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DashCon is a first-year fandom convention for Tumblr users. It is happening this weekend and turning into possibly the largest convention kerfuffle anyone has ever seen.

• Due to the DashCon staff done diddly goofin’ by not putting a payment schedule in their hotel reservation contract, they were asked to pay $20,000 by 10 PM last night or the convention would be kicked out of the hotel. They asked attendees and Tumblr users to donate $17,000 via PayPal and cash to keep the con going - and they supposedly raised all of the money. Con attendees then piled into the ballroom to do Mockingjay salutes and wail Freddie Mercury songs to celebrate them falling for what is suspected to be a scam (as people have contacted the hotel to ask about this “$17,000 fee” and the hotel reportedly has no idea what they’re talking about).
• You can attend wonderfully informative panels like this at DashCon:
  
• DashCon claimed there would be 3,000-7,000 attendees. There are 1,000 at most and all of them are white kids in flower crowns who are rioting for the anti-sexualization of women in media while simultaneously running panels about “homoerotic subtext in fandoms and finding the gay ships for YOUR fandoms!!!”
• The con didn’t have the money to cover WTNV’s transportation and performance fees. When WTNV asked them to pay the remainder of their performance fee prior to the panel beginning, DashCon was unable to do so, and WTNV walked out as they are positively free to do because what the fuck you don’t invite keystone guests if you aren’t able to pay their fees upfront (and showing them your PayPal balance on a smartphone absolutely does not count).
• It’s being speculated that Steam Powered Giraffe was not even booked properly in the first place.
• A full weekend badge was $65 dollars for a first-year fandom con jesus christ that’s almost the price of most full-fledged comic cons.

The list continues but so far it’s only the con’s second day and it is quite literally the most dramatic, hysterically cringe-worthy convention debacle I have ever seen unfold.

Adding some updates as of 7/12 at 7:35 PM EST:

• The game room consists of some tables, one TV, and one gaming console. No, really, that’s it.
• DashCon proves they have possibly the worst PR team ever when addressing the WTNV cancellation. Instead of clearly explaining the situation, they say they “don’t want to get into it,” and then offer compensation for those who bought advanced seating tickets for the Night Vale show. What’s the compensation? An extra hour playing in the ball pit (which is really just a slowly-deflating children’s pool with some balls in it). Oh, and if there’s room, you may get one of the first-come-first-serve spots at the Time Crash concert happening tonight. Huzzah!
• Most panels are completely disorganized. The “Name That Anime” panel was even handing out hotel mints as prizes for correctly answering questions like “what’s the anime where they fight with clothes!!!”
• This still needs verification, but supposedly there are minors being let into the 18+ panels (like “BDSM 101”), which DashCon could easily get sued for allowing. Not that they have the money for it.
• It’s been pointed out that as a Marriott hotel, the Renaissance would have required them to submit their full reservation payment 5 days in advance of the event. Therefore it’s very, very likely that the “$17,000 fundraising” was a huge scam. Because DashCon would’ve had to pay that money 5 days before this weekend or the event wouldn’t even be happening in the first place.
• Furthermore, someone attempted to debunk the letter that DashCon posted to prove that the hotel asked for money. Not all their points are valid (i.e. “RE:” is commonly used for “Regarding”, not just in response to previous communication, and idk but this dude doesn’t strike me as an expert on internal Marriott stationary), but frankly the letter looks sketchy if only because 17000% 99% of it is whited out. Is it real? Is it fake? We just don’t know.
• There has been no confirmation that the money donated in cash and via PayPal last night ever made it to the hotel (if that was indeed where it was intended to go).
• People are demanding full or at least partial refunds. Needs verification, but purportedly DashCon has a list at the con where you can sign your name and the amount you donated to be refunded later. Which sounds like a totally effective and not at all easily-abused system.
• Attendees are either in denial saying this is the best con ever or they’re crying and having panic attacks. Welcome to Tumblr.

And as a bonus: DashCon originally ran an IndieGoGo campaign last year to raise $5,000 to start their convention. They raised $4,000. The campaign ended in April 2013 and rewards have still not been sent out (which consisted of tea bags, a couple business cards with your Tumblr URL on them, and if you donated $500+, some knick-knacks from Etsy).

More updates, as of 7/13 at 3:59 AM:

• CORRECTION: A moderator of the BDSM panel messaged me to say that minors were not allowed in to their panel. There has been neither confirmation nor denial from the other 18+ panels, however.
• It turns out that the prizes for the “consolation raffle” are the reward gifts for IndieGoGo donors.
• Possibly art theft by DashCon for the nebula graphic in their banner?
• Gingerhaze decided to leave the con early after discovering DashCon wouldn’t be covering her hotel room anymore and she was charged the full bill. She is now sleeping on a pull-out sofa with the WTNV folks who threw some massive shade. BakerStBabes completed their convention duties as promised and then left as soon as that was done. No word on if Doug Jones is still on premise or if he’s also bailed.
• In this post from 11 months ago, con head Megg33k explains that they had “rented out the vast majority of their convention space and set aside nearly every room in their hotel” and that there was a “legally binding contract and the exchange of money.” They also signed a contract and had “monetary obligation” in regards to Steam Powered Giraffe, so I’m curious as to how that appearance fell apart. She also states that Doug Jones was paid in advance, so he should at least be good for appearing on Sunday (if he hasn’t already skedaddled, that is).
• DashCon isn’t a registered LLP in Illinois - so technically they’re operating illegally, as their LLP is only registered in Ohio.
• A personal account of the early stages of DashCon: fundraising committees, miscommunication, and a web series scam!
• Some insight into Cain Hopkins, one of the head admins of DashCon:
  

  

• An update from a friend whose company is a vendor at DashCon this weekend:
  

  

• They have attempted to show both Pacific Rim and Dr. Horrible’s Sing-A-Long Blog without the legal rights to host a public viewing party. At this point they’re basically just piling on the lawsuits.
• Two staff members have popped into the DashCon thread on 4chan’s /cgl/ board in an attempt to defend the con. It’s going about as well as you would expect.
• On the plus side, the Homoerotic Subtext panel was completely different than what the DashCon schedule made it sound like and in reality was pretty ballin’.

As always, if you can confirm or deny anything in these masterposts with proper validation, it’s greatly appreciated! I originally did the first one just to answer an ask I got, but as it’s blown up I figured I’ll keep doing it, since I’m captivated by the whole mess anyways. :’D

I’m heading to sleep now but I’ll do another update tomorrow once I’ve caught up on anything else that happens tonight! Hopefully no one dies. I’m not sure how else this con could get any worse.

And one last thing, just to clarify: my heart goes out to all you guys who paid to attend what you thought would be a fun convention and instead got this trainwreck. Even if it turns out that the $17,000 fee wasn’t a scam, remember that it is absolutely unacceptable for a convention to operate this way. I’m so glad that many of you have been able to see the positive in a bad situation and still managed to make friends and have a good time - but don’t forget to stand up for yourselves, too. A convention should never extort money from its attendees for any reason. Again, it’s great that you still made some good memories, but good memories alone do not make a good convention. Make sure your feedback is heard, especially if you want to see this con (or any future Tumblr-oriented con) have any hope of success.