When I say Sonic is something special to me, I mean it in a more emotional kind of way. In the last story of Sonic The Hedgehog for the Xbox 360 and PS3, I genuinely found it a bit wrenching seeing Sonic the way he was, and now SEGA want to turn him into a werewolf-like creature, and that makes me feel a bit "Nooo... what are you doing to him?!" as well. On the rare occasion I find myself reduced to tears for whatever reason, I find comfort in listening to Sonic music, playing a Sonic game, or just reverting back to the age of 4 and cuddling a Sonic plushie. I know people who've got some sort of problem with even this. That they tell me it's ok to consider Sonic something special, but to be proud to be a Sonic fan is some kind of sin. What a load of rubbish. I'm sure the Scots are proud to be Scottish, and the supporters of Man United are proud, and there are millions of employees who are proud to work for a particular company, even if they had no hand in starting it. Why can't I be proud to be a Sonic fan? There's a bloody lot to be proud of.

But then when it comes to the great outdoors, Sonic's a bit of a rare sight these days, isn't he? If I see something Sonic while out and about, I go a bit fanboyish and need a minute to be in my own little world. When I've been part of STC-O meet-ups in the past, they've barely focused on Sonic at all. Rather opting for Doctor Who, miscellaneous comic books, video games and movies I've no interest in, and general bog-standard nerdery. I can't relate to any of that, and yet if I find a Sonic comic book while trawling around the local Forbidden Planet with the rest of them and shout "Yay!" or "Whoo!" people will go "Ooh, what'd you find? ...Oh it's only Sonic." Well not those words, but that's the general impression, and I'm left with a feeling of "I don't belong here." On one side, people see liking something just because it's Sonic, or Mario, or whatever else as some naïve and biased crime of fanboyism, but it's not that we just like something because it's got Sonic on it. We like something with Sonic on it because we like Sonic. It's like Sonic fandom is supposed to be some sort of guilty secret pleasure these days, like going to a brothel. Sure, you can like Sonic but may god have mercy if you dare say so, or show signs of liking Sonic, or even state you're proud to be a Sonic fan. It's a sickening attitude, really.

The Summer of Sonic is the first ever Sonic the Hedgehog convention ever to take place, and the city of London is the gracious host. While a vast majority of Sonic fans go on to become a part of various Sonic fan communities and forums dedicated to all sorts of different things, from Sonic's various comic books, television series, game hacking, fan-game creation, or fandom for the official SEGASonic. They can hang out on these forums, chat to many friends over their instant messaging program of choice or in an IRC chatroom, some prefer to stick to e-mails, some even do the cutesy thing of becoming penpals. Not that I know any but surely there must be one person... anyway I'm rambling on now. The point is, is that while people feel a part of these communities and even attend little community meet-ups, do they ever really feel like they're part of 17 plus years of Sonic the Hedgehog?

The Blue Blur, as he's famously known, must have at least one billion fans worldwide, and yet deep down, most of the fans must feel like they're part of a minority, when in actual fact we could all get together and take over the whole of Russia and turn it into Planet Mobius, (with a Knothole corner for those anal Archie fans.) We're a divided, bitchy, nit-picky, over-analysing pretentious people, but there's so many of us! I mean can you imagine if every single Sonic fan in the world gathered somewhere outside the apartment of those homies who once made up the original Sonic Team, and they all came out on their balconies and roaring cheers would fill the skies as a reprise of Green Hill Zone's music plays out and suddenly those humble people realise what an amazing phenomenon they created that gave something special to every single one of those people. Tears would be shed. Many of us are still proud to have Sonic the Hedgehog as a part of our lives, and with good reason.

On Saturday August 9th 2008, history will be made as approximately 500 Sonic fans gather in London, United Kingdom to enjoy the biggest fan-established celebration of our beloved hedgehog ever. I expect everyone to be a bit blown away, not just by the high level of professionalism and dedication in the organisation of the event, or the awesome decorations and Soniccy atmosphere that will fill the whole hall, but there'll be a feeling in the air that says "My god I never knew there were so many Sonic fans able to make it to London! Where have they been all my life?!" It's like discovering a lost tribe you've been part of for years without fully realising it or something.

Now I go back to my earlier point when I said that unless something to do with Sonic is involved, I have a hard time relating with people who I'm with because we're from a Sonic community of some sort. I feel a bit lost because I don't really know much about all this bog-standard nerdery. That's why it feels like I've been waiting for this convention my entire life. Not just for a short amount of time but for one whole day, I will be with hundreds of other people who have all turned up (some from as far as down under!) for the same reason as me. To celebrate Sonic the Hedgehog and their pride to be a part of a community 17 long years in the making! Nostalgia will be oozing from the walls and magic will be happening and I truly believe it's going to be the start of something beautiful. Infact they're aspiring it to be a turning point in the attitudes of the Sonic community.

It's a bit like the Sonic community has its own planet. We're all a part of the whole Sonic thing but we all got there in different ways and had different kinds of upbringings depending on what Sonic media we were exposed to. It's just like the dynamic mix of cultures and languages we have in our world, but it's like racism is a terrible epidemic on Planet Sonic Fanbase. Could this one day really be the day where we all start to appreciate each other more? If it's successful, they'd even like to do it again in a future year, somewhere that can accommodate maybe 1000 people or even more? It really would be historic, as if this wasn't good enough.

In conclusion, I am wholeheartedly looking forward to being a part of the Summer of Sonic. One whole day where I can just wallow in a heaven of Sonic goodness. The sounds, sights, feelings and experiences that raised me as a child and keep me going to this day, that are truly important to me throughout my entire life. I am, without hesitation, immensely proud to be a fan of Sonic the Hedgehog, and it's high time I was able to go somewhere to be free to celebrate that limitlessly and wear my heart on my sleeve without ever having to worry about being the weird kid, the outcast or anything like that. Bring it on.