I started drafting this blog post while at Comic Con a couple of weeks ago – or, more accurately, while standing in line at Comic Con since that is what one does approximately 95% of the time while there. That leaves a person with a lot of time on their hands, aside from the occasional need to shuffle forward, rehydrate, and reapply sunblock.
Forget about going to the bathroom. No one would dare risk losing their place in line.
What is Comic Con? Those familiar with it tend to call it SDCC, an event that is held every year in San Diego, California. It covers far more than mere comics these days, serving as a popculture mecca for anyone with interest in television, video games, anime, literature, horror, and movies. According to a semi-reliable source (Kevin Smith), nearly 200,000 people attended Comic Con this year.
Now you understand my intimate familiarity with lines.
Since I had this abundance of free time, one would assume I got a lot of writing done, right? Think again. There’s too much to see, even while standing in line, to keep my eyes glued to a page. However, it did offer multiple tidbits to tuck away for future use, perhaps to pull out at some later date when writing my future epic.
I saw a skinny, young man, probably in his early 20s, dressed as Pikachu, proudly wearing nothing more than a yellow speedo, a tail, and ears. Now that takes confidence! I saw an entire family dressed as Captain Hook, Tinkerbell, Peter Pan, and Peter’s Shadow, and was amazed at the cleverness of it. I saw a woman in a steampunk wheelchair, with a bookshelf on the back filled with assorted necessities such as books and tea things, while phials and beakers decorated the front. I noted costuming trends, such as all Kylo Rens were under the age of ten, with Deadpool closely following. Harley Quinn multiplied exponentially amongst the female population of Comic Con, with Suicide Squad coming out in August, whereas Captain America seemed the top male choice. Genderbending cosplay superheroes were very popular this year, with not only the feminized versions of the usual male heroes, but also women wearing the more muscled, masculine versions generally left to the menfolk.
Why does any of this matter? Because these are all seeds of potential stories. They may never grow into anything useful, but they are now stuffed in my brain satchel, available for use on some rainy day when I’m stuck for something new. These story seeds can be found anywhere – in line at Starbucks, or at the bank, or maybe when shopping at the grocery store. Sure, one usually won’t find those cosplay heavy characters at the local grocer’s, but maybe there just might be someone in the produce section with that yellow speedo hidden beneath his jeans, pointed ears tucked beneath his beanie, and a jagged tail stuck in his back pocket.
Now that might be an interesting story.
S. Zanne 