DragonCon / Convention Sightings

[Redbeard]

Can't have the good times without the bad!
Dragoncon is where I go for my week away from work a year. Most of the tyime it is indeed Nerdvana, Nerdi Gras, and Drunken Debauched Wandering Pirate Party That Shanghais Random Strangers In To The Rumfest.
And Jennie B. and her wonderful Kilt Blowing

But there is suck, sometimes made worse by how we, as geeks and nerds, LOVE our complaining. So very, very much.....

Bullet points! (And feel free to add your own convention sightings to the thread!)

• One of my costumes is a pinstriped suit, fedora, tommy gun with a magic wand sticking out of it and glittery wings - the Fairy Godfather. Due to the pain of getting the wings on and off, I usually leave them on and bend them in when traversing high trafic areas like the dealers room. when stopped, I stand facing the booths so that the wings are not blobking traffic. This, of course, does not stop random assholes from running into me and then loudly complaining about "More of those fucking wings gettign in my way!" as they stomp off like a blind moose in mating season.
  
• The secret to gettign good looking hooves on a costume? Elevated heels. They look great and make an awesome cloppy sound. Unfortunately this means that you can get a wee unstable if not used to them, and the occasional love tap could send my not so small ass into a pile of downed congoers, perhaps killing several small families... Next time I'll aim for the furries, they're softer
  
• If there is someone waiting patiently and they happen to be in a chair/walker/or are mobility impaired? Don't push them out of the way in your rush to get to the con suite or you'll see what kind of damage size 10 1/2 hard soled high heeled mary janes can do to your doughy ass. (I've had this conversation in various forms over the years. Even shamed someone into leaving the elevator and taking the stairs. It felt....good.)
  
• A Con Suite, for those unfamiliar with the terminology, is a convention run hospitality room that offers free drinks and munchies during the con. The contents of said suite are generally donated by nearby businesses and stores in exchange for some free advertising, but in the case of DragonCon always includes a soda fountain and a choice of moon pies, nachos, chili, soup, meatballs...whatever's being laid out at the moment. ConSuite sightings can and do include
  -Captain "I'm picking up for my freinds over there...in the hall...really...."
  -The "Dude, this sword I bought in the dealers is so COOL! Watch me swing it around like a drunken epileptic baboon!" guy.
  -The creepy guy /swinger/poly couple trying to pick up anything with legs. Mrs Redbeard found the latter example one year when we got seperated and while she was waiting they started chatting her up, found out that she was drunk and waiting for her husband but "It's okay, our room is right nearby and you've been waiting so long you should make HIM wait for once!" Luckily I got there about that time. They saw me and vanished like ninja.
  

and...rest

[AnaKhouri]

I was last at Dragoncon in 2008 (pre-child). I always had a great time except for the insane crowds, but there were always a few douchebags who had to show up.

I never had much problem with people complaining about my costumes, but I did run into a couple people in costume who were jerks. Protip: just because the character you are cosplaying is nasty/aggressive/unpleasant, doesn't give you the right to act that way. One year my friend and I were literally SHOVED out of the way by a trio of Klingons, a female and two males (friend was in heels and nearly fell down). We were too stunned to do anything, but another lady yelled, "HEY! Stop being jackasses!" The female said, "They're escorting me!" At that point I was recovered enough to say, "That doesn't give them or you the right to be rude bitches!" They hurried away, I don't know if they felt bad or not.

[Redbeard]

One year my friend and I were literally SHOVED out of the way by a trio of Klingons, a female and two males (friend was in heels and nearly fell down). We were too stunned to do anything, but another lady yelled, "HEY! Stop being jackasses!" The female said, "They're escorting me!" At that point I was recovered enough to say, "That doesn't give them or you the right to be rude bitches!" They hurried away, I don't know if they felt bad or not.

Wow, that's unusual from my experiences. Most of the Klingons have been pretty upright folks. Sounds like less in character more in "shit I'm late!" mode. but either way, pretty damn rude, yeah.

[Jay 2K Winger]

Not a DragonCon sighting, but one from Otakon a few years back.

I went to Otakon with my then-GF, who on Saturday had worn a last-minute thrown-together "moot kitty" (4chan) costume. (And pulled it off pretty well.) Later in the day, she had a bit of a breakdown-- I forget the specifics-- and needed to just take a minute to emotionally calm down.

Of course, during this moment, some jackass comes along and starts pestering-- asking if she's actually doing a moot kitty outfit, asking questions, and demanding a picture. Now, while it's generally considered good con etiquette to pose for pictures if asked, this jackass' attitude was just terrible, and we finally told the guy to "f*ck off, now's not a good time."

Apart from that, it was a good con. GF had a pillow case we stashed our loot in, and she would jokingly say she was taking donations for 4chan "and then I'm goin' to [Mexico]!" Embarrassingly, people actually did GIVE HER donations, despite her protests not to do so.

Fortunately, there was a 4chan panel that night, in which moot himself would be in attendance. After the panel, GF went up to him and gave him the money that had been donated to her (about $30, IIRC), and when he tried to refuse it, she told him: "People gave me this money thinking they were donating to the site. I don't want to take their money. TAKE IT." He did, eventually.

[AnaKhouri]

Like I said most people are great; that's why those particular Klingons really stood out in my mind. I went to Dragoncon for 11 years straight and can only remember a couple jerks, so that's pretty damn good.

[Redbeard]

On a related "Sightings" note, this made me giggle
When the announement was made last year that the hotels would be limited to access by convention atendees or hotel guests during certain hours of the con, the "we come to watch the freak show" crowd went nuts, some of them even went so far as to predict that Dragoncon would crash and burn without their coming to the hotels and not spend any money or buy Con passes (Typical EW attitude "If I'M not personally involved then you'll go out of business! I have spoken!")

[jedimaster91]

One of my costumes is a pinstriped suit, fedora, tommy gun with a magic wand sticking out of it and glittery wings - the Fairy Godfather.

To quote a popular meme: this thread is useless without pics.

Seriously, the image I have in my head has me laughing so hard, the dog's looking at me like I've lost my mind.

[Redbeard]

To quote a popular meme: this thread is useless without pics.

Seriously, the image I have in my head has me laughing so hard, the dog's looking at me like I've lost my mind.

Drop me a PM , I'll shoot you the link

[Gimli]

It's the drunken freak show watchers that always irritate me. Nine shots out of ten (pun intended) if I or any of my friends have had any issues it's been with the mundanes that show up to party. With two exceptions, we're female and most of us have at least one instance during the con that some drunken mundane tries fairly aggressively to pick one of us up. Not me, since I'm told I give off a 'Mess with me and I'll break your jaw' vibe, which comes in handy, but the rest of the group almost to a person every year at least once.


Other than that, DragonCon is my pressure valve away from SCs and Corporate bulls*t.

[Squeaksmyalias]

I'm excited to read Con stories. I'm working at my first one this summer and actually have never attended a Con, eep! I'm so very curious about what goes on.

[AnaKhouri]

In that case you should know the things we complained about in this thread are actually quite rare; most of the people I meet at cons are perfectly nice and fun to talk to (you are all there because you like the same things, after all). It is very easy to strike up a conversation with almost any stranger at a con.

[Gimli]

In that case you should know the things we complained about in this thread are actually quite rare; most of the people I meet at cons are perfectly nice and fun to talk to (you are all there because you like the same things, after all). It is very easy to strike up a conversation with almost any stranger at a con.

Very true of any con I've gone to in 25 or so years. DragonCon is just huge, and can be overwhelming. For the most part, you're okay as long as you're with fellow con-goers there. I've never had more than the very minor annoyance of smart-*ssed comments when I was in costume from mundanes at any other con.

[Redbeard]

In that case you should know the things we complained about in this thread are actually quite rare; most of the people I meet at cons are perfectly nice and fun to talk to (you are all there because you like the same things, after all). It is very easy to strike up a conversation with almost any stranger at a con.

Right there. That's why there aren't a flood of sucky con stories. I think the vendors get the worst of it, especially artists.

I think one of the worst was when I worked security at San Diego ComicCon (before they blew up into the current corporate monstrosity) and that was checking badges at the con entrance.
WOW those people were shitty when told that yes, you have to go back the 6 blocks to your hotel to get your badge. Sorry.

[PepperElf]

bf and i did Dragon con last year. found out why you don't wait to get a hotel room. we were walking distance sure but... not in a good part of town. my bf had a giant can of fox (pepperspray) ready for use if needed.

no costumes really, except for jayne hats that i made. (and no jayne! *pout*)

we probably won't do the next one tho cos we have a lot of things to plan out.


i did get an autograph from John Ringo, specifically on book 2 of the Council Wars series cos I personally know one of the characters from the book. And I saw Elizabeth Moon there (woot!) but didn't get to go inside cos we were in a rush.

[Squeaksmyalias]

In that case you should know the things we complained about in this thread are actually quite rare.

I figured that is how it is, I work at ren faires, they seem pretty similar, I've had very few bad encounters. I just love reading any thing someone posts about Cons, my curiosity is getting to me. I welcome PMed stories too if anyone feels like it too.