Jackie's First WisCon: Day 1
I started my internship today, and it was cool. Was is it as cool as WisCon? No. So let's move on. I'd like to blog about WisCon every night until it's done because, as longtime-readers of my blog know, if I don't write about something as soon as it happens, it will be months if not more than a year before I finally do.
So. WisCon? IS SO AMAZINGLY AWESOME. Firstly, for those who don't know, I'll let you know what exactly WisCon is. WisCon is a science fiction convention, mostly focusing on literature, with an emphasis on feminism. Gender, race, and class issues are also frequently discussed. Normal geek-type conventions such as Comic Con are focuses on dressing up in costumes and buying as much stuff as humanly possible (from what I can glean, anyway; I've never actually been to one). WisCon seems to have a bigger focus on panels that take an academic and thorough look at various issues, depending on the panel.
So, the first thing that I did at WisCon was attend The Gathering (actually, the first thing I did was find Kristen, but whatever). The Gathering was a large room inside the Concourse Hotel, which is where the con is taking place. There were tables with items for sale for an auction, jewelry for sale, hair braiding, palm reading, tea leave reading, etc. I made myself a bookmark at a paper craft table, and also went to the Clothing Swap at the very end, when people were just taking clothing. I got an apron made out of really pretty fabric. I wish it was a skirt. Kristen described it thusly: "You know how they make assless chaps? Well...it's kind of like...an assless skirt." Bwaha. It might be a skirt. It could also be a shawl that ties around my neck. I'm not really sure. But it's pretty, and I took it.
I also checked out the Dealers' Room, which was full of astronomically expensive pottery and jewelry, but also tons of books, some of which were sold by Gretchen (for Room of One's Own, the feminist local bookstore off of State Street!), and some of which were really cheap. There was one guy selling comics....BEAUTIMOUS COMICS, like the new Evangelion volume 10, and Princess Tutu, volume 2! I freaked out, but did not buy any yet. I'm sure I'll crack by Sunday.
Kristen and I obtained dinner at Cosi's and discussed important and grand things that need not be mentioned in this blog.
After that, we returned for Opening Ceremonies, which were touching and wonderful. WisCon is an awesome gathering of people who love science fiction and fantasy, and also who are more than that - people who care about the way characters are portrayed, the way societies are structured, the way people act toward one another - even when the people are made up.
Anyway....OMG HEROES PANEL!
The coolest thing about the Heroes panel was that I met someone whose LiveJournal I've been reading for a while now: oyceter She came all the way from California. She was excited because I was reading Saiyuki manga, and I was envious of her knitting ability. In fact, lots of people are knitting at WisCon! I guess it's an easy thing to do while you're listening to panels. Anyway, we sat near each other during this panel, which turned out to be really cool for my first WisCon panel ever. Anyway, here are my organized notes. I won't get into my personal opinions too much, because I think I still have about 4 or 5 episodes to go before I am completely caught up. Thus, this write-up is a synopsis of what other people on the panel said, and I take no credit in thinking it up myself.
The point of this panel was to discuss the way in which women are portrayed in the NBC TV show, Heroes.
It was noted that the character Claire Bennett is a true protagonist of the show, who has developed throughout the season and grew into the ability to make her own decisions. It was also noted that because Claire is a minor, and a high school student, she is very much at the mercy of her parents. The other main female hero on the show, Niki/Jessica, is at the mercy of her parents. Thus, the women who are central characters are not entirely in control of themselves.
Claire and Niki are both good-looking blond-haired and white-skinned women. It seems like any other female character who isn't white and blond that gets introduced is soon killed. Does a female have to look like Barbie to survive on this show? Why?
It seems like all of the minor female characters on the show are cast into very traditional female roles. Claire's mom stays at home, Angela Petrelli is a manipulative mother of a politician, Charlie was a waitress, Nathan's wife is supportive. Strong women in different roles, such as the female mechanic with excellent hearing, are soon killed. In the future, it would be neat if the women of the show had better super powers, if there were more women of color (Simone got killed), and maybe some Latinos. The show is lauded for its multi-racial cast, but there are no Latinos in the cast at all.
Claire's power is to heal herself, and is thus essentially to get hurt. Her power is passive, not active - still, by the end of the season, it seems like she's learning how to use her power in a new way.
Could Angela Petrelli be Linderman's boss? It was speculated by many that Peter and Nathan's father did not actually commit suicide, and that his wife Angela may have had something to do with it.
In the episode "5 Years Gone," all of the female characters had lost their hope, and didn't use their powers. The male characters regained their drive to help people.
What was the purpose of the explosion in New York? To round up all of the heroes in one place? To cover up the election fraud?
WTF is up with the ending of the season? Why couldn't Niki have beat Sylar? Why didn't Claire? In the end, it seemed like the women reverted to stereotypes. Also, Sylar is a boring villain. What the hell.
Next season will be 30 episodes, six of which will be called "Origins." A new character will be introduced in each of these six, and fans can then vote on who will join the show. Everyone in the room vowed to vote for strong, female characters of color.
Once I catch up on the episodes, I need to go to NBC's website and read all of the graphic novels that weave in and out of the show's storyline.
Lastly, this is useful for my fellow con-goers only, but here is my intended schedule for tomorrow:
10-11:15am - "Explain Slash to Me" panel
11:15-1pm - Lunch Break. Possibly meet up with Antoine!
1-2:15pm - Still undecided. Either "Why is the Universe So Damn White?" panel or "Three Comrades Go On A Quest..."
2:30-3:45pm - "Cultural Appropriation Revisited, Part 1" panel
4:00-5:15pm - Either "Cultural Appropriation Revisited, Part 2" or "Playing for Self Esteem (Video Games)/Idealized Fantasy Bodies in Video Games"
5:30-7:30, possibly 9pm - Huge Break for Dinner. Is the Tiptree Auction fun? Is that why there's no other programming offered? Not sure what I'll do during this time. Maybe meet up with Antoine here instead of lunch.
9:00-10:15pm - Lightning Write
10:30-11:45pm - Undecided. Probably "Privilege of the Sword, Denied"
Midnight-1:15am - Depending on how tired I am, possibly "There Be Dragons!"
So. WisCon? IS SO AMAZINGLY AWESOME. Firstly, for those who don't know, I'll let you know what exactly WisCon is. WisCon is a science fiction convention, mostly focusing on literature, with an emphasis on feminism. Gender, race, and class issues are also frequently discussed. Normal geek-type conventions such as Comic Con are focuses on dressing up in costumes and buying as much stuff as humanly possible (from what I can glean, anyway; I've never actually been to one). WisCon seems to have a bigger focus on panels that take an academic and thorough look at various issues, depending on the panel.
So, the first thing that I did at WisCon was attend The Gathering (actually, the first thing I did was find Kristen, but whatever). The Gathering was a large room inside the Concourse Hotel, which is where the con is taking place. There were tables with items for sale for an auction, jewelry for sale, hair braiding, palm reading, tea leave reading, etc. I made myself a bookmark at a paper craft table, and also went to the Clothing Swap at the very end, when people were just taking clothing. I got an apron made out of really pretty fabric. I wish it was a skirt. Kristen described it thusly: "You know how they make assless chaps? Well...it's kind of like...an assless skirt." Bwaha. It might be a skirt. It could also be a shawl that ties around my neck. I'm not really sure. But it's pretty, and I took it.
I also checked out the Dealers' Room, which was full of astronomically expensive pottery and jewelry, but also tons of books, some of which were sold by Gretchen (for Room of One's Own, the feminist local bookstore off of State Street!), and some of which were really cheap. There was one guy selling comics....BEAUTIMOUS COMICS, like the new Evangelion volume 10, and Princess Tutu, volume 2! I freaked out, but did not buy any yet. I'm sure I'll crack by Sunday.
Kristen and I obtained dinner at Cosi's and discussed important and grand things that need not be mentioned in this blog.
After that, we returned for Opening Ceremonies, which were touching and wonderful. WisCon is an awesome gathering of people who love science fiction and fantasy, and also who are more than that - people who care about the way characters are portrayed, the way societies are structured, the way people act toward one another - even when the people are made up.
Anyway....OMG HEROES PANEL!
The coolest thing about the Heroes panel was that I met someone whose LiveJournal I've been reading for a while now: oyceter She came all the way from California. She was excited because I was reading Saiyuki manga, and I was envious of her knitting ability. In fact, lots of people are knitting at WisCon! I guess it's an easy thing to do while you're listening to panels. Anyway, we sat near each other during this panel, which turned out to be really cool for my first WisCon panel ever. Anyway, here are my organized notes. I won't get into my personal opinions too much, because I think I still have about 4 or 5 episodes to go before I am completely caught up. Thus, this write-up is a synopsis of what other people on the panel said, and I take no credit in thinking it up myself.
The point of this panel was to discuss the way in which women are portrayed in the NBC TV show, Heroes.
It was noted that the character Claire Bennett is a true protagonist of the show, who has developed throughout the season and grew into the ability to make her own decisions. It was also noted that because Claire is a minor, and a high school student, she is very much at the mercy of her parents. The other main female hero on the show, Niki/Jessica, is at the mercy of her parents. Thus, the women who are central characters are not entirely in control of themselves.
Claire and Niki are both good-looking blond-haired and white-skinned women. It seems like any other female character who isn't white and blond that gets introduced is soon killed. Does a female have to look like Barbie to survive on this show? Why?
It seems like all of the minor female characters on the show are cast into very traditional female roles. Claire's mom stays at home, Angela Petrelli is a manipulative mother of a politician, Charlie was a waitress, Nathan's wife is supportive. Strong women in different roles, such as the female mechanic with excellent hearing, are soon killed. In the future, it would be neat if the women of the show had better super powers, if there were more women of color (Simone got killed), and maybe some Latinos. The show is lauded for its multi-racial cast, but there are no Latinos in the cast at all.
Claire's power is to heal herself, and is thus essentially to get hurt. Her power is passive, not active - still, by the end of the season, it seems like she's learning how to use her power in a new way.
Could Angela Petrelli be Linderman's boss? It was speculated by many that Peter and Nathan's father did not actually commit suicide, and that his wife Angela may have had something to do with it.
In the episode "5 Years Gone," all of the female characters had lost their hope, and didn't use their powers. The male characters regained their drive to help people.
What was the purpose of the explosion in New York? To round up all of the heroes in one place? To cover up the election fraud?
WTF is up with the ending of the season? Why couldn't Niki have beat Sylar? Why didn't Claire? In the end, it seemed like the women reverted to stereotypes. Also, Sylar is a boring villain. What the hell.
Next season will be 30 episodes, six of which will be called "Origins." A new character will be introduced in each of these six, and fans can then vote on who will join the show. Everyone in the room vowed to vote for strong, female characters of color.
Once I catch up on the episodes, I need to go to NBC's website and read all of the graphic novels that weave in and out of the show's storyline.
Lastly, this is useful for my fellow con-goers only, but here is my intended schedule for tomorrow:
10-11:15am - "Explain Slash to Me" panel
11:15-1pm - Lunch Break. Possibly meet up with Antoine!
1-2:15pm - Still undecided. Either "Why is the Universe So Damn White?" panel or "Three Comrades Go On A Quest..."
2:30-3:45pm - "Cultural Appropriation Revisited, Part 1" panel
4:00-5:15pm - Either "Cultural Appropriation Revisited, Part 2" or "Playing for Self Esteem (Video Games)/Idealized Fantasy Bodies in Video Games"
5:30-7:30, possibly 9pm - Huge Break for Dinner. Is the Tiptree Auction fun? Is that why there's no other programming offered? Not sure what I'll do during this time. Maybe meet up with Antoine here instead of lunch.
9:00-10:15pm - Lightning Write
10:30-11:45pm - Undecided. Probably "Privilege of the Sword, Denied"
Midnight-1:15am - Depending on how tired I am, possibly "There Be Dragons!"