Everyone knows that San Diego Comic-Con is a big deal, but nobody knows this better than those of us who are left behind and unable to attend.
Editor’s note: This feature was originally published in July 2014. We’re bringing it back to the front page of Hypable because all of these tips are still very helpful.
SDCC week can be downright painful for those of us who aren’t lucky enough to attend. Every piece of news that comes out of the convention almost feels like a slap in the face, and every SDCC-exclusive clip or trailer that we hear about but can’t see is like a super soldier punch in the gut. For four very long days, SDCC is the center of all pop culture, our bread and butter, and we’re not able to be there.
Instead of crying your way through the extended weekend of insanely awesome news (as some of our writers may have done last year), here are a few tips to help you try to cope with not attending San Diego Comic-Con this year.
Take a vow of abstinence from technology
Yes, it’s going to be hard. Yes, it may suck a bit. But you know what will be worse? Reading all of the articles coming out of San Diego Comic-Con in real time from people who are actually there. Not only reading the articles, but all of the personal Facebook posts, tweets, and Instagram photos that show how much fun people are having as well. It’s honestly better for most of us not to look.
OR watch panels that have been uploaded in full to YouTube/read panel recaps on Tumblr
Via starwars.tumblr.com
So you say you can handle the fact that people are at SDCC without you and just want to see everything that they’re all seeing. You’re definitely stronger than we are friends. If this describes you, then we suggest that you try to find as many full panel YouTube videos as possible. We’ll no doubt be posting them as we discover them so you can keep your eyes tuned to our homepage for all of the latest news and videos. Watching the panels on YouTube might actually be better than actually attending San Diego Comic-Con because you’ll have a better view of the stage!
Find/create a support group
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Support system, support group… Whatever you want to call it, you should create one or join one. Whether it’s a group made up of your closest friends or just random people at school/work/your neighborhood, it’s easier to stay sane and conscious if you surround yourself with people going through the same thing. That way, you can flail together, get each other glasses of water, and just give out a ton of hugs to make each other feel better. If you’d like, those of us at Hypable who aren’t going to SDCC this year would be more than happy to be in your support group. Seriously. Tweet us! *hugs*
Know that you’re probably getting panel information faster than most attendees
SDCC is all about waiting hours and hours to sit in on panels. People devote their entire days to single panels. Therefore, they may not be aware of everything else going on around them and in other convention halls. You, however, probably have better internet connection and more access to important news coming out of SDCC. Or, at least, that’s what we like to tell ourselves.
See the newest release at the movie theater
Via fuckyeahamyandtina.tumblr.com
By seeing a just-released movie (preferably one that’s been hyped up), you can have the satisfaction of knowing that the people at SDCC haven’t seen it yet! They’ve been too busy preparing for the crazy weekend ahead of them and making sure that they don’t forget to pack anything. That makes them the ones who are behind the times for once! So then you can go see which ever movie you want and tweet all about it. They’ll be the ones out of the loop, not you.
Continue on to the next page for a few more of our SDCC coping techniques.
Watch a movie with that friend who talks through the whole thing
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Watching movies with people who like to talk through the whole movie or audibly react to every single thing on the screen is never fun. Especially when you’re seeing a movie for the first time in the movie theater. However, it’s actually not a bad idea once SDCC comes around. At least you’ll then be so annoyed at your chatty comrade that you won’t even be thinking about not being at SDCC. It’s a good diversion, don’t you think?
Sleep as much as possible
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We recommend sleep because if you’re sleeping you’re not thinking of all of the things that you’re missing. Plus, who couldn’t use a few good nights of sleep? Mostly though, you should sleep because the people at SDCC can’t. While they’re camping out for 10+ hours just for a panel and running on only a few hours of sleep, you can snuggle up in a comfortable bed without disturbance.
Eat as much and as often as you want, maybe more
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People on the Comic-Con floor and in the panels don’t eat. They just don’t. There’s not much time. They may bring a few granola bars and other snacks with them for the day, but that’s all they have. The food in the convention is overpriced and they’re all pretty tired when they leave the convention for the day so they don’t want to eat. But you, on the other hand, have access to food whenever you want it. So take advantage of that. Eat all of the pizza that you can because you can.
Celebrate the fact that you have personal space
One of the bad things about San Diego Comic-Con is that it’s so incredibly crowded. All hopes of personal space are just fantasies. No matter if you’re waiting for a panel, in a panel, or just walking the floor, you can’t move a foot without bumping into or touching another person. So, since you’re not at SDCC, celebrate the fact that you can move freely and breathe fresh air. Wave your arms wildly just because you can. Dance around a bit.
Drool over photos of your favorite celebs
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If you can’t see them in person, you might as well just fall down the Google images or Tumblr hole and stare at photos of them. Just make sure to try to stay away from recent pictures if at all possible, because then you’d be rubbing some salt into the wound. Or, if you’re afraid of finding recent pictures of their flawless faces, go through magazines and old posters that you have in your room instead. That will work too. If you need us, most of us who won’t be in San Diego this weekend will be on the Avengers-associated Tumblr tags all weekend.
Eat lots and lots of ice cream
That’s the best way of dealing with all of the feels you’ll be feeling SDCC weekend when you’re at home and others… are not. Just remember, when all else fails, ice cream is just what the doctor ordered. Well, either that or…
Via aazhk.tumblr.com
(If you’re of age, of course.)