JohnCon 2010: Disorganization XIII Spoiler & Fanfiction Panels Update

Disorganization XIII is a group that performs panels at various conventions, and they will be performing two of their most popular panels at JohnCon 2010. They describe themselves as “a group that performs at conventions and conferences for the good of all geeks everywhere. We are composed of professional writers, critics, reviewers, speculators, game designers, quantum physicists, demi-gods, bridge trolls, inanimate cubes, computer AIs, gerbils, spikey-haired protagonists, that machine that goes ping, and Jaysack.”

We contacted Disorganization XIII for more details following an article on their blog where they mentioned us, called “We Are Going To JohnCon … WHUUUUUUH!?!” Angelo D’Argenio, President of Disorganization XIII, provided us with extensive descriptions of their two panels, “Spoiler: The Panel 3″ and “Fanfiction From Mary Sue To Shakespeare” and also about some games that they will be setting up at JohnCon.

Disorganization XIII’s Spoiler: The Panel 3

The formal promotional description for Spoiler: The Panel 3 is as follows:

“Are you the type of guy who hates it when the ending of an anime or video game is given away? If so, then this panel isn’t for you, but if you are in the mood for a solid hour of hilarious geeky comedy with the occasional break for Ninjas and Rickrolls, then this is the panel for you, and vicariously Racer X, who just so happened to be Speed’s brother all along. Laugh, cry, win a prize or two along the way, we have something for everyone! Except zombies… I’m not sure we have anything for zombies.”

They also provided us with a more informal explanation:

“This panel is basically an hour and a half long comedy presentation that in a sense satires other panels. We of course, give away the endings to popular movies, anime, manga, comics, videogames, books, and other works that would be popular in “geek” culture. You can find videos of our past performances on Youtube. It’s by far our most popular presentation and has been a hit at conventions such as NYAF, Otakon, AUSA, and more.”

Fanfiction From Mary Sue To Shakespeare

Formal promotional description:

“Fanficiton is one of the best and worst things to come out of fandom, and Disorganization XIII is there to find the best and laugh at the worst! If you have a thing for the subtle art of Fanfiction, then come to our panel, where we will discuss good fanficiton writing techniques notoriously bad fanfiction writing techniques, the history of fanfiction and its roots in bardic tradition, and of course where fanfic is today in both the amateur and professional universe. This is way more than Goku, Ichigo crossover slash.”

Informal explanation:

“Unlike Spoiler which is basically a comedy routine, this is more of a discussion panel. We basically take a look at fanfiction from a literary theory point of view. Many members of Disorganization XIII, including myself, are professional writers, and we know many professional writers that started in fanfiction. We take a look at some award winning pieces of fiction that qualify as fanfiction, such as Neil Gaiman’s A Study in Emerald. We also examine the sociology behind the fanfiction community, and of course talk about ways people can improve their writing and make their fanfiction appear more professional.”

Games

Besides the two popular panels that Disorganization XIII is formally hosting they will also be running games.

“…we plan on running several different role-playing games, and bringing down many different obscure video-games and imports for congoers to enjoy. Two games we already have planned are a production of Toon, and of Broken Sky, a new system, still under development by Infinity Games. We also may see a Don’t Rest Your Head one-shot, and others.”

JohnCon 2010 takes place April 16-18 at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. BaltimoreGamer will continue to cover all the new developments, and we be there with a table. Come see us!