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Well, that's it. Accio 2005 is over - almost before it began, it feels.
Deciding to see if I could whip up a costume on Thursday morning and delaying and delaying my departure so that I didn't arrive until the middle of Snape's trial didn't help me much, I guess. I would have really liked some more chill-out time, time to talk. I hope Accio 2007 is a day or two longer.
So I'm feeling rather dazed now. It's not until I look back that I realise how very wonderful it was to be surrounded by fellow fans, by T-shirts with witty in-jokes and cloaks and Quidditch robes and pointed hats. Steve Vander Ark spoke last night about the 'ways to identify a true fan', and had us all roaring with laughter, and approval, and a shared sense of identity. 'JKR is us,' he said - and even as wonderful was to realise that we are us too.
The recurring theme of the conference seemed to be, "It is our choices that define us, not our abilities" - rare was the presentation that didn't mention this quote. Perhaps it was the sessions I chose to attend, but in retrospect there seemed to be large gaps in coverage. Many presenters were academic specialists in myth or children's literature, with a smattering of 'lay' people speaking about topics of professional interest to them - power, alchemy, the physics of time travel, computer analysis of the text. There was comparitively little on the fandom, though, or on fanfiction (there were a couple of sessions that touched on this, but they clashed with other things I really wanted to see). Or on the Malfoys, come to that - I wasn't wrong in my perception that the place would be packed with Snape fans (any trial that can aquit Snape from joining the Death Eaters or from killing Dumbledore... *boggles*) I wished I'd got my act together to do a discussion on wizarding economics, or the psychology of fans of the villains, but it was kind of nice not to be tied to that sort of committment.
Saturday night was entertaining - it was wonderful to see all 220ish people dressed up in costume or evening dress, and the caterers outdid themselves by serving up delicious pumpkin soup, ladled out of pumpkins. JKR had sent a signed copy of one of the books, which was auctioned for £540, and the other items auctioned included a pair of grey underpants, modelled by one of the resident Snapes, which went for £80, so I was told.
I did just about get a costume together - it's amazing what's possible in 8 or so hours of work, though it didn't quite do what I wanted it to in several ways. Nor was I sure who exactly I was - I had thought of going as Lucius but figured I was too short (as the Lucius who was wandering around on Sunday morning was no taller than me, I might give it a go next time, with permission of himself), so I was settling for 'random Malfoy female', which enabled me to wear all my snakey items, but unfortunately made me look like yet another Slytherin - I got some strange looks when I told people I was really a Ravenclaw. I've now realised that I was actually there as Lucius' PA and Keeper of the Cane (and, as![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
lazy_neutrino pointed out, the one who services his needs. I can live with that. I hope he can. ;) I don't have a picture, unfortunately - I was hoping to borrow my parents' digital camera but there was no spare memory - so I hope I can get hold of a copy of some of the others.
And speaking oflazy_neutino, one of the best things about the conference was meeting her and riibu, and many other LJers and HPFGUers, some of whom I had seen around and some of whom clearly hang out in areas of LJ that I've never stumbled across. It was also a revelation to see artists at 'work'. Hopefully it might inspire me to resume my attempts to learn to draw.
I had hoped to have moved down here properly by now, but sorting out everything in the flat is more energy-sapping than I expected. It was good to come down now with the knowledge that I'm about to move, though, good to discover that I'm looking forward to being in England again, despite the aspects of it that I fear will be stifling. It will hopefully make my last two weeks in Edinburgh a more energised, positive experience. I'll miss Scotland, the sense of clearer air that comes of being north and east and away from the langour of the home counties, but I'm coming home now, wherever that may turn out to be.
And I'm looking forward to being nearlazy_neutrino, and to seeing as many other fellow fans as can make it to see the Goblet of Fire movie in November. In the wake of HBP mania and Accio excitement it's inevitable to feel a bit down (I dread to think of what it's going to be like post-HP7), so I'm glad we have that to look forward to.
(Posted from a dreadfully s l o w connection, so I'm not reading today - will try to catch up with friends old and new in the next couple of days.)
Deciding to see if I could whip up a costume on Thursday morning and delaying and delaying my departure so that I didn't arrive until the middle of Snape's trial didn't help me much, I guess. I would have really liked some more chill-out time, time to talk. I hope Accio 2007 is a day or two longer.
So I'm feeling rather dazed now. It's not until I look back that I realise how very wonderful it was to be surrounded by fellow fans, by T-shirts with witty in-jokes and cloaks and Quidditch robes and pointed hats. Steve Vander Ark spoke last night about the 'ways to identify a true fan', and had us all roaring with laughter, and approval, and a shared sense of identity. 'JKR is us,' he said - and even as wonderful was to realise that we are us too.
The recurring theme of the conference seemed to be, "It is our choices that define us, not our abilities" - rare was the presentation that didn't mention this quote. Perhaps it was the sessions I chose to attend, but in retrospect there seemed to be large gaps in coverage. Many presenters were academic specialists in myth or children's literature, with a smattering of 'lay' people speaking about topics of professional interest to them - power, alchemy, the physics of time travel, computer analysis of the text. There was comparitively little on the fandom, though, or on fanfiction (there were a couple of sessions that touched on this, but they clashed with other things I really wanted to see). Or on the Malfoys, come to that - I wasn't wrong in my perception that the place would be packed with Snape fans (any trial that can aquit Snape from joining the Death Eaters or from killing Dumbledore... *boggles*) I wished I'd got my act together to do a discussion on wizarding economics, or the psychology of fans of the villains, but it was kind of nice not to be tied to that sort of committment.
Saturday night was entertaining - it was wonderful to see all 220ish people dressed up in costume or evening dress, and the caterers outdid themselves by serving up delicious pumpkin soup, ladled out of pumpkins. JKR had sent a signed copy of one of the books, which was auctioned for £540, and the other items auctioned included a pair of grey underpants, modelled by one of the resident Snapes, which went for £80, so I was told.
I did just about get a costume together - it's amazing what's possible in 8 or so hours of work, though it didn't quite do what I wanted it to in several ways. Nor was I sure who exactly I was - I had thought of going as Lucius but figured I was too short (as the Lucius who was wandering around on Sunday morning was no taller than me, I might give it a go next time, with permission of himself), so I was settling for 'random Malfoy female', which enabled me to wear all my snakey items, but unfortunately made me look like yet another Slytherin - I got some strange looks when I told people I was really a Ravenclaw. I've now realised that I was actually there as Lucius' PA and Keeper of the Cane (and, as
lazy_neutrino pointed out, the one who services his needs. I can live with that. I hope he can. ;) I don't have a picture, unfortunately - I was hoping to borrow my parents' digital camera but there was no spare memory - so I hope I can get hold of a copy of some of the others.And speaking of
lazy_neutino, one of the best things about the conference was meeting her and riibu, and many other LJers and HPFGUers, some of whom I had seen around and some of whom clearly hang out in areas of LJ that I've never stumbled across. It was also a revelation to see artists at 'work'. Hopefully it might inspire me to resume my attempts to learn to draw.I had hoped to have moved down here properly by now, but sorting out everything in the flat is more energy-sapping than I expected. It was good to come down now with the knowledge that I'm about to move, though, good to discover that I'm looking forward to being in England again, despite the aspects of it that I fear will be stifling. It will hopefully make my last two weeks in Edinburgh a more energised, positive experience. I'll miss Scotland, the sense of clearer air that comes of being north and east and away from the langour of the home counties, but I'm coming home now, wherever that may turn out to be.
And I'm looking forward to being near
lazy_neutrino, and to seeing as many other fellow fans as can make it to see the Goblet of Fire movie in November. In the wake of HBP mania and Accio excitement it's inevitable to feel a bit down (I dread to think of what it's going to be like post-HP7), so I'm glad we have that to look forward to.(Posted from a dreadfully s l o w connection, so I'm not reading today - will try to catch up with friends old and new in the next couple of days.)
