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The convention was three days in total – Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I got there on Friday, said hi to Don Rosa, got some sketches done, did a bit of shopping, and had to leave because the convention hall was closing. I was in serious pain, shaking and unable to control my hands, but also unable to sleep. I might have skipped Saturday to recover if not for the fact that I had won tickets through the Alamo Drafthouse for Saturday specifically. Weirdly, no movie tickets were part of the prize, but a photo op with Summer Glau was.
Photo ops are incredibly awkward. You have to understand, the amount of stories of actors and actresses being treated poorly by fans is stunning and I had no idea what a photo op meant. Because this was the second day, and a day where I had not actually slept, I went in to this stuck at a level of “barely functional” with only brief moments of genuine lucidity. I was trying to figure out how to stand, how close I’d be, what to do with my hands, because there are no rules or even samples to see what a photo op might look like… which led to the experience as I remember it.
After standing in line for some 20 minutes, I walked into the curtained off area, we greeted each other, she asked how I was doing as we shook hands, I said “Nervous out of my mind” because that’s what happens when you have social anxiety and no filters. She said “Oh honey, I’m so sorry,” which is possibly the first time I have ever been called honey. When I asked in turn, she said she was doing good. We were told to stand on the mark. She then put her hand on my back for the pose, I remembered had no idea what to do with my hands, and I tried my best to look natural in front of the camera anyway, a feat which quite frankly does not happen. They took the picture, I thanked her, told her I’d watched Serenity last night again and that she was brilliant in it, and she seemed grateful for the compliment.
The whole thing took, at most, 45 seconds. Still, I got my picture taken with Summer Glau and that was pretty neat. While I’m happy to have won the contest, I don’t think I’ll be trying for photo ops like that again.
Credit: @GeekDads
