Earlier today I was walking across the street and a six-foot Winnie the Pooh almost knocked me over. A few minutes later, a stormtrooper clunked by, followed by a company of World of Warcraft companions and a woman stuffed into a corset several sizes too small, her long purple hair reaching down past her elbows. I knew for certain that I wasn’t in Ohio anymore.
Atlanta hosts DragonCon, the largest gathering of science fiction, fantasy, gaming, and comic fans in the United States, every Labor Day weekend. Georgians seem comfortable with the Silver Surfer standing next to them at the crosswalk; Rainbow Brite dancing along the sidewalk catches smiles and laughter rather than stares. Cameras flash constantly, as attendees approach absolute strangers to ask if they can snap their photo, and costumed colleagues expect and enjoy the attention.
The streets are full of fans from all walks of life, all sizes, shapes, and persuasions . . . the Sailor Jupiter who kindly posed with my daughter revealed himself as a man only after he spoke, a “you’re welcome” to my “thank you” for his/her time. My traveling companion thought my naivete hilarious; I crawled under a table and hid as I choked on my laughter, and our daughter was confused and stunned at our response. Luckily, she had our latest addition to our stuffed anime character family, a two-foot Totoro purchased from one of the busy and friendly vendors at the dealer and exhibitor hall, to comfort her while her parents regained some sense of dignity.
Our travels took us through four different hotels, where we explored and planned and watched. DragonCon is all about connections made over a common love, whether bonding with another Serenity aficionado over the vast merchandise available and discovering a shared favorite episode; or jumping up and down and hugging an anime fan you’ve never met, as you both set eyes on a giant furry Totoro atop a high shelf, wondering why you aren’t competing for it. Competition isn’t always necessary – in our case, the dealer had two Totoros to love.
BSCreview’s own Philip Lee McCall II, aka PLMII, held his own with fans at a table featuring a variety of his literary works, including Before You Imagine, Forget All You Know, a collection of fantasy stories and poems. He took a few minutes from his busy schedule to sign a copy for me, and to chat with my Sailor Scout.
R2D2 prowled downtown, stopping for pictures and whirring along like he belonged in Atlanta instead of a galaxy far, far away. A pair of adorable Xenogears 2 gals reluctantly broke away from a unicorn display for a photo op, and young brothers in carefully constructed Mario and Luigi garb left on a quest for Princess Peach after I captured their excitement on camera and pointed them towards the hotel where the princess had stopped to pose for me moments earlier.
My own Sailor Moon, with tired feet and tearful eyes, relaxed with her new friend while we considered tomorrow’s schedule. Godzilla Bingo? Only tomorrow, here at DragonCon. We won’t miss it.
Jeepers, I’m glad I’m not a huge SIlver Surfer fan – must be hot as Hades in that outfit in Georgia!
“…or jumping up and down and hugging an anime fan you’ve never met, as you both set eyes on a giant furry Totoro atop a high shelf, wondering why you aren’t competing for it. Competition isn’t always necessary – in our case, the dealer had two Totoros to love.”
Yeah, it’s a bit of a mind trip- epically if it is your first time;) The thing that has amazed me year after year is that with thousands of people from all walks of life, backgrounds, beliefs, etc, there is a very special feeling of community and caring at these events unlike anything else I have ever seen. From spending an hour talking with a Special Forces career Sergeant Major who has to hide his love of con from his mates in the army (“what, you some kind of weirdo or something?”) to the band roadies who take a 14 year old fan girl lost at 1AM on the streets of Atlanta under their wing and make sure she gets back with her parents safe and sound- mix that with a focus on almost any shape or form of pop culture and you have something that is not to be missed.
P.S.- I was the guy who was half of the other part of Team Totoro that day- how often did YOU get stopped by people wanting to hold or touch him that afternoon? Almost as bad as walking around with a cute puppy… ^.^
Very good coverage by the way- and as I said if you want copies of the pics I have from that afternoon hit me up on Facebook- Christopher Batts Tallahassee FL (Or you can find me under the BSC fan list.) Cheers!
Christopher – I will definitely find you on Facebook for the picture. I haven’t even posted all of my pictures yet – and yes, we were stopped constantly by people who wanted to ‘pet’ our Totoro, or take my Sailor Scout’s picture. We already have our tickets and hotel booked for next year – maybe we will see you there.