One week ago today was the last of 5 very long (and wonderful) days at the 72nd World Science Fiction Convention, aka Worldcon, aka Loncon3. It was unbelievably cool, and I have far too much to say, so I’ll probably be writing multiple posts about it (and/or thoughts that it inspired).
And so it begins! I feel so welcomed.
Pretty awesome logo, right?
So, what does one actually do at a science fiction convention?
Go to panels! Meet awesome people! Learn to swing dance! Spend relaxing time in the fandom tent! Take many, many notes. Spend all spare time sleeping (and when it’s all over, immediately go into full-on dissertation mode because you just spent 5 days not working…)
What kinds of panels did I go to? Well, I probably went to somewhere between 3-5 of them each day, but here are just a handful:
- Feminism and the Magical Girl (which Kendra was on!)
- Feeding the Imagination: Food in SF/F
- Writing Costumes and Clothing in Fiction
- Decontexualising Steampunk
- Underground Comics Go Mainstream (which Megan was on!)
As you can see, a wide range of fascinating topics, and that barely scratches the surface. And I took tons of notes. Partially, because I like to take notes. And partially, because I don’t remember things I hear very well unless I write them down. It’s highly unlikely that I’d be able to tell you all the panels I went to, let alone what was said in them, if I hadn’t been writing things down.
I also spent a fair amount of time in the dealers’ area, because I made friends with an awesome jeweler, Rachel, and her family. She makes gorgeous shiny things (I mean, I spent some serious time ogling, because wire-wrapping is one of my favorite jewelry types) and runs Wire Guild. Look what she made for Cuddle Cthulhu! = D
Bow down before me. I have a shiny.
He should be a model, really. Next time you see him, he might be draped in chainmail (oooh, Cuddle Cthulhu-sized armor would be fun to make! – no, bad Suri. Work now, chainmail later.)
What else did I do at Loncon? I met amazing authors – E. Lily Yu, Jeff VanderMeer, Gail Carriger, Mary Robinette Kowal. I bought books (sorry, Mom). I was totally won over by the Helsinki 2017 bid – even if I don’t make next year’s Worldcon (“Sasquan” in Spokane, WA) I’m totally going to have to buy a supporting membership so I can vote. Attended the Hugo Awards, of course!
Oh, and I miiiight have taken a brief travel through time and space. But shhhh – that’s a secret. = )
Don’t mind me, just taking a brief break from the con to go on an adventure…
So that’s my brief overview! Things which you can expect next time: a write-up of my notes and thoughts from a few of those panels. More pictures of Cuddle Cthulhu. Thoughts and inspirations for my writing (because boy, did Loncon ever make me want to get back to writing). A review of one of the books I bought will come as soon as I’ve had time to read it – which will possibly be after I’ve moved to Edinburgh.
Oh yeah, did I forget to mention that I’m moving out of my flat in less than week? And I haven’t packed! *scurries around*
It was a fantastic first Worldcon, ideally the first of many. Hopefully you will enjoy my thoughts on it as much as I enjoyed going.
And happy Monday, dear friends! May you receive all the hugs you need today. ❤
Cuddle Cthulhu Invades London 
I’m so very glad you got to experience this! And you didn’t need to go chase down the Tardis sightings in London last week, since you’d already been with it…didn’t realize that, so cool. And Cuddle Cthulhu seems very proud of his “shiny” – hahaha