More ’Zine goodness!

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In the images above, we see that Daleks still can’t take the stairs, the (very) early days of the costume exhibit and Kevin Roche’s Tiki Dalek who will exterminate you with style.

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The Fringe events for Seattle Worldcon were a fun way to enjoy the quirky beauty of Seattle, make new friends and spend a little time outside of the convention halls.

Here are a few photos from the MoPop (the Museum of Pop Culture) and Underground Seattle Fringe events. Photos by Justin Judd.

Tour guide and former curator of MoPop, Brooks Peck, talking about Cybermen from Doctor Who.

On the Seattle Underground tour – so interesting to learn that Seattle was rebuilt on top of the remains of the original city that burned down in 1889.

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Day one – Welcome to the Seattle Convention Center Summit. Photos by Zoe Cai, Jim Housell, John Jinneman, Sabrina Nelson, Diana Nock, Brian Richardson, Andrew Williams.

and peeking out from behind his mother, Grumpy Baby.

 

First day and into the evening – Readings, fans, Opening Ceremonies and a great dance.

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Seattle Worldcon Poet Laureate Brandon O’Brien’s Opening Ceremonies poem

Mission Command?
Pilot Designation PL_01 to Mission Command:

successful touchdown to Spacedock Rainier complete.
I’ll admit, I was briefly worried—
had to fly through checkpoints that the alerts said would be hostile,
there’s been so much trouble on the ansibles since liftoff
—but safe and sound and stored in my habitation awaiting further instructions.
Coordinate tracking was nominal:
Sea salt. Cherries. Kraken. Chowder.
August Wilson. Buddy Wakefield. Bill Nye
and Bill Boeing and Butler and Cobain and
one fine needle rising up to point at the stars to beckon me
it wasn’t easy but it sure wasn’t hard to get here
when I landed I said I bet there will be
too much going on to not give me
the neighbourhood’s seeming trademark freeze.
Mission Command—that was not true.
They’ve been more than simply welcoming since I’ve landed.

The summit is at the Summit this year—
I haven’t gotten used to how often this meeting of the minds moves
but I’m grateful to be stationed at this northwesternmost outpost this season,
even if the sun is fooling my senses into sleeplessness.
They’ve appointed me an ambassador for
the nomadic kingdoms of lyric among the disconnected systems
(yeah, I’m doing my best)
so I’m eager to greet my fellows and my lieges
for the first time in a starburst,
to share the incantations we raised our planets on
and the new carvings that have emerged since,
to see one of them bear the first starship Hugo merit
since we started these reunions,
to sing our prosodies as often as they’d let us,
to finally become federated among the best.

Mission Control, you told me not to be shocked.
I’m just an envoy among these meetings. A pleasure
just to be invited and all that. And you told me
not to sell myself short, I know I am neither peerless
nor no less a peer as the others here,
but you don’t get it. I… get emotional.
When we gather here, we consensus the stars.
We draft the laws that carve diamonds fine,
we dictate the portent paths, we school
and are thus schooled; in a ten-minute parley
between panels we broker treaties that move
stories through the digit-lines; in a brief passing
twixt moving platforms two colleagues will draft
new craft guidances for new worlds; in a barcon brokerage
tomorrow night two lords will strike delicate business
firm; all weekend we will declare truces—
sparing doubt without relying on fear,
holding sorrow without swelling to hopelessness,
saving our blades for the armies of capital growth
and the rattle of the badly impersonating clanker swarms
and oh God the fascists why are there still fascists
but that’s why we have these meetings in the first place.
I would risk a rank or more
if I could fellowship here forever.
Because are we ever still together
if we can’t break bread or ice or our own bad habits
of not being personable?
Aren’t I allowed to dream of more realms
being let into our commonwealth?

I will be stationed here for some time.
I promise to report back often.
I promise debate will never be tense.
I promise armistice will never be expensive.
I promise I won’t be the last of my rank
as envoy in another eighty sessions.
And I promise we’re gonna have a hell of a time.
Pilot Designation PL_01, reporting for duty.

 

At the Opening Ceremonies. Photos by Brian Richardson and Sabrina Nelson

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Photos by Zoe Cai, Jim Housell, John Jinneman, Sabrina Nelson, Diana Nock, Brian Richardson, Andrew Williams

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BRCG Costume Scouts
In addition to providing much needed on site emergency costume repair, members of the Beyond Reality Costumers Guild (BRCG) are scouting the halls for the interesting and noteworthy. The scouts recognize and appreciate the craftsmanship and contribution these fans bring to Seattle Worldcon. Selected fans are sent back to the costume repair station for a coveted Costume Appreciation Rosette. (story and photos by Jon Lavinder)

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Photos by Zoe Cai, Jim Housell, John Jinneman, Sabrina Nelson, Diana Nock, Brian Richardson, Andrew Williams

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Masquerade winners

Novices to Notice
Steampunk Tom & Jerry – Mars and Logan Serr
Utopian Coat – Irradiate Space
Nimona – Alice Ryan
Link, Twilight Princess – Leah Olive

Beyond Reality Costumers Guild’s “Trixie” Award
Once is Too Many

Judges Choice Workmanship
For Ambitious Build – Lord Seran of the Aima Clan
For Screen Accuracy – Maleficent – Ms Purple Pearl
For Excellence in Patterning – The Blues Ain’t So Bad – Jennifer Skwarski

Best in Novice Division Workmanship
Stilgar, Freeman Native of Arrakis – Praxx Gray

Best in Journeyman Division Workmanship (tie)
Greyhound Bus (part of the “Bustling About” presentation) – Katrina Marier
Queen of Atlantis – Sienna Neidengard

Best in Master Division Workmanship
Six – Juliana Robinson, Bronwyn Marise, Miriam Smith, Jonnalynn Prill, Carmen Beaudry, Martha Eby

Best in Show Workmanship
Autumnal Dragon – Madame Askew

Judges Choice Presentation
For Fursuiting Above & Beyond – Bash the Pinata – Alex Muii
For Overall Drape & Elegance – One Fine Day in the Emerald City – Lorrie Morgan

For Choreography (and Using all the Fabrics We Weren’t Allowed to Wear at RenFaire)
Six – Juliana Robinson, Bronwyn Marise, Miriam Smith, Jonnalynn Prill, Carmen Beaudry, Martha Eby

Best in Novice Division Presentation
Stilgar, Freeman Native of Arrakis – Praxx Gray

Best in Journeyman Division Presentation
Maleficent – Ms Purple Pearl

Best in Master Division Presentation (tie)
Bustling About – Julia Cayton, Susan Courney, Diana Hillyard, Lynn Kingsley, Katrina Marier, Seaboe Muffinchucker, Tanya Schadmehr
Six – Juliana Robinson, Bronwyn Marise, Miriam Smith, Jonnalynn Prill, Carmen Beaudry, Martha Eby

Best in Show Presentation
Zardula – James Hinsey

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Photos by Zoe Cai, Jim Housell, John Jinneman, Sabrina Nelson, Diana Nock, Brian Richardson, Andrew Williams.

 

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Seattle Worldcon Poet Laureate Brandon O’Brien’s poem announcing the Hugo Award for Best Poem

We’re gathered here on this momentous eve
of starry-sequined suits and dresses turned
for greats who will grand statuettes receive—
but now, it’s verse’s chance for Hugos earned.
From Odysseus in late Homer’s jaunt
to great Rosetti’s still-forbidden fruit,
in genre poetry remains to haunt
or bless or cast an unrepentant truth.
If poetry was old when science new,
saw fantasies and spaces hewn by light
and keened each one in meter with its view,
then can’t a rocket statue be in sight?
And in sight for far longer than an age?
Can it see years as many as its past
of guiding heroes through a rough-edged page
or cutting hairpin-turns a lightyear cast?
If this town’s needle stitched it, then it’s sealed—
tonight, we have awards for one of six
fine-cut robes of metre this year revealed,
out of so many gems still yet unfixed.
What of tomorrow? What of other years?
What say Anaheim, Montreal, the next?
Will you wreath a poet next in gold, or tears?
Will next year’s bard be rocket-bound, or vexed?
Will the Initiative’s strong petition
keep the good word aflame within your heart?
Will we prove our love of these words star-shone
‘til verse and rockets ne’er again will part?
As with all genre, only time will tell.
Til then, I hope my service did still please;
for these troubadours now let all joy swell—
and now, at last, here are the nominees for the Hugo Award for Best Poem!

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Charity challenge final tally

Thank you for your generosity, members. Worldcon staff will make sure the donations are sent to the agencies, accompanied by a letter from the convention.

Final totals:
Hugo House – $265
Bureau of Fearless Ideas – $294.20
Books to Prisoners – $644.52

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OVERHEARD …

“It’s 9 a.m. on Saturday, and I’m going to the time loop panel. Again.”

OH at the Dublin bid party, stated by the person in the hotel room neighboring bid party’s suite, “Ya know, we’ve been butt to butt the entire con!”

OH at the Fun With Astrophysics panel: “How many 12- to 14-year-olds are about to discover Howard?” (For context, panelist Howard Tayler had just said he was 14 when he discovered panelist Larry Niven. Panelist Frank Wu jumped in and asked the audience that question.)

SPECIAL OVERHEARD
(The automated closed captioning is typically activated before a panel starts, and it picks up bits of the stray conversations in the room. Mash ups from multiple microphones produce interesting quotes.) Here are some examples caught by one intrepid con member:

“It’s alive. Yes, thank you.”

“And okay, let me do that one that I gentle through left and the round fart.”

“I know my face.”

The image above may be tongue in cheek, but with this long awaited and happily successful Seattle Worldcon 2025, who knows?

For now, we look forward to LAcon V, next year’s Worldcon.

LAcon V will take place Aug. 27-31, 2026. See you in the stars!