Friday afternoon, I edged myself onto a panel I was not TECHNICALLY on, on the subject of plagiarising history, and it was a very nice panel which managed to cover some ground that was actually relatively new rather than going over the older and far better trodden paths. Of my other (scheduled) panels, I had a "mary sue" panel (who was she and why everyone hates her) which was kind of fun - and then what I think was my favourite part of the con, the "writing the other" panel which was a refreshing change from many another a conversation that I've had on the topic with people both on and offline. It was a panel which subsequently no less than THREE PEOPLE told me in passing that they had enjoyed hugely, and had even ended up learning something from. Which is ALWAYS good feedback.
Saturday I had a number of panels, including ones on dialogue and its role in story (and what works and what doesn't) and on formidable women (I ALWAYS end up on these panels....)(and it was interesting to see what everyone considered "formidable" to mean, in the context...) and then, on Sunday, a panel which was entitled "The Tolkien effect" and inquired whether "every rock and tree needs its own language" - to which I asked, well, does every language need its rock and tree...? The panel did a bit of a river delta impression (as in went everywhere and ranged widely) but it was entertaining and covered a lot of interesting ground and had an interested and involved audience and for a final panel of the con was nice and relaxing.
Then we went and got a bite to eat, grabbed a cab, got to the station literally ten minutes before the train was boarding, fell onto the train, and came back to our rainy home up north to a reconstructed back deck and a needy cat who spent most of Sunday night in a place where she could be certain of reaching out with a paw and making sure I was there.
Recap - some good and entertainingly different panels, but I was missing familiar faces absent through personal circumstances or else by virtue of WFC which was I believe happening at the same moment up in Canada. It felt... oddly subdued, this Orycon. Aside from the disco, a QUIET con. It had its energy, as all cons do, but it wasn't one fo the more invigorating I-can-now-go-and-conquer-the-world ones. Perhaps it's just as well that it was, because this was my final con for 2012, and it was nice to end the year on this quiet relaxing note. And trust me, talking about the final event of 2012 actually makes me sit up and blink - it seems only the other day that I was at Radcon and it was February....
Well. Back to the future. On Wednesday morning we are going to have a whole new kettle of political fish to fry. I'll just keep calm and carry on as best able to. And hopefully 2013 will bring something good... and more enjoyable conventions.