Happy 13th Anniversary, Queer as Folk!

[amelialourdes]

Queer as Folk Convention 2013.

It's been 13 years since Queer as Folk debuted on Showtime. I didn't watch it when the show started. I was 15 years old and too involved (or obsessed) with music at the time to turn my attention to television. I swear, I watched every single show I liked on VHS when I recorded an episode because I didn't have the time to watch it on weeknights. Too much homework. And Queer as Folk just wasn't on my radar.

It wasn't until the summer of 2003 when I graduated from high school and could do nothing for the summer that I discovered the show. I rented every DVD at Blockbuster because I remember those QaF DVD seasons were around $120 retail price when they first came out. I bought mine on eBay for $55 each -- seasons one and two. Some generous soul sent me season three which just ended by the time I decided to start watching.

I got hooked on it and ten years later, I'm still here. I'm still in fandom (currently inactive because someone waves something shiny in front of me and I look somewhere else) and I always have plans to revive something and be a little more active. I want to refresh the qafrecs community since I have it. I'm sure a lot of those links are dead or aren't linked to the correct and current active link. I want to go through those and write some kind of definitive list. I want to go back and read tons and tons of fanfic and not just my old favorites. There's still plenty I'd like to do. So I don't see this train stopping anytime soon.

More than that, I'm grateful for all the friends the show brought me. Even though I may not have known them in the height of fandom, I'm really happy to have friends who can remember the good old days and reminisce about all the fun. I really can't believe all the things I've encountered and all the things I've been fortunate enough to do these past ten years. I've visited my QaF/Lure friends (and yearly vacations have been awesome), I've seen Randy in the Berkshires, I've seen various play performances by Gale, Scott, and Peter, and I went to the most recent Queer as Folk convention. Not only was I an attendee as a fan, but I got the opportunity to photograph every moment, spend some quality time with cast members, and make new friends.

It's been an amazing ten years all thanks to this one show. Thank you for existing, Queer as Folk. Don't know what I would've done without you.

"Affirmation" by Savage Garden. Video by Flrenze.

I was trying to think of something to post that really explained all my feelings for the show in a succinct and yet uplifting way and this video was it.

Comments

[on-the-ground.livejournal.com]

Just wanna tell you that I adore your post. God, I'm so sad right now writing this. I had forgotten you started watching this after me since I started after season 2. It's curious how we all found our ways to catch up with the show. Reading you post made me really nostalgic because I'll always miss those days when we meet new fans on LJ and found news and spoilers, clips, commented the episodes, got new promo pictures, season promos, interviews and magazines and the fandom was active every day with new fiction and all that.. Besides it was a different time.. the fadom was huge just on LJ.. you can only imagine how much bigger it would have been nowadays with Tumblr, twitter, etc... but I think it was better the way it was.. nowdays it's difficult for me to be everywhere and that's why I've lost some contact with LJ this year.

Anyway, reading everything you've been able to do after the show makes me sad because living here I've not been able to do a single thing and that is very depressing.. but I'm glad you could do it for me.. and of course, I've not had the chance to meet you either.

When the show was airing I said it'd always be my favorite show and that's never gonna change.. no other show will ever be that special and that meaningful to me for so many reasons.

My life would be totally different if I had not found this show.. I really can't imagine it now without it.. I would never have had a LJ and wouldn't have met all the people and all the fiction I found there, because it's also the show that introduced me to fanfiction and that's how I found LJ in the first place.

That fanvid is awesome.. my fav singer + show together :D

[amelialourdes.livejournal.com]

Aw, don't be sad! It's just a little nostalgic. And I love reading stories about how people found their fandoms, too. And I agree, it was a different time and even though things were a little slower -- YouTube didn't exist and neither did fast downloads -- it was still very much our time.

You're in Spain, right? They're holding that convention next year, I think. The Queen of the... something events? Zatara? I think that's held in Spain and a lot of cast members are going. You should definitely go and report back! :)

I agree, life would definitely be different without this show in our lives.

Hee, gotta love Darren, the song, and the great message the video sends!

[on-the-ground.livejournal.com]

I thought I replied and I realized that I never did it so better late than never..

Yes, I'm in Spain.. in the middle-east in case you wanna know. Anyway, to be honest, I had not checked it but it is not super expensive so I think I should go or I'd regret it. Thanks for reminding me about it. The only problem I have is that I'm going to Budapest next month and to the TEEN WOLF con in Birmigham in July so yeah, I must check if I can afford it counting the plane + hotel.. (the hotel of the con is way too expensive in my opinion.. if I can find another thing near that one then we'll see..)

The site is this one:

https://www.zarataevents.com/QueensOfTheRoad/index.php?lan=en

[on-the-ground.livejournal.com]

Hey.. so I'm checking hotels and there are others which aren't too far and are also good which I could afford so yeah, I'm seriously considering it..

If it were you, would you choose the 300 euros pass?

I do need your advice about this plz.. thanks :)

[amelialourdes.livejournal.com]

It's definitely an experience! I had a good one. I figure, if you're going to go all the way and travel and commit to being there, you might as well go all the way. It's a personal choice. It sounds like you have some other events to consider but if it's affordable for you and something you think you might benefit from rather than the other options then that's the decision you should make.

[on-the-ground.livejournal.com]

I am not sure about the pass.. The difference is where you are sitting.. In comparison, it is 3 times more expensive than the UK con... So yeah, maybe the other pass is more "normal".. How, much was the USA one you attended?

[on-the-ground.livejournal.com]

I have been talking to a friend from Germany who has been to many cons in Europe and she's told me that this con in comparison is way too expensive. Like you say, I must have in mind the other places I am going and if I can save some money I really have to.. plus, I hate it when people take advange of the fans.. so that's also why I'm curious about the price of the qaf con in USA. I don't feel that they deserve 220 euros just so that you can have a certain seat so I don't think I'm gonna pay that much. They even charge 100 euros for attending the party.. are they crazy or what? and 55 euros for a picture? It seems that don't know that my country is living a crisis LOL.. i don't know... the con in the uk looks so much better than this one.. it's very sad that they are doing this in my country.

EDIT: I know I owe you a reply on my LJ.. sorry, today was crazy.. I will reply tomorrow for sure :)

[amelialourdes.livejournal.com]

I paid the lowest price at $150. But all the additional add-ons and everything I didn't pay for because I was a volunteer as a photographer. And even then, I think it would've been worth it if it had been the original three-day schedule but since it was lowered to one day, it wasn't that worth it. There were a lot of financial issues with the previous con and there were problems with this one as well. So, I took that into consideration.

This event, it's my understanding that it's put on by a different group so I don't know how they're justifying their costs. I know that they're charging more than other conventions and I'm not sure why. I'm curious to hear the reports when it's over.

No worries! Takes me ages to reply to things these days, lol.

[on-the-ground.livejournal.com]

But I'm not sure if the 150 was the price for the 3 original days.

I'm gonna buy the 130 pass and we'll see what the hell happens.. I don't expect it to be a very good con.. I'm telling you that already and yeah, you can expect reports from me for sure.. I guess I'll be sitting very far and I won't be able to take good pics but maybe other people there with better seat might send me some.. it depends on if I meet people there or not.. I don't know what to expect from the fans either. I'm scared that they'll make stupid questions lol..

Must tell you that this company is also doing a TW con in Madrid in September and the prices are equally crazy.

[amelialourdes.livejournal.com]

I think it was the price for the lowest level. And then because it went down to one day, they offered $100 per ticket? Something like that.

I wonder how many people are going to show up. It's going to be less rushed than ours. We had a very jam-packed day. I think yours is a little spread out. Everything was pretty good at our convention but you don't really know until the day's done. Hopefully it all goes well.

Yeah, I don't understand the prices of conventions. I never plan on going to any. I just went to this one because it's my long-time fandom and it was in my city so the only thing I had to pay for was the ticket.

[on-the-ground.livejournal.com]

Well, I'm glad it was in your city and you could go.. you live in one of the coolest cities in the world for sure. Even if it was a day, it had to be really awesome so probably the fans didn't mind paying that for a day since it's better than not having a con at all. Do you know how much it was to take a pic with the actors? I'm guessing they had that possibility for the pic you posted here.

I have never been to a con and you know that there is not a tradition of them in my country so this is something pretty new here. I have cool news.. a friend from Tumblr is coming with me to the TW con (she got the ticket today after I told her I was going) and now she's gonna share my room in the Hilton so it means that it will be cheaper for both of us. We'll go two days before to another hotel in the centre so that we can also visit Birmingham. (The con hotel is near the airport and far from the centre). She's been to a SNP con before so she's not totally new at this.

[amelialourdes.livejournal.com]

The picture definitely depended on the actor. Like, I think Gale and Randy together was $120. And then it was a little less per actor but Gale and Randy asked for the highest price either individually or together.

That's good! Cheaper and fun with a friend, too. I find that cons are usually near airports and not really centrally located but it's convenient for anyone who's flying in.

[on-the-ground.livejournal.com]

Interesting.. 120 is kind of pretty expensive imho. I'd not pay that much.. and well, the thing is that I'm not sure that I want I pic with them. I know they don't like taking pics and it feels weird too because it's "them" (hope you get what I mean.. maybe you don't since you have seen them many times).. a group pic would be different in a way.. I even don't know. I think what they do of having to buy everything online is not cool at all. What if you change your mind later?

The good thing in Bilbao is that hotel is near the centre and my hostel is 9 minutes walking according to the internet.. and there are many hostels and hotels near that you can choose. At least there is a good thing.

[on-the-ground.livejournal.com]

Just in case,. do you remembre the price of a picture with G or R? because here it's 55 euros..

[amelialourdes.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it was just about the same price here. I think it was $50.

[bigboobedcanuck.livejournal.com]

13 years! Wow. I didn't start watching until S1 hiatus and then the rest is history. So many amazing friends because of this show, for which I'll be forever grateful. xo

[amelialourdes.livejournal.com]

I miss subject lines. Mine would be: OMG THE LIBERTY AVENUE SIGN. :D :D :D

Such a long time ago, right? And agreed! The little show that brought people together. ♥

[sfscarlet.livejournal.com]

While I've never been to a con and haven't seen the actors live, QAF is still special to me. I still spend some time every day reading and I'm still writing 8 years later. I have become on line friends with a few people in the community- but like you, this show does not tire for me. I understand your sentiment.

[amelialourdes.livejournal.com]

Whoa, sorry this is so belated. There's definitely a feeling of nostalgia mixed with the love I still have for it. It may not be as strong as it once was but it's always there somewhere.

[popfly.livejournal.com]

WELL SAID.

[amelialourdes.livejournal.com]

:D :D :D