Toronto Fandom and Alternative Lifestyles

[danaeris]

I've had chats with thespian about Toronto Fandom which revealed things I had trouble believing.

In the cities I've lived, kink, poly, and pagan communities have a huge, strong overlap with fandom, to the point where there are multiple panels at cons discussing polyamory as a lifestyle (for instance), and huge play parties are held at the con hotel (often with the knowledge of the con). I've taken this for granted, and assumed that it was the norm.

But I'm told that Toronto Fandom, and Ad Astra, aren't like that.

Is this true? How many of you naughty kinky poly folk go to Ad Astra? Is it common to see cute people dressed naughty there, with a flogger hanging off their belt? To pick up hot bi babes? To get invited to a private play party?

This is really disappointing, and makes me wonder if I should go to Ad Astra. I mean, I'll be honest, at most cons I spend most of my time socializing and looking in the vendors room, not going to panels. Maybe that makes me a bad scifi/fantasy fan. Dunno.

Any comments?

Comments

[thespian.livejournal.com]

This is last year's Ad Astra programming guide. I know it's not what you do, but it really does set the tone, you know?

I know two years ago there were a couple of poly/adult panels. No bdsm ones, if I recall. They were considered 'adult, late night programming', and scheduled after 11pm. People often went to them because they couldn't actually find anything fun to do - the party scene isn't really that good here. I pretty much stick to the Q-Continuum parties, which are lively, and run by boywhocantsayno.

Dealer's rooms here are...not really worth it...there is rarely anything there that I can't get at the Snail or GameTrek. One thing I really miss about east coast cons is handcrafters of various things and artists and indies; the stuff you can't get commonly (like filk tapes, not that I am into filk, but you know...the stuff that makes it fandom instead of a really focused mall). Little of that here. AnimeNorth is a good place for nifty, unusual dealers, if you like the anime/manga/japanophile movement (if, btw, you do like that, we should go to Pacific Mall sometime. It's a blast).

[funos.livejournal.com]

Ad Astra is a much more literary con, hence the rather cerebral panels.
This does mean that there are amazing brains to be met there and the crowds are small (and thus the panelists and authors mingle more). Much socializing happens, just not in large organized forms.

Plenty of fun: fine chocolate/beer/scotch tasting parties.

And the dealer's room was good for me: I found a good book on General Systems Theory.

Oh, and there are many kinky/bi/poly people there, but the con really is about working your brain
in the panels, and talking until the wee hours about all things.

[vokzal.livejournal.com]

Is /that/ how you pick up people at cons? And here I thought it was by teaching them Icehouse.

[thespian.livejournal.com]

I once picked up a guy during a Fluxx game because he was cute, and my cards were such that as soon as I played, *someone* was going to win. I couldn't actually play anything without giving the game to *someone*. So I decided someone should be the cute blond boy to my left, so I could start a conversation with him. We dated for about a year.