This morning I was in my typical pre-Comic-Con (SDCC) plan mode and I had some thoughts dawn on me. After years of being an SDCC attendee, there are just things people probably assume all of us do. And well, well, well, surprise, not me!

Though I know every person has their own San Diego Comic-Con routines and rituals, thought I would share a little of what most people probably assume, but what is the actual case for us.

• We don’t wear the standard free SDCC exclusive badge lanyards. It’s kind of our ritual to make our first purchases of Comic-Con to replace the lanyards with something that fits our personalities a little bit more. And in my case, I tend to change mine up to fit the cosplay theme of the day. We also like adding pins, not far from the Disney pin trading look.

• I have never been to Hall H. Never even tried. Even with certain ADA help, it’s just never worth the wait time to me. Typically I catch whatever has been leaked from Hall H to YouTube. I have found it kind of a nice way to unwind the days after con as I recover. It’s a nice little transition out of the SDCC bubble.

• I skip “exclusives”. Probably along the lines of the Hall H confession, I don’t bother with those big-name brand “exclusives”. It is a process and I am not motivated to bother. But, if you are motivated, here’s the deal; SDCC runs a lottery “portal” system for most of these kinds of things. On the off chance, there is not an online pre-SDCC deal, most of the time these things sell out first thing in the morning. Resale and scalping are real, even with the lottery system, it’s kind of rough. Also, I’m also not a huge fan of big lines, so that probably answers why I don’t do a lot of these types of things. The only thing I tried that was even remotely close was trying to buy an autographed edition of Lore Olympus. Sadly, it wasn’t to be, but not for lack of trying. They just weren’t predictable enough on release schedule so whenever we had free time we would head to the booth to see if the books were there. The poor guy attending the booth must have been so over my friend and me by the end of con too, lol.

• Smaller panels are underrated! Indie artists, smaller creators, and fan groups put on the best shows! Forget the over-budgeted hyped-up big names, these ones are the heart of what Comic-Con has always been. Also, these are a great chance for insight and connections. And sometimes an even better chance at freebies or cool prizes! I know even my local club, San Diego Star Wars Society pulls out all the stops prize-wise for our Trivia Panel and we hear time and time again how fun it is and we’ve been doing it for something like 21+ years now (before my time). But really it’s a blast. If you have a badge, make time for smaller panels that hit your fandoms/nerdoms.

• I haven’t gone to the Sails for Autographs. The only autographs I have ever been able to accomplish were on the main exhibit hall floor if the artist was at their booth. Typically of the small/standard/tiny size booths variety. Never the big eye-catching ones. If you’re curious, Brian Froud and Claudio Sanchez are among my top brags.

• Cosplaying is fun, but sometimes you just want a easier days. Though I love cosplaying and it can be fun to do pictures and things, sometimes you just want to wander the floor easily. It’s nice to have days without being stopped or worrying about your cosplay being tripped on. Or having to think about if your cosplay is too big to fit through crowds and spaces. Also, I have made the mistake of teeth at times I wish I could have just eaten and relaxed. Wigs and makeup also require more attention in these hot and humid situations, so plan accordingly. It’s nice to have a balance. Also, I am a huge fan of comfortable shoes, so odds are you will only see me in comfy shoes. I have to last all SDCC after all.

• Offsites can be more fun than being in the actual Con. Yes, you heard that right, the no badge, free offsite can be more fun than being inside. There was one year, that I paid maybe $11 for a movie ticket and ended up in a theater with the whole Twilight series cast! Lots of free swag too! The Suicide Squad offsite from years ago was a blast. And our favorite reoccurring one was Nintendo’s old Marriott Marquis takeovers. To this day these are still top-ranked in my mind. Love experiences. The only thing is, inside has some more creature comforts like AC and clean restrooms that are easily accessible ( I mean, far easier than when roaming the Downtown free events.)

Curious. Do you have any preconceived thoughts about SDCC attendees? Share them! And if you are an attendee, you have to share something you think would surprise people as well.