As another San Diego Comic Con draws to a close I am flooded with mixed emotions. For many years this was my dream con, the must go-to con on my fanboy bucket list. However, as I look at more and pictures flooding the social media airwaves and read news article after news article I am more and more filled with a sense of dread about going. Despite what you have seen in my Fanime pics I do not do well in crowds. That's why most of the pics I have are taken outdoors, its a required escape from the confines of the convention center itself. The dealer's hall and artist's alley do offer plenty for my senses to focus on so that I can ignore the crowds but out in the hallways I get really anxious really quick. From what I can tell SDCC is that X100. On top of all that everything media related we go there to see ends up on the internet within hours (sometimes minutes) of it being displayed in the exhibit halls. Wait a couple of days more and every panel shows up on Youtube.
So aside from somehow managing to find that one piece of fanboy memorabilia that I have always wanted (and to be honest I can't possibly imagine what that could be) why bother going? Its the same reason I don't wish I could be at E3. What I could I possibly discover going that I couldn't find out sitting at home?
The worst of it all is the angry tweets, Facebook posts and other social media rants about the massive spike in harassment from non-fanboys and non-fangirls who go just because it's "the happening place to be." People who don't go because they want to enjoy the fandom but because they want to be the center of attention or just find "that hot piece of ass" they think will give some kind of validation for their otherwise worthless existence. Its heartbreaking to say the least.
As it is my crossplays are dangerously close to never leaving my bedroom closet and hearing about the spike in harassment isn't helping my fear any. So I'm torn. Will I go to SDCC next year or not? At this stage I can honestly say I'm happy I'm not at this one. I guess we'll just have to wait a year and see.