Last year when we went to Alabama’s first (in my football watching career) Atlanta season opener, we were delightfully shocked when we found out that there were not only 80,000+ football fans in downtown ATL, but there were also 40,000+ fans of a VERY DIFFERENT variety, also within a one mile radius.
Dragon*Con, a convention for all things science fiction, fiction, or really anything that you can dress up like or make up a costume for was also going on.
Since my term “crazies” didn’t go over too well with a few of the Dragon*Conners last year (most of them really enjoyed the post, but a few didn’t, even though I used the term for both footballers AND Dragon*Conners and meant it in no more of a serious manner than I would if I admitted that I was crazy due to my need to have three perfectly clean napkins in my lap during all mealtimes and if one gets messed up, I must replace it before I can eat another bite), I have decided to replace it this year.
So, to be maximally fair in every way, I am embracing my identity as a Mundane (which is what they referred to me as – I think it is somewhat analogous to a “Muggle” in Harry Potter), and replacing the term of Crazies with a more politically correct term developed with the help of my hubby. Passionistas (Passhun-eest-as).
And believe me, there were PLENTY of Passionistas to go around.
This year, since we were very excited to get some people watching in, we decided to take a stroll around downtown late Friday night (11pm +) in hopes of seeing a couple Dragon*Con sights and sounds.
And we were NOT disappointed.
There were thousands.
We hung around the outside of the main hotel and walked through the lobbies and conference areas of all three D*C hotels. We saw everything from the extremely classy,
To the halloween-esque.
Yes, ALL of the elements were at Dragon*Con.
We learned a lot about these Passionistas between our Friday night walk and their Saturday morning parade, of which we were also in attendance. And so, here are:
The Top 23 Things Learned by a Mundane from Dragon*Con:
1. Airbrushed Abs rock. I think they should offer this service at spray-tanning facilities:
2. Freaky contacts are totally “in” this year. And I do mean really freaky:
(and no, they don’t just have red-eye).
3. If your costume is too boring or Dragon*Con, just Zombie or Vamp it up to add flair:
It worked for Alice in Wonderland,
Marilyn Monroe,
Michael Jackson,
Raggedy Ann:
And even two girls dressed up as themselves:
4. Just like us Mundanes have day wear and evening wear, there is a drastic difference between Passionista day wear and evening wear.
Evening:
Day:
Evening:
Day:
Evening:
Day:
5. Apparently, although Fred and Wilma are still happily together, Betty has been dumped and replaced with a stone-age dominatrix:
6. Plether is a unisex material for Passionistas:
7.Passionistas are just as amused and take just as many pictures of each other as us Mundanes take of them, and they are seemingly completely unaware that they are just as photographical material:
8. Most Tabloidable news story: Arwen appears to be sporting a baby bump:
9. Not ALL Passionistas feel the need to spend drastic amounts of time on their outfits:
I especially love the flair added by the pink house slippers.
10. Afraid to be a Passionista alone? There are plenty of duo opportunities:
”One Man, Two Retail Sales Opportunities”
“The Lone Ranger and Tonto Snot”
“Linked by Love and Robots”
“Every A is made better with a G alongside.” 
”A Tale of Opposites…in so many ways”: 
”A Bicycle Built for Two”: 
“The High Fivers”
“Me and my pet Triangle”
11. Darth Vader has a crush: one of the Fairy Godmothers from Sleeping Beauty. He tracks her…
He almost catches her by the wing…
But then she quickly scoots away, as he looks sadly after her magicalness:
(They really were there together, and they were, by far, the cutest couple I saw all weekend.)
11. It is a bit surreal to be in a five star hotel and for no one to be flinching at seeing sights like this in the middle of the lobby:
12. Passionista Cheeks are definitely in. Or out, as it may be:
Even celebrity cheeks were there:
Although her Daisy Dukes aren’t quite the same size that they used to be:
And, if you don’t have a costume, no need to fret: Just wear a bra and a sheer shower curtain!
13. No matter how quirky and rare they are, you can always find your favorite characters at Dragon*Con: 
But sometimes, your hero isn’t as glad to see you as you are them:
14. The 80’s Pop-Culture has made huge strides to come into the 21st Century, including the Mod-Squad of Care Bears:
And the super-Dodge Ghostbusters:
15. It’s best to start training Passionistas at a young age:
16. And, in fact, miniature characters make a GREAT accessory for any serious Passionista:
And yes, even canine superhero miniatures. Of course. 
But then again, that dog could have just belonged to a yuppy-downtown-dog-dressing-up-Atlantian.
17. Speaking of which, NOTHING bad could have gone down in Atlanta this weekend. Superheros were in abundance.
18. The Passionista band’s alarm clocks simultaneously didn’t go off in time for them to get dressed before the parade:
AND they all happen to wear very interesting pajamas. 
19. Sometimes, every comment that you COULD make about a Passionista would just not be a good comment to make:
20.I was disappointed by a very low turnout of Princess Leias this year, 
But was so happy to see my Favorite Kilted Stormtroopers once again. Because it’s just not every day that you see a man that is half irish, half Darth Vader Loyalist. 
21. Just because you’re wearing matching crocheted caps, nightgowns and carrying parasols does not disqualify you from packing heat: 
22. Jack Sparrow was there, of course…
But his ship has been taken by the dreaded Pirate Dodge. 
23. And finally, NO pop culture conference would be complete without a (Monty Python) giant wooden rabbit! 
“….WHO’S supposed to jump out of the rabbit?”
***More pictures and video features from our Dragon*Con adventures will follow in the coming days, most likely on B-Sides. And don’t worry, football fans: I’ll blog about the REAL reason we went to Atlanta soon enough.****
Wow it looks like once again you had a fun people watching adventure while in Atlanta for the football game. Is Dragon-Con always in Atlanta? I know Comic-Con moves around but then that is the "big" one all the famous people go too. Hope the game was a good as the people watching.
I really enjoyed reading about your Dragon-Con experience. I was laughing so loud my husband thought I was crazy. He's busy right now but I'll definitely be showing him your post tonight. Good stuff, as always!
*GASP* And wow……just wow.
oh wow. that's just really bizarre. wow.
There are just no words…
Yay: Cap'n Jack, Cookie Monster, Prince Poofy sleeves, Merriwether, the tiny Stormtrooper, and the Apple product family.
You scare the crap outta me: Zombies, blue airbrush guy, spooky contact wearers, and freaky Care Bears.
Huh?: People who didn't check their look in the mirror before leaving the hotel room.
"A" and "G", a.k.a. "Ace" and "Gary" of the Ambiguously Gay Duo made me laugh so hard. Very authentic!
I really wish we would get to play in Atlanta next year, but alas, I don't think it's gonna happen. You may need to make a special trip just to see this.
I love that tiny stormtrooper! Yea, when I saw Ace and Gary I wondered if you knew who they were. Also the Irish don't wear kilts, it's the Scottish. Blasphemy.
"Passionista" is worse than "crazie". Just stop trying to be cute or witty and use the correct term: "geek".
And who do you think you are, 4Chan? This whole post read very much lik it.
"Passionista" is worse than "crazie". Just stop trying to be cute or witty and use the correct term: "geek".
And who do you think you are, 4Chan? This whole post read very much lik it.
Love it! That was awesome and hysterical. I now have a great yen to observe Dragon Con myself…that has never been the case before. B and I are both fascinated to admit that we were down with the term "Mundane." I just finished the trilogy that the term comes from, and he just finished the first book. Comparing it to Muggles was a pretty reasonable comparison.
Apparently, Anonymous has a habit of repeating themselves. And not spell checking. 4Chan.
Apparently, Anonymous has a habit of repeating themselves. And not spell checking. 4Chan.
I LOVED the Stormtroopers in kilts! That was fabulous!
How WILD to just stumble in to that. I told my husband I bet Atlanta was full of folks this weekend. I just didn't realize it was full of ALL KINDS of folks :) Looked like a LOT of fun!
Kim, ever hear of technical glitches? Anonymous must have experienced one when posting. 4Chan refers to an existing website, http://www.4chan.org, which being compared to is not a good thing.
That said, I do agree that "passionista" is worse than "crazie" and is more stupid than cute, witty, or whatever the intended effect.
I take it you were in the Marriott? If so, there has been a problem the past two years with folks coming to Atlanta for the football game getting discounted rooms meant for the Dragon*Con attendees, which enrages them.
Wow. I have nothing else to say. Just wow.
Some of those looks were completely off the charts with passion. What an experience!
It's kind of wild that nobody cares if you're just snapping away taking pictures of them.
Funny post, Rach. LOVE the iPhone/iPod/Shuffle trio. Very cute! The rest of the costumes? Not so much.
It looks like some of the crazies/passionistas/whatever are going to get their panties in a wad again this year over this. Have fun with that!
lol So funny. The Apple trio was too cute. The others, not so much. But hey if that's how they like to have fun, more power to them lol
Let's see… family who spends a lot of time and money to travel to an event that is over in less than 6 hours feels like mocking people who spend time and money to travel and stay at an event that is over in four days. Not only that, you'll go to whatever game is nearby dress up with at least a t-shirt, if not face paint and dress your kids in future Alabama football player/cheerleader outfits. And you find it amusing that we'll spent time and energy on our costumes?
Must you do this every year? >:(
Please tell me you're not going to buy a membership to next year's Dragon*Con so you can get to more places, get more photos, and hurl more insults.
The truth of the matter is that Dragon*Con has been around far longer than the Chick-Fil-A kickoff or whatever, and it's kind of disconcerting that you appear to have gone out of your way just to take the photos, post them, and say the things you do about the subjects of those photos.
Rach-
I honestly don't see how anyone can find your post offensive. You are generally just pointing out the obvious. It sounds like some of these folks are quite insecure with their dragon-ness. How can they parade in the streets dressed like that and not expect anyone to notice/comment? It's not like you were standing on the corner throwing eggs at them.
I guess they don't understand the flack football fans take because of the behavior of a few. I embrace the craziness/passion of crazy football fans. I know we ALL get made fun of because of it, but at the end of the day, I'm perfectly content with myself and my life and don't feel the need to lash out at anyone.
I think you, your writing, and this post are great. If it were me, the names I would have used might not have been so nice.
Thanks for sharing the pictures. Some of them were very creative, and some were, well let's just say that there were obviously some people who spent more time on their costumes than others.
Eh, some people are negative. They need something to complain about. That being said, when you're different, people will stare and make comments. Especially when it's your own choice to look the way you do.
@ the person who said the original poster was "just pointing out the obvious": Did "k's" comment offend you? He/she was also "just pointing out the obvious".
Hi! I just wanted to comment on what anonymous said in a previous reply. I attend Dragoncon myself & I don't see anything wrong with how you view us. You are very honest & not critical in your review. The review you have written of us is nowhere near 4chan lite. I don't know what bug crawled up anonymous' ass, but I wouldn't pay him any attention.
He is probably some slobby 40 year old virgin still peaking out from under mommy's skirt.
Wow….the Ambiguously Gay Duo guys are cracking me up. Chase had two friends that dressed up like them for a party in college!!!
Did I mention that yes, one of my friends from high school actually went to Dragon Con and sat in on the panels? :)
By the way…what's up with all the offended Dragon-Con passionistas? If they're bold enough to dress up and attend this event, they should be bold enough to take your posts as it was written–light hearted.
p.s. My husband looked at these pics and was so excited to see the Green Girl (something "Star Trek" he mentioned) and the Wooden Rabbit. Thanks for exposing him as the true geek I thought he was. :)
I had a friend that went to the Twilight and Harry Potter parts of Dragon Con. She didn't dress up though!
What's up with all the trashy looking lingerie? Some of those people definitely need to cover up!
Hi Rachel,
I was also at con this year and I think the passionista thing is kinda cute. I think its awesome that you came down and mingled with everyone! Honestly, compared to what some of the other football fans did to con-goers this year (one actually DID hurl an egg out at someone just walking down the street) your post is harmless. I'm glad you had a good time and enjoyed the costumes!
We are fully expecting you to dress up next year.
Forgive my cultural ignorance, but isn't it the Scottish that wear kilts?
And, don't fret the anon comments–they fade quickly (especially if you delete them). : )
Oh, and, go hogs go!!!
I was looking forward to this post. Fun as always, especially the comments. (:
April
What an interesting group of people…my favorite was the Mod-Squad Care Bears!
"Passionista" is not cute, and I don't know what those who think it is are tripping on.
Seriously, a word that's one letter off from a word meaning snobby rich people who are the reason stupid fashion trends like lacy leggings plague our lives? And a very dumb-sounding, uncreative word at that? Any reason why you couldn't have used the actual "politically correct" words, which are "nerd", "geek", "dork", and "otaku"?
I have to agree. How about just plain old "convention attendees"? Or better yet, what they are: people. Both "crazie" and "passionista" have negative connotations, like their mental patients, members of a suicide cult, or from another planet.
You know, there's a cute name for people who have no real interest in conventions yet go anywhere within said conventions that doesn't require proof of membership (i.e. badges aren't checked), take photos willy-nilly, post said photos on their blogs with snarky comments and a more dumb than cute label, and all just so they and their friends can have a cheap laugh at the convention attendees' expense. And it's not "mundane".
It's also not "comedian". Or "funnyman"/"funnywoman".
People, good grief. Rachel did not follow anyone into the privacy of their own home and snap pictures of them.
From what I understand, there is no way that anyone could be in Atlanta last weekend and NOT be surrounded by the Dragon*Con attendees.
It's completely obvious that the majority of these people dress for the sole purpose of attracting attention. If you put that much effort into your costume, you want people to notice. Rachel didn't do anything BUT notice, and she wasn't mean about it… though there were a few of those she *definitely* could've been.
Here's a hint: if you don't want people to see you, stay home. You can't expect that everyone in downtown Atlanta is going to think you're completely sane.