[media-credit name=’TIM BAIRD/Herald photo)’ align=’alignright’ width=’336′][/media-credit]At this weekend's Geek.Kon, all coexisted peacefully: The otaku got their share of anime, once arguments over English overdubs versus subtitles were resolved. The Trekkies and Star Wars junkies — often fierce rivals — shared limited space. And the classic nerds were bound to find something to pique their interest, from comic books to Guitar Hero.

More than 1,700 geeks of all stripes turned out for the convention, which featured various anime, science-fiction/fantasy and gaming activities in the Humanities building Saturday and Sunday.

Despite their different geekdoms, they came together under a single moniker to revel in their interests, according to Con Chair Louise Behnke.

"For us, ‘geek' is something we can consider an identifier," the UW senior said. "It gives a whole branch of different people a chance to get to know each other and find something in common."

The convention was geared toward "the three biggest divisions of geek" and was the first such gathering in the Madison area to include substantial anime content, according to Behnke.

The weekend's events included tournaments in videogames and role playing games, showings of cartoons and films, and panels with artists, writers, directors and, well, geeks.

The convention was open to all comers, and attendees ranged in age from 4 months to 70 years old, according to staff. Con-goers mingled at mixer Saturday night to the sounds of Japanese music and anime theme songs, “with geek-style dancing, which is always interesting to see," Behnke said.

Although the geek gathering catered to a wide variety of interests and demographics, many con-goers remarked on the convention's atmosphere of acceptance.

"In regular life, it's ‘I'm not a geek, I'm okay, I'm normal,'" said UW senior and convention volunteer Kristen Jones as she dabbed blue paint onto a miniature wolf figurine. "At Geek.Kon, we really came to celebrate it."

Other attendees expressed similar sentiments.

"We can be dorks!" exclaimed UW senior Tess Treutelaar, as she displayed her gargoyle costume alongside a Captain America and a dragon.

Treutelaar came to the convention to relieve some of the stress from studying for exams, as well as to reconnect with her geek upbringing, she said.

"My dad was the ultimate nerd, with the coke-bottle glasses and everything," she explained. "We watched ‘Star Trek' together."

Her reminiscences in the hallway were interrupted by 8-year-old Sean Sponem in the guise of a Dalek (a mechanized extraterrestrial villain from the ’60s sci-fi show "Dr. Who").

"Exterminate! … You will obey!" exclaimed Sponem in a menacing automated voice from inside the golden robot, which he and his father constructed from old washing machine parts.

Costumes such as these were no unusual occurrence at the convention: Competitors in Saturday's Costume Masquerade performed skits in an array of outfits, and costumed con-goers roamed the halls "cosplaying" in the roles of favorite characters.

Nate Senger, a ninth-grader from Milwaukee, spent the week before the convention recreating the blue-and-maroon uniform of Roy, a character from Nintendo's "Super Smash Bros." video game.

"It was the first time I've ever sewn anything," Senger said, although he admitted his mother helped out.

Even though Geek.Kon was his first convention, it was a good one to start with, Senger said.

"It's an open opportunity to free-range explore different for the gathering's name. Even after the event organizers from the University of Wisconsin Sci-Fi and Anime clubs settled on "geek" and "con," they couldn't decide on how to spell them together until the recalling the "Mortal Kombat" videogame series inspired the K.

"It's an inside geek joke, if you know ‘Mortal Kombat,'" Behnke said. "Plus, geeks are a little different, so why not a different spelling?"

But the use of the term "geek," which some see as derogatory, sparked debate at the convention.

Senior Katy Reed said the word's connotation depended on its use.

"If you're like, ‘I'm a geek' and you're happy about it, then it's cool," she said.

"We are claiming the word!" Jones interjected.

There were differing interpretations of what that word actually meant, however.

"The generic definition of a geek is anyone who is socially outcast," Jones said, but noted a continuum from Harry Potter fans to followers of certain Web comics.

Freshman and self-described "every geek" Joe Herron defined a geek as "someone who analyzes life beneath the surface," but said the meaning of the word has been distorted by society.

He pointed to the "geek chic" phenomenon he said has made being a geek, ironically enough, socially popular.

"They're trying to be cool by being uncool," he explained.

Some of the attendees didn't classify themselves as geeks, or even faux-geeks.

"I'm unfortunately not a real geek at all," said Maria Zdanovskaia as she ran up and down the sloping walls outside Humanities in a cat costume with bells.

She said it didn't matter at Geek.Kon, where everyone is accepting of a person "independent of your interests or how you act."

Even attendees not in costume could assume alternate identities in the many role-playing games offered at the convention.

As the convention wound-down shortly after 3 p.m. Sunday, Richard Barton was conducting the "Lord of the Rings"-based "Legacy of the Blue Wizards" game, which he created with fellow Geek.Kon game judge Tony Havlik for another convention more than 17 years ago. After a brief lecture on the importance of staying in character, Barton began the final segment.

"One of the five Maia sent by the Valor has come — Oretrin, you may know him as Gandalf," Barton intoned in a voice well-suited to the quest the six players were on to find the Stone of the West. "You will have to take the stone where it needs to go. Where do you think that is?"

One guess is immediately batted aside for a lackluster performance: "You will have to pass certain tests of conviction before you continue on."

Another — "The hearts of men" — is rebuked as well: "It needs to grow in the hearts of men, but it is not planted there."

The eventual answer — "The Hill of Cerin Amroth" — comes not a moment too soon, since the game had been going nonstop since 10 a.m.