I dunno if I've mentioned often enough on this blog that I'm an X-Phile ever since Season One (and a 'Shipper to boot). I know I've shared various trips to the Orlando MegaCon events, although I mentioned in 2024 that I might stop going - too fatiguing, too much walking, going solo too often, etc. - unless they had a celebrity I needed to see.
They had Agent Scully showing up this year. I HAD TO GO.
I even spent the extra money - something I've never done before - to get a Photo Op with Gillian Anderson during the event.
So I purchased the tickets, saved the moneys, planned out a cosplay (not a Jedi this year), left early to avoid the I-4 traffic woes and avoid the parking hassles, and made it to Saturday's con. Below are the videos and photos I've taken during the visit.
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| This is at the end of the line... for the ticket pickup! Yes, that's how much queueing goes on at comicons! And yes, I shaved the beard for this one. |
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| If you can tell by this photo, this year I went as an FBI agent with an X-Files theme. The X pin, the alien tie (got some compliments for that), freshly polished dress shoes (Dockers), and a sweat-inducing trench coat. /sigh |
This is the line after the line of getting your hall pass and before the line of getting into the vendor floor where there will be more lines at each table getting tangled up in the foot traffic lines that crisscross the floor. This is why comicons need traffic lights at major intersections!
OMG It's my boy R2-D2, rolling at the MegaCon like a Boss as always! Chirping away at the cute cosplayers, no doubt...
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| Right before Gillian's Q&A they had one set for ST:TNG's Gates McFadden and Jonathan Frakes, and they brought a friend as a surprise guest! |
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| I admit when I'm taking photos I seem to be leaning too far to the right. I blame trump. |
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| Data! |
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| Dr. Crusher! |
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| This guy! |
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| I left the TNG event to get in line for Gillian's Q&A - they will not let you remain in the room between events, alas - and when I got there the line was longer than the one for McFadden/Frakes/Spiner. |
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| I couldn't wear that trench coat ALL the time... |
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| SCULLY!!! |
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| I sat over to the left of the room to see if my right-tilt photography evened out. I think it did. |
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| This one is where she's enjoying a reveal from one of the fans doing the Q&A who turned out had worked on an official LEGO set for the X-Files that's due for release this year. OMFG. Now I know what I'm buying myself for my birthday...! |
Just to give you an idea of the crowd by early afternoon. MegaCon gets big enough to be its own city on Saturdays, its busiest day.
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| If the lines for getting into the Q&As were bad, the lines for the Photo Ops were longer (and slightly more stressful) |
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| This was the second queue getting in for the photo! |
Part of me wonders if it's okay to share the Photo Op I had with Ms. Anderson. I'll leave it to the nine or ten people who follow this blog, add a comment here or skeet me at Bluesky!
There was one other moment of queueing up, this time in the Autograph line to see if I could drop off a gift (a printed copy of my X-Files fanfiction: I can't sell it but I ought to be able to gift it). But the line for that was still pretty long, and by that point in the day my legs were about to quit on me. I checked this step-tracking app on my phone and it told me by that time of the con I've already walked 4.2 miles (!). And I knew there were still more spots at the con I needed to visit. So I passed on the moment and stumbled off to a corner to sit and rest for an hour.
Once I got some strength back, I tried to circle about Artists Alley on the main floor, looking for some of the usual suspects that I follow for art, comics, science fiction writing, and so on, but I was so zoned out with my knees twitching a little too much to where I only recognized Amanda Conner's booth, where I bought a poster of her work on the DCU Starfire series a few years back.
After that, I staggered off to the commuter bus service back to the parking lots (this time I remembered the color), and then drove out around 5:00pm in search of a local Italian place my sister-in-law recommended (she grew up in Orlando, even worked at Sea World as a teen), which I got to by 6:00pm (yes, Florida traffic remains bad).
Oh, the step-tracker's final tally on the day: 5.6 miles of walking. Ow ow ow ow...
As far as con visits went this trip wasn't as overwhelming, although I wasn't forcing myself to try and see too much of it. Again, going solo isn't a lot of fun - it was nice to chat with other X-Philes and GA fans, although I regret not calling out to see if any OBSSE people were there - so if I go again I need to find a girlfriend dammit. Anyone out there in central Florida in her 40s-50s who's into DC Comics, most science fiction, some fantasy, and pro sports? Anyone...?
/sigh
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