Crafty Tuesday: We are going to Dragon*Con

[puppetmaker]

I am going to participate in the Dragon*Con Art Show this year.

I am going to Dragon*Con this year.

If you feel that you need to drop me because I am going to Dragon*Con, here is your free pass to un-friend me.

Yes, I know about Ed. Yes, I know about Dragon*Con and Ed. I probably know more about it than many since I know all the Dragon*Con players in this game.

Did you know that, according to Georgia Law, if there is a pending lawsuit against a corporation, the business cannot dissolve and reform into a new entity?

Did you know that Ed has been suing Dragon*Con pretty much constantly thus making it impossible for Dragon*Con to separate entirely from Ed? They have minimized him as much as allowed by the law but until the lawsuits stop, there is no legal way out for them. It is a matter of public record.

Someone, who is now all offended, stated on line that he was no longer going to support a long list of people because they were going to Dragon*Con. When Peter called him out on it and a jerk, the person got very much upset that one of his favorite authors called him a jerk.

Dude, you have stated in public that you aren’t going to support an author who had a stroke and is still working his way back from that who’s income has taken one hell of a hit because of the stroke and the time he has lost because of the stroke. We are still just hanging in by our fingernails and that is with the help of many fans and friends and family. Do you think telling the man who had a stroke that you aren’t going to help him at all makes him feel all the warm fuzzies that you declare that you have/had for his work? Come to Dragon*Con or don’t come to Dragon*Con that is your choice. Peter had chosen to come to Dragon*Con because he has been there for just about every one of them and he doesn’t want to disappoint the fans.

I am starting to sort out what I am going to display at the Art Show. I tend to bring new work every year. I have a couple of wacky ideas and some more reasonable ones.

So, if you have read this far, what do YOU think I should puppetise this year? What have I done in the past that you liked and would like to see what I might do with _________?

I am grateful for people who realize that Dragon*Con is between a rock and a hard place on this matter.

Comments

[millysdaughter.livejournal.com]

Rhett Butler said it best - "the dogs bark, but the caravan passes on..."
There will always be people to criticize your choices, but you cannot let them stop you from doing what you need to do -- your first responsibility as parents is to earn a living to feed that darling daughter. This is a part of how your living is earned.
(no, I did not grab a copy of GWTW to check exact wording on the quote -- the sentiment was enough)

[eoywin.livejournal.com]

So glad you and Peter are coming to Dragon*Con - I swear this year I'll find out where you all are so I can get Peter's autograph :D

While I'm not a public figure much (I do blog for GeekMom), I've gotten a lot of crap from friends and such for still planning on attending Dragon*Con :(

[delle.livejournal.com]

*sigh* I didn't realize it was so hard for some people to realize Dragon*Con =/= Ed

Hoping to catch one of your panels (assuming you'll be doing some costuming panels?)

[oceandezignz.livejournal.com]

I went ahead and read up on the whole D*C thing, and its a big BIG mess, and I can't blame D*C, just the state of Georgia for not processing this guy and letting him hose the system for as long as he has. Over ten years of bullshit like 'oatmeal baths' and crying for a 'turkey sandwich'? Georgia is getting played HARD and its making D*C suffer.

I hope they can find a way out of this.

[amarafox.livejournal.com]

Joffrey and a ned stark head-on-a-stick :D

[momebie.livejournal.com]

This just made me laugh loudly at my desk. Seconded!

[vampry.livejournal.com]

Oh, amarafox has a great idea.

Something like GoT, certainly.

[barbarienne.livejournal.com]

There are so many times in my life lately when I want to smack people on the head and say, "What simplistic dreamworld do you live in?"

If I decided not to do business with every person/company/entity who had a whiff of something I don't like about them, I would have to buy a small island and live on it all by myself, eating nothing but what I could hunt or gather.

I have never been to Dragon*Con, but this business made me read up on the situation. As far as I can tell, the conrunners are doing everything they possibly can to separate from someone who is actively working his vileness for shits and grins, and making everyone involved with Dragon*Con suffer as much as he can arrange for.

Blaming the D*C collective at this point is rather like victim-blaming. They're like people trapped making payments to the mob, unable to extricate themselves from what seemed like a normal business arrangement when they entered into it long ago.

[dungeonwriter.livejournal.com]

I rarely give this distinction, but I do have public figures who I've seen consistently make moral and decent choices, stand up for their principles and are worthy of my trust. Therefore, I presume that they have thought out the pros and cons (no pun intended, feel free to throw tomatoes) and have made the best choice. I may quietly and privately (the wonders of the internet make it so easy to do so) ask them about it, but that's more for clarification.

You and Peter are most definitely in that category. You are both moral and honorable people and I know how much you care about children, given that you are parents. I truly do believe that no amount of money on Earth could make you change those principles. Kudos for you on going and making the best choices for your family.

Also, as a lawyer to be, Dragon*Con is pretty much attached to another object by an inclined plane wrapped helically around an axis. They can't get rid of Kramer and he'll launch lawsuit after lawsuit until a judge stops him. Terrible situation, hurting a lot of innocent people's jobs. I think the moral choice is to support Dragon*Con's attempt to shed him.

I liked your character puppets.

[tigrkittn.livejournal.com]

Thanks for laying out those facts about the lawsuits and legalities involved. We've been planning to go anyway, for a variety of reasons, but I'm glad to know these things and have them in my pocket as "ammo" if someone challenges me on my decision.

[lisa-marli.livejournal.com]

I've read the whole mess, and I figure it is everyone's personal decision what they want to do. D*C is big enough that it will go on, no matter what One Person Pro or Fan decides to do. And it won't be effecting my buying/supporting decisions one way or the other.
Frankly, One Fan being snotty about it, isn't going to change any person's decision. But jerks will be jerks.
That said, I live on the Left Coast and if I'm traveling that far it is to a WorldCon, because that's the way I roll. The usual YMMV.

[momebie.livejournal.com]

I did know those things. When the shit started flying I did a lot of reading. I'm anticipating that it really won't be that different for me this year, on the plain old attendee level. There's a lot of yelling and trying to get guests and things to back out, but from what I've seen in the subcultures I follow that's not really caught that much traction.

I don't know what kinds of puppets sell for you! D:

[artnouveauho.livejournal.com]

I hope to see you both there!

I liked the dragon eggs you did that one year. They were sweet.

[ladytalker13.livejournal.com]

Thank you for once again being a calm, rational voice in the madding crowd. It would be great if you would do some dragon eggs, I really wanted one last time but didn't get one - they were gorgeoous! Be well, all of you!