EPTAlso, apologies if this blog is a little less well written than normal, I went to AFK Tavern for my normal after work beer and somehow got suckered into taking the "Challenge Accepted" drink by the bartenders. At least it was free? :'( My mouth still burns and I have yet to sober up.
ANYWAY, on to Blizzcon 2008...
Back in 2008, I was a freshman in college. I was young, enthusiastic and I had never been to a gaming convention before. I had attended quite a number of anime conventions previously and figured a gaming convention would have a fairly similar atmosphere. I was wrong. Very, very wrong.
As with all anime conventions, I decided to make a costume. I had little experience of making costumes on my own at that point and no sewing machine to use, so I decided to make a costume that would reflect my WoW character and take very little sewing. I'll discuss the costume in more detail further on...
My plan for Blizzcon was rather... well, nonexistant. It is a two day convention in Anaheim, which is a mere 50 minute drive from my college. However, as a freshman, I didn't have my car at school, so I was without transportation on my own. After bribing an upperclassman, he promised me a ride to the convention, but said he could not provide a return trip. I figured getting there was good enough and made no other plans. Afterall, no one I knew was going and I decided I could get back to college on my own (I had just become an "adult" and was sure I could take care of myself!).
Thus, when Blizzcon came around, I jumped on the back of my friend's motorcycle and clung to him for the 50 minute drive. Unfortunately, it was a ridiculously windy day and I weight slightly more than a large leaf, so I was almost torn off of the motorcycle numerous times during the journey. I almost cried out of fear (and I rarely, rarely cry) during that trip. About half an hour into it, I decided there was a decent chance I was going to die, and just clung as tightly to my friend as I could while trying to be as small, streamline and motionless as possible.
After what seemed like an eternity, my buddy dropped me off in front of the Anaheim Convention Center and I dashed off to get my name tag and enter Blizzcon!
I had assumed Blizzcon would be much like an anime convention, full of natural light, costumes and people so social that they would randomly run up to strangers and hug them. Instead, I found myself in a crowd of people all wearing various black t-shirts and jeans that seemed to want nothing more than to be alone. They formed perfectly into a large black mass in the halls of Blizzcon, which were darker than most of Doom 3's levels.
Regardless of the unexpected atmosphere, I decided I would still change into my costume. My costume made me stick out like a sore thumb in so many ways. I had decided to go for the simplest feral druid costume I could hand sew at the time, which turned out to be cat form. Now, my druid is a night elf and, back in 2008, all night elf druids had the same cat form, which was a large purple cat. Therefore, I made a fairly skimpy purple cat outfit.
+ Show Spoiler +
![[image loading]](http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o4/GinRyuChan/IMG_0153.jpg)
You may think that nerds were bothering me left and right because of my obvious lack of clothing. However, it was like I had put on some sort of anti-social spray and everyone completed avoided me! I thought Blizzcon would be a super social event where people where talking to each other left and right, but, regardless if that was the case for others, I felt like I had a restriction zone in a ten foot radius around me.
I wandered around the convention, timidly looking for free goods and information on Wrath of the Lich King when a guy approached me. It turns out he was an employee of Blizzard. He was very kind, easy to talk to and somewhat flirtatious. After being completely ignored by the rest of Blizzcon, I welcomed this probably a little more than I should have. He let me wander around backstage and he encouraged me to take a few shots of rum that he had stashed in his car. I was completely intimidated and not worried at all about some random guy trying to give me booze (oh, the innocence). When I expressed I was worried about finding a place to say, he mentioned he had some friends staying at a local hotel. We went over there and I had a few beers with his friends that were quite like the rest of Blizzcon in terms of talking to me.
Eventually, I was offered an uncomfortable spot on their floor and a prospect of a towel for a blanket. The guy also mentioned I could crash at his place, so I had a debate with myself. I finally determined that I could probably kick his butt if he tried anything (or maybe just the alcohol thought I could) and went back to his place to crash. After fending off a few attempts from him, I actually got in quite a peaceful nights rest and was awoken with breakfast being made for me!
He dropped me back off at Blizzcon and left to do his Blizzardly duties while I continued to wander around. As the day progressed, I realized I should probably find a ride home, so I made a sign "WTB port to Claremont" and stood outside of the convention. About an hour and a hundred really odd looks later, some mid-forties guy from the convention approached me and offered me a ride home. I gratefully accepted it and hopped into his car.
I kept a close eye on the road signs to make sure we were heading in the right direction and he drove me back to school. Before we got there, he said, "I just want to ask for one favor, though... eat dinner with me."
I accepted the request fairly confused and slightly nervous, but then he treated me to a Denny's meal just a few block from my school, not once hitting on me or making any odd moves. Afterwards, he thanked me for the company and drove off.
O.o
So, that is the story of my first Blizzcon. Admittedly, while I played some games and all of that jazz, the parts that I most remember is that I somehow got there on the back of a motorcycle without money, a plan to get home or a place to stay, and made it back without getting raped or murdered.
;D
I guess this feral druid's got nine lives!
that's super unsafe and from the tone of your blog it sounds like you'd do it again.
