Connotations 2012

Broadstairs Bacchanalia!

2015-06-14T19:51:51Z

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*taps the mic*

Any of the old Connotations crew up for a fannish weekend this autumn on the lovely Kent coast? If so, head ye this way:

BROADSTAIRS BACCHANALIA = WEEKEND (11-13 of September) OF FANDOM FUN! = fangirling, talks, vids, writing, fandom pimps, beaches, ice-cream, silliness... DO COME IF YOU CAN!

Please click on the banner to go vote on the poll if you fancy coming!

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Pictures from Connotations 2005

2013-09-22T20:35:05Z

It feels weird to post here when Connotations is finished, but just in case anyone's still watching this community, I found some old pictures last night from Connotations 2005, and I thought I'd post them here for nostalgia's sake.

Con! In Britain!

2013-04-11T20:38:51Z

Hello lovely Connotations attendees!

A while ago I mentioned to some of you that I might be the person who was crazed enough to want to try to set up something to... not replace Connotations (lovely con comm, that would be impossible ♥ ) but some kind of fannish gathering which might help mend the HOLE IN MY HEART.

And, well, I appear to actually be doing that. If that sounds like something you might be interested in, please come over here to give opinions and answer my dodgy poll questions!

Maybe we can be the light at the end of the tunnel

2013-01-04T09:40:50Z

Hello, everyone. Many of you will know James (aka leanwellback / decor_noctis), our resident lovely fanboy at the last few cons. What you may not know is that he lost his beloved partner Jason (fizzyblogic) suddenly before Christmas. It was a horrible, devastating time and there's a long way for James to go before he can even begin to get over the shock and grief. He needs time and space and that's something he hasn't got because layered on top of the awful trauma he's been through (and is still going through), Jason's death has thrown him into financial turmoil.

Jason needed full time care and James has provided that for years, not being able to work as a result. Now Jason is gone, his benefits are gone with him and it's going to take a while for James to get out of the financial hole he finds himself in. He could lose his home and his cats on top of the loss he's already suffered.

If you know James or knew Jason at all, and have even a few pounds to spare, please, please send them his way. He has a post here that explains the situation in more detail and tells you how you can help.

Please also repost this (or write your own version, or reblog his post on tumblr) if you can for people who may know James that are not in my dwircle/flist. Thank you for anything you do. <3

North-West Fen needs you!

2012-10-20T13:31:26Z

northwest_fen NEEDS YOU! Due to my relocation the community is looking for new organisers/mods to take over and get fandom activities going in the North-West of England!

Please join the comm and comment on the relevant post if interested.

vids!

2012-10-08T14:38:59Z

A few people asked for these, so here's the links to the vids I played on Saturday night:

Anything For Love by astolat & cesperanza
(Thor/Loki, fandom, epic feels)

What Makes You Beautiful by jumpercut
(Merlin, Merlin/Arthur)

Black Dove by llenka
(Teen Wolf, ensemble)

2nd law by kaydeefalls
(Multi, female characters)

(22)1BR/1BA by purplefringe
(Sherlock, John post-Fall)

The Adventure by trelkez
(Harry Potter, Neville)

Teenagers by xandra
(X-Files, Mulder)

We Will Rock You by ash48
(Supernatural, ensemble)

Ride to California by bradcpu
(Avengers + prequels, ensemble)

Embers by Dayln
(The Hunger Games, gen)

Better Than I Know Myself by talitha78
(Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, Holmes/Watson)

Friendship and Courage and Whatever by Dogstar
(Scott Pilgrim vs. the World)

Feel It In My Bones by trelkez
(The Vampire Diaries, Damon/Stefan/Elena)

Meteor Shower by fizzyblogic
(Glee, Kurt/Blaine)

OK by thingswithwings
(Community & Parks and Recreciation, female friendships)

No, I Don't Remember by obsessive24
(X-Men, Charles/Erik)

How We Operate by Aislynn
(Elementary, Holmes & Watson)

Starships! by bironic
(Multifandom)

We Rule the World by Cherry
(My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic)

Suit Vid by echan
(White Collar, Neal & Peter)

Do It Like a Dude by talitha78
(The Middleman, Wendy/Lacey)

Time To Begin by atsp88
(Community, ensemble)

Enough To Go By by such-heights
(Doctor Who, Amy)

We Didn't Start the Fire by fiercynn & scribe
(Multifandom)

Announcement

2012-09-26T15:17:27Z

Hi all,

We've always said that the original plan, made back in the hazy days when Temaris and Claire were but whippersnappers, was that we were going to do ten Connotations and talk about it.

Well, we're here, at number ten, and we have talked.

This year's Connotations will be the last one.

We have had a fantastic time, and we couldn't have done it without everyone -- it's been a lot of fun, and we are going to miss doing these, but it is time.

So, if you want to have one last Connotations this is your chance. We are dropping registration back down to £50, so come along, and join the party. We'd like to make this the best one yet. (We will refund those who paid after August 1st when the reg increased)

Temaris, Claire and Seph

If you haven't booked the hotel room...

2012-09-24T20:12:36Z

If you haven't booked your hotel room please do as soon as possible as they want to release the unsold rooms on Friday.

Fanservice -

2012-09-22T21:06:55Z

- do we like it, is it baby steps forwards, or is it rubbing our face in something we'll never get?

I have agreed to mod this session so I would appreciate some suggestions as to the issues people want to raise/discuss. ruric has offered to lead me through how it impacts on Teen Wolf. With slides!

Any input to help me with a short intro gratefully received. Here or through xcorby at gmail dot com if you prefer.

Thanks.

Avengers Panel

2012-09-22T20:13:58Z

Since I'm apparently doing the Avengerrrrrrrrrs panel, and it's such a wide open topic, I was wondering what sort of things people would be interested in covering*.

We can go for such topics as:

- The differences between the MCU and the comic!verse.

- Natasha Romanoff: How are you so awesome.

- Why Nick Fury is a lying liar who lies.

- Loki: Scheming genocidal sociopath, toddler having a temper tantrum, or woobiest woobie who ever did woobie?

- All of the pheels in the world!

- How many places can they start keeping spare pants for after Bruce hulks out?

- Bruce Banner: exhibitionist or just a man who has never heard of spandex and/or unstable molecules.

- You know all those things you read about Clint Barton's part and thought an author made them up to give him the most tragic history ever, omg! They're actually canon.

- Thor: Labrador or golden retriever?

The world is our oyster *\o/*

* Apart from Jeremy Renner's arse. Which should, actually, never be covered. Except in chocolate.

Panel Needing Moderator

2012-09-22T19:48:05Z

We've got a third panel needing a moderator:

Writer's Block - how to make it go away and why bother when you feel you are writing into a void.

It's penciled in for the 2:00pm slot on Saturday and is a one hour session.

ETA: Moderator achieved *\o/*

Panel Needing Moderator

2012-09-19T22:00:14Z

We've got another panel needing a moderator:

Avengerrrrrrrrrs

It's penciled in for the 9:30am slot on Saturday and is a one hour session.

Yes, that's the full title. Yes, that means it's pretty much a wide open subject just ripe for... plucking.

ETA: Er, apparently, I'm doing the panel...

Be warned, should no one claim this, it will be me, standing in front of everyone with a slideshow of Jeremy Renner's arse and Clark Gregg's adorable smile, along with the occasional squeak of "Sciencebros!" and "Shieldwives!" (complete with Paul Gross arms) (and possibly pompoms).

Panel Needing Moderator

2012-09-19T18:52:00Z

We've got our first panel in need of a moderator:

Fanservice - do we like it, is it baby steps forwards, or is it just rubbing our face in something we'll never get?

It's penciled in for the 12:00pm session on Saturday, and is a one hour session.

If you've never modded a panel before, it's a little like herding cats*. It's the mod's call to make sure everyone gets heard, people aren't talking over each other and that we all stay on topic. (Anyone who has been to Connotations can tell you how easy it can be for us to stray off topic, but we're pretty good at bringing it back around ::grin:: )

Anyone who fancies modding this one, let us know.

ETA: Moderator achieved *\o/*

* With the caveat that we're actually pretty well behaved cats and tend not to pee on each other. Unless you're into that sort of thing, in which case go for it.

Saturday Night Vid Show

2012-09-18T22:31:41Z

So, it's pretty much a tradition on the Saturday nights that we have a vid show of some sorts. Does anyone fancy overseeing this year's?

This will involve anything from pressing play on a DVD to choosing vids off a hard drive :)

Anyone who feels like giving it a go, give a shout here.

Panel Poll 2012

2012-09-02T15:11:23Z

Time to choose the panels!

The poll will be open until September 9th.

Please remember that if you want your vote to count, you *must* be registered for the convention.

Lastly, We are looking to fill just 14 slots from the over 41 suggestions -- where possible I've combined similar panel proposals.

View Poll: Connotations Panels 2012

Train tickets

2012-08-30T07:13:24Z

Hi all! Nearly Con time! So, we have a spare train ticket from London to Durham and back. The details are:

King's Cross - Durham / 10:30 am Friday 5th October (£17.65)
Durham - King's Cross / 12:37 pm Monday 8th October (£7.95)

Help us, LJ, you're our only hope! By which I mean they are group save tickets & we NEED a 4th lol

Hit me up with a comment if you're interested in them (one way or both!)

claimed

ROLL ON THE CON! :)

Panel Suggestions 2012

2012-08-15T20:51:29Z

Hello!

Once more it's mid August, and that time again -- your chance to tell us the panels of your dreams so the con will be full of interesting talk and discussion and panels and not just 30 people and two seasons of Teenwolf in competition with 30 people and the complete set of Avengers films...

Post your suggestions here. Don't be ultra long -- that's for the panel ;), make them specific or general, on your favourite pairing all the way up to the meta meaning of penguins in fanfic. They just need to be things you want to talk about. Post a title and a brief description. You can put your name to them or leave them anonymous.

Comments here will be collated and the complete list of suggestions will go up for voting on 1st September, including those suggestions sent via reg forms, emails and other posts :)

Remember, if you want to see a particular panel or panels run, you have to start by including it on the list :) If you leave your name with your suggestion you will get first dibs on moderating: it does not oblige you to do so. No one will be asked to mod more than 2 panels in any case :)

The post is open for suggestions until August 30 .

Registration

2012-07-31T11:42:30Z

Today is your last chance to register at the earlybird rate of £50. The price goes up to £70 tomorrow!

http://t.co/uWxdGUbs

Hotel Parking

2012-05-27T21:12:43Z

Just to let everyone know that we've received a letter from the hotel regarding parking. Apparently, their parking has been taken over by an external company and it now costs £5 per day to park in the hotel car park.

Hope this doesn't inconvenience anyone too much.

Hotel booking is open!

2012-05-27T19:52:42Z

You can book online on our dedicated Marriot webpage or by phone. To book online please make sure you use the page from this link, as it will embed the necessary code for your rate.

If you are staying Friday night you will need to book the Dinner, Bed and Breakfast rate of £110.00 single occupancy, £149.00 double occupancy, these can be booked by selecting the DBB Single Double choice. If you require a triple occupancy room at £230.00 DBB you will need to select DBB Triple.

For the Saturday and Sunday Evenings, you will need to book the 24 Hour Rate of £145.00 single occupancy and £215.00 double occupancy, again by selecting 24hr Single Double Occupancy again on the left hand side of this page. If you require a triple occupancy room on the evenings of Saturday and Sunday you will need to ring the hotel directly on 0191 375 3606.

To make your reservations for the DBB rate and the 24hr rate, you will need to make 2 separate reservations, these will be linked directly by the hotel to ensure that you remain in the same bedroom for the full weekend.

We look forward to welcoming you to the hotel in October.

Smutty Days Stories on AO3

2012-03-22T15:52:55Z

I suggested to moonlettuce that there be a Book of Smutty Days collection on AO3 and she said to go for it - so I did.

The main collection is called Book of Smutty Days and has a sub-collection for each zine. I know that there are at least some stories originally published in one of the Books of Smutty Days that have been uploaded to AO3 so I'd ask the authors of those works to add them to the collection for the appropriate year (the quickest way is to click the 'add to collections' button and the bottom of each story then type in the collection name - Book of Smutty Days (YYYY)).

NB. Currently I haven't added a collection for the 5 Year anniversary zine but I can do if there is interest in that happening and more just Tyler/El Blanco to go in it ;-)

Registration is now open!

2012-03-01T20:53:59Z

Registration is up and running!

It's fully online -- fill in the form, pay up, and you're done. You'll get confirmation emails for the form and Paypal straightaway, and just to be extra sure, we'll drop you an email 3-4 weeks before the convention to confirm you are registered.

Hotel booking is not yet open. That's the next job, and unlikely to be before April :)

Connotations #10

2012-02-12T23:18:03Z

Evenin' all.

So, yes, the 10th Connotations. Claire and I always promised ourselves we'd make it to ten, and see what happened. We haven't killed each other yet, we've forced lost_house to take her rightful place as Con Com (what would we do without our Minion-in-Chief and her faithful if somewhat eccentric minions?), and people keep coming back. I think that's an overall win.

We do want to make #10 special, so if you have ideas for fic for the zine, or art, or indeed, anything that might make the con shinier than ever before, if such a thing is possible, let us know.

The important question: no, registration isn't yet open, but given that I've had to answer this several times in the last few weeks, here's a quick update and dates for your diary.

Connotations #10 will run 5-7 October 2012, registration will open on March 1 2012.

Registration will be £50, rising to £70 in August. This is to reward early registration, which makes your con com's hearts swell with relief that they might actually break even and not have to subsidise the entire event.

We will put up links for booking the hotel after registration has opened. Please remember that booking a hotel room is not the same as registering.

Important dates

Connotations 2012 will run from Friday, 5th October to Sunday, 7th October at the Royal County Hotel, Durham.

1st February: Stories from the 2011 Book of Smutty Days con zine timed out.

31st July: Last date for submissions to the con zine.

15th August: Panel suggestions post goes up and last date for artwork submissions to the con zine.

1st September: Panel poll opens to voting.

7th September: Panel polls closes to voting.

1st October: Last date for registering online -- after this contact us by email. Please note there will be no on-the-day registrations without prior agreement with the Con committee.

5 - 7 October: Convention!
- Friday starts at 2pm, and the last panel ends at 6pm. Slash pictionary & conviviality in the con rooms from 8 till late.
- Saturday starts at 9:30am, and the last panel ends at 6. Moderately Tidy Dinner from 7pm. Vid Show from 8pm-ish.
- Sunday starts at 9:30am, and the last panel ends at 3pm. the Pimp Session runs from 3:30 till 5, and the drawing of the raffle, distribution of prizes, announcement of the quiz winners and general closing ceremonials will begin at 5 and end when we run out of chocolate...

The raffle, which has for each of the last two years donated about £200 to the Poppy Project for trafficked and exploited women, will run as usual, with tickets on sale during the weekend from reg desk and passing minions. Raffle donations should be dropped off at reg desk.

Minions can volunteer on their reg forms, and we heartily recommend minioning as a great way to a/ make friends b/ influence people c/ get chocolate.

Rocknrolla

2011-10-22T16:47:34Z

Someone mentioned this film at the con, and it sounded interesting.

I was wandering around Tesco's yesterday and it was in their £3 DVD section, in case anyone else wants a copy. Haven't watched it yet so I can't tell you if the reason it was only £3 was justified!

Lewis!

2011-10-13T21:34:27Z

I talked with several people about the joys of Lewis and they asked for more information. As there have been quite a few recent pimp posts by people much more talented than I am, I have decided to post a collection of links to those for anyone who's interested.

The main comm is inspector_lewis and various people there have been posting pimp posts too, making my life easier! I would recommend reading this one by fluffyllama because not only is it a fabulous pimp post but it links to several others.

Garryowen did a lovely pimp post over on Dreamwidth which is completely spoiler free. Our hotness character is Hathaway (Laurence Fox, aka Billy Piper's second husband) who is about eight feet tall and skinny with it. We get quite a bit of Hathaway's backstory and it's AWESOME. lamardeuse has a recp of the season 2 episode Life Born of Fire over at her journal. This is one of the slashiest episodes around, in which Hathway goads Lewis into outright asking him whether or not he is gay and then refuses to answer the question. It is all about Hathaway's schoolfriends and his time in seminary school, and if you are into big religious angst and repressed homosexuality then this is the ep for you. Also if you like 'undercover in a gay bar' although I'm afraid that they are not actually pretending to be a couple. It's a recap, so, spoilers, but also, yeay.

Fans of Merlin my like season 2 episode "Music to Die For", because Bradley James is in it, boxing topless. Fans of Rupert Graves might like season 4 episode "Falling Darkness" because he is in that, being drunk and common. People who like Alan Davies (and I surely cannot be the only one who loves him and his crazy hair) might like "Your Sudden Death Question" in which he plays a sleazy quizmaster. There is usually a famous guest star each episode, which keeps life interesting.

and, fic. Well, Garryowen's Punctuation series is gorgeous - Hathaway writes Lewis a poem comparing them both to punctuation. Poems are normally massively cringeworthy - this one isn't. It should feel contrived and sentimental and it doesn't, instead it's a good exploration of both characters and their developing relationship. At the moment it's a seven part series but I'd think there could be more.

His Awkward Sod by Sarren.11000 words of pretending to be a couple.

Most of the fic is buried in the comm but there's a good bit over on AO3. Not enough though - go! Watch! Write!

edit
Just because my post up there is a bit thin on actual fic recs, here is a lovely recslist by fluffyllama, which contained only two that were new to me and all the others have my full endorsement *g*