So, what do you want to talk about?

[pensnest]

Good-oh. We seem to be making a reasonable job, between us, of making sure everyone will have a means of getting to the cottage. Also, it is now Paid For. And, there are seventeen people signed up, which is excellent. Can we make it to twenty?

So, what are we going to do when we get there?

Well, nopseud and I, with plenty of input from ephemera_pop and bun18 (who has Not Signed Up, *eyerolls*), have come up with a reasonable programme, subject to plenty of adjustment of course. Obviously there will be footage-watching, an activity enhanced to the nth degree by being done in the company of fellow sparkly fans. I am of the opinion that there should be a late-night Lava Lamp reading (and am prepared to sign up for at least a part of this torture experience) - perhaps some of you have further suggestions of this nature? The dread word karaoke has also been mentioned (more later). I think we should have a 'bring and buy' at some point, and will also go into that another day.

But, most of the fun will come from TALKING.

Now, with nearly twenty people in the house, we are going to have to find ways of directing the talking, for part of the time. No doubt there will be bizarre conversations over breakfast, lunch and dinner, in people's rooms, by the coffee machine, in the hot tub, at dead of night, etc, but we'd like to program some specific discussions and be focused at least for part of the time. So, are there any topics you think would make for fascinating discussion? What would you like to talk about?

Comments

[trumpeterofdoom.livejournal.com]

Just a suggestion for the footage watching also, could we have a vague-ish thing about what kind of footage you guys would like, especially with BSB? I assume that you guys can sufficiently cover the *NSYNC part? Most of my footage is accessible only by computer, so I'll need to know whether or not to convert stuff to DVD.

[nopseud]

We will be bringing multiple laptops, a lot of wires, plus someone who knows how to connect everything together to make it all work, so I'm optimistic that computer stuff should be accessible this time around.

[trumpeterofdoom.livejournal.com]

Cool. Yay!!!

[pensnest]

I think it'll be a good idea to get some notion what people want to watch, and have to offer - we'll go into details in another post, okay?

[nopseud]

I would like to suggest a pairing pimping session. Or possibly a pairing and/or character pimping session, for those people who feel their particular sparkly boy or girl is underappreciated. :-)

[trumpeterofdoom.livejournal.com]

Maybe a BSB pimping session as well?

[nopseud]

I was assuming the pimping session would be for all sparkly dancing boy pimpage, including BSB or the S's britpop boys.

[trumpeterofdoom.livejournal.com]

Pardon me, I'm obviously not thinking straight today. :)

[pensnest]

I think rikes is going to try and persuade us of the joy that is JuC, since JuC fans are perhaps somewhat underrepresented! :-)

[nopseud]

Mmmmmmmmmmm...JuC...

[turlough]

Eeeeek!

[pensnest]

Quite so!

[trumpeterofdoom.livejournal.com]

I'd persuade you all about the joy of Letterboys, but then that would take a maximum of like, five minutes. Silly boys. Get photographed together more!

...oh my god. What if I did a Letterboys clothing shoutout powerpoint?! Or a general clothes sharing powerpoint for that matter?

[pensnest]

I'd like to have a discussion on how to beta/how to be a better beta/what works/story analysis, or whatever else might come up in the course of such a discussion.

[ninjetti75.livejournal.com]

Writing discussions! W0000t!!!!

(says he who has not written a THING other than SeSa since AUGUST, oi...)

[stellamira]

Oooh, can we have presentations with the talking? :)

[nopseud]

We're planning to be able to hook laptops up to the TV, so people can bring anything up to and including powerpoint presentations if they want :-)

[stellamira]

Cool. :) Maybe I'm inspired to make one. With pictures. I'd be a lot more fun than making a presentation for school projects for sure.

[turlough]

I suddenly remembered something I wondered about: what about internet connection? Does the cottage have that? I couldn't find it mentioned anywhere when I looked for it, but I might have missed it.

[pensnest]

I will try to find out. So far, am not getting much information out of Hoseasons, and none at all - barring an invitation to us to have a £25-per-head feast cooked for us in-house - from the cottage owners. I shall telephone them, which will scare us all.

[turlough]

I'll wait for more info with bated breath! It would be so nice to be able to taunt my flist with how much fun we're having :-)

[rikes]

I like the idea of programmed discussions (and all the other stuff you mentioned) and will come back with some topic ideas later.

But first, something else that I think could be added to the programme, namely getting to know each other. I know this might be different for some people, but for example I have half of the people who have signed up friended, but I cannot say I really know more than six of them well and I've only met three.

So, maybe some getting to know each other games, like those they make you play at youth camps? Well, at least at those youth camps I've been to. :)

And in general, sparkly versions of games, like pantomime or pictionary with sparkly songs for example. Oh, and there's this great game where you're supposed to write a love letter using only words cut from magazines, but we could write fic instead. Or something.

Thoughts?

[nopseud]

I'm planning to get to Office World at some point and pick up some blank name badges, so people will at least be neatly labelled :-)

[pensnest]

Can you let me know how big they are? I was thinking, a name badge with an identifying LJ icon on it as well as the person's name would be very helpful. Am quite happy to print them off.

[ninjetti75.livejournal.com]

All of the various Sparkly Gatherings I've been to have been GREATLY aided by name badges. And having them be of sufficient size so that both an LJ username AND a "Real" name (or whatever the individual prefers to be called) can be written/printed is nice, too. Actually, Pen, if you'd be willing to print identifying icons, that would be AWESOME, as well as unique. I suppose just going with our default icons would be most sensible, unless someone generally posts in the sparkly circles with a certain icon other than their default. Some people have multiple fandoms, lol. Perhaps a post should be made later, with participants responding with the icon they want printed? And now I'm hi-jacking the thread, but let me just say I'd be totally willing to do such myself. They'd be printed on plain paper, but as long as plastic badge covers were aquired, it'd work. I could just leave the printouts with you when I venture off North, heh.

[ninjetti75.livejournal.com]

Gah. All of which was meant to say:

That's a FABULOUS idea, Pen, and I'd be happy to help if needed.

*sheepish*

[pensnest]

Actually there seems to be no reason why I couldn't pop down to our office supply place and see what they have, unless Office World is actually handy for you?

[nopseud]

Sure, if it's not too much trouble for you. It would definitly be easier for you to pick up the holders if you're planning to print off inserts -- I was thinking of just using plain card which people could write their names on :-) We don't have a colour printer here, so I can't really print icons off anyway.

[pensnest]

Okay, I'll do that.

[ninjetti75.livejournal.com]

Hah.

And I'm a TWIT, teach me to read the whole thread before I respond to a comment. Ignore my two blitherings above. ;D


To try to make a useful contribution, on the activities front I recommend musical games, something like the "Encore" boardgame but using Sparkly Songs, of course. (Good HEAVENS, how long would a round using the word "love" last? Bwa-hahah.) Also, I am completely volunteering to Read Fic with authentic American accents (and my voice is male, too, lol), and I'll be bringing various sparkly RPGs, if anyone is still a fan of my nigh-abandoned action-adventure AUs. *g*

[pensnest]

will come back with some topic ideas later

Good stuff.

getting to know each other

Absolutely. I did something of this kind at a drama workshop, and I think we can get a game or two going before we have dinner on our first day. Also have something called Three Man Bus (not, alas, *quite* as exciting as it sounds) to help us lose our inhibitions.

I think it was Ephemera who suggested an "add three words" story, I thought I'd supply a book and put it next to the tea/coffee making equipment. Sparkly Charades might be fun (I think that equates to your pantomime suggestion), and I'm sure there's a Rude Version Of Pictionary. Anyway, frivolity of that kind, I agree, needs to be on the programme.

Hee!

[nopseud]

I think we can get a game or two going before we have dinner on our first day.

That seems like an excellent opportunity for it. Specifically, when I can be in the kitchen hiding cooking at the time ;-)

[pensnest]

You will be So Jealous when I hand out prizes!

[trumpeterofdoom.livejournal.com]

Speaking of which, would you like to have donations for game prizes? I've got a whole lot of BSB and *NSYNC photocards with me that I don't quite know what to do with, and they're going to have to go somewhere or else I'm throwing them out when I move back home this summer.

[pensnest]

That sounds like a good plan! I've also got vague ideas for a bring&buy kind of exchange, so bring any sparkly loot you can't keep, and we'll see if it can find a good home.

[rikes]

Charades is totally what I meant. Pardon my Finglish!

Also, I love the idea of name badges with icons. :)

[iconis.livejournal.com]

Suggestions that involve the words "like at youth camps" scare the ever-living hell out of me. I know I'm weird, but that's how it goes. [g]

[nopseud]

I don't think that's weird at all. But don't worry -- you can hide out in the kitchen with me and help me maintain my 100% perfect sucess rate for absconding from getting-to-know-you games at cons. We can pretend we're cooking :-)

[rikes]

:D I'm sure you'll survive.

[turlough]

Me too!! Not that I've ever been to any myself, but it sounds so terribly hearty my effete reader-soul shudder just from thinking about it :-)

[pensnest]

Yes, yes, brace up, woman!

[turlough]

And you're using a Brian icon too. He's so disgustingly perky and hearty! *shudders delicately*

[trumpeterofdoom.livejournal.com]

Definitely pictionary and charades. OMG YES. It's so much crack when you play with friends, but sparkly pictionary and charades? Bwahahaha! And then after that I can pimp my Backstreet pictionary clip, yay!

[rikes]

I have a discussion topic idea! Namely, how Europe is pictured in baby!sync fiction. And Backstreet fic too, of course. I've been meaning to post about this for a long time but haven't been able to write my jumbled thoughts down. :)

[nopseud]

Ooh, good one!

[pensnest]

Yes, that *is* interesting, and it's not something I've seen discussed. Cool!

[turlough]

Yes! Very interesting topic!

[stellamira]

I think it'd be cool to have something for the writers. Story ideas, maybe, dead plot bunnies, fun stuff, or something in the direction of what Pen said above. Because I've met other fans before, but I've never been around other writers.

[nopseud]

Story ideas/plot bunnies would be cool. Ideas that people have had, but never got around to writing, or don't think they could write. (I have a couple like that.)


How about a panel on what people like in stories? I've been to a few cons, and I've never seen a panel quite like that. There are usually panels on what people *don't* like, and badfic example panels, and occasionally panels on how to do specific things like research or edit or organize archives, but not on what makes a good enjoyable story for readers. And it has the advantage that people who read but don't write can participate equally well.

I guess perhaps it'd something that's harder to discuss that what makes a story bad (as people can usually agree on that :-) so there isn't a 'right answer' to reach, just a lot of opinions. But I'd still be interested to see how it would go, if anyone else thinks it would be a good idea.