We have heard Kansas City described as "City of Fountains" and as "City of Boardwalks." We are not sure we would call it either without being told. City of Irony maybe, it being in Missouri. There are a lot of fountains though.
The Holiday Inn where ConQuesT 44 is being held is 15 stories tall and houses an indoor water park. Well, mostly indoor.
Inside, we find the registration desk and retrieve our driver's licenses, ready to show them. A woman with a shark on her head asks our names and looks through a stack of envelopes until she finds our badges, not even glancing at our IDs. These things draw a pretty trustworthy crowd, it seems.
One feature that sets a nice tone: our badges come with a packet of star stickers like you get on your homework in first grade. There are instructions to give these to any Con volunteer who is particularly helpful. Nifty.
One feature that sets a nice tone: our badges come with a packet of star stickers like you get on your homework in first grade. There are instructions to give these to any Con volunteer who is particularly helpful. Nifty.
Now that we're official, we take a moment to wander through the expo, two convention halls full of fantastic art and wares.
A man wearing a top hat and a kilt tries to sell us knives. Somehow sensing Leighann's nail polish collection, he reaches past rows of normal metal blades to a knife with a sparkly rainbow sheen. He flicks it open with a snap of his wrist, and closes it almost as quickly. "You try," he says, handing Leigh the blade. "I'll just cut myself," she warns.
A man wearing a top hat and a kilt tries to sell us knives. Somehow sensing Leighann's nail polish collection, he reaches past rows of normal metal blades to a knife with a sparkly rainbow sheen. He flicks it open with a snap of his wrist, and closes it almost as quickly. "You try," he says, handing Leigh the blade. "I'll just cut myself," she warns.
"That's part of the fun," he says, reaching for a broadsword.
Another booth is selling animal skeleton art, and we see a woman walk by wearing a cloak with a skeletal bird on one shoulder. We're dimly aware of certain niche fashions, such as steampunk, renaissance garb, and particular character cosplay, but we missed the memo on skeletons.
There are many books. Some are classic genre titles. At least one is an established sci-fi author signing as he sells. Many are self-published, and there is an "off" quality to these, something in the art and materials that gives the game away. We speculate even bad books from major publishers go through a process that elevates their on-shelf presence, making them seem official. Real. But where some self-published books may even be superior to their traditional brethren, sadly many of their covers resemble student-made posters for a community college play.
We do not have sufficient funds to discover the hidden gems. We vow to someday have a fund for nothing but.
No Klingons yet, but we are definitely not in Kansas anymore.
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