MediaWest*Con 27 - a short report with pictures

[wraithfodder]

Found on the Yahoo news site today

 

 

Ain’t it cute? I’d say he or she but it’s a cicada so who knows? Anyway, sorry I missed them on my recent trip to the Midwest as I saw them in Ohio four years ago and they are sooo cool. There are more shots up on Yahoo’s page under the ‘You Witness’ section.

 

Okay, onward to MediaWest*Con!! This was the 27^th con (I’ve attended virtually all since, well, eons ago) and it’s all fans, although on a few occasions, actors have signed up and attended as fans themselves, which is cool. If only we could get David Hewlett to attend… anyway, attendance ranges from 700 to over 1,000 each year, and it’s just fans talking about the show, watching videos, music videos, fanzines, buying fannish stuff and eating way too much bad food J Met lots of friends whom I’ve known since the PC era (pre-child). Yes, most of us were single, etc. when we started doing the con and now some fans even bring their kids, many of whom are headed toward college soon.

Door decorating is part of the con, and it covers all sorts of fandoms and can be incredibly elaborate (see B7’s below) and I should have taken photos in years past, but duh, didn’t, or don’t know where the prints are, but it’s the only con I know of that really does that. The programming runs from 9am till midnight (but usually starts at 10 a.m.) and four panels across, not including videos, so there’s lots to do. I’d say the big fandoms were Supernatural and Stargate Atlantis. Amazingly, very few SG1 panels were suggested this year, which I think is indicative of the slowdown of the fandom and transference to other fans. Heck, I must report with deep regret, that several really great SGA fanfic writers have been writing Supernatural fanfic now (yes, they were hiding in the back corner during the well-attended Shep whump panel). The McKay panel was full of fans who love that character, and the Save Carson Beckett panel (for lack of a better title) had lots of folks too. We still don’t know why they did what they did on ‘Sunday’ but that’s a spoiler till Friday, so…. And the now annual “Whose Line is It Anyway?” fan version of the show had a lot of attendees and will be done again at the 2008 con and I promise to make a fool of myself then as I was too tired out from doing too many SGA panels to attend that one.

 

 Of course, I didn’t really take notes, but did take photos of people, but won’t put those up without permission, but can put up photos of things (aka doors) so will stick up a few… Oh wait, yes, I DO have photos of some attendees and will now plaster their images ALL OVER THE NET!

 

Fans bring their pets – big ones, small ones, furry ones, scaly ones (didn’t see any snakes this year). The cats were available at the ‘cat house’, as I recall, where you could just enter the room and get your kitty fix by petting one of several very, very friendly cats. I saw a Great Dane that looked like a pony and it wasn’t even a year old, a little black dog that growled and snarled at me every time he saw me (did that last year too but then he did that with everyone but was totally harmless, really) and lots of Shelties and Samoyeds.

 

 

Here was the view from my airplane seat, done in sepia tone to make it a bit more exciting…

 

 

My Stargate Atlantis motivational poster door, which attracted lots of fans who were busy taking pictures or wondering if I would sell them, so I promised to put them all online on my LJ. The door won "Best humor" !!
 

 

And WTF is this, you ask? All the masking tape that held up the photos!

 

 

B7kerravon’s incredible musical flashing-light Stargate door, with both SG1 and SGA. This photo is sorta crappy but it was incredible.

 

 

Who doesn’t detest the Burger King guy? A fan made a fantastic Supernatural cartoon out of it
 

 

My luggage makes it home. With being so bright green, how can it not? It’s easy to find, even from a mile away ;)



 

 

 

The biggest problem with the con is it’s too darn short! I mean, the con is officially 3 days (Fri noon-Mon noon) but fans are coming in as early as Wednesday now just to relax and hang out, and zines can sell out before the con even starts sometimes. Ah, just one more year till MW*C 28.

 

And that’s it for now! Anybody else who attended want to add to it?

 

 

Comments

[les342.livejournal.com]

That was your door? I saw it, read all the posters, and really liked them, but I didn't realize they were yours, despite the fact that I think I've seen the ones you posted before in your LJ. Yes, as a matter of fact, I am a bit slow. Why do you ask? LOL

I really need to get started on stuff for the con earlier for next year. Waiting until a month before the con to start vids for the vid competiton and a couple of weeks before the con to try to pull something together for my door just doesn't work. Plus, I also want to try and enter the masquerade. I love this con and can't wait to go to it again next year, but looking at what I just typed here, I'm really glad that it is a year away.

[wraithfodder.livejournal.com]

Yup, that was my door :) I actually did up half of those posters just a few days before the con as i thought, geez, I need something for the door. I tend to leave door decorating until the 11th hour - last year I was doing stuff in the drive to the con!

[les342.livejournal.com]

Well, then, that gives me hope. I really liked what you did, even if it was last minute. I had an idea for the door decorating contest last year when I was at the con. I was just too lazy to do anything about it for this year. Next year I'm definitely going to participate.

[audreyscastle.livejournal.com]

I so wish I could've been there...I have been for the past four years straight, but moving that weekend made it impossible this year......thanks for the report!

[wraithfodder.livejournal.com]

Maybe next year!

[cannellfan.livejournal.com]

Great to see you again, Elyse...and, yes, your demotivational posters were just as funny as the ones at despair.com. Thanks for doing breakfast with us on Sunday -- it was good to catch up. Now I'll just have to keep up with your LJ!

I posted some of my own pictures (including door decoration shots) in my Flickr account, in case you or any of your readers want to peek:

cannellfan at flickr

Scott

[wraithfodder.livejournal.com]

I never even knew you had an LJ till we talked at the con! And your t-shirt is a scream. Forgot to tell you that at the con ;)

[wraithfodder.livejournal.com]

Yo, Scott. Check out this flickr account - http://www.flickr.com/photos/auntiec/ - 16 pages of photos!

[cannellfan.livejournal.com]

Yup...that's my friend, Christina G., who was nice enough to not only shoot tons of stills of both our Amazing Race and Whose Line is it Anyway? events, but also used my videocamera and got lots of fun video of both events as well!

[pavaneofstars.livejournal.com]

*Love* the door pic! lol :D And the kitty cat is cute too. Thanks for sharing the pics.

[wraithfodder.livejournal.com]

Thanks :) And yeah, that cat was soooo cute. very soft and cuddly and friendly.

[winter-elf.livejournal.com]

LOVED your door posters! My 1st Mediawest con, and I had a ton of fun. I quite enjoyed all the SGA door decorations up, and hope next year I can get into the con hotel and participate!