Janet Chui ([info]marrael) wrote,
@ 2006-07-23 15:36:00
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Entry tags:art, dragonlance, economy, politics, trinoccon

Trinoc*Con 2006 Misc, Dragonlance
Art-wise

The con was pretty enjoyable. Part of it was having a con just 10 minutes away. The first day of the Con, we set me up in the Art Show and promptly came back home to nap. (I needed it!) The total space of 3 panels looked daunting at first, but it filled up quickly and some paintings were left off. Most of my pieces were originals (I have to display them somewhere, might as well be cons). I have to admit I was not very prepared in the area of prints - except for the Book Monster prints, all of which sold. (Nothing else did. The curse of the Book Monster!) Not that I'm complaining. It's nice to have at least one sure bet for cons.

Note to self: Make more prints. Learn, already.

Outside of the Book Monster, sales have generally been slowing on eBay too, and I hate to cop out and blame it on the economy, but I think it can't be avoided. I see the figures. They suck. Can I say it? I mean I am surprised and gratified to find anyone still spending their money on art when I keep in mind gas prices, inflation, stagnant wages, and etc.

But the con was very inspiring in terms of getting the motivation to paint. Really. Can't say that enough. It was great having time to talk with Patrick Meadows, who was very very kind!, William Nick Johns (his stuff is more vibrant in person than on his site, alas for online viewers), Daniel Trout (get your stuff online!) and Bob Snare (hmm...he's probably on DeviantArt somewhere).

I'm halfway persuaded to get a DeviantArt gallery but am still very afraid of the distraction it will bring.

Panel-wise

Generally lots of fun. As mentioned, this is the first Trinoc*Con where, in almost every panel, the current state of things/the adminstration was bemoaned to general agreement. In panels like "Writing as Social Criticism" and "Satire to Reality", it was expected, but when it pops up everywhere else, at a con that IMO has been apolitical before now, I am pleasantly surprised.

People should be mad. I just wish they'd been madder at the end of 2004.

And in the rambling spirit of this journal, I might as well tackle this now...

Good vs Evil and Dragonlance

Oh shit, I finally said the D-word on this journal after, what, 3 years? I left the series pissed because the good vs evil battle in the last Weis & Hickman books (I thought) were getting completely unrealistic. I wrote anonymous (and highly rated) critiques on Amazon.com, ranting about the weak "Good" characters, and how the Evil side had all the strong, conniving, charismatic figures. The evil characters preyed upon ignorance, apathy, personal greed and seductive brainwashing to win, and they were all too bloody successful, and reading the most recent MW&TH books in the DL series were an exercise in frustration.

My epiphany today was... I get the same fucking frustration today reading the US news.

And... Anne Coulter is the Queen of Darkness.


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[info]cpxbrex
2006-07-23 09:35 pm UTC (link)
I hope they'll be madder, yet, at the end of 2008. I hope that most of them aren't motivated by the personal incompetence of Bush, but disgust at the system, itself. ;)

However, what I was gonna say is about the "good vs. evil" thing.

This guy I know, a gamer and psychologist, basically went around saying, "Good will always lose because evil is smarter." Part of the reason we stopped hanging out is because I laughed at this point of view and said, "Oh, c'mon. 'Evil' is untrustworthy, doesn't play well with other children, is deeply selfish and massively self-destructive. 'Good' people are both trusting, and worthy of trust, they work well together, they are altrustic, able and willing to help other people achieve their dreams and goals. Of these two groups, can you honestly say the selfish self-destruction, inability to cooperate, etc., is intelligent?" He tried to say "yes" but then I started talking about how the world has, in fact, become a freer, saner, more egalitarian place. That chattel slavery was illegal, that women had a greater access to education, jobs and general freedom than ever, that the poor had the same, that minorities had the same, etc., etc. He simply rejected this and continued to repeat the inane mantra -- he seemed to really believe it! One day, at work in the break room he was dazzling a little crowd of sychophants he had by saying that he wanted a return of slavery because people really wanted it -- that they didn't want to make their own decisions. So I queried him why, then, had slavery has almost completely vanished? He had no answer. I asked him, "Do you want to be a slave? I don't." He didn't. I asked the others there if THEY wanted to be slaves. They didn't. So I asked him where this great mass of people who wanted to be slaves was located. He, of course, had no answer and slipped into sullen silence. Yet, a few days later, I heard him giving the same spiel to other people.

For what it is worth, hehe.

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[info]marrael
2006-07-23 11:15 pm UTC (link)
I hope that most of them aren't motivated by the personal incompetence of Bush, but disgust at the system, itself.

I hope. I don't think anyone with any intelligence now could lay blame at solely Bush's feet. It's his party walking lock-step with him, defending his crap, muddying the waters, calling for (more) war, drumming up support for inane issues (banning gay marriage, "intelligent" design), ignoring healthcare. Anyone with a brain has to see the folly of the GOP too, and the system and ignorance that put these people in charge.

I also hope (though this didn't come up) that we'll see an end to people voting on single issues. Time to take the blinkers off, you know?

Oh, and that gamer/spychologist - What a douche!

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