Talk:Slash Cons

I'm not sure what convention is being used for this page, so I just added the CON.TXT dates behind the listing. Also note, the proper name for the con is CON.TXT. --gblvr 15:10, 21 October 2008 (UTC)

Slash vs. slash friendly

I'm a bit confused by this distinction, which isn't really all that well defined. I think if we're going to keep it, a description needs to be included. For example, I consider Escapade slash-friendly con rather than slash only -- it has lots of meta and even some fandom panels that aren't specifically slash oriented, and there is no "no het" rule in the vid show. -Melina 17:43, 27 January 2009 (UTC)

But Escapade also specifically bills itself as a "slash slumber party" -- the core premise of the con is slash fandom, even though it includes things beyond slash. Glancing at the list, all of the cons listed as slash-cons self-identify as slash cons, or slash parties, or slash-oriented cons, or some-generally-equivalent-to-slash cons (uber, yaoi). I think the "slash-friendly" listing is for cons that don't self-identify as slash cons, but that have no problem with including slash content, whether panels, vids, whatever. It seems like a useful distinction to me, since the makeup of people going to a slash-oriented con and a slash-is-okay-but-not-the-focus con is going to be different, as is the general feel of the con itself. --Arduinna 18:13, 27 January 2009 (UTC)

Perhaps a description like this should be included in the page itself? I hate to think of giving the impression that most or all slash cons are strictly slash content only, especially with the inclusion of the line about "no het vids." -Melina 18:20, 27 January 2009 (UTC)

Disambiguation?

According to this page there is a specific con called "Slashcon" which does not have an article yet, however, I think slashcon as a term should redirect to this overview and the article for that specific con should become Slashcon (Australia) or something like that.--RatCreature 21:24, 12 January 2010 (UTC)

"Since 1984"

Considering the article says slash cons started in 1984, this isn't a very meaningful division. I think it would be more useful to break it into still-active and defunct cons or to do a sortable table with dates and locations or something. Franzeska 21:29, 15 March 2011 (UTC)

Slash Con vs. BL/Yaoi/Queer Friendly Con

I added a newer con called Citrus Con to the list of ongoing cons. It self-identifies as a BL and queer media con. As some point in recent years, others have added another BL con (FujoCon) an a yaoi/yuri con (Y/CON) to the list of current cons. I think this means Fanlore is currently defining "slash cons" in a way that includes BL, yaoi, and yuri type media. Given that, it seems appropriate to add Citrus Con too. However, some might object to this and want to keep the focus on Western/English-language media. (Adding Yuri also implies that femslash cons are is included in the definition as well.)

I just wanted to flag this question for anyone watching this page and check on it. The term "slash" has a certain history and association with Western media. However, it can also be used in a broader sense to talk about various types of queer shipping or queer fanworks. For example, the fanlore entry for slash defines it as "fanwork in which two or more characters of the same gender are placed in a sexual or romantic situation or relationship with each other." Certainly, in 2024, many long-standing and self-identified "slash" fans are participating in BL, danmei, k-pop, etc. fandoms where "two or more characters of the same gender are placed in a sexual or romantic situation or relationship with each other." That being said, the fanlore entry for slash does not include any mention of BL, yaoi, yuri, etc. They have their own separate entries. While the fanlore entry does acknowledge femslash, it also specifies that "[s]lash more commonly refers to male/male pairings" and then links to a separate femslash page.

So, are we going for maximum inclusivity with the term "slash con?" Or, does Fanlore want to keep the focus on cons which explicitly identify as slash cons or slash friendly cons?

Ultimately, including BL, yaoi, and yuri cons in the category of slash cons may have implications for cons currently listed here. I suspect the existing list is biased towards Western/English-language and m/m media cons. If the term slash con is being used in a more all-encompassing way, that means the list is missing other relevant past/ongoing cons. If the term is being used more narrowly, then cons like Citrus Con, FujoCon, and Y/CON may need to be removed and discussed on a different page. --Paintedmaypole (talk) 23:57, 21 May 2024 (UTC)

Following up to add: I just realized that some but not all of the cons listed as Femslash Cons were missing on this page. Again, since some were already included, I'm taking this as an indication that all of them are actually supposed to be here. Given that, I'm going to add the missing Femslash Cons to this page. However, my earlier comment/question about inclusivity vs. exclusivity probably pertains here too. --Paintedmaypole (talk) 23:24, 31 May 2024 (UTC)

I propose keeping this a page specifically about the "traditional" Western media fan-cons, and then make it clear in the introduction (and rename the page) to reflect this. Because these original, older-fashion slash cons have a long and unique history of their own, and I don't want to lose that.

But then I think we should add a section that discusses the points you made in The term "slash" has a certain history and association with Western media. However, it can also be used in a broader sense to talk about various types of queer shipping or queer fanworks. For example, the fanlore entry for slash defines it as "fanwork in which two or more characters of the same gender are placed in a sexual or romantic situation or relationship with each other." Certainly, in 2024, many long-standing and self-identified "slash" fans are participating in BL, danmei, k-pop, etc. fandoms where "two or more characters of the same gender are placed in a sexual or romantic situation or relationship with each other." That being said, the fanlore entry for slash does not include any mention of BL, yaoi, yuri, etc.

We should also make prominent links to the BL, yaoi, yuri, femslash, k-pop, danmei pages, hopefully directly linking to a section on each that focuses on the cons in that fandom. And if any of those sections become big enough (which I hope they do), they in turn can become their own page, with their own links to the others.

Thank you, Paintedmaypole, for the discussion and ideas. --Mrs. Potato Head 12:04, 1 June 2024 (UTC)

Okay! Splitting off slash (m/m) from femslash (f/f) is fairly doable right now. I also think it makes sense to tweak the language on https://fanlore.org/wiki/Slash_Cons to clarify that, while slash can be an all-encompassing term, in practicality it often indicates m/m content. I'm happy to start working on both these things, as long as you approve.

This starts to get messier when it comes to the BL/yaoi/yuri cons. I think someone may need to think through how/where to organize those. Right now, Fanlore has pages for https://fanlore.org/wiki/Slash_Cons, and https://fanlore.org/wiki/Femslash_Cons, and https://fanlore.org/wiki/Anime_Convention. I'm not seeing anything that's specific to BL/yaoi/yuri cons. Nowadays, BL/yaoi/yuri is not going to be Japan or anime specific, so it doesn't feel right to put them on the https://fanlore.org/wiki/Anime_Convention page. Also, I suspect some of these cons will be more m/m focused, some f/f, and others will actively solicit both. What about creating an "Asian Media Cons" page and give it sub sections like BL/yaoi, Yuri, BL/yaoi/yuri? That might be the safer tactic for now?

In the long term, I suspect cons are starting to blur across all of these categories (slash, femslash, BL/yaoi/yuri). It's tricky to navigate though, given that, historically, they were more separated from each other.

Let me know what you think? I'm happy to keep working on these, but I'd prefer someone with more fanlore and wiki experience (like you!) is weighing in before I do anything. :) --Paintedmaypole (talk) 23:35, 3 June 2024 (UTC)

Procons on this page?

The L Event appears to have been a procon run by Star Fury Conventions. Detailed information on 2005 - 2012, including actor appearances, are listed on the archived versions of the company's website. Should this con be included here? The opening of this page specifies that "Slash cons are a type of fan-run convention (fan cons)." It sounds like The L Event qualifies as a procon instead? Flagging this for others to decide. --Paintedmaypole (talk) 04:27, 1 June 2024 (UTC)

Yes, I think The L Event should go on the procon page instead. This con is listed at https://fanlore.org/wiki/Femslash_Cons so it is represented. --Mrs. Potato Head 12:04, 1 June 2024 (UTC)

Okay! I'll take it off this page. --Paintedmaypole (talk) 23:35, 3 June 2024 (UTC)