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Rosie-with-the-ribbons
Forum Admin
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Apr 1 2013, 7:17pm
Post #1 of 36
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Just back from HobbitCon
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and wow!!!! that was amazing!!!
Got to meet Laguz and Kiwifan, they will come in later to tell their experience.
But what a fun this was.
Where to start?!?
This group of actors (Jed Brophy - Nori, Dean O'Gorman - Fili, Mark Hadlow - Dori, Peter Hambleton - Gloin, Graham McTavish - Dwaling, Stephen Hunter - Bombur, John Callen - Oin, Adam Brown - Ori and Sylvester McCoy - Rrrrradagast the Brrrrrown), what a group of friends. Such a nice, relaxed, kind, friendly, open and fun group of people.
The dwarves really have become friends. Normally with the guests they are in the main hall on stage when they have a talk and leave the convention ground. But these guys took a seat in the main hall while the others were on stage. Which made for the most fun moments; comments coming from the "audience", sneaky comments from the stage towards those "audience" members and in some cases even very strange questions from the "audience"members. But all in so much fun and joy. Teasing like brothers  .
We laughed so much, about everything they had to tell, what happened on stage, during filming, outside of filming, auditioning. It was just great to hear from all of them.
Sylvester McCoy, what a gem this guy is! I already encountered him on the first day, just going over the convention ground, looking for a Radagast figurine.
He had his first panel right after opening. Which means almost all the convention goers are in the hall. And it was a blast!!! Normally they star stays on the stage, answering questions, and the MC (in this case Mark Ferguson, also known as Gilgalad) is standing (or sitting) beside him. Pointing who gets to ask a question or jumping in when an inappropriate question is being asked. But not Mr McCoy. After two questions on stage he has enough of it, and went into the public, walking around, answering questions while going through the hall. It was hilarious! He kept moving with a tail of people behind him who wanted to ask him a question, hugging people, dancing, whistling, it was amazing! So much laughter (and I felt so sorry for the girl of the DVD-team, they record everything, she was sitting down, camera on a tripod to record, and she ended up running behind him, to get everything).
And not forgetting the wizards from Weta. Daniel Falconer and Paul Tobin came over. Wow, what a treasures! My weekend started with a workshop by them. And this workshop was a true workshop, two hours drawing with both of them. It was a "brief" to design weapons from the Silmarillion. And you got to go and draw along. And Daniel and Paul came along to give suggestions, put you in a certain direction you hadn't thought of. It was amazing to see how much work goes into designing something, how hard it is, what you all have to think about. Just to stay focused unto drawing for two hours, to keep on coming with ideas to keep working on. It was also very clear why you need a team for designing, to keep feedback going, get ideas from others.
And if that wasn't enough the two of them gave 5 talks! About designing weapons and armours, designing the dwarves, the history of Weta, the books from Weta and the collectibles from Weta. I already had the most respect for what Weta is doing, but with these talks and seeing these two guys at work, just WOW!!!
Oh, and sneak peeks..... well not much, all the actors and the guys from Weta kept pretty tongue tied. But... there will be a dwarf/elf something happening. And we will be THRILLED... (that's the cue one was saying too much and they stopped talking, I can't remember what it was they were all referring to, maybe some will come back later).
And one of the supreme highlights of the weekend, closing ceremony, always a sad moment, ended with all the dwarves singing the Misty Mountains. Amazing!!! We missed a few singing voices (those lovely baritons from Richard Armitage and James Nesbitt) but it still gave me goose bumps.
More probably later. And when Laguz and Kiwifan can join in when the get home (it was great to get to meet you ladies!!!).
In a jam, in a scrape
And you think, "no escape"
Do not fear, we'll be here
Courageous are we
R-E-S-C-U-E
Rescue Aid Society
Heads held high, touch the sky
Our hearts we pledge to thee
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tarasaurus
Rohan
Apr 1 2013, 8:13pm
Post #2 of 36
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Thanks for sharing your trip!! I'm so jealous and wish I could go! That all sounded incredible, but holy cow, to be able to draw with them for 2 hours?! What an experience. And them singing, and I want to know about this elf/dwarf thrill we'll be getting...hmm...
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Ataahua
Forum Admin
/ Moderator
Apr 1 2013, 8:44pm
Post #3 of 36
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It sounds like you had a blast. :D /
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Celebrimbor: "Pretty rings..."
Dwarves: "Pretty rings..."
Men: "Pretty rings..."
Sauron: "Mine's better."
"Ah, how ironic, the addictive qualities of Sauron’s master weapon led to its own destruction. Which just goes to show, kids - if you want two small and noble souls to succeed on a mission of dire importance... send an evil-minded beggar with them too." - Gandalf's Diaries, final par, by Ufthak.
Ataahua's stories
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elaen32
Gondor
Apr 1 2013, 10:39pm
Post #4 of 36
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* turns into green eyed monster*
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I'm sooo envious. But seriously, thanks for telling us about it- it sounds really cool and I'm glad you all had such a good time. I wanted to go but still unwell so..:. When's the next one? I wanna be there!!
"Beneath the roof of sleeping leaves the dreams of trees unfold"
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TariArFiniel
The Shire
Apr 2 2013, 6:55am
Post #5 of 36
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You went into the workshop of Weta?? Wow! My husband and I came only a few minutes too late for that..sadly all seats were gone for this Workshop, but still, I'm very happy for you that you got it!
Someone posted a few photos from the event:
http://www.virtualnights.com/bonn/partybilder/hobbitcon-2013.2035122
I've sadly no much time to write now..but later I would love to hear what you all expirienced there! What did you love the most?
I believe the dancing Azog will never get out of my brain..
And by the way, maybe we even met there without knowing it..were you in costumes?
(This post was edited by TariArFiniel on Apr 2 2013, 6:56am)
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DanielLB
Immortal
Apr 2 2013, 10:30am
Post #6 of 36
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Sounds like you had the most amazing time!
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I really need to get to one of these conventions one day. 
I don't think I could control myself with all those cast and crew there!
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Brethil
Half-elven
Apr 3 2013, 2:14am
Post #7 of 36
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Fantastic - thanks for sharing it with us all!
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I agree, I would love to go myself one of these days. It sounds like a wonderful experience, especially when the cast is a bunch of fun.
Hell hath no fury like a Dragon who is missing a cup.
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Altaira
Superuser
Apr 3 2013, 3:17am
Post #8 of 36
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It sounds like you had the most amazing time ever, Rosie! How awesome does that drawing workshop sound. You lucky, lucky, LUCKY girl!
Thanks for sharing! 
Koru: Maori symbol representing a fern frond as it opens. The koru reaches towards the light, striving for perfection, encouraging new, positive beginnings.
"Life can't be all work and no TORn" -- jflower
"I take a moment to fervently hope that the camaradarie and just plain old fun I found at TORn will never end" -- LOTR_nutcase
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Laguz
The Shire
Apr 3 2013, 12:42pm
Post #9 of 36
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Epic weekend, nothing compares to it!
Meeting Rosie and Kiwifan was awesome, and we also made another friend who Kiwifan met on her way to the hotel :)
As for HobbitCon itself, it was amazing. Meeting the actors was great, the Fri night me and my friend went to meet Kiwifan, and while waiting we saw Mark Hadlow (Dori) sitting alone at a table. Not having the guts to go say hi, we wandered around catching glimses every so often :)
Hours later and we're sitting across the foyer with Mark, Jed Brophy (Nori), Dean O'Gorman (Fili), Sylvester McCoy (Radagast), John Callen (Oin), Peter Hambleton (Gloin), Graham McTavish (Dwalin) and Stephen Hunter (Bombur) sitting at said table (Adam hadn't arrived yet). Anyway, Kiwifan had her moment with these guys (I'll let her share her stories :p) and we went over and said hi, very overwhelming and amazing ^.^
Throughout the weekend we'd see Peter and Jed sitting a row or two in front, behind, walking at the sides during the other stars panels (Pretty much all of the actors did this, but we only saw Peter & Jed by us), or you'd see the actors wandering around the convention either looking around or getting to places they need to be. Towards the end of the weekend, it seemed rather normal to walk past them, and they were so friendly (I had imagined that they'd only be seen at their panels, autograph/photograph sessions and would be escorted around through secret passages xD). I heard some actors tell fans passing by that they could take a quick photo (The HobbitCon staff had a strict rule of no stopping the actors to take photos)
The panels were so funny. Like Rosie said, it was common for a panel to be hi-jacked by the other Actors. Jed & Adam (Nori & Ori) had a panel together, and near the start we'd hear Mark Hadlow (with a microphone backstage) jokingly-complaining that he was promised a panel with the three of them, and that they hid the Jed/Adam panel from him. Graham brought on stage his Dwalin prosthetic arm and got a fan to come on stage and try it on, which was hilarious as he explained the story on how they used talc to get it on his arm, and by the end of the day it had become some sweaty, talcy substance which they called 'Dwalin's Milk' which often flicked across the make up staff when taking the arm off xD
So many great panels. They had several panels with the actors alone, and then a few of them together with each other. During Dwalin's lone panel, I plucked up the courage to ask him a question about Uncharted 3 (a game he voice acted in which I'm a big fan of) which he said was fun, he loved it and hopes to be in a fourth game if they made another. I also asked John & Peter (Oin & Gloin) what they thought of Gimli's relationship with Legolas and Galadriel. Peter recognised me as 'Becky from Wales' through my accent (I'd had autographs and had been talking to Peter earlier that day) which set John off in a discussion about the Dwarves should have had Welsh accents (I guess from the fact John Rhys Davies who played Gimli was Welsh). John went on to answering my question saying that he blames Gloin for being a bad father resulting in Gimli making friends with elves (hating elves was a common joke throughout the weekend, as you'd imagine) and Peter pretty much agreed with him!
We got to hear quite a bit about the Naughty Dwarf Calender! Can't remember who was what month, but I do remember some of the descriptions of the dwarves and their poses (Remember they were all in their muscle/fat suits :p):
Thorin - Straddling a chair holding Orchist as Dwalin's hand holds a hair dryer blowing Thorin's hair
Dori - Marilyn Monroe pose with the dress blowing up
Ori - In hot pants, legwarmers and roller skates washing the bonnet of Peter Jackson's Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (A car from a classic British movie/Musical)
Dwalin - Rein-acting a classic image of a man holding a newborn baby in his hands. They had Adam Brown pose as the baby and photo-shopped them together (Graham said in his panel that Dwalin is protective of Ori as he admires his courage, this is probably where the idea came from)
Bombur - Wearing a bikini and squashing his moobs together xD
Bifur - In a padded cell, holding his prosthetic face near his groin area.
I'll finish up there and will post again if I think of more happenings (too many to remember atm xD) I highly suggest if there's another one for people to try and make it, it was so amazing! Next time I'll have to stay in the same hotel, cause leaving every night to get to our hotel in Bonn was a real downer and we wished we'd stayed at the Maratim Hotel.
(Btw, Rosie, It was John Callen who kept saying 'Thrillllllleeedddddd' about the next movies ^,^)
~Laguz~
Back in Action from over a year xD
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entmaiden
Forum Admin
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Apr 3 2013, 12:54pm
Post #10 of 36
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I'm so glad you all met up. TORN meetups are just the best.
IF you ever have the chance to see the dwarf actors again, do not hesitate to chat with them. I attended a Wellington premier party put on by TORN and Red Carpet Tours, and many of the actors attended, and mingled with all of us throughout the night. Jed was master of ceremonies, but between his moments on stage, he was just part of the crowd. We talked a bit with Peter and he was lovely. They have all heard about us fans, and are eager to get to know us. Seems that the current cast and crew have told the "new" team members that us fans are just great.
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tarasaurus
Rohan
Apr 3 2013, 2:17pm
Post #11 of 36
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before they're over! Problem is I can't come up with the $$ to hop across the pond from the US :( Wondercon may have to work though at the least....but Hobbitcon sounds more centered on ME which is why I'd rather go to that!
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Altaira
Superuser
Apr 4 2013, 2:29am
Post #12 of 36
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Between you and Rosie, it sounds like it couldn't have been an more perfect Hobbity weekend. So glad you had the chance to go!
Koru: Maori symbol representing a fern frond as it opens. The koru reaches towards the light, striving for perfection, encouraging new, positive beginnings.
"Life can't be all work and no TORn" -- jflower
"I take a moment to fervently hope that the camaradarie and just plain old fun I found at TORn will never end" -- LOTR_nutcase
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Autumn
Registered User
Apr 4 2013, 10:04pm
Post #13 of 36
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It was sweet as! I don’t need to tell you much more since those two have already filled you in
Stupid panels made me love Adam Brown :3 Curse my camera for not being able to take a photo of them singing the Misty Mountains! I wish they gave out more swag but I just like goodies. Weta gave out treasure codes and we got a free floor map of Bag End which is pretty nice ^^
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Laguz
The Shire
Apr 4 2013, 10:57pm
Post #14 of 36
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It was sweet as! I don’t need to tell you much more since those two have already filled you in Stupid panels made me love Adam Brown :3 Curse my camera for not being able to take a photo of them singing the Misty Mountains! I wish they gave out more swag but I just like goodies. Weta gave out treasure codes and we got a free floor map of Bag End which is pretty nice ^^
Just a quick introduction guys, Autumn is my best friend who joined my adventure to HobbitCon (and New Zealand last year). She finally signed up, yaaayyyyyy!
~Laguz~
Back in Action from over a year xD
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Rosie-with-the-ribbons
Forum Admin
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Apr 5 2013, 6:33am
Post #15 of 36
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Good thing you joined! That was a great weekend.
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kiwifan
Rohan
Apr 5 2013, 9:50pm
Post #17 of 36
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Hi Autumn --- welcome to TORn! Yay! Yes, I'm back
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if by 'that awesome lady' you meant me?
After that mind-blowing HobbitCon I spent several days with my friend in Wuppertal which is about an hour from Bonn by fast train, and only got back this evening, with my back in dire need of rest. Had another mind-blowing experience last night (of a musical rather than a hobbity nature) and now I daresay my mind is indeed well and truly blown. Well, I hope to recover overnight and add my two cents' worth tomorrow. Oh by the way, I gave A.B. your message ('from the two B.s from Wales) and a proxy hug from each of you (you can 'retaliate' when you see him in Wales), and added a hug from me for good measure (all good things come in threes, after all) right after breakfast on Tuesday morning. He didn't drop down dead on the spot but left the Rotisserie under his own steam so I suppose it was all right.
Hope you got back safely and didn't suffer from the Deutsche Bahn's going to hell in a handbasket rather quickly (this entire trip for me involved three separate train journeys and on each and every one of them there were problems, unbelievable). But I'll even put up with the (expletive deleted) Deutsche Bahn if it means getting to have wonderful experiences at one's respective destinations --- and they were wonderful indeed! --- and meeting wonderful people like you two, Rosie-w-t-ribbons and our other German comrade in arms, as it were. (Have you made contact yet?)
Have a pleasurable Friday night (in the Welsh tradition but go easy on these Jagerbombs or what these infernal concoctions are called, and keep an eye on Laguz  ...
Hugs from Stuttgart! And now good night...
'Goodness gracious, you really are a messie!' 'Oh no, I'm not, these are all just mathoms...'
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silneldor
Half-elven
Apr 6 2013, 2:40am
Post #18 of 36
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Rosie, THIS is really fabulous stuff!
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This is the stuff of dreams and memories.
Talk about a roll call of those that have magic about them.
Thank you for the window into such a wonderful event.
Geez, this just so cool.
''Sam put his ragged orc-cloak under his master's head, and covered them both with the grey robe of Lorien; and as he did so his thoughts went out to that fair land, and to the Elves, and he hoped that the cloth woven by their hands might have some virtue to keep them hidden beyond all hope in this wilderness of fear...But their luck held, and for the rest of that day they met no living or moving thing; and when night fell they vanished into the darkess of Mordor.'' - - -rotk, chapter III
Faerie contains many things besides elves and fays and besides dwarfs, witches, trolls, giants or dragons; it holds the seas, the sun, the moon, the sky; and the earth, and all things that are one in it: tree and bird, water and stone, wine and bread, and ourselves, mortal men, when we are enchanted."
— J.R.R. Tolkien
May the grace of Manwë let us soar with eagle's wings!
In the air, among the clouds in the sky
Here is where the birds of Manwe fly
Looking at the land, and the water that flows
The true beauty of earth shows
With the stars of Varda lighting my way
In all the realms this is where I stay
In the realm of Manwë Súlimo
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kiwifan
Rohan
Apr 6 2013, 8:54pm
Post #19 of 36
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You have a floor map of Bag End??!!
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Did you get that in the workshop on Saturday with Daniel Falconer and Paul Tobin? Oooh, I'm envious! And what are treasure codes?
I guess we should have spent more time discussing those things rather than party!
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Laguz
The Shire
Apr 6 2013, 9:38pm
Post #20 of 36
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They're just gift codes printed on a business cards really, and I heard Dan & Paul saying in their panels that they'd give some out if you saw them walking around.
At least we can talk about it now though, and we had a good time partying there :p
~Laguz~
Back in Action from over a year xD
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kiwifan
Rohan
Apr 6 2013, 10:00pm
Post #21 of 36
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Gift codes for what precisely?
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I ought to go to bed, my brain isn't working. They handed out cards with codes and you can get gifts from Weta for these, or what? I did see them walking around but was too busy hugging them and getting them to write lovely things in my Sibley book to notice any cards (now is that a case for or  ?)
*off to brush teeth and so on, will check back later*
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Laguz
The Shire
Apr 7 2013, 8:24am
Post #22 of 36
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Just codes for random things, they said it could be a $150 (ND) voucher or 15% off, or what me & Autumn got (Floor Plan of Bag End Parchment Art Print).
~Laguz~
Back in Action from over a year xD
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ByThorinsBeard
Rohan
Apr 7 2013, 6:36pm
Post #23 of 36
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Sounded lovely.
Is your avatar from the Rescuers? So cute!
"Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you anywhere." - Albert Einstein.
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Galasriniel
Registered User
Apr 11 2013, 1:57am
Post #24 of 36
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Is it true that Tauriel actually has a crush on Thranduil and that Azog dies in the second film, or were either of these simply April Fools' pranks (since both piecies of information arose on that day)?
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kiwifan
Rohan
Apr 12 2013, 2:19pm
Post #25 of 36
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Good for you!
Good thing I didn't know about it or I would've felt obliged to dog Daniel's and Paul's footsteps (would have had to clone myself for that) --- a voucher would've been great (I do covet most of the LotR and TH art prints) but then one can't have everything and I had so many great experiences that weekend.
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Saying that, where is that awesome lady? 
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