Tag: Love Fan Fest 2019

RED Webseries Interview Love Fan Fest 2019 Part 1

RED Webseries Interview LFF 2019 Part 1

The most magical moment of Love Fan Fest 2019 for me was the interview I had with Ana Paula Lima, Luciana Bollina, and Germana Belo of RED. In this part of the RED webseries interview, we discussed the current situation for LGBT+ people in Brazil, the beginning of RED, and the series up to season 4. Next week, the second half of the interview will come out, which will focus on season 4 and 5. Below, the questions and answers have been written down, but you can also watch the video under this image. 

‘RED Webseries Interview Love Fan Fest 2019 Part 1’ The most magical moment of Love Fan Fest 2019 for me was the interview I had with Ana Paula Lima, Luciana Bollina, and Germana Belo of RED. In this part of the RED webseries interview, we discussed the current situation for LGBT+ people in Brazil, the beginning of RED, and the series up to season 4: http://bit.ly/RED1LFF
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RED webseries interview: guests of Love Fan Fest 2019

Me: “I was really happy to see that you were announced to Love Fan Fast this year. How has it been so far? You have had your first morning. Have you had nice meetings with people?”

Luciana Bollina: “Oh, such nice meetings with people and to know people from other countries. It really, really makes me very happy because I know about people’s lives. And we have a chance that people can get to know us, and our show especially, because I think the majority of the people here knows RED but not everyone. So, it’s very good to share.”

Ana Paula Lima: “Yeah, they’re really open to getting to know you. And they’re really special in the way that you feel embraced. That’s… I don’t want to use the word special again, but it is an amazing experience.”

Me: “Ah, that’s great. I think… What you say, people are really open to high-quality queer shows, and your show is definitely beautiful. It’s something else.”

The current situation for LGBTQ people in Brazil

Me: “So, I’m not from Brazil. Can you help me understand what the current situation is for LGBTQ people in Brazil? Because I get mixed messages. For instance, can people walk hand in hand in the streets, or is it too dangerous?”

Germana Belo: “Yeah, it’s definitely not like a safe space or a safe place for LGBT people because… This is what the numbers say. We are the number one country that kills LGBT people.”

Me: “Oh…”

Germana: “It’s a reality, but I think it depends on the kind of circle you live in. For me, I don’t feel that so much as an LGBT woman. I can say I kind of live in a bubble because some people live like that. The circle of my friends and family, they are all very accepting, but I know this is not the reality for most people. And people get killed every day because they are trans, gay, and lesbian. And we know that happens.”

Bigger cities

Germana: “Fortunately, I live in one of the biggest cities in Brazil. So, it’s easier for anyone who lives in the capital, with more open-minded people. Even though bad things would still happen, it’s better for us. But I know it happens. As I said, we kind of have this privilege of living in a place and circle that is more accepting.”

Ana: “There are more people that are more open-minded.”

Germana: “Yeah, in a circle with creators and people who are open to, you know, differences, whatever they are. But the reality of the country, in general, is that it is not a safe place for LGBT people.”

RED webseries interview: first lesbian webseries in Brazil

Me: “So, you are the first lesbian webseries in your country. When season one dropped, what were the first responses that you received?”

Germana: “Because we didn’t have money for marketing, the feedback, in the beginning, was very slow. We received great feedback, but it was a small number of people. The way we promote our series is very organic. So, people like the series and tell their friends to watch it. So, it demands time. By the time of season 2, it really began to create a larger fan base. But really because we didn’t have a way to market the series better. So, we had to wait for people to come to us.”

Ana: “It was really positive feedback. We never received something that wasn’t nice, you know. Everything that happened with RED happened in a really special and positive way. Like having an experience outside Brazil. Getting nominated in other countries like ‘oh my God, look at what they’re doing’ and we’re like ‘oh my God, yeah, we are.’ It’s amazing. I think we always manage to figure out what’s always positive.”

Positive feedback

Germana: “Sometimes I joke because our feedback is mostly positive. And sometimes I joke saying: ‘Okay. When we start getting haters, it is probably because we really made it.”

Me: “Yeah, definitely!”

Germana: “Because so far, we are in a niche. The people who come to us are the people who like it. The time we manage to reach people who wouldn’t like it, you know, it’s when you start to become mainstream. You would reach a large number of people, and some of them could not like it.

So far, mostly, our feedback is very positive. We have a lot of feedback because it’s also part of the project. The idea of RED is interactive feedback. We talk with our fans through our social media, through our personal social media profiles and RED’s profiles.

So, this is also part of the project. Nothing is separating us from the people who watch the show.  We talk to everyone. We have a lot of channels, like Instagram, Facebook, and Vimeo, so feedback comes from all over our channels. And it’s great.”

RED webseries interview: every fan’s fantasy

Me: “RED originally started with two actors who have a relationship on-screen and then fall in love off-screen. I think that’s basically every fan’s fantasy here at Love Fan Fest. Some fans see a couple on-screen and then think it’s in real life too. How many actors have told you: ‘thanks for feeding that idea. Now I get that even more?’”

Germana: “That was not random because I am this public. I know you because I am you. So, I know this is the general fantasy of everyone. We were thinking about telling a love story between two women, but this could be, like, whatever. And I thought: ‘Okay, maybe it would be interesting to have that.’ That is a fantasy of every fan, to have two actresses who work together fall in love. So, it was not random. Because we knew it was a fantasy.”

Me: “I thought it was pretty clever when I first saw it. Anyone in particular you had your inspiration from?”

Germana: “No, the main premise is just this fantasy that was the inspiration: the fans’ fantasy of having two actresses together.”

RED webseries interview: ClexaCon visit before season 4

Me: “At ClexaCon last year, you [Ana and Luciana] both said that when you read the script for season 4, you both had moments where you were like: ‘I’m going to call Germana and ask her if she’s sure.’ We hadn’t watched season 4 yet, and I always wondered what the exact moments were that you were like: ‘are you sure? Is it a good idea?”

Ana: “Season 4? Wait for season 5!”

Luciana: “Yeah, it gets worse. It’s because we are fans of the characters.”

Ana: “Yeah, we really watch our show.”

Luciana: “Yes, we watch like you. You know: ‘oh my God, what is she doing?’

Ana: “Yeah, we are the audience.”

Luciana: “I usually watch my interpretation in something, but not here. I really enjoy the love story here. We always talk to Germana like ‘Germana, why?! What is happening?”

Ana: “Yeah, we suffer too.”

Luciana: “Yeah, we suffer a lot.”

RED webseries interview part 2

Next week, I will publish the second part of the interview. There, we talk about season 4 and 5 in more detail. In the meantime, you can enjoy these other videos and blog posts about Love Fan Fest 2019.

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Love Fan Fest 2019 Sunday [Wynonna Earp, RED, Skam España, Carmilla]

Love Fan Fest 2019 Sunday

June 30, 2019, marked the second and final day of the second edition of Love Fan Fest. On Love Fan Fest 2019 Sunday, I visited many panels, talked to RED for a second time, and went to the closing party. You can read all about it in this blog post, or you can watch the vlog I made of this day. This vlog has a special message from RED and the full closing party. You can find it below this image.

‘Love Fan Fest 2019 Sunday’ June 30, 2019, marked the second and final day of the second edition of Love Fan Fest. On Love Fan Fest 2019 Sunday, I visited many panels, talked to RED for a second time, and went to the closing party. You can read all about it in this blog post: http://bit.ly/LFF19Sun
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Love Fan Fest 2019 Sunday started with the WayHaught panel

On Love Fan Fest Sunday, I started a bit later than on Saturday. After all, on Saturday, I had to pick up my press pass at 8 a.m. On this day, I didn’t have anything planned until around 11 a.m. The WayHaught panel was planned at this time, which was fun as always. Kat took her parents with her, and I immediately noticed them on the side of the stage. They were looking really proud and then Kat introduced them to the audience, which obviously gave a big round of applause.

Someone in the audience had this really good idea of giving them lines from certain scenes. The other person had to guess what the follow-up line was. It was really funny to see how competitive Kat and Dom both were.

It’s funny to look back at these Wynonna Earp panels. They had heard that they were starting filming season four already and we had not yet. So, sometimes, with the answers that they gave, you can tell that they were really looking for ways not to reveal the truth.

Skam España panel

Then, we had to leave the room for the next panel. I think it was actually the first time we completely had to clear the room. It was time for Skam España. I had not watched that show, so I was surprised to see the incredibly long line waiting to get back into the panel room. They obviously have a huge number of fans. That made me realize I probably had to watch that show.

I wanted to know a bit more about the show, so I visited the panel. Unfortunately, I could not understand it as it was in Spanish. I did return at the end of the panel and realized they sometimes said something in English. So, I could have stayed, but I thought I’d be wasting my time. I still want to check out the show, though!

RED panel

Then, it was time for the RED panel. I absolutely love listening to them. I know quite a lot about the show as I had interviewed them the day before, but because of the fans’ questions, I still heard some new things.

It’s beautiful to see how incredibly grateful they were for being present at Love Fan Fest. I truly think they deserve all the exposure and support they can get. Season 5 is out now. If you haven’t watched the show already, please pay for a season if you hit a paywall. It is worth every penny.

Melanie Scrofano’s panel

After RED’s panel, it was time for Melanie Scrofano’s panel. She cracks me up every single time.

However, there was also one serious, special moment. It really had an impact on me when she told everybody she had had treatment for an eating disorder. Apparently, she has talked about it before, but I didn’t know. And the beauty of it was that she told about it after having been asked what she was proud of. She has obviously come to terms with it. You can tell it affected the room. She received a big round of applause.

Love Fan Fest 2019 Sunday ended with the Hollstein panel

The next panel was the Hollstein panel. Natasha and Elise were happy to be on stage again. The funny thing was that the same person who asked Kat and Dom the lines questions asked Natasha and Elise that question.

Elise immediately got really nervous. She said it was like her nightmare where she was standing on stage in a play that she’d done years ago and she can’t remember the lines. Carmilla was recorded about five years ago. She definitely had a hard time remembering the lines, which was just hilarious to watch.

They praised the person of the question. Dana, who often moderates their panels, always has these really fun things for them to do on stage and this one definitely had the same quality.

Another season?

One thing that I remember from this panel is that Elise asked the audience if, if they would make another Camilla season, would we all watch it again? Would we be interested in that? The entire room responded with a ‘yes, of course,’ which kind of surprised both Natasha and Elise. They didn’t know that that would still be a thing, which in turn surprised the room. She stated that she didn’t have any information about a possible season 4, but she just wanted to know. Well, I hope they will think about it now that they know this.

Love Fan Fest 2019 Sunday: final autographs

The Hollstein panel was actually the last panel of Love Fan Fest 2019 Sunday. Then, there was a giant time block scheduled for autographs. This was the only event happening at this particular time, so that meant that every con guest was signing and every con visitor was waiting in line for an autograph. It was a huge queue. I didn’t want to film it because waiting in line is no fun. I didn’t want to upset people.

After a while, I was called into the autograph room. I was not allowed to be there as press; it was just for the con’s own videographers. However, I was allowed to talk to RED for a few minutes. As a result, I was able to ask them one question: how had they experienced the weekend of Love Fan Fest?

Rewatching this footage made me happy all over again. You can watch it in the vlog I posted online. Slowly but gradually, people were done getting their autographs. The first post-con blues started to hit people. We realized it was time to say goodbye to people we would not see in a while because they live in a different country or even on a different continent

Closing party

But first, closing party! Everybody started to gather in the panel room. We had to wait a bit. People started to throw a ball in a basketball hoop. What? Watch the vlog.

Then, all the actors came on stage together. Like last year, the final moment of Love Fan Fest 2019 Sunday was emotional with lots of love and gratitude. We all watched a video together about this second edition of LFF.

Every actor had a moment to say something. I don’t think anybody could have counted all the tears that were shed. The closing party lasted about twenty minutes, so that means there were a lot of tears, words of kindness, and rounds of applause. And with that, the second edition of Love Fan Fest 2019 came to an end!

Love Fan Fest 2019 Sunday means final goodbyes

I was hungry, but I didn’t feel like leaving and saying goodbyes, so I ended up staying until around 10 p.m. I had some really meaningful conversations and final hugs. That was it for me too.

Yes, the upcoming weeks, I will still have blog posts and videos about Love Fan Fest. So, stay tuned!

Love Fan Fest 2019 Saturday [Wynonna Earp, RED, Carmilla]

Love Fan Fest 2019 Saturday

June 29, 2019, marked the official opening of the second edition of Love Fan Fest. On Love Fan Fest 2019 Saturday, I picked up my press pass, visited the press interview and photoshoot, interviewed RED, watched a World Cup match, and went to most of the panels. You can read all about it in this blog post, or you can watch the vlog I made of this day. You can find it below this image.

‘Love Fan Fest 2019 Saturday’ June 29, 2019, marked the official opening of the second edition of Love Fan Fest. On Love Fan Fest 2019 Saturday, I picked up my press pass, visited the press interview and photoshoot, interviewed RED, watched a World Cup match, and went to most of the panels. You can read all about it in this blog post: http://bit.ly/LFF19Sat

Love Fan Fest 2019 Saturday started with a press interview and photoshoot

At 8:15 am, I was already at the location to pick up my press pass. Unlike last year, I received it immediately. All I had to do now was wait 45 minutes for the press interview and photoshoot to start. I walked around a bit and said hi to the people I know.

The press interview was interesting because all the actors were there at the same time. So, it’s not like you can ask every single actor a question. I decided to ask a World Cup question because that way, every actor had a chance to respond (and I knew Elise would).

After I finished my question, nobody was very actively trying to take my microphone from me. That was odd. Usually, we’re in a room with a bunch of people who want to ask questions. I guess most of the press members were photographers this time? I think four-five people asked a question, so we were done rather quickly. That meant some of us, including me, asked a second question.

The photoshoot followed, so I was able to make some BTS from that moment as well.

Love Fan Fest 2019 Saturday: opening

After the press moment, it was time for everybody to enter the main panel hall and find their numbered seats. This is always such an energetic moment because everybody is still fresh, excited for the day, nervous, emotional, happy to see familiar faces, and so much more.

What is unique about LFF is that they have an opening and a closing of the con. They can do this because they have a reasonable number of guests (as opposed to the huge list of ClexaCon) and only one panel room. It’s funny because the guests never seem to know what they are doing on stage. They receive their applause, say hi, and then try to leave. Then, it gets a bit awkward because some of them are told to leave, and the guests who are on the first panel are told to stay. Everybody just laughs about it.

Editing

I would have loved to stay for the first panel, but I wanted to edit the press interview and give that to my YouTube subscribers immediately. As a result, I had to leave after the first panel. I was allowed to edit in a friend’s hotel room, which was super nice of her.

When the video was converting, I went downstairs again to visit Melanie’s panel. After a few minutes, I had to leave again to work on the video. I missed the Hollstein panel, but after 2.5 hours, the video was available for my subscribers. If I may believe the comments, they appreciated the gift 😉

In the hour lunch break, I visited a street with shops nearby. The food at the location isn’t all that, unfortunately. I enjoyed a nice lunch by myself, went back to the location, and met up with some friends.

Love Fan Fest 2019 Saturday: afternoon program

After the one-hour lunch break, it was time for the LGBT Fans Deserve Better panel. They experienced some technical difficulties, but it was fixed later on, thankfully. At 3 pm, the World Cup match between the Netherlands and Italy started, so I found some fellow Dutchies in the lobby to watch the match with.

To be honest, it was a nice distraction because I was getting nervous about my interview with RED. I absolutely love the web series and ehm; these women are gorgeous, so yeah… My nerves were definitely starting to kick in.

Interview with RED

As always, it turned out I had nothing to be nervous about. We had a really good talk. I got to ask questions about the beginning of the show, about their new season (you can now watch season 5, which I highly recommend), and a few other things. We ended up talking for 22 whole minutes! Wow. After the interview, I was also able to share a few personal words of appreciation. All in all, this was the most magical moment of LFF2019 for me!

I will divide the interview into two parts and upload these two videos in a few weeks. Subscribe to my channel to watch them the moment they come out!

After that, I visited their panel too.

Love Fan Fest 2019 Saturday: Word Cup and panels

After RED’s panel, I ran to the lobby to watch the final minutes of the match and cheer with the other Dutchies after our victory. After that, I ran back to the panel room to catch a few minutes of the panel with Rhiannon, Ivana, and Isabella. You know you will have fun when Isabella is on a panel, and indeed, she made the room laugh quite a few times.

The day ended with the Wayhaught panel, which drew a big crowd. After that, I didn’t really know what to do. All the guests were signing autographs, so I chatted with some people. I ended up watching the second World Cup match of the day as well. It was just fun to hang around in the lobby with all the people you hardly ever get to see in real life.

Some tapas near my pension were calling my name, so I had to give in and eat. I was quite relaxed because the next day would start much later for me. Watching the footage I shot that day made me so incredibly happy!

Love Fan Fest 2019 Friday & Barcelona Pride

Love Fan Fest 2019 Friday & Barcelona Pride

June 28, I flew to Barcelona to visit the second edition of Love Fan Fest. I still had warm feelings from last year, even though I encountered some problems in the beginning. In this blog post, I will tell you all about how Love Fan Fest 2019 Friday turned into Barcelona Pride 2019 Friday.

You can also watch the video I made, which you can find below this image. At the end of this blog post, you will find the other LFF videos that I have uploaded so far. The final one, a special one, will be live at 8 pm Amsterdam time (30 minutes after posting this blog post!).

‘Love Fan Fest 2019 Friday & Barcelona Pride’ June 28, I flew to Barcelona to visit the second edition of Love Fan Fest. I still had warm feelings from last year, even though I encountered some problems in the beginning. In this blog post, I will tell you all about how Love Fan Fest 2019 Friday turned into Barcelona Pride 2019 Friday: http://bit.ly/LFF19Friday

Starting Love Fan Fest 2019 Friday with delays

At Schiphol Airport, I found out that my flight was delayed. The screen said it was fifteen minutes, so I was not too bummed out. After all, the delay of Las Vegas was four hours and entailed much insecurity.

Slowly but steadily, the delay increased. At one point, the entire plane had boarded, and the pilot announced that, despite announcing earlier that we would be leaving in ten minutes, we would have to wait for another forty minutes. Nooo!

Luckily, the decision was overturned, and we left ten minutes later. The delay ended up being one hour, even though the flight takes a little over two hours. I guess I have to get used to delays on con trips.

Arriving in Barcelona

At around 3:30 pm, I finally arrived. It was HOT! I decided to take the bus to my pension. At the bus stop, someone recognized me and started talking to me. It immediately got me in a good Love Fan Fest mood! I mean, traveling to a con by yourself is always a bit scary, so the possibility of a few familiar faces is nice.

Love Fan Fest 2019 Friday turned into Barcelona Pride 2019 Friday

I decided to explore a small part of Barcelona and to get off the bus at Plaça d’Espanya. I knew I had little time and that this area was a good spot to walk around a bit.

Guess where I ended up? BARCELONA PRIDE! A few weeks before this visit, I did see there would be a parade on Saturday, but I hadn’t given it much thought because of LFF. I guess Love Fan Fest Friday turned into Barcelona Pride Friday 😉

Barcelona Pride

I was parched so I needed to get some water before joining the festivities. It was actually still quiet. No wonder, with this heat! I guess people were still working too. But it was nice to walk around. It’s always fun to discover the vibe of another country’s pride. I loved that they had a whole section in the general festivities area where LGBT+ organizations had room to present themselves. Information is priceless, after all!

Love Fan Fest 2019 Friday ended with preparations

I could not stay until late in the evening because I still had to eat and prepare for my interviews. Also, I had to be at Love Fan Fest at 8 am already. For everyone else, Love Fan Fest 2019 Friday consisted of picking up the badges and extra’s and meeting each other already. That was not an option for people with press passes, unfortunately. So, no time for partying at Barcelona Pride, alas!

LFF videos

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Love Fan Fest 2018 Sunday: Interviews and Closing Ceremony

Love Fan Fest 2018 Sunday: Interviews and Closing Ceremony

I spent Love Fan Fest 2018 Sunday up in the relax room of the guests, interviewing them on the gorgeous balcony. As a result, I missed most of the panels but I had a blast just chatting casually with everyone. I have to confess that I did ask myself a few times: “Is this my job?!” At the same time, I experienced so many feelings that I got really emotional, so Love Fan Fest 2018 Sunday was definitely a rollercoaster ride for me. Oh, and how cool was that closing ceremony?

‘Love Fan Fest 2018 Sunday: Interviews and Closing Ceremony’ I spent Love Fan Fest 2018 Sunday up in the relax room of the guests, interviewing them on the gorgeous balcony. I also experienced so many feelings that I got really emotional, so Love Fan Fest 2018 Sunday was definitely a rollercoaster ride for me. Oh, and how cool was that closing ceremony? You can read all about it here: http://bit.ly/LFF20183

Brianna Hildebrand

I have seen the first and second movie of Deadpool but other than that, I did not really know much about Brianna. That is another thing that is so great about these cons. By listening to someone’s panel, you can figure out what kind of a person one is (on a certain level of course) and what one’s work means to others. I thought it was a really relaxed panel to get the day started. Some of her stories even gave me inspiration for questions for our chat later that day. You will see this interview appear on my YouTube Channel in a few weeks so make sure you subscribe!

Love Fan Fest 2018 Sunday meant many, many interviews

After Brianna’s panel, I was brought to the relax room of the guests again, like the evening before when I talked to Shannon Beveridge. This time, we were brought to the gorgeous balcony with a nice green view and a lot of sun. While I was checking my camera and mics, Dom sat down one table down for a quick tanning session. At a moment like that, I just think: “How great is my life right now?”

Gaby Christian

I was waiting for my chat with Brianna but Gaby Christian was standing right by my table. I had not been able to talk to her yet and I really wanted to. So, I asked if she wanted to talk to me for a bit. She did not have any plans until noon so she agreed, which made me really happy and nervous at the same time. Impromptu interview happening in 3,2,1, go!

I simply focused on some of the things that came to mind when I watched South of Nowhere again. I knew that she had been in Spain for a while already and walked the Camino de Santiago, so I asked her about that. Surprisingly, she had visited the city in which I live, The Hague, too! So, we talked a bit about that. All in all, it was simply a fun conversation. We had to stop suddenly so the ending was slightly abrupt but I was simply very happy that I was able to talk to her for a few minutes.

Again, this video will come out in the next few weeks, so make sure to subscribe to my channel!

Chatting with Brianna Hildebrand

When I was waiting for my interview with Brianna, right before Gaby agreed to talk to me, I was having a great time with Brianna’s girlfriend, whose mother is Dutch. We ended up discussing hagelslag, which is chocolate sprinkles we put on sandwiches. I may have scared Brianna a bit when I started the interview with “So, I have some inside information from your girlfriend.” I quickly told her it was about her hagelslag habits  though😉

Interviewing Kat and Dom

At noon, we (LGBT Fans Deserve Better, WayHaughties, and I) were scheduled to talk to Kat and Dom. A big table in the middle of the balcony was arranged for us. We made sure the cameras, microphones, and voice recorders were ready. I started to feel nervous again but when they arrived, they were so chill that I quickly felt relaxed again. After all, the first thing they said was that on the second day of a con, they always feel more relaxed. Well, then I should be relaxed too 😊

I wanted to know how they experienced LFF. After all, they have visited so many cons in very different places and the questions asked on the panels were asked by fans instead of a moderator. They were both truly in love with LFF, I noticed. That made me happy because I felt some questions asked were not always that respectful. The language barrier may have been the problem, though. It was good to see how enthusiastic they were, which was confirmed at the end of Love Fan Fest 2018 Sunday when they were announced as the first confirmed guests for LFF 2019.

Another interesting thing I noticed was that when Dom started talking about a conversation she had had with her agent about the specific projects she would like to take on, Kat was in awe. I wanted to know whether they learn from each other in that respect, so I asked Kat whether she felt she could have a conversation like that too. She indicated that it felt scary to her so I just wanted her to know that I think she can. I mean, her fan base is not going to go anywhere anytime soon…

Love Fan Fest 2018 Sunday: interview with Kat and Dom

Interviewing Natasha and Elise

At 1 pm, we were able to talk to Natasha and Elise. They had a little less time to talk to us than Kat and Dom did, so we quickly started. It was pretty amazing because they were asked one question about queer representation and they just started talking and talking. It was beautiful to watch and they made some valid points about opening up the pool for actors who are interested in playing queer characters as opposed to always asking the same people and about roles representing non-binary and trans people.

I noticed we only had a little bit of time left so I wanted to ask at least one question before they had to go. Ever since they had won a CSA Fan Choice Award, I was wondering what kind of influence that award had on their career. I remember Natasha introducing herself in her acceptance speech because most actors present in the audience were on TV or in films rather than on the web. As I am not from Canada, I was wondering how that might have influenced their networking opportunities or opportunities regarding projects.

I was surprised when they told me they had noticed zero effect on their career. It made me feel sad for them at first. Then, Natasha explained a part of Canadian culture to me and how the award meant much to her personally and that it gave her inspiration to continue doing what she does.

Love Fan Fest 2018 Sunday: interview with Natasha and Elise

Melanie’s panel

We were scheduled for an interview with Melanie at 3 pm, right after her panel. So, I had some time to visit her panel. It was pretty touching when she came on stage because she thought that nobody would come. She figured there would only be ten people because she had already had a panel the day before. Seeing everybody present made her emotional, to which everybody responded with a big applause. Are you kidding me? Of course, everybody is going to be there!

It is not even her humor that I like about her so much; it is the way she talks with her hands and pays so much attention to every detail in her stories. One moment I particularly liked was when a mother came to the microphone with her little daughter. She had a big, important question: who is Melanie’s favorite Disney princess? I love how children put things in perspective for you, lol. In the end, what truly matters?

Melanie’s revelations

Love Fan Fest 2018 Sunday also marked the day Melanie used her panel to reveal a few things about Kat and Dom. I am pretty sure Kat and Dom did not necessarily want those things to be revealed. You could tell she knew she was digging a hole for herself on stage and she just kept digging and digging. It made me cry-laugh. At the same time, I just wish I was present at the moment the three of them saw each other again after finding out what Melanie had told on stage.

Ten minutes after her panel, we sat down for our interview. It started with another hilarious anecdote by Melanie, so we were already laughing when the interview started. I just had to ask her about what had just happened on stage but I started laughing before I could ask the question. I finally managed to ask whether she had talked to Kat or Dom right in between the panel and now. “What did you do?!” she replied. To clarify, I did not do anything but I guessed Twitter had already brought the news to Kat and Dom. She dreaded that conversation for sure!

You can find the interview here:

Love Fan Fest 2018 Sunday: interview with Melanie

Closing ceremony

After the interview with Melanie, I was having all kinds of feelings so I decided to chill for a bit. There were no more panels, just people in line waiting for their autographs. I met a few new people while sitting in the shade and walking around for about two hours. I love how easy it is to talk to people at cons!

My press buddies and I discussed whether we should go out for dinner or stay for the closing ceremony. We were not exactly sure what the closing ceremony would entail. We decided to stay. Boy, were we glad! What an amazing (unplanned) party that was!

The audience had to wait as the guests were coming a bit later than planned. People started taking photos on stage with all their friends. Then, the DJ decided he did not care what music he was playing, so all the requests were being granted. Hence, music from Wynonna Earp and Carmilla started playing loudly and more and more people started dancing on stage and in front of the stage. I felt the floors go up and down with all the jumping around. What a spontaneous party!

#LFF2019

At the end of Love Fan Fest 2018 Sunday, it was announced that LFF will be held again next year. In addition, they announced that the first confirmed guests are Kat and Dom. The crowd obviously went wild. They then entered the room with Rhiannon and Gaby, which only led to more noise.

Together, we watched the first part of the Love Fan Fest aftermovie, which led to a few tears being shed. The four of them said a few words of appreciation and there was a very intense group feeling. It was truly special. You see, you do not have to be a big con to have a big impact; at this smaller con, you could almost touch the sense of community. Rhiannon, Dom, Kat, and Gaby were right when they said they will always carry this feeling with them and it is exactly how every audience member felt too.

Post-con blues

That marked the beginning of my post-con blues. Wow, they are real. Until ClexaCon, I had never heard of them but man, they do exist. They were enhanced by a certain situation that occurred right after LFF. With some of my new friends, we went out for dinner in the only place close to the hotel. Our starving stomachs did not want to take us any further.

The seats outside were taken so we went inside. A soccer match was playing loudly on the TV. It was a small and shabby restaurant with about four or five tables. I entered the place first and all eyes went to the door because everybody was facing our direction as that was close to where the TV was hanging. Nobody said anything and they just stared at us. We sensed we were not welcome at all but we just had to eat.

So what?

The only table available was right under the TV. They just kept staring at us in silence until we sat down. The waiter threw a menu at us and barely helped us at all. It was pretty intense. Nothing happened but the sensation of being watched that closely already made me think: “I have just met these people but I would not want to be here with anybody else. If this means a fight will start, I would be happy to defend each and every one of them.” I do not think I have ever experienced this before. It just blew my mind. So what if some of us have short hair? Geez…

It actually had the opposite effect. I feel we bonded even more at that table. Thanks, buddies! I did make me sad though. It also reminded me of why we continue to need these cons and pride and other LGBTQIA events. We need to show our diversity over and over again until we no longer stand out. So, see you at Love Fan Fest 2019?

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