con_txt has their first call for panels! Hooray!

Con.txt is a small slash con held near DC every two years, if you haven't heard of it. (badge prices go up at the end of the month!) It is my happy place.

I ran an utterly ridiculous number of panels at con.txt two years ago, and I have, um, kind of been thinking about panels I want next time ever since then. The first call is for panels that might require extensive preparation by the mods. Here's what I'm thinking about submitting: any thoughts or suggestions?

1. Ducks!: From Star Wars to Good Omens and beyond, ducks permeate all of our fandoms. What is their sinister plan of total domination? And is there still time to stop it? Your moderators will present extensive evidence of the conspiracy, including handouts, followed by group discussion about such important questions as "Jensen Ackles and David McCallum: Double Agents?" and "Did Bert and Ernie curse Slash fandom?"

2. GIMP graphics workshop: Offering another Fannish Graphics in GIMP, the open source graphics editor, this year; either a "basic crop & text icons" like last time, or even a slightly less basic one (easy photomanip techniques or getting started with coloring scanned lineart.) Or *possibly* a basic & a less basic, if there's demand.

3. How To Build a Community: How to start a fannish community, gather a tightly-knit membership, and keep posting active in the community; strategies, methods, and examples. You don't have to go viral to thrive. (Preferably, have at least one moderator who has done this successfully!)

4. Cosplay: why is there so little visibility of costuming in (most of) media fandom? Where is the cosplay for these fandoms? Can we have some at con-txt please? (Also, come to the panel in costume! Show off!) Plus, cosplay & crossplay basics for newcomers to the art, fannish fashion, and perhaps a box of dress-up clothes. ETA: with emphasis on cosplay strategies for people who don't have Hollywood-standard bodies.

5. Vidding for the Technically Inept (and Flat Broke): How to start with a DVD or download, and rip, clip, and synchronize to music. Overview of free or cheap software for clipping and video and audio editing; making do with limited hardware; good resources for self-teaching.

6. Finding deep time: Sometimes it seems like all of fandom before 2003 is invisible these days - and even more recent events are more difficult to document than they could be. Resources & techniques for learning and/or sharing about pre-lj (and pre-internet) fandom; ethical questions in informal fandom research; and a beginner's guide for contributing to Fanlore & TWC. Aimed at non-academic contexts but aca-fen welcome.

I volunteer to mod 1 & 2, unless someone else wants to; will mod 3 & 4 only if they can't get someone better-qualified; and am totally not qualified to mod 5 & 6, but I could flip flip-charts!

(Ideas I have for less-prep-intensive panels for the later call for panels: Fanmixer's round table; when RPS isn't real aka "Stephen" vs. Stephen; attempts at defining this thing we call 'fandom'; "Boston Marriage", or, when the subtext goes too far; and discussion circle on asexuality & slash )