Browncoat Ball
So Browncoat Ball was pretty fun. There were maybe a hundred people at the whole event. Scott and I went to the programs on tai chi, filk circle, and fight choreography.
In fight choreography everyone got to pick up a wooden sword or hatchet and learn a set of basic moves. The instructors were really awesome guys and were very good with everyone, which was amazing as they had everyone there from people who just wanted to have fun but were pretty nervous (like me) about hitting other people to the people who just wanted to "win"--even when there was nothing to win. They apparently train actors for local theater and choreograph fight sequences for plays and the like, so they really knew what they were doing.
My favorite event was the filk circle with the Bedlam Bards. A few people also brought instruments and everyone got to sing.
At the actual shindig it was interesting to see who went western versus eastern. Interestingly most people went with Western, even though most attendees weren't local. Everyone really went all out and so many of the costumes were just dead-on Firefly outfits. We left early because we were bored--saris aren't really friendly to fast line dances which was what they were mostly doing, and Scott was bored because we didn't have anyone else to talk to.
One thing that did surprise me was how boring and uptight a lot of the attendees were. Which sounds mean, and I guess it is, but I've never been to a con where everyone was so serious about everything. There was a "heist" game where each table had to steal nick-nacks from other tables--it was sort of a role-play thing, with "Alliance officers" inspecting your papers and ocassionally confiscating "contraband" items. A number of people copped a 'tude about playing along--it was weird. Most Browncoats I've met were happy-go-lucky so I'm not certain what was going on there--I don't think seriousness is a symptom of the fandom in particular, in other words.
At any rate we largely enjoyed ourselves, and now we're back home and the furbabies are happy we're home.
In fight choreography everyone got to pick up a wooden sword or hatchet and learn a set of basic moves. The instructors were really awesome guys and were very good with everyone, which was amazing as they had everyone there from people who just wanted to have fun but were pretty nervous (like me) about hitting other people to the people who just wanted to "win"--even when there was nothing to win. They apparently train actors for local theater and choreograph fight sequences for plays and the like, so they really knew what they were doing.
My favorite event was the filk circle with the Bedlam Bards. A few people also brought instruments and everyone got to sing.
At the actual shindig it was interesting to see who went western versus eastern. Interestingly most people went with Western, even though most attendees weren't local. Everyone really went all out and so many of the costumes were just dead-on Firefly outfits. We left early because we were bored--saris aren't really friendly to fast line dances which was what they were mostly doing, and Scott was bored because we didn't have anyone else to talk to.
One thing that did surprise me was how boring and uptight a lot of the attendees were. Which sounds mean, and I guess it is, but I've never been to a con where everyone was so serious about everything. There was a "heist" game where each table had to steal nick-nacks from other tables--it was sort of a role-play thing, with "Alliance officers" inspecting your papers and ocassionally confiscating "contraband" items. A number of people copped a 'tude about playing along--it was weird. Most Browncoats I've met were happy-go-lucky so I'm not certain what was going on there--I don't think seriousness is a symptom of the fandom in particular, in other words.
At any rate we largely enjoyed ourselves, and now we're back home and the furbabies are happy we're home.