Cos-player Clara Nguyen talks about Dragon Con

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Oh man, I just got back from an incredible trip to Medellin, Colombia for a friends wedding. I know, I know, Medellin Colombia you ask? But after my visit, I have no problem telling people to visit that beautiful city. But that’s a story for another day. Let’s talk about Dragon Con. YEAH!!!

Dragon Con 2016?

Dragon Con 2016?

 

Continuing with my research into how Dragon Con operates, I reached out to Clara Nguyen, cos-player extraordinaire and got her input on how I should approach Dragon Con.

UnderCurrent Atlanta: Hey Clara, so how long have you been attending Dragon Con?

Clara Nguyen: This will be my sixth year attending Dragon Con. My first Dragon Con was in 2010.

UCA: This is my first trip to Dragon Con and I’m crazy excited to be going. I spoke with photographer Jeff James last week and got some insight from him but what advice do you have for a first time attendee?

Jedi-Sith-Princesses-by-Neil-SkinnerCN: With over 60,000 attendees at this point, cell towers will be so bogged down during Dragon Con that calling or texting your friends to coordinate meetups will be near impossible. You’ll have better luck using wi-fi or mobile data with messaging apps for communication.

UCA: I’m a huge sci-fi fan and regret that this is my first time visiting Dragon Con. What are some of the reasons you think people should visit the convention?

CN: Because Dragon Con is essentially a con organized by the fans, for the fans, it feels like a celebration of fandom and is less commercialized. It’s as much about meeting other attendees as it is about the celebrity guests. That is definitely something unique. Also, the costuming and prop community in Atlanta is amazing and large; you’ll see the most impressive cosplays at Dragon Con.

UCA: I know you are big into cos-play. Tell me a little about your costume(s).

CN: I’ll be participating in the Periodic Table of Elements parade group this year as gallium. I’m focusing on the fact that gallium is used in the production of blue/violet LED’s so I’ll be dressed as an LED ‘gal’. The costume took me roughly a month working on and off and is almost made entirely from leftover scraps of fabric, Worbla, and foam. I also hope to finish Tharja from Fire Emblem in MotokoKusanagi-w-Phantom-by-ZombiePromTPring-n-Spocktime for the con. As for costuming advice, save your scraps and plan ahead! You’ll be able to take advantage of sales through out the year for your supplies, and have time to accommodate for trial and error and for cheaper items that may have longer shipping times.

UCA: I know Kevin and Fran Dotson so I might join in on the periodic table, if I can figure out what element to be. Cool, any suggestions for late night partying?

CN: If you like dancing, the themed dance parties will scratch that itch. They’re usually in the Marriott and Sheraton. Some of them will even have a free photo booth!

 

I’m not a huge dancer, just ask my fiancee but I’m not above getting out on the dance floor every now and then. One thing Clara spoke about that really sparked my interest was about cell phone coverage. Sounds like regular cellphone usage will be pretty bad during Dragon Con so make sure to figure out an alternative way to communicate with your friends (Whatsapp or Facebook Messenger maybe). I’d hate to see anyone get stuck downtown!

 

I’ll be back next week with another interview.

See you in 40 days!

Mike