Animé

Konnichiwa mina san!

The schedule of events is still in the works for the Animé area of the convention. Animé programming has its own room that is all Animé, all the time. Stay tuned for more information!

If you have any ideas regarding the Animé events you'd like to see at DemiCon, please send your suggestions to anime@demicon.org.

Filking

Got Filk? What is Filk?

Filk is usually associated with music parodies (á la Weird Al). Most of what we call "filk" consists of parodies, SCA songs, folk or Celtic songs, silly songs, or whatever songs people want to share. Really narrows it down, doesn't it? We have plenty of filking at Demicon, mostly run in a "Bardic circle" format. In this format, everyone gets a turn to choose singing a song yourself, picking a tune for the group to sing, or passing your turn. This way, everyone gets to participate! In addition, we'll be having interactive fun with "instant filk"! Come share your ideas, rhymes, and creative energies to help us write a song parody in about an hour.

Contact filk@demicon.org if you have any questions or suggestions.

Thank You Friends, Groups and Family

DemiCon has a wonderful mix of people - friends and family that sometime attend in a herd... ah group.  Please take a look at some of these groups  that help make DemiCon even more special.

• Des Moines Science Fiction Society or DMSFS is your host for this convention. We are an organization that seeks to work cooperatively with local individuals, organizations, and media to promote a variety of causes. Basically,we are a gathering of central Iowa science fiction and fantasy fans that support the arts of books, theater, costuming, writing, reading and so much more. 
  
  

• The BrassGears Adventurers Society - This group are for those stylish women and men, of the Steampunk World, that crave adventure and Victorian excitement. BAS puts on one heck of a radio show on Sunday besides helping out around the convention any way they can. 
  
  

• Chamber of Champions is a community for people who enjoy playing games that invite depth of strategy and repeated play. From fantasy to science fiction genres they collectively teach, play and master hobby gaming. Visit them online to learn news of upcoming releases, industry rumblings and game reviews. 
   

• Crew of the Imperial Klingon Vessel Black Thunder & Imperial Klingon Vessel Emperors Glory - The Klingons are back and they are here to bring justice... okay more fun than anything.  The Crew have decided to take a brake from Galactic domination to raise funds for the conventions Donation - Reach Out and Ready Iowa.  Join them for the Klingon Jail & Bail where you can have your enemies and even your friends arrested for fun. Look for them on Saturday.

   
• DAGOBAH - The Davenport Area Gathering of Books and Humanoids is a Science Fiction and Fantasy book discussion group has been meeting at the Davenport Public Library for more than 25 years.  So far the group has tackled such diverse topics as Post-Holocaust Science Fiction, Cloning, Robots & Androids, Utopias, Women in Science Fiction, and Science Fiction & Fantasy movies.  We usually have a great many of these great people attending DemiCon.  They host the game show Win Lose or Draw on Sunday afternoon.  This group is lead by the Empress of DAGOBAH - Susan Leabhart.
  
  
• Team ASAP — DSM-Area FIRST^® Robotics Competition Team - This team is comprised of 14 students from 9 different area Des Moines schools. In 6 weeks, the team designed, built, and tested a 120lb robot that can throw a 2ft diameter yoga ball and drive at 20 feet per second. The team recently competed in two regional events (Kansas City and Milwaukee).
   
• HOR-RIFF-IC Productions - With the spirit of Mystery Science Theater 3000 and all the added stickiness of buckets of blood, this group tears their more successful brethren to shreds with sharp wit and sharper tongues.  The supply of fresh brains is their only limitation, so no horror movie is safe! This popular group joined us last year as they tore apart a classic horror movie.  So, if you want to dish about horror, this group is for you!
  
  
• IGA - Iowa Gamers Association

• Iowa Steampunk - This group is for people with an interest in Steampunk in and around Iowa.  They can be found at DemiCon on Steampunk panels or leading the charge for the right to vote for women.
  
  
• The Royal Manticoran Navy - HMS Shiva, BC-430, under Capt. Cindy Jeffers, is one of the Midwest Chapters of the fan association for Honor Harrington and David Weber's Honorverse.  As a fast-growing fan association, they have good resources in place to support their members. 
  
  

• The Barony of Coeur d'Ennui, a branch of the Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc., is a group that re-enacts the Medieval times as history should have been.
  
  
• The Trans-Iowa Canal Company^TM - TICC is an eclectic collection of science fiction fans that enjoy parodying science fiction literature, tv shows, movies, and fandom in general. Originally formed in Iowa City, in 1980, its first performance, at ICON VI in 1981, was entitled "Smart Trek." In the past thirtyone years the troupe has grown, with both a Western company, based in Des Moines and an Eastern company, based in Iowa City. Over 170 actors, two stuffed fish, and an inflatable doll have participated in more than 65 performances at science fiction conventions.
  
  
• UNIT -  A group of Iowans (in body or heart) that have come to recognize and at times celebrate the fact that the enjoyment of Doctor Who is all of its divergent forms creates a cerebral, singular, and fantastical sensation that one should not miss or additionally, fail to share with others as we briefly travel together contemplating the mysteries of our collective and communal experiences in this quadrant of the galaxy. 

Get Involved!

Join in the fun! DemiCon is an interactive adventure!
Follow the links below to find a few of the fun, fhannish ways to be involved.

A con does not run itself!  With your help, we'll make it the best weekend ever for sci-fi, fantasy, and gaming fans in Iowa.

What can you do to get involved?

Put on your costumes and strut your stuff in the halls or on the stage! You can create a costume and enter it in the Hall Costume Contest on Friday night, or in the Masquerade & Cosplay competition on Saturday night. We've also got a con-themed Hat Contest. And, even if you don't want to enter the competitions, you can still wear your costumes around the convention throughout the weekend.

You can enter your artwork in the Art Show for display or to sell. "Fan Favorite" ribbons will be awarded in both amateur and professional categories. Be sure to vote for your favorite pieces! In addition to the con's Art Show, we have an Art Contest running until December 1, 2013, for the selection of DemiCon 25's logo.

How about making a film and entering it in DemiCon's Fhannish Film Festival?  Consider entering our annual creative writing contest. Have a blast with our LARP or scavenger hunt. There are more contests in the works for DemiCon 25, such as creating an eye-catching cardboard building (that our young members will later smash, á la Godzilla), and the dramatic reading of con-selected prose.

Check out the gaming venue and game events! Play a casual game, or enter a tournament.

You can become a ConSuite sponsor and help our ConSuite continue to be the best in the Midwest.

You can participate in workshops, activities, a filk circle, and even a Blood Drive. Check the programming information for details. Some workshops have limited seating, but you can reserve your place for those here.

Attend DemiCon's panel presentations, and join the rest of the audience in asking thought-provoking questions of the panelists. Better yet, be a panelist. Are you accomplished at a particular skill, and willing to spend an hour thrilling and educating an audience with your expertise? Maybe your forte is millinery, or ghost-hunting, or the Hubble Telescope, or special-effects make-up, just to name a few of the billions of possibilities. If so, contact us about being a panelist or conducting a workshop.

Got a talent? You can perform your comedy or your aria or your lightning talk or your belly dance during the Open Mic session, aka Venue D.  No talent yet? You can become a sponsor of TICC, a sci-fi parody acting troupe that's got plenty of talent, and has performed at all of the DemiCon conventions.

Book your lodgings on the hotel's fifth floor, and throw a room party!  It's one of the best ways to meet lots of your fellow DemiCon enthusiasts. Our Room Party Department can give you the information you need to host your party. 

One of the most important ways to be involved with DemiCon is to volunteer! Everything about our con is accomplished by our family of volunteers. In addition to the Volunteer information on-line, you'll find our Volunteer Table in the lobby of the hotel during the convention.