kyburg | Big posts don't always mean you got it all in.

I didn't forget the awesome that is

muimi07's little girl - it just didn't seem right to wrap that up in the middle of a huge train geekfest.

She is wee, perfect and probably the prettiest baby girl I've seen in years. She also flirted with my husband. S'okay, they all do when they're that wee. As I am fond of saying, if you think I'm going to let that go to waste...ya gotta be kidding.

Now. To the bad.

Let's talk about con culture - or the lack of it, or the expectations One could legitimately have of it.

No convention is Safe Space. Drop that assumption right now.

Think about it a moment. Why would you ever consider a grouping of a large number of people, most of which you've never seen before, let alone had enough time to consider the content of their characters...safe?

Then add in that a convention has a theme, and if it has something to do with alternative thinking/lifestyles/fantasy/created cultures? WHAT ARE YOU EXPECTING? Someone's going to take a jab at the established. Count on it.

Some, it might be argued, live for this. Plan. Plot, scheme...wallow like the pigs they are in it.

I think my guard is actually HIGHER at a convention, not lowered. I caught myself a couple of times sizing up crowds, revising exit strategies and where is the nearest source of '----' was more than once or twice.

Guess I'm showing my age at this point, but holy merde. My first con was when I was fifteen. I've got Super 8 of it. Somewhere.

And I still have the costume somewhere in a box. Can still wear it too. Nyah.

So.

Fanime, you had to give the crowd the benefit of the doubt - because of the median age, which was clearly below the legal age to vote, let alone drink. Seriously. After that?

I saw plenty of pretty encouraging stuff, to be honest. Keep in mind, I'm going through crowds getting from one location to another - I'm not seeing people in panels or events, just folks hanging out between them.

They had a "Black and White Ball" on Sunday night, as I recall. Checking out the lines to get in, I was more than pleasantly surprised. Neat, tidy and ready to party - as asked. Expectations were posted on the website - and the line was long and well-behaved.

Now - condiment tables were trashed, but which ones would not be after the press of that many people over a whole day? Some bright penny decided that decorating the tables with glass slugs was a great idea...the attendees took those, and the small, shallow bowls that were put under spigots to catch the drips...put them together, then filled them with water. Instant jeweled ponds. REALLY out of place, not at all sanitary...and damn if it wasn't clever.

Foodservice at Baycon was mainly restricted to the lounge/coffee bar downstairs and Tresca, the restaurant that really is better than it should be. (Da best anywhere? Your mileage may vary.) If there were condiment tables to trash, I didn't see them.

Could be from experience that they didn't exist in the first place, neh?

Baycon is older, both in longevity and median age. In all honesty, if you were in your mid thirties, you might find yourself on the younger side of things.

They know what they're dealing with.

And frankly, if you're surprised at the "out there" stunts, consider the source. You expect it from teenagers. I guess when the "teenagers" are in their forties, it gets a bit hard to swallow.

Trust me on this. They've been "out there" as long as you can remember, and proud of it. Consider the source.

Balance that out with the vast majority of folks who are just there to relax, soak it up and enjoy the company of friends and creative thought - and you have Baycon.

I've heard about the photoshop "WHEE I'M AN ASSHOLE" stunt from Wiscon.

Guys, people take pictures all the time. Again - you are at a convention where people are pushing boundaries on all sides of you. Do not expect to be in safe space. Safe space is your own home with people you know well enough to allow within your own boundaries. The amount of Really Stupid available is just out there, waiting for you.

I just don't care. That, in and of itself, really tends to make all that effort Less Than The Fun It Should Have Been. Blondie don't play those games.

I understand that some folks, staying in the hotel for the con, noted that they were sharing space with *horrors* charismatic Catholics!

And made a big point of putting the Gideon Bibles found in the rooms out for the trash pickup. OH YOU'RE SO CUTTING EDGE. *eyeroll* I don't think you were what they were interested in. And freaking out the mundanes?

I seriously doubt they restrain themselves the rest of year, guys. Really really.

Bad behavior is bad behavior - and a convention does not have to allow it. The fact Baycon is so laid back, comfortable (and this really does vary depending on what part of the con you're in, mind) has a lot to do with its longevity. The staffing comes and goes, but the con goes on forever.

Fanime was frenetic, like too much caffeine. Baycon - could be best described as too much rum. If one was concerned at all.

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I also might add, I'm free from any con crud.

And gerroff my lawn. Damn kids.