Happy Hour #84: T'was the Night Before Con

And all through the land, all the nerds were packing, their cosplays so grand.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:05):
Hey, this is Annie and Samantha. I'm welcome to stuff
I never told your production of I Hi Radio, and
welcome to another edition of Happy Hour. And uh, as
always with these segments, please and drink responsibly if you

(00:28):
choose to do so. Samantha, what are you stepping on?
I am thinking to alcoholic saltzer water. I'm not sure
how good this brand is. I'm not gonna name it
all on our episode, but it's pineapple flavor and it's
nice and tasty during the summer weather. It sounds lovely. Well. Uh,
we are recording quite a bit right now and there's

(00:49):
a lot of like Star Wars stuff happening because it
is my birthday tomorrow. Um, so I made kind of
a French seventy five garden with what I have around,
so like the anti version of a French seventy five. Also,
this season finale of Only Murders in the Building was
the last sight, so I woke up. I was really

(01:09):
I was up really really late and really really early
to watch it. So a little tired. Yes, doing the
whole celebrations, Yeah, silly me, I thought it already played everything.
So we do a whole thing where we beinged the
entire thing, and we came up on the last episode.
I was like, oh, no, it's not finished. I was wrong,

(01:30):
So I didn't get that last episode. I think that
was probably my fault, did you? Why is this all
your fault? Because like usually who tells you you know,
like how many episodes are left and how long they
are and what they're calling and all that stuff, And
so I only saw eight, so I thought there was
only eight. But it turns out there or ted and
I definitely told you when your partner this season finale

(01:53):
was like two weeks ago, because that's what I thought
it's over, and I was like, yeah, absolutely, son of
as we hit the net last episode, like we just
got us out there, like no, it's okay. I stayed
up really like watching a bunch of Star Wars stuff,
and then I woke up really early to watch have

(02:14):
you watched The House of Dragons yet? The first episode? Yes,
we watched it, and then we watched all the extras
because that's what we do. It is good, the conversation.
We are hopeful, so I'm okay. Like I didn't love
the ending ending, but I didn't think it was awful

(02:34):
awful everybody else that I know or like, this is
the worst ending to one of the best shows. How
do they ruin this series? Like the level of anger
is palpable, and um, I was like, okay, okay, all right.
So people still have a lot of bitterness, as we
talked about previously to the series, So I think we
watched the extra to see what is promised? Well, what

(02:57):
what is try that again? Tried? We watched the extras
hope to see a better take, and they wanted to
be like reassured slush today being the fans who are
still mad, I want to be reassured that it's going
to be better than the last one round. And because
Martin is actually heavily involved. Apparently he has his own
production studio called j R G R R M, which

(03:22):
obviously there you go, uh the clicking right, and it's
heavily involved, and he's one of the creators this time
and not just and a producer. So there's a little
more hopefulness to this route. Um. Interesting, It's interesting. There's
a lot of characters in here that I know, the
actors as comedians, so playing these serious roles and I'm like, huh,

(03:47):
that throws me off. A little bit, but okay, okay, well, yeah,
I mean this is actually kind of relevant to what
we're talking about today. I've always said I really enjoyed
watching Game of Thrones when it was like a cultural
moment uh uh and everybody was talking about it. I
really loved the social aspect of that. UM So I
was sort of going to wait and see you this one.

(04:09):
I did see. It was like the largest premiere on
HBO I think had like ten million viewers and it
twitters premiere. But it was really really funny getting vague
text for my friends who were watching it because I
didn't want to spoil me, and I was trying to
figure out the context and what they were talking about.

(04:30):
I heard there was a queer a queer relationship that
costs the drama. Yeah, this is the first one that
I've seen that I had a legitimate It was I'm
not going to say it if you don't know, oh, well,
like a different look on take on it. I was like, oh,
look at that, um which I said that to my

(04:51):
partner and I was like, hey, yeah, the usual and
and he had to think back on the relationships. He
was like, oh, you're right, it's the first of this,
and he was just like, oh, you're right, and like
you um, so it's interesting. I think I think it's
gonna be fun. The iron thrown is different and I
appreciate that as well. You know, they spent a lot
of money, a lot of money. Well, I've been think

(05:14):
yeah this recently because we just keep seeing a lot
of news items about how like Netflix is in turmoil
and HBO Max is in turmoil and the streaming wars.
I'm like, but how much did you spend on Stranger Things?
How much did you spend on this show? And then
you know, I said, you're a text. Uh. There was
a brief snippet of the new trailer for the last

(05:36):
spracheo Max, which, by the way, Nick Offerman's in it.
I didn't realize this. I thought at first it was
advertising a different show, and then I watched another trailer
and I was like, oh, he's actually in. Is he
the brother? Is he the brother? No? No, he's well
I guess it depends on how you define the creepy dude.
But no, no, he's the he's the guy. He's a

(05:58):
guy in that town like go to um early on
in the first one, when they need like a car.
They need a battery or something. Uh. And his town
is all booby trapped and he and Ellie really don't
get along. Um, and he has like a relationship with
that guy who who killed himself and left that note.

(06:19):
I was wondering a page of howscal is going to
do the exit, and he did and it was pretty good.
And then they were just quoting lines for the game.
I was just, oh, my gosh, so excited. Right, so

(06:42):
we are doing an episode where I'm just gonna talk
about my precon nerves, I guess, or or what I'm
feeling going into dragon Con, which is coming up. And
in fact, I believe this is comes out. It's gonna
be September one, and that's the first d of dragon Con.
And uh, I mean I'm pretty nervous, I guess, because

(07:07):
I you know, like like in a regular year, I'd
be nervous, but in this year, we've got COVID, we've
got monkey bark because we've got polio, so there's all
of that and it's just not going to be the same,
which is it shouldn't be, but it does make me sad.
I have somebody who's coming for the first time this time,
so it's not gonna be the same for them. They

(07:28):
do have mass requirements, lower attendance, but it's still like,
I'm not used to being around that much people anymore.
And then my cosplay, I have put off a lot
of stuff, so my Disco Luke cosplay is coming along.
I think it's gonna look great. I thought it was
gonna give me my Mark Campell tweet, but then I

(07:49):
found out he really doesn't like that cost. I'm sorry,
who knows, but I'm gonna do it anyway because I
love it, and it's too bad it will never go away. Uh.
And then I have my um cool Stan Luke, which
is my Winter Soldier Luke Skywalker and mash up. That
one needs a lot more work and I only have
one more weekend to do it. So that's a little

(08:09):
nerve wracking. And that is obviously because of Sebastian stand
looks like Mark Hamill and I didn't realize it, and
apparently I have a type. But I'm nervous about that too,
just because I've gained a lot of weight during the
pandemic and I know I hate that I think that,
but I do think that, and so that's making me
a little nervous. I'm afraid like the costume will rip

(08:30):
or something. You never You've got to test these things out.
You've got to put them through strenuous conditions. And then
just like having I friends, Dragon Con is very tiring. Um,
conventions in general are very tired, at least for me.
I would love to be the well rested person at
a convention, but there's gonna be a lot of us

(08:51):
in kind of a small space, so that's always all stressful.
Just transporting everything is so stressful, So I'm nervous about that,
like just getting there, I'm getting back and all the
work you have to do to cover that that period
so we don't miss anything. And then I know we
talked about this in our recent book club on Queen

(09:13):
of Geek. I love I've had like transformed of experiences
at dragon Con. I've met people, I have a group
of convention friends. But there is still, as we've talked about,
being a woman at a convention like this can be
a little a little scary. Um. I hate that I

(09:35):
have to do this, but I'm always for people in
the group. We have to have our accountability by to use.
You have to check in at certain times you have
to watch their drinks, like just always in the back
of your head, knowing this could go from a really
fun experience to a really not fun experience. And there's

(09:55):
this risk that we have to keep in mind as women. Um.
And I mean it's a given you'll probably be harassed
by somebody. Uh. And I've had many experiences where I
want people to go and have fun and I don't
want to hover too much. But at the same time,
I'm concerned. I'm worried, especially if there's like alcohol involved. Um,

(10:21):
I don't know, it is a it is a concern,
and especially yeah, like you know, unfortunately the first time
you came, the texting is not always great, uh shall
we say, because a lot of people the networks get overwhelmed.
Your batteries might die. Um. But also just for me,

(10:45):
like I usually have to because of the costume I'm wearing,
my phone is in my boot or something, it's not
my hand, and so I just don't check it as often.
I don't. I forget about it sometimes because there's so
much other stuff going on. I don't take any pictures. Um. Actually,
it's kind of one of my great regrets. I have
no good pictures of my cosplay, um, which you know

(11:07):
I'm planning on fixing. I want to do a whole
photo shoot. I think it's gonna be good. Yeah. So
you might not you know, you might text a friend
kind of worried, like where are you as everything okay,
they don't text back forever, and you don't know whether
that's because of one of those reasons are because something
has gone wrong, and so that's that's a little frightening.
I will say I've been very fortunate. I usually go

(11:29):
with a big group of friends and most of them
are women, and we do look out for each other
and we check in out each other. They've definitely prevented
me from I was just being an innocent soul. I
didn't realize what this guy was asking me, and they're like, no, no,
you do not need to go with that guy, and
and it's it makes me sad that it has to
be that way, but I'm happy that we are so

(11:51):
so looking out. And I remember once, um, this young girl,
I mean I think she was underage, but she was drinking. Um,
she was pretty drunk, and I just there was no
doubt in my mind. I'm gonna make sure she's gonna
she's fine. I got her some food, I got her
some water. I made sure she got where she needed

(12:12):
to go. And it wasn't a thing I was annoyed about.
It was just like, I don't want her to have
a bad experience. I don't want this to become a
memory that should have been a fun thing and it
becomes a very negative thing. So that's super important to me,
and it really is beautiful. I hate there are all
these negative aspects and all these risks. And I was

(12:34):
there that one year where the this guy people through
these really heavy chairs from the twelfth floor and I
was out on the smoking terrace and that's where they threw.
Then I like raised my Captain America shield and uh
kind of deflected it. I mean it wasn't coming straight
at me, so I would have been fine, but I
kind of the shield that somebody ended up in the

(12:57):
hospital and it's things like that. I'm like, why this
ruin everything? Well, I'm excited. I'm nervous, but excited. I
did get as sparkly like glitter masks, gold glitter masks,
So that's cool. Maybe I'll have some pictures and I'll
share them. Hopefully it's gonna be a good time for
all of us. Um, hopefully don't get co food. But yeah,
I think we're gonna do a revisit on the other end,

(13:17):
and hopefully it is a happy by visit. I've said
hopefully a lot, but that's what I'm for in the meantime. Cheers,
cheers and listeners. Oh please, if you've been to any conventions,
if you have any cosplay you want to share that
us and no uh, you can emails at Stephania, mom
Stuff and I Hurt Me at dot com. You can

(13:38):
find us on Twitter at mom Stuff podcast or Instagram
and stuff I ever told you. Thanks It's always to
our super producer, Christina. Here's Christina, and thanks to you
for listening stuff when never told your breach of I
Heart Radio. For more podcast in my heart Radio, you
can check out the heart Radio app, Apple podcast or
where you listen to your favorite shows. You are no

(14:00):
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