Back from MISTI-con

[sesheta_66]

This year was my first MISTI! I roomed with fantasyfiend09 and digthewriter - awesome roomies! *hugs* We had dinner and hung out with piratesmile331 and her lovely daughter, Stephanie. So excited to finally meet DIG and so glad to see everyone else again. Three years (since Leviosa in Vegas) is too long!

I managed to attend a good mix of literary, academic and fandom panels that all had an HP-related theme (obviously :P). The overall event theme was "Wizarding Through the Ages" so a lot had historical elements included, which allowed me to geek out even more. Add to that some general entertainment (singing, dancing, a game of Cards Against Muggles, and the occasional alcoholic beverage) and considerable fun was definitely had.

[Click for more details, including panel descriptions]
I seem to have done quite a bit over the four days (especially Friday and Saturday, the two full days I was there), even though it didn't feel rushed and crazy busy.

THURSDAY - arrived around 3:15, checked in & got settled in room. That night included:

• Opening ceremonies - OMG, I could have listened to the MC sing the entire weekend!
  
• After Hours in the Restricted Section - fanfic reading
  
• Potter Movie Jumble - not sure what I was expecting (was a mish-mash of scenes from all the movies), but with poor quality video and a rather noisy audience, we left after a short time
  
• Wizarding Rock - not bad, but a bit too loud for me in a fairly small space

FRIDAY - impressively full day after getting next to no sleep the night before:

• Harry Potter and The Fool's Journey: Exploring Canon Through Tarot: Jennifer Levine
  The Tarot has many things to teach us, including revealing new secrets about our favorite book series. The Fool's Journey is a metaphor for the journey through life with each Major Arcana card symbolizing a phase of that journey. Who is The Fool in Harry Potter's journey? Is it Harry, is it the reader, or could it be Dumbledore? We'll answer these and other questions, also discussing how we use Harry Potter in our readings. All skill-levels are welcome: novice to veteran.
  
• Writing Rules of Magic: Moderator: Cecilia Tan; Panelists: Sarah Guan, Stephanie Guerdan, D. R. Perry, Lindsay Ribar, Cecilia Tan
  A panel of authors and editors discuss building the expressions and limitations of magic in fantasy realms, portal universes, and alternate histories. What can magic do - and what are its limitations and costs? Where does power draw from, how is it invoked, is it innate or learned? How do authors and editors decide what lines to draw - and how do they keep themselves consistent? Authors may also discuss their sources of inspiration and challenges they’ve encountered.
  
• Herbology: The Magic of Herbs: Lynne Allison
  For most of the last 5000 years, herbs were the only available medicine. Learn about herbal use in folklore, and JK Rowling's take on creating the magical plants of Harry Potter. Then, fast forward to modern herbalism and it's practical uses. The gentle art of herb usage can be accessed by everyone. Learn about safely introducing herbs, tips on where to buy herbs or on growing your own. Two simple infusions, or teas, will be prepared. 
  
• What Americans Get Wrong about Harry Potter: David Martin
  Because the Harry Potter novels are written in English, and because we love them, it is easy for us to forget that the novels are set in a British context. Reading these novels with American eyes, we can misunderstand some points of the story. This presentation begins with details (e.g., Why Ron says that the fifty pence piece is “weird.”) and moves on to what “pure blood” means in a British context.
  
• Writing in the Post-Potter Age: Moderator: Irvin Khaytman; Panelists: Stephanie Guerdan, Irvin Khaytman, Cass Morris, Lindsay Ribar
  Harry Potter, with its rise concurrent to that of the flourishing of the internet and the start of social media, saw an investigative and discourse-prone readership. As the books came out, fans made predictions, picked apart inconsistencies, hunted down easter eggs, and generally dissected the books not just thoroughly, but quite publicly. How do authors now write with expectations born of such engaged readership, social media, and spoiler culture?
  
• Albus and Scorpius’s Excellent Adventure - A Musical Parody Show
  Join Scorpius Malfoy and Albus Severus Potter, esquire, as they endeavor to finish their final projects and possibly even found “Wild Slytherins” in a zany musical parody with plenty of classic pop and musical theatre classics with original lyrics by Cat Smith & Lawrence Neals! The show kicks off with special opening Ukulele performance by Katie Pierce. The show will feature a cast of professional actors and performers, plus some special Wizards plucked from “all of time and space” (i.e. the audience).
  
• Rave N Claw 90s Dance Party

SATURDAY - another full day (thankfully got a bit more sleep than the previous night) that included some shopping:

• Tarot for Writers: Building Plot and Character: Cecilia Tan
  In this workshop, writer and editor Cecilia Tan will show you how to use tarot cards as a tool for beating writers block and creating rich fictional stories. Creating three-dimensional characters who feel real and who tug on the reader's heart strings and writing your way out of corners are greatly helped by unlocking your subconscious, which the Tarot is uniquely suited to do for storytellers. 
  
• Wizarding Through the Reading Ages: Building Reading Proficiency and Emotional Maturity in the Harry Potter Series: Vicky McKinley
  One of the unique characteristics of the Harry Potter book series is the way in which the author "grew" the books along with the main characters. As the series progressed the books were longer in page count and the "reading level" or difficulty also increased, making the series an excellent teaching tool. The books also became "darker," and the implications of these transitions will be discussed in the context of children's literature and psychology.
  
• A Muggle Exploration of Wizarding Economics: Es Gee
  This presentation explores the possible economic structure of the wizarding world. Topics will include pre-International Statute of Secrecy Britain, wizard banking, and the economics of buying and selling magical goods. This presentation will go over the basics of economics, so no prior understanding is required. Input and feedback is encouraged.
  
• History of Fanfic: Moderator: Cass Morris
  Roundtable: MISTI-Con invites all attendees with fanficcing experience to come chat about it -- and how it has changed over the years! Fandoms and OTPs may come and go, but a love of derivative fiction is forever. Whether you started on AO3, LJ, FFN, AOL message boards, or alt. email lists, come chat about your experiences in the fanfic world.
  
• The Founders Ball, where we all had rather more alcohol than we probably should have :)

SUNDAY - check out day with 9-hour drive home, so just one thing on my plate:

• Authors and Enthusiasts Meetup - fanfic reading from the MISTI-Con 2019 Fanfiction Collection
  (left early to pack)

And that was it!

As always with cons, it was great to reconnect with some folks that I haven't seen in a while and to meet some new ones. *\o/* I'm not going to list everyone, because I'm sure to leave some out. And, of course, there were others that didn't make it who were missed. :(

So, now that I've returned from MISTI and H/D Glompfest is over (I wrote two fics and modded the fest), I can get back to my WiP, Malicious Intent ( on LJ | on AO3). Three more parts to go, unless the boys insist on taking longer. Yes, I will finish it - it's all mapped out with some scenes already written, and I'm aiming for a post a week until I'm done. Then I can get back to my original work that has been sidetracked by H/D.