I've never attended an actor con, or any professional cons focused on specific shows, but really enjoy multi-fannish slash cons. the ones I've attended in the past 10 years were in the 75-150 attendee range, with panel tracks and con suites in which to hang out, plus lots of unscheduled/unofficial activites.
For the cons you've been do, do they have an established community? I don't necessarily mean an actual LJ-type community, it could be email groups or another way that they typically communicate. How do you hear about them (both the cons and communities)?
Multi-fandom anime/scifi/comic con (heavy on anime/manga) that has gone from ~3K to 20+k in a decade and at least two hotels.
Likes: live programming, video rooms, music video contests, the costumes, the feeling of YAY CON and being hyper and not sleeping.
Dislikes: Ogod the smell of Sweaty Fanboy who's just done 30 hours of DDR nonstop without showering. Long lines to wait everywhere. Con drama. 8-12 people in a 4 person hotel room.
Please tell me you're not going to a boy band convention.
Like regular drama, but distilled when you have hormonal flighty bitchy people all jammed in confined spaces for three-four days. Add booze to the mix, stir well, add a cup of jealousy, and you've got con drama.
Stuff like who beat who in one of the games or hte costume contest, who's sleeping with who, who did better in the art contest, and which guest of honor wouldn't sign autographs and was a complete tool.
and to build on other peoples' comments here: Yes. It's like TRB but with DR.Who/comix/anime/manga/tv shows/movies/etc.
I'm still friends with people I first met a decade ago at a con. I've met people online (mailing lists and newsgroups) and arranged for a hookup (not dirty) at the con, and some are people I'd count as close friends.
Idiots aside, it's a great communal feeling where you find people cut from the same cloth who share passions enough to trek to a designated place to be fannish for a weekend. There's a reason I keep going back (though I'm down to only 2 cons a year, as I'm not sure how much time off work will let me have now).
*plugs for Anime Central (wooo!) and Penguicon (haven't been...yet) and Youmacon (staff 3 of 4 years)
I've gone to all different sizes of convention. And honestly, I tend to prefer the larger, multifannish ones - mostly because having a variety of people to hang with and things to do makes me more comfortable than knowing that I have to interact with one specific group of people that I may or may not know very well. I realize I'm a little unique that way, at least amongst LJ fannish types ... but a lot of the small, single-focus cons that are popular among LJ types don't appeal to me. (Partly because the idea of bringing LJ drama into real life makes me want to run screaming. Heh.) I'm an all or nothing sort of girl, I guess. I either want to spend time with a select group of friends that I already know and love, or I want to spend time with a gigantic group (a hotel full, perhaps, or a ship full ;)) of mostly-strangers where I can either disappear or be part of a group as I see fit
( ... )
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Thanks for the feedback, I appreciate it!
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Multi-fandom anime/scifi/comic con (heavy on anime/manga) that has gone from ~3K to 20+k in a decade and at least two hotels.
Likes: live programming, video rooms, music video contests, the costumes, the feeling of YAY CON and being hyper and not sleeping.
Dislikes: Ogod the smell of Sweaty Fanboy who's just done 30 hours of DDR nonstop without showering. Long lines to wait everywhere. Con drama. 8-12 people in a 4 person hotel room.
Please tell me you're not going to a boy band convention.
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What is con drama?
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Stuff like who beat who in one of the games or hte costume contest, who's sleeping with who, who did better in the art contest, and which guest of honor wouldn't sign autographs and was a complete tool.
Reply
Yes. It's like TRB but with DR.Who/comix/anime/manga/tv shows/movies/etc.
I'm still friends with people I first met a decade ago at a con. I've met people online (mailing lists and newsgroups) and arranged for a hookup (not dirty) at the con, and some are people I'd count as close friends.
Idiots aside, it's a great communal feeling where you find people cut from the same cloth who share passions enough to trek to a designated place to be fannish for a weekend. There's a reason I keep going back (though I'm down to only 2 cons a year, as I'm not sure how much time off work will let me have now).
*plugs for Anime Central (wooo!) and Penguicon (haven't been...yet) and Youmacon (staff 3 of 4 years)
Reply
I've gone to all different sizes of convention. And honestly, I tend to prefer the larger, multifannish ones - mostly because having a variety of people to hang with and things to do makes me more comfortable than knowing that I have to interact with one specific group of people that I may or may not know very well. I realize I'm a little unique that way, at least amongst LJ fannish types ... but a lot of the small, single-focus cons that are popular among LJ types don't appeal to me. (Partly because the idea of bringing LJ drama into real life makes me want to run screaming. Heh.) I'm an all or nothing sort of girl, I guess. I either want to spend time with a select group of friends that I already know and love, or I want to spend time with a gigantic group (a hotel full, perhaps, or a ship full ;)) of mostly-strangers where I can either disappear or be part of a group as I see fit ( ... )
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