MediaWest*Con/MediaWest*Con 2005
| Convention | |
|---|---|
| Name: | MediaWest*Con 2005 |
| Dates: | May 27-30, 2005 |
| Frequency: | |
| Location: | Lansing, Michigan |
| Type: | |
| Focus: | multi-fandom |
| Organization: | |
| Founder: | |
| Founding Date: | |
| URL: | 2005 Convention Page[1] |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Some Facts About the 2005 Convention
- The theme that year was "Revenge of the 25th"
- Fandoms represented in programming included 24, Angel, Anime/Manga, Battlestar Galactica, Blake's 7, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, comics, CSI, Deadwood, Discworld, Doctor Who, Due South, Fantastic 4, Harry Potter, Highlander, Horatio Hornblower, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Jacqueline Lichtenberg, Lord of the Rings, Jean Lorrah, Lost, Magnificent 7, Anne McCaffrey, Mystery, NASA, Andre Norton, Phantom of the Opera, Pirates of the Caribbean. Real Ghostbusters, JD Robb, Sentinel, Smallville, Kevin Smith, Star Trek, Stargate SG-1/Atlantis, Starsky & Hutch, Star Wars, Tru Calling, UNCLE, Vampires, Whose Line Is It Anyway?, Wild, Wild West, Xena: Warrior Princess, and X-Men.
- The Ladies Sewing Circle and Terrorist Society Annual Shopping Trip was held on Saturday, May 28, 1pm. The group journeyed to the town of Mason to visit Kean's, Yards of Fabric, Pansy's Needlehole and Everlasting Stitches (a quilt store in Holt).
- There were approximately 64 dealers in the dealers room with an additional five hall/room dealers.
- There were approximately 112 zines listed as premiering in the program book.
- The Vid Weasels had their fifth anniversary.
- There were two Christian and religious themed panels that year: Open-Minded Christian Fangirls Forum: All faiths welcome, come and discuss what Christianity is, what it ISN'T, and why it has a bad rap in fandom; and Fans of Faith: Is being a good member of your religion and being a "good fan" an impossible dream? (all faiths welcome)
- The tech panels: Different techniques for watching TV on your computer: Television monitors, video cards, digital VCRs, episodes on mpeg; Photo manipulation: Not always as easy as it looks, there are some quick illos, too - a hot topic all around; and I Can't Wait!: Downloading episodes off the net. Is it copyright infringement or your right? along with two vidding panels.
- Instructions for that year on offering programming suggestions and reserving the party suite are archived at MediaWest*Con 2005 Programming, Archived version.
Fan Q Awards
For specifics, see 2005 Fan Q Awards.
Skit
There were two plays that year: South Azkaban from Bev Grant and The Terminated Beast by Helen Commodore.
Fan Fund
Due to a lack of nominations, there was no 2005 SF/Media Fan Fund recipient.
Party Suite and Other Gatherings
- Vid Weasel's fifth anniversary party
- "Unconditionally Blonde," a MUNCLE gathering
- "Man from UNCLE Fans United," a MUNCLE gathering
- Christian Fellowship, Worship and Communion
- Sentinel party
- Starsky & Hutch party
- Stargate SG-1 party
- Children's Bean Fest
- "Welcome to Linden," a LOTR party
- Jewish Shabbat Service & Pot Lock ONEG
- Hogan's Heroes party
- "Field Trip to Hogsmeade," a Harry Potter party
- a party for "music vid enthusiasts"
Masquerade Awards
A complete list of winners can be seen at MediaWest*Con 2005, Archived version.
- Best In Show & Best Young Fan - Trust a G'ou'ld? Nola Thompson, Samantha Powell, Kelly Lowrey, Victoria Gold
- Best Humor - Maybe Newer Isn't Better -- Laura Wootan, David Wootan
- Best Workmanship - The Want Ad -- Paula Kesler
- Best Characterization - The New Apprentice -- June Edwards, Angela Varesano
- Best Original & Audience Choice - A Writer's Nightmare -- Julie Garner, Ashley Harp
- Weirdest Presentation - It's A Spider, Darth -- Peter Cooper
- Best Multi-Part - French Highwayman -- Kelly Dwyer, Karl Etheridge, Paula Neier, Wolf
- Best Cross-Genre Fusion - A Marriage Made In Hell -- Mark Cogan, Leslie Dannenberger, Joe Dorffner, Sophia Kelly Schultz
Door Decoration Awards
A complete list of winners, with photos can be seen at at MediaWest*Con 2005, Archived version. A few sample doors are included below.
Door Decoration Gallery
winner Best in Show
Starsky & Hutch door When They Were Sergeants
Art Show Awards
Winners are selected by popular vote.
- Best In Show: Three Faces of Richard Dean Anderson by Jesse McClain
- Science Fiction: The Coming Dark by Jesse McClain
- Fantasy: Chickadees by Heather Bruton
- Detective: Can I Still Serve & Protect by Jessse McClain
- Secret Agent: Say UNCLE by Kate Nuernberg & Sally Budd
- Animation: Kill Bill by Mike Cole
- Humor: Elf Defense by Leah Rosenthal
- 3-D: Dragon Hatchling by Kelly Dwyer
- Fabric: Spawn of Eye Candy by Seth Cutts & Gail Felipe
- Western: Seven by Annie West
- Horror: It's Always the Blood by Laura Quiles
- Portrait: All Turns to Silver Glass by Kate Nuernberg & Sally Budd
- Critter Dragon Hatchling by Kelly Dwyer
- Too Cute to Live: If The Shoe Fits... by Jesse McClain
- Honorable Mention: To Hell With This "Too Cute To Live" Crap by Kate Nuernberg
Judge's Choice:
- Spirit Guide: Fox by Karen River
- Sapphire by Heather Bruton
- Sith Lord by Mike Cole
- Fandoms represented in the Spawn of Eye Candy quilt: Jurassic Park, Magnum PI, Galaxy Quest, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Numbers, Quantum Leap, Zorro, Lost, Miami Vice
Source: MediaWest*Con 2005, Archived version.
Vid Show
For a period of time, starting in 2005, the Vid Show Awards were no longer posted on the MediaWest*Con website. This list comes courtesy one of the attending vidders Recycled Media. For another partially complete list of gen and slash vids submitted go here. Eventually an official list of the winners was posted at MediaWest*Con 25 Fannish Video Awards, Archived version.
Vid Show Awards
GEN
SONG INTERPRETATION - Single
- 1. Full of Grace - California Crew
- 2. Real Great Britain - P.R. Zed
- 3. (TIED) I Will Always Return - Spaced Ponies
- 3. Mack the Knife - Spaced Ponies
SONG INTERPRETATION - Multi
- 1. Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy - Stampede Productions
- 2. Redneck Woman - Recycled Media
- 3. One Week - California Crew
HUMOROUS
- 1. Holding Out for a Hero - Vid Weasels
- 3. Holding Out For a Hero - California Crew
CONSTRUCTED REALITY
- 1. The Interview - California Crew
- 2. Mayberry - Spaced Ponies
GEN CREDITS
- 1. Vid Weasels
- 2. Spaced Ponies
- 3. California Crew
VIDEO BOX/JEWEL CASE
- 1. Vid Weasels
- 2. Cherokee Chicks
- 3. Spatula Productions
VIDEO FLYER
- 1. Vid Weasels
- 2. Spatula Productions
SLASH CATEGORY
SONG INTERPRETATION - Single
- 1. The Soldiering Life - PR Zed
- 2. All Things Just Keep Getting Better - Stampede Productions
- 3. I Know a Heartache - Spatula Productions
SONG INTERPRETATION - Multi
- 1. Passenger Seat - Recycled Media
- 2. I Will Be Your Friend - Cherokee Chicks
- 3. If Not You - Cherokee Chicks
HUMOROUS
- 1. Bohemian Like You - PR Zed
- 2. Material Girl - Spatula Productions
CREDITS
- 1. Vid Weasels
- 2. Stampede Productions
MATURE CATEGORY
- 1. Comalies - DigiRay
- 2. The Ghost Woman & The Hunter - DigiRay
Programming
Events
Actors
- Jerry Orbach: RIP - Come pay tribute to this late, great star.
- David Wenham: So much more than Faramir - a look at the actor and his work beyond Lord of the Rings.
Fan Fiction
- Content from the show: How much do you refer back to the original series in your fic and how important is rewatching the show? Frequently used phrases, etc. or do you just take those characters and run with them?
- Daniel/Blair/Peter/Starsky Would Never Do That!: What/who determines if a characterization is correct? (/).
- Do your elves have pointed ears?: creating your own mythology, J03, Ball D, Fri, 8:00-9:00pm
- Editing: Why you need it.
- Erotica vs. Porn: How do we distinguish a difference and why do we need to do so? And where does slash enter into it? (/).
- Fan Fiction vs. Professional Fiction: A general discussion of the differences.
- Fan fiction: Is it written for the writer or for the reader, and what difference does it make?
- Fan Fiction: What do you say when people ask when you're going to start writing 'real stories'?
- Fannish Glossary 101 (Shippers, ATG, beard, smarm and filk): Where did the terms come from? What about some terms that may seem like reverse discrimination, such as "mundanes"? (/).
- Grammar and punctuation: do's and don'ts.
- Holiday episodes, stories: A discussion of writing and watching them; sometimes epiphany [and first time, stories. (/).
- How to Be a Better Beta.
- How to write like Tolkien: practice, not theory—covering style, speech patterns, characterization, etc.
- King Arthur: general discussion of the Antoine Fuqua film starring Clive Owen and loan Gruffudd.
- Lord of the Ring: Fan Fiction - Net vs. Zines: Why are there so few LOTR zines?
- My Name Is NOT Mary Sue: The 2nd Annual MWC OFC Writer's Support Group.
- Oh, no, not a SONGFIC!: What they are, what they aren't (or shouldn't be) and how to just maybe write a good one.
- Return of the Gen Fic: Why have certain universes been almost wholly appropriated by slash fandom, and can gen fandom reclaim their share?
- Slash and the happily (or is he?) married male character. Tips and brainstorming session on what a writer might do when a character she wants to use is married on the show. (/).
- Slash and Women vs. Men's attraction to F/F scenarios: Why does it seem harder for some to understand women's attraction to slash than to understand men's being turned on by two hot women together? (/)
- Slash readers' sex scene pleasures & peccadilloes: Intimate details, going all the way in first-time stories, confusing H/C and sex, closing the door before the good stuff happens. (/)
- Slashing gay characters: Is it still slash? Does it matter? Is it just as fun? (/)
- Smarm: Does it deserve the bad rap it's been getting lately?
- Straight fiction: Where's the action/adventure without the sex? Who needs the sex scene anyway?
- That wouldn't happen!: How realistic does fan fiction have to be? Some fans have dubious definitions; unnamed sources or memories that constitute "reality" to claim what's in your story is incorrect, (adult).
- The dark side of fandom (may include BDSM-fic, mpreg, RPS, even creating photo manips): The allure of the dark side, and how to reconcile it when some of what you're into squicks your fandom pals (/).
- What the writers or director intended; backstage,off-screen inside information you've heard about after the fact: Do you take that into account as canon when writing your stories?
- When Canon Gets in the Way of Fan Fiction: For instance, cops on the show doing what real-life cops would never do. How do you resolve this if you want your story to be realistic?
- When Universes Collide: Making crossovers work.
Fandom
- Academics analyzing fans in books, students subbing to lists to observe us for class papers; how do you feel about being studied and do you look at their reports, what's their real motivation?
- Actor reaction: Do you, as a writer or reader, ever think about it should he happen upon some stories, gen, slash or het, featuring his character? Or is the actor separate from the fictional character? (/)
- Estate Planning: Don't let your valuable fandom items disappear after you're gone. Plan ahead.
- Fannish Organization: Getting your act together.
- Fans of Faith: Is being a good member of your religion and being a "good fan" an impossible dream? (all faiths welcome).
- Fictional series or specific episodes of those series that touched you or changed your life. Can television shows have that much of an impact on a person's life?
- How has the internet affected fandom and fan fiction?
- How 'out' are you with non-fans: How do you explain your fandom life to people who may not understand, and when might you even try to do this? Friends, dates, coworkers, family members? (/).
- In Memoriam. Remembering those fans and pros who have left us in the past year.
- Is IDIC dead: has fandom become more mean-spirited, ungenerous and selfish?
- Leaving the fandom: What do you take away with you or leave behind? Your love of the show, your online stories, the people in that fandom? And what motivates you to leave anyway?
- Librarians in Fandom: Let's just get together and talk.
- LiveJournal: Does it promote a multi-fandom fannish culture?
- OMG, You Made Me Cry, LOL: Dealing with those who misuse netspeak.
- Open-Minded Christian Fangirls Forum: All faiths welcome, come and discuss what Christianity is, what it ISN'T, and why it has a bad rap in fandom.
- Our Fine Feathered Friends: The annual Let's Brag About Our Pet Birds panel - bring pictures!
- Straight before fandom? A discussion of sexual orientation awareness before and after fandom, including the 30% of female fans are bi or lesbian" statistic. This is NOT slash, but rather a real-life look at fans' orientations: gay, straight and otherwise.
- When It Just Doesn't 'Take': Managing your existential guilt when the fandom "everyone" loves winds up leaving YOU cold.
- Where Have All The Gen Fans Gone? Is fandom really slashier now, or does it just seem that way?
- Your husband and those posters of your favorite male star: Can they live together in peace? Spouses' reactions to fans' interests in celebrities; does he accompany you to autograph signings?
Film
- Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera: How do the characters and plot in the movie differ from the stage play, and do the changes add or detract to the story's appeal?
- Anime and Manga: Newbie to Anime fandom, what do all those terms mean?
- Fantastic Four: anticipating this summer's live action film.
- Fantastic Four: Movie Speculation.
- Harry Potter. Books vs films. Do the films retain the magic of the books?
- Lord of the Rings - Boz and Faz: The characters of Boromir, Faramir, and how Peter Jackson's films made them better and/or let them down.
- Lord of the Rings: reconciling the Bookverse and Peter Jackson's movieverse.
- Lord of the Rings: The Complete Extended Edition. A look at the entire Peter Jackson saga. How did it compare with the books. What should have been cut and what should have been added?
- Lord of the Rings: what we want to see in the "Super-Deluxe Extended Edition".
- Movies based on comic book characters: General discussion on this Hollywood trend.
- Phantom of the Opera movie. Did Joel Schumacher's film interpretation of the ALW musical live up to expectations?
- Phantom of the Opera movie. Gerard Butler as the Phantom -did he deliver a valid interpretation as an actor and singer?
- Phantom of the Opera: general discussion of P of O in all of its forms.
- Pirates of The Caribbean: General movie discussion.
- Pirates of The Caribbean: Jack Sparrow, general character topic.
- Pirates of The Caribbean: What are your expectations of the sequels.
- Speaking about "Silent Bob": The universe of indie filmmaker Kevin Smith.
- Star Wars Episode III. Revenge Of The Sith: An in-depth discussion of the just-released film. Did this trilogy end satisfactorily? How did the third film compare to the first two?
- Star Wars. Was Anakin's seduction by Palpatine and The Dark Side believable or disappointment?
- Star Wars. Was Obi-Wan really a failure, or would Anakin have been just as reckless no matter who his teacher was?
- X-men: Speculation on the third movie.
Games
- CSI Murder Mystery - (part 1).
- CSI Murder Mystery - (part 2).m
- Harry Potter Trivia.
- Lord of the Rings Trivia Game: Players can have knowledge of books and/or films. Please email Susan at [email protected] if you want to play.
- Magnificent Seven Bounty Hunt (2 hrs).
- Multi-Fandom Jeopardy. Audience participation required.
- Whose Line Is It Anyway?: 2 hour comedy improve - audience participation!
Literature
- Comic Books. Making a comeback thanks to Manga?
- Dark Hunters on the Prowl: the novels of Sherrilyn Kenyon.
- Eve Dallas: Character series by JD Robb.
- Fantastic Four: Benjamin J. Grimm: the human under the rock.
- Fantastic Four: Revel in your comic-geekiness, FF fans!
- Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince: Only seven weeks until Book Six comes out. What do we think will happen? What should happen?
- Harry Potter. Severus Snap. Just whose side is he really on? And why does Dumbledore trust him?
- I Love a Mystery: Share your favorite authors and books with other readers.
- McCaffrey, Anne: Discuss her new books.
- Norton, Andre: General discussion.
- Poetry: More than just filler.
- Romance in Werewolf's Clothing: Paranormal Romance.
- Romance: General discussion of the professional books.
- Terry Pratchett's Discworld: General discussion.
- What Jean Lorrah and Jacqueline Lichtenberg are doing these days.
Miscellaneous/Hobbies
- Beading: Simple Stringing and Beyond. Learn how to make simple necklaces, bracelets or earrings, or brush up your skills. Attendees will leave with a completed item or the start of a project. $5 materials fee payable at the workshop. Sign up is required and attendance is limited.
- Crafty Fans/Fannish Crafters: Putting a fannish slant in creative hobbies. Those who have done so, bring samples and share your expertise.
- Crochet Corner (not quite a workshop): Come, sit and stitch with your fellow crocheters, with peer instruction offered for newbies who want to learn this popular yarn craft.
- Future of NASA. The Hubble telescope may be abandoned and there hasn't been a shuttle flight in over two years. What is happening to the U.S. Space Program?
- Hurricanes, Earthquakes and 9/11: Use of real events in Fan Fiction.
- Hypnosis 101: Panel.
- NASA: Mars plus Saturn/Titan missions.
- Old Time Radio: A discussion of your favorite old radio dramas, detectives, etc. can some of the characters be as enticing, if kitschy, as TV?
- Vampires. Can they be redeemed? Should they be able to be?
Television
- 24: Best season yet? And what crisis do we think will happen next year?
- Amazing Race: Ain't it Just Amazin'?
- Amazing Race: Now it's a ratings hit...catch up with the latest developments from the best reality series on the air.
- Angel the Series: Canon vs. fanon in Angel/Spike fan fiction.
- Battlestar Galactica: Can fans of Classic BG still appreciate it?
- Battlestar Galactica: Discussion/ spoilers for season 2 and beyond.
- Battlestar Galactica: Share what you think so far of the series on Sci Fi.
- Battlestar Galactica: The transgendering of Starbuck - Why did TPTB change Starbuck from male to female? (new SciFi version) (/).
- Battlestar Galactica: Villain, Victim, or Madman: James Callis as Gaius Baltar (SciFi series).
- Blake's 7: Doctor Who is back. Should this British classic be revived as well?
- Boston Legal: Fun at the firm of Crane, Poole and Schmidt.
- Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Buffy loves Angel; Buffy loves Spike. Which relationship do you prefer?
- Charmed. Just what is behind the magic that has made this show last for seven years?
- Cold Case: Seamless blending of past and present.
- CSI Miami: How are the recent additions/departures affecting team dynamics?
- CSI Miami: How is Horatio coping with Speed's death? (/).
- CSI Miami: Ryan Wolfe: How is the new guy fitting in?
- CSI: General discussion of all three series and how they're doing this season.
- Deadwood: General discussion.
- Desperate Housewives: Fun and mystery on Wisteria Lane.
- Doctor Who: Can the show find it old popularity again with the new episodes?
- Doctor Who: How does the new series fare? How does Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper make for a Ninth Doctor and Companion?
- Due South: Ray V vs Ray K: comparing and contrasting the two Rays and their relationship w/Fraser (/).
- DVD Wish Lists: What we would like to see released next.
- E.R.: General discussion of this long-running medical show. Will it survive Noah Wylie leaving the show?
- From Holmes to Foyle to Mrs. Bradley: Come celebrate the enduring PBS: Mystery series while sharing your favorite episodes.
- Highlander. Is the Immortal saga dead? Why?
- Hogan's Heroes: Sex and the single prisoner: slash potential at Stalag 13 (/).
- Horatio Hornblower - HH3: Welcome return to 'canon' Horatio or dreary, uninspiring mess? Discuss!
- House: A discussion of this new Fox medical "mystery" series with Hugh Laurie.
- I Spy: Why is another '60s spy show, MAN FROM UNCLE, so much more popular in fandom?
- Intimate Adventure: The hidden genre.
- Inu-Yasha: general discussion.
- Iron Chef: How does the Food Network version compare to the original (and even with William Shatner-hosted edition)? What are your favorite episodes/dishes/chefs/etc?
- Joan of Arcadia: Discussion of Joan of Arcadia and what makes this show so appealing?
- Jumping The Shark. What shows have done it in the past year? Can they jump back?
- Law & Order: Four shows in the franchise. General discussion of which is the best and which should be put away?
- Lost: Character discussion.
- Lost: General Discussion.
- Lost: I'm lost! Round-table overview of the first season..
- Lost: The heart of the matter—the connections among all the characters.
- Magnificent Seven - Where would the series be now? How might the show have progressed if it hadn't been cancelled?
- Magnificent Seven- What makes your fav Mag7 slash pairing work for you?
- Magnificent Seven: Do you prefer pairing off buddies or the ensemble?
- Magnificent Seven: From Old West to ATF, how well do the characters transfer?
- Magnificent Seven: How do you keep manly men manly and still slash them believably? (/).
- Magnificent Seven: Magnificent Obsession - Just what is it that makes this show so special?
- Magnificent Seven: Who's the easiest character to write? The hardest? Your favorite?
- Magnificent Seven: Why all the AU's in this fandom?
- Man From UNCLE Fan Fiction: Write what you know — Spies like us? How to use real life in fantasy.
- Man from UNCLE Fan Fiction—Second bananas—Are your support characters essential elements or just plot devices? Gen or slash welcomed.
- Man from UNCLE Slash: What's unique to Man from UNCLE slash and the 60's (/).
- Man from UNCLE Social Activism: UNCLE's take on real issues of the 60's.
- Man from UNCLE, from ditto masters to LJ. How has the fandom survived and adapted over the years to each new medium?
- Man from UNCLE: prospects for a film version. What do we want? What do we expect?
- Man From UNCLE: Some stirrings ofa movie; can it really happen?
- Medical Investigation: Just a way to pass an hour, or are the characters fun to watch.
- MI-5: Can the show go on without Tom, Zoey and Danny?
- Monk: A discussion of the quirky detective show.
- NCIS: The Dynamics of NCIS - Discussion on our favorite characters on this show.
- Nip/Tuck: the slash is there for a reason (/).
- Numb3rs: General discussion.
- Numb3rs: The New CBS Show. Share what you like about it!
- OZ: Is there a fandom for this adult HBO series?
- Professionals: Where are Bodie and Doyle now?
- Queer As Folk and The L Word: Can these two shows actually lead to serious dramas about gays on mainstream networks?
- Queer As Folk: Can any of these relationships (especially Brian and Justin) really last forever?
- Real Ghostbusters Slash: Because We Deserve a Panel, Too (/).
- Real Ghostbusters: The Holy Trio and That Other Guy...why is poor Winston so often left out in the cold?
- Real Ghostbusters: What do fans want to see in the fie these days?
- Reality shows: How do they differ? Starting Over, TLC's Resident Life, A&E's Airline, contest shows like Survivor, etc. What, if any, have you watched?
- Remember WENN: General discussion panel.
- Resolve this history if you want your story to be realistic?
- SciFi channel: Why can't it ever show any decent movies?
- Sentinel: A Bash Naomi Party. We'll gossip about the shows, and bring the stories you like best that write her as an evil, evil woman. Might discuss slash stories, but not necessarily a slash panel.
- Sentinel: Celebrity Death Match: William Ellison vs. Naomi Sandburg,.
- Sentinel: Hearts & Flowers vs. Strong & Silent: What would Jim's & Blair's romance be like? (/).
- Sentinel: Jim and Blair in 2005: Where would they be now? (/).
- Sentinel: Shock and Awe: What's the most shocking thing you ever read in TS fan fiction? (/).
- Sentinel: TSBS - Can one press conference solve everything?
- Sentinel: What's a Sentinel to do? Alternate career possibilities for Jim Ellison.
- Small Screen to Big Screen: TV shows we'd like to see as movies.
- Smallville: How does Lois Lane work in Smallville?
- Smallville: The Clex rift is coming. Can fan writers ignore it without turning to AU? (/).
- Star Trek Enterprise: Just when it was getting good...
- Star Trek. A look at all five live-action shows.
- Star Trek. Is the franchise over? Can/should it come back with something new?
- Stargate Atlantis: General overview of season, the characters and the stories, of season one.
- Stargate Atlantis: Rodney McKay. What is it about this man that we like? The Snark or the hero?
- Stargate Atlantis: Second season discussion - as many spoilers as can be found, and speculation for the future.
- Stargate Atlantis: Your favorite character: Sheppard, McKay, or that Czech scientist, Zelenka. Open forum on all of 4em.
- Stargate SG-1: Different cast, new direction, new dangers, new enemy: Should they have ended SG-1 and opted for a second spin-off?.
- Stargate SG-1: Sam and Jack: At last?
- Stargate SG-1: The evolution of Daniel Jackson - for better or worse?
- Starsky & Hutch Food & Drink: Getting your fingers all over it (the topless blender scene, sharing the long neck beer bottle, pickle stealing and a triple dose of vitamin E) (/).
- Starsky & Hutch: Fanon stereotypes (Hutch's cold family, Starsky's mother's name), where do they come from and why are they perpetuated?
- Starsky & Hutch: The S/H Virtual Season: Where do we go from here?(/).
- Starsky & Hutch: When canon gets in the way of fan fiction, cops on the show doing what real-life cops would never do, how do you resolve this history if you want your story to be realistic?
- Sue Thomas, FB Eye: An attractive cast, compelling stories, and engaging relationships. Why doesn't this show have more of an audience?
- Third Watch: A general discussion.
- Tru Calling. No second season. What happened?
- TV Shows on DVD. Come discuss the latest TV releases on DVD and learn about the best on-line resources for this fast-growing collecting passion.
- West Wing. The race for the presidency: Democrat Matt Santos vs. Republican Arnold Vinick. Who should win?
- Wild Card: General discussion of this Chris Potter series. A
- Wild Card: The show's been cancelled - does it deserve it?
- Wild, Wild West: Slash in the original television series. (/).5:00-6:00pm
- Xena: Movie News and Discussion.
Web/Video
- Different techniques for watching TV on your computer: Television monitors, video cards, digital VCRs, episodes on mpeg, a discussion.
- Fandom Vid Critique for both the Vid Show Entries as well as any other vids. (2 hrs) (TV).
- Photo manipulation: Not always as easy as it looks, there are some quick illos, too - a hot topic all around (/).
- I Can't Wait!: Downloading episodes off the net. Is it copyright infringement or your right?
- Introduction to Fandom Vidding: Understanding the nuts & bolts of how to develop a vid idea.
Workshops
- Advanced Writer's Seminar. 2 hours.
- World Building for Writers. 2 hrs.
- Holy Mother Grammatical Writing basics and bloopers,.
- How To Tell a Better Story. 2 hrs.
Acknowledgements
From the program book:
Co-Chairs (and your hosts) Lori Chapek-Carleton and Gordon Carleton would like to thank the following Staffers and assistants for their hard work: Elyse Dickenson and Dawn McLevy (Programming/Party Suite/Flyers), Jeanne Sullivan (GoFers, Con Suite). Keith Grunenwald and Setb Cutis (Security). Jan Gosnell (Fanzine Reading Room, Fan Fund). Karen M. Klinck, Jesse McClain, Vivian Sheffield and Roberta Stuemke (Art Show & Auction), Jan Keeler (Fan Quality Awards). Andre Lieven (Masquerade). Debra & Anna Barber. Robyn Deike (Main Video Room), Sheryl Adsit (Fannish Videos). Kim Dyer and Linda Pfonner (Blood Drive), Margaret Basta (Orphan 'Zines). Carl Tielking (Local Lansing Liaison), the Art Show auctioneers, runners, and auction staff, and all the GoFers without whom there could be no convention. Thank you all for your time and effort, especially lo those who work not just during this weekend, but throughout the year! Thanks also to Jeff Walker for the movie trailers and studio promotion freebies.
Convention Reports
It turns out the Holiday Inn has wireless internet so I'm typing this from the dealer's room. So far the con has had its ups and downs. For example, the door decoration started out as a big success then took an abrupt turn into unmitigated disaster and source of much irritation.Carolyn's friends across the hall were doing Gondor, so we went to Lowes and got some marble-looking wallpaper to share and I got a very realistic looking Greek mosaic border to use, and some decorator's moss. I put the wallpaper on our door, with the mosaic border and the Hercules and Iolaus poster framed on it, and they were putting the rest of the wallpaper on their door and the walls across the hall, with Gondorian flags hanging out in the hall, and a blue glass and metal lantern, and some other things. Then I spent six hours sponge painting and crumbling and gluing moss to make a cave entrance around the Hercules door. The idea was going to be that the White City of Gondor was over there and below it were the caves where Hercules and Iolaus apparently lived. A blue and gold Greek-patterened drape hanging from the ceiling completed the Hercules section, and to top it off (to match the other door's sign with the white tree that said "Gondor" and their photo of Merry and Pippen with the caption "yes, as a matter of fact the Lords of Gondor" are in residence.") I made a sign with mosaic border and parchment paper and painstakingly copied Greek-Hercules-hybrid lettering that said "Corinth -- No Lords of Gondor Admitted." A skull on a little pedestal with purple Greek-key cloth finished it off.
It was up Thursday and looked fantastic, and we got a lot of laughs. Then disaster -- the cave fell or was pulled partially apart after we were in bed for the night. I tried to fix it for about an hour or two Friday morning then had to give up. it went from fantastic to lame and pathetic, just like that. Then to top it off a Hall Nazi came by last night and ordered us, despite the fact that we were using the easy painter's release tape which is the exact same tape the rest of the flyers and things up and down the hall were put up with, to take down our Corinth sign. I was so pissed and tired of looking at the caveless pathetic door I just ripped it down without arguing. Then I punched her. And kicked her. Not really, but it must have become apparent that that was a possibility, because she went over to hassle Gondor. Then we bitched about it a lot and Carolyn put masking tape all over the hall with a sign that said Beware the hall Nazis.
To top it off, the bastards had the audacity to stick a form for the door decoration contest under our door at 6:00 am and wake me up. It probably doesn't look as bad as I think, but it looks like ass compared to Thursday.
Also, the convention screwed up the program book and didn't list any of Carolyn's zines (two Star Wars and two Lord of the Rings) or Less Than Legendary under premiering zines. There's a lot of people that go by that list, so that sucked. But fortunately sales have been good. Which is great, because I already sent the $200.00 donation to Tolerance.org before I left.
In summation, send help, and Hercules fans. [2]
While I have a dealer's table for the whole of MediaWestCon, my programming was all today. I did a morning panel on Intimate Adventure and an afternoon panel on what Jacqueline and I are doing these days. Oddly enough, there were more people at the morning than the afternoon panel--of course it all depends on what else is going on at the same time.Fans were delighted with the idea of trying to get a term accepted for their favorite kind of literature. When I read the definition of Intimate Adventure, they all agreed that it was definitely something they look for in fiction but find hard to describe. Audience members suggested that the inability to find Intimate Adventure in the library or bookstore was what led them to fanfic: there they are guaranteed to get the fix they want.
We brainstormed ways of getting the term Intimate Adventure into use in the reading/writing/publishing community. Suggestions were using the term when requesting books in libraries and bookstores; linking from fanfic websites to Jacqueline's article on simegen.com; using and discussing the term on boards, blogs, and listservs; and using the term in book reviews, particularly book reviews on amazon.com in hopes of reaching a level of saturation at which Amazon would make it a searchable key word. At the same time, fans who know authors who write Intimate Adventure can introduce the term to those authors as a selling point, and suggest that they try to incorporate it somewhere on their back cover blurbs. (In case you didn't know it, the author is usually asked to write the cover blurb.)
In the afternoon panel, I brought everyone up to date on what we are writing, the fact that TO KISS OR TO KILL finally has a publication date and what that book is about, and books to come in the Sime~Gen universe. As no one there had been at the morning panel, I passed out the last of the Intimate Adventure brochures, and briefly discussed the concept and the ideas we had come up with in the morning. Once again, everyone agreed that the definition fit exactly their favorite form of reading (MediaWest is a major zine con), and that a specific term for it is long overdue.
Now I'm at my table in the dealer's room. Sales have been pretty good. I brought one hardcover and three softbound UNITY and have sold them all. Some of my SAVAGE EMPIRE new editions have sold, as well as a surprising number of the used copies of the old paperbacks of my books. SEVEN SEASONS OF BUFFY is now down to one copy.
I still have flyers, and much of what I am doing is talking to people who stop by the table and complain that they already have everything on it. I tell them to come back next year--I am going to TRY to get advanced copies of KISS for MediaWest if I possibly can.
- We got four Fan-Q awards: - A Companion's Duty [story-slash] - A Matter of Necessity [story-gen] - Sime~Gen Cooperative Fiction -2004 [zine-gen] and (are you ready for this?) - A Companion in Zeor #21 [zine-slash]
- The 'Slash' Fiction Discussion, from SimeGen-L, may help clarify some of these arcane categories
- (I guess the awards people decided it was a slash zine because it had a slash story in it.)
- The lady who runs the awards said she got more nominations for DaBinett's "A Matter of Necessity" than any other one item. (This is surprising--and exciting--because the 'Man from U.N.C.L.E.' fandom is highly organized and HUGE.)
- So, we've made a name for ourselves. If the questions I got--and the flyers I gave out--are any indication, we've (re)acquired several fans.
- Thanks to those who helped make it possible this year. Let's continue the tradition in future years.
- In Service to Unity, Kaíres
- 'I guess the awards people decided it was a slash zine because it had a slash story in it.)
- I kind of figured that would happen. It caused considerable confusion. There is some disagreement on this in fandom, but in general, one slash story does make the whole zine slash. (The "contagion" theory of categorization. Kinda like those southern states that considered people black if they had even 1% African- American ancestry.)
- I just got back from MediaWest. (Via Ohio. Finally got to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton!) Several people commented on how quiet the con seemed this year. The membership numbers went up to the 700s, but it seemed quieter than the years when there were only 500 members. Not sure if people are buying memberships and not showing up, or what. Dealers seemed happy with their sales, and we certainly did well, so it's not the economy to blame. Maybe it's the "graying of fandom." We're reaching the point where the average fan is eligible for an AARP discount. :-)
- At least two people asked me about "that pro Sime/Gen slash book." One who was at MWC, one who used to attend, but no longer does. (One of those who bailed out when they instituted that shenned lottery.) They were very disappointed to hear about the delay.
- Oh, [fans are] still dragging themselves to MWC. They're just a lot quieter while there. It used to be 2am ice cream runs and ending the party by going out for breakfast were par for the course. Now, everyone goes to bed early. There weren't nearly as many parties as there used to be, and the ones they did have were smaller, quieter, and earlier. Even the Star Wars blaster battles were muted. It used to be hard to go out in the halls on Saturday night without being caught in the crossfire. I barely saw them this time.
- MediaWest isn't on the west coast. If it were, I doubt I'd attend. MountainMedia in Colorado was probably my favorite con of all time, but even it was too far away for me to attend regularly.
- MWC is in East Lansing, MI. Not exactly the bright, hot center of the universe. I gather it's there because it was started by the Michigan State University Star Trek Club, back in the '70s. Not much to do in Lansing, and it's not terribly convenient to public transportation, but it's an easy drive. Centrally located, and without the harrowing traffic of, say, Newark or Chicago.
- MWC was, for a long time, *the* premiere zine con. Editors always debuted their zines there, at least if they wanted to make back their printing costs quickly. And people went there, to get the zines. I was wondering how long MWC would continue now that zines are no longer the center of fandom for many. But I guess people still want to meet their fellow fans face to face. The con wasn't as large as it's been in the past, but it appears to be going strong.
- The 'Man From U.N.C.L.E.' parties were just as long, late, and loud as last year.
- I'm afraid I can't say anything about previous years, though, because last year was my first time.
- (I was dragged there, kicking and screaming, by one of the 'cousins'...and fell in love with the thing!)
- Even the Star Wars blaster battles were muted. It used to be hard to go out in the halls on Saturday night without being caught in the crossfire. I barely saw them this time.
- I did get some practice dodging laser weapons, when I met a group of about twenty laser-toting warriors in the stairwell Saturday night.
- They were very polite. (Princess Leia was with them, so they were on their best behavior.) They stood aside and let me leave the stairwell unharmed. Then they resumed hostilities.[3]
MediaWest Con Report, Part One
- The first rule of MediaWest is: There is no sleeping at MediaWest.
- The second rule of MediaWest is: There is no sleeping at MediaWest.
- The third rule of MediaWest is: There is no . . .
- You get the idea.
MediaWest is like the boot camp of fannish conventions. It's like New York in a way…if you can make it there you can make it anywhere. Trying to describe MediaWest in any realistic way is kind of futile. There is no way that words can capture the experience. It really must be experienced to be understood. However, since I promised to do a con report I'll do the best I can.
Day One and Two (Wednesday and Thursday)
Linda, lcorn, arrived just before 1pm. We loaded up all my stuff and hit the road. The plan was to get at least as far as Des Moines, but if at all possible to get to Iowa City so we wouldn't have as far to drive the next day. Other than some rain around Omaha the weather cooperated. We talked, listened to music, and also listened to part of a book on tape narrated by David McCallum. *sigh* That man has a lovely voice. We stopped at a Holiday Inn. Linda wanted steak so we went to the place attached to the hotel. The food was wonderful. Afterwards we went down to the hot tub and had a nice soak. Then it was bedtime.
The next morning we got up and had breakfast and hit the road. The drive was fine until we reached Chicago. There we had to merge eight lanes into three due to lots of construction. I was very glad Linda was driving at that point. We spent a lot of time just sitting and both of us fretted that we would miss the UNCLE dinner that evening. We were soothed by more books on tape, followed by Leonard Cohen and Johnny Cash. I'm not a huge fan of Johnny Cash, but this was reasonably enjoyable. When it came time to turn onto Highway 69 I had to giggle and snerk a lot. Linda made some comment about "You slashers!" I pointed out to her that my amusement had nothing to do with being a slasher. It was all about my inner 13-year-old coming out to play. *g* We got lost near Lansing because we missed our exit, but eventually we got to the hotel and checked in. We went down to the lobby to head over to the restaurant and found fellow UNCLE fans who were gathering to trek to the Ponderosa. I'll never remember everyone I met at that time. To be honest, I met so many new people over the weekend that many of the names escaped me. If you recognize yourself in any of these descriptions let me know and I'll edit accordingly. I definitely remember that it as at this time that I met st_crispins, aka Cindy.
We wandered over to the restaurant and slowly but surely more and more people showed up. I was able to meet Emily, the fan I was sharing a room with, as well as a bunch of other people. I somehow ended up sitting with three nice women whom I'd never met before. They were very nice, but not exactly the most lively group. The table next to us filled up and I noticed green_key at about the same time she saw me. There was much squeeing and hugging. I would have moved to her table but it was full already. Linda invited me to sit with her and Nan and Jenna but it seemed rude to get up and move at that point. As I told Linda, maybe I should wait a day before I start pissing people off. ;-) There was a commotion at Sith's table and I noticed that someone had just fallen flat on their ass. I don't know why but I immediately thought, "Hmm, that must be keelywolfe." I was right. I ate quickly and as soon as was even remotely polite I moved my chair over and was introduced to Keelywolfe and crimsonquills, aka Nix. Someone else was sitting at the table but right now I can't even begin to remember who it was. Anyway, we got to talking and frivolity ensued which wouldn't end for the next four days.
After dinner we walked back to the hotel. I talked with Emily, getting to know her a bit more. She was obviously intelligent and witty and very enjoyable. Exactly the things you want in a roommate. Although in all honesty we didn't end up getting to spend that much time together because neither one of us was in the room that much except to sleep. When we got back to the room I realized that Sith, Nix, and Keelywolfe were in the room right across the hall. Couldn't have planned it better if I'd tried. I ended up over in their room talking away until ndannais (Nicole) arrived.
When I was talking with my mother today she asked me what I did all weekend. I told her that the main activity was talking. We talked and talked and talked and talked…about lots of things, primarily fannish of course. This trend was set that night. I'm not sure exactly what time I finally wandered across the hall to my room, but I think it was well after 2am. Then Emily and I talked for almost another hour.
Thus ends Days One and Two of my trip.
Day Three
It's 6:20 A.M. and I'm wide awake. I don't need to be up for *hours* but there I am, lying in bed with sleep nowhere to be found. I decide I might as well get up and get ready for the day. I wait over ten minutes before the shower water gets hot, but even then I am ready for the day by 7:15. I read the complimentary copy of USA Today before finally deciding to go wander the hotel. Most people are still asleep. In the lobby atrium one fan is asleep with her head phones on. I sit down and hope that people start stirring soon or I might die of boredom. Long before this can happen Sith appears from the other side of the lobby. It seems she has also been up for awhile. We talk for awhile and then go have a little breakfast in the hotel restaurant. Then we walk around a bit and eventually Keelywolfe joins us and we talk and wander some more. We decide to take a trip to Meijer's (a local grocery store) and I get Diet Coke and a few other necessary food things as well as a couple bottles of wine. Sith is patient and shows my little hick-self how to operate the self-check out line. The modern conveniences of city life. ;-) We go back, get everything up to the room, by which time Nix and Nicole are up and about. We go down to wait in line for registration.
It should be pointed out that registration was to begin at 10am. It finally started around 12:10 P.M. This was not making a very good first impression on the newbie. However, there was much conversing amongst ourselves and others as they wandered by to get in line. I admired the t-shirts some people were wearing. MediaWest is a con that also allows people to bring their pets with them. The cats stayed in the rooms most of the time, but people had their dogs on leashes and had them out so there was much puppy love going on as the dogs walked by the line. We were finally able to get through registration and the con officially began.
To be continued… [4]
MediaWest Con Report, Part 2Day Three (Friday) Continued
We're finally registered. Next stop: the dealer's room. To try to give some comparison to those of you who have gone to ConneXions, the MediaWest dealer's room is at least four times the size. It's huge! The next hour or so was spent in a fannish fugue state of "Gotta have, gotta have, gotta have! Ooooh, pretty!" I walked out of my first tour of the dealer's room with several zines, a small print of a painting of Hugh Laurie as House, an MFU shirt, a very pretty picture of Ducky and one of Illya, a few buttons, and a couple of key chains.
Then it was on to the Art Show. This room would be a pivotal part of the weekend since Nix was more than a little obsessed with a couple of pieces of art by Jesse McClain. There was a lot of really nice art in the show. After touring the art show we went back to the room for awhile. Sith was selling off a lot of her Star Wars toys and other collectibles so she was selling out of the room. This meant that she had to be in the room a lot of the time and so we hung out there a lot. People would come by to browse and we got the chance to talk to a lot of people. I think I have the patter seared into my brain. "Everything's a dollar except for books and magazines, which are two for a dollar and the DVDs, which are five dollars each."
Some of you may be wondering about selling out of the room so this seems a good time to stop and explain the hall crawl. MediaWest is unique in that people are allowed to sell merchandise out of their rooms. This is possible because the convention takes over the entire hotel. The hall crawl involves moving from room to room one floor at a time to peruse the merchandise. You can find everything from catnip to CDs filled with Stargate: Atlantis images to…well, just about anything fannish. People decorate their doors so you check those out as you go along as well.
As the day went along I saw more and more people in Star Wars costumes. They have battles and such in the hallway which can get kind of hairy. You quickly learn to yell "Non Com!" when you get in the middle of a battle in order to keep from getting thwacked on the head.
At some point Nix and I went to the SGA party in the Party Suite. You can sign up for a two hour timeslot to host a party for your fandom. They were showing episodes, not that you could really hear them. There was a good turn out. Leave it to Nix to find fellow NCIS fans in the SGA party. ;-) The NCIS fans turned out to be deannie and noelql. It was fun getting the chance to talk with them and thankfully I got to see more of them over the weekend.
After the SGA party we went back and grabbed something to eat. Most of Friday's food involved potato chips and breakfast bars…nothing particularly nutritious. The benefit of this is it did leave me more money to spend on other things, but every so often my stomach, which is used to being fed on a more than regular basis, would voice its displeasure.
Then it was on to the vid show. People complain about the disorganization of other con's vid shows, but this show was disorganized to the extreme. There was no posting of a schedule so we didn't know when certain vids were going to be shown. They show the Gen vids first and the Slash vids last. I had been told that while the Slash vids are supposed to start at 11pm this rarely happens and this year was no exception. Nicole and Keelywolfe were both premiering vids. Nicole had a couple of Gen ones which were to be shown earlier in the evening. We wanted to see them on the big screen so we went down, only to find out that they had already shown hers. We were not happy. We found seats and thus began the hours and hours of agony interspersed with good stuff.
The Gen vids went on for hours and hours and hours. Many of them were good. Most were mediocre. More than a few were awful. There really needs to be legislation outlawing the use of Sarah Mac Lachlan's music in fannish vids. Beautiful music but it's over used. The highlight of the Gen vids was Jennifer Saunder's rendition of "Holding Out For A Hero" done to SG-1. It was hysterical. If you ever get the chance to see it you should.
Remember how I had gone to bed after 3am and was up at 6:30am? Well, 11pm came and went with no sign of the Slash vids. We were all starting to get a little punchy. Nicole was practically vibrating with excitement and tension at the idea of her vids premiering. She was also a little cranky at having missed the premiere of her Gen vids. This made for an interesting and amusing Nicole. ;-D At one point we were watching a vid set to "To All the Girls I've Love Before." It was a ST: TOS vid showing Kirk with various women. Nicole and I started going through and deciding whether Napoleon would sleep with them. Since some of the actresses had appeared on both shows it tended to vary between "Yes, he'd do her" to "He did her." There was one that Nicole decreed "Napoleon would do her, but she'd go after Illya." It was seriously funny at the time, but you have to remember we were very, very tired.
Finally, shortly after 1am they started the Slash vids. We propped our eyelids open and did our best to stay awake for all of them. We cheered Nicole and Keelywolfe's entries. Keelywolfe's Spike/Angel vid to Father Figure was particularly hot. We finally had to call it a night around 2:30am. The vid show wasn't over yet, but we'd had our butts planted in those seats for over six hours and I think I can speak for all of us in saying we were toast.
Up to the rooms we went. I had to sneak quietly about so as not to wake Emily who had the good sense to go to bed at a fairly reasonable hour. When I turned out the light it was a little after 3am.
And that, gentle reader, is it for tonight. I still haven't caught up on my sleep and the rest will just have to be finished tomorrow. [5]
MediaWest Con Report, Part 3Day Four (Saturday)
green_key talked vysila and myself into helping her moderate the one and only UNCLE slash panel. I think the actual topic had to do with slash set in the 60's; however, it became much more wide ranging than that. I couldn't give you specifics if my life depended on it because I was only half awake and hadn't had nearly enough caffeine yet. I hate 9am panels, don't you?
There was one woman at the panel, who shall remain nameless because I can't remember her name, who had a true sense of fannish entitlement. The one comment that got my hackles going was when, in referring to writers she said, "They have to" … whatever it was she felt writers had to do. I was fairly quick to point out that writers don't *have* to do anything simply because it's her preference. This same woman would make an appearance the next day after a different panel when she wanted to know when Sith was going to gather the muncle challenge stories into a zine. Apparently she felt that she shouldn't have to learn how to find the stories online. Gah! I won't go off on a rant. Oh wait…too late. However, I'll stop now. *g*
After the panel it was time for some real food. A group of us walked over to The Flap Jack, or whatever it's called, for a late breakfast. I don't know about anyone else, but I knew I had to eat something other than Oreo's and breakfast bars. More good conversation over a hot meal and it was back to the dealer's room. There were periodic forays into the dealer's room over the rest of the con so I won't bore you with each and every trip. Let's just say that when I was done I had 14 new zines to bring home with me. Several of them I bought for the zine library for $1 each. That's not a typo. One of them is kind of beat up and the other is an anthology zine with only a few UNCLE stories. However, I figured for the price of a Diet Coke out of the machine it was well worth the expense. I also bought a few others that I might not have gotten except by using the library as an excuse. You know, "If I don't like it I can donate it to the library." As if I need an excuse to buy zines. I also got a Buckaroo Banzai t-shirt that I'm very pleased with, although I was stunned at how many people didn't have a clue what BB was. Kids today have no sense of history.
I went to one more panel that day. Linn, the woman from Hollyweird who owns partial rights to UNCLE was there to talk about the possible movie. Almost everything that was said required a blood oath that we wouldn't repeat the information so I wiped much of it from my memory. Besides I have a firm belief that I'll believe it when I see it. All I keep repeating to myself is "I want the DVDs. I want the DVDs. I want the DVDs."
The rest of the day was spent alternating between hall crawling, being in the room talking to people as Sith sold stuff from the room, checking out the bids on the art show items that Nix wanted, etc. Oh. Wait. There was the Vid Weasels party. Sith and Keelywolfe went but they had OD'd on vids and didn't stay long. I stayed for awhile longer but I was in a fairly comfy chair, the lights were dim, and the room was warmish. Much longer and I'd have been sound asleep.
Back in the room vysila and her evil twin Sue wandered down. I haven't mentioned them before this, but they were around here and there. Normally they were off doing their own thing and unfortunately their room was on the other end of the hotel. Being sweet and generous women…well, generous anyway, they took pity on me and fed me a sandwich and some salad in their room. This was accompanied by some good conversation. It was so great to meet both of them in person and I was glad we had that time away from the maddening crowd.
After that I found Sith and Keelywolfe at the con play. It was a funny Harry Potter story using songs from South Pacific. Bizarre combo, don't you think? The singing was often more than a little off-key, but it was really quite adorable and very funny. I'm not sure where Nix was…probably hovering over the art that she wanted. Nicole was up in the room watching Duran Duran videos.
Have I mentioned Nicole's Duran Duran obsession yet? No? Well, let me say that she is well and truly obsessed. She got in late on Thursday night but set her alarm so she could get online at 4am to get tickets to their London show. She was thrilled whenever anyone would watch the clips she had on her computer. She recognized a Duran Duran t-shirt someone else was wearing from the front, which simply said the year of the concert, which I think was 1987. I found it sweetly amusing and came home with two CDs filled with Duran Duran stuff. Nicole is nothing if not generous and loves sharing her fandoms, whatever they may be.
Anyway, after the con play we went back up to the room and broke open the booze. I grabbed my two bottles of wine and opened the Fat Bastard chardonnay. People wandered in and hung out for awhile. Among them were deannie, noelql, and graculus. Graculus had some interesting music on her ipod that some of us listened to. I got one person to have a little of the chardonnay but everyone else was drinking other stuff. Still, somehow, that bottle wound up empty. It seems that I drank almost all of it myself. Thankfully drinking lots of water before bed and liberal use of the ibuprofen meant I was just fine in the morning. It was a fun evening. I think it was some time after 3am before I went to bed.
Day Five (Sunday)
Sunday was pretty much more of the same. At some point we watched The Ultimate Computer Affair so people who hadn't seen it could see RV's amazing erection. How the censors missed that I will never know.
At the end of the afternoon we were back in the dealer's room so Nix could do some more hovering. She wanted to make the last bids on the artwork she wanted.
There was a quilt there with nine panels all signifying a different fandom. Eight of them weren't too hard to figure out, but one of them stumped everyone. Seriously, there were crowds gathered around the quilt. If you filled out the form and guessed them all right you could win a prize so everyone was trying to figure out what it was and get people to give them their thoughts. A few of us thought we had it figured out but we weren't sure so some of us filled in one answer and some of us used the other. Only later, at the UNCLE party in the party suite, did Cindy figure out what it was. Of course, by then it was too late, but kudos to her for eventually figuring it out. I wonder if the alcohol helped her mental processing. *g*
Early in the afternoon there was another UNCLE panel that dealt with the changes in fandom. Many of the people there aren't on Live Journal and a few of them were more than a little intimidated by the technology. Sith somehow became the Voice of LJ and did her best to explain just how easy it was to use. She's promised to put together a tutorial for the uninitiated when she has the time. I have to admit I found it fascinating to see some people dig in their heels and expect that people who use LJ should make accommodations for their needs so they didn't have to learn anything new. Of course, there were plenty of people there who wanted to learn to use LJ and were grateful for any help they were given.
Somehow UNCLE managed to grab two or three time slots in a row for the party suite so there was much partying. Food was plentiful and the booze flowed freely. UNCLE people really know how to party. Nix was down at the art auction and Keelywolfe and Nicole were taking their turns running the vid show, which still couldn't seem to stick to a schedule. If memory serves at this point they were 45 minutes *ahead* of schedule. Any way, after spending some time at the UNCLE party I decided to go down and sit with Nix for awhile. I wasn't going to stay long but the auction sucked me in. It was fun to watch. Eventually Sith joined us, followed by Nicole and Keelywolfe. As it came time for the main object of Nix's obsession to be bid on, a lovely portrait of Johnny from The Dead Zone, Nicole in particular went out of her way to help pump Nix up. She had her doing mean faces in order to scare off the competition. Thankfully, it worked and she got that print…and at a price that left her enough money to buy a few other things she'd wanted. A most successful ending to the day.
Of course the day wasn't over yet. We decided it was time for another real meal so we got into Sith's car and headed for Steak 'N Shake. Good food. Lousy service. Then it was back in the car, back to the hotel, and off to bed. Emily was still awake when I got to the room so we talked for quite awhile. I know it was again after 3am before we turned out the light.
Day Four (Monday)
The last day of the con. Monday is a day of winding down. People begin to pack up and leave and so much time is spent saying goodbye. *sniffle* A rather large group of UNCLE fans gathered for breakfast in the hotel restaurant. Even after all this time this was my first chance to really chat with some of the other UNCLE fans. I sat across from st_crispins (Cindy). It was nice to get some time to chat that was a little more relaxed than the normal con experience. Certainly a bit more quiet.
After breakfast everyone started to get ready to leave. I missed saying goodbye to Keelywolfe, who had left earlier in the morning, and then I missed saying goodbye to Nix. *more sniffles* Nicole's plane wasn't leaving until much later so she stored her suitcases in my room. I said goodbye to Emily and others. I ran into Linda, who was in the restaurant with Nan and Jenna. I hadn't had much of a chance to talk to them so I went in to join them for a bit. Nicole had my room card so she could put things in there as needed and she and Sith went off on their own for a bit.
I'm glad I had that time with those three. Nan is pretty funny and gave me a hard time. I had told Linda before the con that I was more than a little nervous about going because I wouldn't know that many people and I didn't want anyone to feel as if they had to take care of me and keep me entertained. Nan teased me that she was glad I'd been able to come out of my shell enough to find a few people to do things with and hadn't spent the con crying in my room. "Phhhbt!" was my response. ;-) After they were done it was time for Linda to take Nan and Jenna to the airport. They asked me to go along but I declined. I wanted to take one more pass through the con itself and then get my room key so I could go hang out in the room and rest my poor, weary feet.
While I'm on the topic of weary feet I should mention that much walking is done at MediaWest. Every night I went to bed with aching feet and swollen ankles from all the walking. Next year I'm taking my pedometer to see just how many miles I walk in a day. It's one of those things that make this con unique. Not that one doesn't do a lot of walking at other cons, but it's nothing compared to the miles logged just getting from the room to the dealer's room.
Okay, where was I? Oh yes. I went looking for Sith and Nicole but I couldn't find them. I remembered they'd said they were going to Taco Bell for some food so I decided to sit in the chairs by the elevator and wait for them or Linda. It was really interesting to people watch as everyone came and went, lugging massive amounts of luggage and merchandise. Finally Linda appeared. She had moved her stuff into my room for the night, as we weren't leaving until the next day so she had a room card. We went in and kicked off our shoes and chatted about the con and how tired we were, etc. I thought the only thing I had left to do was say goodbye to Sith and Nicole. Of course, I didn't realize that Sith was going to get a screw in her tire that would necessitate the Great Tire Adventure of 2005. Details, and the trip home to follow shortly. [6]
MediaWest Wrap-upSeeing as I'm leaving at 10:30 tomorrow morning for a flight to Vancouver (I'll be M.I.A. for a little more than a week) I've realized that there's no way I'm going to get an actual report of MW done. So, instead, here are a few select highlights.
Having a long discussion with Kath Moonshine about Aragorn/Boromir slash, the scarcity of such slash in zines and, finally, RPS. One thing I love about fandom is meeting like-minded people that you click with, and Kath is definitely one of those. I can't wait to get my hands on Eternally Bound, the A/B novel she and Glow wrote. I'm picking it up at ZCon, though it is available for order now. (Their contact info can be found at http://www.moonglowzines.com/)
Meeting up with Linda Cabrillo, S&H zine publisher extraordinaire, and talking S/H, LotR and whatever else took our fancy. Oh, and I introduced her to my best pal, m. butterfly, who just happens to have an S/H story she's nearing the end of. Publisher-friend meet writer-friend. Go me.
Being pulled up to the UNCLE party suite by the lovely Di K for "UNCLE fan photos", only to discover it was actually a wedding congrats party for me and my roomie, Sandra. No, we didn't marry each other. (The big guy will be relieved about that.) But Sandra is getting married over Thanksgiving, and the UNCLE gang knew I'd gotten married last fall. Owing to the fact that we're both slashers, the inscription on the cake was to "Pauline/Sandra" Heh. Photos of the two of us cutting the cake will go up in this space as soon as I've taken them in for developing. (Note to self: get a freaking digital camera already.)
Meeting up with Carolyn Golledge, whose lovely zine, Warriors of Gondor, marked a return to me writing gen. In my defense, it's an all-Gondor zine, focussing heavily on Boromir: I would have written het to be in it. Well, okay, maybe not het, but gen was definitely not a problem. Carolyn is a lovely woman, and a pleasure to write for. I just hope that at my next MW we get to sit down for an even longer, proper discussion. (Info on Carolyn's zines, all gen, is at http://www.ltljverse.com/embassy/zines/)
Hanging out with UNCLE fan Vicky Loebel and company, and watching Galaxy Quest. I adore that movie anyway, but it's even more fun when you're hanging out in a fannish context. And it was nice to spend some time with Vicky, since until now, we just seem to have had the occasional, brief conversation at the never-ending MW UNCLE parties. Oh, and Vicky's sister, Dusky, does the most beautiful fused glass jewellry. I got one of her pendants with Chinese characters that is utterly gorgeous.
Spending tons of time with the UNCLE crew in general. st_crispins, Di K, Pat B, Brenda D, Kate D, Nan M and all the others that I'm no doubt fogetting. Oh, and not forgetting my other roomie, the lovely and talented Marian Kelly, who is the best publisher I've ever worked with. I've got a new story in her latest issue of Relative Secrecy. (Order info for all Marian's UNCLE zines can be found at http://users.frii.com/wanderer/mfuzines.html)
Last but not least, sharing the Duran Duran love with ndannais. And being extremely jealous of her plans to see them multiple times this year. Culminating with a Christmas gig in London. Very cool.
In the wake of the con, I've made a few resolutions that I'm going to include here to focus my attention.
1. I am going to finally finish my April Dancer story for Kate D's new gen UNCLE zine. (Just don't tell Kate that Illya and Napoleon are still totally doing each other in the story universe. I'm just not going to talk about it.)
2. I am vowing to finish my UNCLE story cycle by February next year. Because given the change of lifestyle we're going to have then, there's no way I'll get it finished for several years if it ain't done by then. There's going to be 11 stories total, 6 are done, the remaining 5 are in various stages of half-finishedness and outlining. If I get the sucker done, it'll be the one time I publish a standalone zine of my own stuff. Which is reason enough to finish it.
3. I am not going to do a premiere vid for VividCon this year. Getting Bohemian Like You ready for MW put me in a slough of sleep debt that I am still crawling out of. I'm not going to do that to myself again so soon, and for a con I'm not even attending.
4. If the stars align, I'm going to try and write a S/H story for Linda C. Because she's swearing the next zine will be her last, and I've always thought her zines were the classiest in the fandom. [7]
References
- ^ WebCite for the 2005 Convention Page.
- ^ Radio Free Mediawest, ltlj
- ^ Jean Lorrah, May 28, 2005, and subsequent discussion, see: Sime~Gen - SGHistory - MediaWest*Con Report - 2005, Archived version, see that page for some comments via an exchange of email, including some about a slash category
- ^ Bluster's Hot Air Extravaganza - MediaWest Con Report, part 1, Archived version
- ^ Bluster's Hot Air Extravaganza - MediaWest Con Report, part 2, Archived version
- ^ Bluster's Hot Air Extravaganza - MediaWest Con Report, part 3, Archived version
- ^ P.R. Zed - MediaWest Wrap-up, Archived version