On my drive into Dublin yesterday we travelled a section of motorway lined with trees displaying scarlet, gold and amber leaves, and ahead of us were the Wicklow mountains slate-blue against a sky heavy with clouds. The late afternoon sun haloed it with honey light. It was a gorgeous welcome to the city. Later that evening, as we walked through the busy city streets, we passed a tattoo parlour with a mannequin on display. This bikinied-beauty, with her monster mask and baby skeletons draped upon her made an immediate impression. Dublin saluted my return with just the right amount of weirdness for an Octocon weekend. I suspect there is much…