Until Wednesday, naturally. But as it was just last night and it was social, well. Can’t Stop the Serenity is something I need in my life way more than once a year, it’s official. Yeah, I was maybe a little bummed that my friends and I were the only ones in costume; I’d Googled the event and known that people did dress sometimes, and they were showing a slide show that indicated that people had dressed in years past. Apparently everyone just decided to opt for their t-shirts (that were still pretty awesome) and their Jayne hats this year. After all of the work we did on fixing up the jewelry and hair and makeup and clothes and weaponry, I was sorta sad we didn’t get to show off much.
BUT. That aside? A room full of like-minded geeks is my favorite place to be. From the general pretty good mood floating around to the conversation I butted into in line about Daniel Craig’s insane blue eyes, it just felt right.
The Dr. Horrible screening made my life. Dr. Horrible is one of the few things I can sing along to and not feel completely fail, and it makes me happy, and my friend totally started the little bit of cheering after “I wonder what you’re captain of” (still one of my favorite lines in the whole show). Everyone sang along. The words were there so you couldn’t screw up. I actually haven’t watched Dr. Horrible since last summer, I don’t think, and it just made me happy all over again. (Also, Maurissa Tancharoen’s existence makes me happy.)
The Q&A with Patric Reynolds just got me giddy. Answering questions, snarking good-naturedly, being way talented (and also kinda cute). I was all smitten and impressed.
The little reel of talking they played before the movie made me as happy as it’s humanly possible to be, I’m pretty sure. Even little eensy flashes of Dichen and Eliza and Summer are enough to make me fall over with delight. Clare Kramer is pleasantly not a psychobitch when just herself. Also, when Tahmoh Penikett said that “Browncoats are cool,” my response was: “Well, I knew that anyway. But thank you for saying so,” followed by wistful sighs of you are not my Dollhouse man but I still love you and find you attractive and stuff. Joss’s speech was both enlightening and amusing.
I have seen Serenity itself… oh, at least twelve times not counting this screening, the most recent being about a month ago. But it never, ever gets old. I think the magic of watching movies amongst like-minded geeks on big screens is that even if you’re strangers to everyone, you’re not alone. Everyone’s cheering and clapping (and I’m pretty sure I started the round thereof after “hell with this! I’m gonna live,” just sayin’). Everyone’s tense at the right moments and happy at the right moments and sad at the right moments. Everyone is there with so gorram much love.
And the raffle was somewhat of a fail for me personally, as I did not win anything, but five more dollars to charity, I’m good with that. My friend did win some stuff, and it’s awesome, so. (I was kind of hoping for the signed Spike action figure, actually. But oh well. It just means I’ll have to make it a mission to meet James Marsters some day, not that it wasn’t already — I’m still a little sad that I didn’t shell out sixty dollars last April. The more I think about it the more I wish I would have.)
I think that, at the end of the night, these events are just sort of magical. They’re all about happiness, even when the movie is sad in parts. (And OH RUTTING HELL IT NEVER GETS EASIER EVER.) There’s warm fuzzies all around, everyone’s into it, there’s just… such a good atmosphere. Especially when you’ve got the helping charity warm fuzzies into the bargain.
–your fangirl heroine.
