See the Fangrrl Squee

...about the money woes currently plaguing Casa Cthulhu, but I am going to move heaven and earth to get to Chicago, this year.

Why? They just added India Fisher to the guest list.

Now, I'll be the first to admit that I wasn't sorry to see the Eight/Charlie team broken up - it had gone on just a bit longer than it should have, I thought - but seeing India Fisher and Paul McGann at a con together would be more awesome that my little fannish noggin can contemplate. I'm squee'ing quietly as I type this, I assure you.

For what it's worth, I've enjoyed the Six/Charlie teamup more than I anticipated. I thought the characters wouldn't mesh very well, but that have - well, they have in the two stories I've managed to buy.

I fear I might have given the wrong impression with my previous post.

In a masochistic sort of way, I'm rather looking forward to arguing the unpopular side of the downloading debate.

If nothing else, I think my brain could use the workout. The trick will be in keeping my temper, I fear.

In the meantime, let's hope that a power-hiccup last night didn't permanently fry my desktop computer, else creating the materials for the other panels is going to be more difficult than anticipated...

Right then.

Now that the election is sorted, I can turn my mind to more frivolous topics.

Chicago TARDIS. Are you going to be there and are we having a drink?

For a certain half-dozen of you - and you know who you are - it's a given. If you don't mind the drink coming out of my room, rather than the bar, first round's on me. I just don't have the means to support hotel prices but I can get the local liquor store to send a bottle of vodka and a bottle of vermouth. Affordable vodka.

*ahem*

Meanwhile... anyone else?

I'm arriving Thursday night, hitting the evening social (I've paid enough for it!) and - in all likelihood - faceplanting shortly thereafter.

Until I learn what - if any - panels I'm supporting, my schedule is whim only to various guest appearances and, to a lesser degree, autograph sessions. Methinks that grossly expensive reg ticket will prove its worth with the jump-the-autograph-line power...

The costume schedule is tentative, at best. At the moment, I'm thinking Vintage UNIT on Friday, Suzy Costello on Saturday (as two TW cosplayers have agreed to do some pix with me), the Androids of Tara rig for Saturday night (for the masquerade) and either street clothes or whatever the hell feels good on Sunday. Forsooth, this means that something along the lines of fanperson appreciation for late Friday night, or post-con on Sunday (as per last year, *blush*) has not been ruled out.

Because of space constraints and the fact that I've lost almost too much weight to wear it (yay!) the "Femmy Ten" costume is probably staying at home.

In fine, fannish tradition, I just dropped, er, nine panel ideas on renn for Chicago TARDIS.

I doubt they've got room for any of them, but here's what I've suggested:

- Cosplay vs. Costuming? - What's the difference between costuming and cosplaying, and does it really matter? Discussing the differential attitudes between costumer and cosplayers and (I hope) why we're all just having fun together, 'kay?

- Costuming Recreation For Beginners - Where To Start, How To Get Started. A panel for newcomers to Doctor Who costume recreation. Focus on thrifting, techiniques for adjusting existing garments and using easy-to-sew commercial patterns - none of the hardcore advanced stuff.

- Doctor Who Costume Recreation - Going to the Next Level: an intermediate/advanced roundtable discussion of technique and resources for those interested in Doctor Who costume recreation. Please come ready to share techniques you've learned, and resources you've found. This is not a panel for folks who are just learning how to sew.

(and, not as a moderator, but maybe as contributor)

Slash Fanfiction - What's the big deal? No, really. What's the big deal? Why are so many folks compelled to write it? Is it a social comment, a not-very-well-concealed fetish, or what?

Writing Fanfiction - harmless hobby or deadly compulsion? (aka How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love My Muses) - I'm thinking something like a cheerful bitchfest with two dozen other fans who have the fanfic monkey on their back, with some sharing of a) creative techniques and b) coping mechanisms.

Masquerade 101 - What makes for a good masquerade entry and what the judges look for when judging a masquerade entry. Ideally, this panel would occur on Friday afternoon, so that any would-be masq. participants may attend and adjust their plans for Saturday night, accordingly. (I've done similar at BayCon/SiliCon and it's gone down well.)

Girls of The Old School - god knows, there are enough women getting into New Who, but what about us who've been into the show since the "old" days? One part reminiscence, one part MST3K, one part feminist rant. It could be fun... or we could have to put the hotel security on alert.

Female Fandom And What We Have To Say - We're not *all* Ten/Rose 'shippers, thank you very much! (not entirely unrelated to the above. Heh.)

Roleplaying the DW Universe - there are a LOT of games and gamers out there. How do you, as a roleplayer, decide where the lines are between recreation, re-interpretaion and original ideas? Does canon matter? Should it matter? (could be blended with the fanfic topics)

I love staying at hotels. I love their big fluffy towels, their clearly-designed-by-committee theme bars and even the "art" hanging on the walls of the rooms. So, naturally, I've been looking at the website for the hotel hosting Chicago TARDIS.

Given that it's a practically brand-new Westin, I was expecting something fairly shwanky but damn... There's some seriously shiny bits to the place. It makes me wonder if the hotel staff aren't going to be a tiny bit gobsmacked at the sight of several hundred Whovians. Still, I doubt the staff could make me feel half as self-conscious as the staff at the San Francisco Four Seasons, do. They never quite say that they want to scan you with a credit-checking ray before letting you touch anything, but you can see the thought crossing their mind when someone like me, in her army surplus jacket and V&A shoulder bag, slouches into the bar to meet her father for a drink.

*ahem* Back to the Lombard Westin...

Iif the rates currently available on the website are any indication, the CT staff did an amazing job of negotiating the convention rate. Again, damn.

*bounces with happy anticipation*

PS. I’ve confirmed that I do, indeed, have a reservation. I made it so long ago that I couldn’t remember. Meep!

Aside from all of the important reasons for needing a new job, I really must land one soon, 'cos they've added a few more guests to Chicago TARDIS (Gary Russell, Nicholas Briggs, Jason Haigh-Ellery) and this makes me even keener on going.

*happyfanbounce*

(Yes, I know I haven't had much to say about S4, yet. Honestly? Life's been a bit too wretched for me to focus on writing eps reviews. Ditto fanfic - thank heavens for small mercies, eh?)

...fares have started opening up for Thanksgiving weekend, already.

If I don't mind having to dash out of the convention a bit early on Sunday - around 6:30PM for an 8:30PM flight - I can wrangle $450 r/t from American or Alaska, which is extremely reasonable, all things considered.

(I've learned my lesson, fly out early on Thursday morning, return late on Sunday night - unless staying until Monday incurs a fare lower than my cost of staying one more night at the hotel. And don't buy from cheaptickets.com! The only catch to all this is that I'd better pray that my dad decides to spend the holiday with his wife's family in Michigan, rather than expecting me at the table in San Francisco...)

Although, as I prod through the travel sites I could fly out Monday morning for the exact same price, thus leaving Sunday available for further merrymaking - although I don't think my liver or my brain cells would appreciate it. (another lesson: don't buy so much gorram gin!). Hm, it would largely depend on the cost of the hotel, it's relative distance from the airport, number of roomies, etc.

Hm.

I think I can wait until a hotel is announced - although I'm sure the odds are on O'Hare being more convenient to the location than Midway. I'll just have to hope that ticket prices haven't gone up by an order of maginitude, by then.

(Yes, I know I'm essentially broke, but some things are worth cracking out the credit-card for - such as finagling air-travel on a holiday weekend for less than $500)

Emergency costume is three-quarters done, in that the skirt is completely finished and the shirt almost ditto, but I have to hem the sleeves, determine the finished length of said shirt and put a bunch of fiddly appliqués on the damn thing which I just know it'll take me forever to place them properly.

(guessed what it is, yet? I won't be surprised if you have, I've talked about it, before)

Tomorrow, I start packing, try to salvage the show-and-tell bit I hoped to bring to the Crafty Tardis panel (something went horribly wrong in the final steps, dammit. Educational, yes, but irritating) and, time permitting, see if I can bash out a prop to go with said emergency costume. I'm not going to lie awake at night about that latter, though, as there's a strong possibility that, once completed, I won't have the room to pack it.

And, oh yeah, there's that whole dinner with the family thing that I'm supposed to be getting ready for. If I forget to make carrots, bring some folding chairs, a couple bottles of wine and god knows what else, I'm a dead fangrrl.