But I love to know what internal life the person most affected by the shenanigans puts together over time, and what they overlook.

This fascinates me. I just can't ask as a fan. If there is any other way in to the conversation, I can do it. And, wow, do I want to poke into the brains of the people who make the people I like come alive. But I can't do it as just a fan. I don't know why.

I love the chibis, especially "OH ME".

Those chibis were delightful!

Okay... "chibis"?

It's a term that migrated over from anime fandoms, I think. It means the figures are drawn in a cutesy-cartoony style.

I love the chibis, especially "OH ME".

This was my very favorite part!

I'm realizing at the core of my actor discomfort is my investment in their characters, I have an emotional connection to them. The actor is a stranger and like any other stranger I have to find things to connect on and for some that might be the character but for most it's not going to be. My own emotional connection to their character complicates this interaction.

Assuming I encountered the SPN actors on a plane and I didn't leave them alone to sleep or read:

Jensen is one I would love to talk to about acting and the process of filming. He seems to have a passion for it and his stories on the subject are almost always interesting. That said, he's not obsessed like his fans are with his character and it's always awkward when fans ask a Dean question and he has no idea what to do with it. I find it adorable in cons when both Jensen and Jared have to ask the audience the title of an episode.

Jared, I know from con reports, would go to great lengths to make me feel comfortable. Even so, I think I would be completely tongue tied. I have zero idea of what we'd talk about and that right there is a formula for disaster for me.

I'm fairly convinced that Jim and Misha are people I'd want to invite home for dinner. This I've gleaned from other people's encounters. The key here being I think both would be equally [eta: well perhaps not equally] interested in me. Their curiosity and interest in fans as fellow humans always comes through.

Back quickly on the con subject. I'm formulating some theory around fan works generating community which in turn generates an interest in cons. The continued success of cons for shows like Farscape, Firefly, Stargate, etc. seems to be having a strong online community. They create fiction, videos, meta, art and more. So is it possibly about the show leaving pockets in the verse that fan works can fill? Supernatural has been especially successful at that. Further the real life stories of the family-like set and good natured cast and crew seem to contribute to con interest.

I can't help wishing Criminal Minds held a con. I love the pockets in that show, my emotional connection to the characters, and I love the camaraderie of the actors. It would be fun to see what they do with that. Is Leverage the first sort-of procedural to hold a con?

I think that "chibi" is from Japanese meaning little or something like that - possibly childlike or child.

at the core of my actor discomfort is my investment in their characters, I have an emotional connection to them. The actor is a stranger and like any other stranger I have to find things to connect on and for some that might be the character but for most it's not going to be. My own emotional connection to their character complicates this interaction.

This is me, oh so much.

Assuming I encountered the SPN actors on a plane and I didn't leave them alone to sleep or read:

Jensen is one I would love to talk to about acting and the process of filming. He seems to have a passion for it and his stories on the subject are almost always interesting.

I just want to sit down with him in a corner and talk technique. Ask those questions I want to hear answers from hi, specifically, because I think he approaches film from a unique perspective.

That said, he's not obsessed like his fans are with his character and it's always awkward when fans ask a Dean question and he has no idea what to do with it. I find it adorable in cons when both Jensen and Jared have to ask the audience the title of an episode.

Yes, it is. Flummoxed is often an appropriate descriptor

Jared, I know from con reports, would go to great lengths to make me feel comfortable. Even so, I think I would be completely tongue tied. I have zero idea of what we'd talk about and that right there is a formula for disaster for me.

Dogs. Which country he's visited in the last few years he liked the most and why. Which he'd like to explore more, and why.

I'm fairly convinced that Jim and Misha are people I'd want to invite home for dinner. This I've gleaned from other people's encounters. The key here being I think both would be equally interested in me. Their curiosity and interest in fans as fellow humans always comes through.

Absolutely.

Thank you for making my post so clear and lucid!

Thank you for making my post so clear and lucid!

Hah! I'm not known for clear and lucid.

Silliness alert: I've concluded Dean's love is a natural demon repellent. The meat suits only ever revolt their demon riders when Dean sends out his yellow crayon laser looks (even one-eyed, the demon repellent seems to be powerful stuff)!

Dogs. Which country he's visited in the last few years he liked the most and why. Which he'd like to explore more, and why.

My own inability to think of those topics might serve to illustrate why I'm so terrible at small talk.