Ethan
narrates his first three days of experience at Dragon*Con, a
fantasy and science-fiction convention for gamers, celebrity chasers, and other
fantasy / sci-fi enthusiasts. His narration is broken up into short paragraphs
as if he is blogging from the name “Ethor-An3.” Ethan estimates that there are
thirty thousand attendees, all of whom pay a $90 attendance fee just to join in
on the conversation about fantasy. There are speeches, Q&A sessions, and
costume events. Most of the attendees are in costume. Noticing a couple that
appears interspecies based on their costumes drives Ethan’s mind into a
rumination about finding his own geek love. A very popular place during the
Dragon*Con is “the Walk of Fame, a large ballroom where rabble
could meet their favorite stars” (221).
Ethan
meets Loretta Painter, a Stargate fan without a
costume at Dragon*Con who wants to express her fandom. She tells Ethan that
fandom is what Dragon*Con is all about. Fans want to feel a special connection
with the famous actors and actresses of their favorite shows. They also want
inside information and collectables. Loretta Painter becomes “strike one on
Sub-Quest for Lady Geek” (223).
Ethan
meets a woman who he calls Jill. He realizes that Jill, many
Dragon*Con attendees, and the protagonists of many superhero stories all share
“a desire to be heroic” that “could stem from some unresolved childhood crisis”
(224). Jill becomes strike two on Ethan’s quest for a lover.
After
having no success at finding a lover, Ethan chooses instead to find a major
celebrity at Dragon*Con. He determines that he will find Sean Astin, the
actor who played Samwise Gamgee, a.k.a. Sam, who is Frodo’s sidekick in LOTR.
Ethan cannot manage to interview Astin face to face. Instead, he concedes to
just get an autographed picture of Astin. Ethan acts like he’s a huge nerdy
fan. He manages to speak with Beau Bridges instead of Astin.
Ethan
finally meets Daniel Gauthier, a 47 year old French Canadian,
dressed impeccably as Frodo. In addition to spending a lot of money on his
costume, Gauthier even has the physique of a hobbit. Needless to say, Gauthier
is a huge LOTR fan. Ethan realizes through lots of
conversation “that Gauthier had been through a dark time” and that LOTR helped
him get through it and turn his life around (232). Finding community and
having a friend fall victim to ALS empowers Gauthier. His fandom helps benefit
the ALS Association of Georgia.
Ethan
reunites with the Forest of Doors LARP players at Dragon*Con
(235), and wonders if fantasy can factor into life as families grow. He then
meets Chris Jones, who has a daughter that is named after
something from Tolkien. He has several non-fantasy aspirations, but he is still
connected to a fantasy game, City of Villains. Jones is an army
veteran, and “his war experience made it hard to take seriously play combat and
violence in an RPG or LARP” (237). To him, the warfare is just that much more
real. Jones isn’t letting his daughter touch fantasy games until she is at
least 16 (238).
Ethan
reflects on how there are so many characters at Dragon*Con. Toward the end of
the chapter, Ethan realizes that he speaks to David Prowse, the man behind the
Darth Vader mask in the early Star Wars movies. Reflecting on
Dragon*Con, Ethan learns that such conventions and attendees are universally
welcoming. He did not feel totally out of place at Dragon*Con, marking a shift
in his attitude.
Discussion
Questions:
Analyze
Dragon*Con. What is so special about this convention for Ethan and for others?
How
does Ethan's preoccupation with finding love detract from his enjoyment of
Dragon*Con?
By
Jason Shaffer
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