(New logo!)
With Dragon Con just about a week away (ahh, I can almost hear the panicked screams from here), I thought I'd remind you guys of two potentially helpful mailbag posts:
and
That second one wasn't written specifically for DC, though, so let me also add:
- Know the hotel layouts, so you can find the exits quickly
DC crowds can be suffocating at times, so unless you're on stilts you probably won't be able to see very far ahead, making it surprisingly easy to get lost. There are maps on the official DC app - which I highly recommend downloading now - so take the time to study them and get the lay of the land, as it were. Knowing where you are - and how to get out - will go a long way towards alleviating panic.
Also, there are far fewer crowd-free halls and rooms at DC, so it may be harder to find a quiet recovery area than at other cons. Try to plan accordingly, and don't push yourself too far, anxiety-wise. If you feel uneasy, take a break. Don't be afraid to sit on the floor - provided it's out of the walkway - and keep an eye out for out-of-the-way nooks and crannies in the hotels you can come back to, if necessary.
Speaking of which, if you're able to reach the Hyatt, the lowest floor there is usually a quiet respite from the madness. Keep taking escalators down until you reach it, and you should be able to find a spot to sit on the floor in one of the hallways. (We've even taken our lunch down there before.)
K, I think I covered most everything else in those two posts up there, so be sure to check 'em out if you're new to DC this year, or even if you just want a refresher.
Lookin' forward to seeing lots of you in Atlanta next weekend! Watch my Twitter for sporadic updates on where I am, and as always, don't be afraid to tweet at me for a meet up! John and I tend to be constantly moving targets, but we always do our best to find you guys to say hi. (And as always, I'll have free pins!)
Oh, and as for costumes, watch for John as Dreamfinder on Friday, Lady Vadore Saturday night, and Death Eaters Sunday night. During the day I'll just be the shortie in a cap & two ponytails with a camera glued to my face. :D
Now, ONWARD TO DRAGON CON!!
I wont be costuming, but I will be running around with stupid Tshirts and a big giant custom blue and yellow dragon con survival bag with the new dragon logo. If you see it - I expect you'll know it! I don't twitter so I probably wont be able to keep up with your comings and goings, but I'll be looking. Just in case. I *need* a pin. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the links, especially the first one! This is going to be my first con, and I really have no idea what I'm getting myself into, other than frantically trying to finish costumes. I'm glad I can at least pull out one of my old Lord of the Rings costumes to use, or I'd be in panic mode now!
ReplyDeleteMaybe We'll catch you coming out of the potty again this year, hey, at least I waited til you came out before I fangirled all over you :)
ReplyDeleteThis will be my and my husband's first Dragon*Con, and I'll TOTALLY be on the Epbot hunt! I'll be a minion from Despicable Me most days, with a Disneybound Vanellope in there somewhere!
ReplyDeleteHave fun storming the castle!
ReplyDeleteNo matter how many times I look I keep reading that last sentence as "shortie in a cape". which got me thinking how cool it is to be out there in completely normal boring clothes and a cape. You need an every day cape for cons I think. Could have your bot in the back. (great, now I need one too)
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ReplyDeleteI shall have to try extra hard to find you, since I missed you guys last time. I shall be dressed as Captain America, Disney Princess-style!
ReplyDeleteThis is our first DragonCon and we'll definitely be looking for you! If only to thank you in person for all the inspiration you gave me for our wedding decs. Looking forward to it!
ReplyDeleteSo jealous! Three of my friends will be there, so I'll have to ask them to keep an eye out.
ReplyDeleteI am working on a Death Eater costume at this very moment. Thanks for the ideas and the inspiration!
ReplyDeleteDRAGON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! CON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IS THAT ANOTHER THING YOU HAVE MADE UP ILL PITCH THIS BUSINESS IDEA AND LETS SEE IF WE HAVE ANY TAKERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LORD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SUGAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ILL EVEN THROW IN A BACON SANDWICH AND A CUP OF TEA THE CHAVS HAVE PISSED IN BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
ReplyDeleteYou might have mentioned this in one of those posts (it's been a while since I read them) but here's a link to the website with the info for the DC consuite: http://home.earthlink.net/~dc_consuite/
ReplyDeleteAlso, I heard from Bill Doran over at Punished Props that there will be a "cospitality" lounge on the 10th floor of the hotel for cosplayers to take breaks. He talks about it here: http://props.punishedpixels.com/2014/08/19/prop-talk-cospitality-lounges-im-for-em/
Also, Black Phoenix will have a FREE cosplay repair station! http://www.blackphoenixgazette.com/announcing-the-black-phoenix-dragoncon-2014-exclusives-cosplay-repair-station/ for details.
DeleteJen, have an awesome time!
I hope I'll see you there, maybe I will give you a tweet! Another good idea if you want to get away from the crowds, but still enjoy costumes is to take the stairs up one level past the Marriott Atrium, and find a spot to hang over the balcony. Very few people do this, so you'll be by yourself and able to get a break, but still can ooh and aah over all the cool stuff!
ReplyDeleteLook for a Wookiee on Saturday night, I'm dying to get a photo of Chewie with Lady Vadore!
ReplyDeleteDC last year was my first con experience. We'd just moved to Atlanta a few months earlier, and I was determined to go--even though it meant braving it on my own with a two-month-old in tow! Your survival tips post and this one (on another site) were the two most helpful posts I found online about attending DC, but since I never found anything that addressed the challenges of bringing a baby, I recently wrote my own, in case anyone else found themselves in my shoes! Thank you for sharing your DC tips/experiences for people like me, who need to convince themselves that yes, they really can do this! Looking forward to DC again in a couple weeks--hope to see you there! :-)
ReplyDeleteOne of these days I will attempt a con of some kind. I have major crowd anxiety, and can't handle wall to wall people. The larger the room, the worse it is for me. I've also found that the higher the ceilings, the worse it is. Thank you for the article. I am working on 2 death eater costumes right now. One for me and one for my son. I bought a corset for mine and wow, can I just say it is amazing? I thought it would be restrictive and I wouldn't be able to wear it, but it actually feels great! It's like night and day when I take it off. I'm only wearing it for short bursts right now to get used to it before Halloween. I'm not doing a mask for me (I can't handle stuff over my face), but I am making one for my son. Pretty please, will you post a tutorial for the wand holder? I have never worked with leather, but I REALLY want one for our costumes. I am guessing thrifted or recycled belts are involved, but I can't quite wrap my brain around how to make it look right. I'm working hard on my costume to hopefully make it wearable for years to come. My husband is great with wood and bent a dowel using a steam box so that I can replicate the wand of Bellatrix Lestrange. He shaped it for me and I'm using polymer clay to make the handle. This is the first time I have ever dressed up with my kids. (ages 8-18!) and I am excited. I thank you for the inspiration.
ReplyDeleteAh, thank you for the reminder: that wand holster tutorial is on my "to-do" list! I won't get to it before DC, but maybe soon after?
DeleteI'd definitely recommend starting with a much smaller local con, since DC really is the worst for crowd anxiety (trumped only by SDCC) and most of the lobbies are a staggering 60+ floors high, which can be dizzying even for those of us who don't mind high ceilings!
I will definitely look into a smaller scale con for my first. It's been something I have wanted to do, but it just makes me nervous. Hearing tips from others really helps. THANK YOU in advance for the tutorial on the wand belt. I'm looking forward to it!
DeleteI really hope I run into you and DreamfinderJohn! You were lovely as Lady Vadore last year, I just got too shy to say Hi.
ReplyDeleteI really appreciate all your con survival tips! I attended my first con in May with my husband and four kids, and I felt much better prepared thanks all your post about what to expect and how to prepare. I made costumes for all my kids and maybe next year I'll have the time to make one for myself too. Also, we love your coverage of cosplays and all other exciting con happenings, so thanks!
ReplyDeleteThis will be the first time in 3 years that I've not attended, but I decided I needed a breather so I could enjoy myself next year. I'm going to watch for your posts and enjoy the Con second hand. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteOh, I so want to meet Dreamfinder! (And you, Jen!) I'll be clueing for looks as a lady Sherlock on Friday, so I hope I can track you down!
ReplyDeleteI'd very much like to say hello at Dragon*Con this year! My friends and I are doing a Firefly group on Saturday. I'll be Kaylee! :)
ReplyDeleteI reaaaaaaaally hope we'll have our Ghostbusters costumes ready in time for Dragon*Con!! My husband won't accept my help with the proton packs. (Not saying he should, tbh - but at least I offer!)
ReplyDeleteIt's our first year - maybe we'll be able to find you guys!
OMG!!! I MIGHT GET TO SEE LADY VADORE IN PERSON!! SQUEE!!!!!! I haven't been since 2008, so I'm looking forward to going back. This time I'm going with a friend who is a first-timer. I'm cosplaying this time around, and tentatively will have a lady Sparks McGee, Elizabeth Swann gold gown, "Save the Clocktower" lady from back to the future, a steampunk-lady david tennant-doctor, and Kaylee from firefly.
ReplyDeleteAh, my 15 seconds live on.. ;) Seriously though, thank you SO MUCH Jen for the first timer's guide you wrote in response to my email! I saved it out to my phone and lived by it all weekend that first year, and again last year when we returned! It really helped calm my jitters and let me relax a bit so I could enjoy the con. So, thanks. :) We had an amazing time, and now DragonCon has become a yearly tradition for us.
ReplyDeleteMy husband met you at Celebration VI, but we both go to Dragon Con every year, so maybe I'll actually get to see your costumes in person this year! That would be awesome.
ReplyDeleteI am hoping that I will get to run into you at Dragon Con & have you see the costume that you helped inspired me to make & step into the "camera" spot light.
ReplyDeleteI am going as a little known Disney character. You can find it if you search for Order of Fifinella. I hope that by doing this character that I can bring awareness to the over 1000 women (WASP) who called this character their lucky mascot. Also how cool is it that I can do a costume that has had the hands of Roald Dahl & Walt Disney in it's creation.
Wendy M Here from Raleigh, NC.... I'm headed for Dragon*Con too (7th year!!) and I'm considering signing up for Twitter (which I hate, btw) just to be able to maybe find you this time. Would love to finally meet you guys after the years I've been reading your sites:) And I desperately want a pic with John in his Dreamfinder costume. Your first con description of the crowd reaction to him had me smiling with tears in my eyes!
ReplyDeleteI will be one of the following: Splicer from Bioshock (with wrench), Steampunk Fairy (pheasant feather wings), or Dangermouse (eye patch and ears and all). I'll be looking for you. Squee if you see me. And I'll squee if I see you :)
Btw, are you all going to the Yule Ball or the Mechanical Masquerade? The MM is being hosted by two of my buddies, Lady Attercop and Emmett Davenport!