Now I need never speak again, yay

My final panel at FogCon was an enquiry into space opera: what it is, why it works, who's good, where we would be without it. It was actually a thoroughly enjoyable panel, and I talked a lot more than I usually do and had opinions and everything, so I was already pleased with myself even before a guy came up at the end to say that he'd been to many many conventions over the years and many many panels and this had been the best one ever. So that's it: I have achieved Peak Panel, and should probably retire.

(My own contributions may have been marginally influenced by the inner man's content: someone in the audience thought it worth tweeting that the Brit on the panel had a beer. This is one of the significant differences between British and US cons; in the UK, everybody on the panel would have a beer. Or other refreshment of their choice, courtesy of the green room. It's a lovely system. On the other hand, here in the US there's always a consuite. That's a lovely system too. Someone should bring these two together.)