Join myself and three friends who have been attending Ice & Fire Con since the very beginning (in 2013) as we talk all things IAFC…and have…well…a lot of drinks!
Click below to watch in webcast form!
Episode 55 of The Geek Saga Podcast includes live audio from the Ice & Fire Con 2022 “Game of Thrones: Nailed It or Failed It” panel.
PLEASE NOTE: Panelists were required to ‘social distance’ more than usual, while audience members were required to wear masks throughout this panel. This does make certain portions of the recording a bit difficult to hear, and I apologize for this [albeit very necessary] “inconvenience”.
This panel focused on a set of characters (voted onto the list by the IAFC Patreon supporters 🙂 ! ) and whether or not HBO’s Game of Thrones did a good job portraying these characters and their story lines as we know them from George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series.
Panelists: Myself, Zach & Hannah from Game of Owns, Lady Gwyn from Radio Westeros, Sean of House Beard from History of Westeros
I know we all changed in some way or another in these past years – how could we not? I certainly did, but one thing that remained the same for me is the wild combination of stress and excitement and anxiety and love that I experience surrounding each and every Ice & Fire Con (yes, even the virtual ones)…and, of course, the immense amount of gratitude that I feel for our extremely supportive and understanding “fam”.
This year was both different, and yet the same. When we all met up again, it was as if no time had passed…and yet SO MUCH TIME had. We kept saying “last year” about our last in-person event, when of course it was three years ago. But seeing you all again, it was like two of those years didn’t exist. Granted, some of us have had a lot of virtual hangouts, but really, no matter how much time had passed, no matter how much we have changed…the fam is…well, I have to say it: UNBOWED, UNBENT, UNBROKEN.
I missed the ones who couldn’t make it. Special shout-outs to Dan and Nancy and Pasha & Benita! I hope to see y’all next year, because truly, the tourney ESPECIALLY wasn’t the same without you. And also a personal special shout-out to Rachel & Josh 😉
But wow, did we make some amazing new memories this year. First, ANOTHER IAFC ENGAGEMENT! Congrats to Pat and Mallory, who knew each other online prior to IAFC, met in person for the first time at the convention, bonded at Small Council member/ASOIAF podcaster Chloe’s wedding to fellow ASOIAF podcaster Emmett, and got engaged at our tourney this year! I will never, ever cease to be amazed by the relationships this event has fostered – this is “only” our second at-con engagement (shout out to Ashley and Keith for the one that made me sob for days in 2017, as they met at the first ever IAFC), but I’ve lost count of the number of relationships that have been fostered after people met at this convention. It’s certainly not the most important thing about this event, and of course I personally can’t take credit for them, but I love that – as one Twitteros user said – “Ice & Fire Con is for Lovers”!
Meanwhile, despite the tech issues (hello, main room projector breaking sometime between Friday night and Saturday morning), and, to be honest, needing way more volunteers than we had, this year was amazing. Mostly because of the people who did step up and help out – for Small Council, Lydia and Elena; for volunteers, Jason, Matt F, Kevin, Shelby, Ray, and Chelsea; for non-volunteers, James and Frank B. Then there’s my transport helpers, Bekah & Ren – I mean, who would have had the worst traffic stop, had it happened? Them with the Skelly head, torso, feet, and arms, or me with the Skelly leg bones and tourney swords and stick horses?
And then there’s Obie. A fan who bought a ticket, then offered to help us with recording panels and taking photos, and just went so above and beyond that I can never thank him enough.
RANDOM ASIDE: Special shoutout to Steve Cantu’s amazing and lifesaving empanadas, and Toemas Pappas’ awesome homemade hot sauce. HOW DO WE DESERVE YOU ALL?!
Honorable mention: David T for his homemade pretzels. They absolutely saved my life one day of the con when I didn’t have time to eat an actual meal, and they were DELICIOUS!
When it comes to programming – we couldn’t do what we do without the people who provide it. Ashley from APOIAF deserves ALL THE ACCOLADES for the revamped Maester chains and the Medieval Fest. And of course there’s our fandom faves who host so many panels: Davos’ Fingers, Game of Owns, History of Westeros, and Radio Westeros. The support of these uber-popular podcasters has been a huge part of sustaining us all these years, and I can never thank you guys enough (and, to be honest, am kinda star-struck that I get to call you guys friends 😉 )! Not to mention Chloe (IAFC Small Council + Girls Gone Canon podcaster), Emmett (Not-a-Cast), and all of the other amazing people who hosted panels this year. (Special shoutout to the attendee-voted fave panel Gays of Thrones peeps: Elena, Lo, Sam, and Rohanne)
As for this year’s musical…wow, you guys. People have been working on this since late 2019. Auditions, recordings, rehearsals, re-writes, more rehearsals…I was so hashtag blessed to be part of a cast and crew of people who were so hardcore about everything from beginning to end. I can never thank Dom, Anna, and Chloe D enough for writing such a fucking FUN show…but at times our Queens cast chat group has been such a help – such a lifesaver – that I can never ever thank my fellow Queens – Britt, Lydia, Elle, Kat, and Anna – enough for being the uplifting, amazing, TALENTED people they are. PS the trailer drops like NOW!
And then there was Saturday. The Manimals coming back to IAFC was something I only dreamed of, especially as we have been so short on funds after having to postpone the convention so many times. Their performance was such a huge highlight of the event, and I am so, so incredibly grateful that they are so supportive of our little event.
We also got to have a Guest of Honor this year, which was a first for us and so exciting! Despite the tech issues surrounding his panels (again, looking at you, main room projector), David J. Peterson rallied and was just the best about all of it.
I also had high hopes for the Game of Swag, and HOLY SHIT DID Y’ALL SHOW! UP! I can’t wait for next year and see all of the awesome items people bring, because WOW will it be hard to top this year!
On an even more personal note – this event takes a lot out of me. While the virtual events in 2020 and 2021 were certainly fun in their own way, there is nothing, absolutely nothing, like the energy I gain from being with the fam in person. I already said this once, but it bears repeating:
I can never give enough awards for everything everybody does for this event. I appreciate and love our IAFC fam so much. I’ve been off and on happy crying for DAYS NOW because I honestly don’t know what I did to deserve this, to deserve ALL OF YOU AMAZING PEOPLE in my life. Thank you, thank you, thank you. For being you, for helping out, for loving this convention and in some cases by extension loving me.
I’m only human, and every single one of you makes me a better person.
And I would be remiss if I didn’t give a special shoutout to our patrons and sponsors for their additional contributions. The truth of the matter is, Ice & Fire Con 2023 is happening thanks to YOU.
On that note: My love and appreciation for every single person who made this – the first Ice & Fire Con in, again, THREE YEARS – an absolutely BANGIN event – is beyond anything I have words for. Because the end-all, be-all is that the community as a whole is what really, really makes Ice & Fire Con special. I FUCKIN LOVE YOU, FAM!
PS EXTRA SPECIAL SHOUTOUT TO THE 6 OF US (how is it only 6?!) WHO MADE THE 8 THIS YEAR!
Episode 40 of The Geek Saga Podcast includes live audio from the Ice & Fire Con virtual panel, “The Curse of Harrenhal”.
Ice & Fire Con Small Council members and special guests discuss the past, present, and future of Harrenhal.
Panelists: Myself, Elena, Wendy, Aziz, Kevin
Episode 39 of The Geek Saga Podcast includes live audio from the Ice & Fire Con virtual panel, “We’re Having You For Dinner”.
“Join IAFC organizer Tara, Small Council member Chloe, and Wendy (@thewendynerd) for a meaty discussion of all things cannibalistic in ASOIAF: What really goes on on Skagos? Would you eat those Flea Bottom “bowls of brown”? Was that really a “sow” that Coldhands fed the kids? And what about JOJENPASTE?”
Panelists: Myself, Chloe K, Zack, & Wendy
I have been struggling to write my annual love letter to this convention even more than usual, because I truly don’t know how to put the way I feel about Ice & Fire Con 2018 into words. In the past I talked about how Ice & Fire Con went from being a goal, to being a reality, to being a lifestyle (for me, anyway), and last year I wrote an ode to this family of ours. I keep thinking, what else is there to say? How can I possibly explain the immense amount of happiness that this event – and the people who attend it – bring me?
The truth is, I can’t. Not really. Anything I write is going to fall short of describing the crazy combination of stress and excitement and anxiety and love that I feel for and about Ice & Fire Con. I’m only human, and sometimes words fail even me.
This year marked our sixth con and our second location change, and with the latter always comes a huge learning curve, one that didn’t exist in 2014, 2015, or 2017, and one that we have hopefully now conquered, as we are returning to Deer Creek in 2019.
Another big change this year was that it was the first time I was the sole organizer of the convention, and I’ll be honest, that was scary as hell. From 2013 until 2016, we were three organizers with an additional four people on the Small Council, while in 2017, it was K-K and I and five Small Council members. There are a lot of pros and cons to being part of an organizing *team* versus being a single organizer with a six-member Small Council to at turns discuss big, important decisions with and go to for back up, and I swear I experienced every single one of those pros and cons leading up to Ice & Fire Con 2018.
The point of spilling my guts about how difficult location changes and organizational upheavals can be – no matter how positive the reasons for them – is to lead into one big ol’ “THANK YOU, all of you.”
Thank you for being understanding when there were little hiccups here and there.
Thank you to the person who gets my vote for Newbie of the Year, Nate, for your invaluable help when we were struggling with the new sound system.
Thank you to Sarah for the use of your iPad to record when we ran into a snag with ours.
Thank you to Australian Chris (gosh I hope I’m not using the wrong spelling there) for the pizza Saturday when I was running on fumes.
Thank you to Aibhril, RJ, Arthur, British Kevin (sorry, gotta distinguish from other Kevins!), and all the other people who bought me drinks just because. (I wish I could remember every single one of you who did but my memory isn’t great even when I’m *not* drinking 😉 )
Thank you to the people who danced with me at the Flea Bottom Fete, because I am a damn silly dancer and have no shame about that and you let me be my ridiculous self.
Thank you to the Fandom Faves for plugging us throughout the year and for running some great panels and activities at the con.
Thank you to Beth for the photos…and to Beth AND Andrew for putting up that darn backdrop.
Thank you to the volunteers, because without you, the con itself wouldn’t run.
Thank you to the Small Council members for the extra level of work you guys put in, because without you, the con wouldn’t happen.
(And thank you especially to Chloe for being the closest thing to a second organizer that I had. If anyone can imagine what I look like both with steam coming out of my ears and when I’m craughing like an idiot because I’m so darn hexcited, you can.) (Craughing = cry/laughing; hexcited.= happy/excited)
Thank you to Brian for the musical. While it wouldn’t have been quite what it was without Dom’s lyrical help and a great group of people willing to record themselves and then stand on stage in front of almost the entire convention, Brian was the heart and soul of the production and he’s the one who truly made it what it was…which was, in a word, AWESOME.
As I write this, I keep thinking of new things to add, but if I keep going no one will ever read the whole thing and then what’s the point of having written it at all? Suffice it to say that if I didn’t thank you directly, it’s not because I’m not thinking of you, but rather because this was our biggest year yet and if I listed every single thing and person I was grateful for this would take me ten times longer to write than it already has.
The bottom line is that as much as Ice & Fire Con is my baby, all of you – the Small Council, the volunteers, the fandom faves, the attendees – all of *you* are what make the planning and the work worthwhile. Several times during this year’s Flea Bottom Fete, I found myself stepping off to the side to just watch all of the people dancing together, and I know this is cheesy but to me, it was beautiful. As someone who was (difficult as it may be to believe, if you only met me in recent years) a shy, quiet, bullied little bookworm for most of my life, in my opinion the most important goal each year is to make sure everyone who comes to Ice & Fire Con feels welcome, that everyone goes home having met at least a few new friends, and – hopefully – that you all feel like part of our weird, silly, ASOIAF/GoT-obsessed family.
Obviously it’s next to impossible for me to meet and/or talk to everyone while I’m running around like a chicken with my head cut off at the con, but whether or not we did meet one-on-one, whether or not we had any sort of conversation, please know that my inbox is always open. I know we have room to improve and I’m always willing to hear people out…but hey, if you just want to tell me you had a good time, that sort of shit makes my day 🙂
In my humble opinion, this was the absolute best Ice & Fire Con since our very first one way back in 2013, so again, thank you, thank you, thank you, to everyone who was a part of it.
Yours,
Tara
This Ice & Fire Con 2018 panel focused on the past, present, and future of Dorne and House Martell, and featured some very salty panelist opinions about how they were handled in HBO’s Game of Thrones versus the Song of Ice and Fire book series.
This Ice & Fire Con 2018 panel featured prominent fandom members representing the Brotherhood Without Banners, Ice & Fire Con, the ASOIAF subreddit, podcasts, and YouTube channels. They discuss how they got involved in the fandom, how they represent it in present day, and where they feel it is going in the future.
I was joined by Bekah (@starshineonfire), Chloe (@liesandarborgol), & Izzy (@gallifreysbae) to discuss why we attend conventions, which ones are our favorites, and the many different types of conventions: industry vs. non-industry, corporate vs. non-corporate, single-fandom vs. multi-fandom, and more!
Last year I wrote a very heartfelt entry about “my” convention – “Ice and Fire Con: A Goal, A Reality, A Lifestyle”. Now, I put the “my” in quotes because let’s be honest, it’s never been “mine”, at least not outside of the fact that I’m one of the original founders and, of course, a current organizer.
And no, I didn’t do it on my own. There were two other founders who have long since moved on to other things, because that’s what happens when life takes hold of you. There are an additional two prior organizers who are also no longer involved, because sometimes what’s best for an organization as a whole doesn’t quite work for everyone involved. For my part, there are no hard feelings – how can there be, when this thing that we worked together to create and build is still here, still thriving, still growing?
Honestly, while I did found this convention, the family that has sprung from it is still beyond my comprehension. Ice & Fire Con absolutely would not exist in its current and most amazing form without my good friend and fellow organizer K-K, who saw our Reddit post way back in 2012 and decided to take a chance on the first-ever North American ASOIAF/Game of Thrones convention. Who eventually became one of my best friends, then a volunteer, and finally, an organizer.
Ice & Fire Con couldn’t be what it is without our awesome volunteers, either, and it absolutely wouldn’t be the same without every single person who attends. When I say that we’re a family, I don’t say that lightly, and I’m not sure I can really express how true it is. In fact, even when I go to other conventions, I’m generally more excited about seeing my Ice and Fire Con family (a.k.a. “IaF fam”) than I am about anything else.
We are, in so many ways, a very diverse group, but our differences are never problematic – they are honored and appreciated. I am personally very proud of the inclusive, non-judgmental, and *safe* community that we have fostered, and like the mama bear I am, I will do everything in my power to protect that. (Pause to insert “BEARS” chant here)
It’s not just the success of Ice & Fire Con that brings me joy – it is the community, the *family*, that it imbues in me, and hopefully in others, as well.
We are extroverts. We are introverts. Some of us have been bullied. Some of us have been disrespected. But at Ice & Fire Con, we are, as one of my absolute favorite attendees pointed out, “kings, queens, warriors; dangerous, powerful, beautiful, perfect.”
At Ice & Fire Con, we are family.
I would say “let the countdown to Ice & Fire Con 2018 begin”…but let’s be real, it started when we parted ways on April 30th of this year.
(but here’s the countdown anyway, as of 8:56 PM EDT on 7/1/2017)
