Sci Fi Scene

Some sights from Soonercon this afternoon:

-- There aren't many things cuter than different groups of teenage girl fans of the same anime series when they run into each other and begin applauding and admiring each other's costumes and created gear. The encounter ends with a group photo, of course. Several, actually, as the volunteer photographer is handed a variety of cameras and phones, each of which seem to have different procedures for taking said photos.

-- These things used to be a lot more loosely organized, which had its own kind of charm. Sure, you were a lot more likely to see (and never be able to un-see) sketches of some nude male model drawn with Leonard Nimoy's head, but in the pre-Internet days you could also score some artwork, books or items that you'd been looking for forever, instead of a less-than-15-second search on Google and a winning bid on e-Bay. Sometimes the search itself was part of the fun.

-- One of the appeals of any gathering of people of shared interest is how much fun they have sharing their interests with large groups of new people. You can almost see the lights come on as people walk through the entry: These people like all the same weird stuff I like! This is going to be awesome! It'd be the same at a philatelist convention, only with fewer rayguns.

-- If you put his armor on tween kids, even Boba Fett can be cute.

-- A grown man wearing the getup from "The Empty Child" Dr. Who episode is just creepy, sir.

-- Some other folks, who go in full cosplay, such as a Ghostbuster or Star Wars stormtrooper, as well as the aforementioned Boba Fett (complete with a Mama Fett, too!), are a big part of the fun as they pose for photos with people who ask them too. Good on you all for sharing your hard work and effort with people who enjoy it.

-- Veteran voice actor and Star Trek Continues' Captain Kirk Vic Mignogna is a hoot as a presenter, knows and loves his work and obviously appreciates his fans. A fellow in my profession also appreciates his succinct, non-overbearing but clear mention of the importance of his faith to his work and life. Bravo to Mr. Mignogna.

-- Not-bravo to the bellicose convention volunteer whose urging a crowd to line up single file was done at full volume in their faces. If you're going to walk down the line to tell people to back up and get in single file, madam, you need not turn the dials up to 11 to make certain you are heard.

-- Thanks to everyone whose hard work made Soonercon possible. Live long and prosper, y'all.