So Day 2 of Fan Expo played out for yours truly in the North Building of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre as I stalked Celebrity Alley and worked on some Star Trek autographs. It also gave me a chance to chat and interact with fans and retailers who were making the most of their weekend as things ramp up for a busy weekend as the Expo presents the perfect theme of United by Fandoms.

As I mentioned yesterday, it’s been a few years since I’ve attended Fan Expo, and chatting with the fans and retailers, made me realize how much I missed the interactions. These folks are passionate about their fandoms, and they love to share that passion. The conversations I had with the countless fans today were inspiring as they celebrated comics, television, film, and music, and revelled in the costumes of things they recognized and asked about those they didn’t.

I didn’t hear a negative thing from anyone, everyone was delighted to see what was going on, and supportive of one another, even as the space filled up.

As I debated over whether or not to succumb and buy a lightsaber, man I am tempted and the weekend isn’t over yet, I checked in with the amazing Todd Stashwick and was able to chat briefly with him about D&D, his favourite class to play, his love of Storm Crow Manor and our mutual awesome hair.

From there, it was time to thank Gates McFadden for The Next Generation getting me through some tough times when I was growing up, and her podcast InvestiGates. She’s charming, compassionate, and is just a wonderful person all around.

From there, a group of us went our separate ways to get some lunch while we waited for Michelle Hurd to show up – she was doing her part on the picket line here in TO for the SAG-AFTRA strike. There were fans everywhere sharing the same thought – gotta feed the machine – and I was delighted at how many Spider-mans (mens?/people?) I saw. Usually, it’s Deadpools everywhere, but this year your friendly neighbourhood webhead is showing up all over.

Speaking of cosplay, there seems to be a shortage of Barbie-themed cosplay though which a number of us figured would be a big thing this year. Maybe tomorrow. But that being said there are so many fantastic costumes, some are very basic, but some people go all-out, and it shows – there are works of art to be seen!

Speaking of art, check out a wonderful little booth hosted by Faith Varvara in the North Building, You can find her online at http://www.trendynot.com – there’s something comfy and cozy about her work, but that may be my default response setting when tea is involved, and she has some wonderful tea items for sale.

And then there was Michelle Hurd! She was gobsmacked at the size of the turnout for her and made time for each and every one of us. She was endearing, and personable, and spoke passionately about the ongoing strike, and how it is affecting all aspects of the industry. It’s the right thing to do.

It’s been a fantastic Expo so far, I’m going to take a look at some panels and more retailers tomorrow (those sabers are calling me) and there are going to be more fun moments with fans and celebrities.

If you see me, say hi!