YaoiCon 2009 – Closing Thoughts

This is really a post to include more pictures and say all the things that I wanted to say, but couldn’t fit into the flow of the other posts. It’s likely to be a little bit discombobulated.

1. Tahdig! I think that only makes sense if you’re one of the three people I spoke with about it, but it’s awesome anyways.
2. Café Verführen has great souvenirs. Their shot glasses are etched, not printed, and their Sunday-morning gift boxes are copied from real vintage labels (seriously).
3. Ryusei is never ever without less than immaculately dressed. I think I’m a little bit jealous.
4. I wish I had taken up Tiff’s invitation to go watch Supernatural on Saturday night. I got some ideas for First and Last and Always that I needed to write down, and I didn’t see her at all on Sunday. She seemed like a good person to know.
5. In general, wish I were better about collecting phone numbers and email addresses.
6. The official YaoiCon “bishounen” events – Bingo, the Auction, and the (ahem) Bishounen Spanking Inferno raffle – can be a lot of fun in their own rights, but… (I never finished this sentence, and I wish I could remember what I was thinking when I started it. The events are fun.
7. Mostly for DreamSkaype, I’ve uploaded a picture of my special badge from my service as a waiter for the YaoiCon Café (not Café Verführen) back in 2007. Being called a “bishounen” feels like a compliment that I can’t properly accept, so I replaced it with something more comfortable.
8. I should bring Kelda another tribute offering of chocolate next year.
9. YaoiCon is always, at the same time, more and less expensive than I thought it would be.
10. …and then Buffy staked Edward. THE END!

Café Verführen: Because I Believe

Most YaoiCon attendees never visit the third floor of the hotel, unless they have rooms there. I don’t blame them. The con program doesn’t mention the treasure hidden up there. I don’t know whether this is a deliberate snub or one of those complications of printing schedules and hotel management, but it’s a shame either way. The third floor is home to Café Verführen, and I think it’s my favorite event at the con.

Full Disclosure: In the Fan Alley, I wound up exchanging cards with Matta’s real-life alter-ego, and she gave me a button with the Café Verführen logo. I gave her a Tybalt button in return, but take this how you will.

This is a fairly late review, mostly because I kept throwing out my earlier drafts. I don’t like rehashing old reviews, and most of what I said in last year’s writeup still holds true. It seems inadequate, though; there’s something magically captivating about the Café, something hard to pin down and describe. The experience is enchanting, somehow much more than the sum of its parts.

I Survived YaoiCon 2009!

I survived YaoiCon 2009 without any unfortunate molestation incidents. Apparently that particular miscreant is one of the “Official Bishonen” now. I’m going to try very hard not to think too much about that.

Other than that, I had a good time, took a handful of nice pictures, and met a lot of wonderful people, though I’m sorry that I didn’t get to spend as much time with them as I’d like. My fellow congoers (most of them, anyways) really are my favorite part of con, my reason for going, and I always enjoy the fan-energy rush that I get from spending the better part of three days with them. It’s very good for my creative urge, and I’m back at work on First and Last and Always.

I went to Café Verführen twice, and I’ll have a review of that up as soon as I’ve finished doing my post-con chores. In the meantime, if you have any questions about the con, or if you were there and want to get in touch, drop me a comment. I’ll try to get back to you as soon as possible.

Yes, Hannah, I Suck, but I Haven’t Forgotten

For as long as I’ve been writing him, Tybalt has been a creature of the YaoiCon Fiction Anthology. I’m almost finished with his latest, long-delayed story, First and Last and Always, so I emailed Anne to see if she would like to reserve it for next year’s anthology, if it happens. I say if it happens because the Anthology has not been published for two years running.

I suspect, much to my disappointment, that there are no plans for further issues. It’s been about a month since I emailed Anne, and I noticed that her contact information has been locked at the YaoiCon site.

This doesn’t mean much, if anything, for Tybalt’s future. The past two Anthologies have paired me with Tammy Lee, and I don’t think we have very good creative chemistry. Tybalt remains one of my favorite (if most demanding) characters, and I’m sure he’ll continue to slink into my writing life whenever he has a story to share.

For now, I’ve been sidetracked by an interesting little experiment (you can expect it in time for Christmas), and First and Last and Always will go back to the top of my stack once it’s done.

YaoiCon 2008 In Pictures

My YaoiCon attendence tends to be a very organic kind of experience, partly because of my volunteer hours (ten this year, rarely fewer than eight) and partly because I only plan to attend a few events here and there. I like letting things catch my attention. Given that, it’s not surprising that my photos don’t form any kind of coherent narrative.

Rather than try to force them, I thought it would be best to just share them with you all at once. I hope I’ve captured some feeling of the con’s friendly exuberance for you.