August 14, 2011 in City

Gamers, artists and fans of all types strut their stuff at SpoCon

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Picture story: SpoCon 2011

Jessica Vowels, left, Ammie Hague, center, and Jennifer Baker display their cyberpunk, fairy and steampunk looks at SpoCon 2011.
(Full-size photo)(All photos)

They’re geeks and nerds and proud of it.

Fans of science fiction, fantasy and horror movies, literature, art and gaming checked out of the real world this weekend and into SpoCon, Spokane’s own sci-fi convention, where they were able to indulge in their favorite fantasies and exercise their imaginations.

The convention is a place where “geeks can learn to be better geeks,” said convention Chair Chris “Big C” Snell.

Attendees’ interests vary widely. Some love anime or costuming while others enjoy role playing and gaming. Some like B movies, and others are fans of comic books.

But, ultimately, everyone was there for one reason: to have fun and connect with fellow self-proclaimed “geeks” and “nerds.”

“It’s fun, it’s friends, it’s family,” Snell said. “We’ll take time away from our busy schedules to come catch up.”

The convention features readings and workshops with authors, artists, gamers and costumers. It also gives vendors a chance to show off their wares and consumers a place to find unique goods they can’t find in a mall.

While other conventions take place in Spokane, this is the only one that is all-inclusive, Snell said.

“We are a full-spectrum convention,” Snell said. “We have to kind of cover everything.”

SpoCon benefits the community too, he said. Organizers have partnered with librarians at Spokane-area schools to provide them books that are in high demand, such as the Harry Potter series.

Among the celebrities at the convention were best-selling urban fantasy novelist Patricia Briggs, artist Dan Dos Santos and Dragon Dronet, who has made props for “Star Wars,” “Planet of the Apes,” “Total Recall,” “True Blood” and “The X-Files.”

It may be the only place in Spokane where one can hear someone leveling a Shakespearean insult while a group of zombies walks by, followed by the Cheshire cat and what appears to be the cast of a “Star Wars” movie.

“You can’t go to the coffee shop and dress up like this,” Snell said. “You can’t go to the mall and dress like this without getting made fun of, so you come here to this event.”

Some of the costumers spend a great deal of time and money painstakingly re-creating a piece of their favorite fantasy characters. Alex Ybarra, dressed as Darth Maul, said he came to the convention to indulge in his love for costuming and to promote his group, 501st Legion, which raises money for nonprofit charities.

“Guys can get into (the costumes) for a lot of money and a lot of time,” he said, adding that he spent two months on his costume and that his face-painting took two hours. “It’s just a fun thing to do.”

Last year, the group raised $60,000 and members appeared in costume at hospitals and children’s events.

“A lot of kids love this,” he said. “It’s cool to see kids’ faces when they see their favorite ‘Star Wars’ character.”

Author Jane Fancher said one thing that draws her to science fiction is the ability to address difficult issues humans face through a different lens.

“It allows us to explore aspects of human nature in a protected environment,” she said. “A lot of what I do is some of the darker aspects of people and overcoming them. It’s a great way to explore being human.”

Sci-fi and fantasy fans in Spokane could be in for a treat in 2015. Snell said Spokane organizers have put in a bid to host that year’s Worldcon, the “oldest and most established sci-fi convention.”

“Spokane has a good shot,” he said.

10 comments on this story so far. Add yours!

• 

  The_Seer on August 14 at 10:02 a.m.

  From the article:

  “It allows us to explore aspects of human nature in a protected environment,” she said. “A lot of what I do is some of the darker aspects of people and overcoming them. It’s a great way to explore being human.”

  That comes from learning who you while being yourself and not taking the lazy way out living as in invented character. Do the heavy lifting.

• 

  jddavis on August 14 at 4:21 p.m.

  Well said Seer.

• 

  Kupua on August 14 at 5:39 p.m.

  The beautifully ironic thing here is that “The_Seer” is doing nothing but playing a character himself. The real (man?) behind the keyboard would never say such a thing in real life, to do so would be to look like an anti-social fool.

• 

  spokane_boy on August 14 at 7:33 p.m.

  Exactly Kupua. Also, at least as ironic is “The Seer’s” acronym.

• 

  The_Seer on August 14 at 7:48 p.m.

  kupua: I love being labeled “anti-social” by the defenders of anti-social dweebs.

  I speak my mind all the time, in public and private. You can see the show sometime at City Council sessions, candidate forums and school board meetings. What exactly do you find offensive about self-actualization grounded in reality instead of playing dress up to learn about “humanity?”

  spokaneboy: Irony is beyond you. Otherwise you’d recognize where it actually exists.

• 

  ericdx on August 14 at 7:58 p.m.

  Folks, Seer is fully self aware. He/she is aware that he/she is an
  A _ _ H _ _ _, and is not afraid to show it.

  Of course, these people who choses to do the Fantasy thing are not hurting him/her in the slightest, but he/she has to feel superior to them by being derisive about their choices. I have known plenty of peopel who do things like SpoCon, SCA, and other groups, and they tend to be good people, who have a different view about things. Too bad that Seer seems to be threatened by the fact that these people have the imagination, and creativity to live out some of their ideas, in a way that is harmless, and often entertaining. Maybe Seer should lighten up and try it once, instead of putting it down.

• 

  mkries2 on August 14 at 8:29 p.m.

  It seems like being a science-fiction junkie would be no less interesting than a local politics junkie in a small, remote city. But that’s just, like, my opinion, man.

• 

  Kupua on August 14 at 8:39 p.m.

  the seer said: ” I love being labeled “anti-social” by the defenders of anti-social dweebs.”. /quote

  Hurling anonymous insults while being conveniently hidden behind your keyboard is textbook anti-social behavior. These like minded people attending a social gathering like Spo-Con is exactly the opposite of what you are doing when you try and feel all Internet-Powerful.

  Maybe you do talk this way while ranting in real life….. But how weird is that? Don’t you get tired of seeing the downside of everything? It ain’t healthy man….

• 

  The_Seer on August 15 at 12:06 p.m.

  It doesn’t take imagination and/or creativity to put on a costume of a character from a graphic novel, film, etc. Unless being a copycat has suddenly been transformed into being imaginative and creative…

  The biggest problem in our culture is mistaking activity for achievement.

• 

  Kupua on August 15 at 1:08 p.m.

  Well you obviously don’t get the point of events like Spo-Con. Interesting how you take one quote, see some pictures, and formulate a misguided opinion and state it as fact.

  It’s not hard to be a grumpy old man, disgruntled and bitter. You guys used to be relegated to sitting on a couch and peeking out the windows every once in a while. Now you have the internet to show the world how sad you really are and try to impress that upon others……

  Try and feel happy, not just satiated and justified.