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Dragon Con 2017 Report
Welp, since I am trapped in the house today with a tropical storm, why not go ahead and write up my Dragon Con report? :D EDIT: Holy wow, this got really long! All photos are thumbnails so click to see bigger!
Like I said, I was very sick throughout the entire day. I woke up at 4:30am (because I was meeting my sis and she wanted to leave by 6am) and was immediately acquainted with my toilet. Yeah, that kind of sick. I ended up being about ten minutes late (and receiving about 36 texts from my friends asking me where I was).
(ALSO I guess I should say who all went, it was my sister, my friend C, my friend V, my nephew, and me. My friend V wasn't originally invited but![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
imperion wasn't able to go so I invited V. V is the same friend I went caving with and you know, after that experience I'm not sure why I invited her again? She was still incredibly annoying, haha.)
So anyway we hit the road and end up stopping at this truck stop where I get sick at again (and apologize to the woman in the stall beside me haha, but she was like "don't worry honey this ain't the worst thing I've heard in a truck stop bathroom" which you know, fair) and load of up stuff and hit the road again! During the drive, V thanks me for inviting her "even though I was your second choice." :\
We end up at the Chamblee Marta Station and board the train. I typically love trains (that was the main way I got around when I went to Otakon!) but gosh, so sick. There are some cosplayers on the train, a Rey and Kylo Ren, one of the Pokemon professor, some kinda Cyborg person. I really wish I'd been in the state of mind for photos because dang, I love cosplayers so much. ♥
ANYWAY, we reach our destination and once we get back on street level, we realize we're on the parade route! Sister and nephew wanted to watch the parade but the rest of us weren't too interested so we decided to go get our badges. So off we went and jeez, the amount of people who were lined up for the parade AND the amount of people who were trying to get through was intense! Like! Dang! So many people!
(Apparently just over 80,000 people attended this year!)
I had to take a photo!
We reach the hotel to get our badges and this is were things get a little dicey and by dicey I mean annoying because apparently V is UTTERLY TERRIFIED of Atlanta so she's freaking out because she thinks she's going to have to separate from C and me. And she's right! We enter the hotel and preregistration and single day memberships are in different areas. So she's freaking out and telling us not to leave her and we tell her we won't, we won't leave the hotel, and then we split up.
The line for prereg pickup wasn't bad!
My badge! Now you all know my hometown!
We meet back up with V and off we go! We're trying to meetup with friends and we're not entirely sure where they were, so we ended for the dealer's hall because that was a place we all wanted to go. The line to get in wrapped around a block but once they opened the doors, it really wasn't a long wait at all.
Guys. GUYS. The dealer's hall was insane. It was legit three stories of just, stuff. To buy. Guess who really likes to buy stuff? We manage to meet up with friends (B and L!) relatively easily in there (after a bit of technological confusion) and we start looked around.
The dealer's hall was absolutely packed. There were moments where we were at an absolute standstill in a crush of people. I'm actually really okay dealing with crowds so it wasn't too bad but sometimes it was a bit much. We ended up getting scattered a bit (except for V, of course, who grabbed my shirt whenever I got too far away, and who was losing patience because I was taking my time looking around. I told her she could go ahead and that's when she told me she was terrified of being alone in Atlanta and I told her I wouldn't leave that floor without her but no, she just kind of impatiently waited for me, which was extremely, extremely irritating)
Things I bought throughout the day!
( Cut for materialism! )
Also a couple of sights I saw in the dealer's hall.
At some point we stop and eat pizza, and by eat I mean I eat the pepperoni on my slice because that's really all I can handle. V thanks me again for inviting her and then tells B and L that she was my second choice. This joke is getting old.
Anyhoo, we leave there (after many hours, haha) and go to a different hotel (guys I could look up which event was in which hotel but I don't want to lmao) because there's a panel we want to go to. V's freaking out again because she wants to go to a different panel and she looks like she's going to cry and she hesitates like she's waiting for me to say I'll go with her but nah. So she goes her way (after telling us not to leave her, I'm not sure what she means by this now, leave her at the con? What?) and we go ours.
The panel was "Concept Sketches to Painted Illustrations" or something like that and it was really good, although it had some major technical difficulties. The gentleman who spoke was really fun and both quirky and down to earth and he was a lot of fun to listen to. I also got super, super sick but managed to pull myself together until the illness passed, although C told me I looked like I was really, really struggling, haha. I was though so that's fair.
After that panel, L had to attend her post at a booth so she leaves and the rest of us went downstairs I think, and there was a band and a belly dancer so we sat down and watched them. It was really good, although the belly dancer was wearing a shirt that covered her belly and that's like the whole point of belly dancing but that's okay, it was a nice place to recover. We sit there for a while enjoying the whole vibe and V joined us. She took a really unflattering photo of me and texted it along with "You look so happy :D" which I didn't respond to because wow, fuck you, I am trying not to die here.
Things get a little blurry after this, I know we go back to the dealer's hall because there's something B wanted to find but anyway, eventually B has to go too so she leaves and we end up meeting back up with Sister and nephew to get ready to go to the aquarium.
This car was hideous but bold! And iconic
And take a look at this creepy bullshit, haha, this is the only cosplay photo I took the whole damn day but it was so impressive!
Anyway, we wait for the bus to take us to the aquarium but it doesn't show? I don't know if we missed it or if it only ran certain times, I'm not sure, but sister got a cab and we all piled in (C had to sit in my lap, haha, thankfully it wasn't a long ride at all!).
I am really beginning to feel like death at this point but I also don't want to spoil anyone elses time so I take some photos and then sit down.
( fish! )
Anyway, then we all end up back together after a couple of hours and we head out. C wants to go to the gift store and V goes with her then comes back in a panic because she lost her. I end up heading outside and they all follow and then when C comes out she gives me this shirt because I felt bad all day.
BAM, right in the feels
ANYWAY and then we ride the bus back to the hotel and we walk to Marta and ride to the car and then start driving home! And V thanks me again for inviting her even though she was my second choice and I pop off with "how do you know you were even my second choice?" because look, my natural state is being an asshole and I'm especially an asshole when I'm sick and tired. Anyway, that got a lot of "oooh"s from everyone else and that was funny but I think V got a little teary eyed over but. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I got home around................midnight or so and immediately passed out and then was sick for another five days and even today I was sick this morning, hahaha what is wrong with me???
The Verdict
Dragon Con is not a one day con. There is too much to do, there's too much to see, to even try to pack it all in one day. It was a lot of fun, even being sick, but my gosh it was also a little overwhelming. Also, I found myself much more interested in anime stuff rather than western stuff, so next year I think I'll attend either Momocon (I've never gone!) or AWA (my favorite con!). Either way, all four days, it'll be a graduation present to myself. Also, not inviting V (who has already invited herself but hahahahahahahaha). Also I'm going to cosplay because it's so much fun and I really miss making costumes. ;3;
Like I said, I was very sick throughout the entire day. I woke up at 4:30am (because I was meeting my sis and she wanted to leave by 6am) and was immediately acquainted with my toilet. Yeah, that kind of sick. I ended up being about ten minutes late (and receiving about 36 texts from my friends asking me where I was).
(ALSO I guess I should say who all went, it was my sister, my friend C, my friend V, my nephew, and me. My friend V wasn't originally invited but
imperion wasn't able to go so I invited V. V is the same friend I went caving with and you know, after that experience I'm not sure why I invited her again? She was still incredibly annoying, haha.)So anyway we hit the road and end up stopping at this truck stop where I get sick at again (and apologize to the woman in the stall beside me haha, but she was like "don't worry honey this ain't the worst thing I've heard in a truck stop bathroom" which you know, fair) and load of up stuff and hit the road again! During the drive, V thanks me for inviting her "even though I was your second choice." :\
We end up at the Chamblee Marta Station and board the train. I typically love trains (that was the main way I got around when I went to Otakon!) but gosh, so sick. There are some cosplayers on the train, a Rey and Kylo Ren, one of the Pokemon professor, some kinda Cyborg person. I really wish I'd been in the state of mind for photos because dang, I love cosplayers so much. ♥
ANYWAY, we reach our destination and once we get back on street level, we realize we're on the parade route! Sister and nephew wanted to watch the parade but the rest of us weren't too interested so we decided to go get our badges. So off we went and jeez, the amount of people who were lined up for the parade AND the amount of people who were trying to get through was intense! Like! Dang! So many people!
(Apparently just over 80,000 people attended this year!)
I had to take a photo!
We reach the hotel to get our badges and this is were things get a little dicey and by dicey I mean annoying because apparently V is UTTERLY TERRIFIED of Atlanta so she's freaking out because she thinks she's going to have to separate from C and me. And she's right! We enter the hotel and preregistration and single day memberships are in different areas. So she's freaking out and telling us not to leave her and we tell her we won't, we won't leave the hotel, and then we split up.
The line for prereg pickup wasn't bad!
My badge! Now you all know my hometown!
We meet back up with V and off we go! We're trying to meetup with friends and we're not entirely sure where they were, so we ended for the dealer's hall because that was a place we all wanted to go. The line to get in wrapped around a block but once they opened the doors, it really wasn't a long wait at all.
Guys. GUYS. The dealer's hall was insane. It was legit three stories of just, stuff. To buy. Guess who really likes to buy stuff? We manage to meet up with friends (B and L!) relatively easily in there (after a bit of technological confusion) and we start looked around.
The dealer's hall was absolutely packed. There were moments where we were at an absolute standstill in a crush of people. I'm actually really okay dealing with crowds so it wasn't too bad but sometimes it was a bit much. We ended up getting scattered a bit (except for V, of course, who grabbed my shirt whenever I got too far away, and who was losing patience because I was taking my time looking around. I told her she could go ahead and that's when she told me she was terrified of being alone in Atlanta and I told her I wouldn't leave that floor without her but no, she just kind of impatiently waited for me, which was extremely, extremely irritating)
Things I bought throughout the day!
( Cut for materialism! )
Also a couple of sights I saw in the dealer's hall.
At some point we stop and eat pizza, and by eat I mean I eat the pepperoni on my slice because that's really all I can handle. V thanks me again for inviting her and then tells B and L that she was my second choice. This joke is getting old.
Anyhoo, we leave there (after many hours, haha) and go to a different hotel (guys I could look up which event was in which hotel but I don't want to lmao) because there's a panel we want to go to. V's freaking out again because she wants to go to a different panel and she looks like she's going to cry and she hesitates like she's waiting for me to say I'll go with her but nah. So she goes her way (after telling us not to leave her, I'm not sure what she means by this now, leave her at the con? What?) and we go ours.
The panel was "Concept Sketches to Painted Illustrations" or something like that and it was really good, although it had some major technical difficulties. The gentleman who spoke was really fun and both quirky and down to earth and he was a lot of fun to listen to. I also got super, super sick but managed to pull myself together until the illness passed, although C told me I looked like I was really, really struggling, haha. I was though so that's fair.
After that panel, L had to attend her post at a booth so she leaves and the rest of us went downstairs I think, and there was a band and a belly dancer so we sat down and watched them. It was really good, although the belly dancer was wearing a shirt that covered her belly and that's like the whole point of belly dancing but that's okay, it was a nice place to recover. We sit there for a while enjoying the whole vibe and V joined us. She took a really unflattering photo of me and texted it along with "You look so happy :D" which I didn't respond to because wow, fuck you, I am trying not to die here.
Things get a little blurry after this, I know we go back to the dealer's hall because there's something B wanted to find but anyway, eventually B has to go too so she leaves and we end up meeting back up with Sister and nephew to get ready to go to the aquarium.
This car was hideous but bold! And iconic
And take a look at this creepy bullshit, haha, this is the only cosplay photo I took the whole damn day but it was so impressive!
Anyway, we wait for the bus to take us to the aquarium but it doesn't show? I don't know if we missed it or if it only ran certain times, I'm not sure, but sister got a cab and we all piled in (C had to sit in my lap, haha, thankfully it wasn't a long ride at all!).
I am really beginning to feel like death at this point but I also don't want to spoil anyone elses time so I take some photos and then sit down.
( fish! )
Anyway, then we all end up back together after a couple of hours and we head out. C wants to go to the gift store and V goes with her then comes back in a panic because she lost her. I end up heading outside and they all follow and then when C comes out she gives me this shirt because I felt bad all day.
BAM, right in the feels
ANYWAY and then we ride the bus back to the hotel and we walk to Marta and ride to the car and then start driving home! And V thanks me again for inviting her even though she was my second choice and I pop off with "how do you know you were even my second choice?" because look, my natural state is being an asshole and I'm especially an asshole when I'm sick and tired. Anyway, that got a lot of "oooh"s from everyone else and that was funny but I think V got a little teary eyed over but. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I got home around................midnight or so and immediately passed out and then was sick for another five days and even today I was sick this morning, hahaha what is wrong with me???
The Verdict
Dragon Con is not a one day con. There is too much to do, there's too much to see, to even try to pack it all in one day. It was a lot of fun, even being sick, but my gosh it was also a little overwhelming. Also, I found myself much more interested in anime stuff rather than western stuff, so next year I think I'll attend either Momocon (I've never gone!) or AWA (my favorite con!). Either way, all four days, it'll be a graduation present to myself. Also, not inviting V (who has already invited herself but hahahahahahahaha). Also I'm going to cosplay because it's so much fun and I really miss making costumes. ;3;