I just had what might compete for the best day of my life, no kidding.
Got a FB message from my brother-in-law on Monday that an actor I love and admire was a last-minute addition to this weekend's Heroes Comic Con Copenhagen in, you guessed it, Copenhagen. I hurried to buy the surprisingly cheap-ish ticket for today (Saturday) and then bus tickets to and from (I live a two-hour drive from CPH) and then I grabbed some dough from the savings for spending money on the day.
I got up suuuper early this morning (6:45) to make my bus and then walk the 30 minutes to the convention center. I was tired, cranky (as in PMSing) and annoyed that I had no one to go with; but I wasn't going to let that ruin my day, dammit!
I walked around the open floor of the convention center (which was small, compared to most other cons, but then this was Denmark) and bought different things from different vendors. Including my very first BtVS Funko!Pop, little miss Faith-y holding her crossbow 😀
I happened by the table where you can buy photo-ops and signings (I had decided not to do that to save money) and my eye kept falling on the price for an auto from the very actor I had come all that way just to see. I couldn't help myself 😵
Of course, what's very cool about this whole story, is that the actor is a member of the vast Whedonverse, since he was in both Dollhouse and Firefly. I am, of course, talking about the King of Hell from Supernatural, Mark Sheppard.
One o'clock rolled around and I sat in a tiny seat, third row, left of the stage. My hands were sweaty and I felt light-headed. I started feeling very similar to what I felt back when I was in a stadium waiting for J. TImberlake to go on stage 11 years ago. It's like, when I'm about to meet or just be in the same room as someone I admire, someone I fangirl over, my brain wants to escape, to run away, so I get this sudden urge to leave and not go through with it.
I stayed in my seat, don't worry. And thanks to Mark's penchant for walking around instead of sitting on stage (and the fact that the microphone they set up for questions was on my side) he was almost constantly less than 4ft away (it was beyond amazing!) He was also his usual self, making us laugh, making a few girls cry (don't they know what he's like by now, c'mon!) and uttering some truly inspiring messages a few times. Classic Sheppard!
I got a ton of videos and thankfully got his one, long speech about feeling pride in being a fan of something caught as well. It just couldn't get any better! And then it did...
An hour after the panel finished (and I almost lost my bag with all my valuable cause I'm the moron who sets it down and then forgets it when I walk away) it was time for autographs. I had bought a Crowley art print specifically for this occasion and was fifth in line, since I had to leave straight after. I felt completely normal, my vital signs weren't dropping or anything, I wasn't shaking or sweating or thinking about running away, not even when I was second in line and could see and hear him.
And then it was my turn and like a switch being flipped, everything just...changed. I honestly don't know what happened. I handed his handler the auto ticket and then shakily handed him my Crowley art print. I'd had all these plans of what I was going to say, but I just kept quiet as he signed (except for when he asked for my name, he seemed amused to hear it was Sam) and started shaking and sweating like I was dehydrated or something.
Which of course only brings out the sweetheart inside Mark the Devil and made things worse. He held out his hand and took mine in it, squeezing and letting me know that it was okay, to just let it out and feel everything. I finally managed to open my mouth, told him how much I appreciated his words about fandom at the panel and how it resonated with me because I don't have any IRL people to share fangirling with - everyone I know are just causual TV watchers. That's when he told me to open my heart up to fans around me and reached out to grab my hand again, smiling at me. It was one of the most amazing moments of my life.
Still riding the high from today, I honestly couldn't care less if someone reading this thinks it's a bit extreme for someone who's just a 'celebrity' but it's so much more than that. Mark, and most of the rest of the SPN cast, are so much more than that to me. They are my inspiration, they are who I aspire to be more like, they always make me laugh when I need it and are there with kind words when I need that.
Mark Sheppard looked at me from the auto table and, for the first time in years, I felt like someone actually saw me, instead of looking straight through me. It was incredible and I wouldn't trade that experience for anything in the world.
So... how was your day? 🙂
