CON.TXT 2006 Panel Survey

This is a list of all panel suggestions as of May 31st. There were two duplicate suggestion that have been combined: "Is Incest the New Slash?" and "The Love That Dare Not Speak Its Name: Incest in Fandom". However, many similar panels were suggested; here is your chance to vote for your favorites among them! We're also now taking offers to moderate panels which you did not suggest; please indicate your interest in the radio buttons and also at the bottom of the page.

As always, feel free to contact us at info@con-txt.net with any questions.

Please submit this survey only once.

1. Please vote for the following meta panels:

	I would like to moderate this specific panel.	I want to attend this specific panel.	I like any and all panels on this topic.	I would prefer a different panel on this topic.	This topic doesn't interest me.
The Academicization of Fandom "If fandom were a show, livejournal would take the place of television and fandom_wank would be its Television Without Pity". As meta has become a fandom in and of itself, more and more fans are studying the culture of fandom in addition to or sometimes to the exclusion of being fannish about the source, and like all fannish subcultures acafen often seem to speaking their own language. For better or worse, fandom studies has moved beyond Jenkins and Textual Poachers, but what are some of the more recent developments in the field? How is this exposure affecting fandom as a community, and should fans who aren't academics even care? Is there an anti-intellectual bias in fandom which leads to this kind of meta discussion and academic study being dismissed as 'wank'? As the Internet continues to bring different fannish subcultures together, what are the potential divisive risks and what have some of the benefits been (eg. the recent Tiptree fanfic nomination debate)?
L'Academie Slashaise This ~~riot~~ panel is suggested because so many of the kerfuffles turn out to be about different definition of terms. What do we mean by "slash" "het" "gen" "kink" "meta" "feminization" "OTP" "OOC" "drabble" and other hotly-contested terms? One possible outcome could be publishing a Frequently Unanswered Questions page documenting our conclusions.
The Allure of the Other (or, "What's a Hero Got to Do These Days to Get Some Fannish Loving?") Severus Snape, Ray Kowalski, Lex Luthor, Methos, et al. They're not the heroes of the universes they inhabit, but it can be hard to remember that, given the intense interest so many of us have in them. Why do so many fans find these 'secondary' characters more appealing than their ostensibly more heroic counterparts. Why do we see [often quite vehement] disparagement of the Hero so frequently in fandom discussions? Can we ever truly find common ground? Let's talk about the factors that come into play regarding the Allure of Heroes and the Allure of the Other.
The Appeal of Enemyslash It's all those heated glares and the way they turn being enemies into a shared obsession: when they're saying "I hate you" in canon, we're sure what they mean is "I love you." What's the appeal of enemyslash? What makes some enemy pairings more attractive than others? Can pairings of enemies ever end happily without changing who the characters are?
But Where Have All the Women Gone? The men we slash often have strong canonical relationships with women -- not just romantic interests, but female teammates, partners, co-workers, family members, and friends. How do we write slash without making all the women disappear? What are some different approaches to dealing with canonical female romantic interests in slash, and where's the line between disliking a canonical het romance and bashing a female character because she's "in the way"?
The care and feeding of OT3s Are there more OT3s now than ever? Why do we love them, and what are some of the challenges of writing them? How about the differences between same-gender and mixed-gender threesomes? Who are your favorite threesomes, and, most importantly, where are all the stories?

	I would like to moderate this specific panel.	I want to attend this specific panel.	I like any and all panels on this topic.	I would prefer a different panel on this topic.	This topic doesn't interest me.
Crack Fiction Crack fiction are those stories that start with a premise that should not in any way shape or form work out, but then turn into amazingly well written stories. Crackfic has been with us for years, but there has been a huge resurgence in the last year, with Stargate:Atlantis, and the "no premise is possibly sillier than that of the show" policy. Furry Octopii, random sex changes, and stripper AU's are no weirder than space vampires and stargates. Other highly crack laden fandoms include: Popslash: Because nothing says N'Sync like sparkly gay My Little Ponies. Or Elves. Or on the serious side, the idea of Lance Bass- Magician Due "For reasons that are not important at this juncture" South Smallville, Harry Potter, and more. What drives crack fic? Does the line continue to push farther each time?
Cross ficcing: the delights and dilemmas of enjoying both slash and het Are you a slasher attending con.txt who also enjoys het? Come talk about the joys and agonies of being a cross ficcer. We'll explore the possible reasons for this (real or perceived?) genre/fandom divide and speculate about its future evolution. Other discussions might touch on self-identification ("I don't like het/slash, but I like this pairing") and story classification (is dark or cest het viewed as somehow more inherently close to slash than het romance fic?).
Familial Bonds Fathers and daughters, husbands and wives, brothers - what do familial bonds bring to the fannish table? Do parent-child relationships get their fair share of fanfic? Is it more difficult to slash married men? Will shows featuring brothers automatically have incest-heavy fandoms? Example shows: Veronica Mars, Supernatural, Numb3rs, The Unit.
Fanfic and the Tiptree Dragging our guilty pleasure out into the light of day sure pushes people's buttons. Discuss! (No weapons, no food-flinging, no Em-bashing allowed.)
Fanworks, Copyright and Trademark Man, doesn't it drive you crazy to see a "fanfic is obviously illegal" post? OK, "fanworks are unpermitted derivative works that may or may not constitute fair use"....SOOO undramatic. Anyway--fair use factors; piracy and plagiarism vs derivative works; appropriation and repurposing of images; sanctions on pornography and child pornography; C&Ds and TOS violations; what the frell is "noncommercial" or "in commerce" anyway?; disclaimers, vague, friendly, and otherwise.
The feminization of male characters in Slash There are so many slash stories that do this, you must have run onto at least one or two. Where Harry Potter or Ray Doyle or Rodney McKay or Daniel Jackson cries a river of tears for no reason. Where Harry or Daniel or Ray never think of asking to top because their partner is too macho to allow it. Or worse one of the men gets pregnant without an explanation ( I can buy some magical premises) and has to be taken care of because they lose the ability to take care of themselves. Where the characterizations are more like that of 12-year-old girls, except that most girls wouldn't be caught dead acting like that.

	I would like to moderate this specific panel.	I want to attend this specific panel.	I like any and all panels on this topic.	I would prefer a different panel on this topic.	This topic doesn't interest me.
Help, I'm into a fandom without slash! It seems that lately there are any number of fandoms that could be slashed, and aren't; people are writing fic and discussing the episodes, but most of the output is gen and het. How does a die-hard slasher reconcile themselves to a fandom without slash relationships? Is the slash really non-exixtent, or are they just not looking hard enough? And how on Earth do they explain to other slashers why they've suddenly gone to "the dark side"?
Is Incest the New Slash?/The Love That Dare Not Speak Its Name: Incest in Fandom While incest is hardly a new kink, incestuous pairings (both slash and het) seem to be gaining in acceptance and popularity. What's the attraction of this type of story? As slash itself becomes less taboo and more mainstream, is incest is the only taboo left to break? (And by that logic, is hetcest more slashy than non-incestuous het pairings?) Finally, incest fiction no more condones abuse than rape fantasy stories do, so are fantasies about sibling incest portraying an essentially different or more "justifiable" kind of relationship than parent-child incest? Come and discuss your favorite pairing of wrongness, and what it is about these forbidden relationships which can fascinate slashers. / What's the draw? Is it the show, the guys, the forbidden element of the genre? Why has it suddenly become so popular? Or has it always been, and we just didn't talk about it? What do you say when other fans give you the hairy eyeball? How do you reconcile it to yourself, or don't you feel the need to? What is it about these particular characters that suck you in and won't let go? What was the very first moment you realized, omg, they are so doing it?!
It's not all about the boys- Femslash With more strong roles for women in the movies, books and TV that makes up our canon, femslash is growing.
Lesbians Writing Slash Ever since Henry Jenkins's _Textual Poachers_ came out, the stereotype of the slasher is the bored housewife with a naughty secret. In reality, we're a very varied group. A lot of us aren't housewives and most of us aren't bored. Slash isn't even a secret for some of us. And, surprising many people (even ourselves) a bunch of us are lesbians. Why would a lesbian want to write and read about m/m desire, love and sex? Does it turn us on? Do we write it because we like turning other women on? Does it give us enough distance from our own sex lives that we feel freer writing about explicit sex (and don't worry that our lovers will think we're stealing our sex lives for cheap fiction)? Does stepping outside of what's expected for our gender sexually make us more open to writing from a gender non-conformist POV? Is it as simple as all the characters we're interested in are men? How are our voices different from those of our straight slashing sisters?
Maintaining the squee How do you keep your squee alive when everyone you know has moved on to new fandoms? Tips and tricks for how to survive when you seem to be the only one still in a fandom.
Qurinas' femslash Round-up 2006 What is femslash? Is it slash? Is it something else all together? Where does femslash stand in the grand scheme of fandom? Who's hot and who's not? Is femslash more accepted than it was in 2005? 2000? 1995? 1990? Is more being written? Is there more feedback, or even celebration, for femslash works in fandom? So many new shows, so many hot girls, so where's the femslash? Why is there an overwhelming lack of femslash in some fandoms while a few others seem to have it all? The questions are practically endless as are people's thoughts about it. Love it or hate it, femslash continues to make its mark on fandom. Join a discussion about the state of that little slice of fandom that is femslash.

	I would like to moderate this specific panel.	I want to attend this specific panel.	I like any and all panels on this topic.	I would prefer a different panel on this topic.	This topic doesn't interest me.
The Politics of Slash To what extent is slash...feminist? misogynist? post-modern? post-Stonewall? egalitarian? racist? out, loud, and proud? homophobic? Or is it just about the ice cream on ice cream?
Sexual and Racial/Ethnic Identities in Our BSOs and Our Fanfiction How do we think about racial and/or ethnic identity when we construct the queer sexualities of our Beloved Slash Objects? Do we think about racial and/or ethnic identity when we construct the queer sexuality of white characters as well as characters of color? When writing characters of a different racial or ethnic background, relying simply on popular, problematic stereotypes (example: the notion of black men "on the down low") obviously isn't the way to go, so how can we think about the intersection of racial/ethnic and sexual identity (and other aspects of a character's social context, but let's focus on race) in more productive ways that will hopefully enrich our characterizations?
Slash and the Significant Other Do you live with, or just spend a lot of time watching tv or movies with, someone who's not a slasher but knows you are? Whether that person is a significant other, a roommate, a parent or an offspring, odds are good you have at least one story to tell. Do they point out slashy moments? Glare at you because they see them? Share your funny stories, your frustrations, and your experiences.
Slash and the Presumption of Heterosexuality Where does slash come from? No, not from the stork, but from the presumption of heterosexuality. It's reaction to real or imagined subtext in canon that depicts all characters as heterosexual, or in canon that doesn't talk about sexuality but exists in an environment where all characters are presumed to be heterosexual. How does that presumption - in readers/viewers, in canon producers, and in the society itself - affect us as fanfic writers? What do we need to do to make our characters credibly homoerotically active and still credibly themselves? And what happens as that presumption breaks down, both in society at large and in mainstream entertainment media? Does that make media more slashy or less? Is the slashy edge gone when characters are openly gay? Is it even slash anymore?
25 years of AIDS and 30 Years of Slash The 25th anniversary of the first CDC report of what later came to be called AIDS is upon us. Many slashers weren't even born when HIV first came on the horizon. In real life it has changed so much about how we live and how we think about sex and illness. How has it affected slash? What are you seeing in your own fandoms? What are you writing? Are characters concerned about HIV? Do they take action to avoid infection? Do they not practice safer sex but worry about it? Have you written or read any stories that deal with AIDS directly? Indirectly? Does this vary by fandoms? Some fandoms are set in a time or place where concern about HIV would not be expected. Is there more awareness of it in the more here-and-now fandoms than others?
What do you like to read in fanfic? Whereas it seems that newbies like to go for the expliit sex in PWP stories, the longer a reader has been in fandom, the more the readers seem to want plot and less explicit sex. There is a huge range of story types that people are aching to read - does it make a difference in the type (genre) of show, how long the show has been on, or the age of the reader? Are there favorites that go across the board? Have long, plot-filled stories gone by the wayside for drabbles? When the reader reads a story, what does she look for? Characters in voice? Sex? Plot? Friendship and affection? Effective use of OCs and cannon side-characters? Does choice of reading depend on mood? Do readers have a particular set of writers they always turn to, or are new writers welcomed and encouraged (and is this peculiar to certain fandoms)?
What Were They Thinking? (aka When Subtext Becomes Text) You sit down to watch your favorite show and revel in the subtext, but there's living together and eye-fucking and holding hands and buddy breathing and hugging and jealousy and touching...and you wonder when it was exactly, that the subtext became text. Let's pick out some of our favorite subtext-to-text moments and share them, explore them, lavish them with the adoration they deserve.

2. Please vote for the following multi-fandom panels:

	I would like to moderate this specific panel.	I want to attend this specific panel.	I like any and all panels on this topic.	I would prefer a different panel on this topic.	This topic doesn't interest me.
Canon? Which One? The Perils and Promises of Comics Fandoms You think you've got it rough with five seasons of canon? Try writing characters who've been around for sixty years, who've had their histories and storylines re-written a half-dozen times, and who at any given moment in canon might be in three different places. So how do you make sense of it all? Or do you just embrace the chaos? And what does that mean for writers and readers?
Complicated and Conflicting Canon: Harry Potter, X-Men and Star Wars What do you do when your fandom includes several versions of the same story, and they don't agree? When "canon" includes books, movies based on books, comic books, tv cartoon series, books based on movies, movies based on comic books and/or books based on movies based on comic books, what do you do? What is canon and what isn't? What if the different canon sources don't agree? Are you writing AU before you even start? This panel will explore the issues surrounding contradictory canon and the diverse approaches that three different fandoms have done to address those issues.
DADT & You - Writing in Military Settings Anyone who writes or has written in a military-related fandom (SG-1, SGA, NCIS, etc) will eventually come across a reference to the dreaded "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. What does it really say, how strictly is it enforced, and what are the chances of it changing anytime soon?
The Future of Darkfic, Angstfic, and Hurt/Comfort Two years ago, over a dozen active multi-fandom and original fiction archives, lists, and zines were devoted to various forms of darkfic. Now none of the above are active. Where does the future lie for darkfic, and for the related genres of angstfic and hurt/comfort? Come discuss new projects that are being started to promote stories for those of us who like our characters to have rocky paths in their love lives.
Gay Cowboys What's the draw of the American West? Does the reality have anything in common with our favorite shows? How accurate is the concept of cowboys, away from home for long stretches, keeping each other 'company'...and do we really care?! Let's talk specifics: favorite characters, favorite scenes, slashiest moments.
The Grand Search for Original Slash In the past couple of years, many slashers have gotten past asking, "What the heck is original slash?" and are now asking, "Where on earth do I find it?" In light of the recent growth of original slash sites, where are the best places to go to find original m/m and f/f stories that are published within the fan fiction community?
Law & Order, CSI, JAG, SVU, Crossing Jordan, ER & More: FF pairings on police/medical procedurals One of the few places where F/F pairings are common is in the world of the police or medical procedural. Oliva Benson of SVU, Claire Kinkaid of Law & Order, Jordan Cavanaugh of Crossing Jordan and more. What is it about the legal system that lends itself to dyketastic fun? Serena "Is this because I'm a Lesbian" Sutherland is an entire special section: What if a character on a major, non-fannish, television show became a lesbian, and nobody cared?From ponn farr, to the Sentinel and his Guide, to what seems like every third story in HP fandom, (and the Winchesters?), there concept of forging a mystical bond provides a great foundation for slash. How do they work best? When does the trope break down? Which guys need the "push" of magic to overcome their antagonism?
Mystical Bonds (and Why They Are So Hot) From ponn farr, to the Sentinel and his Guide, to what seems like every third story in HP fandom, (and the Winchesters?), there concept of forging a mystical bond provides a great foundation for slash. How do they work best? When does the trope break down? Which guys need the "push" of magic to overcome their antagonism?

	I would like to moderate this specific panel.	I want to attend this specific panel.	I like any and all panels on this topic.	I would prefer a different panel on this topic.	This topic doesn't interest me.
Pairing Inequities May/December, Teacher/Student, Boss/Worker, Officer/Enlisted--the combinations are endless. Qui-Gon/Obi-Wan in SW, Snape/Harry in HP, Napoleon/Illya in MFU, Gibbs/Dinozo in NCIS --What is it about the inherent inequities in these types of Pairings that draws us to them.
Pimping session A session in which people actively pimp their fandoms, in brief, coherent presentations. Can include handoust with links, newsgroups etc.. (A/V aids a plus!!!)
Secondary Characters We Love Eberts! Keith Mars, Chloe Sullivan, David Sinclair, Colby Granger, Harding Welsh, Frannie Vecchio, Louis Gardino, Simon Banks, Jeremy Goodwin....why do we love them and what do they bring to their respective shows?
Slashing the past Rome, King Arthur, Horatio Hornblower, Historical RPS, the range and diversity of historical fandoms is endless. What draws fans to these fandoms? What iis the appeal of writing within a historical setting and events? And what are some of the special challenges that face the historical slasher?
Two-dimensional love: Slash in anime and manga Teenagers. Death gods. Mutants. Samurai. High school students. Alchemists. Ninjas. The clash of the real and the surreal makes anime and manga strange places indeed for a grownup slasher to find herself. What is the lure of these two-dimensional worlds, and what makes a specific show, manga or pairing slashable?
The WB RPS/RPF The WB seems to breed their own stock of exceptionally pretty men and women, and then crossbreed them into the same few shows, tangling up their lines of friendship and making it far too easy for fans to fic them into a various number of situations. Any WB actor/actress is available in the WB RPS universe. Let's talk about them all!
What do you do when the band breaks up? The perils of RPS Canon From 1998 to 2003, there were five guys who loved each other like brothers, and toured the world. By 2006, they haven't been seen in public together for over a year, and have all moved on to other projects. The N'Sync Greatist Hits CD didn't even get publicity or a photo shoot. And Britney Spears married a back up dancer named Kevin. Lotrips suffered the same fate. Dom's in Hawaii, Elijah's in New York, Orlando is on to the lands of Piracy, and Billy Boyd? Billy had a part in Seed of Chucky. RPS canon has no set endpoint, no cancellation date. What do you do when the boys (and occassional girls) are no longer together? Do Brad and Jensen have to break up when Supernatural ends? A look at the special challenges caused by an unscripted & continually altering canon.

3. Please vote for the following single-fandom panels:

	I would like to moderate this specific panel.	I want to attend this specific panel.	I like any and all panels in this fandom.	I would prefer a different panel in this fandom.	This topic doesn't interest me.
CSI: The little black dress of CSI fandom Who do you think is the little black dress of CSI fandom? Is it sweet, gentlemanly Nick? Maybe it's kinky, crazy Greg, or everyone's favorite bug guy, Gil.... Which guy do you think is slashable with everyone, and why?
Doctor Who: Doctor Who for Non-Downloaders; or La-la-la, I'm watching them on Sci-Fi, please don't spoil me! Yes, it's true -- we could be downloading the Who episodes featuring Doctor #10, but for some reason, we're not. Consider this an alternative panel, one that will allow you to discuss Rose, Jack and the Doctor, but not spoil you for the next series of episodes.
Doctor Who: The Regeneration of Doctor Who as a Fandom This 42 year-old show is gaining new fans every day. Let's talk about Doctors Nine and Ten and their broad appeal to a different generation of fans.
Due South: Two Rays are better than one They shared only a few scenes in the due South series finale, but the sparks were undeniable - at least to some fans. Come talk about why you love Ray/Ray - or why you can't stand it.
Due South: The Return of Ray Vecchio There seems to be a resurgence of affection for Ray Vecchio -- whether you think he's Benny's lover or Fraser's best friend (or both!), Kowalski's main squeeze or casual fuck or just his ex-wife new husband, due South fandom is finding the Vecchio love again. What do we love about him? What makes him tick? What happened in Vegas? And why do we love him with Benny, with Kowalski -- with Benny AND Kowalski! -- or with Stella?
Firely: Sexual Ethics of the 'Verse We know that "sly" exists as a concept; that female politicians patronize Companions; and that boywhores may or may not work for girlfolks. What can we deduce, and how does that affect our shipping preferences?

	I would like to moderate this specific panel.	I want to attend this specific panel.	I like any and all panels on this topic.	I would prefer a different panel on this topic.	This topic doesn't interest me.
Hard Core Logo: Their love is so messed up: Joe Dick and Billy Tallent Joe Dick is an insensitive, loudmouthed asshole. Billy Tallent is a calculating user. There's no question that they love each other, but their relationship is complex, possibly codependent, certainly dysfunctional - and canon precludes a happy ending. So why do so many of us find Hard Core Logo such a compelling fandom?
Harry Potter: Just who is Severus Snape? Is he: the great betrayer, the cold-hearted spy, the mean teacher, the tender lover, or the unremorseful killer? What do we really know about him? Let's talk about the aspects of what we know and what we think about him.
Harry Potter: Slashing Snape Snape pretty much goes with anyone who wants to take him. He's not choosy. What makes him so versatile. What makes him so intriguing? Come and talk about who you want to pair him with and why.
Harry Potter: Slash-Warts! Oh, the possibilities& Oh the joy of Hogwarts. Whether it's a foray to the Astronomy Tower, a tryst in the Room of Requirement, a particularly stern detention in Snape's Dungeon or a romantic bubble bath in the Prefect's Bathroom, this fabulous setting allows us to do so much. But, is there more to the attraction? Of course there is post-Hogwarts fic out there in the fandom. But, there seems to be a great appeal to "at school fic". So, what is it? Wizarding society seems to grant its younger members more freedom than its muggle counterparts. We see in canon an ability to move about more freely than one would expect in a boarding school. However, let's be honest, we know the staff is hardly cheering on those romantic rendezvous. So, even though it requires a bit of explanation and work to explain, what is the appeal of Hogwarts fic?
Harry Potter: Those Naughty Girls of Hogwarts Oh JKR, how we love you for putting in ALL THOSE GIRLS! Though femslash is still the redheaded stepchild of slash in the minds of some, the HP fandom has seen it grow in leaps and bounds. It has even changed a few minds about the validity of our little corner of fandom. What is on the horizon for HP femslash? How has the expanding canon altered pairings and what is being written? What impact did Half-Blood Prince have on who is being paired after JKR's frantic attempt to pair everyone off in their happy-hetero pairings? The magical world of Harry Potter is a femslashers paradise! Varied pairings and settings, pre-canon fun to be had in the Marauder's Era, the fun of a Girl's Dormitory at a boarding school! There is so much to celebrate and discuss, so let's do it!
Highlander: Duncan, No Methos It's not all Duncan/Methos in Highlander. Duncan MacLeod of the Clan MacLeod has a large circle of friends, and there have been some charged moments on screen: the horseplay with Connor, the tears over Brian Cullen, the kiss on the lips with Alexei Voshin, the running-around-in-kilts with Warren Cochrane, and on and on. How does Duncan/Pretty Old Guys compare to Duncan/Really Old Guy? What do these pairings offer that DM/M doesn't?

	I would like to moderate this specific panel.	I want to attend this specific panel.	I like any and all panels on this topic.	I would prefer a different panel on this topic.	This topic doesn't interest me.
House: Did I Mention House and Wilson Should Make Out On Screen? Ah, House: the show that turned the slash goggles into slash corneas. The snark, the poker, the soundtrack; it all adds up to slash you cannot ignore. So let's talk House and Wilson!
Life on Mars: You Can Go Home Again We've only got 8 episodes so far, but Life on Mars is fast becoming a favorite, from the first shock to the audience when the premise is revealed to the skillful use of music and fabulous cinematography. Not to mention Sam and Gene. (Ohhh, that Sam and Gene.) So: What's the reality of Sam's situation? Can the future affect the past? And how cool is Annie? How adorable is Chris? How compelling is the dynamic between Sam and Gene, especially when sparks fly?
The Professionals: A Question of Character (Prompted by a discussion on yahoo!group Pros_Lit.) Who are Bodie and Doyle? Ex-merc and ex-copper, the show gives us two men who are often passionate, sometimes ruthless, and frequently deadly. How far would they go? What lines would they cross? And are they the only thing keeping each other on the side of the angels?
The Sentinel: Now we've got DVDs Since the DVD set for season one of The Sentinel have come out, how has it affected your view of the show? Is it the way you remembered it? How much has fanon colored your view of the characters? And how old was your set of Sentinel videotapes, anyhow?
Smallville Season 5 was one of the strongest and highest rated seasons of the past few years. What changes do you think were made to bring about this turnaround? How much closer are we to getting Clark and Lex to their iconic destiny? What do you hope for/expect to get in season 6?
Star Wars: Expanded Universe I know, I know, it's sad. But, the movies are finally over. Some would consider Star Wars to be a "dead fandom" with no new canon on the way. My question is: How can this be so? With a new book coming out that is post-New Jedi Order, a TV show in the works, a new comic series, 2 on-going comic series and more prequel books coming out, how is this a dead canon? Come and discuss all the possibilities for slash in Star Wars. The sky is the limit in the GFFA. The canon (whether considered secondary or not, depending on your point of view) is alive and well. In fact, there is a lot of older books and comics that some have yet to discover the slashy-joy of!

	I would like to moderate this specific panel.	I want to attend this specific panel.	I like any and all panels on this topic.	I would prefer a different panel on this topic.	This topic doesn't interest me.
Star Wars: Pairings Today With no more movies coming out, how have the Star Wars community pairings fallen out? Has Obi/Ani taken the lead? Is Qui/Obi still viable? What other pairings have emerged? Have any surprises emerged from secondary sources?
Star Wars: Slut Obi-Wan There tends to be a character in any fandom that gets paired with almost every other character at one point or another. In the Star Wars Prequels, that character is Obi-Wan. Xanatos, Bruck, Maul, Qui-Gon, Vos, Mace, Dooku, Anakin, even Padme - everybody's had a fanfic go at him. Is it just The Pretty of Ewan McGregor, or is there something specific about Obi-Wan's character that makes you want to see him get it on with anyone and everyone? (thanks to GH for the idea)
Stargate Atlantis: Let's Talk About John Sheppard! Coming up on the start of the third season of SGA, the writers have yet to give us more than a few hints about Sheppard's backstory and very little overall character development. This has been frustrating to many of us, but perhaps it has been fruitful for the fandom, as well, since SGA slash writers have created a pretty diverse range of characterizations and backstories for Sheppard. Supplementary canon (like novelizations) might have provided some answers, but let's speculate about what we see evidence for in the show. Are his parents dead? Or is he estranged from them? Is he a sociopath? Or just kind of a dick? Is he a risk-loving guy with an overactive sense of responsibility? Or does he have a deathwish? What are the limits of plausible characterization given what we have to work with? Or, alternatively, what are some of our favorite characterizations that we're willing to admit are implausible, even if canon doesn't directly contradict them?
Stargate Atlantis: Why SGA? Stargate: Atlantis fandom exploded in the last year, attracting experienced writers and fans from across the fannish spectrum. Where are all these fans coming from? What is it about SGA that gives it such a broad appeal? And can any fandom constain this kind of rapid growth? Come tell us why you fell in love with SGA and what you think is in store for the fandom as the show prepares to enter its third season.
Supernatural: All SPN all the time! Talk about Sam and Dean and John! The Impala and the myth-arc for season1, along with speculations and ideas for season2! Anything goes as long as it's Supernatural related!
X-Men: Where's the Slash? By the time con.txt happens there will be three X-Men movies as well as two cartoon series and a gazillion different (and sometimes contradictory) comic books. Which version of X-Men has the best slash potential? Why are some characters and pairings slashed more in comicsverse and some in movieverse? How to explain the relative dearth of Ultimates slash? What about mixing and matching between different forms of canon? Come to this panel to share and hear opinions on where to find slashy subtext and slash fic for X-Men and related Marvel characters.

4. Please vote for the following fanworks panels:

	I would like to moderate this specific panel.	I want to attend this specific panel.	I like any and all panels on this topic.	I would prefer a different panel on this topic.	This topic doesn't interest me.
Beyond Mary Sue: Writing Credible Original Characters When Dorothy Sayers fell in love with Peter Wimsey and wrote herself into her novels so she could marry him, her fiction went downhill fast. Ever since then, Mary Sues have been problematic. In fanfic, self-insertion has happened so often and been done so badly, that the Mary Sue phenomenon has given all original characters a bad name. A lot of readers are immediately turned off by the idea of a non-canonical character and a lot of writers are scared to write them. Yet sometimes... an author needs something to happen and there's no canonical character available that works. Sometimes an author wants to expand on the character set to introduce new elements, new complexity, new relationships to the story. Sometimes an author just needs an original character and plunges ahead, braving the potential cries of "Mary Sue!" When do you write OCs and how do you use them? How are they introduced? What, if anything, do you do to avoid Mary Sueism? How do you ensure that your OC is credible as a character and credible within your fandom? What are your OC taboos? Would you ever have an OC have sex with a canonical character? Fall in love with one? Would you ever make an OC the center of the story? Do you worry about losing readership over OCs? How have your readers responded to your OCs?
Being Better Betas. (Okay, did you mean: "Being Better Betae?") What does it mean to be a good beta? Where can writers find good beta readers? Can one beta be all things to all writers, or does it make more sense for writers to try and collect 'specialists' in specific areas (grammar, canon, story structure, etc)? And what can be done when conflicts arise during the beta'ing process? Everybody is welcome to come and discuss their own experiences with the Writer/Beta relationship - and how to make that relationship a happy one for all concerned.
Build a better beta Diagramming sentences, or how to recognize a run-on.
Can you really file the serial numbers off? Fanfiction writers and going pro Editors and agents attending the con in an UNofficial capacity answer your questions about publishing, including whether there's a market for original slash fiction, do's and don't's for submitting your work professionally, and other frequently-asked questions.
Canon, Fanon, and the Suspension of Disbelief - The Role of Research in Contemporary Fanfiction Writing Every TV Show, Feature Film, Manga, Anime, Novel, etc relies on some element of the Suspension of Disbelief to function. When writing fiction, how far do we take that? How do we determine what elements of "fanon" to incorporate and which to leave by the wayside? What is a reasonable amount of research? How much responsibility does an author have for accuracy, and just how sacred is canon anyway?
Fandom and technology A basic introduction to fen and internet technology from IRC and Usenet, to Yahoogroups, Livejournal, Instant Messenger programs, and some of their analoges/competitors that are a little less ... consolidated. ... or Has being online made us TOO visible and easy to find? Is there a subtler way to stay in touch but off the "radar" folks like Fox, who are learning to use search engines and don't like what they see.

	I would like to moderate this specific panel.	I want to attend this specific panel.	I like any and all panels on this topic.	I would prefer a different panel on this topic.	This topic doesn't interest me.
How to Archive Fiction Come discuss the pros and cons of various archiving strategies. What works, and what doesn't, and why? We'll also talk about the tools we use to access and upload fic. What are the limitations of the various methods? Mac and PC users welcome.
How to Customize Your LJ Puzzled as to why anyone would worry about styles? Want to understand icon resizing? Think tagging is a lot of work? Come and kibbitz about how slashfen get the most out their LJs. Bring your laptop, or watch the projected step-by-step implementation of some surprisingly useful LJ tools.
How to Find and Use Free (or really cheap) Webtools Any number of tools are now available on the web for manipulating text, data, and pictures. Many are free, most are easy to use, though it takes some ingenuity to find them and make them work for you. Come watch a demo projected on the screen, or bring your laptop and follow along.
How to Find What You Want on the Web It seems that new tools to find, sort, and extract slashy goodness from the world-wide web are appearing every day. Come chat about LJ newsletters, RSS feeds, social bookmarking sites like del.icio.us, sites for filesharing... and probably a dozen more things like these that will appear between now and the con! Watch step-by-step demos projected up on a screen, or bring your laptop and follow along.
How to Get Started Vidding If anyone can vid these days, why not you? Come and discuss the basics about the equipment you need, uploading the source, editing, and making your vid available. Mac and PC users welcome.
How to Use Photoshop for Icons and Art Come discuss and demonstrate how to use Adobe Photoshop to manipulate photos into beautiful artwork. Bring and share your favorite techniques for making cool icons. Note you are welcome to watch the demo, but you are most welcome to have Photoshop on your laptop and try out the tips and tricks.

	I would like to moderate this specific panel.	I want to attend this specific panel.	I like any and all panels on this topic.	I would prefer a different panel on this topic.	This topic doesn't interest me.
How to Use Your Handheld Computer for Slash-rific Purposes Handheld devices, like iPods, palms, and cellphones are becoming ways to access slash content. Movies and tv episodes, stories, vids, and websites are now all available in the palm of your hand. Come and kibbitz about how you use your hand, er, held. Bring your laptop, your handheld, and your synch cable and check it out.
Off-line art Artists: Come bring the sketches and rough copies of your scanned work. Everyone: See what your favorite artists haven't been showing you.
Round Robin Story Fun We like to read, and some of us like to write. Sit in a circle around a strictly metaphorical campfire and build a story from scratch, one person's idea leading to the next persons. Probably not fandom-specific, unless the group reaches a quick consensus at the start of the panel.
What fanfic won't - or can't - teach us about writing We've all read about, or spoken to, a pro-writer down on fanfic and fanfic writers, "If they want to write so badly, they should go create something of their own! That's the only way to learn how to write!" Is there a kernel of truth to this? Are there writing skills that are so underused or unnecessary in fanfic that we'll never really master them without writing original fic? Should this bother us? What, if any, are the pitfalls of learning the writing craft in the fanficcing trenches?
Writing Longer Stories If you write and you have a hard time getting past the 5,000 word mark--or if you have a hard time stopping at 5,000 words--come and talk about organizing, plotting, and composing a tale that's bigger than a breadbox, more powerful than new batteries in a remote control, and able to engage imaginations everywhere--including yours, the author's.

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