Help, please. Need Flanvention tips, or friends.

POSTED BY: History
UPDATED: Friday, December 8, 2006 01:37
VIEWED: 16466
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SHINYTRINKET

Wednesday, October 25, 2006 2:49 AM

Quote:
Dear Shiny Trinket, I'm in my 40's, so I'm no spring gosling either. I welcome and appreciate any prospective Flan friends, thank you. [Your signature is definitely not from the Central planets , and reminds me of the words of Lazarus Long in Heinlein's "Time Enough For Love." Close?]

I'm a "fortysomething" as well, who only recently started embracing my inner geek! Flan will be fun...no sticks up the pigu allowed

!

In reference to my signature...it's something I heard Martin Mull say on Hollywood Squares once, and it cracked me up!

We do all need to find a way to identify each other at Flan. Maybe we could start a Folks Going To Flan thread a week or so before and all post pictures or something...?? I'll have to put my beady little brain to work figuring something out, because I've been communicating with other people I want to meet up with, too.

*************************************************
The 3 rules of aging:
1. Never bypass a bathroom
2. Never waste an erection
3. Never trust a fart

HISGOODGIRL

Wednesday, October 25, 2006 1:07 PM

Hi, History,

Welcome aboard! I think other folks have got it right when they've commented that, as much as anything you may have ever done, FLAN offers instant community. While we may have come from many different locations and walks of life, we're drawn together by a common passion for Firefly and what it represents.

You took a big (and brave) first step by posting this and reaching out. I've never known a more welcoming community. Since we ain't The Alliance, you don't have to worry about so gorram many rules. T'aint much you can do wrong.

Think about what you do to help set your patients at ease and just smile and ask questions! Many of us are naturally shy or introverted sorts, so I've found it helps to have some "get acquainted" lines in mind to help bridge any social awkwardness.

Everyone loves to talk about how they became a Browncoat, their favorite BDH, or episode or scene. Folks in costume will happily share with you how they came up with their outfits. Find someone interesting and ask to tag along. You'll be adopted if you just let your desire be known!

This is a first con for my husband bigbadman and myself. We're forty/fiftysomethings ourselves and coming all the way from North Carolina. Talk about fish out of water. But we decided to look at it as a sort of family reunion. We're looking forward to meeting all these kinfolk we never knew before. You're one of 'em. Puts it in a different sort of light, doesn't it?

See ya at FLAN!

HISTORY

Wednesday, October 25, 2006 9:34 PM

Thank you all.

Dear Chindi, come "in costume"? I had not given thought about proper attire [most of the conventions I attend are jacket and tie if not suits]. I am surmising things will be different at Flan II and I'd look like I was "in costume" if I arrived in cocktail attire for Friday's "Cocktail Party". I'm thinking slacks or chinos or, being California, are we talking blue jeans and hawaiian shirts? A "costume"....hmm, that would really be going Flan native.

Dear Grizwald, I'd rather just be "on the crew."
Haven't you learned the lessons from "Our Mrs. Reynolds"? [Then again, I did sign up for a photo op with Ms Christina Hendricks. ]

Dear Leiasky/Tammy, I look forward to meeting you and your friends at the Cocktail Party, and I am touched by the invitation to drop by Saturday evening. After we meet, you can decide if the invitation is still open.

Dear Minime, you gave me a chuckle and fair warning to not let my fan excitement make me look more the fool (though I've heard the BDH's are very patient, forgiving, and kind in response to fan-ADHD. ). By the time I had made my decision to attend a convention, Starfury III had just ended. Maybe next year. (It would actually be a shorter and more direct flight for me from Maine). I have made internet friends in the UK and Australia--both countries I plan to visit someday.

Dear Terri, unfortunately I plan just to take carry-on. If Browncoats are all "just like (me)", we've got a problem. We need someone who knows the drill. Anyway, I understand your meaning and find it echoed by the other wonderful Browncoats who have also posted me here.

Dear Shiny Trinket, please let me know what you devise for how to identify friends and friends-to-be for "Folks going to Flan".

Dear HisGoodGirl, thank you for the excellent summation. We all share the common passion for Firefly, and I've learned from the posts these last few days that have been compassionate, welcoming, supportive, and inclusive of invitations, et. al. that FLAN does offer "instant community". I am reminded of the end of "Safe" where Simon asks Mal why he'd come back for them:
MAL: You're on my crew. Why we still talking about this?
Thank you very much for your excellent "how to get acquainted lines." Very helpful indeed.
It also seems we have a lot of mid-life (to put it optimistically) Browncoats. That helps, too. You've put the cap on all the wonderful previous posts, and I've gone from trepidation and hesitancy to anticipation and excitement. I very much look forward to seeing you and all the FLAN family at the "reunion." [How great to use that term for friends I've never met].

Respectfully,
History

HUMBUG

Wednesday, October 25, 2006 11:26 PM

Hey there!

I'm coming to the Flan II all the way from the now dreary and rainy UK.

Roll on december and meeting losts of lovely browncoats, and of course the BDH's!

It's my first big con, so you won't be alone.

There a whole lot of Browncoats coming from the UK, and a know a few coming from Australia. So we're communing from all over the globe.

I'm Humbug here, and Jayneswoman over at livejournal.

See you at the flan! Squeeeeeee! I'm getting excited about going. ;)

(BTW don't be nervous. I'm sure the other borwncoats won't bite - & I KNOW I won't!)

Humbug

"You know what the first rule of flying is?... Love. You can learn all the math in the 'verse, but you take a boat in the air you don't love, she'll shake you off just as sure as the turning of worlds. Love keeps her in the air when she oughta fall down, tells you she's hurting 'fore she keens. Makes her a home." Mal, BDM

MINIME

Sunday, October 29, 2006 10:06 AM

History,
Enjoy! You are correct, our BDHs are very patient and forgiving with what you correctly diagnose as fan-ADHD. I speak from experience! Mr Maher was very gracious about my idiocy.
Enjoy! I look forward to reading about your experiences.

Minime

P.S. I reiterate my warning about post-con depression... but it's still worth it!

HISTORY

Monday, October 30, 2006 8:47 PM

Thank you for your posts.

Dear Humbug,
And I thought I would be one of those coming the farthest, but your England beats my New England.
And then there's your friends coming from Australia!
I'm humbled.
[But at least I won't be the only one with an accent. ]

Dear minime,
I will, of course, share my con experience, since you ask, but as a "virgin" sf con attendee, I have nothing with which to compare, and I may bore you. And if I do experience PCD (Post-Con Depression), my report may be delayed a week until after a prudent course of tapered Firefly/Serenity withdrawal: I'll watch the first 5 Firefly episodes one night, the next 4 the second, then the next 3, then 2, then the Serenity BDM].

Btw, in another discussion thread, the issue of appropriate convention attire came up. What was your experience? And recommendations? I take it that my usual jacket and tie would be the equivalent of Kaylee's pink puffy dress in Shindig. Blue Jeans and T-shirt (even a Blue Sun or Serenity T-shirt] almost seems disrespectful, but what do I know? Slacks and button shirt is truly geeky (though if the shoe fits...). I'm not sure I'm ready for "costume", but a "Simon"-like shirt, slacks, and vest may actually work best--not that I have them. Suggestions?

Also, what about "camera etiquette"? Are cameras (still/camcorder) verboten or merely tacky? Or are they permissable?

Respectfully,
History

MAL4PREZ

Monday, October 30, 2006 10:00 PM

Hey History!

It's my first con too, and I'll be flying out from New England as well. Small 'verse, eh?

I'll be at the room party with Leiasky, and I hope to see all you folks there! We'll need nametags with our FFF names so we can "recognize" eachother LOL!

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I'm the president. I don't need to listen.

HISGOODGIRL

Monday, October 30, 2006 10:36 PM

Perhaps someone has a gizmo for making buttons from scratch. It's a rig that looks like a beer bottle capper and you later a clear plastic disc, a paper disc (upon which you can print or write), a metal piece and then the metal backpiece (which includes the pin.) You pull down on the handle and the layers are crimped into a roughly 2" button.

It would be a simple matter for anyone who can do calligraphy or even just print neatly to letter folks' FFF.net "handles" on the paper circles before crimping the button together. I seem to recall the supplies to make a button cost about $ .50 per button.

Definitely cooler than those awful "Hi! I'm Whomever" badges. Anybody with a button maker out there?

MINIME

Tuesday, October 31, 2006 1:21 AM

Hi History,

re the inevitably difficult issue of clothing... I was backpacking through the UK when I went to the con, so I had no costumes. I dressed in jeans mostly (I had one skirt which was helpful for the photos, but I'd have coped with jeans for that as well). Not everyone did the costume thing; my guess would be (as a non-expert graduate of 1 convention!) that you could go as way out or not as you liked and still be within normal limits...

Cameras - see caveat on above paragraph - we were able to take photos of the 1st 5 minutes of each of the guest talks, then we turned off the flash. Tacky? Probably, but I plead guilty and was DEFINITELY not alone! Not sure about the policy on camcorders... since I don't own one.

Re: post-con depression, I highly recommend that you attempt to NOT catch this disease in the first place... but if you are unfortunate enough to succumb, i suggest strongly that you don't deal with it alone...

Minime

P.S. What kind of doc are you?

CHINDI

Tuesday, October 31, 2006 1:43 AM

At Flan 1 Cameras allowed all during the Q&A but flash ONLY at the beginning.. (it gets too annoying for the panel)

Cameras were allowed at Banquet and Cocktail but no POSED pics and no flash..

You should check with Booster web site right before you come away, incase these "rules" change...

Attire.. again.. comfy... casual.

Chindi

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