Oh, Epic, you poor wee scone! Well, and lucky wee scone also, but, yes, I totally understand. The only time I remotely had an encounter with a celebrity (Michael Palin) my friends and I stared openmouthed as he walked towards us, stared openmouthed as he waved and said "Hello!", stared openmouthed as he walked past us to start shooting a scene.

When I spotted him relaxing between takes a little later the same day, I did manage to sidle up and say "ScuseMeCouldIHaveYourAutographPlease?", whilst being redder than a red thing. And that was as much in the way of social skills as I could muster. Since my pen didn't work, and then the next pen didn't work, and then the one after that, I think I managed to stammer out something clumsy about us both being from South Yorkshire, and fancy the both of us being in Oxford today! Oh, my wit and cool - bow before it!

(Granted I was 16 at the time, but I fear that I'd be much the same today.)

Whilst Michael Palin is perhaps my number one choice of Person To Be Stuck In An Elevator With, and whilst I did have something of a crush on him, I'm afraid that if faced with the preternatural prettiness of an Ackles, whose mad actin' skillz I admire (because, you know, pretty and not so much with the talented - probably easier to not get one's knickers in a twist over?), and who does look quite remarkably like Dean Winchester*...yeah. I'm impressed that you could manage verbal, love.

*...does this make any sense outside my head? My affection for characters is quite different from my feelings about the various actors who portray them. But there's sometimes some overlap, so it can be a bit head-go-boom.

I was once about six feet from Ben Browder and Gigi Edgely and Francesca Bueller, in a small room (green room at a con). I did my damnedest to pretend I didn't see them at all, and was very grateful at the time to have long hair that I could hide behind.

I just... I don't want to impose, even when they're in public doing the publicity thing. So I usually pretend I don't see celebrities.

Although it's hard not to gawk when you take a ticket from Joe Spano at the theater door, and spend the next five minutes going, "Was that who I think it was?"

'Suela is me.

But of course, they're over there in the other corner going, "What is she, blind? Doesn't she know who I am? Do I need makeup and lighting and stuff? Am I losing my looks? Does nobody CARE?"

So you know, there's no right way. I still remember the story you told about this guy watching some 'scapers filming an "I'm Farscape" commercial for Save Farscape. One of them noticed him and thought he resembled Ben. Turned out it was Ben, who came over, said hi, and thanks. Love that story.

Well, that's BB for you. Such an excellent human being.

We should clone him.

Where does the line form for copies?

I thought we did, once.

sending up the white flag

Is there someone who would be willing to do a very quick and dirty... well, not beta, but more of a major check for plot holes and poor characterization on a long, not quite finished piece? It's due tomorrow evening, and I'm frantically trying to finish up. I figure I have one more chance to catch any serious problems before embarrassing myself in front of fandom at large.

Sure, Anne-- send it my way.

Perkins, insent.

backflung, with comments.