Every year at #SDCC, a bunch of us descend on the San Diego Buca di Beppo for too much pasta at an affordable price. This year's dinner was disrupted by some of the worst-behaved children we've ever had the misfortune to be seated near; we settled our check and left.
Now, of our group, almost all of us were women. We had one man, and one non-binary individual. Mr. Hustle focused immediately on our man, with a little more attention for our non-binary person. Women, ignored.
Our dude allowed as how this was probably true.
"That panel was amazing."
Our dude was appreciative.
"I'm a writer, too."
We all made supportive noises.
This was a mistake.
He does not go get crepes.
We pre-emptively ask them to leave. We are basically done with being hustled for the night. We want to talk to our friends and not deal with this shit.
So. Here we go, on to the point of this thread.
If delivering "the hustle" to strangers you think might be famous when you see them in your hotel lobby is why you go to con...stay home. Seriously. THIS DOES NOT WORK. Yes, collaborations can arise from cons. Yes, you can get work at cons.
I still liked that knife, though.