They are a family from all walks of life. Young and old, rich and poor, intermingle, brought together by the power, the passion and the danger of a hero. A hero the world cried out for, to save them from the mediocrity and dullness of white male straight characters. And save us all, she did,
heralding in, albeit briefly, a new age of well written diverse female, some times not straight,
characters.
I sing of Xena, the Warrior Princess and her partner in crime (and bed) Gabrielle, the Battling Bard, and the annual conventions held in their honour. I have been lucky enough to have had the funds to attend two of these amazing gatherings in Los Angeles, USA, first in 2012 and most recently in 2014.
It's a life changing experience. I know how cliche that sounds, but every single person I've spoken to that has been will tell you the same thing. It is about belonging, acceptance, challenge and growth. And not just the challenges that come from consuming too much alcohol and not having enough sleep (though that was probably the hardest part).
Xena Con is something that is really difficult to explain to people that haven't been there, especially if they're not a fan of the show. You're probably thinking we all just nerd out about Xena whilst dressed in cosplay. That happens, yes, but that is a small part of the entire thing. The Xena talk is mainly just an icebreaker. Which is the greatest icebreaker in existence. You don't even have to think about what to say you just start talking about one of your passions it is great. Instant friendship.
I'll try to explain, blow by blow, the average Xena Con (side note: no Xena Cons are average; they are all awesome by default).
Thursday:
12 pm: Arrive at hotel. Check in and mingle with all the Xenites there. Excitedly crash tackle people you know from the internet/other conventions.
3 pm: Go on a magical adventure to find alcohol.
5 pm: Start drinking
7 pm: Go to group dinner at the Denny's across the road
9 pm: Either go watch Xena in somebody's room or hang out in the lobby and drink. Talk with Steven Sears.
4 am: go to bed
Friday:
7 am: Get up ridiculously early if you are insane and go and grab breakfast and play softball with the Xenites.
1 pm: Come back cheering if you were on Team Potidaea. Come back sulking if you were on Team Amphipolis. Maybe start drinking. Or maybe you're already drunk. Who knows?
Some time later: Go to the panels. Laugh a lot. Maybe learn a thing about Xena you didn't already
know. Groan when somebody asks a dumb questi
on. Sneak alcohol into the panels. Turn one of the panels into a drinking game.
After panels: Maybe get some signatures or photo-ops. Bonus points if you are drunk by this point.
Eat dinner. Go to the Cabaret put on by celebrities. Then go to the karaoke party. Hang out in the
lobby afterwards.
4 am: go to bed
Saturday:
Morning: Get up, go across the road for breakfast, go to panels. Play trivia if you feel like it. If not, go socialise.
Afternoon: More panels, more socialising, sneak alcohol in again. Realise that nobody actually cares that you're drinking in there. Maybe get your butt smacked by a celebrity on-stage when you tell
them how corrupt Xena Con has made you. Then again maybe don't. Watch the Costume
Competition. Marvel at how awesome people are at costume design. Cheer for your friends. A+
costumes.
Night: Get food, go to cocktail party, get your pass confiscated because your friend used it to try to
sneak people into it, leave party go to lobby, go to glow stick party in somebody's room. They have a giant jar of cheetos. Eat some. Realise it is like 5 am. Go to bed.
Sunday:
7 am: Wake up, still drunk, go to celebrity breakfast. Get told by celebrities to go to bed. Ignore
them. Win money. Donate it to charity. Become a hero over like $200. Get pass back from
volunteers. Tell them that you were drunk and somebody asked for your pass so you gave it to them. Somehow start rumour that you passed out and your friend stole your pass.
Some time that was probably too early: start drinking again. Realise that alcohol makes things
better. Wonder if you're becoming an alcoholic. Shrug and drink more anyway.
Afternoon: Watch Lucy and Renee's panel. Laugh and enjoy their awesomeness. Get signatures with friend whilst intoxicated and still drinking a beer. Make the celebrities laugh. Be awesome and stuff.
Night: Go to after party and have much fun
2 am: Realise you're really really really exhausted and somehow make it to bed before dying.
Monday:
Morning: Say goodbye to people.
The rest of the day: sit in the lobby with whoever is left feeling sad that the thing is over.
Night: Walk around the hotel and see how empty it is and start to miss it already.
Tuesday:
Leave the hotel and head off to a different part of LA for non-Xenite related adventures. With a
Xenite.
So, that's basically what happens at Xena Con. Make life long friends. Drink a lot of alcohol. Have the time of your life.
People travel for a lot of different reasons: adventure, nature, history, etc.
But sometimes? The best thing to travel for is people.
And alcohol.
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