Dispatches from C2E2 #1

Day 1 C2E2 2020

Cosplay: Newt from Fantastic Beasts

Today was a Panel Heavy Day

Japanese Mythology, Folktales, and Urban Legends: 

This was just a fun panel listening to Japanese Mythology etc. Takeaway: Japanese Mythology is a melting pot of various traditions, Shintoism, Buddhism, ideas from China and Inda, etc.

Walter Koenig Spotlight:

You never know the impact you will have. A heartwarming story from a fan who was working a con and got invited by a friend to a meetup which happened to be in Harlen Ellison's room, when Ellison asked who allowed this fan in, Koenig spoke up and said he did (even though Koenig did not know the fan), this led to Ellison recognizing the fan at future events and helping them vocationally, and recently this fan published a short story of their own for the first time. So a simple speaking up for this random individual changed the individual's whole trajectory. A moment that Koenig has no remembrance of had amazing ripple effects. I think the lesson is we never know what our small actions can accomplish. 

RWBY Cast Q + A:

I had no background knowledge of RWBY (I actually thought that the letters were an acronym) and stayed so I would have a good seat for the next panel. Q + A was a lot of fun and I now want to look up this show and find a way to watch it. It looks like it is a lot of fun. The cast also spoke about how it is about highlighting the similarities between people, not the differences.

George Takei Spotlight:

So many stories we packed into a short amount of time including many about what happened to the cast afterward and the friendships they developed, "Time is Gifts, memories, and loss".

During the Q + A someone asked about his various interviews on the Howard Stern show which led to an amazing complex and intertwining story. 1st time he was on the show his publicist set it up and he knew nothing about the show, so when said Good morning Stern made a raunchy comment, at which point Takei said "Oh My", a recording which was used on the show long afterward, and is how "Oh My" become his catchphrase.

Takei then told his personal story of being in the closet, how you could not be out in Hollywood at the time, the hardships of that double life, and how and why he finally came out which was very moving. (He only came out openly in 2005 which was very surprising, I think I assumed when I first learned he was gay that he had been out since the very beginning, which knowing the historical context was a very illogical thought, and I don't know why I thought that, but I did. I know I sometimes forget how coming out used to be much more challenging then it is today)

So after Takei came out he was having conversations at campuses etc and realized he was speaking to mainly LGBTQ and allies. He wanted to reach more people and ended up speaking on the Howard Stern Show to reach an audience he would not have reached otherwise. As he said "Howard Stern is a decent guy, and Howard Stern's audience is raunchy but decent"

These Geeks Fight Fascism: (I was late because of the Takei panel) 

Everyone has a role to play in anti-fascist work, some to march some to talk to their grandmas. One key idea was the importance of standards and creating spaced that are welcoming which being clear who is not welcome in the spaces (racists, sexists, etc).  Ok to make spaces safe from certain conversations. When spaces feel safe and welcoming individuals can take bigger risks and trust their audiences. Life is political, Life can't be apolitical. If we can't see something we can't imagine it for ourselves. 

It's all geek to me: Queer Perspectives on Classical Art and Comics:

An interesting panel on the intersections of queerness, theater, and fandom/geekiness.

Other:

I got to see my C2E2 buddy Robbie Thompson :)

I got 3 free books, plus a sampler book, etc

I won a cool figpin of Miles Morales