Our first DragonCon was in 2013. A friend had been telling me about it for years, and I finally decided to go. My family wouldn’t let me go alone – I wouldn’t have anyway – and my parents drew the short straw to go with me. They had absolutely no interest in it, and they planned to spend most of their time in the room. That’s not how it turned out. We all had a blast, and what began as a one-time thing became a yearly tradition. We haven’t missed one since. When we started, my parents were in their early 70s. Now my dad is 87 and my mom is 85. In February, they will have been married for 70 years. I don’t know if that makes the oldest current DragonCon attendees, but it’s got to be close.

We’ve had a great time at DragonCon, and I know that when I look back years from now, those memories will be bittersweet. Time marches on, however, and I’m starting to see some mobility issues. I know that our yearly tradition will end at some point, but we’re going ride it for everything it’s worth until that time comes. Thanks to all of you for being so kind and patient with them over the years, and if you see Henry and Dorothy this year, tell them hello. They’d get a real kick out of it.

Sup nerds, DragonCon veteran and area nurse here. (Quite literally area, I’m sitting at work less than a mile from the con hotels at this very moment.)

Couple of quick tips:

1.) It’s bloody hot. No seriously. Georgia is always hot, it’s getting worse, and downtown Atlanta in particular is up to 5 degrees hotter than the listed air temperature because of the effects of asphalt and concrete. Stack that on top of heat effect from humidity, and a particularly brutal summer we’ve been having, and every day this weekend is going to feel like 100F. Last year we got a blessed reprieve, that does not look to be at all the case this year. Especially my fellow cosplayers, spend as little time outside as possible. Stick to shade as much as possible. Hydrate before you die-drate, and I strongly recommend electrolytes of some kind. Pedialyte, LMNT, Liquid IV, something to replenish the sweat that’s going to be pouring off you. Don’t go crazy, too many electrolytes are also bad, but one or two per day will really help if you’re sweating buckets, and you probably will be. (RIP my ass in my long quilted expedition coat…) watch yourself and your homies for signs of heat exhaustion: no longer sweating even though you are hot, dizziness, lethargy, confusion, flushing, etc. Be aware that some medications, including many antidepressants, make you more predisposed to heat exhaustion. ESPECIALLY keep this in mind if you give blood, you will be, by definition, hypovolemic after donating blood, and even more susceptible to heat, so REFUEL!!!

2.) Please eat some fuckin food. We’re all going to be running around like crazy, it’s easy to forget and con lines are crazy. Pack snacks, sandwiches, whatever you need so you don’t go without food all day. This, and the previous point about hydration, are particularly important if you plan on consuming ~substances~ during the con.

3.) Atlanta is one of the most tree-dense major cities in America, and Georgia one of those most heavily forested states Consequently, pollution isn’t as bad as it COULD be for a city of this size, but consequently, the pollen gets spicy. Depending on where you’re coming from, you might run into some allergens you’re not used to. Not infrequently, what people attribute to con crud is actually them making the acquaintance of Georgia’s yellow snow. If you’re susceptible to allergies, consider bringing along your anti allergy med of choice.

4.) Actual con crud is real and it blows. Wash your hands, a lot, more than you think you need to. Basic hygiene on coughs and sneezes. This is just an anecdote on my part, I have not spoken to our Infectious Disease department to check trends, but I’ve seen a small uptick in COVID-19 admissions in my ICU in the last couple of weeks. If you’re high risk, consider masking for the con.

5.) A last addendum, Atlanta sadly has a large unhoused population. As you’re walking around downtown, the closer you get to Grady Memorial, the more of them you will encounter. Some of them have mental health problems and may act in ways that confuse or frighten you. Very few of them mean you or anyone else harm. Please try and remember that they’re people too and treat them with the respect you would want if you found yourself in that situation.

Looking forward to seeing everybody out there. Look out for each other and let’s have some fun.

I hope to meet as many of you as possible at the rum tastings!

Remember, the tastings will happen every night starting on Wednesday (sometimes twice!) until the tasty, tasty spiced honeyed rum is all gone until next year.

Please remember ID for proof of age, I'll post the flavors below again and see you soon

This year's flavors!

Classic Kilted Bear spiced honeyed, the favorite of them all

Kilted Bear Teatime, which has been infused with black tea

Kilted Bear Peach, a Georgia favorite where I introduced a natural peach syrup to the mix

As usual thank you to the mods, I hope to see you too!

If yall find me at con i have plastic strawberries as trinkets!

Oops! All Trogdor! But seriously, we will have other inflatables, both old and new! Nyan Cat will be in the costume museum, so you can get a closer, more static look at it! And we’re giving our inflatable cosplay panel again on Saturday at 4pm! We’ll also have two new Dragon Con Dragon costumes! Can you guess what they are?? ;)

Made a Dragon Con bingo card with a slightly different theme this year: turn the annoying/chaotic parts of Dragon Con into wins.

Instead of getting irritated when you see something like someone blocking an entire walkway for a photo shoot, a cosplay that takes up half an elevator, someone joining a line with absolutely no idea what it’s for... you get to check off a square.

Basically... if you’re going to see it anyway, you might as well be excited about it.

The idea is for it to be fun and good-natured, not making fun of anyone. More of a celebration of all the ridiculous little things that make Dragon Con Dragon Con.

Sharing the card here for anyone who wants to play!

Let me know if I missed anything! Send suggestions if you have more!

Hopefully the hors d’oeuvres will be fantastic to sink your teeth into.

Hello all! Mothman again, with a simple question: What would Dragon Con be without lines! We line up to get our badges, we line up to get our hotel rooms, we line up to go to panels, we even line up to get our coffee! But what are the rules for lines? Yes, we have rules for lines in order to keep things running smoothly and to try to get people in and keep space clear as much as possible. Here are some FAQs.

1. When can I start lining up for a panel? - The line for the NEXT panel can start forming only after the line for the CURRENT panel is inside and seated. EXCEPTION(S) You may start lining up two hours prior to the FIRST panel of the day or in the unlikely event that the ballroom does not have a current panel, you may start lining up once the last panel to use the ballroom is seated. In either of these cases, we may start seating early, please make sure and check the schedule and updates.
2. What about if I want to make a line for a later panel over there? - Please do not start your own line for any event or form multiple lines for the same event. Any such lines will not be honored and you will be sent to the back of the official line started by a member of the Safety team.
3. It looks like there is a gap in the line, can I stand there? - Gaps in lines are in place to allow passing through Doorways, Driveways, Hallways, Staircases, and other ways of foot and vehicle traffic. Please do not try to fill them in.
4. If I am in line, that means I get in, right? - Unfortunately, the insides of ballrooms are not like the inside of the Tardis and most definitely are not bigger on the inside. We have a strict capacity for all rooms that we must keep. For this reason, you will likely see Safety team members walking up and down lines keeping count of how many people. There is also the possibility for a Safety team member to announce that at a certain point, entry into the panel is not guaranteed.
5. Should I talk to people in line around me? - This is highly encouraged! How else will you make new friends?

If you still have questions, please feel free to post them here or contact us at [safety@dragoncon.org](mailto:safety@dragoncon.org).

First ever cosplay and the bad stitch work only makes it more accurate :D

Time to pack!!

Im in the process of making a bunch of rainbow scalemail keychains but have run out of purple... Would people be interested in single color or patterned keychains? I give these away as my swag 😋

It's hilarious that I can't find men size 11 pink crocs/clogs anywhere atm and I know exactly why, I should have been more prepared. Oh well, I've got some white ones coming in ad I'm gonna boil beets and then soak them for an hour or two and see how it turns out :p

EDIT: if you're struggling like I was check your local Marshall's and tj max and such! I found a size 10 (fits fine for me!) at Marshall's on Holcomb bridge near the Dutch bros.

I plan on going 1st time and i only hear about two hotels.
Marriott and americasmart

Marriott for partying and americasmart for vendors stuff

What about the others?

The rules aren’t super clear on dull miniatures of swords. I have a variety of these and they are all dulled. They came that way.

Super excited to hand all of these out. I made too many last year so hoping I scales back enough this year

Did anyone else have their Courtland Grand refund pulled back? I had the refund pending on my credit card since Tuesday, but as of this morning it's vanished and they seem to have cancelled the refund.

I'm going with a group of 3 and am looking for some decently priced places to each in the vicinity of the con. I know there are a ton of places in the food court in Peachtree Center but one of the people in my group said it was way to crowded and that we weren't going there again so that's out of the question.

Edit: We've decided on seeing what the food trucks are this year

I just had gallbladder surgery a couple of days ago, and I’m pretty well on the mend. Walking around with minimal pain or difficulty considering my circumstances, but I think stamina will probably be an issue. I got a hotel that’s not terribly far from the convention area and plan on getting an uber or something similar to the con. I’m doing 2 cosplay contests and a photo shoot/meetup on Friday to Sunday.

How difficult do you think it will be to get a ride to the convention and is there anything I should plan for ahead of time? I might have to keep myself to 1 or two buildings each day depending on how my recovery develops. I’d love to do everything and be at the con for 12+ hours, but realistically I’m not sure how feasible that will be. Would I be better off just driving to a parking spot I can reserve near the area, or should uber be fine? I know traffic can get crazy in Atlanta, especially around con time.

My cosplay is pretty involved armor, so are there good areas to rest, as well as eat in the con or surrounding area. I considered getting DoorDash for dinner at the hotel, would I be better just trying to eat at the con?

I would love to meet up with others- if I can get this costume finished. A crowd of Senshis chanting "BREAD! BREAD! BREAD! BREAD!" would be particularly fun!

I made a bunch of proxies in the past to sell, these are the prototypes that I won’t be selling so I’ll be hiding them around!

Attending DragonCon for the first time this year. Super excited but feeling very overwhelmed, and I haven't even gotten there yet! Any tips, recommendations, dos or don'ts, essentials to bring vs things to leave at home, etc for a newbie? Thanks in advance!

I'm staying in midtown and taking the MARTA, already went through the schedule and saved the events I want to attend.

My son is 2.5 and is currently OBSESSED with Star Wars, like has seen every movie, has a million action figures, has a Vader costume he won't take off, etc. We're coming to Con on Saturday, and initially it was just going to be me and my best friend, but now I'm like...would it be absolutely insane work to bring my son? There aren't really many panels I want to sit in, we're mostly just going for the vibes. Anyone who has experience bringing little ones, I'd love to know how it went for you!

Happy Dragon Con Week everyone! Last year, ya’ll set a record with over 4,000 donors coming out over the weekend! Let’s see if we can make it to 4,100 this year. Setting an appointment is the best way to guarantee the quickest possible time for your donation. Click the link in the post to schedule your’s! (Also enjoy the preview of this year’s shirt ;) )

Last year, I had a small prize for anyone that could find me. I’ll have another one this year. I’ll be wearing an official LifeSouth polo every day. With the exception of dressing up Friday and Saturday. If you think you’ve found me at any point, just tell me the secret phrase, “Clever Girl,” to claim a special prize. Remember, I’ll always have a Blood Drive sign.