FriscoN

Convention
Name:	FriscoN
Dates:	1993-2000
Frequency:	annual
Location:	San Francisco Bay Area, California, USA
Type:	non-profit, fan con
Focus:	slash
Organization:
Founder:	Ann T & Dar F
Founding Date:	1992
URL:	WayBack Archive link to 2000 Friscon FAQ tote bag from 1993 Friscon, Somewhere Over The Rainbow
Click here for related articles on Fanlore.

FriscoN was an annual slash multimedia convention held annually in October in the San Francisco Bay Area, CA. It was open to people over the age of 18. As a fan-run convention, it did not have professional guests (writers/actors) and all programming was created by fans for fans. It operated as a non-profit and on an all volunteer basis.

flyer for the 2001 con that did not happen

While a 2001 con was planned, it was canceled in January of that year; its organizers explained that the task had just gotten too big to manage, especially long-distance.

Overview/History

Convention programming ran from Friday through Sunday, with two tracks of panels. Other events were:

• Dealers' Room with Orphan Zine Table - open Friday through Sunday. For many years the dealer's room was run by Kathy Resch.
• Art Show - open Friday - Saturday
• Art & Charity Auction - The Art & Charity Auction was held on Sunday morning.
• Music Video Contest - the Music Video Contest was often held on Saturday night.;
• Charity* raffle;
• Flyer Service (where fans could have the convention hand out flyers for fanzines or other conventions);
• Costume Party & Charity Carnival - often held on Friday night.
• Video Room (where fans could watch their favorite TV shows or songvids)
• Murder Mystery Game.

The convention was originally held in South San Francisco but moved out of San Francisco to the East Bay in 1998.

From the convention's 2000 FAQ:

FriscoN was conceived in 1992, when a group of friends decided it was time someone held a slash con in the gayest city in the world, San Francisco. Although none of us had ever organized a convention before, we had many years of con going experience between us, and we all knew what we liked, and disliked, about cons we had attended over the years.

Our first major decision -- after deciding we could pull it off! -- was when to hold the con. It didn't take long for us to realize that if we were going to play off San Francisco, we should take advantage of one of the city's biggest draws: Halloween. This also gave us the opportunity to hold what was to become one of the favorite activities at FriscoN: the annual Costume Contest.

Our first FriscoN, held in October 1993, went very well. So well, in fact, that it encouraged us to continue with the con.

The last Friscon was held in 2000 at which point two new conventions sprang up to take its place: Bascon held in November in the San Francisco, CA and Constrict also held in November in Las Vegas, NV. There was some controversy between the organizers of both conventions due to their scheduling their first events so close to each other. Constrict changed the next year to a July date in Las Vegas, Nevada.

1993

hand written playlist prepared by an attendee of the show. Click to read larger version.

FriscoN 1993 took place October 29–31, 1993 at Best Western El Rancho Inn in Millbrae south of San Francisco.

Activities included a 3-hour shopping tour in the Castro via charter bus, a dealer's room, an "air show and auction," charity tee shirt auction, panels, music video contest, Saturday night's "Howl at the Moon" costume ball, and a free Sunday breakfast.

Memberships were $30.

The first progress report listed 46 fans who had bought memberships. The second progress report listed 26 more names. The third one listed 10 more names.

FriscoN 1 Vid Show tape - 1993: "This was a compilation tape of the vids played during the vid show that fans could buy after the convention. It was a short tape (they had a lot of trouble with the reproduction they used, so many vidders didn't allow their vids to be put on the final tape.) It had Quantum Leap vids by Cybel Harper and Stacey D. At the end of the tape they had two compilation videos: one, a set of very fast clips from 47 different shows to test your speed and knowledge of TV shows, and the other, a bunch of beautiful m/m moments from shows and movies, broken up into 'The Looks', the 'Touches', the 'Kisses' and the 'Embraces'.

The Quantum Leap fanvid "Lola" by Stacey D. won "Best Humorous Video"

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  flyer for 1993

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  flyer for 1993

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  flyer for 1993

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  from the first progress report for 1993

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  from the first progress report for 1993

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  from the second progress report for 1993

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  from the second progress report for 1993

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  from the third progress report for 1993

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  from the third progress report for 1993

1994

was held Oct 28-30, 1994 at the Doubletree in South San Francisco

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  1994 ad in Mediawest program book

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  winners of the vid show contest from Friscon 2

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  1994 vid show submissions

From Oh C'Mon, Buckwheat#6:

Diana - I was just remembering your music video -"The Dance". That was a special Wiseguy video. I hope you'll share it at FriscoN this year. Not only good video, but wonderful storytelling and heart. Rare combinations.

From Oh C'Mon, Buckwheat #8:

Friscon Wiseguy Winners

Music Videos - Best Overall: Diana Barbour's "Vincent" by Don McLean;

Best Dramatic (tied): Gayle F'/"Losin' My Religion" (with help from Tashery S) by REM and "Pu tThis Fire Out" by Tony Childs.

Art Show - Favorite In Show: Suzan Lovett's .. Diamonds and Rust";

Favorite Illustration: Maureen B's' "Unconditional Surrender".

1994 Convention Report

The following convention report was posted to the Virgule-L mailing list that year. It is quoted here anonymously with permission.

Friscon was a small con this year - about 75; but it was a fun con. I missed the first day panels because I didn't get there until Friday

evening.

The music videos were good; Gayle F had some superlative ones and won best in show.

The art show was small, but some good artists that don't show at a lot of other shows were there, especially Maureen B.. She had some spectacular Wise Guy art and I think she won best in show, (but it could have been a Suzann WG - I just don't remember). Maureen also won best illustration, again in WG. Shelly Butler also had some terrific pieces and won for best portrait, a Jim Kirk. Karen Eaton won for best humerous.

The dealers room had a lot of new zines, particularly KS, but also some new Blake's 7 and others. Jim Randeau was there so he had a lot of different zines. Everyone seemed to be happy with the shopping.

Saturday night was the halloween costume party and it was a real blast from the past. The theme was a 50's/60's sock hop, but people came in all different costumes. They played a lot of old rock and roll tunes and a group of us were doing the stroll - after we remembered how to do it. They also had some carnival type games and raised something like $150 for charity just off the games.

After the costume party broke up about 10 PM, a group of us went out to the bar area and were sitting drinking when a few people came and we widened the circle. Then a few more people came and the circle got bigger. Then the entire con com arrive with Sly. Sly was a dummy they had dressed in fatigues and a gas mask and had hanging around the costume party.

By this time, more people showed up and there was close to 30-35 people. We threw Sly into the middle of the circle because he was taking up a chair. Noel Silva suggested a round robin story which took only about three people to turn it into slash with Sly a central figure. A lot of other fan figures showed up including Director Ed Wood, but that is another story. I only wish we had a tape recording of this story because it was hilarious.

The bartender had long since quit trying to serve the group so we kept making forays to the bar for the drink of the convention - champagne and chambord. it was so popular that the hotel ran out of champagne arout 11:30.

After the round robin we somehow got onto theme songs of TV shows of the 50s and 60s and were belting them out. Fortunately the way the hotel was arranged there were several smaller rooms with lovely chairs and couches and we had sort of taken over one of these rooms. No one from the hotel seemed to mind, however, after a particualrly loud and rousing rendition of The Micky Mouse club song around midnight, they turned the music on in the bar. We thought they were trying to tell us something, but found out later it was just that the bartender was going off duty and asked the people in the bar if they wanted some music. Anyway, i don't think I have laughed as hard or enjoyed an evening as much as I did Saturday night. I think everyone at the convention, from the con com down, had a terrific time.

Ann, Darlene, Noel, Maureen, Kathy, Lucy, Sharon G, Kris Brown, Evelyn and the rest who I can't remember are to be commended for throwing a terrific party.

The panel discussions were good - I went to a couple - but the highlight really was Saturday night - first the sock hop and then the insanity in the bar. By the way, the Doubletree Hotel was one of the best conventions hotels I have been to. They had a separate wing for the dealers' room, registration, art show and panel discussions. There was a big sign on the double doors leading to the wing that it was Friscon members only. Security was never a problem because people were always hanging out in the hallway talking and any strangers would have been intimidated about wandering were they weren't supposd to be.

Now we're on to Escapade which is also a fun time - if we could get the hotel to keep the bar open decent hours and cut out the country/western music. Hint-hint-hint, Charlotte Hill. Tell them they would make a lot of money. I know the bar at the Doubletree sure did. It's thirsty business buying all those zines.

1995

Friscon '95 was held on Nov 3-5, 1995 at the Doubletree Hotel, South San Francisco, CA.

The costume theme was "Outta this World". The dates of the con was the "post-Hallowe'en Weekend" (November 2–4.) From a flyer:

Rates: Memberships are $35 until May 1, 1995, $40 thereafter until limit of 90 members is reached. Includes all con activities, including the Sunday morning breakfast and a planned bus trip into San Francisco for shopping. Supporting Membership is $5.00. Sorry, no memberships will be sold at the door.Please do not send SASE's. Postage is included in your membership. Make checks payable to Ann Teitelbaum. Dealers Table: $25 each, maximum one table per person. (You may reserve a second table in case space opens up—these will be given on a first come, first served basis. You must have paid for an attending membership and the first table to be put on the list. Art Show: Space must be reserved in advance. Artists may hang a maximum of 7 pieces. There is no hanging fee, but a 10% commission will be charged on all items sold. Non- attending artists must be supporting members. Music Video Contest: Space must be reserved in advance. Video makers are limited to 3 videos, which can never have been shown at a convention.. Non-attending video makers must be supporting members.

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  Friscon '95 Progress Report #2

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  flyer from Media Monitor #10 for Friscon '95

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  music video award handed out to Stacy D. for her vid "All For Love"

1995: Convention Reports

FriscoN '95 was incredible! A million thanks to everyone who joined us

for a terrific weekend--and we've already sold 30% of our attending memberships for next year! If you couldn't make it this year, we'd like to invite you to join us for FriscoN '96. Remember, next year's theme is "Come as your favorite dick, er...COP, that is!" and it's dedicated to all those crimefighters and lawmen from the past, present and future!

LENDING A HELPING HAND We're happy to announce we broke all previous records for money collected for our official FriscoN charity, the San Francisco AIDS Emergency Fund. Between the raffle, carnival, and auction, we raised a whopping $742.70!

THE ART SHOW This was our biggest Art Show to date! Winning pieces were: Favorite Illustration: Shelley Butler's "Champagne Wishes" (Star Trek); Favorite Humorous: Suzan Lovett's "No, Bodie, not even a little peek" (Professionals); Favorite Portrait: Caren Parnes' "Holmes & Watson" (Sherlock Holmes); Favorite In Show: Caren Parnes' "Partners" (X Files)

FRIDAY NIGHT MUSIC VIDEO CONTEST Once again, the Friday Night Music Video Contest was outstanding! Prize winners were: Best Humorous: Stacy Doyle for her Starsky/Hutch "Must've Been Drunk"; Best Dramatic: [Gayle F] for her Wiseguy "Heartbreak Hotel"; Best Romantic: [Gayle F] for her Wiseguy "How Can I Tell You"; Overall Favorite: JAM for her Quantum Leap "The Flame". Anyone wishing to get copies of these and the rest of the great vids from the contest should email me for the the producers' names, addresses and ordering info. Adding more fun to an already great evening was the latest installment in Noel and Lucy's legendary slashy vids, "Lovers", as well as their popular brain teaser, "Memory Blitz".

TRAVELING GREAT LENGTHS Contrary to popular belief that FriscoN is only a local con, these attendees were awarded prizes for traveling the greatest distance to participate in the fun: Leonie Flynn, Melanie Siddle and Anna Warman, all from England. Honorable mentions went to Ida Vega (New York) and Leiane Younce (Alaska).

THE SATURDAY NIGHT COSTUME PARTY Things were really "outta this world" at the 3rd annual "Howl at the Moon" costume contest. Prize winners were: Most Original: Cody Nelson (X Files: raining frogs); Most Risque: Edith Crowe (Alien ambassador); Most Elaborate: Debbie Rojano (Visitor); Most Humorous: Cody Nelson (X Files: raining frogs); Most Matching Theme: Mary Comstock (Biker Mouse from Mars).

THE 1ST ANNUAL MURDER MYSTERY

Sleuthing her way through a plethora of clues, Debbie Rojano was the first to correctly identify the murderer of B.J. Slashensmut, winning a free membership to FriscoN '96.

1996

Friscon 1996 was held Nov 1-3, 1996 at the Doubletree Hotel in South San Francisco.

a flyer for the 1996 con

1996 progress report

From a flyer:

Yes, it's that time again, when the leaves are turning, and all the slash fans flock to San Francisco to party in the warm California sun! And what better way to enjoy your fun in the sun than with your favorite dicks! Yes, from the Sheriff of Nottingham to Wyatt Earp to Bodie/Doyle to Starfleet Security, we"d like everyone to come as their favorite dick from throughout time for our fourth annual Howl at the Moon Hallowe'en costume party and charity carnival!

Other planned convention activities: FRIDAY: Registration opens at 10am, Dealers Room opens at Noon, and Art Show and Programming start at 1pm. We will also kick off the weekend-long murder mystery, where finding out "whodunit" can win you a great prize! In the evening, we will have an informal mixer (with another rousing round of slash Jeopardy!), followed by the Music Video Contest. Prizes will be awarded for Favorite Dramatic, Favorite Romantic, Favorite Humorous, and Favorite in Show.

SATURDAY: In keeping with our theme, there will be a special 5 hour excursion to San Jose's famed Winchester Mystery House for an additional S15, which covers round trip bus fare and admission fee. This bizarre mansion was designed to baffle the evil spirits that haunted Sarah Winchester, eccentric heiress to the Winchester Arms fortune and mistress of the house. With 160 rooms, 2,000 doors, 13 bathrooms, 10,000 windows, 47 fireplaces, blind closets, secret passageways and 40 staircases, the house is so complex that even the owner and servants needed maps to find their way. The guided portion of the tour lasts about 65 minutes. Maps for self-guiding tours of the grounds and Victorian gardens, with tapes narrating the points of interest along the route, are available. Also on the estate are two museums, a restaurant and gift shop. For those staying behind at the con, the Dealers Room, Art Show, and Programming will continue. Voting will take place in the Art Show in the afternoon. Prizes will be awarded for Favorite Portrait, Favorite Illustration, Favorite Humorous, and Favorite in Show. Take a short siesta, then join us for the "Howl at the Moon 4" costume party and charity carnival. Prizes will be awarded for Most Elaborate, Most Original, Most Risque, Most Humorous, and Most Matching Theme costumes. Remember to come as your favorite dick! And help us break our record of 1994's $562 to the San Francisco AIDS Emergency Fund, our annual con charity! SUNDAY: Please join us for a full breakfast. Afterwards, we'll have our charity raffle drawing and the awards will be presented for Music Videos, Art Show, and Costume Contest. Afterwards, the Dealers Room opens and the Art/Charity Auction begins.

Once again, FriscoN's host hotel is the beautiful Doubletree at San Francisco Airport. Special convention rates are S79/night for single/double, $89/night for triple, S99/night for quad, and $150/night for suites that sleep 4. There is free parking, and a free shuttle to and from San Francisco International Airport. There is a full service restaurant in the hotel which serves from 6am-11pm, and a beautiful, cozy lounge. Check in is 3pm, check out is Noon. This hotel is completely handicap accessible.

Attending memberships for FriscoN '96 are $35 until 6-1-96, $40 thereafter, until limit is reached or October 15, 1996, whichever comes first.Sorry, but no memberships will be sold at the door.

Dealers tables are $25 each, limit of one per dealer. Second tables may be requested on a first come, first served basis, as room allows. Art Show and MusicVideo space must be reserved ahead of time. Artists may hang a maximum of 7 pieces. There is no hanging fee, but a flat 10% commission will be taken from all pieces sold. Video makers are limited to 3 videos, which can never have been shown at a convention before. Non-attending artists and video makers must be supporting members. Supporting memberships are $5.

• List of 1996 Fan Art on display: Miami Vice pieces by Caren Parnes (one of Crockett called "Miami Blue"). Maureen B.' Wiseguy art. Some Pros, Highlander, some K/S, MUNCLE, and Lovett's gorgeous Pros "Green Piece". There were a few X-Files, one of Mulder/Skinner nude—Mulder sort of draped around Skinner's feet.
• List of 1996 Art Show and Vid Show Winners, along with a post-con report.here, there is also an extensive, chatty con report in The K/S Press #4

Art Show Winners

• Favorite Illustration: "Green Peace" (Professionals) (Suzan Lovett?)
• Favorite Humorous: "Excalibur, or Have I got a sword for you" (Multi-media);
• Favorite Portrait: "Sonny Blue" (Miami Vice);
• Favorite In Show: "Green Peace" (Professionals).

Vid Show Contest Winners

• Most Humorous: "All For Love" (Wiseguy);
• Most Dramatic: "Three Days" (X Files) by Morgan Dawn
• Most Romantic: "In My Life" (Highlander);
• Overall Favorite: "In My Life" (Highlander).

1996: Convention Reports

We arrived at San Francisco on 1 November (although I am not sure what day my body thought it was), and went straight to the convention hotel where we had 24 hours before the con started. The hotel was wonderful, such luxury to have two double beds in a hotel room, although strange to find that the price of the room (which was very good value and organised by the convention committee) did not include breakfast. But these are just small differences, I am not an experienced traveller and had never been to the States before. The con opened on Friday afternoon as per normal and I met up with some old friends that we would be staying with after the convention and in the process made some new friends. The con followed a similar path to those held in this country in that there were two dealers rooms and an art room. There was a wonderful bag of goodies waiting for you when you arrived, including sweeties, condom, nipple clamp - you know all the things that you really need at a good slash convention. The timetable was very comprehensive and there were discussions organised for you to participate in on varying subjects at half hourly intervals in the art room. One evening a wonderful video was shown, which members of the committee had put together, of slashy moments out of lots of tv series/films followed by a video competition with quick fire snippets of tv/films which you had to try to recognise. On the Saturday morning a two hour bus trip (price included in the convention fee) had been organised around San Francisco including a 40 minute stay at the infamous Castro area. (Sorry can't comment on this because although I went, I was like a bear with a sore head at the time and very grumpy!). There was a costume party on the Saturday night which (according to the pictures) looked great fun - I of course did not attend! On the Sunday morning there was a joint breakfast where everybody thanked everybody else and lots and lots of people got prizes. Including Kitty and myself, (and another British visitor), for travelling the furthest. Personally I thought I should have won the award for being the grumpiest but they didn't seem to be passing out awards for that. All in all I would say it was a good convention and very well organised and I would only make one small negative comment At a convention there are always the people who are the doers the people who attend everything and talk to everybody etc and then there are the, let's say less active people - the people who perhaps are a little shyer and don't find it easy to mingle and chat with a lot of strangers. At this convention I found myself (quite strangely) in that category and realised there was not much for us to do. There was no room set to one side for you to read zines (and believe you me the American ladies I spoke to seemed quite taken aback at me sitting in the hotel lounge reading a slash zine - no explicit front or back cover I promise!). I hence spent quite a lot of time just sitting in the lounge .and watching what was going on around me. I noticed that some people who seemed to be on their own, came out of the lift, presumably from their bedroom, went to the dealers room, came back with a bundle of zines and then back up in the lift to their bedroom. There was no way that we were going to be able to meet each other as there was no library or quiet area where we could even smile across a crowded room etc etc. Everything that was organised was for the doers. I also found it strange that there was no facility for showing episodes of tv shows/films. Again, in my mood, I would have quite liked to have not spent so much time in the bedroom or the hotel lounge but to have just sat in the corner of a room and tried to forget my woes in a nice DS9 or Voyager episode. However, that aside, I did have a wonderful time in the States and next time I go I will make sure my convention is in the middle of the holiday and not one day after I arrive.

1997

panel schedule in a progress report. Click to read

pocket guide for the 1997 convention

Friscon 1997 was held Oct 4-6, 1997 at the Doubletree Inn in South San Francisco, CA.

• By 1997, the convention had raised $7,000 over the years for the AIDS Emergency Fund.
• WayBack Archive link to the 1997 Friscon Web Page.[1]
• At the 1997 convention, there were only a few men in attendance and a lot of questions about gay sex. This led to Minotaur creating his websites Sex Tips for Slash Writers and the MQA. He also began hosting open forum panels where writers could ask him questions about gay sex: "Okay, I'm in a room full of women, some of whom are *lesbians*, and we're watching my gay porn videos. I feel like I'm in a Sliders episode." -- Minotaur, at Friscon
• A first hand review of the 1997 convention: "Fresh from FrisCon, the private convention for fan writers who enjoy the premise of their two favourite male TV or movie heroes getting into bed together: The location was a smart hotel near San Francisco airport, where staff are more used to professional travellers than Professionals fans... 90 women checked in plus the cousin of one of the con committee and his lover - they went down well, or so it was claimed... At the con party, most turned up wearing this year's theme of cowboys and indians. Winners were the boys, one wearing just a fur skirt and the other a transparent cowboy outfit, his modesty hidden beneath a very tight pair of cycling shorts - yum, yum... The latest slash zines were available in the dealers rooms, and the art show revealed recognisable characters in some very interesting positions together... The music video comp on Sunday had those magic moments set to popular songs... Top new slash show this year was US TV cop series The Sentinel, although Kirk and Spock, Starsky and Hutch, and Bodie and Doyle remain long-time favourites... The con raised over $1600 for a local AIDS charity, with my contribution for some raffle tickets winning me a set of spurs and handcuffs - wonder what I'll do with them?" A more in depth 1997 convention report by Jane Mailander can be found at Friscon/Convention Reports.
• There was no Music Video Contest. From the 1997 post-con report: "While we didn't have enough contestants to hold a contest, we were treated to 6 great vids by Stacy Doyle. Before and afterwards, Noel S. showed her crowd-pleasing "Lovers" vids from this year and the past several Friscons."

From a flyer:

Slashin', slashin', slashin', keep those slash fans slashin', keep those slash fans slashin'. FriscoN! Yes, it's that time again, when the leaves are turning the color of California gold, and all the slash fans flock to San Francisco to party in the wild, wild west! From Annie Oakley to Zorro, the gay blade, everyone is encouraged to come as their favorite buckaroo for our fifth annual "Howl at the Moon" Hallowe'en costume party and charity carnival!

So far our schedule is as follows:

SATURDAY: Registration opens at 9am, Dealers Room opens and Programming starts at 11am, and Art Show opens at 1pm. We will also kick off the weekend-long murder mystery, where finding out "whodunnit" can win you a free membership to FriscoN '98! Want a quiet place to relax or watch a video? Stop by our lovely con suite. In the evening, we will have an informal Pizza Party, followed by the "Howl at the Moon 5" costume party and charity carnival. Remember to come as your favorite buckaroo!

SUNDAY: The Dealers Room, Art Show, and Programming continue. Voting will take place in the Art Show in the afternoon. Take a short siesta, then join us for the Music Video Contest. Following the Contest, we will have the Art/Charity Auction.

MONDAY: Please join us for a full breakfast. Following breakfast, we'll have our charity raffle drawing. Afterwards, the Dealers Room opens, and Programming begins.

Once again, FriscoN's host hotel is the beautiful Doubletree at San Francisco Airport. A hotel reservation card will be sent out with the first PR listing special convention rates. The Doubletree has free parking, and a free shuttle to and from San Francisco International Airport. There is a full service restaurant in the hotel which serves from 6am-11pm, and a beautiful, cozy lounge. Check in is 3pm, check out is Noon. This hotel is completely handicap accessible.

Attending memberships for FriscoN '97 are $35 until 6-1-97, $40 thereafter, until limit of 90 is reached or 9-15-97, whichever comes first. Sorry, but no memberships will be sold at the door, nor do we offer one day memberships.

Dealers tables are S25 each for full size and $16 for half-tables. Due to the overwhelming demand for dealer space, full tables are available to dealers only (publishers, agents and others selling new merchandise). People selling personal zine collections ("used zines") are limited to half-tables only. Dealers may request a second table on a first come, first served basis, as room allows. Art Show and Music Video space must be reserved ahead of time. Artists may hang a maximum of 10 pieces. There is no hanging fee, but a flat 10% commission will be taken from all pieces sold. Video makers are limited to 4 videos, which can never have been shown at a convention before. Non-attending artists and video makers must be supporting members. Supporting memberships are S5.

1998

page 1 of programming

page 2 of programming

vid show playlist (note: vidder's names are not included)

cover of the 1998 program with disco theme

• 1998 Convention. An in depth 1998 convention report by Jane Mailander can be found at Friscon/Convention Reports.
• Charity: over $2,000 was raised for the AIDS Emergency Fund
• 1998 Art Show & Vid Show Winners:
  • Art Show:
    • Favorite Illustration: "Running With the Jaguar" by Suzan Lovett (The Sentinel)
    • Favorite Portrait: "Have You Hugged Your Guide Today?" by Jean Kluge (The Sentinel, from changes)
    • Favorite Humorous: "The Truth About Cats and Dogs" by Jane Mailander (The Sentinel)
    • Favorite In Show: "Running With the Jaguar" by Suzan Lovett (The Sentinel)
  • Vid Show:
    • Most Dramatic: Behind Blue Eyes (The Professionals) by Dyevka
    • Most Romantic: The One (Multimedia) by Gayle F & Morgan Dawn
    • Most Humorous: Let's Call the Whole Thing Off (Babylon 5) by The Central Consortium
    • Most Matching Theme: Macho Man (Multimedia) by Mary Comstock
    • Overall Favorite: The One (Multimedia) by Gayle F& Morgan Dawn.

29 vids total were entered. Fandoms represented were: The Professionals, Wiseguy, Star Trek, Sentinel, Forever Knight, The X-Files, Babylon 5, La Femme Nikita, Man From UNCLE, In and Out (the movie), and Nash Bridges. There were also 3 multimedia videos.

1998: Convention Reports

FriscoN a Go Go! (a blathering con report)

FriscoN a Go Go! (or "You mean there are panels going on too?")

It was way cool to meet anne and Robin, but this will be *way* too long if I go into too much detail, so I'll keep it down. Yeah right. Spent most of the nights before the con staying up really late orchestrating action figure shots for the "Hog-Tied Riker Photo Shoot" (alluded to by JK) so called because of the presence of a hog-tied Number One in almost every shot. Robin's promised to scan the photos in once she's back on Aussie time so I won't spoil the surprise (got one tonight which looks like an illo for HBP or ACT--wheeee!).

Got Robin hooked on baseball (it wasn't too difficult; the woman is sports mad) which culminated in a trip by Robin, Debra (my sister) and myself to the local batting cages. Robin out hit both Debra and I (no surprise, as neither one of us is real athletic), *and* she was with the pitching machine thingie set at top speed (60 mph). Later, Alexas visited, we watched Voyager (punctuated with wise ass remarks and Robin groaning every time Seven was on screen) and talked ASCEM(L) admin shop. Al bought all her action figures so there was more shooting (and beers and rum 'n' cokes). This is good because we got more pics, *and* it gives us an excuse to get together again (yes Al, the gang is still in the box, but they better go home soon or that Picard in the pirate leathers is going to . . . well, vanish).

Moooving right along . . .

Feeling no remorse whatsoever, I gleefully abandoned my horrible RL job, and atara and I flew into Oakland on Friday morning. Got settled, and then hooked up with Laurel, Reesa, Heather, Debra, and Robin (later Mary Ellen, Judy, JK, and Greywolf) for a bunch of hugs and then a nice relaxing sit in the sunshine. Laurel whipped out a bdsm gear catalog which we had a lovely time commenting on; can you believe that *I* was the one to notice that one of the employees (who was yawning through a mock spanking) bore a striking resemblance to JTK? Anyway, with the subject matter, the fountains in the background, and the great company, it was easy to imagine that we were hanging out in the TSU Quad, shooting the shit.

Not all of these people *looked* like I expected them to look, but most of them sounded or talked the way I expected them to. Greywolf, I hear you ask? Just like his posts, only more so. :-) jonk and raku? Nope, sorry, that would be telling.

JK has commented on the field trip and dinner. I should add that I too have a lovely koosh mortar board tassel/whip only mine is purple. And there was this really cool little vibrator that looks like something you'd replicate in the 24th century (Janeway has one, I just know it) which somehow made its way home with us. Dinner was lovely (slow service but there was only one waitress for the whole restaurant), and we squicked some mundanes when Doc Science went into detail about hyena clits (ask only if you *really* want to know). Also, I managed to do one sort of TSU Presidential thing. Once I got everyone to simmer down, we toasted absent friends, which is to say all of you who couldn't make it. We missed you.

Saturday was rainy but who cared? Went to a couple of panels, but discovered that I really prefer a) longer panels, and b) moderated panels. I'm sure Reesa will agree that the kinky slash panel was just getting going when we had to surrender the room. And yeah, so I tried to keep the Trek panel sort of on topic. Call me a control freak, go ahead. Also did the dealers room; most disappointing for a TNG fan. Many many K/S zines, some G/B, lots of SenSlash, and Pros. I did get a nice pencil portrait of Picard (totally clothed, alas), and Atara picked up a Callisto tee shirt, but all in all a bit of a bummer. I want some TNG slash zines! I'll write for a TNG slash zine, damnit! Anyone? Bueller?

And onto the tea and the party. JK's description was pretty complete so I'll just add a little. Tons, nay, *heaps* o' food, all of it way yummy that salmon thing was heaven, the cookies were fun, there were more potables than you could shake a stick at, and it seemed like a crime to eat the lovely chocolate vulva--but I had one anyway).

Readings! Ye gods, the readings! Robin read Cam and we all sounded like a bunch of teenagers at a party, giggling every time she said a naughty word. It was the accent and the gestures that really made it so incredibly hilarious (well more hilarious than even Cam's usual wont). Mary Ellen (that was you, right Doc?) read part of her K/S meets Tolkien story (more! more!), and the list goes on. I got a treat from laura j v and got to read both "Inhale" and "Love Comes Quickly." JK shocked us by reading non slash and atara pushed the envelope (in a totally great way) by reading non Trek non slash. Also heard Reesa read "Another Saturday Night" (whew, now there's a story I'd pay to actually see) and so I followed up with "Watching Me." Lots of K/S, all of it lovely (and this is coming from me, of all people; will people forget that I mentioned a K/S idea that won't leave me alone?). Laurel's tribute to "Rude Person" was fun and made me wonder if I'd have stayed on the ng if that was the first thing *I* read.Greywolf followed that with *his* Rood Person, complete with outrageous Scottish accent (did we mention that he wore a kilt? That Judy wore this way cool desert robe? That JK wore her ears? That Mary Ellen had a tea dress? That jonk wore a most curious adornment? That Heather wore velour "interactive" clothing? That Debra out girlyed everyone in basic black with pearls? That Laurel has killer tats and a pierced navel? That, yes, anne really does have those oft mentioned black cowboy boots? That Robin wore bike shorts, a sports bra, a tails jacket, black boots, and fingerless gloves. That my lovely wife looked stunning in a flowy batik tunic? That I did the leatherdyke thing?). Much discussion of works in progress and such like also ensued.

Sunday was notable for lots of sleeping in, and a great lunch with some of the folks. We also had a nice pool side conversation with some PKSP people and then there were many good bye hugs and we went off to the airport. MANY THANKS (and a P/Q TIM in progress) go out to Reesa for taking pity on us and giving us a lift. And again, mondo thanks to certain parties for not killing me when I almost flew off with their car keys (SORRY DEBRA!). Yes I really did leave Debra's keys in my bag and yes, the plane doors were almost closing before I handed them over to an attendant.

And so to home and sniffling Monday night as Debra made ready to drive Robin to the airport. Major post con let down due to the fact that my job from hell was in mid audit when I got back and no one had done any of my work.

Thanks to those who sent their work to speak for them even though they couldn't be there. Thanks to our incredible hosts (jonk and raku, and Her Honor and Doc Science). Thanks to Debra's friend for those oh so special brownies. Thanks to everyone who made a hotel in a Bay Area suburb feel like a Smut U campus (although I really wish the Regent and his "friend" could have showed).

Hey look! *Only* two pages. And yes, the others will attest to the fact that I *do* talk like this, only at warp factor 9.

What was it like to meet everyone? Well, I'd met a few people before, so I had already learned that people are generally not much like the pictures I make up to go with their posts. I had imagined Greywolf as one of those guys who practically has to shave his eyelids: wrongo. Think long-haired hobbit and you'll be closer to the mark, though I never did check for hairy toes. Robin has accused me of being tall, which is odd to my mind (I'm just as tall as Shatner); I wonder what she imagined. No-one turned out to be more girly than I had visualized, though several were more butch; but then I was the only one who went for the whole tea-party-with-Her-Majesty rig for the FaculTea, so that may say something about me. But "girly" is not a word I've often heard in connection with myself . . .

[snipped]

Clearly, JK had more of the mind-altering items that I did. My overall impression of the readings: it will be months, if not years, before I stop hearing Janeway with an Australian accent. If any of you ever get a chance to hear Robin L read anything funny, don't let her escape. And Greywolf does a shall we say bang-up job on the naughty bits; his way of saying "pinched his nipples" seems to have stuck to my brain. Personally I think I do especially well at reading the angsty parts, with cussing, but that's my own horn. <toot toot>

After each piece was read the room rocked with great cheers, clapping, howls of glee, etc. People only made a lot of noise *during* the readings for the funny pieces (both Cam's & Jen's featured lots of audience participation), while during the sex scenes the room got very very quiet -- almost as though each listener was off in hir own private Idaho. I hope Read-Aloud Time becomes a tradition at any large gathering of ASCEMites, as it really makes the circle of storytellers real, whether you're there in person or can only phone it in. Too bad we couldn't have a fire to sit around, but we were trying to stay on the hotel's good side.

Lessee, interesting topics discussed included:

Who would you be in the Mirror Universe? Judygran would still be a lawyer, but for Paramount/Viacom and wearing a thousand-dollar suit. Anne I can't remember, but I think it involved frills and high heels. Jungle Kitty was going to collect Precious Moments statuettes. They said I should be a Creation Scientist, but there are things my mind just can't wrap itself around, so we agreed I'd be running the Psychic Friends Network. raku we figured for a particularly grody biker, though maybe with A-M-O-R on one set of knuckles, phi-omicron-beta-omicron on the other. Heather would still be an intern, but a really nasty vicious backstabbing one.

Why do the stories on ASCEM not obey Sturgeon's Law ("Nine-tenths of everything is crap")? Two possibilities, not mutually exclusive: that the totality of Internet porn more than obeys the Law, but most of the good stuff ends up in our neighborhood; and that beta-reading, especially the no-holds-barred variety I call "Beta-Reading for Blood", improves the quality of everyone's work enormously.

Are there any *practicing* Mormons or Roman Catholics on the ng? Stand up, don't be shy, IDIC/IPIC/YMMV are our mottoes. We figure there are lots of practicing Jews and Wiccans (sometimes the same people), at least one Buddhist, and a smattering of your more left-wing Protestants. Not to mention the atheists. The human ST characters have no conventional religion in canon (is this true? except for Chakotay, but his spirituality is rather on the New Agey side, and he is in many ways structurally non-human: only one name, and his face looks funny), presumably because TPTB are wimps, but might they follow a religion in fanfic?

And while driving around questing for food and drink, Judith and I came across a storefront proclaiming "TSU Staffing" -- but we weren't able to get everyone over there for a group shot.

No doubt I have babbled on enough. It was great to see those of you I saw, I missed those of you I didn't see, Shore Leave '99 is July 9–11, and it's good to be back.

Love, Mary Ellen, Doctor Science, MA

1999

1999 flyer

cover of the 1999 program guide

1999 programming

• 1999 Convention, the 7th Friscon, was named "Friscon 007: The Spy Who Loved Me"
• The charity drive raised $2815 for the AIDS Emergency Fund
• Reviews of the 1999 Convention are here and here. A review of the 2000 convention is here.
• The 1999 vid show was organized by Noel Silva. List of vids shown: "There were 21 vids total. 5 X-files vids from Carol S. and 5 vids by Dementia Ink. 2 anonymous Highlander vids: "Without You" by Harry Nilsson and "Love Hurts" by Nazareth. Mary Comstock offered 5 vids: "Nobody Does It Better", "Catch the Wind" by Donovan, and 'Little Red Riding Hood' by Sam the Sham - all (Pros). Her other two vids were: 'Matchmaker Matchmaker' to ST:TNG and 'Highly Illogical' (sung by Leonard Nimoy) to ST:TOS. Stacey D had 2 Wiseguy vids: "I Can't Help Falling in Love" by UB40 (Vinnie/Frank) and "As Long As You Love Me" by Backstreet Boys (Roger/Vinnie). I asked them to show 2 of my vids that had been shown before - a Starsky & Hutch vid and one set to Loreena McKennitt's music for the movie Titanic." Morgan Dawn, personal notes (1999).

1999 Vid Show Playlist page 1

1999 Vid Show Playlist page 2

• MUSIC VIDEO CONTEST
  • Most Dramatic: "Who Wants to Live Forever" (Hercules) by Dementia, Ink.
  • Most Romantic: Till There was You" (The Sentinel) by Dementia, Ink.
  • Most Humorous: The Cockroach That Ate Cincinnati" (X-Files) by Basement Productions.
  • Most Matching Theme: "Affair of the Heart" (Man from UNCLE) by Dementia, Ink.
  • Overall Favorite: Till There was You" (The Sentinel) by Dementia, Ink.
• ART SHOW
  • Favorite Portrait/Illustration: "Ecstasy" by Larrkin (The Sentinel)
  • Favorite Romantic: "Wrapped In Sunlight" by Suzan Lovett(Man From UNCLE)
  • Favorite Erotic: "Call of the Wild" by Suzan Lovett (The Sentinel)
  • Favorite Humorous: "Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid" byJane Mailander (The Sentinel)
  • Favorite In Show: "Bayliss Chronicles" by Suzan Lovett (Homicide)

1999: Convention Reports

Here's my con report. If I misspelled anyone's name or forgot to mention someone, please accept my apologies.

I arrived at San Francisco airport a little past noon on Thursday and found my way to Pleasanton, the site of the con, by public transportation. It was a bit tricky with changing trains and all, but not difficult. I had the instructions provided by the con with me and managed just fine. I took a taxi from the BART station to the Motel 6 across the street from the con host hotel and spent the night. On Friday morning, after breakfast at the close-by Denny's, I walked over to The Four Points Hotel and had the front desk stow my bag until I could check in.

At the registration desk, I met the first person whose name was familiar, Mary Ellen Curtin. Shortly, after that Reesa came up, and we went to sit in the hotel lobby until the Dealer's room was open. Mary Ellen introduced us to Judith Gran's daughter and explained that Judith had gone with Arachnethe2 and Vanasati to pick up Greywolf from the Oakland Airport. I had the chance to meet them a little later in the afternoon over in the Hospitality suite.

I went to the front desk to check in and found to my surprise that Dina Lerret, who was rooming with me and my sister, had beat me to it. Once I got settled in the room, I went to find her and to look for another friend. Fortunately, the con name badges were bright yellow and easy to read. <g> I was sitting out on the patio talking with Dina and Britta Matthews, the other I had been looking for, when my sister found me.

The first panel that I attended was titled, AU's and Crossovers. I enjoyed the panel, but if I had a complaint to make about it and some of the others it would be that they were unmoderated. There was no one there to keep the discussions going and steer it back when it went off-track. I did go to two panels on Saturday that were moderated, and they went more smoothly.

We had pizza provided by the con and went to the music video contest on Friday evening. This was my sister's first slash con, but she fit right in and had a ball. After a quick run with Britta, who had driven, for some liquid libations, we spend the rest of the evening as we would most of our time at the con, sitting on the patio talking.

The Voyager panel on Saturday morning was nice. Britta, Dina and I were a bit afraid that we would be the only ones in attendance. <g> Several others showed up and we had a lively hour of discussion. Everyone there pretty much agreed that we don't care for the way that Janeway is being written.

Stuart Carroll's M/M sex panel was next. I do believe that it was the most popular panel of the con. We could have gone on for more than an hour asking questions, that's for certain. Mary Ellen's panel at 2 PM was also very interesting. I may not have agreed with all of her hypothesis, but it made for a lively discussion.

I looked at the art show and made several trips through the dealer's room during the day. Saturday evening started with sandwiches and chips in the Hospitality suite. Then on to the best part of all, the TSU party in Mary Ellen's room. There were fanfic readings, both humorous and dramatic. I, myself, chose my funny P/K story, Mr. Popular, to read out-loud. I hadn't done that before, and it was amazing how red my face became when I got to the naughty bits. <g> I also got to meet Jungle Kitty and Karmen Ghia that had come, but didn't attend the convention. I toddled off to bed around midnight, but heard that the party went on for quite a while longer. I'm sure someone else will fill you in on the rest.

Sunday, my sister and I had the breakfast provided by the con. Then with Dina in tow, we headed out for the city. I won't bore you all with the details of what we did in San Francisco, but the highlight of the day was being insulted by a drag queen on the street. Dina had gone off to do some exploring on her own, so it was just me and my sister at this point. We had our jackets with us, but tied with the sleeves around our waists as it was too warm to actually wear them. We passed by three lovely, pseudo-women <g>, and they walked behind us up the street. I heard one of them say, "Look at those jackets. Aren't *they* classy?" I didn't say anything back, though and kept my reputation as a nice person in tact. ;-)

Sunday evening was spent sitting around on the patio by the fountain talking, laughing, and generally enjoying the company. We bid good-bye to Britta and Stuart on Sunday night, and Dina on Monday morning. My sister and I spent the day in San Francisco again, and I returned home on Tuesday.

I had a marvelous time. It was a great joy to meet everyone in person. Now, I have a few faces to put with the names I see on the net. Don't be surprised to see a post pop up soon with the name SkeaterJ on it, that's my sister. She's already signed up for ASCEML. <g>

This will be very brief because I didn't actually attend the con! Based on my past two years' experience, Friscon is a great place to get together with your buddies but not much in the way of dealer's room or panels. So I went to room parties and hung out with people.

Laurel & I had a great time as roomies. She had a tape of "The Outrage" a really unwatchable movie where WS looked gorgeous, so we watched the unwatchable. We were joined by Karmen, Greywolf, Reesa, Arachnethe2, Judith, Vanasati, and Erik. Karmen told us that this movie is studied in film school. I can only hope they're watching it so they know what not to do, but I don't think so. Also viewed Alex T. Great, LN's butt in Catlow, and White Comanche.

Robin called from Australia in the middle of the ATG underwear scene, so GW narrated it for her and did a wonderful job. I was very impressed, because despite several viewings, that scene always reduces me to stupefaction. (Although I do manage to blurt out, "Look at his butt!" As if anyone was NOT looking at his butt.)

Oh yeah, I brought the Spanking List, suitably framed. ;-D

On to the story party. In addition to the folks from the WS vid festival, others in attendance were Mary Ellen, Britta, Stuart, AKite and her sister, and a few people whose names I never learned. Was Dina there? I really wanted to say hi to her and never saw her.

Greywolf had brought a copy of "Kirk and Spock Go Ice Fishing," which he asked me to read aloud so he could hear it with the accent. I was very flattered and complied, of course. Doesn't take much to get me up in front of a crowd, doncha know.

Lots of good stories, both silly and serious.

After the party, Laurel and I went back to our room and started gabbinb and the front desk called saying our neighbors had complained that our voices were too loud. What? We weren't even screaming "Look at his butt!" But that made it more like a pajama party, since after that we had to whisper and laugh into the pillows.

Spent Sunday afternoon with Karmen & Reesa, and found GW, Arachnethe2, and Vanasati later on. Everyone can do the Vulcan salute except me. But I got my revenge--I conned GW into trying to do the same hand trick that he hurt himself doing last year. Heh heh heh.

Technically, this isn't a con report. This is me telling you why you should start saving your money, your vacation time, and your marital karma so that you can get you butt to next year's Friscon. You have no idea how much fun it really, really is.

Picture this, I got to sit around all weekend long and have these really great slashy conversations with various TSU members: Mary Ellen, Judith, A Kite, Arachnethe2, Vanasati , Jungle Kitty, Laurel, Karmen, and Greywolf.

I got to hear some really incredible stories read out loud by their authors. Hell, Greywolf is so fantastic reading aloud, I could have listened to him reading the phone book and it would have been incredible! And, yes, it was really funny to see and hear A Kite as she read her story aloud for the first time and realized how incredibly smutty it sounds that way!

Not only that but I was shown by Arachnethe2 and Vanasati some really smutty K/S artwork in the various 'zines they had purchased. My, my, my. Was it warm in that hotel room or was it just me? Then I had the pleasure of viewing all 100 or so pictures of Nimoy purchased by Vanasati with the appropriate giggliness that can only be attained when you are sitting around with two Spock lovers after a long weekend of slashy fun. (By the way, Vanasati, I did get the Nimoy naked butt picture you sent. It was quite a treat after an incredible crummy day at work. Thanks so much!)

If I hadn't had to take nap (jet-lag...I'm such a lousy traveler), I wouldn't have missed Robin's phone call and hours of video showcasing the high points of William Shatner's film career. Actually, that last part isn't too much a tragedy. I came in at the end of one of the movies (who's title I have blocked from my mind), and while the comments made by JK, GW, Laurel, Karmen, and Erik were wicked funny, I have a feeling that more than an hour of Shatner "acting" in something other than Trek would have warped me for life. (Okay, warped me further.)

In addition to hanging out with TSUers, I did manage to attend panels on (gasp!) other fandoms. In fact, I think I hit more panels than any other TSUer (part of that was due to last year's chilly reception from the 'zine fans, which was not repeated this year). I met so many other great people who have a similar interest in pairing up those oh-so-slashable couples. And this gets me to the really reasons why you should go to a slash con.

I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm not "out" in my real life about my slash obsession. Mostly because I just have no desire to try to explain it to some one who doesn't get it. In my opinion, you get it or you don't. But for one brief shining weekend (in San Fran, not Camelot), I didn't need to explain it to anyone. They were all there because the got it. So, you can image how great it is to just be able to turn to someone and say, "McCoy is the most under used, slashable character on TOS. I just don't get it." And have someone respond not only immediately to your question, but to your tone of voice, body language, and even attitude. No waiting for evil mail servers to relay message. No missed interpretation of what you really meant. BAM! Question asked, question answered, new question posed. I got to do this in a whole lot of fandoms with a whole lot of different slashers. Basically, I was in slash heaven.

So that's my little con report and my only little pep talk get everyone motivated for next year. Trust me you can never start planning too early for Friscon! Besides if you show up, you might get to see the one-act TOS play that Jungle Kitty and I started writing in the parking lot as we were saying good bye. On second thought that may be a pretty good reason to stay away. It was really, really silly, and not it a good way! Guess you'll just have to come next year to find out if it really happens.

[excerpts from a very long con report by Jungle Kitty, see the link for the rest]: First of all, I'm not sure this is a con report. I attended only two con events. The rest of the time I hung out with ASCEM/L or TOS folks.

This is probably more like Jungle Kitty's Memoirs of a Fabulous Weekend. I hope others will feel like sharing their experiences.

This is a very small, informal con, compared to Shore Leave (my only frame of reference for cons). The panels don't have moderators or speakers. Just people in a room chatting and only half an hour long, due to the large number of fandoms represented. This is a slash con, not just Star Trek. A bunch of us went to the K/S panel, which drove the other people right out of the room, with a couple of exceptions. And we hadn't even said much of anything yet. Well, let's not get into that.... [snipped] LATER THAT NIGHT...

Screened CptnsWoman's K/S music video, "Something to Talk About." (Also did this the next day in the con video room.) Everyone loved it, and I encourage you to send her your thanks and feedback.... [snipped] Once we got Robin reading, we almost never let her stop. She does all the facial expressions and body language. And I personally prefer Janeway with an Australian accent.

Judith didn't read but told us the plot of her Legends of K/S story. It will blow everyone's doors off when it's written.

And just to put the whole thing over the top, Robin and Judith read and *acted out* Robin's "Bedtime Story."

Also had fun shop talk, like "Tell us the story that's on your hard drive that will never be finished."

Never did get around to listening to the various selections of Music to Write Treksmut By. The party went on til 3 or 4 in the morning, depending on whether or not you remembered to set your clock back.

This incredible bash was hosted by Judith and Mary Ellen. <A deafening round of applause for our hostesses>

2000

October 27–29, 2000. Pleasanton, CA

2000 flyer

Friscon 8 badge

• 2000: A satirical look at how strange fan fun conventions could look to an new attendee who was more used to commercially run conventions. Trekiverse: Rude Person Parodies: Rude Person Goes To Friscon
• 2000: Members of TSU announced a room party: "On Saturday, October 28 at Friscon, Kaki and I will host the Third Annual TrekSmut University (TSU) Friscon Reunion Party in our room at the Four Points. As always, the party will feature Read Aloud Story Time, when TrekSmut authors read as-yet unposted stories to the assembled company. There will be other activities depending on interest, plus a lot of conversation ranging from raucous to serious. Drinks and snacks will be provided. The fun will probably begin around 8 PM, but we're flexible. (The TSU party at Shoreleave last July broke up around 5 AM.)"
• 2000 Panel List (up to 3 panels for each 30 minute time slot):
  • Friday:
    • 11:00- Sports Night/Farscape/Harsh Realm.
    • 11:30: Houston Knights/Slashing loners/La Femme Nikita.
    • 12:00: World War II series/Law & Order/Roswell.
    • 12:30: What makes a blockbuster movie?/Season/series finales that make you want to kill/How detailed should sex scenes be?.
    • 12:30 Briefing for the Friscon Murder Mystery "Murder Most Toonish".
    • 1:00pm: Once A Thief/Creative use of household & hardware products as toys/ Quantum Leap.
    • 1:30:Hurt/comfort/Is the internet changing fandom?/Star Trek: Deep Space 9.
    • 2:00pm:Is professional gay fic better or worse than fanfic?/Queer As Folk 2: good as first, were you satisfied?/Due South (until 3pm).
    • 2:30: Slash and what turns you on/off/Medical accuracy in fanfic.
    • 3:00pm: Kindred: The Embraced/Man From UNCLE/Star Wars: The Phantom Menace (until 4pm).
    • 3:30: Forever Knight/Oz.
    • 4:00pm: Best fannish sites on the World Wide Web/Hercules/Stargate: SG1 (until 5).
    • 4:30: Why do gay/bi women enjoy m/m slash?/Wiseguy.
    • 5:00pm: Men in slash fandom: Does it change anything?/Star Trek: K/S/Gundam Wing.
  • Saturday:
    • 9:00am: Highlander: Was Endgame the end? (until 10)/Print zines vs. netfic: pros and cons.
    • 9:30: Slashing secondary characters.
    • 10:00:The Professionals (until 11)/Babylon 5/TiVo demonstration in the Hospitality Suite from 10-11am.
    • 10:30: Robin of Sherwood.
    • 11:00: Yaoi vs. 'traditional' slash (until 12)/Gladiator/Pros fans: get your picture taken with Doyle's jacket in the Hospitality Suite from 11am-noon.
    • 11:30am: Xena.
    • 12:00pm: X-Files (until 1)/Blake's 7.
    • 12:30pm: X-Men.
    • 1:00pm: Buffy & Angel (until 2)/New season shows.
    • 1:30pm: Problems unique to following "small" fandoms.
    • 2:00: The Sentinel (until 3)/Vampires.
    • 2:30: Starsky & Hutch. 3:00pm: Kink (until 4)/West Wing.
    • 3:30pm: Star Trek: Voyager.
    • 4:00pm: M/M sex panel led by Minotaur (until 5).

2000: Convention Reports

I wore basic black and SoWest Air was half an hour late going and coming.

On Saturday, I arrived at the Oakland airport at 12:30. It was raining and I didn't bring my coat (well, it wasn't raining in LA when I left the house). I had decided to travel in black leggings, t-shirt and wool jacket with cargo pockets and three inch heels. I felt tall, I was tall, 5'9" is tall for me.

Jungle Kitty and Greywolf met me at the airport, at the gate, no less, and it was wonderful to stagger over on my three inch heels to hug them. It was raining hard as we made our way to the outer limits of the uncovered parking lot. Never try to run through the rain in three inch heels at the Oakland airport parking lot. Don't try it, just take my word for it. And take your coat, it might be raining in October.

We got lost on the way to Pleasanton but it was okay. The heater in Jungle Kitty's car was working and we were talking slash and trash and it was wonderful. And it was raining and we were lost, but it was a good kind of lost.

I like the Four Points hotel, even sprinting between buildings in the rain was okay once I changed my shoes.

I spent the afternoon in the room Jungle Kitty was sharing with Reesa and Greywolf. Laurel, Hafital (Hafital looks like Winnona Ryder. I'm sure people ask Winnona if she's Latifah. And if they don't, they should.), Isla, T'Aneli (I'm sorry I'm spelling your name wrong) and some people I didn't know were there. It was still raining. We watched videos and DVDs. DVDs are wonderful. JK has rehabilitated Dr. Helen Noel for me. Dr. Helen Noel has a stupid hairdo but otherwise kicks ass and sasses Kirk. She's a little spitfire, that PhD. We also watched _What are Little Girls Made of?_ and I had a very serious realization: this was the best hair episode ever for Chapel. We watched the first three minutes of _Spock's Brain_ so I could see Chekov's head in Sulu's lap. Well, of course.

At four, everybody cleared out for Minotaur's symposium on sex sex sex except for moi, JK, GW, Laurel and Reesa. Greywolf read his _Rude Person Wambaugh_ and a new K/S AU and Jungle Kitty read a WIP and also, by Ghia request, her _Rude Person Minnesota_ which I'd been chuckling over for a year and it was still as funny as it was last year. JK and GW should have their own radio show; Trekslashers Home Companion or the Treksmut Hour or something. I was happy and it was still raining.

About seven PM, everybody started to fade and I started to need a margarita really badly so I went upstairs to my room and changed into a long black rayon batik dress and flat shoes. My feet were happy and it was still raining as I sprinted to the bar. It was an okay drink but one of the locals tired to pick me up and the bartender tried to charge me for two drinks instead of one and when I only have one drink I know exactly how many drinks I've had. I let them live, bolted my drink (which gave me one of those wonderful headaches you get when you eat ice cream too fast) and fled. I will say that the piano bar guy did a pretty hip version of _Route 66_, alas, if only I could have enjoyed it in peace.

I stopped by my room for an aspirin and dry shoes (yes, I do need three pairs of black shoes for a trip of less than 48 hours, doesn't everyone?) before I went to Judith Gran's room for the TSU party. I was in building 200 and Judith was in building 600 and it was raining. After toweling off at Judith's room, I watched her make all these wonderful little open faced sandwiches for the party. They were adorable! I was early so I could catch up on Judith news. I offered to help with the food but she had it under control. I brought my laptop and took over Judith's phone line so I could be in the regularly scheduled FCanon chat at 8 and that was fun, being in two places at once. Well, fun for me, I'm not sure how it was for anyone else. I just hope Judith didn't get charged for the call, as I was charged for a call from my room the next day. Hotels; they're wonderful.

Kaki was sharing the room with Judith so she was there with Greywolf, Hafital, Isla, T'Aneli (sp?), KatBear, Jane Melianor (sp?), NovaD, Dina and some people I didn't really meet because I was too busy stuffing my face and enjoying my tequila high and in the FCanon chat room.

I know I will get this wrong but somebody will correct me; I feel sure of it. Greywolf read a story by ArachantheII (sp?), a K/S McCoy first person narrative called _The Bastard_ and then I get kinda vague on what the order was after that. I think Isla read a K/S "He's gay, Jim" challenge from jat sapphire, then Latifah read Dina's Oz story and a K/S, then Isla read part of her Kirk/Sarek, _Stretch of Mortal Time_, then T'Aneli read a K/S, KatBear read a K/S, Judith read a K/S, and then I read my O'Brien/Bashir sequel to one of BGM's G/B stories. I hadn't intended to read but my head was about to explode from so much K/S. It was a little embarrassing trying to do O'Brien's accent in front of Greywolf, but nobody shot at me so I guess it was okay. I had fun and it was still raining.

NovaD read while I was out of the room; I don't even know what she read. I'm sorry I missed that but life goes on.

Everybody wrote get well letters to Britta, which I mailed off today. We talked about her so much it almost felt like she was there. Next year; she'll be at Friscon 2001 next year, god willing. And then we can have at least one VOY story at the story party and that will be nice. At least for me it will be nice.

I stayed up talking to Judith and Kaki and KatBear and Greywolf until 3AM, but it was the time change day so it was only 2AM on the clocks but I was tired and it was raining and I sprinted to my room and called it a night.

The next morning, Sunday, it stopped raining. jonk came over and we hung out with JK, GW, Laurel, Kaki, and Reesa. I met jonk last year, she picked me up at the airport last year and we got lost but it was a good kind of lost and it was not raining, and it was great to meet her then after all those emails and great to see her again. I was able to tell her in person what a hit _Party Pooper_ had been and catch up on jonk news.

And, actually, I don't know what other people's experience is but mine has been that meeting ASCEM people, at last, after all those emails, whether here in LA or at Friscon, has been a 100% pleasant experience. For me. It seems to be pleasant for the people I meet; they seem to be enjoying themselves.

I forced the hotel to open the bar so I could have a Ramos Fizz at 8:30 AM. Then I had an overpriced brunch in the hotel restaurant (never eat there, trust me) and because I was so outraged, I decided to get my money's worth and drank far too much champagne. I love champagne and since nobody kissed me as I'm being overcharged for brunch, I drank up all their booze. Ha! Next year I will bring my own Pop Tarts and they and their brunch can go straight to hell.

Judith took me to the airport for the return flight. We talked and laughed and got lost but it was a good kind of lost. Eventually, we got to the airport. I flung myself out of the SUV, hugged Judith goodbye, raced into the terminal, careened through the milling crowds to find my gate so I could run screaming to it (okay, I wasn't that late but it would involve some brisk walking, I assure you) and de plane de plane is 30 minutes behind schedule. SoWest Air; it's wonderful. And it was really a drag because all that adrenaline drove the champagne out of my body so I had to sit, sober, with the other angry fliers. However, it was not raining.

The plane was jam packed and there were several cranky babies on board; one of them was me. Because the overhead bins were full, the stewardess/prison bull made me check my carry-on bag so I didn't have very many toys to amuse myself with. I put on my walkman and cranked the volume. I put on my sunglasses and read _The Economist_. I slept. At least I tried to sleep. A wailing baby woke me. Children have the right idea; never fly SoWest Air.

I got back to LA. It was dark and it was raining and I still didn't have a coat.