Now with Pictures

[nayela]

Bank Holiday is over, and I did not spend it in Brighton. It feels weird. Strange how that place has such a grip on me, after only two visits. But I've had my trip to good old UK for this year, to a different place altogehter. And, as far as I can recall, I still owe you folks a Worldcon report.


Getting there

But demons like Hastur and Ligur wouldn't understand. They'd never have thought up Welsh-language television, for example. Or value-added tax. Or Manchester. He'd been particularly pleased with Manchester.
~Good Omens

Whether I should have seen it as a good omen or not, all went well until I reached Manchester. I understand above quote a great deal better now, because I was carted across most of said godawfully ugly city--by train, instead of by bus as I had planned. Because the National Express ticket office was closed when I arrived at the airport. At half past five in the afternoon. On a workday. At an airport. Go figure.

So I paid about twice the amount just to get to Glasgow than I'd expecting to pay for the round trip. On the up side, I was there six hours before I'd expected to get there, and thus had an extra night in Glasgow. Without that I might not have gone to volunteer for the con setup the next day, so I'm exceedingly grateful things turned out as they did.


Con-struction

Crowley took Glasgow, Aziraphale had Edinburgh (neither claimed any responsibility for Milton Keynes, but both reported it as a success).
~Good Omens

The only advantage to having a room on the ninth floor of a youth hostel is the view.



The building site across the street was annoying but rather practical, since it woke me up early as long as I lived there and made sure I was at the SECC (Scottish Exhibition and Conference Center) on time. Which was about half an hour's walk away, most of it alongside the river Clyde. (By the end of the con, the bums hanging out by the riverside recognized me.)

From other con reports I'd read, I was expecting reg lines halfway through the building, despite being a day early. But I got my badge nearly immediately, and ventured forth to go looking for throuble. Yes, that means I volunteered. (I guess after years and years of being an unpaid gopher, it has become a habit.) A great deal of work in the halls had already been done, but there was a small group of people clustered around one of the responsibles, waiting to be given something to do. At this point I met pickwick and davidcook, who later introduced me to rwryslin. All three of them are living in Glasgow, and we kept meeting up all through the con and, in the latter cases, beyond. A volunteer ribbon equals a backstage pass, as I was to find out. My newfound 'partners in crime' and I made thorough use of it as we roamed the halls, because there really wasn't all that much to do at this point. Moving a batch of those little electric scooters from one hall to the next was fun. I hadn't ridden anything motorized in years and was therefore nevous as heck, but I did manage to park the thing backwards. (With the obligatory bunch of jeering guys looking on.)


Day 1

It was the day the Geeks emerged.

I hadn't really made contact with anyone at the hostel, because both the lounge and the breakfast room had those big-ass TV sets which were on 24/7, and there was just no place to simply interact. But all of a sudden, I realized the con folks had really hijacked all the hotels and hostels in Glasgow. Lots and lots of con badges at breakfast, and I was smiling to myself about that until the Jedi entered. Then I couldn't help grinning. I don't think I ever saw that woman out of costume.

I briefly met up with davidcook at the SECC, then trundled on to arrange booking with the hostel I wanted to move into after the con. (Life without a credit card is rather hard on your shoes...) I was back in time for the Fan room Opening Ceremony ("It's a con, have fun, and don't break anything!") and then made a trip to the Dealer's Room. I did not get any further than the booksellers, that first time. I was in there for a quarter of an hour, and came out with seven books. That was all I ever bought from there, though, because there really was no room left in my baggage.

At the official Opening Ceremony, I realized something was bugging me. This con promised to be a rather more subdued affair than I had expected or hoped for. There I was, hyped up and bouncing off the walls at simply being there, looking forward to days of unashamed geekery. Yet I could not shake the feeling that hardly anyone was with me there. As I later blurted out to rwryslin and davidcook: "All these people are so bloody Starfleet, I can't wait to see them break into outrageous native dance!"

That was probably why I went to the 'Ceilidh made easy' panel next--so I could take the bouncing off the walls to a more literal level. Havoc ensued, as was to be expected. I missed half of the next panel I wanted to see, so I decided I could just as well go back to the hostel and drop off my haul before the parties. My ability to get lost borders on legendary, however... when I finally emerged from a train station and saw the Hilton, where all the parties were, looming in the distance, I gave up on the hostel and went there with my bag of books still in hand. I ran into davidcook and rwryslin as they were heading for the Ceilidh, so all was good. Sat with them, pickwick and a bunch of people whose names I sadly don't remember, danced a bit, and went to have a look at the other parties.

At the Tolkien Party I met luckykaa. Let it just be said I pretty much knew from the start we would end up where we did, and by the end of the evening we had probably disgusted everyone in the lobby by our shameless behaviour. ^_^ He was Gentleman enough to walk me home, though.


Day 2

The Con Crud got me. Or I got the Con Crud, whichever way around. Or maybe my annual August Cold caught up with me. Whatever it was, I woke up with a sore throat and the sniffles. The sad thing is that I had actually been expecting it, and lugged Vitamin C and menthol chewing gum along from Germany to be prepared. I am cursed with a lazy immune system plus horrible timing.

The first panel of the day was one I had really set my heart on. 'Career Guidance: How to Get into the Trade'. Not only because of the topic, but because Robin Hobb was one of the panelists and I idolize that author to the point of 'no longer healthy'. I managed not to make an idiot out of myself while talking to her. Mission accomplished.

I went to 'Visions of a Small Island' next, mainly because the panel involved Hellsing (as an 'Anime view of Britain'). Missed the Hellsing part, though. Argh. I met pickwick at the panel, though, and we picked up lunch together and made another tour of the Dealer's Room.

I think around this time I started getting lost in the maze of rooms and buildings that is the SECC. After stopping by the Gopher Hole (that's the volunteer's HQ for all of you who weren't there), I again met pickwick on the way to another panel, where she just had come from because it was full. But there was the Chaos Costuming room right beside it, and we spent some time plowing through that humungous pile of fabrics and clothes. At least, I did, trying to improvise a costume for Space Pirate Night, while she stood and watched, grinning. I was in that room a lot during the day. I think I put togehter quite a passable getup. I ran into David later in the afternoon--not davidcook, but a guy I had assaulted for chocolate during setup--and we had a coffee while he taught me to play Munchkin. Awesome game.

We headed to the play afterwards--Lucas Back in Anger by Reductio Ad Absurdum. The title says it all... except it doesn't. Oompa Jawas, cardboard X-Wings, Darth Vader in garters and high heels... well. Yeah. It was one of those plays that have you going 'My eyes!' or 'Tell me they DIDN'T!' at regular intervals. I suppose you had to be there.

Space Pirate Night was next. It was mostly spent playing Star Munchkin with pickwick, her boyfriend, David, and more people whose names I can't remember. But there was some shark-fighting and writing letters in secret code, too. Later I spent a ridiculous amount of time looking for the room where the Spooky Midnight Round Robin was to take place, only to discover it was right beside the Fan Room where I had been all evening. While that odyssey was embarrassing, the Storytelling session was awesome. There was none of the akwardness and the endless pauses while someone searches for words, none of the overused plots, none of the horror flick ripoffs I'd been half expecting. It was fluent and original and chilling and downright brilliant, and I was surprised how easily my parts of the story came to me. (I still regret not killing off my character when it could have been so easy, though...) I chatted with papersky for a bit. "You do write, don't you?" she asked me.
"Yes, actually I do." I was grinning like an idiot by then.
"Well, it would be a shame if you didn't!"

I think my ego will thrive on that comment for a few years to come.


Day 3

I went straight for a panel again that morning. 'Harry Potter Has Put Children's Fantasy Back 50 Years.' Which was actually more of a discussion whether it had or not, and we didn't quite arrive at a conclusion. The Panelist's inside view on the Potter Phenomenon was interesting nonetheless. From there, I went to 'The Down Sides of Fantasy', a panel about the elements of myth and legend not all cute and cuddly. (If I ever resurrect the 'Labyrinth of Keeper Hill' roleplay, all you Authors by Night folks will find out about that in depth. ^_^)

Otherwise, this was the day of missed readings. I didn't even try to get into Terry Pratchett's, and Robin Hobb's was full to the point of the door being blocked. It rather baffled me, since I don't know anybody in real life who has actually read any of her books. Half the con seemed crazy about her, though.

So, after giving up the panels I wandered around, running into various people I had met in the past days. I think this was the day I finally went to see the art show with rwryslin, davidcook and pickwick. Sadly, I'm not even sure about it... At any rate, some time that afternoon I found myself back at the Gopher Hole and napped for a while on one of the couches there, hoping to calm down the cold. This was about the point I decided I must have misplaced my brain, and started to consider putting up a note at the Voodoo Board in case anyone had found it. 'Brainless Gopher' became my alias for the rest of the day. I met Gigi again, whom I had briefly helped to cart crates of stuff around after the Opening Ceremony, and she recruited me to help with the Masquerade. More carting crates of stuff around ensued, in this case crates full of Masquerade programmes, and after we had gleefully secured some of the seats reserved for volunteers, I hung around backstage and watched the photoshoot while waiting to be given something to do. I fetched drinks for the judges at some point, but things got interesting when one of the responsibles came up to me and asked: "Are you good with kids?"

"No!" said I, truthfully and heartfelt.
"Okay, can you not kill them?"
"I can try..."
"Good enough for me."

And thus I was roped into helping with the children's part of the Masquerade--which was mainly keeping them out from underfoot, keeping the parents from panicking, and making sure they all got onto and off the stage without hurting themselves. It went without a hitch, thank god. So did the rest of the Masquerade--no delays, no embarrassing blunders, no emergencies. As with the rest of the con, I got the impression the organizers had done a marvellous job.

My original intention was to leave after the Masquerade to get ready for the parties, but once I got home, sleep deprivation and sickness caught up with me. Went out like a light.


Day 4

Sunday was Panel day. I started out with 'Does Family Make Our Hero Boring?' which was a bit of a disappointment because it disintegrated into telling family anectotes fairly quickly. 'Subverted Elves, Hard-assed Fairies with Attitude, and Dragons Taking Tea' , however, was every bit as entertaining as the title promised. I met luckykaa again on the way out, and I only realized I'd addressed him in German when he looked at me funny. (Oh brain, where art thou??) I managed to catch the last of the three 'History of Anime' panels, which made me wish I had seen the first two... and from there I went on to 'Improving your Writing', determined to snap up as many inside tips as I could. There was not much in it I hadn't heard before, but it was interesting enough.

I went home after that to make myself a decent dinner for once, as long as the hostel's guest kitchen was open. I had planned to go back to the SECC for the Hugo Awards, but the next thing I remember is waking up in my bunk, rather less befuddled, but too late for anything but the parties.

Which were few and far between, compared to the previous nights, but the Hilton was packed nonetheless. I still regret not taking a photo of the Klingon in a kilt... Another image I will take with me is those six or seven people, sitting side by side along a wall on the floor, reading, while around them the partygoers milled about. It was scarily like looking in a mirror.

By pulling my 'I'm all cute and harmless and lost' act, I wrangled my way into the private Sproutlore party. I had no idea at all what they were about--I only picked up they were a fanclub of an author I'd never heard of (will have to chek him out, though...)--but I'd wager it was the best party to be found that evening. They were hyper, they were totally off their rocker, and they were increasingly sloshed as the night progressed. Fun times.

Wandering all over the Hilton, I crossed paths with luckykaa once more. Let it just be said I passed my cold on to him after all, and the breakfast at his hotel was excellent. ^_^


Day 5

Getting back to my hostel only in the morning had thrown me slightly off schedule, so I had rather less time than I liked to cram my stuff into my backpack and haul it down to luggage storage. When I finally got to the SECC I let panels be panels and hung out with pickwick, stuffing my face at the Gopher Hole since they had set up quite the buffet as a thank you to all volunteers, and taking all the photos I'd never managed to take. This is your only warning.

Spaceport Glasgow: The entrance to the Departure Lounge, aka Hall 2.



Being a Space Tourist. I wonder how many people did exactly the same thing?



davidcook and pickwick.



David and yours truly. I wonder how, even when I'm being cheesy and trying to smile nicely, my expression morphs into a fiendish grin.



And, finally, passed out at the sign of the Mended Drum.



As the end of the con rolled around, I began to feel increasingly wistful. Heaven knows I'd had my doubts about coming to this con. It was certainly not what I had expected. I'd been hoping to cheer at the Opening Ceremony and bawl at the Closing Ceremony, to learn loads and to party until dawn and to be overwhelmed by that feeling of finally, finally have found where I belong. Needless to say, none of this happened. Cons are about meeting people you have not seen since the last con, and I didn't know a soul when I got there. I had resigned myself to seeing it as a scouting trip, to see if the fandom suited me, or a business trip, to get a new insight into the genre and writing in general, and to get in touch with authors and editors and all that lot. And all of that, it was, but it slowly dawned on me I'd come to see more in Worldcon after all. There was that moment, during the Closing Ceremony, when the room was downright charged with emotion. All through the weekend, we had lived happily in our little sub-fandoms and pursued our own interests and made some new friends, but during that moment, there was unity. We had all made the trip there to meet the authors we adored and talk about the stories we loved and, after all, we were one fandom. And that was the moment I nearly did bawl, because I didn't want it to end.

I think I've never been so grateful and annoyed at once when the comic relief barged in, announcing the Space Pirates had hijacked the Amardillo.

I considered helping with taking down the con, but I had to move out of my hostel and into a different one, so I trundled off to do that. At my new abode, I met Arlette. We eyed each other warily while I attempted to cook noodles in a microwave (since the hostel's stove was broken), until we discovered each other's con badges. We got along tremendously well, since we apparently share the same absurd humour. (Furry crocodiles in the River Clyde?) We went to the Dead Dog party together in the evening, to enjoy the con to the very last. She was not allowed to enter the volunteer's party, so she went to join the roleplayers who were still hiding out in the bowels of the hotel. I caught up with davidcook and rwryslin, and we spent quite a bit of time writing on the walls. Someone had taped paper all over the walls of one room, to serve as an impromptu messageboard and con-wrapup. rwryslin left to get some sleep, and David and I went to join Arlette and the RP group in a game of Werewolf. Or two. Or three. Actually I don't remember how many it were, but it was nearly sunrise when we finally broke up the meeting and went home.

I am so doing this again. I don't think I will make it either to LA or Japan for the next Worldcons, money-wise. But I can't wait for the next con. Whichever that will be.


The rest of the trip will get an extra post, so stay tuned (just in case anyone is still reading this). ^_^ I'll write it when I've not been up all night, though...

Comments

[pickwick.livejournal.com]

Yay! I was just wondering when you'd reappear on LJ - wasn't sure how long your holiday was :o)

(I seem to have no feet in that picture. Hmmm.)

[nayela.livejournal.com]

(I don't have any either, in that picture with David...)

Actually I've been home for two weeks by now, but I could never get my lazy butt in gear to write this. Working on too many things at once will do that, I suppose.

[lordofthewheel.livejournal.com]

Welcome home to fandom :)

see you at eastercon perhaps?

[nayela.livejournal.com]

Thank you! :)

I don't think I'll make it to Eastercon--money-wise, for one thing, but also because I can't very well run off in the middle of the semester.

I plan to be at Discworld Con next August, tho'. See you there?

[yannarra.livejournal.com]

Oh wow.. did you ever have a full vacation! ^_^
Glad to see you had darned fair weather the whole time you were there too.
I went during spring.. so you can guess it was quite cold and "moist".

[nayela.livejournal.com]

I've had my share of rain, believe me. I made a few of those half-hour treks to the SECC in that rain, too, because getting to the station to go by train would have taken me at least ten minutes, so walking all the way was quicker after all. And for most of the time, it was also frickin' cold. But a few days were gloriously sunny...

[yannarra.livejournal.com]

aahh... Lucky girl ^_~ you got to experience just about everything by the sounds of it. >chuckles

Welcome back......

[dracschick.livejournal.com]

thanks for that really detailed trip update:)

Re: Welcome back......

[nayela.livejournal.com]

I probably should say thanks for reading through all of it. ^_^ Glad you seem to have found it interesting.

[icedrake.livejournal.com]

Okay, I give up. Here they are.

[nayela.livejournal.com]

*snickers madly*

Why thank you. I'm glad to see that leaving things undone still draws the assistance of helpful souls.