#convention issues

[laf-outloud]

Thank you for sharing, anon. I too find some of the excuses (particularly from Will) pretty ridiculous. I think some of the excuses from other fans come about because they know that if Jared really is breaking away from CE cons, then it won't be long before CE SPN cons are over (or at least, drastically reduced).

What they don't seem to understand is that if CE cons are reduced, it opens up the opportunity for Jensen and Misha to visit other cons in places not normally frequented by CE (much like Jared has done with RICC, FanX, and the other European cons). And who knows, if Jensen and Misha both attend the same multi-fandom con, the organizers might request they do an SPN panel together (and include other SPN guests). I see people panicking, but this really can be a good thing for all involved. Jared gets his autonomy, and the rest of the cast can cling to SPN as much as they want (without CE prices). It's a win-win! (Well, except for CE, lol!)

And I agree about J2 being mostly work friends now, and that's okay. Friendships change with circumstances, time, and location. It can happen even if there's no conflict, I mean, how many people are still friends with the people they spent the majority of time with in school? (Speaking as someone who just ignored their 25th school anniversary.) Whether Jared is closer friends with Jensen than we see, or whether he's not, whatever it is, it's working well for him. Jared looks healthy and happy, and that's all I really want for him.

As for your request, anon, you're welcome to send me more info. and I won't publish, but please don't feel like you have to, especially if doing so might violate NDA's or get you in trouble. You don't need to prove yourself to me, or anyone else on the internet. You know who you are and what you know, that should be enough. People are always going to have their opinions, but it's important to remember that it's the opinions of the people closest to you that really matter, not those of online strangers.

Again, thank you for sharing. I know it may have been hard for you after having been maligned, but I appreciate you reaching out. I wish you the very best and hope all goes well with your work!

[jerk-bitch-67]

Now I know why I stopped watching the Con panels, people have run out of questions and are asking dumber and dumber ones. The guys have done so many projects since leaving Supernatural, ask a question about those instead of what doll they would want to be trapped in a room with for god’s sake!!

[lizzybgood]

Why is it at Jus in Bello, J2 get asked amazing questions about the show and their characters? Here in the States, it's always; tell us about your pranks, how you met your wives and cute stories about your kids? It's like those con goers don't CARE about the show.

It's so frustrating to know that the guys have amazing answers to great questions that they are excited to be asked, and instead, get asked dumb ones.

[laf-outloud]

https://www.tumblr.com/laf-outloud/729352322916007936/nice-of-your-followers-to-say-cunty-little-jab?source=share

Here's the thing, I get that the atmosphere when you're at the con might seem better and more positive and we see a lot of wank online that probably isn't as obvious at the con. But even if you ignore all that, we can still watch all the panels. We still see the fans who will insult Jared and praise Jensen in the same breath just to then pull a "this question is for Jensen". We watch fans talk for 5 minutes about worshipping Jensen and then ask him about his bracelets. We see faces waste panel time to talk about their inappropriate Jensen shirts and then show off their creepy Jensen tattoos. During a half hour panel. We SEE all of this with our own two eyes. We hear the questions. We see the rude ops and hear the stories about how rude some fans are to his face (or to Jared fans just walking around the con). Is that the majority of the people? Of course not, no one is claiming that. But to act like those things don't happen, or don't matter, or don't affect people? Does a disservice to everyone.

Jared has admitted to seeing things online from haters and how it affects him, do you think people doing it to his face in public doesn't affect him? Do you think, to a lesser extent, it doesn't hurt Jared fans having to either deal with Jared-antis directly at the cons or just see the person they like have to deal with stuff like that and handle it with such grace and professionalism? To know that Jared doesn't feel safe eating any treats he gets anymore because there is a real threat of him being poisoned. To know that he needs extra security just to do what should be a (somewhat) fun and easy job? Newsflash, it feels shitty anon.

So yea, maybe the atmosphere AT cons isn't as wanky and negative as we see online - I think we all already got that one. But to act like it's nothing isn't helpful. To not address and acknowledge it is to give these people permission by sheer omission to continue to behave the way they do. Lack of accountability breeds this continued behavior. Naming it and addressing it isn't trying to detract from fans enjoyment of cons - on the contrary its trying to help make it enjoyable for everyone, not just certain loud groups.

Perfectly said, anon! You've summed it up better than I ever could!

[laf-outloud]

Regarding (rare) hostile fan behavior at cons, I recall stories in the early years by AAs that the cons were too Jared-learning; ranging from most questions directed at Jared to fans presenting gifs and awards to Jared during J2 panels. AA thew fits over it, which is why now you can only present gifts/awards at their private M&Gs, which makes sense but I sometimes wonder if that's why the AAs make a point to blatantly show favoritisms.

I've been to a few DC cons and it's noticeable that there were Jared-leaning favoritisms, but it wasn't intentional. Some of the young fans (teenagers) try to appear cool, knowing the panels will end up on youtube. But they end up sounding hostile towards Jensen instead. In one of the videos, you see Jared leave the stage and disappear off camera. I was there and he was hugging the girl, effectively cutting off her hostile tone towards Jensen. I get the sense that Jared puts out more effort to make the cons good for his friends and colleagues because as the lead actor, he has that responsibility. Others may not feel they have to return the favor. I talked to the hugged girl later and she honestly didn't know how her tone came across. I guess what I'm saying is while there are some AAs going out of their way to be rude, I think most don't realize how rude they may come across. Some of that I blame social media because they're performing for clout currency.

Thanks for sharing! I can definitely see how some fans (again, a minority), lack the ability to understand when they’re being too rude/dismissive/disrespectful. But for the ones who do it on purpose, I have to roll my eyes, because they are only looking for attention, either from social media or their fav. They make the panel about themselves instead of enjoying it for the celebrity.

Also, I love Jared, but he shouldn’t have to be the one to make sure all the other guests feel welcome and respected. That’s Creation’s job and they’re the ones who need to crack down on panel etiquette. There are way too many people taking up time sharing personal stories , asking for shoutouts, yelling from the audience, etc. I think some of that rude behavior, including the blatant disregard (intentional or otherwise) could be mitigated by just reminding people at the beginning of each panel some general rules of respect.

[laf-outloud]

OFC amid all this drama CE added another JA/MC con for August 2023 in Indianapolis. CE just doesn't learn. Or listen apparently.

Of course they did. Listen, if Jared's contract is still being negotiated, they need to wait until it's confirmed to advertise new cons. If Jared's not coming at all, they need to come right out and say that rather than telling people to watch their ads for further announcements so the fans can make informed decisions.

All this to say, if it's the case where Jared isn't attending, good for him. He's under no obligation to prop-up the SPN extras years after the show has ended. And if he's not announced because he's holding out for more money/safety/input into con activities/attendees, then I also say, good for him. Creation needs to treat him like the star he is.

[laf-outloud]

SHRINKAGE. That's what we need to re-name these cons. Indy certainly feels like I bought a bag of potato chips only half full. #ShrinkageCon At least when it was Giving Back Tour we knew ahead it was a different concept and got a cut price. #MidwestDoesNotValueProductShrinkage

That's exactly it - cons with just a bunch of hot air and very little product. LMAO! (Not to mention that everyone there is smaller than Jared...)

[laf-outloud]

The thing people are pointing out is that the one thing that made CE cons unique and special was that they had both J's. I know that CE had a monopoly in the US on J2 in the past, but as we're starting to see them branch out a bit we're seeing that other cons just can't afford both J's at once. It was the one thing that made their exorbitant prices "worth it". Yes the J's are still VERY expensive for the cons to get, but at non-CE cons the prices for fans are soooo much cheaper and more reasonable. If CE cons lose that one thing that made them special then why should fans keep paying abhorrent prices for something they could get at another con for cheaper? I know it will still be some time before J2 are fully going to non-CE cons in the US, but people are going to start realizing real soon why CE is no longer worth the money.

Ooh, that's a very good point! Plus, the multi-fandom cons are everywhere so people in places not visited by CE (Salt Lake - thank you very much!) have a greater chance of seeing their favs without having to spend extra money traveling. It's a win-win as far as I'm concerned (except for CE, of course, lol!)

In addition, it's not like people other than hellers are spending CE money just to see the SPN extras. They may be a bonus on top of J2, but they're not the main draw.

I think CE's going to realize pretty quick that it will be better for them to have fewer conventions with J2 guaranteed as guests than it is to have more conventions with only one J.