#loscon

[desert-dyke]

hng this was a Big Expense month but I wanna buy cosplay

[feriowind]

Hey all, I'll be tabling at Loscon (Nov 29 - Dec 1) in LA!

[jscalzi]

The December Comfort Watches, Day Nine: Bolt

I wasn’t expecting a lot out of Bolt when we went to go see it in the theater. The family had gone to Los Angeles for Thanksgiving in 2008, the year Bolt came out, because I was a guest of honor at Loscon, a science fiction convention that took place conveniently near the airport. Our daughter Athena, then nine, had somehow gotten bored with being in the hotel pool (this was when hotel pools were…

[whateveradjunct]

The December Comfort Watches, Day Nine: Bolt

I wasn’t expecting a lot out of Bolt when we went to go see it in the theater. The family had gone to Los Angeles for Thanksgiving in 2008, the year Bolt came out, because I was a guest of honor at Loscon, a science fiction convention that took place conveniently near the airport. Our daughter Athena, then nine, had somehow gotten bored with being in the hotel pool (this was when hotel pools were…

[danceydancejk]

He also does a lot of conventions, where he sells at art shows and auctions! I have a signed print of his from when he was Artis GoH at the Loscon I was programming 2nd.

So apparently the Animorphs cover artist also made that amazing series of wizard pictures?? And he sells prints of both? His Etsy store is here and the other link is here.

[scifi4wifi]

LOSCON 50: Celebrating 50 LOSCON's

The longest running science fiction fan convention in Los Angeles is celebrating it’s 50th year! The convention is operated by LASFS, the Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society, and is set to take place November 29 through December 1, 2024, at the Hilton Los Angeles Airport Hotel, after decades at the Airport Marriot. The Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society, founded Oct. 27, 1934, is the world’s…

[chewbokachoi]

Spider Robinson is going to be at LosCon!

My parents told me I tried to steal his cigarettes when I was a baby.

[matthewarnoldstern]

Writing for yourself is writing for others

What can Taylor Swift and The Tortured Poets Department teach us about being personal in our writing?

A question writers face is, “Should I write for others, or should I write for myself? Is it better to write to fit a marketable genre, or should I write whatever moves me?” As Steven Barnes pointed out at a Loscon panel in 2022, there’s an overlap between what you want to write about and what will sell. Those are the things we should write about. And then there’s Taylor Swift. Like almost…

[spikewriter]

Case in point: JMS had to delay "Passing Through Gethsemane" from S2 to S3 of Babylon 5 because a fan happened to mention the central idea on a forum where JMS saw it. It wasn't until he was able to contact the person and get them to sign a paper saying they understood JMS already had the idea and no, he wasn't steeling something from the guy, that he could actually put the script into process. Because, if they'd just gone ahead, the guy could have sued the production company for taking his idea and possibly won.

That's not an apocryphal story, either. I was at the LosCon where JMS first showed Passing Through Gethsemane and he told the story by way of introducing it.

You can't sell the story you wrote about someone else's IP, but they in turn can't just take the ideas contained it your story which are original to you without compensating you.

But back up to the original ask, this is just a new iteration of the jerks who say "I don't have to respect your rights to the work you created." Now it's "I can feed this to AI because you have no rights and you know it." Used to be, we'd see things like people taking a fic, rewriting the ending to way they wanted it--or finishing an unfinished fic--and presenting it as "their" work.

You don’t own fanfics. They’re inherently public domain because they aren’t your IP. Agree or disagree with AI, there are no grounds for “protection” from AI because it isn’t your IP to begin with. That’s what you chose when you chose this medium

Oh dear.

Okay, you get an answer, because at least you took the effort to write your ask out properly, even if you are hiding behind the grey, sunglassed circle.

Do I, or any fanfic author for that matter, have any legal claims to our work? No, not really, no. (Although if someone took a fic, filed off the serial number–deleted the fandom specific elements–, and then had it published for financial gain, yeah, that would be a case.)

BUT

Fandoms are built on a social contract that says we respect each others work, the effort people put into their art. We don’t steal or disrespect the work of our peers. By feeding people’s fanworks to AI you both steal and disprect it, and we need to make people realize that before it’s too late–before fandom falls apart, because there will be no more real, actual fanworks.

Disrepectfully,

Orlissa

(i can’t believe I have to say this)

[man-and-atom]

Direct archive link

Loscon 49, here I come! Sample copies of blast will be available, as will convention ribbons ― and Patreon supporters will receive mail from LA according to my usual custom. (I guess I forgot to do that from Winnipeg.) Also, the controversy between Nuklearia and the Umweltbundesamt, and a mention of bad reasoning on the part of opponents of atomic power. (Shocking, I know.) Not the most hard hitting or incisive episode of the year, mostly updates on what is going on with me, and the usual appeal for money so I can keep doing the weird things I do.

Note : due to my being busy with Loscon, there is no 2023–11–25 show.

[semangatuntukku]

ahhh caviik syekaliii yaaa nunggu

kita tunggu aja kapan loscon

sekarang sistemnya siapa yang ada ajah

[desert-dyke]

1, 11, 25

Song of the year?

"Horseshoe Crab" by Slothrust has so many good lines in it. (again this is a new to me this year answer verses came out this year)

11. Something you want to do again next year?

Definitely attending LosCon. I went for the third time this year, and though I haven't been to many other cons before, it is one of my favorites to attend.

25. Did you create any characters (in games, art, or writing) this year? Describe one

I've done a lot of writing this year so it's hard to pick one. As is, I changed my mind halfway through answering this about who I wanted to talk about, so I'm gonna do both. Initially I was going to make picrews of these but since "describe" is in the instructions, and I'm not terribly married to many of the physical qualities of these characters, I decided against it.

Option one: Gwen (short for Guinevere). Gwen is a realistic looking Android from one of my (currently unpublished Novelettes). Her physical description is never fully delved into, in favor of describing her functionality. Excerpt:

"I just wanted to look at you.” You touched the hem of the simple dress I am wearing, a dusty rose with a Peter Pan collar, rubbing the material between your palm. I knelt down, so you could better reach from your wheelchair. Your eyes, green flecked with bronze, widened in delight. You held my face, touched the soft silicone of my cheeks, tugged at the elasticity of my lips, fingered the ridges of my porcelain teeth. You combed your fingers through my hair, and I saw a glimpse of envy pout your frown. The pad of your finger went against the grain of my rooted eyebrows.

“You’re pretty.” You sound almost disappointed.

Something that currently hasn't made it's way into the piece (and might not ever) is Gwen's lack of identity with gender. I really wanted to do a

moment with her character, but I couldn't figure it out without it feeling incredibly forced. Essentially she is only designed to look like a woman because of the stereotype of women being more nurturing (She is designed to act as a nurse and caretaker). She is indifferent to the identity, tolerant of the associated pronouns, but ultimately views herself as genderless.

Option Two: Ursula from an unpublished short story. I will give an excerpt that includes description:

"AR would’ve told you the moment you looked at me that my pronouns are she/xem and I’m an engineer. I’m not much to look at. Brown hair always tied back. Stout and muscular. Still dressed in pajamas, because at that hour, I just didn’t care. I have a tattoo, but not where anyone can easily spot it."

Again, less concerned with Ursula's appearance in the story, but more so interested in xir arc. Ursula grapples with the woes of dating on a long haul ship where the pool is limited and she is stuck seeing her ex often because they are co-workers. Through this "mundane" tale, I explore life on a long haul ship that rarely sees planetside. Overall, it's a fun piece and ends in an optimistic light

Thanks so much for this ask!

[spikewriter]

When LosCon was held at the Pasadena Hilton in the 1980s, there were a few stories floating around about Van Halen among the staff. Some of the staff thought the SF fans were tame compared to the band and their followers.

1975.

Van Halen at the Pasadena Hilton.

[pizzamafiaart]

Hey everyone! This weekend (Nov.26-28th) I’ll be at LosCon 47, a Sci-fi and Fantasy convention!

I won’t be able to take or work on commissions at the time, and you may have a hard time getting in contact with me because I’ll be helping run the E-Gaming room, and also partying!

But I’ll be back soon enough. If somehow any of you guys are there, feel free to hang out with me! See you there!

[acorntops]

As I'm off to @loscon_ig, a #signedcopy of #TheButterThief and my #SpiralGoddess #handcarved #christmasornament are off to their new homes! If you're local, stop by #LosCon today from 12pm-7pm! My creations including The Butter Thief and my ornaments are available in my #etsyshop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/AcornTops #childrensbook #kidslit #kidsreading #classroomlibrary #homeschooling #STEAMeducation #divinefeminine #paganpride #smallbizofinstagram #handmadeofinstagram #etsyofinstagram #christmasofinstagram #yule #yuleofinstagram #wiccan #fairy #bassethound #bassethoundsofinstagram #dogsofinstagram #fairiesofinstagram https://www.instagram.com/p/B5dC7O0lnRA/?igshid=1exncvvq9v4cz

[arpeca]

Feeling blue (in the best way!) At loscon today! Looking forward to seeing Taliesin in person!