So I made the decision to make this Otakon [2010] my absolute, very last Otakon. EVER. An ending I will never change. No ‘just going backs to say hi’ or ‘last minute do-overs’. No ‘guest spots/speaking’ or ‘publicity stunts’. This is the end boys & girls.
Don’t get me wrong. I love Otakon as much as the next catgirl. I’ve gone every year (save for ’06) since ’04, I’ve waited the lines, friended the fans, photographed the cosplay; I’ve endured the best of IRL-anime’s insanity firsthand.
But my choice comes at a time when this old man realizes [much regrettably] that I only have so much life to live. I look around [Otakon] and I see the same things, the same people, the same complaints and wonders, year in and year out. And you know what I realize? We’ve all gotten old. Every Otakoner (it seems) is content with going to Baltimore (of all places, really(?) *rolls eyes*) and yucking it up for 3-4 days every year, and no one wants to ask, what’s next?
*(Yeah, snarky asshole, I realize some Ota-con-goers/guest do in fact go to other conventions in their area/region/country; the remark is largely a knock at those who basically stick to the same 1-3 cons a year.)*
And I just can’t do that anymore. Because there is a fire in me named Discovery, and it will not be put out. There is so much more out there to do and see and experience, that I will never, ever get a chance at if I’m always going to Otakon. And that’s well in regards to things outside of anime conventions and urban tourism. There’s a whole world to explore, and I want to see it!
And I want to OVER EXAGGERATE (as much as humanly possible) that I never made this decision under the impression that I was pressured to leave the con, that I (suddenly) hate the con (Otakon will always rock; even when it doesn’t), that there’s too much drama to deal with (no one’s more complicated than me anyway, lol), that I’m absolutely bored with the con, that I have a problem with anything happening with the con’s management in 2010 (I made this decision well before then), that I’m fed up with the people at the con or think it’s too expensive, and/or that I just stopped liking anime conventions.
This is just a decision I made. Plain and simple.
However, this will not be a sad occasion by any means. Least not for me. My announcement has been met by a little resistance from alleged “friends” who are worried we’ll grow apart or that we’ll never see each other again. News Flash! If we’re friends, we’ll find a way to make time for each other more than once a year. This is actually going to be 1st thing/dance/rave/event I’ve actually gotten a chance to go to since the night I was shot. So even if the con sucks (which I don’t think it will), and all I get is the rave, this will still be an epic con. It’ll be nice to be on my legs after being left for dead.
EDIT: Significance on the shot, not the shooting. I was shot in the leg. EDIT 2: I did go to Anime Matsuri’s rave, but had injured my legs prior to the weekend, so I couldn’t dance even though technically that had been my 1st dance event/setting since the shooting.
There are, however, 3 things I’d like to absolutely clarify in the spirit of not giving people the wrong idea.
Paramount? Work is still being done on the book, How to Avoid Hara-Kiri. We’ve added a few things, and the talks with publishers have taken a longer toll than expected, but the [coming] end result is going to “blow your minds”, as my friend X would say. And that’s all I can say about it until we drop this thing on the public. Just get ready. Secondly, I’m still going to anime conventions. Not even on principle as the guy who started the book about anime conventions, just because I love em so much; yeah, I’ll be doing these for a very, very, long time. I’m just done with Otakon. Neko’s lined up right after that. Lastly however, I will not be doing ANY travel (of any sorts) in 2011. No cons, no raves, no conferences, no meetups. Nothing. This isn’t so much a full guarantee, but rather a precautionary status update. As of now, I know there’s still a lot of “housework that needs to be done” financially, scholastically, fundamentally, if you know what I’m saying. I don’t see that changing any time soon, but I’m sure if I had what I needed in order, travel (for any reason) would only be a matter of how soon I can commander a plane ticket.
Things change, people grow. And my time in Baltimore has come and gone. Long as I’m not dead, I know I still have a story to tell. So when this Otakon, my last Otakon, is over, I want to go out and tell it. I just know now it’s time to turn the page.
