(1) HOPEFULLY INCURABLE. Rhianna Pratchett reacted to the news item that also inspired #12 in yesterday’s Scroll (“Nailsworth teacher claims Harry Potter books cause mental illness”):
I know what my father would say if anyone told him that his books encourage "difficult behaviour." He would say 'Good!'
— Rhianna Pratchett ??????????? (@rhipratchett) May 6, 2016
(2) CRAZY EX RATED. On NPR’s Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me, “Not My Job: Actress Rachel Bloom Gets Quizzed On Crazy Ex-Boyfriends”.
Since she’s the expert on crazy ex-girlfriends we’ve decided to ask her three questions about some well-known crazy ex-boyfriends in a game called “No! Really! This time I’ll change!”
She mentions Ray Bradbury, subject of her 2011 Hugo-nominated song.
Rachel Bloom meets Ray Bradbury in 2010. Photo by John King Tarpinian.
(3) GO AHEAD AND JUMP. David K.M. Klaus predicts, “Someday some Harry Potter fan is going to invent a practical personal jet pack or anti-gravity belt, just so he or she can play Quidditch.” ‘Til then we’ll make do with these skydiving Quidditch players from a Colombian phone commercial.
(4) PARTLY IMMORTAL. Fantasy Faction reposts “Foundations of Fantasy: The Epic of Gilgamesh”.
More than any other genre, fantasy tends to examine ancient epics. Whether it’s the study of archetypes and ectypes, or a historical understanding of narrative itself, or simply a desire to experience myths and legends that have lived for ages, these books remain alive to us. This series of posts will be about some of the more important mythic texts in history, and how they relate to modern fantasy.
The Story Behind the Story
The Epic of Gilgamesh is one of the earliest books we have on record. Original stories regarding the character date back as early as the eighteenth century BCE. The primary text was written between the 13th and tenth century BCE, in cuneiform on stone tablets. Then, it was lost for thousands of years, until it was rediscovered in 1850 in the excavation of Nineveh. Even then, it took decades to be translated into English.
Translations are tricky when dealing with situations like these. The poet Rainer Maria Rilke was one of the first people to read it translated. John Gardner (who also wrote the fantastic novel Grendel, a retelling of Beowulf from the monster’s point of view, and The Art of Fiction: Notes on the Craft for Young Authors) made a much more accurate, yet difficult to read translation, making certain to note each place the actual text was missing. Penguin Classics put out a two-volume translation by Andrew George which has received considerable acclaim. For a more poetic, if less rigorous version, Stephen Mitchell’s translation is quite readable, and uses inferences and the aforementioned earlier stories of Gilgamesh to fill in the missing gaps….
(5) GOOD STUFF. See Rachel Swirsky’s recommendation, “Friday read! ‘Hwang’s Billion Brilliant Daughters’ by Alice Sola Kim”.
One man watches the world evolve as he passes, sleep by sleep, into the future, trailing after his generations of descendants….
“Hwang’s Bilion Brilliant Daughters” by Alice Sola Kim…
(6) THE MARQUIS OF TENTACLE RULES. Is the beer as good as the label? Octopus Wants To Fight IPA from Great Lakes Beer.
It pours a beautiful burnt gold edging into a dull orange, like a orange creamsicle complete with a tight white head. As you can imagine, lots of tropical fruits abound from the glass with the first whiffs, followed by a walk in the woods as pine, evergreen and some herbaceous notes are picked up. The first sip provides some sweetness, some dank grass combined with pine needles and then onto “juicy fruit”. Soft body with some middle mouthfeel bitterness that tastes like another.
The Story “Our pet octopus is a bit of a jerk. He’s that guy who has a couple then either tells you how much he loves you or threatens to fight you. So we brewed this IPA, with 8 varieties of hops and 8 types of malt. We targeted 88 IBU and 8.8% to appease him. Sadly, when he found out that we’d fabricated all of the above info, it only made him more volatile. We are starting to realize that Octopus was a poor choice for a pet.”
Food pairing recommendations
Calamari…
(7) DRAGONSCALE. Mark Yon has a fine review of Joe Hill’s The Fireman at SFFWorld.
The arrival of the latest book by Joe Hill has generally been seen as one of the highlights of the publishing year, and has been much anticipated here at SFFWorld.
Joe has said that The Fireman is his take on his father’s masterwork The Stand. I can see what he means, though the end-results are clearly different. Whereas The Stand begins with the spread of a killer flu germ (‘Captain Trips’), The Fireman begins with the dispersal of a 21st century equivalent – a spore named Dragonscale, of unknown origin, possibly weaponised, that has spread to the general public. The symptoms occur suddenly and are quite striking – a strange dark tattoo, interlaced with gold, appears on the body, often followed by spontaneous combustion of the person infected….
(8) FELLOW ARTISTS. Rudy Rucker blogs about recent visits to SF MOMA and other cultural events, accompanied by plenty of photos and wry commentary.
I was happy to see they have Arneson’s “California Artist” on display, wearing shades whose lenses are holes revealing, oho, that he has an empty head, California artist that he is. I first saw this sculpture when we moved to California in 1986, and I was, like, yeah, I’m a California artist too. I just didn’t realize that before. It’s high time I got here. Solidarität!
(9) FREE WEIRD. From Europa SF I learned about the English-language magazine Finnish Weird:
Finnish Weird is a free magazine published by the Helsinki Science Fiction Society. It introduces the concept of “Finnish Weird”, showcases a few writers and also includes short stories by Johanna Sinisalo, Anne Leinonen, Helena Waris, Leena Likitalo and Magdalena Hai. The printed version will be available on select occasions (come and look for the Finnish party at Worldcon!), but you can also read the zine online or get an electronic version, either as a pdf or an ebook (epub).
(8) TODAY IN HISTORY.
- May 7, 2010 — The Marvel Cinematic Universe gets its first sequel in Iron Man 2.
(9) LET IT RAIN. The Kickstarter for Quench seeks $20,312 to fund the creation of a computer game that allows players to control the weather and help herds of animals restore their home. Coming to PC & Mac in 2016.
Controlling the Weather
Using your divine powers over the weather, you will provide for your herds, help them as they take up their great pilgrimage, and ultimately restore the world.
Summon rain to bring life to withered plants, quench fires and calm enraged spirits.
Create gusts of wind to hurry your animals along, confuse attackers, and shift great dunes of sand.
Quake the earth to break open chasms and fountains, stun smokebeasts, and clear boulders blocking the way.
Strike lightning to start fires, revive fallen animals and obliterate foes. But don’t forget to take a moment to appreciate the beauty of nature!
There’s also an option for people to vote yes to greenlight the game on Steam.
(10) MORE ABOUT BLACK GATE. Rich Horton’s thoughts about the impact on fiction categories comes before this excerpt in his Black Gate post The Hugo Nominations, 2016; or, Sigh …”.
Of course Black Gate was nominated as Best Fanzine last year, due to Rabid Puppies support, and John O’Neill quite rightly withdrew its nomination. This year we again were (unwillingly) on the Rabid slate, and again John has decided to withdraw.
We discussed what to do – though the choice was always John’s – and there was a definite split. Many of us – myself included – at first inclined to the notion that perhaps we should stay on the ballot. I had four reasons for this: 1) I am certain that Black Gate got a good amount of support from non-Rabid nominators (but we have no way, for now, of knowing how much); 2) I though perhaps the point had been made last year; 3) I felt that withdrawing was ceding even more influence to Vox Day, and also was to an extent disenfranchising the non-Rabid nominators; and 4) I really do think Black Gate is a worthy choice.
But John made two very strong arguments in favor of withdrawing, arguments that now have swayed me so that I believe his decision is correct. First, and most important, by withdrawing it is guaranteed that there will be an entry on the Final Ballot not chosen by Vox Day. Second, in John’s estimation, it is likely that Black Gate wouldn’t have won anyway. I don’t think that’s nearly as important – but it’s probably true. (Alas, the very possible win for whoever replace Black Gate will be somewhat tainted as well if it’s perceived that it won as a default choice.)
(11) CAUSES ME TO TINGLE. Rachel Swirsky said if her Patreon reached $100 by the end of May she would write and send “If You Were a Butt, My Butt” to everyone who subscribes. Well, soon after this tweet, it did, and donations are still coming in. The funds will be given to Lyon-Martin health services.
https://twitter.com/rachelswirsky/status/728724730774233088
(12) OF TWO MINDS. Damien G. Walter’s vlog, titled “Why is writing hard?”, never mentions Chuck Tingle, missing a golden opportunity. He previews the actual topic on his blog —
“Damien gets passionate about writing, and talks about the thing that makes it hard, the clash of two very different sides of our personality, the conscious mind and the subconscious imagination. OR. The crazy old hippy VS the corporate middle manager in all of us.”
(13) THREE GOLDEN MINUTES. Kendall turned us on to the amazing 2012 short film “The Device.”
[Thanks to Sunhawk, JJ, David K.M. Klaus, ULTRAGOTHA, Kendall, and John King Tarpinian for some of these stories. Title credit goes to File 770 contributing editor of the day Hampus Eckerman.]
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God how I hate this argument and I have seen it so many times. 🙁 Do people really think that a convention showing they take harassment seriously is to make people feel less welcomed!?
JJ on May 8, 2016 at 12:05 am said:
Yes. There is a tiny list of things that Worldcons must include in their bid filing. This filing is due at least 180 days before the Worldcon starts in order for the bid to be on the ballot. (They can file later as a write-in, with the deadline being the end of voting. If you don’t file a bid, it doesn’t matter how many votes you get. That’s not a theoretical consideration; it made a difference for a Westercon not that long ago.) Here is the actual minimum requirements to be a Worldcon bid from the current WSFS Constitution:
If you want to impose additional requirements, you need to codify them in clear language and propose it as a change to the Constitution. Come up with what you want the requirement to be and I’ll help you word it in the proper technical form. Then you need to convince two consecutive Worldcon Business Meetings to vote for the requirement. If that happens, any future Worldcon bids have to follow it, and the Worldcon committee administering the election has to enforce the requirement.
You may find that the Business Meeting is reluctant to impose additional detailed requirements upon a committee. For example, the Pass-Along Funds agreement (a form of revenue sharing among otherwise legally and financially separate Worldcon committees) is not codified in the WSFS Constitution. It is a private agreement among the various committees. However, every Worldcon after 1991 has signed on to it, and every Worldcon bid is asked, at least at conventions like SMOFCon, if they intend to be part of PAF, with the clear implication that answering No is a good way to commit political suicide. I suggest that pressuring bids politically well before their filing deadlines to produce clear policy statements is a more effective way of achieving this goal than to try and impose an additional technical requirement through WSFS rules.
Incidentally, I know from traffic on the MAC2 staff list that they’re working out specific details on their policies now. They just held a large meeting in Kansas City recently. I wish I could have gone so I could have looked at specific technical elements of the video recording of the WSFS Business Meeting (I’m assistant videographer, not Chairman) and of the Hugo Awards web site’s CoverItLive text-based (not video streaming) coverage of the Hugo Awards ceremony. Alas, finances and work schedule would not allow it.
> “It had to end in a bang, not a whimper.”
I agree there needed to be a climax of that nature, but I thought it needed to be more supported by other methods and solutions given what had gone before.
To me it was sort of like … I accept that, as an example of a different form, a superhero comic needs to end with a climactic battle of hero vs. villain. But there are ones where the build-up leads inevitably to that battle as part of an ultimate solution, and there are ones where everything that has gone before is thrown away for an “OK we punch each other now.” I don’t want to make too much of this, because Karen Memory was very much a book I liked, but the very end veered a little closer to the second one than is my personal preference.
Re CoC phone numbers, personally I want harassers to feel unwelcome. This is absolutely part of the point. I like the idea of placing useful numbers on the back of the badge. Are there other numbers for help, such as one for accessibility issues? Also, it’s always a good idea to make 911 calling information available when a lot of international visitors are expected. I understand in Europe, the number is 999. Anyway, if the harassment helpline is provided with other useful emergency numbers, it makes it available without highlighting that people are expecting incidents. Though there always will be incidents. It’s impossible to gather large groups of humans and get no bad apples.
JJ said:
Or they’re taking an approach like the last Worldcon I was staff on, and giving everyone on the staff instructions for what to do if harassment is reported to them, so the harassee doesn’t need to figure out a specific person or office to report it to.
Good points, @World Weary. Sometimes the information a person needs at 2 a.m. is the phone number of a cab company, or the location of an all-night drugstore. One Minicon, I had to ask local fans if they knew a pharmacy that would be open Easter morning, having grabbed the wrong bottle of pills in the dark when I packed for the trip. (It helped that there was a doctor handy, who already knew about my medical condition, but that’s really not something I expect a con to provide.)
Hampus Eckerman asked:
There are really people who will look at a well-developed harassment policy and assume it indicates that the convention has a huge ongoing problem with harassment.
You can argue that it’s outweighed by the population of people who have experience with harassment in other venues and are reassured by the presence of the policy (I would), but it’s not a totally imaginary concern.
My gut reaction is that of @nickpheas: fear of trolls spamming (and tieing up) the line. That’s the advantage of the staffer-based approach cited by Petréa — humans have to be spammed face-to-face.
Also, it’s always a good idea to make 911 calling information available when a lot of international visitors are expected. I understand in Europe, the number is 999.
Definitely. I think it would be a good idea to print necessary information on the back of the badges. Emergency services, where to reach certain hotlines and so on. Someone who’s in shock (even a mild one) or angry, is not necessary in the right frame of mind to deal with the run-around to find out who to call and where to get the phone-number.
FYI, the emergency number for the European Union is 112. (999 is the number in the UK but 112 works there as well).
https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/112
A suggestion regarding Codes of Conduct (CoC): since it seems most conventions nowadays do have one, might it be a good idea to formulate a model CoC, including guidelines for its implementation, and publish it online somewhere? The authors of such a model would naturally be people who have had experience of formulating and implementing a CoC. The model could include comments on the reason for each of the points, and could evolve as experience is gained.
Having such a model available would obviate the need to reinvent the wheel each time, thus easing the burden of convention organizers a bit.
@Shao Ping:
I still cannot see a firetruck without thinking, “It starts with F- and ends with -UCK!”
@Lydy Nickerson: However, there was no way to do it too early without incurring additional charges. So I didn’t have any contact information in the policy. If it had stated in the policy that there would be a hotline to call, and that information would be available on the pocket program and at the registration desk, would that be sufficient, do you think?
I mentioned the name of the committee being up on the CoC earlier for a reason. In my limited experience staff is able to look up committee members names & usually a number for someone at the convention itself. Leaving it until the last minute to plan badge indicators is not attendees problem (sorry for lack of sympathy). I should be able to see a ribbon & know in advance what to look for. Why is the food & parties handled but how to get help in stressful emergencies left for the last minute? Where are our priorities?
Yeah, NO. People are harassed at conventions. It’s. A. Thing. I put those in the regularly harassed and suffer microaggressions ahead of those who are blind to the problem, part of the problem, not yet ready to be part of the solution, or concerned it will scare off a few good men/women. Sorry guys/gals get educated: if you can behave in the workplace, shop, and not get thrown out of your local bar you’ll be fine at a con with a CoC unless your pushing boundaries & ignoring the policy.
@World Weary makes some good points about a list of numbers to include on the back of attendee badges.
CoC contact
911/emergency numbers
Hotel main desk
24 hour pharmacy
Local hospital
ConCom # for other issues / information
Speaking as a person who did, in fact, file a CofC complaint at Minicon, I had no idea whom to approach to file it. Even though I knew many/most of the concom personally. (Note: the incident that I witnessed was clearly not a deliberate sexual harassment, but it was something about which the perpetrator absolutely needed a firm official talking-to. It was serious enough that there was some question about whether his badge should be revoked.) I finally went up to someone I knew and asked if they knew who I should talk to, and by pure chance it happened that they were the CofC person on duty at the time. My statement was taken, the con chair was informed, and the person in question was told by the con chair in no uncertain terms that his behavior was unacceptable. And a paper trail was created so if anything of the sort happens again, there will be a record of it not being the first time.
Which is all to say that once the CofC people got involved, matters progressed quickly and to my satisfaction. But getting them involved was difficult for me to figure out, even as a long-time convention-goer who knows most of the conrunners.
Oh, a further note, not directly related to how easy it is to file a CofC at any given con:
After the incident, it took me over half an hour to decide to file a report. I almost didn’t. It took considering the fact that one of the other two witnesses (neither of which chose to report it; they just wanted to Go Away, and possibly even never come back to the convention at all) was a 12 year old girl to make me realize just how very inappropriate the behavior had been. And this was behavior that, had a police officer been there, could have resulted in an actual arrest.
People minimize things. People don’t want to make waves. People don’t want to deal with filing reports. And I’m not exempt from being “People”.
@Jim Henley: I’d never heard that before and love it. Thanks!
@Teemu Leisti
Gosh if only someone had thought of that*. Oh yes it’s been done. Here are a few of my favorite starting places – each of the following contain some combination of rational, policy, links to other policies, procedures, history/links to history of harassment problems in SFF fandom:
Jim C. Hines Harassment Policy starter Kit
Geekfeminism Community anti-harassment
Readercon policy & link to procedures
ADA Initiatives thoughts and links
*sorry for the sarcasm but this comment gets made ever time this discussion comes up as if no one has thought of it or done anything over the last 10-15 years. Why people aren’t using good examples is a different question.
At the last few WorldCons I worked, harassment complaints went to Ops. Which is a good place to start.
I agree, though, that how to report harassment is something that every single convention (and not just SF/F cons) ought to have posted prominently. I think Emerald City ComiCon has great posters.
Serious question : is there something specifically about SFF cons that make Codes of Conduct necessary?
For instance, is harassment an habitual problem when mystery fans hold a con? Fans of romance novels? Jane Austen conventions? Or, for that matter, vintage car conventions?
Tasha Turner: There’s another thing I don’t understand, when people pass up a chance to say “Yes, that’s a good idea, glad you see why it is” and instead treat someone like a jackass.
Hi @Clack, good to see you’re still Just Asking Questions.
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Speaking of harassment policies, Anime Expo just went hardcore with a new Youth Protection program that requires all employees, volunteers, vendors and panelists to submit to a criminal background check and take an online courses.
Re: Gilgamesh The best way to read it is the Oxford University Press’s anthology of ancient Mesopotamian texts, which contains several other epics that aren’t as well known, including a more detailed version of the flood myth that appears in Gilgamesh.
I also note, after looking, that neither the San Jose in 2018 nor New Orleans in 2018 WorldCon bids appear to have a Code of Conduct on their web sites.
The non-profit group, San Francisco Science Fiction Conventions Inc., which is bidding San Jose in 2018 also ran WesterCon 66 (Sacramento, California in 2013). That Code of Conduct and Weapons Policy are on the WesterCon 66 web page.
Tricentennial Science Fiction Convention Fandom is the non-profit group bidding New Orleans in 2018 but I don’t see a list of other conventions they’ve run. The web site says:
Here is the San Juan in 2017 NASFiC bid’s Code of Conduct, which includes a weapons policy. And their accessibility page.
Here is the Valley Forge in 2017 NASFiC bid’s Code of Conduct, which includes a weapons policy (warning .pdf) and a preliminary accessibility report (also .pdf).
I have a link-heavy post on the 2018 WorldCon bids and the 2017 NASFiC bids CoCs, weapons policies and accessibility info. It’s in moderation. Please stand by.
Clack on May 8, 2016 at 10:21 am said:
Harassment is a habitual problem for most conventions of any size, whether car enthusiasts, STEM subjects or SF/F/H.
Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror Fandom has tackled it earlier than many others. Some fields are ahead of us, some are still in complete denial, some are barely beginning to recognize that yes, it happens there.
@Clack
There have been several well publicised harrassment incidents at the big romance novel conventions. Harrassment happens at most conventions or indeed most places where a large number of people gather. For example, sexual harrassment and rape are an ongoing issue at Oktoberfest and other big autumn fairs here in Germany, that has been ignored way too long.
@Mike Glyer
It might be because its a very annoying micro-aggression for me on this issue.
If I’m new to a topic I’d ask Is there a template(s) for people to use? If so, is there a reason people aren’t using them?
I’d start off assuming something this big a problem for so long has people creating resources. I would not assume I’m the first ever to think up the idea.
Tasha Turner: I regret my previous comment. I was going to delete it 10 seconds after I made it then realized it had already gone to everybody who’s ticked the box and it wouldn’t be right to deprive you of the opportunity to call me on it….
@Mike Glyer
Was I too harsh in my response to you? I’m sorry if I was. Microaggressions are no excuse to be mean. 🙁
A drink to world peace? I’m having berry juice cut 50% with water to keep me hydrated. I’m trying to drink more water but it makes me nauseous after a while. For every 18oz bottle of water I have a glass of juice mixed with water. When my husband makes the juice/water it’s heavier on the juice. Yummy.
Not at all. I was writing my previous comment already while you were posting your response. So it looks like a reply to that, though it isn’t.
@ULTRAGOTHA
Thanks for posting all those links. I like WesterCon 66 weapons policy. Below is their summary which I can get behind:
“The concern the person had was that by pushing the stickers, it was giving the message that the convention expected people would be harassed, and he felt that it made things feel less friendly and welcoming.”
Well, of course. And hotels which have prominent “here’s what you should do in case of fire” signs are giving the message that there’s a lot of arsonists in the neighborhood, and people who wear seatbelts want to crash their cars, and…
What’s all this talk of Call of Cthulhu (CoC)?
What? Oh.
Nevermind.
I found the Geek Feminism policy and advice very clear and helpful, and some of their members privately answered some other questions that were really helpful (small, local conventions, where there’s no real security or control of the convention ground).
It’s really great to have resources like that. They’re a huge boon to getting a good policy and decent response off the ground, without fumbling around too badly with what can be a difficult, volatile subject.
Petréa Mitchell: Or they’re taking an approach like the last Worldcon I was staff on, and giving everyone on the staff instructions for what to do if harassment is reported to them, so the harassee doesn’t need to figure out a specific person or office to report it to.
And how is someone who is shaken up and frightened from a harassment incident supposed to know who these people are and where to find them?
Concom members all know each other, and they know how everything works. I think that they often forget that a majority of attendees are not plugged into the SMOF world, and they assume that things which are self-evident to them are also self-evident to general members, even when they’re not.
@ Tasha,
Glad you’re staying hydrated. Can you drink carbonated water? One of my favorite drinks is a cranberry juice spritzer, very refreshing, and a nice change from plain water.
@Msb
Carbonated drinks are mostly out. They are like acid in my mouth and throat. Champagne/sparkling wines work but dehydrate instead of hydrate… I rotate through different 100% juices and when I make them it’s just enough juice to add flavor – the way many parents water down kids drinks.
Favorite juices:
Pomegranate
Mixed berry
Acai
Strawberry/Banana
Raspberry
Blueberry
Lemon/lime (use a couple frozen lemon or lime juice cubes)
Cranberry (has to be 100% cranberry not reconstituted with a lemon or lime cube)
I buy some weird organic juices when we can get them.
There is a Gilgamesh graphic novel, but I can’t vouch for the quality, having not read it.
@Bookworm: Yusef Komunyakaa’s Gilgamesh: A Verse Play is glorious, and there’s an audio recording.
There’s also GILGAMESH II, a four-issue Prestige format story by Jim Starlin (creator of Thanos, Dreadstar, and the Infinity Gauntlet), about 200 pages. Sadly, it’s never been collected in a trade, nor is it on Comixology, but you can find back issues reasonably cheaply.
Octopus Wants To Fight is one of my newer local standard IPAs, along with Collective Arts’ Ransack the Universe. (I like their Lake Effect IPA better, but it’s a seasonal product.) Well worth seeking out.
Charon D:
How does this ribbon thing work anyhow?
I suspect it works the same was as appertaining the beverage of your choice when you’re File 770’s savior copyeditor of the day…
Charon D:
A couple of days back people were discussing the possibility of having ‘Secretly Chuck Tingle‘ ribbons. Not sure I’d want one of them, but I’d be very disappointed if it turned out ‘True Buckaroo‘ ribbons weren’t available.
No, I mean, I’ve heard so much about these ribbons, but am still lost what it is about. Is this some kind of standard thing at conventions everywhere or only at Worldcon? Do you order them from somewhere? Are there specific measurements?
They are certainly not limited to Worldcon. You stick them to your badge, one below another; so that sort of determines the size. They are not very like what I would naturally call ribbons; you could not use them to tie up your bonny brown hair.
At Loncon I had few boring ones, saying things like ‘I attended the business meeting’ and ‘I voted in site selection’, but some people had a lot more.
Ribbons are a pretty standard thing at conventions: they have text and/or a picture on them, and are sticky at one end so they can be attached to a badge.
Some badges are official: those say things like “Artist” or “Con Committee” or “Program Participant.” Others are done by just anyone who feels like it: those range from ribbons promoting Worldcon bids to silliness like “True Scrollaroo.”
They can be ordered from a variety of places, in bulk, because they’re a thing that a lot of people/groups other than sff fandom use. For example, a state or county fair, garden show, or similar event might have ribbons printed up for first, second, and third prize in a variety of categories.
Hampus Eckerman: In respect to badge ribbons at a Worldcon, some are made by the committee, others by people who think up their own (and independently have them made.)
Typically, they look like that We are ALL SF ribbon (search F770, there’s an image) with an adhesive strip on the top edge. That way you attach the first to your badge, and subsequent ribbons to each other in a descending row.
Yes, there are specific measurements. Yes, you can order them online. The Convention itself will order copious ribbons (Guest of Honor, Staff, I Voted (in Site Selection), Hugo Voter, First WorldCon, Hugo Finalist, Volunteer, Program Participant, Chair, Past WorldCon Chair, and others).
Other people order ribbons as it amuses them to do so and hand them out. The folks behind EPH ordered E Pluribus Hugo ribbons. The various WorldCon and NASFiC bids will order ribbons. I’ve seen people with literal bandoleers of ribbons they have so many attached to their badges.
Last year I only collected official ribbons, plus an EPH ribbon and I had six or seven.
Some ribbons get you into places (Press for the Press Room, Program Participant for the Green Room) some are so people know what you do (Ops volunteers get Ops ribbons, Staff get Staff ribbons, Volunteers get Volunteer ribbons and those get you admission to the Staff lounge.) Some are just for fun, some show affiliation to or support of a convention bid or other activity, some have preferred pronouns or approachability indicators.
Here is a photo of Julie McGalliard’s badge with ribbons from Sasquan (no, I don’t know who that is, I found it on an image search). All the ribbons with the big footprint are official ribbons handed out by Sasquan.
Someone must have made a crash overnight order of ribbons to get those “I survived the fire” ribbons to the con.
ETA: Ninja’d from all sides!
@Sean O’Hara: I assume you are referring to this one?
That sounds like an excellent choice (I’m going to get myself a copy), although I would still vote for the Stephen Mitchell version for someone wanting a very readable introduction to the epic.
Thank you for your answers! Anyone know the measurement?
I was trying to work that in, but realised that Death already has the sword (kings, for the use of), so it’s covered.
3:O)>
Need more stories in that universe.