Labor Day weekend saw the streets of Atlanta filled with costumed characters from movies, video games, television shows, comic books, and every possible facet of media.
Dragon Con 2015 had finally arrived, and people from all over the country gathered in the Marriott, the Hyatt, and the Hilton to celebrate nerd culture without discrimination. Some participants wore jeans and their favorite t-shirt; others chose to demonstrate their passion through elaborate costumes that took months or even years to create.
There was one indisputable fact, though: despite the clothes you donned, there was no judgement. Everyone was wearing their pink Dragon Con badge, whether it was clipped to their t-shirt, their wings, or their Jedi robes. That was the only thing that mattered.
The convention always hosts discussion panels featuring film and television stars, voice actors from video games, developers, authors, and other professionals, and the panels are a great opportunity to speak to these people and get answers to questions that have been festering for years. Most people, however, attend DragonCon sheerly for the chance to cosplay.
Popular Themes
Walking through the crowded lobbies, a few themes became obvious immediately. Characters from the Batman universe were very popular, mainly Batman himself, variations of the Joker, and several Harley Quinns.
Star Wars was a huge hit at the convention. Jedis were on every corner along with Boba Fetts, Storm Troopers, Twi’leks, Togrutas, Darth Vaders, and every alien ever seen in one of the classic films. Perhaps it is because of the new movie coming out this year, or maybe it is due to the “Star Wars: Battlefront” video game set to release in November. Either way, the theme was prevalent throughout the weekend.
The many Doctors from “Doctor Who” walked about, and a few attendees dressed as enemies and side characters from the cult classic. One man even built his own remote-controlled, life-sized Dalek.
“Game of Thrones” made plenty of appearances from both the Stark and Lannister families. There was an homage to the “Walk of Shame” and a parade of dark-clad cosplayers condemning the Stark name with chants throughout the hotel lobbies.
Deadpool was also a common sight, though it was different each time. Black ops Deadpool, Adventure Time Deadpool, Doctor Who Deadpool, professional wrestler Deadpool, and plenty more female variations as well.
Mash-ups
This leads to an interesting part of the convention, which was the many ‘mash-ups’ of cult classics into original costume ideas. Some were very elaborate, such as a group of Star Wars characters combined with influences of “My Little Pony” to create quality outfits with colorful mohawks and other additions. A Mario and Luigi couple mixed with the Flash and the Green Arrow, and one man created an Iron Man, Aqua Man hybrid.
Many women added bunny ears and a tail to the costume they were wearing, no matter what character they were cosplaying. Steampunk was another popular choice for intermingling, including a steampunk version of Link and Navi from “The Legend of Zelda.”
Gender Bending
Breaking out of traditional roles, many couples and groups of friends decided to make a collaborative effort to create characters that were the explicit opposite of their true gender. Female Captain Americas and Darth Mauls roamed the crowds with male versions of Wonder Woman and Princess Peach.
Whether it was simply a man in a pink dress or someone who created an entire outfit tailored to their new version of the character, no one cared about how the character was ‘supposed’ to look. Everyone made their costume original and personal in their own way.
Packing Up
Watching the hotels empty and the cars pull away was a surprisingly sad moment. No more beautifully elaborate costumes filled the sidewalks. The lobbies didn’t host parties or photo ops anymore.
The end of any vacation always carries with it a finality that makes the ride home a little gloomy, but there is a significant difference. When you leave the beach or the lake house, you can wear the clothes in your suitcase again next week. Dragon Con, however, is the only place many of these people can wear these costumes and outfits. This is how they display what they love. Their costume is their flag, and they fly it proudly. People take pictures of them, and they work for months, sometimes years, to create these masterpieces.
At the end of the convention, they have to shove all that hard work and passion into a suitcase or hang it in the back of their closet for another year. It is sad that these cosplayers only get to show their true colors once, maybe twice a year, but they channel that into something great. Yes, packing up is a downer; but the work immediately begins for next year, and costume ideas start blooming before they even pull away from the hotel.
This is where they are accepted for who they really are, and they work hard for it – be it an alien, a fairy, a superhero, or a weird mash-up of all three.
