#DragonCon

As mentioned, I went down to Atlanta last weekend for DragonCon. For those unfamiliar, DragonCon is a convention that celebrates all things geek culture. While Comic-Con certainly started with similar goals, it morphed into a giant movie industry event that acts as premieres for big tentpole films. I'm sure it's also a complete blast as an attendee but from the outside, it looks a little more corporate.

DragonCon has been running since the late 80's and hasn't seemed to ever make that switch. It consumes downtown Atlanta with thousands of people filling the streets and every hotel in the area with cosplay costumes and general, polite, enthusiasm for all the things. I may harp on getting stuck in a nostalgic mindset but there's a fevered creativity at work here that goes beyond "hey, remember this thing from your past?" Attendees merge characters (like Ghostbuster Admiral Ackbar), gender bend, race bend, celebrate all body types and even have their own in-jokes (like these two, paying homage to a carpet pattern).

All and all, it's an exercise in positivity. Even if you don't feel any affinity to the characters being portrayed (trust me, I empathize with Star Wars / Comic book exhaustion), it's hard not to appreciate the work and dedication involved. So, with that in mind, please give yourself a deep dive into the #DragonCon2018 and #DragonCon hashtags on Instagram to get an idea of the goodness happening down there every year.