Paper Whale's Magical Bloggity Blog

I’ve been co-hosting a panel at a local con for a few years now where we talk about all sorts of gendery wendery things in anime and in the nerd subculture, and the time is coming up in a couple of weeks to have it again. 

It’s usually pretty fun if the audience participation is kept organized (lest we go on an unstoppable derail of interruptions by everyone who thinks their theory about why girls like yaoi is much more important than the last person’s), but we’re always trying to improve.  We’ve split the panel into two pieces this year, an 18+ (we usually go for 18+ just to be safe) and an all-ages panel.  I felt the all-ages panel might be necessary to be inclusive of younger fans to whom some of the things we discuss would be especially relevant (GSM/lgbt issues, sexual assault and harassment in our spaces, etc)  

Any suggestions for things to discuss or how to approach them?  Some of the issues I’ve noticed with audience participation/comprehension in similar endeavors have been: making discussion topics accessible without actually dumbing them down or problematically simplifying them (I’ve been told a few times to change the wording of my explanations because they’re too academic sounding.  I’d like to be able to get the whole -101 summary of important subjects down without resorting to terminology that is generally regarded as counterproductive), dealing with trolls who like conventions to be their IRL /b/ or legit MRAs.

Lol, if there was any doubt as to whether I was not going before (based on the clusterfuck it was last year), this seals it.

Grell (R-rated, most likely, since that’s what I have already complete)

 Butler!Grell (I don’t have the costume, but it would be simple enough for me to pull off)

Marshall Lee (My friend is being Fiona)

Watari (I have the L monogrammed teaset)

Tanaka

I’m also doing a Sherlock Holmes themed room party but probably won’t have a relevant cosplay.

What do you most think I should cosplay?

Wow.