Comic Con 2013 in Two Lists:

[corrielle]

The Bad

• Sitting in line for from 7:30 in the morning until 2:50 in the afternoon on Friday and STILL not getting into Hall H for the Game of Thrones panel. (This also meant I missed out on this year's AWESOME GoT swag...) I nearly ragequit Comic Con when this happened, and I had to go sit in NerdHQ on a comfy couch with my phone plugged into the charger for about an HOUR after that before I could convince myself that it was worth trying to do anything else that day.
• Getting within ten people of the Black Sails pilot showing and not getting in, then having to wander around the Gaslamp District of San Diego for two hours before the next showing, during which time I saw the beginnings of a bar fight and generally felt alone.
• My feet hurt. A LOT.
• Free books are free, but they're HEAVY.
• I left my Train Map of Westeros Sweatshirt that was a Christmas gift in the hotel room. I called and asked if it was still there, and they said they'd look and didn't call me back.
• I had to choose between the Once Upon a Time panel and The Originals/HIMYM. I chose option #2, but I'm very sad I wasn't there for OUaT.
• I probably could have gotten into the Community panel if I'd tried. But I didn't know.
• I dropped my "Never Laugh at a Live Dragon" pin somewhere in Gaslamp.

The Good: (Um... spoilers for Black Sails? I got to see the pilot.)

• Getting to watch Black Sails.  This... might be one of my favorite things I did all week.  It's.... good. Pretty ships, pretty people, and a good storyline.  If you look closely, it's a Treasure Island prequel.  Flint, John Silver, a sailor named Billy... I see what you're dong there, Starz.  I stared at Flint for most the episode, entranced by awesome mix of charm and ruthlessness, thinking to myself, "John Silver may be pretty... but I think Flint's my man..." And then the credits rolled.  And it was Toby Stephens. And then I thought of Prince John from Robin Hood and felt sullied an unusual. But then I realized since I hadn't recognized him for a whole hour... I was fine.  Flint's still my man.  And there's a gorgeous... bisexual(?) prostitute who has a really sweet lesbian sex scene with the daughter of the merchant who sells the stuff the pirates steal.  (Basically... their fence.)  It's a hot scene, but very intimate and very much about THEM.  I don't know. I liked it. (There's another sex scene with John and a whole bunch of prostitutes his crewmates pay for as a "welcome to our pirate crew" kind of thing... I didn't complain. Everyone involved was gorgeous, and I like eye candy.)  Sex aside, the plot in the first episode moved along nicely, and I was left wanting to watch the second YESTERDAY when it was over.  I can't WAIT for this to be on TV.
• Sharing a taxi back to the room with girls who are now new tumblr friends after Black Sails let out because the trolley wasn't running any more.
• Getting into the Vikings panel, held in a very small room, on the same day of the GoT fiasco with less than half an hour of waiting.
• Being in the room for the final HIMYM panel, which included NPH singing (and chair dancing) to "Let's Go To The Mall," as well as lots of sweet stories and discussion of the show as an ultimately hopeful piece of television. And there was a hysterical video with the kids on the couch, too.
• Being SEVEN ROWS FROM THE FRONT for The Originals.  I got some FANTASTIC shots of everyone. They are all just as beautiful in person as they look on the screen. (And I mean EVERYONE. Actors for Klaus, Rebekah, Elijah, Marcel, and Haley, as well as Julie Plec.) And DANIEL GILLIES SAID ELIJAH STILL HAS FEELINGS FOR  KATHERINE. Actor believing in ship, even if duty to family is getting in the way... PRICELESS. I may have screeched quietly when he said it. Also... finding out that Rebekah and Haley's actresses both used to be mermaids on H20 together in Australia was AMAZING. Must go find that now... Also, on the plot side of things, they showed a clip that explained how Marcel is controlling the witches, and Plec dropped the news that the pilot was going to be the same story as the TVD episode, but told much more from Elijah's PoV, which is AWESOME, because I spent half of that episode going, "What's Elijah up to while all this is going down?" There was also some interesting discussions of how Klaus and Marcel are both a bit egotistical and let it get in the way of their success, sometimes.
• Getting into the Vampire Diaries panel in Ballroom 20 only TWO HOURS after the Originals ended all the way across the con center. It felt weird being so anti-Klaroline in the midst of a bunch of screaming Klaroline shippers.  At least the girl I was sitting next to was also team Delena...
• Eating at the Defiance Cafe. (A Gaslamp restaurant all decked out like it's in Defiance... and my waitress was dressed up as Stahma Tarr. And that's what her name was on my receipt, too.) Delicious AND fannish, and I ended up talking to a guy at the lunch counter who'd been coming to Comic-Con for thirty years.
• Going to HBO's Join The Realm exhibit on Sunday morning. I got a customized House shirt with my tumblr name AND a House Casterly shirt for Rae, thanks to Kia who was a "shirtbody" for me.  (I was a shirtbody for her later. It worked swimmingly.) I also got to take a picture on the Iron Throne, shoot arrows at wildfire and blow up Stannis' ships (the Lannister in my was strangely satisfied...), and play GoT: Ascent.  Oh... and when we walked out of the exhibit, John Bradly was just... chilling at a table with his security detail.  No biggie
• I got 17 free books. Already read one, (Ironskin) and I'm in the middle of another (My Life as a White Trash Zombie).
• Dinner at the Irish pub was delicious, as usual. That's turning into an annual tradition.
• Due to lots of people at Joe's, THAT tradition moved on over to the sushi place behind the Hyatt for this year.  It was tasty, though.  I liked my margarita roll.
• I got a pin that looks like the drawing of Smaug from Thorin's map.  And I got a Wheel of Time necklace.  And a shirt that says "May the Dwarves be With you" with Sting in the place of a lightsaber. And a lion necklace.  Not too much damage in the purchase dept overall.
• Oh yeah. And I got the 2013 ASoIaF calendar. And I got it signed by by GRRM and the artist. (Thank you SO MUCH, Jess...) I had it signed on a painting of Cersei Lannister making a bad decision. It was wonderful. The artist looked at me and said, "Cersei fan, huh?" And I was like, "Sure am..." and he just laughed.  I... don't even remember what GRRM said because I was freaking out a little.  But... he was nice, and there's photographic evidence that I met him.   

All in all, a good con. Probably never attempting to get in Hall H again unless I have a really good reason, but hey... live an learn.

At least I got to sit on the Iron Throne.  (Which, as well all know, is where I belong...)