MediaWest*Con/MediaWest*Con 2003

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Convention
Name: MediaWest*Con 2003
Dates: May 23-26, 2003
Frequency:
Location: Lansing, Michigan
Type:
Focus: multi-fandom
Organization:
Founder:
Founding Date:
URL: MediaWest*Con 2003, Archived version
Click here for related articles on Fanlore.
cover of the 2003 program book with a Harry Potter theme

Some Facts About the 2003 Convention

  • The convention theme that year was "School of Fancraft and Zine-Edry" a Harry Potter theme.
  • The post-con report for the previous year and the first progress report for this year were combined.
  • Membership fees: $50 US, $55 outside US.
  • 124 new zines premiered. See Fanzine Debut.
  • From the second progress report: "Reality just keeps intruding. While assembling PR1 we received the horrific news of the space shuttle Columbia tragedy. Now, the invasion of Iraq has begun. Our best wishes to those directly involved and their families, and we hope they all return safely and soon. The conflict will likely affect gasoline prices, airline operations, and people's willingness to travel. Hopefully, things will have settled down by May."
  • The first progress report (combined with MW*C 22 post-con PR) was mailed Feb. 7, 2003, and included Fan Q nomination form, panel topic suggestion form, Fan Fund nomination form, and souvenir order form. Progress Report #2 was mailed March 25, 2003, and included panel sign-up form & topic list, SF/Media Fan Fund ballot, and Art Show Rules & Space Reservation Request Form. PDF versions of the progress report were available by email upon request.
  • The fanzine reading room's organizer wrote in the progress report: "I've also been getting some input on the new "Fanfic On-line" section. If you've written on-line fanfic or have favourite sites you like to visit, please let me know about them either before the con or at the con. All I need is the name of the story, name of author (optional); Fandom/s and the web address. This will be displayed in a separate section in the 'Zine Room with pen and paper available for interested readers to write down any items they may want to find. I have a lot of Star Trek: Voyager and some Harry Potter but would love to have a lot more in many fandoms."
  • From the second progress report: "THE 'ZINE ROOM GOES ONLINE! (Well, sort of...) With the increasing number of fan-lit stories online, I hear often from people in the 'Zine Room who are unable to find stories on the web in their particular fandom. I'm planning to have a separate display area for online stories. If you have stories you've written or enjoyed on the web, then please bring or send a list of these stories with their web addresses and fandom/s to the 'Zine Room. I'd also love to have print copies of the first page or two of a story with "to be continued at" whatever the web address is, on it. If you don't mind printing out the whole story to lend to the 'Zine Room, that would be great! These copies can be returned to you, kept for next year, or destroyed at the end of the con if you wish. There are several new touches being planned for the 'Zine Reading Room this year, so watch this space!"
  • There were 82 dealers tables, sixteen of them doubles. There were three hall dealers listed in the program book.
  • The convention once again stressed that they would not authorize any online discussion groups: "MW*C Progress Reports, the MW*C website, and the MW*C Update list are your official sources of MW*C info. Info from online discussion lists, groups, bulletin boards, etc. is often inaccurate or flat out wrong. If you have a question about some aspect of MW*C, please check with a legitimate source."

Fan Q Awards

For specifics, see 2003 Fan Q Awards.

Skit

The program book said that no plays had been submitted, so it sounds like there weren't any that year.

Fan Fund

The winners (tie!) of the 2003 SF/Media Fan Fund was Jean Coleman and Jean Thrower. They both attended MW*C 23.

From the second progress report, the nominees:

"Jean Coleman: I have been active in fandom since about 1980 or so — I started out in ST and SW, later got into Miami Vice and am currently most active in Rat Patrol and the military fandoms. I have written or collaborated on stories in most of those fandoms. I have attended MediaWest*Con for the past 20 years (only missed two or three), and have made some wonderful friends through my fannish activities. Thanks for considering me!

Jean Thrower: Fannish Veteran: I've been in fandom for 27 years now. I started with Classic Trek and have enjoyed fandoms such as Due South, Simon & Simon, Wild Wild West, and Smallville, to name some of my favorites. I've written hundreds of stories and poems in 'zines and on-line under the names of Jeannie Marie and Jean Thrower, and have attended 9 MediaWest*Cons so far. I've attended 3 MCWs (Due South) and hope to attend many more cons out there in the future, but this year has not been kind to the mundane side of my life, financially and otherwise, so I am pleased to be nominated for this award. It may be the only way I can come for my 10th MW*C. Thank you for considering me.

Cynthia Odrione: I discovered the internet and fandom near-simultaneously in college. Since then, I've been an enthusiastic lurker in Star Trek and The Sentinel and written (slash) in Star Wars: TPM (Qui-Gon/Obi-Wan), From Eroica With Love (Klaus/Dorian), and The Lord of the Rings (mostly Frodo/Sam), all under the name Thia."

Party Suite and Other Gatherings

FRIDAY:

  • House Cup Festival (kid-friendly), Hosted by: Griffendors vs. Slvtherins Fandom: Harry Potter, Open to all M W C 23 attendees
  • Ringbearers Remembered: Celebrating Frodo & Sam Hosted by: Adrienne (Odasso) & Cara J Loup (Ringerbearers Remembered), Fandom: Lord of the Rings (hobbit-slash)

Open to all M W C 23 attendees

SATURDAY:

  • Welcome Back. Daniel Jackson, Hosted by: SaveDanielJackson.com Fandom: Stargate SG-1, Open to all M W C 23 attendees
  • CLEX Gathering, Hosted by: Senticon, Fandom: Smallville
  • Family Feud Game Open to all M W C 23 attendees
  • Fans of Leia Summit Hosted by: Leia/Organa-Zation Fandom: Star Wars, Open to all M W C 23 attendees
  • The Channel D Affair Hosted by: Channel D listserv Fandom: Manfrom U.N.C.L.E. Open to all M W C 23 attendees
  • U.N.C.L.E. Slash Party Hosted by: Linda White, Fandom: Man from U.N.C.L.E. Open to all M W C 23 attendees

SUNDAY:

  • unidentified private party

OTHER GATHERINGS:

  • "F.O.E DANCE FRIDAY NIGHT: Cedar Street Station 9:30pm - lam (near the elevators). OPEN to ALL ATTENDING MW'C MEMBERS. Bring your dancing shoes; feel free to mingle with F.O.E. Members. You just never know who you could sec or talk to -

Han Solo, Emperor, Imperials, Rebels or even a Fett. Costumes are NOT required, so Come Join our Fun& Dance. Forces of the Empire Club"

  • Ladies Sewing Circle Annual Shopping trip
  • LOTR trivia game Friday night -- Susan Williams

Trekkies Ad

There was a blurb in the first progress report from the creators of Trekkies. It was addressed to fans:

Shooting for the documentary TREKKIES 2 is about to begin... And the new website is up. www.Trekkies2.com. Starting with FedCon in Germany (May 2-4). Paris (May 9-10). London (May 12), Bellaria, Italy (STICCon XVII May 23-25). Belgrade/Novi Sad Former Yugoslavia (May 30-31), Sydney/Melbourne. Australia (June 7-9), and then the USA Denise Crosby will attend conventions with a camera crew and shes looking for more fans of the greatest television phenomenon in history. If you have a FANtastic story to tell, contact us send us a tape (information on the website), or come to one of the conventions we will be attending.

Once wasn't enough! Since we completed Trekkies. we have been inundated with fascinating stories about the FANtastic FANs of the greatest science-fiction show in television history. We had an amazing adventure meeting and interviewing hundreds and hundreds of Star Trek fans for Trekkies, but we didn't venture beyond the borders of the United States and Canada. This time, in addition to following up on some of of original profilees and finding a few new ones in the states, we're going to travel to several countries around the world.

Additionally, our goal in producing a follow-up to Trekkies is partly to respond to the concerns some Star Trek fans voiced about the first film. One thing we would like to do better is present more of the charitable side of Trek fandom, seeing this in action, and observing and hearing more of the stories of how fans donate their time, money, and other efforts to better their communities.

We are open to all opinions, including any critiques of the first film - we want to know what you think! If anybody we encounter has a strong opinion, pro or con, we will give them an opportunity to make it. Our aim is to produce a film that is fun and informative for everybody involved. We all know Star Trek is just a TV show. But it was an extraordinary show, that has spawned the most massive following ever-partly due to it's positive messages.

Star Trek fandom knows no borders, and we'll further investigate just how this television show has permeated the human psyche worldwide.

You can contact Denise Crosby and director Roger Nygard at: [email protected]. Or get all the latest information off the website.

Masquerade

From the second progress report:

OK, people, here's the deal: The point of a masquerade is to add to the fun times of the con for as many people as we can get, as entrants, as audience members and as participants in the running thereof. Now, we have a wonderful con here, with a whole whopping great number of talented and wonderfully gifted people. Out of all that, I and countless others, would love to see as many o f you come on up, and get involved in this event. If some of you have stage fright, believe me, we'll make it as painless for you as we possibly can. All of us, audience and participants, want everyone to have as good a time as possible.

If the question is time, as with many of the FOE people, whose club events take a lot of time within MW*C, talk with me and we'll do all that we can to make that work for you, as well. If folks from FOE, and any other groups, will contact me, we'll work it out.

Further, this masquerade isn't for " all of the marbles " of a Worldcon, in values of judging, and standings. We're more of a for fun kind of event. OTOH, this also doesn't mean that attending or entering doesn't matter, as fun at a con always matters.

So, if you've got a nifty costume, and/or a cool schtick, by all means, come on up, and lets us all have this fun. OK?

As for the logistics of the masquerade, we will be looking at scheduling for the masquerade on Saturday evening. There is also room for staff positions, both working backstage, or judging the masquerade. The former counts for volunteer time, too. Let me know, please.

For judging, while we're fine with the usual levels of this, since we're about fun, we encourage judges to make up any categories and awards that they see fit to.

If you'd like to submit your entry forms on line, we can do that, too.

From the post con report:"We had more Masquerade entries for MW*C 23 than we have had for over ten years, nearly twice what we had last year! Thanks to everyone who participated!"

The Judge: Leslie Danneberger.

Masquerade Awards

A complete list of winners can be seen at MediaWest*Con 2003, Archived version. Many photos are here.

  • Judge: Leslie Danneberger
  • Best In Show: The Potion Master -- June Edwards & Angela Verasano
  • Audience Choice & Mad Cow (AKA Andre bad puns): Got Milk? -- Peter Cooper
  • Best Young Fan:
  • Dog Ho & His Tiny Bubble Dancers -- Kelly Lowry, Samantha Powell, & Victoria Gold
  • Second Best In Show: Dark Jedi -- Thomas M. Cason
  • Demon of the Year (& he gets Alderaan): Aku -- Kenny J. Keisel
  • Most to Say: Mommy Jedi & Baby Padawan -- Dr. Beth & Little Alexander
  • Not Separated at Birth Soon Enough: Sisters -- Paula & Tin D'Ahg
  • Donut, er, Cop of the Year: Nick Knight Throughout the Ages/Metro Homicide -- Lorick Blackthorn
  • Too Many to Separate at Birth: Any Fett, the Bounty Hunter -- Laura Wootan
  • Just Can't Get It Together: Denizen of the Deep -- Lauren Keeper
  • Sunglasses at Night: Britt Glitt -- Kim Dyer
  • The Whole 9 Yards: Killer Kilt (Have You Sen Those Pleats?) -- Karl Etheridge
  • 'Cuz I'm a Blonde, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah: Barbie Ringwraith -- Erika Frensley
  • Dead Head: Consort of Death -- Brenda Gasahl
  • James T. Kirk/Girl In Every Port: Daniel Jackson -- David Wootan
  • Boot to the Head: Mary Sue alias The Flasher -- Beth Gtreen
  • Where Did We Park the Starship: Lost -- Kelly Dwyer & Adrain Bass
  • 1 Free Pass Through the Stargate: Violet Small, a Hobbit of the Shire -- Patti Benson

Door Decoration Awards

It was sponsored this year by Pydronians of Prynceton.

A complete list of winners can be seen at MediaWest*Con 2003, Archived version. Many photos are here.

A few sample doors are included below.

Contest Sponsored by Prydonians of Prynceton

  • Best In Show - The Stargate by Terri Thomas, Kelly Wood, Kathy Smith, Laura Thomas, David Wootan
  • Funniest Door - U.N. C.onditionalL.y BlondE. by Vicky Loebel
  • Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror
    • First Prize - The Stargate by Terri Thomas, Kelly Wood, Kathy Smith, Laura Thomas, David Wootan
    • Second Prize - Barad-Door! by Susan Bartholomew
    • Third Prize - Slayer Training Sessions by Sophia Mulvey, Karen Travers, Sue Glasgow, Carol Kohn
  • Non-Science Fiction
    • First Prize - Crime Scene Investigations with Forensic Data by Judi Chadwell and Kathy Luther
    • Second Prize - The Marauders' Map by Jenn Bills
    • Third Prize - Meow Spoken Here by Karen Pauli, Mary Wendland
  • Media Personality/Other
    • First Prize - The Features of Great Partnerships by Blue Starsky
    • Second Prize - 4 Girls, 26 Fandoms, and a Scrapbook Store by Elspeth, Catherfina, Walks-with-cellphone, Marigold
    • Third Prize (tie) - Walking in the Sky by Bast and Anne Logston and Remembering by Linda K. James

Door Decoration Gallery

Art Show

An attendee's thoughts on the art show: "There was lots of artwork up for auction – some 181 pieces. These people seem to have more money than they know what to do with. Pieces of artwork going for $300+. One piece – a Clark & Lex print from Smallville went for $650. We were laughing a lot at the different auctioneer’s comments. A gorgeous Lord of the Rings drawn print of Boromir went for $400. The one of Aragorn I think went for $700.... [1] In the Art Show there was a wonderful glass etching of Yancy Butler as Sara Pezzini (Witchblade) done on a mirror." Another attendee reported: "The art auction started late anyway, so we had plenty of time to observe its sanity. Now, certainly the art that sold strongly showed a lot of skill and talent, and looked very nice, but most of it was done from photo references that could be had for $5 (the art was selling for several hundred). After a while I started crocheting coasters while continuing to laugh at the outrageousness of the bidders and the auctioneers’ comments. The piece I bid on was coming up for auction late, but I wouldn’t pay more than the minimum bid for it anyway so I left...Strangely, the best piece didn’t do best - a lot depended on the fandom (with extra points for slash interest). I did have some nice short discussions with other amused bystanders." [2]

Art Show Awards

Winners are selected by popular vote.

  • Best SF: Superior Intellect by Jesse McClain
  • Best Fantasy: Dragon Egg by John E. Kaufman
  • Best 3-D: Moonwolf Box by Anne Sanderson
  • Best Critter: Spirit Guide: Cat by Karen River
  • Best Needlework: Dr. Daniel Jackson by Martha Peplinski
  • Best Glass: Dragon by Stephanie Bayne
  • Best Cartoon: Victorians' Secret by Mike Cole
  • Best Portrait: Let's Hunt Some Orc by Jesse McClain
  • Best Jewelry: Earth by Heather Melville
  • Best Investigator: In Search of Answers by Jesse McClain
  • Best Horror: Burn by Suzan Lovett
  • 2 Cute 2 Live: Targeting Systems Locked! by Jesse McClain
  • Best In Show: Be At Peace, Son of Gondor by Jesse McClain

Source: MediaWest*Con 2003, Archived version.

Vid Show

Over 90 vids from over 14 vidders were submitted. For a complete list of submissions go here.

Vid Show Awards

Winners

GEN

Song Interpretation -- Single Medium

Song Interpretation -- MultiMedia

  • 1. Harrison Ford -- Chris & Christina
  • 2. I Wanna Talk About Me -- California Crew
  • 3. A Thousand Miles (Tribute) -- SiDiC

Humorous

  • 1. Cotton Eye Joe -- Multi -- Stampede Productions
  • 2. Polka Party -- Multi -- Vid Weasels
  • 3. Whose Col Line Mochrie Is It Anyway? -- SiDiC

Original

  • Night Before the Con (a la 24) -- Chris & Christina
  • Honorable Mention for original material in Harrison Ford video -- Chris & Christina

Credits

  • California Crew

Video Box

  • Vid Weasels

Video Flyer

SLASH

Song Interpretation

  • 1. Old Friends/Bookends -- Star Trek: TMP/TWOK -- P.R. Zed
  • 2. Tempus Vernum -- Lord of the Rings -- P.R. Zed
  • 3. You Wanted More -- Lord of the Rings -- P.R. Zed

Credits

  • Vid Weasels

Source: 2003 Fannish Video Competition, Archived version.

Programming

Actors

  • ACTORS

Bonkers for Honkers: Nuts for Butts: Discussion. Brendan Fehr: Discussion of roles in and alter Roswell. Kevin Smith: A Kiwi legend or the god of war? An overview of a career cut too short.

Creative Pursuits/Hobbies

  • Clinical Hypnosis: Uses, Benefits, Risks, Ethics, Other: Discussion driven by interest and people's.
  • Clutter Control for Fans: Mow to keep your obsessions in check.
  • Door Decoration: How to decorate a door at MediaWest*Con (or another con).
  • DVDs: When should deleted /extended scenes be part of the film or kept separate in the extras section?
  • Fannish Video Editing Hands-On Workshop: Try your hand on our digital video editing equipment. (2 hrs)
  • Handcrafts: Show and tell -- Beginning crocheting and more.
  • HDTV: What it is & why it will be the mandator,' standard for TV broadcasting within 5 years.
  • Horses, Mules, Riders and Other Mysteries: Riders, trainers and historians answer your questions about equines.
  • I Made This: Commercial merchandise and fannish products.
  • iVidding: How to start vidding with only an iMac (or iBook), the software that comes with it, and a S50 gadget.
  • NASA, the Columbia Tragedy: With the loss of the Columbia, what docs the future hold for the three remaining shuttles and the U.S. Space Program?
  • NASA: The future of space exploration.
  • TiVo: A Fan's best electronic friend, TV your way. What it is. Why you want it!
  • Vidding: Nobody starts out a vidding virtuoso ~ Vidders show their first and then their most successful vid as a springboard for discussing what they've learned.
  • Where do you keep your zincs & other fan memorabilia: Out in the open or tucked away; how 'out' are you & how do you deal with people in your non-fandom life who don't understand?

Events

Fandom

  • Do you remember your first con?: Remember the magic!
  • Don't Scare the Newbies!: Why fandom needs new fans, flow to get them and how to keep them.
  • Fan Filk 101: Songs about fantasy and science fiction.
  • Fan Wars: Are the as noticeable as they used to be? Does anyone care about them any more?
  • Fandom: "Is Anyone Out There?" How to cope when you feel like the last person left in your fandom.
  • Fandom: Which fandom has the most crossovers and which are the most believable?
  • Fannish Parenting: Okay, now we have a child. How do we raise him/her to be fan-friendly and mundane-free?
  • Fans Debating Fans: Keeping it friendly when it gets heated.
  • Taking My Marbles and Going Home: Whey do some people remove their stories/art from circulation when they leave fandom, and should we (gently) encourage them to leave things for fannish posterity?
  • Whose show is it anyway: The fans - or The Powers That Be (TPTB)?

Fan Fiction

  • A Partnership of Equals: Is it possible, or must one always be the rescuee?
  • Bad Show, Good Fan Fiction: Why most TV shows aren't Shakespeare and how this can work to a writer's advantage.
  • Beta Readers: The care and keeping of the modern day beta.
  • Estrogen Overload: Why we make our guys act like girls?
  • Fan Fiction Alternatives: Am I weird because I don't like slash?
  • Fan Fiction Warnings: Who has the responsibility for choosing or not choosing what people read?
  • Fan fiction: With current trend of angst and grittiness, have we lost our innocence?
  • Fan fiction: Writing as a craft vs. hobby.
  • FemSlash: What pairings excite us and why? With a lack of female characters in certain fandoms, do crossovers become a likely option in femslash than in gen or m/m stories. (/)
  • Gay issues in slash fiction: Keeping it real (/)
  • Hetfic and Slash: Are they really that different?
  • Homoerotic Subtext: Did you see it in your show? Does it matter? (/)
  • How to Write a Better Story: (2 hrs)
  • Hurt/Comfort: Is it really about the owies and the angst?
  • Journey Into Darkness: Is reading/writing torture/abuse fiction a doorway to inner growth and exploration, or just kinky fun?
  • Medical Details: Or, "You killed your patient two days before he was rescued".
  • Misogyny in Slash: Why do women write such terrible things about women? (/)
  • Now That I Have You in My Clutches, Mr. Bond: Capture-and-Peril fiction with minimal injuries: Who writes it and why isn't there more of it?
  • Objects of Torture: Why are torture stories so popular; is torture a substitute for sex?
  • Obtaining screen captures from your favorite TV shows.
  • Online fiction: Whatever happened to editing?
  • Original Fiction Characters (OFCs): How to know that your OFC is NOT a Mary Sue.
  • Poetry: More than just filler; writing/publishing yours & working with editors
  • RPS: Is everyone/everybody fair game that is on TV or in the movies?
  • Sheep, Panthers and Plot Bunnies: Myth and symbol in media fandom.
  • Slash: Does your love of slash translate to the real world? Do you follow gay rights and other relevant issues? (/)
  • Slash: Hot slash - how to write a sex scene that won't have the readers wincing. (/)
  • Slash: Still the Prettiest - Why is it always the good-looking guys instead of some of the more obvious couples? (/)
  • To Slash or Not to Slash - why some programs cry out for slashing even if they are outside the 'normal' genres? (/)
  • Translating Friendships: They're friends on-screen, but lovers in fan fiction? Why do fans see the sexual aspect that isn't presented on-screen?
  • Where is this growing explosion of RPS coming from? (/)
  • Writing from the Character, not the Idea - Where the story of who outweighs the story of what.
  • Writing love scenes. Combining imagination with formula to create something memorable.
  • Writing Starsky & Hutch stories that take place during vs. after the series, which is easier, benefits, pitfalls of each.
  • Writing: How important is accuracy (historical, political, medical etc.) in fan fiction?

Games

  • Lord of the Rings: Trivia Game: Players should sign up in advance and indicate book or movie preference.
  • Man From UNCLE Game: The game show - Answer questions, learn trivia, maybe even win a prize.
  • Whose Line Is It Anyway? Game: Fan version of this popular TV game show. Volunteers can sign up.

Internet

  • Check It Out: How to use the Internet for research, how to make sure the site is legit. Bring lists to exchange.
  • Fan Fiction: Best web sites to visit if you have a PDA or Pocket PC. 16,
  • Formatting & Converting Your Fanfic for PDAs.
  • Internet: Driving people apart, or bringing them together? A defense of sitting at home and talking to.
  • Lists with Both Gen & Slash : Mixed lists? Or Mixed nuts?
  • Livejournal: Does it encourage multifannishness?
  • Livejournal: Is it changing fiction writing styles and posting habits?
  • Moderators: Do fan club presidents and internet list moderators have their own lives apart from their interests? When is it time to worry?
  • Web Design I: Just getting started: how tostart your own web site.
  • Web Design II: Web design tools and how to use them.
  • Web Design III: Scripting Languages
  • Web Site Design and Maintenance: Advice from the experts.
  • Web Sites Worth Visiting: Trade your web site lists.

Literature

  • Amelia Peabody: Another shirt ruined.
  • Andre Norton: General discussion.
  • Cats in Literature: General discussion.
  • Comic book collecting anyone?
  • Douglas Adams: General discussion of this SF author and his works.
  • Erotica vs. Porn: How do we distinguish a difference? (/)
  • Folklore: The telling of legends, myths and names.
  • Horse literature: general discussion.
  • Juvenile Book collecting. General discussion.
  • Juvenile books: General discussion. (Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, etc)
  • Marion Zimmer Bradley: Darkover Series. Do the new "co-authored" books measure up?
  • Mystery Fiction: Has it gone beyond genre?
  • Old (pre-70s) Science Fiction Literature: General discussion.
  • Romance books: Supernatural, legends, etc in romance books. Discussion. E
  • Sex in Literature: Sex throughout the history of literature, (adult topics) E
  • Sherlock Holmes: The most popular fictional detective for over 100 years is still going strong. What's the secret of his success?
  • Star Trek: Why are the professional books so awful?
  • The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: The greatest crossover of all time?
  • Vampires in Literature: Discussion on the many versions you've read.

Movies

  • Anime and Miyazaki: What makes his films so great? What do they have that other anime doesn't? Also, the Disney/Tokuma deal and US releases of his films.
  • Anime: What makes this form of animation so appealing?
  • Daredevil, X-Men, Hulk Comics take over the movies.
  • Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars: How did the second films for each compare to the first?
  • Harry Potter: Less than a month until the release of Order Of The Phoenix. What would be like to see happen?
  • James Bond: What did each of the five Bond actors bring to the franchise? Who should replace Pierce Brosnan when he decides to leave?
  • Lord of the Rings: Book to Film Discussion; likes &dislikes.
  • Lord of the Rings: Costuming discussion B9, Univ 4, Fri, l:00-2:00pm
  • Lord of the Rings: Frodo and Sam - Eternal lovers or just good friends? (/)
  • Lord of the Rings: Frodo Baggins: A different kind of hero.
  • Lord of the Rings: How did the additional 30 minutes in the extended DVD change the film from the theatrical version?
  • Lord of the Rings: How to write in the tone and style of the good professor himself.
  • Lord of the Rings: What do you think of the way the characters are being portrayed?
  • Lord of the Rings: What we love and hate about the movie thus far.
  • Lord of the Rings: What we'd like to see in Return of the King.
  • Star Trek: Nemesis: Postmortem discussion of this film.
  • Star Wars: Characters and characterization: How and why do they change? (/)
  • Star Wars: Canon and beyond - the role of the movies books and comics in fandom. (/)
  • Star Wars: How has the new trilogy helped -- and hurt-our views of the Star Wars Universe.
  • Star Wars: Why is the Master/ Padawan relationship so intriguing?
  • X-Men: In comics, cartoons & movies.

TV Shows

  • 24: Was the 2nd season as intense as the 1st? And what crisis do we think will happen next season?
  • Alias Smith & Jones: Did Heyes & Curry really deserve amnesty?
  • Alias: Putting the fun in dysfunctional. Discussion of the show's relationships.
  • Amazing Race: If you constantly whine about quitting the game, how can you be the winner?
  • Angel: Season 4 overview.
  • Birds of Prey: Fan Fiction: Can it keep the series alive in fans minds? (/)
  • Birds of Prey: Relationships between Barbara/Helena, Helena/Dinah, Dinah/Gabby. What works, what doesn't. (/)
  • Birds of Prey: What went wrong & why we liked it anyway.
  • Black Adder: General discussion of this UK series.
  • British Comedy: A discussion of your favorite British comedy TV series and actors past and present.
  • Buffy the Vampire Slayer vs.Angel: Dueling Apocalypses, current seasons overview.
  • Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 7 overview.
  • Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Spike vs. Angel vs. Riley.
  • Buffy the Vampire Slayer: What happened to Spike this year? Why was his character so underused?
  • Can you be a sports fan and media fan at the same time?
  • CSI: Why do we love the show? General discussion of this hit forensics show. A36, Ball D, Fri, 5:00-6:00 pm
  • CSI/CSI: Miami: More than just dead bodies and icky stuff; delving into the relationships in both shows (/)
  • Daytime Soap Operas: With ratings so down, can the genre be saved from total cancellation?
  • Dead Zone: General discussion on this paranormal fiction show.
  • Dinotopia: Great CGI dinosaurs, but uninspired scripts. What went wrong?
  • Doctor Who: How well do the audio dramas make up for not having any actual televised episodes for 14 years?
  • Due South: Ray Vecchio. Good cop, bad cop, just a guy doing a job? (/)
  • Due South: Vecchio and Kowalski -- they strike sparks in canon, and more in the bedroom in fan fiction. (/)
  • Due South: With all the possible pairings on this show, is it slash nirvana? (/)
  • Enterprise: Can this mission last five (or seven) years?
  • Enterprise: Getting to know alien races and cultures.
  • Enterprise: T'Pol and Archer. Is there something there?
  • Enterprise: Where no slashfic has gone before (/)
  • Firefly: General discussion of this short-lived SciFi series. Where could it have gone?
  • Forsythe Saga: Old version or new, why is it still great drama?
  • Gerry Anderson Series: General discussion of Fireball XLS, Supercar, and his other shows.
  • Highlander: After all these years, you're still gotta love Methos.
  • Highlander: Is the Immortal franchise dead?
  • Highlander: Methos - Does he truly care for MacLeod - or is he using the Highlander to stay alive in the Game? (/)
  • Hogan's Heroes: A perfect balancing act of comedy and drama. Does that mean a 21st century adaptation is doomed to fail?
  • Hogan's Heroes: Is it slash-able and whom do you slash? (/)
  • Iron Chef: We Summon The Iron Chef Fans!
  • John Doe: General round-table discussion
  • Knight Rider: It's back on TVLand; general discussion. A
  • Kung Fu The Legend Continues: Peter showed some unusual gifts.
  • Magnificent 7: General discussion.
  • Lost shows: What obscure shows do you wish you could find on television (or DVD)?
  • Magnificent 7: General discussion. (/)
  • Magnificent 7: Well-oiled saddles - Believable slash in OW (/)
  • Man From UNCLE: A discussion of their lives outside the office - canon v. fanon.
  • Man from UNCLE: Other Canonical Characters - Writing Alexander Waveriy, April Dancer & Mark Slate in fan fiction.
  • Man From UNCLE - Sex and the not so single agent - Their undercover lives in fan fiction
  • Mutant X: Hot mutants in black leather.
  • Once a Thief: Mac &Vic, the sexual tension between these two jumps off the screen. When will these characters get together? (/)
  • Oz (HBO): What will happen now that Oz has ended? What will the characters do next? Exploring fan fiction options. (/)
  • Quantum Leap Movie: Will Sam ever leap home?
  • Queer As Folk: Brian and Justin. Can they have a permanent relationship or are they doomed to just brief periods of togetherness? (/)
  • Rat Patrol: Slash discussion panel (/)
  • Real Ghostbusters: "Family" vibe vs. buddy "couples".
  • Real Ghostbusters: How to bring cartoons to life.
  • Remember WENN: General Discussion.
  • SciFi Channel: What do you think of SciFi channel's mixed bag of new programming?
  • Secret Adventures of Jules Verne: Researching the Victorian period.
  • Secret Adventures of Jules Verne: The Characters ~ are their flaws and foibles why we love them?
  • Secret Adventures of Jules Verne: Those Missing Scenes - what would we like to have seen?
  • Sentinel: Do you see Jim and Blair as lovers during the series or post - Tsby BS? (/)
  • Sentinel: Bad to the bone. Who was your favorite villain and why?
  • Sentinel: Bodice rippers and torture stories. What is the appeal of rape as a Fan Fiction theme? (/)
  • Sentinel: Inconsistencies that drive us all nuts...but are they as off base as they seem?
  • Sentinel: Simon and Blair's often overlooked and misunderstood friendship.
  • Shadowchasers: What supernatural occurrences would you have liked to have seen on the series?
  • Smallville: Is this universe ripe for AUs? Must Lex and Clark follow the superman mythos' destiny and become enemies? (/)
  • Smallville: Lex Luthor, victim of circumstance or just pure evil?
  • Smallville: Lionel and Lex. The influence of Father and Son.
  • Star Cops: Lost between Dr. Who and Blakes 7.
  • Star Trek Deep Space Nine: How it went where no Trek had gone before sexually and where it failed to go far enough. (/)
  • Star Trek Deep Space Nine: Odo & Kirn. General discussion.
  • Star Trek Deep Space Nine: Where did all the fan fiction go?
  • Star Trek Deep Space Nine: Who are your favorite characters?
  • Star Trek: Does anybody give a damn about ST anymore?
  • Stargate SG-1: Hey, how about that Jonas? Let's discuss the 'new guy.'
  • Stargate SG-1: Is ascension a bum deal?
  • Stargate SG-1: Jack and Daniel -- best friends?
  • Stargate SG-1: Jack and Daniel. Made for each other. (/)
  • Stargate SG-1: Season 7. Speculation and spoilers.
  • Stargate SG-1: The Daniel-Jonas situation: How will the writers handle this delicate situation?
  • Stargate SG-1: The Many Facets of Jack O'Neill.
  • Stargate SG-1: Trivia.
  • Stargate SG-1: What arc your favorite slash pairings? (/)
  • Starsky & Hutch: Childlike Starsky, Intellectual Hutch: Do such stereotypes hurt the quality of fan fiction and reduce the characters to one dimension?
  • Starsky & Hutch: Homoerotic Subtext: Did you see it in the show? Does it matter? (/)
  • Starsky & Hutch: Intimate relationship during or after the series & what's more believable and why?
  • Starsky & Hutch: The S&H Slash Virtual Season: A discussion (/)
  • TV Shows: Which of your favorite shows have "Jumped the Shark?" If so, when?
  • West Wing: Did it "Jump The Shark" this season?
  • West Wing: Goodbye Sam! Hello Will! Is the series back on track now?
  • Wild, Wild West: How does the layout of Jim n' Artie's train, the Wanderer, change over the WWW series and in fanfic? (/)
  • Wild, Wild West: What if Jim 'n Artie found themselves trapped unprepared in open country by blizzard, Indian uprising, etc without the train nearby. (/)
  • Without A Trace: General discussion.
  • Xena: General discussion group.
  • Xena: Xena feature film news.
  • X-Files: General update.

Workshops

  • Advanced Writers' Seminar: 2 hrs.
  • Beading Workshop I: Beginning beadstringing - learn how to make a necklace, bracelet or earrings. (2 hrs)

Acknowledgements

  • Co-Chairs: Lori Chapek-Carleton & Gordon Carleton
  • Membership/Registration and Transportation: Lori Chapek-Carleton
  • Communications, Data Output, Graphics: Gordon Carleton
  • Programming: Elyse Dickenson & Dawn McLevy
  • GoFers: Jeanne Sullivan
  • Flyers: Elyse Dickenson & Dawn McLevy
  • Masquerade: Andre Lieven
  • Party Suite: Elyse Dickenson & Dawn McLevy
  • Con Suite: Jeanne Sullivan, GoFer Captain
  • Security: Seth Cutts
  • Dealers: Debra & Anna Barber
  • Blood Drive: Kim Dyer
  • Orphan Zine Table: Margaret Basta, Janice St. Clair, and Laura Basta-Sandler
  • Skit: Gordon Carleton
  • Fan Fund: Jan Gosnell
  • Fan Qs: Jan Keeler
  • Fanzine Reading Room: Jan Gosnell
  • Main Video Room: Robin Deike and Sheryl Adsit
  • Art Show: Gordon Carleton, Karen Klinck and staff
  • Auction: Jesse McClain

Convention Reports

A very good time. Met up with Noel Silva and the San Fran crew (TooLoose, Sharon, Laura, Pat Diggs) a coupla days early and hung. Saw a bunch more of their friends--it's good to talk to people who've been in fandom since the beginning.

Ate too much and saw Matrix 2 which did not tickle my fancy nearly as much as X-Men 2.

Ate, drank, met up with many, many people I was glad to see and managed to avoid a few I was, well, avoiding. Not enough time to visit with everyone--Isabeau, wanted to say thanks for the lj panel. Sorry I'm thick as a plank. I can learn though.

Watched vids until my butt was numb, then watched some more. I'm proud to be associated with PRZed--she of great vids. And she won a FanQ award. Cool!

Roomed with m.butterfly again. We seem to do well together. Although we jumped at the chance to room with Betty from UNCLE again next year (we'd roomed at BASCon with her last fall.)

Spent time with CJ & WillingPrey and my regular gang from Toronto and had a nice convo with J.M. Griffin, whom I'd not met before. Played the part of Lionel Luthor in the Smallville Family Feud run by Peej & Tam. Unfortunately, the LuthorCorp team lost, but we're still rich!!!

I forswore the fannish T-shirt, opting for a whole suitcase of girly clothes and joked about a "dress-off" between [Karen B] and me. Someone told Karen. Oops. Karen, I was just kidding. I couldn't ever match your classic good taste. (I'm trendy-gal wannabe.)

Panels. Panels and more panels. Took Cindy Walker's writing panels (2 2-hour panels) again this year. Each year it's different and very worthwhile.

It wasn't a very good con zine-sales wise for me, although new Sentinel gen and a Prey novel virtually flew off the dealer table I was sharing space with (Blackfly Presses). The few Due South fans in attendance were largely Vecchio people who hadn't an interest in blond flat-foots (feet?) with experimental hair. There was a new Vecchio-vid which was very good. Unfortunately, despite seeing it 3 times, I forget who the creator was. There were very few slash vids at all. (It's a slash-friendly gen con.) An excellent Buffy-Giles gen vid highlighting the parental/teacher role (Remember? The one in canon? ) And a wonderful LOTR vid to a Garth Brooks song about Ireland. A couple of good Spuffy "adult" vids. Some good Farscape. And the usual slew of Stargate. (You know little ol' discerning me: a good vid is one about my fandoms.)...

Can't wait for Z-Con!!! [3]

Friday:

Much Zine insanity. Murphy continues to play silly buggers with editors. jkb lends me her car to go to the con, as I must run panels. I tank it, then get caught in traffic. BAD accident on freeway. Much stop and go. Thank goodness, and hubby, I can drive a stick-shift. Made my 6 PM filk panel. Wound up running it. I talked about history and origins, back to the 17th century. We sang a bit. "Banned from Argo" of course, "What do you do with a drunken Vulcan." And i favored them with the chorus of "The Moose Song:" "And it's moose, moose, I likes a moose. I've never had anything quite like a moose I've had many lovers, my life has been loose, But I've never had anything quite like a moose." (The tune is "Sweet Betsy from Pike")

7 PM was the Homoerotic Subtext panel. We talked about where we see it, how we see it, and what constitutes subtext. Very interesting, as had one lady who had difficulty seeing subtext. Pointed out Star Trek not only gave us the first interracial kiss on TV, but the first passionate same sex kiss, and the first same-sex rape on prime-time. The former is from "The Empath." Spock takes McCoy's pulse, but lingers to caress his hand. Obviously the Vulcan equivalent of French-kissing, given the fingertip touches we've seen between Sarek and Amanda. The latter is from "Mirror, Mirror" where Spock mind-rapes the dr.

Tracked down sidewinder at her dealer's booth. Nice jewelry. I just don't wear any. Met ninglor and caraloup at the hobbit party. Both are much shorter than I expected. Cara not as, well, fluffy as her email leads one to believe. Very intense soft spoken ladies, both.

Found the Forces of Empire "Gone to Hell" party. Twi'lek bartender v. cute. Flirted with handsome greying man who bore passing resemblance to Lucius Malfoy (not as pretty), in red velvet. Interrupted by arrival of Han Solo. Accurate black and white costume, and the guy actually looks a lot like Harrison Ford. He made the comment we needed a "Got Sin?" poster above the bar, as they'd had on Pennsic T-shirts a couple years ago. Wafted pheremones his direction to no effect. Really missed having worn my horns. One broke. Must make new set.

Drove back to jkb's place to find Loki still buggering editors.

Saturday:

Early morning drive to con. 10 A. Vampires in Literature Panel. Stayed pretty quiet, as had actual published vampire author: Jean Lorreh on panel. Her new book Blood will Tell is great. She held a drawing for the 5 promo copies. I WON! SQUEE! I gave my comments on the folklore of the vampire and how it varies by country, complicating research. Also brought up the "Vampire as Disease" metaphor, suggesting the eroticization of the vampire occurred in Victorian England because of syphilis, and returned during the sexual revolution. The gay aspects (Anne Rice and Chelsea Quinn Yarboro) came in about the same time as AIDS. It's a zeitgeist thing.

12 Noon: How the New Trilogy affects our views of the GFFA. Much bitching. And we all hate different things. One hates that Lucas is not using the continuity from EU, one that the characters are so flat. I decried the sensual detail stuff. Ooo pretty CGI, but no one LIVES in the temple or even the Lars place. Mentioned the Prequels suffer from the limits of their format. No dramatic tension because we know what must happen. They are the CGI equivalent of an unfolding trainwreck, but we can't look away.

1 PM Objects of Torture. Much discussion of who we torture, how and why. Had one person keep trying to relate it back to real BDSM, to suggest exploration of post-torture feelings. Hurt- Comfort came into it as well. General agreement some characters: Blair, Obi-Wan, Paris, Luke, have bullseyes drawn on them. Fun to hurt the pretties... Had to lead alone, as jkb still caught in Zine Hell.

3 PM Erotica vs. Porn. Oh stars was this fun! General consensus: erotica sees characters as people, while porn sees them as parts. Much discussion of mores, language use, etc. General consensus that anything using measurements is probably porn, and "pumped jets of hot seed from his massive 8" cock into her quivering womb" was porn. Also duly noted that there are no good words for female genitalia. Really needs to go 2 hours.

4 PM Whose Line is it anyway? Silliness. Played Spock in sketch using various TV and film styles. Star Trek done in the fashion of Mr. Roger's Neighborhood is a trip. Also was an alien looking for experimental subjects on The Dating game. Managed to avoid anal probe joke.

Quick bite at Ponderosa. Read new zine: Bound and Determined. Spanking is not my kink.

7 PM Bad Show, Good Fanfic. Discussed use of fanfic to plug plotholes.

Masquerade: Stage-ninja as part of gofer duties. Lined up chairs and contestants, made sure no one hit the speaker or fell off the stage. High points: Ringwraith Barbie. Mootant X: a cross-species, trangendered cow from another planet. Any Fett: generic Mandalorian Armor. Held up Solo wanted poster. Audience helpfully pointed him out (back row, hiding in his stormtrooper helm). Spongebob: went to pieces. I had to collect them Nick Knight in two permutations Mary Sue Mama Jedi and Baby Padawan. (Talkative 6 mo old baby) Dog Ho and his Tiny Bubbles Dancers. Three second graders in sarongs hula-ing. V. Cute. Aku. From Samurai Jack. Dark Jedi. A Sister Act A very excellent Hobbit lady And the winner: Snape and McGonagel. They looked the parts, and the costumes were great.

Later complimented by MC on handling of Stage-ninja work.

Some room running. Checked into hotel about 1 AM. Pimped zine. Desk clerk bought copy.

Sunday:

Up early because of 9 AM registration duties. I thought "Registration on the last full day? Easy- peasy." Wrong! That's the day when everyone registers for next year. Busy, productive hour.

Watched videos. Overly impressed by California Crew. "Mi Vida Loca" done for Remington Steele was fun and "My Ireland" set to LotR choked me right up. Diana Williams' "R-E-S-P-E- C-T" was great and slashy (even if I don't like the artist, Pink, at all). No one showed for the 2 PM "Now that I have you in my clutches Mr. Bond" perilfic panel, so I skipped out to KFC for some lunch.

Sanctuay Moon zine finished! Very gorgeous. Lots of illos. Loki and Murphy dismissed summarily as zine delivered into hands of marketers.

The 4 PM Misogyny in Slash panel needed to run two hours. We discussed various forms of misogyny, from making every male in the universe gay and insisting that male-male sex is better than male-female could ever be to specific character hatred (Christine Chapel) to generalized body hatred among women. The exaggerating of female flaws, coupled with a denial of male flaws showed up. Yes, Chapel is badly written, and has nothing to do. That doesn't make her a stupid bitch. Avon is a mass murderer and writers are willing to redeem him.

The idea of jealousy "She's unworthy of our boys" came up. I mentioned I'd wanted to be Indiana Jones, and I wanted a brilliant, strong woman who could pull her weight along. Someone like Marion and Elsa. Not a useless twit like Willie Scott who screams her head off, complains about every little discomfort, etc.

The "Sheep Panthers and Plotbunnies" panel at 5 got off to a slow start, and I lost some of my audience. Those who stuck with us got into a rousing discussion of how fans create a symbology of their own. (Also got to see how outsiders don't always grok the symbols even when explained)

No one showed for the I Made This panel which was up against the art auction.

Worked 4 hours in Zine Reading Room, and helped with Fan Fund Auction. "Synergy 2" is a great zine.

Monday

9 A Panel on Darkfic. Very Small. Late for it too, and dismissed it early. Errands to run.

10 A-Noon: played Cerberus at the doors of the Dealers' Room

Rounded up my gear, and companions. Made some goodbyes, and headed out for the airport.

Luggage had a dozen zines. Hat had 7 buttons on the band. Angel had a whanging headache from too much con. [4]

I spent last weekend at MediaWest Con. A fun time, partied with friends, picked up some new fanzines, etc.

During the second night of the con, someone hung flyers in all the elevators exhorting people not to buy zines from a certain zine agent who had been trashed not too long ago on LJ. This person was there selling, so needless to say she (or one of her friends)saw the flyers and told the conn comm, who pulled them all down and hung one at the security desk, with a note on it that said such things wouldn't be allowed.

Now, what makes this truly wanky and low-class (to me)is that whoever made the flyers didn't sign their name to them (am I surprised?) but that they gave the URLs for several LJs as places to find more information. Now I don't know if any of these folks were at the con, but if they weren't--well, hell, did they know someone was going to put up the flyer with their LJ names on it?

If you're not going to have the balls to sign your own name, don't sign someone else's [/wank] [5]

I had a good time. My flights were smooth, my friends warm and funny, and I bought lots of zines. And a piece of art. What more can you ask??

The shopping was pretty productive. I manage to buy something for everyone that gave me a shopping list (not that I've actually mailed any of these goodies out or anything!) And while I bought a good number of Stargate zines, and some odds and ends, I haven't had a chance to read any of them yet.

My roomies and I won 3rd place in the SF/Fantasy category in the Door decorating contest (it was the "so you want to be a Slayer" door.) There was a Stargate that you could walk through that quite rightfully won 1st Prize. My roomies and I did win the "Whose Butt Is It Anyway?" contest. The door feature lot of screen captures of naked butts from film and TV and you had to guess who they belonged to. I recognized the tattoo on Peter Wingfield's butt, and a bunch from Space Cowboys, and my roomies spotted Chris Cooper and the piping from John Crichton's vest, and then we put down Ewan McGregor for many of the reminder thinking he *has* to be in there somewhere.

I had some friends that cleaned up in the Fan Q Awards and there was much rejoicing!

The Stargate Party was a success. People were happy Daniel was coming back, vids were watched and much food and champagne was consumed.

The panels were a bust. I went to a couple of Stargate panels that were moderated by names I didn't know. Turns out they were mainly shippers and I left early on all of them. I'm not confrontary by nature and if 8 to 12 people want to discuss how Daniel is incapable of forming emotional attachments, is very unethical and is responsible for every nasty thing that happened on the show, well, I'm just going to leave. If the only way they can enjoy the show is to slag a character and the actor that plays him, they've got more problems than me telling them they're full of bullcrap. It's obviously a wise choice to leave before one gets splattered by the bull crap, also. And if it wasn't that, it was the moderators telling us why their opinion of something is right and how no one else has a valid veiwpoint. Yawn.

A friend went to a LOTR panel and had to leave early, too. She said there was a big, nasty conflict between the moderators and a group in the audience. They were supposed to discuss each of the characters and the group in the audience thought they'd spent long enough on Aragon.

And people fret about the demise of panels at cons! I wonder why? I think I'm becoming a fan of the Balkanization of Fandom as a way to enjoy fandom -- save for a few DMZs that are inhabited by folks who are not proponents of My Way Or The HighWay ideology.

The Buffy and Smallville panels were interesting and enjoyable, with much Spike and Lex admiration, but of course!

The best panel was on Formatting & Converting Your Fanfic for PDAs, but I missed the first 15 minutes of it. The moderator's website is: http://www.e-fic.com/fries/indexjs.html. A link she thought highly of is: http://www.turcic.com/ All I know is that my brain was full about about 25 minutes, that I've forgotten most of what she said, and that I'd like a new toy.

Art. For you LOTR, XF, Smallville, TS people, look here: http://www.squidge.org/~praxisters/ I wish the artist did Stargate, too. :( This artist does do a smattering of other fandoms, so check it out.

I thought there was a good amount of decent art, and of many different fandoms. It was a good art show, really. I bought a Daniel Jackson piece. I'm happy. :)

I'm not sure where the time went, really. I didn't do as many room crawls as usual, only did the dealer's room twice, didn't attend that many panels, didn't go the vid show, missed many a meal and only read a few pages out of one of my zines. Why did the weekend pass so quickly? What was I doing?? I suppose I must have been socializing. I had a great time, so whatever I was doing, it was a good choice. [6]

Lynn: Still the prettiest... whoops, wrong diary.

We got our con registration done and got the program booklet then headed into the Dealer’s Room. Wow! Lots of neat stuff. Rainey tried on a dress but didn’t buy it. It looked really nice on her – and it was rather expensive. I went to a couple panels today. There was a Buffy one in which we discussed an over- view of Season 7. Good discussion. Oh I had my femslash panel at 3pm. There were a couple other panel guests and a good few folks at the panel discussion. Went quite well. I enjoyed the discussion. There was no one there for my Birds of Prey panel later on – but I wasn’t that surprised. Seemed to have a small audience (given that the WB kept moving it around, but I digress – more discussion later on). Instead, Heather and I went room hunting upstairs for different things. Found a room with a cat and some cat stuff, too, so had to go find Rainey & Patricia. I went to a couple CSI panels today. First one was more dialogue and attendance but I thought both were pretty good. Stopped into a beading panel for a while then off to the fanvid room. Met a few of my Sunnydale Slayers/NatPack crew – Jennie, Amy, Betsy, Sharon & Maureen. Will hopefully see others in the next couple of days. Having fun so far!

Patricia: We’re finally here - after quite a quick voyage, considering - and my basic reaction is wow. Massive dealer’s room. I must budget, plus posters everywhere trumpeting ‘zines and get-togethers and merchants in rooms. Panels are good, mostly great. I hit it off with some people at my 3pm comics panel, liked the Buffy one, though a couple of others that Rainey and I checked out later were poorly run (one [LoTR] was too organized, and one [filk] far too disorganized - depends on the topic). Food and fanvids rounded out a great day. Tomorrow looks like more great stuff, though with everything going on we need to remember to eat before we’re starving. And I really must check out the ‘zines available, and start soon since I’m so spoilt for choice. And the best thing by far is meeting new people who feel like they should be old friends - everyone’s very warm & open. That started even before we got there with Heather’s Cambridge relatives - great people everywhere.

Rainey: We got checked into the hotel okay. I was greatly relieved, as I had booked the rooms and was paranoid that the hotel would be a dive or the reservations would be ‘lost’ ... the price seemed too good to be true.

First day of the con was fun. Went to a panel on crocheting. Patricia had tried to teach me before but I found it much easier to learn from another dexter. Next was a Buffy panel with tons of audience participation. I’ve discovered that I love southern US accents. The next two very ick and I walked out on both – one on Lord of the Rings where one of the panellists wanted to give a speech and a filk one that was very irritating – can only imagine how Patricia felt.

The “informal” aspects were a great deal of fun – fell in love in the Dealer’s room. Turns out that the whole hotel is a dealer’s area, though. Met two cats and fell for one. Watched some great fanvids and slept like a log.

Heather: The car trip was comfortable if long. For my first con, I have to say that I’m enjoying myself immensely. I have hooked up with some Dr. Who fans, exchanged e-mails and quite a few fellow Cana- dians and spent way too much money. The panels have been interesting – so nice to discuss topics and listen to people who ‘talk the same language’ and know as much or more. To find out little nits of trivia, find memorabilia – it’s been great!! And that’s only the first day. Whew!

Day 3 – Saturday, May 24th

Lynn: Still v. good. Not queen yet. But neither is Aragorn. Legolas could easily pass for queen. Drat – Gotta find the other diary. Did quite a bit today. Bought a fair bit, too. Woke up too damned early but mostly because found it hard to breathe – the room was too stuffy. So I got up, ironed some clothes, then showered and dressed. Wore my Stargate SG-1 outfit. We went to Denny’s for breakfast.

Started off at the dealer’s room once I got a few things including a toy for Maggie. I attended a few panels today that I found interesting. Started at the Stargate SG-1 panel on season 7 speculation. Confirmed a few spoilers I’d heard about at http://gateworld.net. Not looking forward to the two part “Hero” episodes. Rainey & Heather were also at this panel. After that we stayed in the same room for a panel on Lost Shows – ones that you want on DVD... You can vote on shows you want to see on DVD. Apparently some of the studios do check out the site to see if there’s enough interest in producing their series onto DVD. Went to the Stargate SG-1 party – pretty much a ‘Welcome Back, Daniel’ party. Then I went to one or two of the room dealers. At 3pm we drove over to East Lansing to see some used bookstores. Patricia, Rainey and Heather all found some interesting things to purchase. I got some cute cat postcards. We came back and went to dinner at a Chinese & Korean restaurant (conveniently located close to the ho- tel). In the evening we were back to the hotel for Patricia’s Birds of Prey panel (what worked & what didn’t & why we liked it anyway). After that, we went to the ‘Holy Mother Grammatica’ panel and howled laughing. Some wonderful examples of bad writing, and got some good tips on improving grammar for story writing. This is a journal – grammar doesn’t always count <G>. Patricia and I (I think it was she and I) went to the Art Show to see some of the pieces. Some very good stuff and some very graphic male slash art (which I knew about having gone to MWC twice before). Went to see some more fanvids – these ones by Vidweasel. No Apocalypse West vids this MWC – some of the SunS had mentioned that they (the AW Horsechicks) were gearing up for VividCon in Chicago this summer. Too bad, I would have like to see them again. Last thing I did at the con tonight was go to a “Tribble-a-thon” (well at least the ST: TOS and ST: DS9 eps – I didn’t stay for the animated series tribble ep). Patricia: Con definitely in full swing, with more stuff in the dealer’s room/upstairs rooms. Some more art and panels from the sublime to the sublimely ridiculous. I started out with a ‘Vampires in Literature’ panel - very interesting, plus lots of pointers on great stuff to look for that I’d never even vaguely heard of. Then onto lost shows. Turns out I’m after shows that are much more obscure than everyone else - except the guy looking for a show where only the pilot was released - but I got some info on how to en- courage release of shows, and there was much to discussion on multi-region DVD players. We also checked out some more fanvids after seeing Cali-Crew’s latest last night (alas, no Horsechicks). After browsing the dealer’s room, I finally started buying stuff, starting with a couple of great shirts. I’ll go back for pictures tomorrow. Many of the people in hotel rooms upstairs are selling things from fans selling old ‘zines to whole stores worth(!). There’s even a heat-printing operation.

I bought some old zines - and then a bag in which to carry them, mine being too full - and met some people who have Colditz episodes on tape, from much older copies! I’m very excited about this since they may have the two episodes that the History channel never aired, and are probably truly lost. They warned me that the quality isn’t good but I want them anyway. And I now have contact info to get them (yay!). Then we went over to East Lansing in search of a highly recommended used bookstore, where I picked up a few books by the author of the book I’m reading now (Mythago Wood by Robert Holdstock) which I love but must give up as it’s a Bookcrossing book. Then back to the con for more panels: a BoP one I was on, in which there was much discussion of how they should have developed and marketed it; followed by the second hysterical hour of ‘Holy Mother Grammatica’. I don’t think I have ever laughed so hard before. Laughed until I cried and couldn’t stop laughing for a while (especially the bit written with two people but the way it was written made it seem like there were eleven people in the scene!). I also bid on a piece at the Art Show - beer & dragon - and then a few more fanvids. Finally, Rainey and I watched The Masquerade, hosted by Andrei (from Ottawa) who I met at InCON II. He’s not as funny as he thinks he is, but he’s okay as an MC, and some of the costumes were very imaginative. Yes, Kevin, I took some pictures, hope they turn out well. Then some plans for tomorrow and sleep, sleep, sleep. Rainey: Saturday morning, I went to a few more panels (Sherlock Holmes, SG-1, and lost shows) and spent way too much time in the Dealer’s Room. I was delighted to find a Demon Under Glass DVD ... It’s never been commercially released, and I was dying to see Jason Carter as a vampire☺

In the afternoon, we hit some used bookstores. Fun, fun, fun! I’ve decided that it’s necessary to schedule meal breaks ... we don’t stop much and I get quite cranky when I’m not fed <lol>

In the evening, I went to the Holy Mother Grammatica panel. Who would’ve thought that a panel on grammar would have people on the floor laughing? The fannish examples were what made the panel. (Check out Holy Mother Grammatica’s Guide to Good Writing... Later, Patricia & I went to the Masquerade. My personal favourite was Ring- wraith Barbie, although the Hobbit of the Shire was much more authentic.

Heather: Saturday was fun. Went to more panels and walked around the dealer’s room. Volunteered for the video room – everyone (of the videos) is always short and got to see ‘Spirited Away’ on a large screen, as well as play movie trailers. Went to a Dr. Who party in the evening before going to the video room again. I have made some contacts and exchanged e-mails so we can meet up in Toronto in August. Getting very tired – up early and staying out late. Spent some time talking with Scott Rosera (sp?) a comic book artist who also sat down and gave me perspective lessons. We chatted for over an hour. Made some plans for next year.

Day 4: Sunday, May 25th

Lynn: This is actually starting from the end of the day, then going back to the beginning of the day. Art Auction – Oh My Goddess! There was lots of artwork up for auction – some 181 pieces. These people seem to have more money than they know what to do with. Pieces of artwork going for $300+. One piece – a Clark & Lex print from Smallville went for $650. We were laughing a lot at the different auctioneer’s comments. A gorgeous Lord of the Rings drawn print of Boromir went for $400. The one of Aragorn I think went for $700. [7] I talked with Maureen Wynn (one of the Sunnydale Slayers) a bit during the Art Auction. In the Art Show there was a wonderful glass etching of Yancy Butler as Sara Pezzini (Withchblade) done on a mirror.

Earlier in the day there were several panels I went to. Come to think of it, I went to more panels this time than any other MWC I have been to (1997 & 2001). Though I suspect that may be because a good portion of the SunS (The Horsechicks in particular), weren’t there. This time, I saw Amy, Maureen, Betsy, Sharon, Jennie and Leslie. I think there were a couple others but I didn’t recognize them (by name anyway). Let’s see – the panels I went to today. (i) ‘Amelia Peabody: Another Shirt Ruined’ – Patricia was on this panel. She and Rainey have read the books and have talked about them enough so I had an idea of who the characters were along with some of the storyline. (ii) ‘Lists with Gen & Slash: Mixed Lists or Mixed Nuts’ – this was particularly interesting. A discussion of what constitutes GenFic (fiction of a general rating – at most PG-13, and does not include relationships beyond that of friendships); Hetfic (eg. Relationships between male & female – generally PG-13 to NC-17); Slashfic (eg. Relationships between individuals of the same sex [M/M or F/F]. There was also a discussion of warnings in the headers of fic stories, such as including warnings of stories that have rape scenarios in there, or graphic sex warnings, or death of major character warnings. Also some include relationship pairings in the header (particularly with shows that may have more than one relationship pairing). (iii) No one showed up for my Birds of Prey panel in the afternoon, so I went over to the West Wing panel discussion. Very good discussion about what happened this season, and how they can resolve the season finale in the beginning of next season. (iv) ‘Buffy vs. Angel: Dueling Apocalypses’ – exciting panel. I’m going to have to go back and rewatch some of the episodes of both series. (v) ‘Cats in Literature’ panel: started out okay but got a bit boring. Got some good ideas of stories with cats in them. (vi) Final panel of the day was a Stargate SG-1 one, about what our favourite slash pairings are. An interesting panel that discussed the different possible pairings (at least the M/M ones. The F/F is very limited to Sam/Janet) and ones which pairings are more plausible. I liked it muchly. Good discussion. Then more dealer’s room and we went to dinner (at the hotel). Unfortunately they were short-staffed and things were slow and/or missing.

Patricia: Day 4 for me started with a couple of wonderful blueberry buttermilk pancakes as Lynn and I had breakfast at the con-hotel pre-panel. I didn’t go to many panels today - just one, which I was on devoted to Elizabeth Peters’s Amelia Peabody mysteries. Good turnout, good discussion and some good new information about the upcoming Amelia’s Eygpt Compendium (which I didn’t know about, and had everyone excited). After that, Rainey and I went shopping in the dealer’s room a bit and especially up in the rooms at the con hotel. I bought some more zines and pictures, then we went for lunch at Denny’s (at a normal lunchtime for once so we wouldn’t cave in later). Then I went back to the dealer’s room and looking in on ‘Cats in Literature’ near its end (big disappointment - no cats in the room and no interesting info so I left). Rainey and I headed up to the rooms again, and finally the t-shirt place in 402 (Pegasus Publishing) was open. Fabulous shirts - the only way I moderated my spending was by thinking about the different colours I could get through online ordering, as I already have many black shirts. Many rare geek and SF-type shirts available including some I’d only seen previously at the Los Almos Lab bookstore.

After that we watched most of the rest of the new fanvids - some very good and funny ones - and we went for dinner at the hotel - which was excruciatingly slow as they were very short of wait staff and running out of things, but still good. The art auction started late anyway, so we had plenty of time to ob- serve its sanity. Now, certainly the art that sold strongly showed a lot of skill and talent, and looked very nice, but most of it was done from photo references that could be had for $5 (the art was selling for several hundred). After a while I started crocheting coasters while continuing to laugh at the outrageousness of the bidders and the auctioneers’ comments. The piece I bid on was coming up for auction late, but I wouldn’t pay more than the minimum bid for it anyway so I left (though I did also bid on an Aeryn figure for the fan-fund silent auction to end at midnight). Strangely, the best piece didn’t do best - a lot depended on the fandom (with extra points for slash interest). I did have some nice short discussions with other amused bystanders.

Rainey: I started the day with bad coffee, but it got better. Heather and I went to a panel on SF/ fantasy elements in romance novels and got a slew of recommendations. Then I sat in on Patricia’s panel on Amelia Peabody. One of the other panellists had news about a compendium coming out in November called Amelia Peabody’s Egypt. Much joy in Whoville ... I know what I want for Christmas!

Then I had to stop and figure out what I really wanted from the Dealer’s Room ... I ended up getting some filk CDs to replace albums I’d previously had on cassette. If you haven’t heard Dandelion Wine’s “SF Fan Fiction Blues”, I recommend it highly. After lunch, I went to a panel on cats in literature, which was good until it somehow got diverted onto people’s favourite commercials. Patricia and I went roaming around the less formal dealer’s rooms and found Pegasus Publishing (I have four of their bumper stickers in my office, including my favourite “User Error: Replace User and Hit Any Key to Continue”). I went crazy in there until Patricia reminded me about getting back through customs <sulk><sulk><pout>. So I just got a couple shirts and some Barrayaran Imperial Security collar pins....

Later that evening, I went to the Art Auction, and realized that even if Patricia hadn’t made me sensible, there were still people at the convention who were even crazier. I had no intention of bidding on anything, but the auction was very entertaining...the auctioneers were hilarious and the bidders were insane. After seeing some of the final bids, Heather’s decided she’s definitely sending art to future cons <lol>. [8]

References

  1. ^ These are possibly by Suzan Lovett and can be seen here.
  2. ^ from the Fast Forward newsletter of The Voice Of The Fredericton Science Fiction Society, Spring/Summer 2003 (includes convention photos), Compliments of Lynn, Patricia, Rainey, and Heather (Our Brave Travellers) [1], Archived version
  3. ^ Welcome to the moral low ground. I owns it. - Back from MediaWest, by stormheller, Archived version
  4. ^ The Den of Debauchery's Subannex - Media West Con Report Or Murphy's Law as Applied to Fandom, Archived version
  5. ^ [2], Archived version
  6. ^ tenaya, Archived version
  7. ^ These are possibly by Suzan Lovett and can be seen here.
  8. ^ from the Fast Forward newsletter of The Voice Of The Fredericton Science Fiction Society, Spring/Summer 2003 (includes convention photos), Compliments of Lynn, Patricia, Rainey, and Heather (Our Brave Travellers) [3], Archived version
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