Difference between revisions of "TSA-Bash/FAQ"

Revision as of 21:19, 27 February 2017

What is the Bash, anyways?

The Bash is a gathering of like-minded individuals to chat play games and just have fun.

Who all is invited to the Bash?

Really, anyone is invited, so long as you're interested in physical transformations or furries or have friends interested in these things or whatever. We're not an elite club. As long as you can get there, you're invited.

Where does the "TSA" in "TSA-Bash" come from?

That would be the Transformation Story Archive; the community that formed around that particular story archive site has significantly outlived it, and is responsible for the creation of the Bash, and later Shifti itself.

And no, we have nothing to do with the Transportation Security Administration. We predate them by several years.

The Bash is in [Insert City Here]. I can't get there! Why don't you have it in [Insert Other City Here]?

Well for everyone the "other city" is going to be a place they can't get to. If we placed it in Baltimore, Seattlites couldn't get there. If we placed it in Los Angeles, Bostonians couldn't get there. If we placed it in Houston, Canadians couldn't get there etc. There's no way we could possibly please everyone with the location of the Bash in a given year.

By and large, most Bash cities are towards the Eastern United States because that's where most people are. If you want it closer to home, look into offering to host it there!

The Bash is on [Insert Dates Here]. I can't make it at that time! Why don't you move it to [Insert Other Dates Here]?

Again, we can't accommodate all people all the time, as much as we'd like to. We must pick a date, and the date we pick is going to be a problem for someone. Unfortunately there's no way to avoid it.

Can we have next year's Bash in [Insert City Here]?

Maybe. The Bash works by having interested folks volunteer to host it, and if you really want it where you are, You can be the one hosting the Bash! Be forewarned, though; this tends to be a not insignificant amount of work and will likely cost more money than just attending yourself. Still, if the idea of making a fun space available for friends appeals, we have some guidelines on what is needed and what to expect available.

What is this "Bash fee" and why am I having to pay even more money on top of my hotel room?

When someone hosts a Bash (interested? Learn more here), they have to pay for the conference room we gather in out of their own pocket. The "Bash fee" is basically a partial reimbursement of that. Emphasis on "partial". We won't kick you out for non-payment or anything like that, but it's good manners to make your contribution.

What sorts of activities or programs can I expect at a Bash?

The Bash is very unstructured, and so there's nothing really like a "programming schedule". That said, we do have a few quasi-traditional activities, and one mandatory one:

• Planning The Next Bash. This is the mandatory one; we determine where we're going to have next year's Bash while we're there. (More info on this process here)
• The Group Photo. We pretty much always try to get a picture of all attendees together every year.
• A Zoo Trip. If there's a zoo nearby, we'll sometimes make a point of visiting.
• Some Other Sightseeing Trip. We pick a local (or quasi-local) place of interest (if any) and stop by.
• Games! Lots and lots of games - board games, card games, the occasional tabletop pen-and-paper RPG. If there's no other planned activity (the frequent state of being), there's probably games going on in the conference room.
• Idle Chatter. The Bash always starts and ends this way, and it's a popular activity throughout as well. We're all friends here, so it's fun to catch up and share new stories, after all.

What should I bring to the Bash if I'm attending?

Anything you like (so long as it's not illegal; that would be bad :) ). Popular choices in the past have included board games (to play with others), fursuits, movies, card decks, exotic liqeurs, and cocktail umbrellas.

Cocktail umbrellas? Why cocktail umbrellas?

That's an excellent question.

Where do I go if I want to discuss the Bash or have other questions not covered by this FAQ?

Your best bet would be to subscribe to the TSA-Bash Mailing List and post your question (or discussion topic) there. It's somewhat low-traffic, so don't worry about getting tons of extra email just by joining.

Failing that, folks in the know about the Bash can be found on IRC Chat in the same sorts of places you'll find other Shifti community members.