CONvergence 2010
Jul. 2nd, 2010 03:10 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
logicbuttonAs much as I normally prefer to do these sorts of things alone and keep my own pace, I'm finding that being at a con by myself is kind of lonely. I keep wishing you guys were with me. ("![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
octopedingenue, should I buy any of these books?") I think I've gotten enough confidence to go as Mia Fey tomorrow, though, so maybe I'll have a bit more social interaction at least.
Also, between the 24-hour rice and chips and fruit and candy in the consuite and my still-nonexistent appetite, I'm a little concerned that all the food in my fridge at home is going to spoil. Maybe I'll put my recent leftovers in the freezer.
Today's panels:
Heroes: What the Hell Happened: Actually, this was titled "Heroes: The Rise and Fall," but the above is what the panelists called it, and that was pretty much the topic of discussion. General consensus seemed to be that the first season was just too good and raised expectations to a level that couldn't be reached again. Obviously, the writer's strike was responsible for the second season, but after that, the combination of diminished viewer confidence and TPTB having a hard time coming up with new challenges for the established characters was just too much to overcome.
Spotting Mary Sue: Even though I'm less interested in this topic than ever, there's a sort of nostalgic familiarity about it that appealed to me, and also I didn't care about any of the other panels being offered at this time at all. The panelists were insightful and funny, though; one who had been a Star Trek fanzine editor and writer in the 70s had some great anecdotes. But for the most part, the discussion was the same surface-level "Give your characters flaws!" "Use the litmus test!" that has been sounding increasingly disingenuous to me over the last several years. Sure, if Kirk and Spock and McCoy are all weeping at your character's deathbed after her heroic sacrifice to save the world, she's probably a Mary Sue, but tacking on faults isn't going to save her; it's her role in the story and the way the characters react to her that defines her. I wish I could have raised my hand and stated that articulately. Oh well.
Moriarty: Villains are the theme of this year's con, so there are a number of panels planned that focus on the bad guys in various canons. As you might expect from a Sherlock Holmes panel, this was kind of about Moriarty and mostly about comparing different Holmes canons. There was quite a lot of discussion about Irene Adler, actually. But anyway, what I took away from this is that I need to read A Study in Emerald by Neil Gaiman sooner rather than later.
The Straight Pill: The best panel I went to today. The panelists: three gay men, one of whom is also deaf (although raised by hearing parents outside of the Deaf culture), and one bisexual woman who is trained as an ASL interpreter. The premise: the implications of a theoretical pill or device that could turn a gay person straight, or a straight person gay. Discussion focused on parallels between this as-yet hypothetical situation and the very real controversy in the Deaf community over cochlear implants and raising children to live in a hearing world, but also included themes of choice in lifestyle afforded to those who are bisexual versus those who have partial hearing, the role of parents in choosing the culture to which their children will belong, and the ethics and possible legal issues surrounding a parent's choice to raise their child outside of the dominant culture from which they themselves are excluded. They passed out a reading list. Super interesting.
Slash Fiction: If you're going to schedule a panel at 11:30 pm, it had better inspire a lively discussion. This did not disappoint. I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of discussion on the impact of changing societal norms on trends in femslash, but unpleasantly unsurprised by the focus on sex scenes. Not even slash-specific sex scenes, either. There was some lip service paid to fluff, but five seconds later, it was back to "What makes a fic hot?" Also, I didn't share any fandoms with any of the panelists--there was lots of talk about RPF--but, y'know, panfandom con. The panel had a really positive atmosphere, though, so I'm glad I went.
Okay! I need to go to bed so I can get up, get in costume, and get to the con in time for 9:30 panels.
octopedingenue, should I buy any of these books?") I think I've gotten enough confidence to go as Mia Fey tomorrow, though, so maybe I'll have a bit more social interaction at least.Also, between the 24-hour rice and chips and fruit and candy in the consuite and my still-nonexistent appetite, I'm a little concerned that all the food in my fridge at home is going to spoil. Maybe I'll put my recent leftovers in the freezer.
Today's panels:
Heroes: What the Hell Happened: Actually, this was titled "Heroes: The Rise and Fall," but the above is what the panelists called it, and that was pretty much the topic of discussion. General consensus seemed to be that the first season was just too good and raised expectations to a level that couldn't be reached again. Obviously, the writer's strike was responsible for the second season, but after that, the combination of diminished viewer confidence and TPTB having a hard time coming up with new challenges for the established characters was just too much to overcome.
Spotting Mary Sue: Even though I'm less interested in this topic than ever, there's a sort of nostalgic familiarity about it that appealed to me, and also I didn't care about any of the other panels being offered at this time at all. The panelists were insightful and funny, though; one who had been a Star Trek fanzine editor and writer in the 70s had some great anecdotes. But for the most part, the discussion was the same surface-level "Give your characters flaws!" "Use the litmus test!" that has been sounding increasingly disingenuous to me over the last several years. Sure, if Kirk and Spock and McCoy are all weeping at your character's deathbed after her heroic sacrifice to save the world, she's probably a Mary Sue, but tacking on faults isn't going to save her; it's her role in the story and the way the characters react to her that defines her. I wish I could have raised my hand and stated that articulately. Oh well.
Moriarty: Villains are the theme of this year's con, so there are a number of panels planned that focus on the bad guys in various canons. As you might expect from a Sherlock Holmes panel, this was kind of about Moriarty and mostly about comparing different Holmes canons. There was quite a lot of discussion about Irene Adler, actually. But anyway, what I took away from this is that I need to read A Study in Emerald by Neil Gaiman sooner rather than later.
The Straight Pill: The best panel I went to today. The panelists: three gay men, one of whom is also deaf (although raised by hearing parents outside of the Deaf culture), and one bisexual woman who is trained as an ASL interpreter. The premise: the implications of a theoretical pill or device that could turn a gay person straight, or a straight person gay. Discussion focused on parallels between this as-yet hypothetical situation and the very real controversy in the Deaf community over cochlear implants and raising children to live in a hearing world, but also included themes of choice in lifestyle afforded to those who are bisexual versus those who have partial hearing, the role of parents in choosing the culture to which their children will belong, and the ethics and possible legal issues surrounding a parent's choice to raise their child outside of the dominant culture from which they themselves are excluded. They passed out a reading list. Super interesting.
Slash Fiction: If you're going to schedule a panel at 11:30 pm, it had better inspire a lively discussion. This did not disappoint. I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of discussion on the impact of changing societal norms on trends in femslash, but unpleasantly unsurprised by the focus on sex scenes. Not even slash-specific sex scenes, either. There was some lip service paid to fluff, but five seconds later, it was back to "What makes a fic hot?" Also, I didn't share any fandoms with any of the panelists--there was lots of talk about RPF--but, y'know, panfandom con. The panel had a really positive atmosphere, though, so I'm glad I went.
Okay! I need to go to bed so I can get up, get in costume, and get to the con in time for 9:30 panels.
