Denver area Myths and Legends Con (MALCon for short) truly entertained fans this past weekend Aug 12-14, 2016. Author Jim Butcher well known for ‘Dresden Files’, ‘Cinder Spires’, and the ‘Codex Alera’ series was on hand to meet fans and even hosted some panels and activities. The popular band The Doubleclicks packed in a delighted audience with their performance Saturday night during the annual Yule Ball. Always a favorite in the area, this convention focused on what so many sci-fi enthusiasts love the most: ‘Firefly’, ‘Doctor Who’, ‘Harry Potter’, ‘Supernatural’, ‘Game of Thrones’, and this year ‘Dresden Files’.
MALCon outdid itself with the panels this year. Aspiring writers were soaking it all in with the long list of writing panels hosted some informative panels such as Creating Multi-Cultural Steampunk Characters, Writing in the 21st Century, What to Do With That First Manuscript, How Not to Get Published, It Ain’t the Writing, It’s the Rewriting, and so many more.
Jim Butcher had a packed audience when he was one of the speakers in the Writing the Supernatural panel. The well-known author had some pretty awesome advice. “Write the book that you’ve always wanted to read that nobody’s ever written,” he advised. To keep thoses stories believable, Butcher added to “write with one part fantasy and two parts reality. All three authors had some great advice for writing horror stories. They agreed that monsters cannot just sparkle and become vegans. According to Butcher, “ultimately monsters are outsiders; those who feel ostracized from society.” Author Sam Knight encouraged writers to “come up with a creature that’s different & unique and think of how things would be like.” Amity Green reminded authors to make the reader be in the moment with the character, and to “sustain the fear throughout the story.” All too true was the observation that the ‘Dresden Files’ author added was that in regards to human nature, “individuals can be smart, but as a group, people can be dense.”
The Whedonverse panel was of course very active. This session featured authors Aaron Michael Ritchey, Kathryn Renta, Keith DeCandido, and Lou J Berger. When it came to Joss Whedon, there were opinions had by everyone. Most agreed that Whedon creates with a slow build to his stories. ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ certainly took ’till the second season to really get going. Just like with ‘Firefly’ and ‘Dollhouse’ once the viewer is involved there is no going back.
Always a big hit, the annual Yule Ball got the attendees on their feet. The highlight of the night was definitely a performance by the popular band The Doubleclicks. Sisters Aubrey and Angela are true geeks to the core and sing with a snarky yet sweet attitude. Out of Portland, OR these talented ladies are a nationally touring due with a cello, a voice, and even meowing cat keyboard. The applause was often and so much of the audience could be heard singing along.
The Saturday night costume contest was a favorite. Participants were of all ages and fandoms put to use those sewing needles and glue guns. There were some super talented entries. The “Best in Show” award was rightly given to this absolutely adorable family dressed in ‘The Princess Bride’ theme.
The Ramada Plaza Denver North was a very venue with plenty of rooms and an ideal atrium area with plenty of room to hang out. MALCon fans now have a year to prepare for next summer’s geekiness.