Portlanders imagine a better realm at OryCon

Friday, Nov. 22, I was thrown into a different realm of reality. I went to Oregon’s burgeoning OryCon convention, a gathering for literary fanatics.

Our Advocate news editor, Gloria, and I made our way through the sidewalks of Portland, in the freezing, cold night in hopes to reach the convention soon. The only thought that raced through my mind was,”Do I have frostbitten toes?”

We crossed a few streets and made our way over a bridge, only to find ourselves in front of the downtown Portland Marriott Hotel. We exchanged a few smiles and made our way through the heavy doors, not knowing what to expect.

Our first journey was to get our media passes. We gathered in what appeared to be a storage room packed with Mountain Dew and other various sodas. An organizer of OryCon by the name of “Foxy” gave us our passes, and we were on our way.

OryCon ranged from writers just trying to get their name out there, to steampunk fanatics looking for the next big thing. The place was packed with a culture of people who love living in a fantasy world. It was truly amazing.

We went downstairs and found tables lined with mixed pamphlets and literature. We were given free graphic novels, pins and all kinds of goodies. Jim Hardison, a graphic novelist, encouraged us to take his novel, “The Helm,” a story about a man who finds an ancient helmet at a garage sale, deeming him the Chosen One.

Later, we decided to venture out in a local market. It was a sea of commercialized characters and once again, honoring more graphic novels. We wound up at a merch stand that sold kittens with tentacles. Yeah, real cute.

One particular event that I enjoyed was called the “Colorful Critters Dance Party.” It was essentially plastered in disco lights, with a circle of people dancing. Filming the actual event was nauseating, but it was very fun to watch little kids and dressed-up adults dance. Oh yeah, five minutes later, they played “Time Warp” from Rocky Horror Picture Show. That was pretty rad, too.

The night ended with group photos of the people of OryCon. They were all very nice. Getting them to say “Orycon 37” all together was the biggest challenge of the night, but needless to say, I had a great time. I got in for free and got to witness some cool realms.

Advocate Staff