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MWC29: Wrap Up
-cringe- I know, I know. I meant to post daily all the wonderfulness of MWC. In typical MWC, I got sucked into conversations, vids, fic ideas, zines, panels and--what do you mean it's Monday, already?! I'll do my best to do a few followup reports. I wanted to post questions here that popped up during Mediawest because conversation, fanfic and friendship was what this con was all about.
And Tim Tams. LOL
The Good, the Bad, and the WTF?
The Good : "Nice to see you again"
The key factor of Mediawest was always the people. The moment I deplaned on Detroit, the familiar faces (sadly, names escape me) were a welcoming sight as we do a pilgrimage to ole Lansing.
It was a little sad some of us couldn't make it, whether due to the economy, timing, etc. Many names floated by of our MIAs like Becky, Waldo, Ginger and many more. Definitely, they were sorely missed in the music vids and art show.
Like all reunions, the first day (whether Thursday or Friday) was spent catching up on a year's worth of fandom. Sure, many of us keep in touch via email, text or LJ, but the exhilarating thrill of person to person conversation can never be imitated. And heck, you can't email hugs. :)
Mediawest was always a non-actor, fanfic/media/fan based convention. It is what we are: sitting around in panels in the comforting knowledge that the person sitting/chatting/squeeing next to you, gets it. It is really awesome especially since most of us understandably celebrate our fannish love incognito.
One thing I got out of this was a huge, mondo list of fic recs, authors (from FF.net, LJ, or their own site) shared and praised, and new shows to check out (although I'm still not sure if that's a good thing or not. LOL.)
Panels were still the big thing here. In fact, I've met a few LJ users there who decided to do a meetup in MWC since they couldn't afford to make one in Cardiff/London?New York/San Diego. It made a heck of lot of sense. Why not? You already got a hotel setup for gatherings, the dealer's room is a fic reader's crack den and frankly, Lansing was cheaper and central enough for many. And if done within the con's deadlines, they could set up panels without the worry of setting up their own fee for conference rooms, facilities, etc. It was a neat idea: these guys made a mini-con within our con. Hey, the more the merrier!
The Bad :
I've been going to Mediawest long enough to know our fanzine offerings this year was nowhere near what there was out there ten years ago. I'm not sure why: we're not short of writers, definitely not short of readers, yet the traditional fanzine--the origin of fanfic for you youngings who thought fanfic was borne out of the loins of the internet (no joke, some had thought fanfic was internet created, lol)--is slowly becoming extinct. Especially gen ones.
It's a puzzle. Really. One some have commented on throughout the con. People have started searching for used zines to find classic fanzines to relive a time when sending LoC for zine fics were a natural courtesy and reading the fics was further enhanced by the feel of cool, crisp pages flipping gently to reveal the next story. Sadly, I have a feeling ten years from now, our newer fans will never know the sensation of reading in the truer sense. We've become too technologically bred that we're starting to fail to appreciate the tactile pleasure of reading. I stubbornly hold onto my books.
The WTF?! Causeway Bay Hotel
To be fair, after many years of Holiday Inn claiming to renovate, we do see signs of the new owner doing exactly that. The timing, sadly, fell over Mediawest.
A fire a few weeks ago had gutted out the fifth floor while they were doing repairs so we arrived to the hotel in mid-renovation. The outside atrium was ripped up, the usual fanzine reading room looked like a Home Depot vomited its inventory in it and odd wires stuck out in the oddest places all over.
As disconcerting this all was, it did give me hope. The hotel, which had need a dire makeover after years of con abuse (not just us, mind you) was finally doing something about it.
Today, looks like the effort was being made: towel racks were updated and reinforced, grouting refreshed, furniture was repaired for the time being. the newly reinstalled bar was gorgeous and the atrium, when done, will be great. It was a shame the fire interrupted the progress. We were left with the odd feeling we've seen this place in a Supernatural episode. LOL.
Number of Hours I Did Not Sleep: 82 Oiiiii.
Number of Conversations That Spontaneous Came up With Strangers (hey, it's MWC, it can happen): 17
Number of Times Bob Evans Was Worshiped Instead of Nutrition: 3 (see? I iz proud. LOL.)
Number of Times Cracker Barrel Was Worshiped Instead of Bob Evans: 2 (see? I iz proud of that, too. LOL.)
Number of Times Combos and Tim Tams were Nutrition: 8 (oops...)
Number Times I Wished I Had Time To Do Door Decorations/Vidding: I lost count.
Number of "Oh, cool! Gotta Have!": 10
Number of Plot Bunnies MWC Gave Me (damn it): 32
The Virtual Door Decoration
And Tim Tams. LOL
The Good, the Bad, and the WTF?
The Good : "Nice to see you again"
The key factor of Mediawest was always the people. The moment I deplaned on Detroit, the familiar faces (sadly, names escape me) were a welcoming sight as we do a pilgrimage to ole Lansing.
It was a little sad some of us couldn't make it, whether due to the economy, timing, etc. Many names floated by of our MIAs like Becky, Waldo, Ginger and many more. Definitely, they were sorely missed in the music vids and art show.
Like all reunions, the first day (whether Thursday or Friday) was spent catching up on a year's worth of fandom. Sure, many of us keep in touch via email, text or LJ, but the exhilarating thrill of person to person conversation can never be imitated. And heck, you can't email hugs. :)
Mediawest was always a non-actor, fanfic/media/fan based convention. It is what we are: sitting around in panels in the comforting knowledge that the person sitting/chatting/squeeing next to you, gets it. It is really awesome especially since most of us understandably celebrate our fannish love incognito.
One thing I got out of this was a huge, mondo list of fic recs, authors (from FF.net, LJ, or their own site) shared and praised, and new shows to check out (although I'm still not sure if that's a good thing or not. LOL.)
Panels were still the big thing here. In fact, I've met a few LJ users there who decided to do a meetup in MWC since they couldn't afford to make one in Cardiff/London?New York/San Diego. It made a heck of lot of sense. Why not? You already got a hotel setup for gatherings, the dealer's room is a fic reader's crack den and frankly, Lansing was cheaper and central enough for many. And if done within the con's deadlines, they could set up panels without the worry of setting up their own fee for conference rooms, facilities, etc. It was a neat idea: these guys made a mini-con within our con. Hey, the more the merrier!
The Bad :
I've been going to Mediawest long enough to know our fanzine offerings this year was nowhere near what there was out there ten years ago. I'm not sure why: we're not short of writers, definitely not short of readers, yet the traditional fanzine--the origin of fanfic for you youngings who thought fanfic was borne out of the loins of the internet (no joke, some had thought fanfic was internet created, lol)--is slowly becoming extinct. Especially gen ones.
It's a puzzle. Really. One some have commented on throughout the con. People have started searching for used zines to find classic fanzines to relive a time when sending LoC for zine fics were a natural courtesy and reading the fics was further enhanced by the feel of cool, crisp pages flipping gently to reveal the next story. Sadly, I have a feeling ten years from now, our newer fans will never know the sensation of reading in the truer sense. We've become too technologically bred that we're starting to fail to appreciate the tactile pleasure of reading. I stubbornly hold onto my books.
The WTF?! Causeway Bay Hotel
To be fair, after many years of Holiday Inn claiming to renovate, we do see signs of the new owner doing exactly that. The timing, sadly, fell over Mediawest.
A fire a few weeks ago had gutted out the fifth floor while they were doing repairs so we arrived to the hotel in mid-renovation. The outside atrium was ripped up, the usual fanzine reading room looked like a Home Depot vomited its inventory in it and odd wires stuck out in the oddest places all over.
As disconcerting this all was, it did give me hope. The hotel, which had need a dire makeover after years of con abuse (not just us, mind you) was finally doing something about it.
Today, looks like the effort was being made: towel racks were updated and reinforced, grouting refreshed, furniture was repaired for the time being. the newly reinstalled bar was gorgeous and the atrium, when done, will be great. It was a shame the fire interrupted the progress. We were left with the odd feeling we've seen this place in a Supernatural episode. LOL.
Number of Hours I Did Not Sleep: 82 Oiiiii.
Number of Conversations That Spontaneous Came up With Strangers (hey, it's MWC, it can happen): 17
Number of Times Bob Evans Was Worshiped Instead of Nutrition: 3 (see? I iz proud. LOL.)
Number of Times Cracker Barrel Was Worshiped Instead of Bob Evans: 2 (see? I iz proud of that, too. LOL.)
Number of Times Combos and Tim Tams were Nutrition: 8 (oops...)
Number Times I Wished I Had Time To Do Door Decorations/Vidding: I lost count.
Number of "Oh, cool! Gotta Have!": 10
Number of Plot Bunnies MWC Gave Me (damn it): 32
The Virtual Door Decoration
no subject
To my mind - as many hours as I spend reading online - you can't beat an actual book in your hand, so to speak.
One thing struck me which was your comment about a lack of good stories and gen in particular. I've noticed that online as well to be honest, and I'm getting genuinely exasperated as more and more slash stories keep popping up in my favourite fandoms. It's not that I have anything against slash, or gay couples, but it irritates me when writers make characters that AREN'T a romantic couple and thus ruin/disregard a heartwarming friendship (in most cases). There also seem to be far more stories these days that just have OTT hurt/comfort at the expense of a decent storyline, or even the characters being 'in' character.
Anyway.. Didn't mean to rant, it's just a pet peeve of mine! I'm glad you had fun at the event though, however tiring it was. I bet something like that really is quite fun to attend :)
no subject
Butting in to say "here, here!" I'll admit to sometimes reacting with a humph of dismay when the spnewsletter comes out and again the slash (incest, RPF, all of it) outweighs the gen stories by a great deal. I've nothing against slash at all but my true love will always be a well-plotted gen piece that could fit into the TV schedule without too much squinting.
And a big ditto about the OTT whumping in h/c. I'm an h/c junkie, but it really bugs me when the whole story seems to be based around some pretty unsurvivable hurt. Story? Who needs a plot? It's not the gratuitous hurtin' that makes me love that genre...
no subject
I think what irritates me most about the slash thing - given I really do have nothing against slash itself - is the fact that it most often takes a wonderful friendship and distorts it. The favourite bit about most shows for me is seeing those kind of bonds and it bugs me no end that some folks just can't seem to accept two guys have a platonic, brotherly, close relationship. Why??? It's almost insulting to the actors that so often create these great partnerships with chemistry that literally comes off the screen.
I agree absolutely about the h/c thing too. It's not the gratuitous hurt that makes me love the genre either, and when it really is ALL there is to a story it just puts me off completely. Even more so when as a result the characters become so emo or AU that you barely recognise them. I too love to read stories that could fit into the TV schedule easily...
no subject
Overall I wouldn't say that slashing a couple demeans the canonical friendship, but in the case of incest? Yeah, I sorta feel that way - like authors seem to believe that the only true love is one that involves sex and, well, NO.
It's hard not to get into really sticky, possibly-offensive tones in this kind of talk, so I'm gonna stop. ;)
no subject
Me neither. A few writers tell me it's more of enhancing what they interpret between a couple.
What irks me is that 'friends can't be just friends, but also lovers' definition that was going around in the con and I suspect, online too.
Sigh
Slash and gen co-existed so nicely back then. Writers could be proud being bi-fictional, but these days, it feels like we have to pick a side. I don't wanna pick sides! I have friends on both genres! They're all cool!
no subject
So many times I have read a story in awe, and then get to the sex part and think...wow, this could have been so great if not for that. I've got nothing against slash as a form (although in my main fandom, Supernatural, it sure is a LOT more awkward). But when it becomes the EVERY STORY theme, it just seems lazy, narratively speaking. Especially when the sex is used to breach an emotional gap. It's not even about squick, but just being unrealistic and too easy (even in real life, sex rarely if ever solves problems).
I do wish, sometimes, that there were a few more experiments in gen.
no subject
no subject
Same here. I only heard of fanzines long ago when I was invited to submit something to a zine called "Gateways". Ah, the memories! I went to MI to check it out and found decades worth of fanzines and traditions around fanfic. There was just something about reading fic in printed, beautifully formatted form. Heck, I often took fic and printed out to read. Here, it was done, bound, edited, layout and wow, since then, I was hooked!
I just love the fact that printed fanfic goes as far back as Charles Dickens and Sherlock Holmes. Granted, fanfic back then was highly regarded as "fictional commentary". LOL
S vs G
Same here. I have nothing against slash, know a few who write slash too but the evolving (or devolving)definition of gen these days being "sexless, plot driven only, no one are friends" fic irks me. So if the two characters don't have sex (whether het or slash or ship), they can't 'care' for each other? When did sex=love?
That was one depressing aspect of Mediawest that mirrors fandoms these days: the growing divide of slash and gen. When fandom was brought to the media's attention, it's slash brought up and ridiculed, used to represent negatively on the fans as a whole. Gen was never considered and fans are made to look like some deep dark secret of society. Not to mention slash in general was being misrepresented and misunderstood.
Slash, as explained by a long time slash writer/friend far wiser and far more patient than me, used to be regarded as just another form of hurt-comfort. As another way for comfort. It was never meant to be the only thing that can be used as comfort. I like that explanation. It made for a far more beautiful transition than the "sex=care" trend of late. Slash was written as just another form of bond, closeness. It doesn't mean the writer is gay or anti gay if they choose to write slash or gen.
I miss smarm. I do. I've been accused of writing pre-slash, but honestly, that is all in the reader's pov. I liked reading about friends hugging, hold a hand if the pain is too much, a swat to the back of the head if the other goofs off, an arm around the shoulder for support. Do they then need to jump into bed? Not necessarily. It's the writer's choice what happens next. And no one felt like it's wrong either way. Hey, as a favor to a fellow fan, I helped beta a slash fic once. Not my cup of tea, but the fic was beautiful regardless, convincing and ooh look, they didn't have sex. Personally, minus a few sentences of love and thoughts of future sex, it could have been smarm. But it's the writer's prerogative on what the story was. The rigid 'sex or no sex' definition is stifling and frankly, a bit irritating to me because slash doesn't mean they have to have sex.
I wish people didn't automatically assume if two guys were good friends, it meant they were lovers. Sex doesn't automatically mean comfort. Friendship, love, joy is what it is and how the writer translates it to slash or gen should stay an interpretative choice.
Wow. Sorry there
Re: S vs G
I essentially agree with what you said, I suppose it is each to their own when it comes to the whole slash question (although the brothers/incest thing still gives me the icks).
It's just a shame it's a case of one outweighing the other these days..
"I wish people didn't automatically assume if two guys were good friends, it meant they were lovers."
Me too *sighs*