LACon Convention Reports

[niamh]

*starts a rattlestick Togo voodoo haka to get pics*

[Tears of Lys]

Oh, yeah, Linda and I are now safely ensconced in the Orleans Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. Thanks, Mya and Dub, for the ride.

Don't know if you've been to the Orleans before, but they've got a great little liquor store there that has pretty good prices. (If you're so inclined at this point.) And the Mexican restaurant (Don Carlo's?) used to be pretty good. If you go early-ish 4:00, the margaritas, chips and salsa/guacamole/bean dip is a special price - at least last time I was out there.

Enjoy!

[Ran]

Not only did "Darkstar" win the AGoT first edition, she won the Subterranean Storm of Swords numbered edition (I know this, as I'm the only who pulled the ticket out of the bag -- Ro and Lodey had realized that they had forgotten to draw for it, heh). Or at least, thats what I was told was the result. The organizers were so tired/hungover/drunk that its possible they were in error.

[RaceBannon42]

I'm back from the kickassness that is worldcon. I'm sitting here feeling very lonely right now. And so I'm going to start off by saying how awesome all of you I got to see are, I know I'm going to leave folks out, because the BwB fucking represented STRONG!

I arrived late Thursday and after exchanging sexeral texts with eefa that I'm sure are going to end of costing me a finger and toe if not a whole appendage, we managed to connect up , and share a shuttle to the Con hotel. Finally about 1AM we got to the hotal and prceed up to the pool deck to look for everyone. As luck would have it the Hilton was designed by a minotaur so we got lost. Who'da thunk there were 3 decks? Finally after several minutes of crying " Help I'm lost and I don't have any beer, we managed to locate Rhelle's room. There were still plenty of stallwarts up partying, so I spent the next several hours meeting the following people amongst others I'm sure im leaving out.

(I'm gonna mix up real names and board names too, cause thats just how I roll.)

Zollo, Kit, Zack, Julie, Lodey, Daj, Vanessa, Stego, Maureen, Jamie Sims, Jo, Sean, Paddy , Prod, GC, Mr and Mrs. X, Mandy, Lacy, Pod, Viera, Mich, Ali & Jay, Jazz and I'm sure there were still others up that night too. Around 3or so I decided since my body was telling me its was almost dawn , and I'd worked a full day already that I should get a bit of sleep.

Friday, I did actual con stuff during the day, mostly consisting of waiting in line to get books signed. Actually that was most of my non BWB congoing experience. I'll write up a full geeky report in my Blog Later.

Then it was time to get ready for the Human Chess Match. I got to play Mace Tyrell, The White King. George for some odd reason decided not to choose to play the obviously superior Highgarden team, and choose the team full of scantily clad ladies to run. Wow.. that was a shocker. Under the guidance of Danial Abraham, whose novel a Shadow in Summer you should read if you havent, Highgarden took early control of the board. Randyll Tarly laid waste with Heartsbane,and Dorne quaked in their sandals. Then somehow, we were betrayed. Our forces dwindled and even the might Randyll Tarly fell. I blame pod. He just didnt want to be made a queen. Everyones costumes rocked... especially yours Zollo! Erik did a great job Emceeing and Sarah.. you fucking rock for all the hardwork you put into organizing the match.

After changing out of my kickass Mace outfit I went down to the party suite to help with set up. There Igot to meet Steve(Aegon). Mad props go out to the whole SoCal contingent. You guys were amazing hosts. The suite was fucking awesome. At this point I'll admit that I sucked at the whole camera thing. Many others will have a lot of pics I'm hoping.

The private party was a blast. I did make the mistake of hanging out in the shadow bar too much though. The X's and the Alchemest make some kick ass drinks. The are true craftsmen. Although I guess i should have known better when one of the first drinks I had was descriped as..."pussy" and it was at least 3/4 alcohol

Of course I had to try all the special drinks created for the occasion, including the really cool flaming orange peel ones.

I got a chance to meet many more folks that night. Most of the local peeps. Egg, and Lady B who is even cooler than her husband. Cuellar, Elgernon, Katran, KJT, Hooie, GD, Issy, Quincy, Flip, Kelly, Chataya,Kalbear, Skylark, Ran & Linda, Mak, Bronn & Yelena, Mormont, Maid Sansa, DaveAx, Daremo, Lany Cass, Maltaran,Regina& Fenryg, Mouse, Raya, Davos, Odie, Erik's gf and Mom. Yags, Aggie, Dirjj and Lev!! That was the highlight of my weekend, seeing those two paling around. We need to send them over to the middle east to sort things out. Because if Dirjj can change, and Lev can change, WE ALL CAN CHANGE! I know I'm leaving people out...

Saturday was more lines during the day and a brief nap before the Hugos. Unfortuneately George didn't win, but aside from that, and a bit of dragging on, I really enjoyed the ceremony. I'm very glad I went.

Then it was back to the BwB open party, which of course was a huge sucess. Egg had redone the main room into the Bounty of Highgarden color scheme. A huge thanks to all the people running running things. The security was top nothch, and Julie, and Zak, and Vanessa, The X's , Kristen, Bronn and Yelena, thanks for all the hard work bartending. thanks to Yags for making sure no one got out of control, Stego and Sean and Ro for bouncing. Eefa, and Fenryg and Mouse and everyone else who worked the doors. Everyone was amazing. Especially Lodey, without whom none of this would have taken place. We appreciate all you do for the BwB man. Also a big thanks to Jamie for busting his ass on the T-Shirts. Sarah and Kris... I'm sooo fucking glad you guys made it on Saturday. Also props to everyone selling the T's Chatay, Mak, Fenryg, Sarah, Ali, Lacy and whomever else I missed. Huge thanks out to George and Parris for their support of this group of people.

Sunday was Emo day. Clean up went pretty well , as everyone pitched in and we got out of the suite in plenty of time. Then it was more waiting in line for sigs. I spent the afternoon hanging out wishing I didnt have to leave getting more and more emo as folks left one by one. Finally I decided I'd better aat a real meal, so we got people together. I went to the Marriot to eat with. Rusty and Carrie, Chataya, Mak, Ian, Eva, Grogmosh, and Malt. I was really nice, as I hadn't gotten the chance to talk to most of them as Much as I would have liked. But with nearly 100 BwBers there it was hard to talk to everyone. Then it was back to the Hilton to say goodbyes.

I got on the shuttle at 8:50 along with several other people, and was ensured, I was not to lose the con experience just yet, as one woman who was on the same flight as me made sure of. The scent of Con was strong on her.

After an hour shuttle ride and 30 minutes in line to check lugge, the smell of con was a buit much, and luckily she was at the other end of the plane from me. I got back home fine, The animlas were happy to see me, and if anyone wants a kitten... let me know! There were only 2 so one is available.

PS sorry to all the people I forgot to mention. I'm sure thre are plenty of you..

[Lany Freelove Cassandra]

Ok, this is going to most likely be long, and no doubt boring in places.

Over all I had the most amazing time. BwBers are the best people in the world and I loved everyone. My brain is a little fried, so if I fail to mention 20 or 30 people don’t take it personally, it’s hard to remember everything in details (I’m left with a lot of general impressions, all of which were great)

My journey began at 2 am on Tuesday when the stupid alarm went off. I got a ticket on the way to the airport for having a headlight out, other than that, the trip was pretty uneventful.

I met up with Ro at the airport and Young Wolf drove us to the hotel. Ro is exactly like she is on-line, totally awesome. If I say too much about YW I might ruin the reputation he seems to have built up, so I’ll keep it simple: I like him even more than I did before

We dropped off our stuff in our rooms and went looking for others. We did this by peering in windows (but not in a creepy way of course ). Actually, we just happened to walk past a window where I spotted George and Parris. We chatted with them for a while, then Ghosts Companion (GC) arrived and I got her settled in our room. We did our volunteer time. I was helping prepare the packets for all the speakers working under this insane woman who had no organizational skills at all and would freak out every time some one asked her a question. Eventually I moved the part I was working on to another table where I chatted with a very interesting dude name Brad Lyau. I thought he was a Star Trek actor or something, so I plotted to stalk him during the week to find out exactly who he was.*he was just some random university professor sci-fi geek* But we enjoyed ourselves chatting and occasionally making fun of crazy lady. All in all my volunteer time was rather enjoyable.

Afterwards met back up with CG and Elgerdon(sp?) who will be referred to as LL Ben J. We ate at some hole in the wall Mexican place where they gave us 3 times more food than we could possibly eat, but it was good.

On the way back to the hotel Ro called and said everyone was gathering in her room, so we joined the party already in full swing and it wasn’t even 7pm. I’m ashamed to admit that after just 2 drinks (and they were a bit on the strong side) I was a little tipsy (don’t tease me too much it had been over 6 years since I had any alcohol). The meet everyone thing started right off. I got Pod to turn around so I could look at his ass and see what everyone was talking about. He insisted he thought we were looking at the back of his shirt…yeah right. Lodey is cute as a button, but tends to act like a used car sales man or politician when drunk, very funny. Prod, who has morphed into Grogmash Longspear is so adorable, I wanted to bring him home (as a son, nothing dirty, I swear) Mich is lovely and sweet, Brad a total clown, Mel’s Twisted Sister (MTS) smart, funny and lovely, Malt shy and innocent (like I believe that), Blackfyre Heir totally hot (and knows it ) and a load of fun. I know there were more and I’m sure I will eventually remember it all, but the lack of sleep has really affected me. Around 2330 local time I snuck off to bed as I had been up over 24hrs at that point…something I’m just not used to.

I’m being very wordy, so I’ll break it off here for now and continue with my Wednesday misadventures a little later.

[Kel]

Well I am not sure what I can add to reports that has not already been said except my extreme gratitude for all the hard work that went into everything for the BWB- I know lots of people pitched in and they are what made the difference.

I also want to send big hugs and kisses to everyone for making me feel so welcome. You guys welcomed me with open arms and made me remember what I loved about this place in the first place.

The time there was way too short, but enough to fill it up with lasting memories of some fucking hilarious shit! hahah

YELLOW! Anyway, all my love to everyone and I can't wait to see you guys again soon!

[Lany Freelove Cassandra]

Wednesday 4:30am: BING! Eyes wide open. “Fuck, I’ve overslept†is the message the brain receives. But it’s still dark out and GC is MIA. Since she had gotten lost earlier, I texted her to make sure she wasn’t wandering the halls lost in a drunken stupor. She’s fine, just a wild party girl

I laid in bed a while trying to get back to sleep without much luck. Around 6 I headed down to lobby in my jammies, nicked a spoon, returned to my room to make instant oatmeal using to coffee maker, but they hadn’t given us filters and the oatmeal had a coffee flavor to it.

For some strange reason I can’t remember most of Wednesday. I know I met dozens more people but it’s all a blur. I do remember I met Zak and Ser Sean the night before, Mormont, Maid Sansa, Sophie and many others that morning (maybe). A lot of us met up after the opening ceremonies.

I got to the ceremonies just as they started, so I don’t think I missed too much. I’m going to skip most of the chatter part and just highlight the “good†stuff. They showed what I think was the first episode of the TV series Space Cadet, including the Kellogg’s Corn Flakes commercials. The guys who ran the con last year talked a little and the news guys and staff had a little skit and then Connie Willis talked some. She was very enjoyable, funny and engaging. Then they (and a lot of the audiance) sang the Space Cadet march song.

When we met up downstairs, someone asked how were the opening ceremonies. Sophie and I replied at the same time with the exact same answer: “Weird!†(proof that we are soul sisters)

I spent so time with Soph and we sat with Connie Willis in the space cadet café enjoying a bite to eat, walked around the exhibits and stuff for a bit Another of those pesky blank spots has inserted itself here. I had dinner with GC and Sean, was on my way to a party with the Longspear when suddenly I didn’t feel so good.

I returned to my room just in the nick of time, and spent the next 6 hours hating life. I ordered room service, tea and toast, and it cost me over $12 plus tip. I had to call the customer service desk and request extra washcloths and a replacement trash can. They were awesome. The lady called back a few hours later to check on me and see if I needed anything thing else. That was very nice. So I can report that the hotel staff was very thoughtful and kind.

Katran (Kat) arrived around 00:30, so I took her down to the party area where I met Mandy, Odie, LacyB and several others. (again I showed a total lack of modesty in showing up in my jammies…I’m such a floozy) I left Kat and returned to my nightmare.

Since I spent most of my night awake, I slept through all the morning things I wanted to do at the convention, got up in time for the BwB Meet and Greet. I did think it would be a little different in that people would get to circulate and talk more with those who showed up to find out what the BwB was. I thought it would have been a little less formal I guess, but it was very nice. There were a lot of new faces there so I’d expect to see a few more people joining the boards after this.

During the afternoon I got to hear a very rare thing…an Irish man sing Southern Rock, and doing a damn good job of it. Paddy is awesome in so many ways.

I just hung out until we left for Medieval Times. That was an awesome experience. You can see the Yellow thread for reports on it. I did sit next to Justakidd who I absolutely love. She’s so much fun. I’m still amazed that we didn’t get kicked out.

Upon returning to the hotel, we partied until the wee hours of the morning, which for me meant 3am. I wanted to get up early to get in line for the Anne McCaffrey signing, so again, I left long before the party was over. I lucked out in this in that I was one of the first50-60 or so people in line. After about 120 or so, they had an overflow line that was outside the front doors. I had no idea Anne would be so popular. In the end, we were limited to just one book and no personalizations so everyone could get through the line. That was indeed the most fair way to do it and I was glad Stego was able to get his 1st edition signed. I was feeling pretty bad that he might not be able to because of how long the line was. (I hadn’t mentioned meeting Stego and his absolutely lovely wife before this, but obviously I had, and they are both wonderful people).

One of the highlights of the event followed next: The Chess match. Lots of details and I’m sure pictures will be posted in the thread, so I’ll just say that Blackfyre Heir and Mya did an amazing job on it and it was all so wonderful.

I ran out not long after I was killed with GC and Watcher to head to the Tattoo place to secure our reservations. Whilst GC and I were in the midst of our tortures the rest of the brave crew showed up. We had a good time, ate Little Caesar’s pizza, and suffered our beautifations without tears. Hopefully pics will be up in the Tattoo thread.

We returned just in time for me to change into my court garb and attend the private party. I brought along my Tarot cards and did readings for anyone who wanted it. Kat, in a drunk mood wanted to do readings to. I guess my readings were all too happy. Her take on it went something like this “You’re fucked. You’re fucked. You’re going to get fucked.†And a good time was had by all

George raised people to the nobility, Ro, Julie others, Lodey and someone were raised Prince and Princess and of course Pod was made KING! (sorry my memory is a bit sketchy)

I joined the squires in our mad dash to Pinks and had the most excellent fortune to be in the car with Rhea, MLT and Paddy. We had a great time. (overshot the mark a bit, but recovered nicely). Rhea, MLT and I were the only ladies knighted “Ser†instead of “dame†because we totally kick ass. Yes, I am Ser Lany Cassandra, Knight of the Pink fucking Dog.

Shortly before 5 am I retired to my bed, where I was still suffering attacks and fits of giggles. I laughed myself to sleep.

Damn, I’ve gotten really long again and most go do some laundry, so I will finish my report later. Hope it wasn’t too boring. I had to leave out some of the best details because there are some things that happen at the con that need to stay at the con

[Elgernon]

Did no one see my little card and small drink offering I had sent to the party? *sniff*

as BH mentioned he did get it and did show it to people we appreciate your kindness

let me start by saying that the BwBers as a whole are an amazing group of people. Everyone I met was incredible, and the amount of time and effort everyone put out as a whole to get things done was amazing, its almost impossible to find a group of people who all are willing to give of there time and energy and money to put together things like the open/closed parties. Furthermore I would like to thank Aegon for his planning and organizing of the party decorations, BH for being in charge of the BwB activities during the con, and Lodey for his tireless efforts as our leader also thanks to the people a the bars, Bronn, Yelena, Caress, Kal, Alchemist, the X's and anyone else I didn't see there, and to all the people that helped with party setup and cleanup and all the various party activites that required people's time

I arrived on Tuesday to volunteer, and did so with Mich and Brad for an hour and Bh for at least 30 mins before figuring out who they were, which I only did because GC meandered by and I heard BH call her Ghost. After that we all worked together for awhile unitl Mich and Brad moved on and BH was put out of comission by glass in the eye. GC and I stuck around for awhile then headed to the hilton where we met up with Lany Cass and went to dinner, afterwards we got invited to the party at Ro's room where we all had a good time I took off around midnight to drive home.

Unfortunately I was unable to make it out on Wednesday but I here much fun was had.

I arrived Thursday in time for the BwB meet and greet, where due to the fact that the con people printed different numbers on the Hilton map than the actual numbers I was wandering about lost until I ran into Pod (who I had met on Tuesday) along with Zollo and Paddy together we managed to find the right room. After that I went over to the con proper with LC, GC, Katran, Sophelia, and Hooie where we ran into a disturbing older fellow during lunch. Following that we went back to the hilton and sat in the lobby for a time and then proceded to the party area and listened to Paddy serenade us all while, then as the group went to Medieval Times I headed home because of some ill timed prior plans.

I returned Friday morning in time for the reading, after which I set off to first find out where the chess match room was and then determine if there was anything I could do to help set up, I found that the room was occupied until immediately prior to the match so I went to off to try and give blood, but found there was a two hour wait so I then set off to find some bwbers, oh and I believe I toured the art collection at this time, where I greatly enjoyed both the works of Jamie Sims and those of Raya. I got the chess match and did what little I could (rearranged a few chairs) then proceeded to enjoy the match, after which we all put the room back to rights. After this I helped BH and Jon Targ move Oberyn's chair and the chess board back to JT's room, whereupon I found JT needed a roomate and was very happy when he accepted my plea to move in. After I got lost in the corridors for a bit I headed to the party suite and helped with the preparations for the party. Once the party began we all had a great time, I was the first to have my Tarot Cards read by LC ( as mentioned up thread) and enjoyed talking with different people and anxiously awaited the quest. Eventually the quest was upon us and I gathered Hooie, LacyB, and Grogmosh into my car and we set off (here I must thank Aegon for his excellent directions) Upon arriving we were all happy to find GoddessDictator already in line, whereupon I gave her some cash and proceeded to have fun getting to know the others on the quest with us. Eventually we were able to return to Anaheim and commenced with the knighting. After which I headed for bed only to find that my keycard had gotten demagnatized so I headed back down to the party until it started breaking up and JT headed for bed as well.

Saturday I got up around 10 to try and give blood once again, having an scheduled appearance this time I was conifdent. After arriving and waiting around for quite some time and going through most of the screening they booted me because I was in a malaria region in January I then headed back to the con where I ran into Stego and chatted with him briefly until other BwBers descended upon us. Soon after that we all split up to head for various panels and such. I went on Quincy's recommendation to a Harlan Ellison panel which was quite entertaining. After the panel I ventured back to the Hilton and ran into Sean, Zak, and GC heading for lunch, I decided to join them as did Odie and Davos. After lunch we went a local liquor store to buy stuff for the open party and then headed back. I went up and checked out the suite to see what was going on, then headed for a panel entitled something involving the word Whedon-Verse, this panel too was very good. Once that panel ended I returned to the party suite to find that most of the changes had been made the party was pretty much ready to go. Eventually the party got going and much fun was had. I drank from the Winebar, tasting the Dornish Red a very pleasant wine and then some others at Bronn's recommendation. Around 3 I pansied out and went to bed.

Sunday I woke up far to early moved out of the room. Then I went to the party suite and started the cleanup, thanks to the large group of people that showed we cleaned up very quickly and get everything back to rights. We ended up dragging the large amounts of left over liquor to Pods room and then watched BH and Lodey finish the raffle. Around 12:45 BH, Pod, Grogmosh, Chataya, Mack, Cuellar, Cuellar's GF, Malt, Hooie, and Flip went to lunch, Davos and Odie were seated nearby but unfortunately we had maxed our table space

After lunch I had to head home Luckily I was able to say goodbye to almost everyone at lunch and also Zak, Sean, and GC. To the rest of you I'm sorry I missed you, and can't wait to see you all again

and damn I mean that to be short

[Xray the Enforcer]

I'll add my report when I can recultivate two neurons to rub together. holy christ, what a fucken week! :sleep:

[Balefont]

dude, tell me about it. I only slept 2 hours on the plane and got a patchy 3 hour nap this afternoon.

I'm so glad to be home with my Bailes tho.

I too must give a shout out to the organizers, movers and shakers that made this week such a success. I hope that the next time a shitload of us all get together at a con, you all get to enjoy it while the rest of us do the work.

[LacyinTX]

My week was much the same as others have mentioned.. so I won't go into it in detail. But I do have to say that we have a hell of a group here. These are the best people in the world. Without exception, everyone I met was great! What a welcoming group of friends. It seems like I have known y'all forever.

Now I am all emo. :cry:

[Jaxom 1974]

as BH mentioned he did get it and did show it to people we appreciate your kindness

As a six pack is but a drop of liquor in an ocean of booze ya'll seem to have swum in, I did truly want to send a token that would make me feel a tiny bit like I was there...

[aghrivaine]

Oh, and any pictures of Wade1066 are really just pictures of me. Duh.

[Mich]

home. tired. missing everyone loads :cry: posting pics and other stuffs tomorrow

[Mr. X]

"If you're not sleeping in this room or fucking someone who is sleeping in this room, then you have to leave!"

[mak]

Once I get my head on straight again, I will relay the story of Stego and the Furry. Priceless.

[Elgernon]

Stego spent time with a furry?

i don't even want to ponder that

[Odie]

Stego spent time with a furry?

i don't even want to ponder that

Not exactly. It was more that he tried to mess with someone's head to get them to go away, turns out they really WERE a furry, complete with tail and purrrrr, and it completely backfired.

Someone else can tell the story better than I can.

Plankys FTW!

[Xray the Enforcer]

gods, I can't remember exactly what he said...and I was sitting right next to him. but damn. what a way to end the con.

[Fenryng]

Up until 4 am Sunday morning due to the BWB open party. Three and a half hours of sleep, then up at seven thirty so Regina and I can make it to the airport on time. Spend all day travelling without sleep, because my parents did not see fit to bestow upon me whatever is necessary to fall asleep under diverse circumstances. Arrive at my final airport half an hour early, and then spend an hour waiting for my luggage, because God hates me. Get home Sunday evening at eleven thirty eastern time, asleep by midnight.

Get up six hours later to spend a full day in at work yesterday.

In retrospect, maybe doing that was not such a good idea.

On the other hand, it does explain how Regina is going to outlive me, because she stayed home and slept.

That was how my WorldCon ended.

I will give a day to day report once I have caught up with the rest of my life. Meaning, once I have readjusted to miserable reality.

In the meantime, I managed to come up with some important highlights and points that I took away with me.

YELLOW! (Duh).

Rape, pillage, and then burn. This is the proper sequence of events, according to Grogmosh Longspear. Having met him, I can say that he is entirely too good looking and young for me not to be jealous of him. Therefore, physical abuse upon his personage is highly encouraged. I console myself with the fact that he is a n00b. That, and the fact that he must have issues. I mean, come on. Going from "prod" to "GROGMOSH LONGSPEAR THE LEGEND!" Right. No Freudian complexes there....

Plastic toy swords that have flashing swirling lights are highly entertaining, most especially so when they VIBRATE. Ask Flip. She'll tell you. No, really.

King Pod has a posse. Or maybe it is a cult. Not really sure. Where would a group of people screaming "DEV-IL BUN-NY!" fall under?

The Chess Match definitely needs to be an annual thing.

There is never a furry around when you want one. Several of the ladies went off on hunts, looking for furries, and found nary a one. Next time, attend Boskone.

You can get an astonishing amount of entertainment by manning one of the doors to the open-for-all party.

Randall Tarly's Cock is named Assbane. I thought it best for my mental health not to pursue this.

There are not enough hours in the day. This translates into, sleep when you are dead, because there is no time at the Con.

When you only get three and a half hours of sleep in thirty-six hours, you will find yourself with the ability of being totally aware of both of your eyeballs sitting in their respective sockets. This is their polite way of saying, slow the fuck down, you jackass.