NEWS OF THE ODD

This is the event listing going out with the next issued of Miffed. Please inform me of any errors or omissions.


July 3-6
§ SCA Event, Glory VI at the L.C.C.C. Campground, Buford, Wyoming (24 miles West of Cheyenne on I-80).

July 5 Saturday
§ 4:00pm Denver Area SF Assoc. Ice Cream Alternate Party at Mishalak's apartment, 2507 W. Main Street, Littleton. Call 303-734-1387 or Chernobog at mishalak.com for directions. As the name implies there will be lots of ice cream on hand, feel free to bring anything you feel like eating or drinking as well.
§ Ghostbusters is the Midnight Movie at the Mayan

July 11 Friday
This is the last day for pre registration of XIV Khan.
§ 7:00pm They Live will be shown for free at the Boulder Public Library 1000 Canyon Boulevard, Boulder.
§ 8:00pm First Friday Fandom meeting at the home of Kent Bloom and Mary Morman. COSine will be discussed and the book up for discussion is The Mysterious Island by Jules Verne. (719) 522-0484 or the website for directions

July 12 Saturday
§ 6:30pm Outer Fandom meets at Diedrich's Coffeehouse 9th and Downing, Denver. It is planned to see The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen after meeting up. For more information contact Chernobog at mishalak.com
§ Blue Velvet is the Midnight Movie at the Mayan

July 18-20
XIV-Khan (Unofficially called Changing Number Con) will be taking place at Ramada Inn at I-25 and Filmore in Colorado Springs. Their guest of honor is John Stith.

July 19 Saturday
§ 6:00pm MileHiCon Committee Meeting at Wild Oats Community Room 1111 S. Washington St, Denver. Open to public.
§ 7:30pm Denver Area SF Assoc. meeting at Wild Oats Community Room 1111 S. Washington St, Denver. Anime panel followed by Dead Dog Party.
§ Raiders of the Lost Ark is the Midnight Movie at the Mayan

July 20 Sunday
§ 4:30pm USS Arapahoe meeting in the Theatre Room of the Aurora Public Library, 14949 E Alameda Dr, Aurora

July 26 Saturday
§ Noon Denver Anime International meeting at Ed Wolf's Game Pit 4231 S. Natches Ct. Unit H.
§ Office Space is the midnight movie at the Mayan.


Mountain Empire Conventions
July 18-20 · XIV-Khan Colorado Springs, CO
   http://www.angelfire.com/scifi/xkhan/
Aug 22-24 · Bubonicon 35 Albuquerque, NM
   PO Box 37257 Albuquerque, NM 87176 | http://bubonicon.home.att.net/
Aug 28-31 TactiCon 2003 Denver, CO
   http://www.denvergamers.com/tacticon/
Sep 19-21 · Nan Desu Kan Denver, CO
   NDK PO Box 577 Fair Oaks, CA 95628 | http://www.ndk.cc/
Oct 24-26 · MileHiCon 35 Lakewood, CO
   PO Box 101322, Denver, CO 80250 | http://www.milehicon.org/
2004-----
Jan 16-18 · COSine Colorado Springs, CO
   P.O. Box 50618 Colorado Springs, CO 80949 | http://www.rialto.org/cosine/

The Provinces of Fandom: DAI

I visited with the members of the Denver anime group on Saturday June 28 and this is a short report on my impressions and who they are.

Denver Anime International, like DASFA, is in some ways an anachronism. Anime clubs formed because fans needed a way to get anime. Now with Japanese imports much more readily available fans don't have to trade tapes recorded on video machines at clubs.

The club was originally just a group of fen who meet up to watch anime after the 1981 Worldcon in Denver. Michael Burgess (hey there's a name that's familiar to DASFA as well) was sort of the first leader of the group back when it was called the Denver Animation Society.

They and their predecessor group have met monthly for over twenty years now and it doesn't look like they'll be stopping anytime soon. For one thing they have a convention to help out with, Nan Desu Kan. As with DASFA and MileHiCon they don't run the convention by themselves. However they do a lot to help out and they run the video room at a number of other local conventions.

So they still have a purpose. If they and the other clubs and volunteers didn't still get together it would be much harder to learn about anime. And I think fandom would be much poorer if we didn't have social groups like them ready to provide answers to the newbies/neofen interested in anime.

I also like the group because they are delightfully informal. Even more so than DASFA, though I wouldn't want to change the way DASFA works (because it does). They have no dues or fees and they work hard to find places to meet for free so they can keep it that way. Currently they are meeting at a pretty nice miniatures & gaming shop in south Englewood called Ed Wolf's Game Pit. The light salutation is a bit hard on being able to see the screenings, but I suspect if they are in that location long enough they will figure out a solution.

If you want to know more about their history check out their page on the subject.

And At Night I Dream

<cue Mishalak's Pointless Stories intro song>
When I dream it seems to almost always be strange and disturbing things that happen to me. There is probably an insight into my personality in that, but I'm not clever enough to suss out what it might be. When I was in college I had a simply splendid one about coming into my dormitory late at night. So here is that dream in very short story form.
---
I loved walking back to my dorm on nights like that one. The rich damp smell of the earth and the ponds, the quality of the light from the moon and street lamps, and the cool of the air made me happy to be alive on an autumn night. I was thinking about the poker game at the coffee house and talking to Ben about how the hands had fallen. I didn't really notice that there was no one on duty at the front door. Usually at night all the doors are locked so residents can only get in through the front door by showing their ID to a student on duty.

The big common room was dark as we entered it, and the hair on the back of my neck prickled up. The lights were never off in this room and there were several people standing around the disused hearth.

"Ooooohhhh goodie, more partygoers," said one of the guys in a mocking voice.

Were these frat boys partying? Should I try to walk past to the stairwell near the fireplace? Go back... and some of them were already moving towards us. I turned and found my arms caught in strong hands, or course I struggled but only for a moment as the grip was like fighting against carved wood. Ben and I were half dragged to the figure lounging on hearthstone.

What I could see was a man with long oily hair in motorcycle leathers. He smirked and asked, "So do they wish to play with us?"

The one who held me was the same who spoke earlier, "Oh I think they do." We were both forced down to our knees. I realized there was a body on the floor, I could not see him clearly... no her. I could barely make out her face, but I think I knew her. One of my fellow work students and I could tell she was hurt, maybe even dead. I don't know if Ben saw more or what, but he started struggling as the group laughed cruelly at us.

The leader in the biker outfit asked me, "What's your name?"

I looked up at him and replied coolly, "Matthew."

"How calm he is, I think his friend understands, but he doesn't yet. Let's show him. Are you hungry Cruella?"

"Always."

She came forward and with excessive drama grabbed the back of Ben's head. He was crying by now and she bared her fangs at me. Vampires are real. I had occasionally thought about the supernatural, but I didn't believe in it. Maybe I was in shock, but it didn't feel like it. I just felt very annoyed this was happening, a growing outrage that these creatures were playing with our lives.

She sunk in her fangs with the same theatrical excess; I think she let some of the blood spray from his neck onto me on purpose. I flinched at that, but I didn't react otherwise. The rest save the one holding onto me moved forward to have their bit of the meal. It was horrible to watch, but I had already decided to give them nothing. If I were to cry it would be later if I survived this. Which I didn't really expect to happen, this was not looking good at all for survival.

The leader looked up from the kill with bloodied lips. "Why aren't you afraid?"

Best to answer him, I was going to be brave, but not suicidal, "I am afraid, but would showing it do me any good?"

"You expect to escape then?"

"Not really, though I am looking for any possible way. None has yet occurred to me."

He laughed at this some of the other vampires tittered, "I like you, would you like to be one of us, immortal?"

"Not particularly."

"Too bad you won't have a choice in this."

He moved towards me and pushed my head up to expose my neck and he bit into it. At first the pain was very sharp, but that faded and I felt like I was falling down a deep well. Like falling asleep from exhaustion and I heard voices there. Arguing, one the mocking voice of the vampire that held me saying, "Not worthy," stood out. And I felt a fire within me and then I knew nothing.

Too be continued...