is be kind to yourself – you only get one f—king meatsuit in this lifetime.

Their friendship is goals for most of us, which is also inspiring.

Kim: You can’t define why you love who you love, only how they make you feel. This woman makes me feel like I love myself.

They weighed in a little on the bullying topic that is on everyone’s minds and timelines these days.

Kim: What someone says about me has nothing to do with me. It’s about them.

I got emotional again when a fan stepped up to the mic to tell Kim how much the chapter she wrote in Family Don’t End With Blood meant to her. It’s why Kim, and Briana, and all the actors who wrote chapters worked so hard to write them – because they’re real and raw and genuine, they can make a difference. The actors wrote about how the fandom has changed them, some of them writing about being able to do things they would have been afraid to do before, like singing at the Saturday Night Special.

Kim: I’m not a good singer, I’m learning, but you guys have given me joy in something that used to be terrifying.

Kim would love to write an episode of Wayward one day – and if you’ve read her chapter in FDEWB, you know she’s an amazing writer!

They also talked about Wayward, of course. Briana said that director Phil Sgriccia was like a kid at Christmas directing the episode.

Briana: We had a ten minute conversation about Jody’s ringtone.

Eeeee I can’t wait!

Then it was time for Misha Collins, who demonstrated the private language that he and Rob have – which seemed to consist mostly of them pawing each other’s faces in a most adorable way.

Awww.

Misha was joined by his friend Darius for the first ten minutes or so. The two of them have been friends for a very long time, and it shows. They told some heartwarming and hilarious stories of their shared childhood and adolescent adventures, including the time they had no money to get into a fair they wanted to go to, so offered to sing a song for the ticket taker instead. Somehow, considering this was Misha and Darius, I wasn’t even surprised to find out that they got in! We were treated to a bit of the song, Fox On The Run, with some lovely harmony.

I told Misha later that he really should consider singing at the Saturday Night Special one day. He tried to pass it off, but he didn’t say never either (and in fact he did do some singing at the Conolulu SNS).

They also told the story of the time Misha was away traveling and came back early to surprise his mother. Darius came over to their house and then went out of the room and Misha came in dressed as Darius, which apparently totally freaked his mom out. I imagine that wasn’t the only time!

Misha said he appreciates that his mother let him explore the world and do things that other parents wouldn’t let their kids do, and thinks that was good for him. He wants to create an environment for his own kids that makes them feel like the world is safe to explore too.

A fan asked about how he gets into the voice of Castiel.

Misha: (deadpans) I take a steel bristle drill and jam it down my throat…

Ouch. He said he got a really bad sore throat when he first started playing Cas and even went to the doctor for it.

Misha then announced the Gishwhes winners, and then we were all treated to a hula lesson in preparation for the Hawaii con. Misha panels are never ever dull, can I just say?

After a lovely dinner with Kathy and friends, it was time for the Saturday Night Special, where everyone let their inner rockstar come out and play. Many people sang Louden Swain songs, including Kim Rhodes singing her favorite Louden Swain and killing it.

Everyone killed it actually!

The ballroom turned purple in a sea of lights for She Waits. Rob talked about how he got sick and had a stroke a few years ago.

Rob: And my extended family here pulled me through.

He writes that powerful story in Family Don’t End With Blood, and he sings about it every time he performs ‘Amazing’ at the SNS.

And then Matt Cohen came out to cheerlead for Mama’s Jam.

The show ended with Medicated, actors doing a good job on kazoos (despite Richard’s hand signals…) and fans showing their love and singing along.

Saturday ended late, as it always does, and Sunday started early – with Jensen and Jared’s gold panel. Not as early as usual, though, because someone slept through their alarm clock. That would be Jared.

Jared: I’d like to apologize. I’m the one who slept through my alarm.

Jensen: I don’t know why you’re apologizing. They all KNOW it’s you.

Lol

Jared let us know that we’d be getting Tired!Jared today, who’s “totally honest”.

Jensen: When is that different than any other day?

Sure enough, as Jared tried to answer a question and kept trailing off a short while later, a fan yelled out “Wake up!”

Jared just leaned his head on Jensen’s shoulder.

Fan: That’s okay, it’s my first convention too

Jared also hysterically tried repeatedly to hang his beanie on the mic stand, only to have it fall off every time, while Jensen was in the middle of trying to answer a serious question about whether his personal relationship with Jared helps them when they’re Sam and Dean.

Jensen: Not right now… (to Jared) Are you done?

Jared: [Thumbs up and adorable smile]

They were not unaware of the wank that tore up the fandom after the last convention, nor were any of the other guests. Jared early on spontaneously said “asshole” and Jensen looked at him with an eyeroll.

Jensen: What did I just say to you 15 minutes ago? Let’s try to keep this PG13.

That made me sort of sad, because I don’t want them to censor themselves. The fun of convention panels is because they’re not censored, they feel at least a little free to joke around and be a little bit open. Of course they don’t forget where they are or what they’re doing, but actively trying to be PG13 or less? That could put a damper on things.

After they made a joke, Jensen hastened to add “I’m just kidding” and then “people will get mad at me.” Just little things, but their guards were up a bit.

One of the first questions was instead a joke, which I think made everyone flinch when the fan said ‘joke’.

Fan: What’s more expensive, beer nuts or deer nuts?

Jared: [facepalm]

Jensen: Not gonna go down that road. How about ‘what’?

Fan: Deer nuts, because they’re under a buck.

Jensen: [eyeroll]

A little later, when a fan asked “if you were a drink, what would you be?”, Jared turned to Jensen and whispered something to him.

Fan: Say it out loud, Jared!

Jared: I did say it out loud. To my friend.

Fan: But I thought we were your friends.

Jared: You’re my family. and I don’t want to upset my family.

Jensen resumed the conversation by asking “are we talking cocktails?”

Fan: We’re talking anything you want, JENSEN.

Jared: [jumps in front of Jensen protectively] Woah woah woah

 

 

 

The fan then told Jared that for her, he’d be coca cola, because he’s sweet and bubbly.

Jensen pretended to snore, and Jared leapt into the audience to give her a hug. Awww.

So there was a bit of an edge at times, though it seemed to ease throughout the panel. Jared shared that he and Jensen went to Jason Manns’ new home in Virginia to hang out yesterday.

Fan (calling out from audience) We know.

Jensen: Wow.

Jared: Wow.

Jensen: (hands) Sorry you weren’t invited.

Next fan: My question is for Jared.

Jensen: Perfect. (walks away)

Grumpy Ackles is kinda cute though, seriously.

We got a little preview of what happened last night at Conolulu when Jared borrowed one of the band’s guitars – and didn’t he look good with a guitar? Not as good as he looked last night in his cut off rolled up jean shorts and lei though. Mm mm mm.

Jensen on life lessons to share with the kids: Do what I do and not what Uncle Jared does.

Awww. Uncle Jared.

A fan asked if Alex (Calvert) is going to be a new target, like Misha?

Jensen: (deadpans) Alex is a current target.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jensen also got awwws saying that his youngest daughter and “my little dude” are both talking now, and Jared showed an adorable little vid clip of his son saying “go Longhorns” when Gen had the boys at the game. Awww.

One of the best questions was how Jared prepares for Sam’s response when Dean dies.

Jared: The same way I prepare for every episode, I read it a bunch of times and prepare and then see how I feel the day of. Mystery Spot was the hardest week of my life.

And that’s why I love this show and these actors. That’s how much they care.

Another fan said that reading the chapters that Jared and Jensen wrote in Family Don’t End With Blood had really impacted her, and asked what the process of writing those chapters was. Jensen said he’s not a writer, and doesn’t pretend to be.

Jensen: Lynn, who put the book together, I said, I’ll answer questions, like interview style, and you can transcribe it, I’m comfortable with that. But if I sit down and put pen to paper, it’s a whole lot of nothing. I’m better to kind of freeform and speak. He [points to Jared], however, took about…was it seven years, Lynn?

Me [from the audience]: Two years.

Jared: [laughing] I took two years, no lie. And Jensen knows, because we went as a family, as two families, to Turks and Caicos. So it’s the Ackles and the Padaleckis and we’re all staying at the beach and I’m sitting there at my computer like looking at notes, looking at this and that. I am not a writer…

Me: The hell you’re not. [Seriously, anyone who has read his chapter, is he not??]

JP: So it was difficult to find the words. Lynn would just send, like every six months or so, like hey how’s it going? Any update on your chapter…? And I’d be like yes, working on it. It was also very stressful because in my case, it was also a lot of stuff that I hadn’t really ever said publicly, so I did it with her guidance.

JA: So the process is really just harassment (looks at Lynn) to a degree that forces you to do something.

I swear there was no harrassment involved, but it’s true what Jared said – he really did take two years to write it, but it’s not because he wasn’t working hard on it. Just the opposite, in fact. He wanted it to be exactly right, to convey his own personal experience in his own words. That he was able to tell a story so powerful, that made him so vulnerable, is still amazing to me.

There were some touching fandom moments too. Near the end of the panel, a fan held up a sign that said “We love you Jared and Jensen” that seemed to touch them alot.

Jared: We love y’all back.

Some fans also tossed bags of gummies to the boys, which they failed to catch. Adorably.

 

One of the last questions was a fan who just wanted to ask how they were doing, which they also seemed to appreciate very much. And yes, they said they’re doing okay. Tired, difficult time of the filming season, but okay.

After the gold panel, there were some photo ops and meet and greets, and then it was time for Samantha Smith. The schedule was off all day because of the late start and some other things – it’s always extra hectic when Jeffrey Dean Morgan is in the house, but totally worth it – but eventually Sam made her way onstage.

She talked about how difficult it’s been for Mary – it’s like her little sons are these giant, giant men!

And she said that no, she didn’t mother Jared and Jensen in real life, they’re more like siblings.

Sam: They don’t let me mother them, on set or off. Have you seen Jared and Jensen??

She also said that she used to think that Mary would be angry with John for raising her sons as hunters, but has since realized that Mary had her memory wiped and never told John not to do that, so she can’t really hold that against him.

Sam: Plus, have you seen him??

She said it took her a while to understand Mary, but by the end of season 12, she had found her footing and Mary had found hers.

Sam: I was at first a little confused by the character, and Mary was confused about being alive, and then it gelled.

She also said she hoped that Sam and Mary get to have more interaction and a closer relationship, which is something I’d really like to see in Season 13.

Sam: I hope Sam and Mary have a closer relationship. He deserves it.

She also likes Mary and Castiel’s relationship, which is evolving.

Sam: They’re both outsiders. They both love these boys. But they feel out of place on earth and don’t quite fit in their lives.

Like Richard Speight, Samantha turned the question that I hate so much (What’s the weirdest thing a fan has done?) around, saying that fans have done the nicest things for her.

Sam: We’re all weird, me most of all, and I embrace that.

Can we stop with the internalized shame, fandom?

After we got some time with Mama Winchester, we got Daddy Winchester – Jeffrey Dean Morgan!

I love JDM onstage. He’s candid, off the cuff, unrehearsed, and mostly unconcerned with how he’s coming off. He curses like a sailor and has a sense of humor that catches you off guard and then makes you crack up, always with a tinge of self deprecating. This is why I don’t want guests to be hung up about what they say or how they say it, I relish the chance to just catch a glimpse of who these people are, who have brought my favorite show to life.

Jeff talked about how everyone streams shows now, and can watch 13 years of television in a binge watch weekend.

JDM: Who needs drugs? I just need Sam and Dean…And that old f—ker up there!

Me: Same.

He talked about the many shows he’s done, including of course The Walking Dead.

JDM: I’m an idiot 24/7 until the cameras are rolling, and then I’m like, time to go to work.

It’s pretty clear why he fits in so well with Jared and Jensen.

Jeff remains protective about his character. And a little salty about where they took John Winchester after he left.

JDM: When I was John, we didn’t know all the bad crap about him. I played a John Winchester who gave up his life for his sons. I didn’t know I Season 3 he became a dick! They shot all that when I wasn’t around…

He also noted, as did Samantha, that the bottom line is those boys turned out pretty good.

Point.

He also had some nice things to say about Jared and Jensen.

JDM: The secret of Supernatural? Those two guys. They’ve nurtured this relationship with you guys, and they’re still the guys you wanna grab a beer with.

Those two guys returned for the afternoon panel and sent Jeff on his way after some epic hugs and big grins.

JDM: The fruit of my loins!

 

Once Jeff left the stage, Jensen began playing a melodramatic keyboard introduction, leading up to the J2 shared jump – in sync!

Someone asked Jensen how it felt to be turning forty next year, and he pondered for a minute, then answered rather seriously.

Jensen: I was excited to enter my 30s, I’m excited to enter my 40s I guess.

Good answer, Jensen.

Jared told a funny story about the two of them being out and a girl asked how long the show had been on.

Jensen: 13 years.

Young woman: 13 years? How old are you?

On finding out he was 39, she made an eww face.

Jared: The face she made when he said 39, I’ve been a friend of his for a long time. He’s a handsome dude. I’ve never seen a woman look at Jensen like that!

 

After the show ends (which got a dramatic protest from Jared), neither of them are interested in producing. Jensen would like to direct, and Jared said he’d like to try casting. Jensen was skeptical of this.

Jensen: Have you ever done casting? It sucks.

Jared: I have an eye for talent.

Jensen: (sarcastically) Yes folks, he has an eye for talent.

Jared: (protesting) I do!

A few minutes later, Jared went to the keyboard and smashed the keys, making a huge noise that scared him and all of us.

Jensen: For someone who thinks he has an eye for talent…

At one point, someone in the audience called out an admonishing “spoiler alert”, and Jensen was not having it.

Jensen: What are you, on Season 4? Hey, did you guys find your dad? Spoiler alert, Bobby doesn’t make it!

Jared: *gasps*

There was a lot of affectionate ribbing, as there often is.

Jared: It’s hard to suck your cheeks in for so many hours a day.

Jensen: it’s easy if you just naturally look like that.

They both talked candidly about the down side of long hours and not being home much, but also the gratitude.

Jensen said he was grateful even for the long-ass fourteen hour work week days, because he’s grateful he gets to play Dean and keep doing what he loves every day.

Jared said that living someone else’s reality gives him compassion and empathy, and that he feels blessed to have learned a lot from Sam.

There was a question about father figures, whose death was harder, John or Bobby? Jared said that Bobby and Sam had a chance to tell each other what they meant to each other, but Sam never had that with his dad, so he’d wish for that. Jensen said that for Dean it was Bobby, because that was losing his dad all over again.

Tissues?

In one of the most unusual sections of the panel, a fan asked Jared about Jensen’s Instagram.

Jared: He’s right here..

Cue Jensen updating his Instagram while Jared chatted with the fan.

 

Also classic? Someone asked about Jensen playing leg guitar (as in the Eye of the Tiger video), and maybe what Jared plays.

Jensen (putting his leg up over Jared’s legs) Jared plays my leg guitar all the time. And to be honest? He’s pretty good.

Me: Well.

They also acted out that time when they were hanging out with a bunch of guys who were much taller than him. Jensen looked over and Jared was surrounded by these three huge dudes, and Jared’s face was just O—o. So of course they took a photo, of when Jared was ‘the little guy’.

The last question fan was overwhelmed with the excitement of being brought onstage to chat with the boys, hiding her face in her hands.

Richard: We’ve got a cryer! Stage four cryer!

She managed to get through her question, and Jensen and Jared gave a lovely answer about how their kids had changed their lives, which are not about themselves anymore.

 

 

They ended their panel, as always, with their traditional fist bump.  And a thank you to the fans.

The day ended with photo ops, including one for me with Jared and Jensen “modeling” their Family Don’t End With Blood shirts (stay tuned for that one) and a Mishalecki op with Alana (King Books) in which she got another Jared hug that made her over the moon happy and Misha and I got to grin about it.

There’s actually nothing better than doing photo ops with friends, especially when it’s with someone who’s very special to them.  Warms my heart every time. Never mind that Misha and I were sort of falling over at the time – so worth it!

There was a Kings of Con panel to close out the con, which is always a great idea. Richard teased Rob about Chuck’s refusal to bring Gabriel back, hearkening back to an earlier con where it was decided that manscaping is higher up on his list than Gabriel’s return.

But even if Gabriel doesn’t come back, Richard said he still feels very connected to the show because of his directing on the show. Looking forward to his next episode soon – next week maybe? And then he’ll go back in March to direct another.

Meanwhile, they are both looking forward to Wayward Sisters and to Season 2 of Kings of Con, which they’re hard at work on.

So keep supporting #KoC, fandom!

I’ve been working on this post all day, in between family brunch and dinner and following along on twitter as Conolulu carries on – and you know what? It’s been fun. Not as much fun as being there, that is for SURE, but I’m left with a warm and fuzzy feeling for fandom that hasn’t been as strong as usual for the past few weeks. Thanks to everyone who’s made it possible for those of us not in Hawaii to follow along. Best cast and fandom in the world, and I never want to forget it.

–Lynn
If you’d like to read all the actors’ chapters in
Family Don’t End With Blood, there’s a link
On this home page for that and our other books!